Entrepreneur: Disciplines of Thought That Can Help You Rethink Industries and Unlock 10x Better Solutions - A Review

What is "Innovative Thinking"? Is it something that can be taught?

It would appear that Osama A. Hashmi's answer is a definite... maybe. I must admit that when I first saw the title Entrepreneur: Disciplines of Thought That Can Help You Rethink Industries and Unlock 10x Better Solutions I was skeptical at best. However, being a bit of a business strategy junky, I put my doubts aside and gave it a read.

Hashmi's writing style is very accessible. He doesn't bog you down with pseudo-science as many business writers do, but rather leaves you feeling like you just had a good long chat with as friend at a corner coffee shop. With nice short chapters, it feels more like a conversation than a lecture. It's the kind of book that you can fit into a busy life, a little here and a little there.

"OK Waldo, you like the format, what about the content?"
It's hard to point out a flaw in the content, mainly because there's little new. However that is, in itself, a positive thing. After all, there is something terrifying about a "completely new process of thought." That's not to say that the content is in some way lacking. Hashmi presents his ideas with a clarity that makes them easy to understand. If you're like me, you will find this little book more reassuring than revolutionary.

Of course, there is a problem with the book. That problem I have with it is the same problem I started with... the title. "Unlock 10x Better Solutions"... really? Hashmi himself has included a chapter entitled "To  Innovate, Stop  Listening  to Bozos  Like  me." If you finish this book and don't feel a little cheated by the title, then you are either a quite young, or new to the world of business.

So should you read this book? Most definitely. It's not so much what the author TELLS you, but what he ASKS you. Again, you walk away from each chapter feeling like you just had a really good chat with a friend. In the cut-throat world of business, that has tremendous value.

The Keys To Collaboration - A Review

They say Teamwork Makes the Dream Work. Unfortunately, teamwork can also cause nightmares. In The Keys To Collaboration: How to Build A Great Team or Fix the One You've Got, Lane Sherman provides practical and actionable guidance for success among teams. Many books on the subject of teamwork rely on broken metaphors or sports analogies. This book is for the busy professional who doesn't want to waste time reading such drivel, but wants some clear, no-nonsense direction.

In Part One, Mr. Sherman correctly points out that not all collections of individuals working toward a common goal are actually teams. An often overlooked consideration is the difference between Working Groups and Teams. This distinction is critical for leaders, as all other collaboration efforts hinge upon it. He then goes into the details of his Five Key Factors of Collaboration and explains the tasks that you, as a leader, will need to undertake.

In Part Two, the author guides you through the key conversations that will ensure that the team members are equipped for success. These conversations are related back to his Five Key Factors in a manner that is easy to understand and builds upon the foundation that was built in Part One.

Part Three covers the day to day management of the team. It is interesting to note that while entire books have been written on this part, it is one of the smallest parts in the book. This is the main differentiator between this book and others that you may have read on the subject of teams. The mechanics of team leadership are actually pretty basic. However without the first two parts, perfect execution of management does not guarantee success... which then makes the fourth part of this book so critical.

Part Four is most likely the reason you will purchase this book. Either something went wrong and now you need to fix it; or you want to avoid the dysfunctional teams you've had in the past. Here, the author provides six steps that again, build upon the foundation of his Five Key Factors of Collaboration to guide the team back to the path of success. Even if you are just starting a new team, this is an important section so that warning signs can be identified and corrections made early.

Parts Five and Six deal with tools and activities that will be very useful to most teams, but especially remote teams.

With almost 20 years of professional experience working with both groups and teams, I can vouch for the value of this book. You will certainly find yourself referring to it again and again, especially if you collaborate with dynamic teams.

Who's Your Best Teacher?

Unknown image source. Please advise if you know who to credit.

I saw this today, and initially thought "yeah, that seems true," but then I quickly changed my mind. While recognizing the lessons that a mistake teaches is important, there exist many better teachers. The problem with this statement is that some mistakes are so expensive that they may render the lesson useless.

I occasionally say "Nobody is completely useless, they can always serve as a bad example." A better teacher is someone else's mistake. The beauty of this teacher is that it doesn't cost you anything.

Now if you just spend your time looking at other people's mistakes, you may be making the mistake of not focussing on your own business. That's where Management Consultants come in. Yes I know, we're not free (in fact most are not cheap either), but the money invested in hiring a management consultant can at least be budgeted.

So, your "best" teacher may actually be a management consultant. You focus on running your business, and hire me to address the concerns that are keeping you up at night.

Let's talk. Give me a call for a free consultation.

Blessed are the Flexible.

"Flexibility" credit: Shelley Rodrigo

Is agility in government even possible? According to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Canada's Public Policy Forum, it may be. While I would certainly applaud any effort to make government more effective and efficient, my experience in the software industry tells me that their biggest risk will be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Software development methodologies have evolved quite dramatically since the days of Alan Turing. Usually, its evolution was brought about by advances in technology that made the next methodology possible. Where programmers once had to manually colour in little numbered boxes on punch cards in order to convey their instructions, we can now write computer programs that are almost natural language. I don't imagine the day is too far off when computers will be programmed in a conversational manner similar to the science fiction of the 1980s.

I had the good fortune to witness the evolution into Agile Software Development. This approach did away with complex, fully documented designs that required multiple sign-offs in order to proceed, and even more sign-offs to change; and was intended to replace it with high-level designs, and multiple smaller steps allowing for course correction as needed. The problem that many development shops faced was that the move to "agility" was misinterpreted as doing away with all up-front design. They effectively threw their software babies out with the design bathwater. The promises of agility were often not realised because entire sections of code had to be rewritten for the lack of forward planning.

The authors of the above mentioned report make some very good observations. The identification of: Adaptability, Innovation, Collaboration, Visibility, and Velocity as key elements that define agility is a good start. Furthermore, the approaches they suggest for the public service leadership to achieve agility certainly have merit. However, I feel that two elements still threaten our proverbial baby. A clear definition of agile, and buy-in from all stakeholders.

It is imperative that the pillars of public service such as accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency be preserved. They may be modified to reflect the new reality, however they must not be abandoned in the same way that many programmers abandoned forward planning. As a tax payer, I still expect my government to work for me in the most efficient and effective way, and I still expect them to be accountable. There is no more room for multi-million dollar boondoggles.

In order to succeed, this move to agility will involve a complete organizational transformation. Anyone who has studied the subject will tell you that one of the key elements to success in such transformation is obtaining stakeholder buy-in. And at the risk of sounding cynical, I suspect THAT will be the biggest hurdle. Whether it is the combative relationships between management and the various unions; or the partisan political influences on the civil service; or the arm twisting of the unions and other lobby groups on politicians; or the fiefdom building efforts of middle-managers; I find it very difficult to imagine a restructuring plan that would satisfy the various stakeholders enough that they would not only tolerate it, but become its champion.

I hope I am wrong. As with the software industry; when it is done correctly, there are huge benefits to be had by being agile and receptive to change.

There's a proverb to the effect of:

Blessed are the flexible.
They shall not get bent out of shape.

Here's to flexibility.

WR

How to Succeed at Organizational Change

It is quite common for people to be envious of a neighbour's greener grass. Often, such envy leads employees to seek employment elsewhere. For the business owner however, that is not an option. Part of the allure of entrepreneurship is the challenge of making your own grass greener than the neighbour's. This is not always that easy. Change can be a frightening thing. However, the browner your grass, the more urgent it is to start changing. At the risk of taking this metaphor too far: sometimes all that is needed is a little watering; other times some fertilizer must be applied (please avoid b.s.); sometimes there are weeds to be pulled; and sometimes, the best approach is to torch it and start all over.

It is often said that the only thing that doesn't change is change itself. So before going into a discussion of how to change, it is important to start with a caveat. Despite my light-hearted introduction, do not institute changes for their own sake. Remember that your stakeholders are people. We are all already confronted with change in our lives at a pace that continues to accelerate. Too much change, too often can lead to burn out. If change is warranted, ensure that sufficient time is given for those affected by the change to adapt to it, and recover from it.

Regardless how severe the change, all organizational change must go through the same basic stages. Kurt Lewin referred to these stages as unfreezing, changing, and refreezing. I don't particularly like the frozen analogy, because it implies a state that can only be affected by an external force, yet the most successful changes come from within. Regardless what you call them however, it is important to recognize that organizational change involves more than just applying some specific changes. It requires effort to prepare for the change, and requires effort to internalize the change (Lewin's unfreezing and refreezing respectively).

The actual act of changing is, in and of itself, not difficult. It is a decidedly mechanical function of considering options, analyzing merit, risk, and other factors, and implementing the best option. However changes often fail, and usually it is the result of failure to adequately prepare for and internalize the change.

Preparing for change involves communicating the urgency of the situation that demands the change. This can be an uncomfortable task for an entrepreneur as it exposes frailties. Often entrepreneurs will want to present a certain air of infallibility. This would be a mistake. By conveying urgency and taking the stakeholders into one's trust, one will have an easier time of generating buy in. It is well known that people support what they help create.

Next identify team members who will guide the change effort. Ideally, this group should be comprised of representatives from all stakeholder groups. There are exceptions of course. For example, suppliers may be stakeholders, but it is not always appropriate to include them in this group. It is very important at this stage to ensure that this group is empowered to develop the required change strategy, and that this empowerment is communicated clearly to the entire organization.

There, now that we have adequately prepared, changing can take place.

Once the analysis of the change has been completed, and the change has been implemented, it is vital to communicate the empowerment of all stakeholders to contribute to the success of the change. This involves, among other things, identification and removal of obstacles. It never ceases to amaze me that a great deal of effort would go into planning and executing change, and then the change fails because the staff are blocked by an artefact of "the way we always do it." The stakeholders need to be assured from the very top of the organization that this change is sanctioned, and that any observations as to how it can be enhanced are welcome.

Immediately following implementation, it is vital to look for, and celebrate, wins. Initially, they will be small wins. Take them. Success breeds success. Communicating these wins will encourage a culture that seeks success. The stakeholders will begin to look for other ways that will demonstrate that the change was worthwhile. This will not only reinforce the current change, but it will also serve to grease the wheels of future change.

As more and more examples of success come to the front, ensure that all stakeholders are given the opportunity to learn from the collective lessons. Seek out opportunities to cross-pollinate. How can lessons from one group, say Operations, be integrated into the practices of another group such as Sales. This cross-pollination will act as a multiplier effect, creating yet more success. Often, it produces a certain amount of friendly competition as each groups strives to be recognised for their victories.

Monitoring the progress, and documenting success, failures, and lessons learned, will reinforce the change. By involving all stakeholders, and rewarding those who produced the most significant gains, the culture of the organization will evolve into one that is less stagnant and more receptive to change.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some mowing to do.

-WR-

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Photo Credit: Sometimes the Grass IS Greener by: tinyfroglet (www.flickr.com/people/tinyfroglet)