I recently initiated two discussion groups on LinkedIn, on interest groups called CATA and Harvard Business Review.  Both discussion groups raised two questions: What caused the downfall of Blackberry? What are the lessons learned?  They can be accessed at:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/What-caused-Blackberrys-downfall-What-37239.S.276807474?qid=69d877c2-b2d4-4716-a5b0-9573fe2664d0&trk=groups_most_popular-0-b-ttl&goback=%2Egmp_37239

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=5793139819211153411&gid=3044917&commentID=5793248799954579456&trk=view_disc&fromEmail=&ut=1-EFkBdJnZgRY1

ENJOY!  

Assessing organizational performance: when, why and how?

Typical symptoms of under-performance are:

·         Growth targets are not being met

·         Revenue is declining

·         Market share is shrinking

·         Opportunities are being missed

·         A merger or acquisition is problematic

·         Deadlines are being missed

·         Poor teamwork

·         Management gets surprises

·         Employees rarely exceed expectations

·         Same issues keep reoccurring

·         Best people are leaving

·         A corporate initiative is stuck

·         Feeling that there are opportunities to improve performance -- to move from good to great”

A cause may be that employees are not engaged – not performing near or at their full potential.  Gallup surveys reveal that only 30 percent of employees are engaged.

A cause may be ineffective direct supervisors.  A Gallup poll of more 1 million employed U.S. workers concluded that the No. 1 reason people quit their jobs is a bad boss or immediate supervisor.

Assessing organizational performance requires pinpointing the problems and their causes.  This requires using a survey that poses the right questions.

If and how to innovate

Apple and Samsung are emerging as the winners in the smart phone business. Time will tell whether they continue to innovate and remain the winners in their business.  Innovation is becoming increasingly important, particularly for companies in the Western World in order to off-set the competitive advantages and zest for becoming great in other parts of the world.  Our firm’s expertise is in creating a culture and environment that is innovative.  This is necessary but not sufficient to become and remain an innovative company – to find out more, go to the link below.    http://www.innovationexcellence.com/

Simple things to be a better leader

I found these 12 things posted on the link provided below.  I like them, probably because they correspond to some of the attributes and sub-attributes of our model of a great leader :-)

12 things to be a better leader. 

1.     Listening: "When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen." - Ernest Hemingway

2.     Storytelling: "Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today." -Robert McAfee Brown

3.     Authenticity: "I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I've become. If I had, I'd have done it a lot earlier." -Oprah Winfrey

4.     Transparency: "As a small businessperson, you have no greater leverage than the truth." -John Whittier

5.     Team Playing: "Individuals play the game, but teams beat the odds." -SEAL Team Saying

6.     Responsiveness: "Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." -Charles Swindoll

7.     Adaptability: "When you're finished changing, you're finished." -Ben Franklin

8.     Passion: "The only way to do great work is to love the work you do." -Steve Jobs

9.     Surprise and Delight: "A true leader always keeps an element of surprise up his sleeve, which others cannot grasp but which keeps his public excited and breathless." -Charles de Gaulle

10.  Simplicity: "Less isn't more; just enough is more." -Milton Glaser

11.  Gratefulness: "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." -Gilbert Chesterton

12.  The Golden Rule: Above all else, treat others as you’d like to be treated

Let’s revolutionize embracing change

Many studies show that only about 30% of projects that involve people and change are fully successful.  

Executives and change management consultants do many of the right things when it comes to leading and managing change: listen, deal with fear, provide tools and training, explain why reasons for the change, coach for commitment, emphasize transparency, identify and remove barriers, …...  and follow good advice on how to lead and manage change such as provided in John Kotter’s article entitled “Accelerate” in the November 2012 issue of the Harvard Business Review.  

http://www.traversegroup.ca/a284/Revolutionize%20embracing%20change.pdf

Achieving consistent high-quality service

Five Guys, known for its burgers and fries in the Washington DC area, began franchising in 2003 and today it has more than 1,100 corporate-owned and franchised locations in the United States, Canada, and now the U.K.  To maintain a consistently exceptional customer experience despite the restaurant's extraordinary growth rate, Five Guys provide high-quality training to its employees.  Accountability for customer service is a companion to training, and is achieved by proactively seeking feedback from customers.

The importance of candor in business

Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric, in his book, Winning, states that candor is the biggest little secret in business.  In our framework for improving the performance of organizations, we regard teamwork as a fundamental building block.  One of the attributes of effective teams is resolving differences, which requires being candid in a constructive manner.  For more on candor, see this VIDEO.