What it takes to Simplify

Irene Etzkorn, my guest on the Business901 podcast, is a worldwide authority on simplicity. As executive director of Simplification, she built the Simplification practice of Siegel+Gale. Her clients include the nation’s top banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, utilities, and health care providers. Irene and Alan Siegel have recently authored Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity describing these practices.

From the book: In Simple, the culmination of their work together, Etzkorn and Siegel show how having empathy, striving for clarity, and distilling the message can reduce the distance between company and customer, hospital and patient, government and citizen—and in so doing increase a company’s bottom line. Examining the best and worst practices of an array of organizations big and small, they recast simplicity as a mindset, a design aesthetic, and a writing technique.

A written excerpt from the podcast is available at The Competitive Advantage of Simplification. 

 

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About Siegel+Gale: (www.siegelgale.com) Simplicity is the centerpiece of the strategies they develop that reveal the unique truths of an organization, the engaging stories they create that connect brands with their audiences and the meaningful experiences they deliver that are both unexpectedly fresh and remarkably clear. Since 1969, Siegel+Gale has championed simplicity for leading corporations, nonprofits and government organizations worldwide.

Spanning the Globe for Team Success

Leading Effective Virtual Teams: Overcoming Time and Distance to Achieve Exceptional Results is Nancy Settle-Murphy new book. She draws from more than two decades of experience in facilitating the work of global teams working across time zones, locations and cultures. Nancy’s company is Guided Insights and can be found on twitter @nsettlemurphy.

She is the guest on Business901 podcast today. A written excerpt of the podcast is at Is Trust the Key Component in Virtual Teams?

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Guided Insights is a facilitation, training and strategic communications consulting firm based in Boxborough, Massachusetts. Founded in 1994 by Nancy Settle-Murphy, the company comprises a team of seasoned facilitators, organizational development consultants, communications professionals and trainers. They draw from each other’s knowledge and experience to provide a creative, high-quality, cost-effective solution that reflects the clients’ unique environment. Facilitating complex conversations and strengthening connections across virtual teams that span cultures and time zones are special areas of focus.

Does ROWE solve some Lean problems?

In next weeks podcast, I have David Kasprzak, of the popular blog, My Flexible Pencil discussing  ROWE a concept developed by Jody Thompson and published in her book, Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: The Results-Only Revolution.

An excerpt from the podcast:

Joe:  That's a very interesting point, because that's what always frustrates me is that when people get into Lean, they just say "Oh, it's a cultural change." They create this atmosphere that you have to have, that you're supposed to have blind faith going there. That it's going to happen. Does ROWE solve some of those problems?

David:  I think it does. I think it does it in a very interesting way. I think ROWE is very much aware, and having talked with Jody directly, those folks are very much aware that businesses have a higher purpose. We can talk mission and values, but above that is a higher purpose. I think a lot of us are familiar with the example of the gentleman sweeping the floor at NASA, and they ask, what is his job? He said, oh, I helped to launch the space shuttle. So there is NASA's mission. Their higher purpose is to put a man on the moon or win the space race, or one of those things. There's a higher purpose involved.

We're looking to get people to that higher purpose, gives them a greater ability to focus on just what they need to do to accomplish that purpose, and that's where the culture change begins. Wait a minute, if I'm at home today right now and not doing what I would otherwise be doing if I was in the office ‑‑ which might be nothing more than hanging out at the water cooler ‑‑ am I detracting from the purpose of the organization?

Or they may have worked in a daycare as well, and they believe their higher purpose is to create a greater society, and the way they create that greater society is through proper education of young children.

If I decide to go and get my hair done today, and I don't have someone to cover for me, am I helping to achieve that higher purpose? No, clearly you're not. However, if you're given the responsibility for making sure someone covers your time and it does not detract from the higher purpose, then you are free to do what you feel you need to do that day.

That's why I say the responsibility only aspect of ROWE... I think there are sort of three Rs in ROWE. There's Results Only, Responsibility Only, and Respect Only. I think if you accomplish those things, people intrinsically start to see the need for efficiency, because not only does it benefit the business, but let's face it, people want to benefit themselves, too.

More information about Dave and Rowe can be found:
ROWE, Lean and the Shingo Model
“Results Only” means “Value Only”

Related Information:
Games maybe your only chance to attract the best and brightest talent,
When Efficiencies and Innovation no longer work, is Customer Centricity the answer?
Improving Human-Centered Design: Achieving Resonance

Are right brain thinkers better leaders?

Timothy W. Fowler (also known as The Right Brain) is CEO of BusinessLeadership.com. He details numerous process improvement efforts utilizing right-brain dominant-skills in the Business901 podcast and answered a few questions I had…

1. Specifically what is Right Brain problem-solving?
2. How can right brain thinking help business leaders?
3. Do you want a whole group of right brains in one group?
4. How do you hold right-brainers accountable?
5. What are the benefits of right brain thinking?

Tim is a University of Kentucky Certified Lean Master, a Goldratt Institute Theory of Constraint Supply Chain Expert, an ASQ-Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, and a Licensed Social Worker with a SECRET clearance. He is a visual-spatial thinker who designed President Obama’s Air Force One secure inspection and re-fueling process and he is also the founding Director of Super Bowl Champion Coach Joe Gibbs Youth For Tomorrow

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Tim will also be speaking at the ASQ Columbus Spring Conference. It is a one day event on March 24th with registration beginning at 7:30 AM and the conference from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Additional information and registration can be obtained at http://www.asq-columbus.org.

Related Information:
ASQ Columbus Spring Conference will host Marketing with Lean
Left Brain vs Right Brain = Management vs. Marketing
Be Productive, Be Visual, Part 2
Start your Visual Thinking Process with Mind Mapping
Power of Visual Thinking in your Visual Workplace

improve collaboration using Medieval vs South Park figures

Ingenious isn’t it. More than 13 million people across the world have discovered Kingdomality, an extraordinary way to learn about others, maybe more than you thought possible. This is a book you'll want to share with everyone from the CEO to the newest entry-level hire.

I have use this simple survey many times working with clients. I show them the results of mine and then have them take the test and we discuss the results of theirs. It is a great ice breaker and also we learn very quickly about each other. In this time of collaboration and the complexity of the virtual world, it is quite nice to know early in the conversation the other parties personalities.

I always looked at this as a good thing. I am also a Prime Minister type. My wife looks at it totally different and sees it pretty much as a waste of time. She so happens to be a Shepard. Kingdomality creates a better understanding of your workplace. yourself, and others.

Take this simple test and see where you fit on the circle: Kingdomality Survey.

From the Book cover:

By reading to Kingdomality, a parable of a king at his wits' end in a disorganized kingdom, you'll see the startling and clear parallels between the kingdom and your office. Then, you can take a simple, eight-question test to determine which of 12 different jobs you would have held in a medieval kingdom, and learn how each job is essential in the running of a kingdom or any business anywhere. You'll receive valuable lessons in the creation of high-performance teams, assigning appropriate tasks, hiring and rewarding employees, and creating an effective, efficient, fun, and profitable workplace. In this fresh and original way of approaching business, you'll join the millions of others who have discovered why you should never send a Sheperd to do the job of a Black Knight, and vice versa.

A similar book of equal value: StrengthsFinder 2.0

Related Posts:
Creating a Great Workplace
Helping Customers to Excellence eBook
Quality and Collaboration eBook
Online collaboration is leading the way for Lean Marketing
Why Lean Marketing? Because it is the Future of Marketing …
Try hitting a Double in your sales

Are you running numerous Kaizen Events, should you be?

This weeks Business901 podcast, will feature Karen Martin the co-author of  The Kaizen Event Planner: Achieving Rapid Improvement in Office, Service and Technical Environments as a quick introduction to my Kaizen week I thought I would start out with one of the first questions I asked Karen in the interview:

Joe:  So when you say that they run numerous Kaizen Events or actually, I noticed one thing on your website where you say a typical organization of a hundred people, only have four Kaizen Events a year. So, a Kaizen Event is different than a continuous improvement process or your weekly meeting for continuous improvement process. What is the difference?

Karen:  Yes. Good question. So, Kaizen Events are this formalized, structured approach to making rapid improvement, whereas, really, what the goal is of any organization is to develop a Kaizen culture. In the Kaizen culture, improvement happens continuously. It happens without the need for those formalized process that involves a tremendous amount of planning, and really, quite a bit of effort. In fact, Kaizen Events can be quite painful for an organization because of the number of people they have to pull off their regular jobs and sequester them for two to five days. They're really only reserved for the most intense types of improvements that need to be made.

What some organizations do, and one of the criticisms of Kaizen Events, is that they'll get hooked on Kaizen Events and only make improvement during a formal event. That's not at all the intention of a Kaizen Event. So, I view them as a good way to indoctrinate an organization into the improvement process and teach the skills.

In fact, you'll hear Kaizen Events referred to as Kaizen Workshops and Kaizen Blitz. The workshop term reflects the deep learning that occurs in a Kaizen that if it's well facilitated. So, it is true that there's a risk that organizations can become dependent on Kaizen Events and use them for all‑improvement and never really evolve into that Kaizen culture.

But, I do believe that it's a very good first step. Often, for many, many years, I think, non‑manufacturing organizations, in particular, can benefit from Kaizen Events. This is to get the culture embedded into the DNA of the organization, this whole concept of continuous improvement.

In the podcast, Karen goes into much depth in White Collar Kaizen. I think you will enjoy it. I found it very interesting that she points out that in the beginning of implementing a continuous improvement  culture that you need to have well structured events. I think it holds very true for Inbound Marketing. This concept is still foreign to most and they struggle with that concept. I wondered if it was going to become “mainstream” and by the looks of the decreasing effectiveness of outbound marking tactics, it is probably going to win by default.  

Social Media Slant: I find the need for these types of events in the new wave of marketing, Social Media. I seldom see the necessary steps taken to instill a solid foundation before organizations are off blogging, twittering, etc. Spending time watching and listening seems downright silly to most. A well found strategy for social media is very apparent to the more seasoned social media player. The reason, I believe it is that the majority of the “Seasoned Players” already know how much time they have wasted getting up to speed (joke, but a lot of truth in it). I have been encouraging my clients to take several 10 minute Twitter breaks in lieu of the standard coffee break, just to get the flavor of that form of social media. I think Social Media will become embedded in the culture and conversations of most companies in the not to distant future. Holding a few Kaizen Events might not hurt. Learn more about it this week!

Related Blog Posts:

A Kaizen Event is one of the most popular ways to rapidly improve a process and make the gains stick. Or is it?

A Preview to Kaizen Week

Technorati Tags: Kaizen,Lean,White-Collar,Office-Environment,Kaizen Event,Kaizen Template

Top ten tips for incredibly successful public speaking

I've been to something like one hundred conferences and corporate events in the past several years as I travel the world delivering keynotes and running seminars. I've seen a few great speeches. Sadly, most speeches I see are not very good. Some are downright terrible.

I've been collecting some observations on what makes a good presentation and also drawing from my own experience.

Most of us have an opportunity to speak, perhaps at your industry event, or your company's sales conference, or to a local club.

Make the most of your opportunity.

1. Take it seriously.

2. Know the conference organizer's goals.

3. Tell stories.

4. Nobody cares about your products (except you).

5. Prepare and practice.

6. Don't use PowerPoint as a TelePrompTer.

7. Arrive early.

8. Bring an electronic copy of your presentation.

9. Don't go long.

10. Be aware of body language.

This is from Web Ink Now, and written by David Meerman Scott.

10,000 hours

How true this is from Seth Godin: 

It's not surprising that Malcolm Gladwell's new book has made a splash. All his thought-provoking writing does and deserves to.

The argument of Outliers:

• Where you're born and when you're born have an enormous amount to do with whether or not you're successful.
• Becoming a superstar takes about 10,000 hours of hard work.
• Both of the bullet points above are far more important than the magical talent myth.

Bill Gates, the Beatles, Beethoven, Bill Joy, Tiger Woods--do the math, 10,000 hours of work.

In some ways, this is a restatement of the Dip. Being the best in the world brings extraordinary benefits, but it's not easy to get there.

For me, though, some of the 10k analysis doesn't hold up. The Doors (or Devo or the Bee Gees) for example, didn't play together for 10,000 hours before they invented a new kind of rock*. If the Doors had encountered significantly more competition for their brand of music, it's not clear that they could have gotten away with succeeding as quickly as they did. Hey, Miley Cyrus wasn't even 10,000 hours awake before she became a hit.

Doc Searls and Scoble didn't blog for 10,000 hours before they became the best, most important bloggers in the world. Molly Katzen didn't work on her recipes for 10,000 hours before she wrote the Moosewood Cookbook either.

*(There were bar bands in Buffalo, where I grew up, that put in far more than 10,000 playing mediocre music... didn't help. Hard work maybe necessary, but not sufficient).

Here's my take on it:
You win when you become the best in the world, however 'best' and 'world' are defined by your market. In many mature markets, it takes 10,000 hours of preparation to win because most people give up after 5,000 hours. That's the only magic thing about 10k... it's a hard number to reach, so most people bail.

Yo Yo Ma isn't perfect... he's just better than everyone else. He pushed through the Dip that others chose not to. I'm guessing that there are endeavors (like being CEO of a Fortune 500 company or partner at a big law firm) where the rewards are so huge that the number is closer to 20,000 hours or more to get through the Dip.

But, ready for this? The Dip is much closer in niche areas, new areas, unexplored areas. You can get through the Dip in an online network or with a new kind of music because being seen as the best in that area is easier (at least for now). You can get through the Dip as a real estate broker in a new, growing town a lot quicker than someone in midtown Manhattan. The competition is thinner and probably less motivated.

Yes, it matters where and when you were born. It matters that you get lucky. And it matters most of all that you saw the Dip, realized how far away it was and chose to push through it.

Advice on finding a coach?

I asked a consultant the other day: "What advice would give someone trying to find a consultant in your field?"
The answer:
1. Longevity, someone who has seen both good times and bad times
2. Active within a specific field/industry.
3. Communication skills
4. Ability to make my life easier, not complicate it.

Have any other suggestions?

Tim Ferris(4-hour Workweek) interview with Duct Tape Marketing

Tim Ferriss is the author of the wildly popular 4-Hour Workweek. He is a serial entrepreneur and ultravagabond and has been featured by dozens of media, including The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, NBC, and MAXIM.
Session: February 21st, 2008 Noon Central (GMT-6).

If you have read the book, you will not miss it. If you haven't, find out why the others are tuning in.

Each month the Duct Tape Marketing Coach network and Gotvmail will bring you access to a celebrity guest interviewed live by small business marketing expert John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing.Best News, it's free by clicking thru here and registering.

If the link does not work, copy and paste this into your browser:http://www.business901.com/coachingexcellence.html

Does this work for me? I enjoy my work to much. But he really does have a different perspective and is an interesting guy. Is it doable??? If it was, maybe I would have 10 companies with 4-hour workweeks.