Adapting to a "Structural Break"

McKinsey Quarterly's most recent issues have offered insightful articles about the necessity for rethinking some business practices to adapt to current conditions. In this informative piece from the December 2008 issue, Richard Rumelt makes the case that we are experiencing not just a recession, but a "structural break" -- a sudden shift in the way business is done. Rumelt suggests that this shift will require not just belt-tightening, but detailed reworking of growth-based business structures and market strategies that so many companies have had in place to capitalize on previously favorable conditions. No organization can afford wasteful and time-consuming internal communications. Nor can the healthier business units continue to carry less-profitable units whose costs are hiding within the complex, multifunctional management structures we have built.

In short: the time to deliberately isolate business units' support structures, and collect data to identify areas of opportunity, is now.

Rumelt's conclusion:

"In ordinary hard times, the traditional moves are reducing fixed costs, scope, and variety. But in hard times accompanied by structural breaks, you must rethink the way you manage. Companies that survive and go on to prosper look beyond costs to the detailed structure of managerial work. Several new issues come to the forefront:

• How much extra work results from the way incentive and evaluation systems relentlessly pressure managers to look busy and outperform one another?
• Which information flows can you omit? Information that doesn’t inform value-creating decisions is a wasteful distraction.
• Which decisions and judgments can you standardize as policy rather than make in costly meetings and communications?
• How can you work with customers, suppliers, and the government to simplify their processes so that you can simplify yours?

Barr Corporate Success can help you develop and execute strategies which streamline processes, improve functioning of tight-knit teams, and produce a more effective, productive, profitable organization. Call (513-470-8980) or e-mail us to start today. Let's get to work!

Succeeding in difficult economic times

Krissi recently appeared on the WCET (PBS) program "Business Beat", discussing what company owners, leaders and managers must do to succeed in today's difficult business environment with host Crystal Faulkner. See it here.

A transcript of their discussion:

FAULKNER: I’m Crystal Faulkner with the CPA & Business Advisory firm of Cooney, Faulkner & Stevens. My guest today is Krissi Barr, president of Barr Corporate Success.
Krissi, you go in and you help companies identify things they need to do to be more successful and then you actually stay there and help them get those things done. With so much changing today, what should companies be doing to plan for the future?

BARR: Three things. If you’re a golfer, you’ll remember the acronym “PAR”. Prioritize – focus on what matters most. Adapt to change – see change as an opportunity. Innovate. And the R, responsibility. Take ownership of the outcome. Make sure you get it done. Take action today. Surfacing across all of that is: Make sure your team is aligned to what your priorities are. And make sure the team, if it’s dysfunctional, builds a real strong foundation of trust, because you’re going to need that trust in these times.

FAULKNER: Well, how can people keep positive when it seems like employees, employers, and even the country is experiencing such tough times? What’s the secret of staying positive through all of this?

BARR: A lot of it is you. Focus on what matters most. Focus on the future. The power is in the future, it’s not in the past. So think about: What’s the core, what do I need to do? A couple of basics: Take care of your own energy. Focus on: Are you exercising? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you have quiet time? Tired people make mistakes, and right now is a time you can’t afford to make mistakes. Take care of your financial house. Make sure that you have enough finances and cash and flexibility to be able to take care of those things. The biggest one out of all of it – pivot. So many of us focus on what we’re afraid of. We go, “Gosh, I don’t want to lose that customer,” or “I don’t want to lose my job.” You should pivot, and go, “I want to provide the best service for my customers so that they see I’m an ally in helping them get through this tough time.” Or, “I’m going to be the best employee, and produce the best results for my company, so that my company comes out of this stronger than ever.” If you focus on what you want, versus what you don’t want, you’ll stay more positive.

FAULKNER: How can leaders and managers of companies help their employees stay motivated to do all those things you just mentioned?

BARR: That’s a tough one. I mean, you see customer or employees surveys. People go, “Communicate, communicate, communicate.” So I’m going to tell leaders and employees: communicate. Over-communicate if you have to. Make sure people understand what your vision is, what you’re doing, how the people in the company fit into those priorities, what are they doing to contribute to success, what are they doing to that helps your customers. Everybody – I don’t care if you’re in the accounting department or in sales – at one point or another is servicing the client, maintaining the client, or selling to the client. And they need to understand how they fit. That’s the best way. And also, don’t judge as much, but coach. Coach employees. When they see that you really care about them, that you’re committed to this – because it’s a lot of hard work – they’re going to trust you.

FAULKNER: Krissi, that’s wonderful advice. Thank you so much.

Challenges for new CEOs

A recent USA Today Snapshot^® referenced an interesting study. Asked to name the top challenges they face in their first 100 days on the job, 1,400 chief executive officers said:

• Increasing productivity - 30 percent
• Increasing profitability - 20 percent
• Personnel decisions - 13 percent
• Building rapport with new staff - 13 percent

Study results reaffirm Barr Corporate Success's DISC (Dominance-Influence-Steadiness-Compliance) and PIAV (Personal Interests, Attitudes, and Values) profiles for those who work in profit-oriented leadership positions. An interest in the bottom line is critical in roles requiring careful management of resources. A CEO's natural tendency is to focus first on numbers, a comfort zone and primary accountability, rather than "emotional intelligence" strategies.

However, Barr Corporate Success's 20+ years' experience in high-level management strongly suggests that neglect of rapport, teamwork, employee engagement, and motivation seriously impairs strategic plans to improve profitability and productivity. Even CEO's with stellar track records can fail spectacularly if they start off on the wrong footing with their senior leadership teams.

Becoming familiar with current financial conditions in a new post is a no-brainer, but CEO's are well-advised to also establish strong rapport with direct reports. Those who do so reap the benefits of a better grasp of the skills, engagement, and styles of the team who will implement strategies which improve the bottom line. The result is smarter personnel decisions, messages that cascade throughout the corporation, more effective implementation, and very real financial gains. Disregarding the expertise and input of those who best know current conditions has dire consequences in today's difficult business environment.

Yes, market conditions are tough. But now is the perfect time to secure market position, find new markets, and develop a leadership team able to navigate stormy waters. Understandably, business owners and senior management are hesitant to commit scarce capital to consultants. They're right to be cautious. Some consultants offer recycled information, and induce eye-rolling or clock-watching with touchy-feely, time-consuming seminars.

Unlike so many of us, as her associate, I (Jodi) can attest Krissi Barr never wastes time. There may never have been a more effective time manager, or one more able to provide 100 percent signal, 0 percent noise! Our clients have written countless letters to affirm the value Krissi has delivered and the results they've reaped. Barr Corporate Success's services are focused, efficient direct consultations with specific information and hard data which quickly identify wasted time, money, and human capital. Clients are often amazed at the stark difference between Barr Corporate Success's results and those of prior consultants. Executives and their teams are never left thinking that time with Krissi might have been better spent elsewhere.

Let's face it: Only companies with an agile, engaged, and effective senior leadership team will be able to withstand and adapt to these economic conditions. The expertise of Barr Corporate has saved struggling clients before, and improves the bottom line of current clients every day.

Krissi will gladly discuss strategies to overcome the challenges you're facing, and offer concrete strategies to seize opportunities. Call (513-470-8980) or e-mail her today.

A Resolution Plan for Success

"New Year's Day... now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual..." - Mark Twain

Chances are better than even that many of us who made New Year's resolutions have abandoned them, or are flagging. According to a recent study conducted by Harris Interactive^®, only 22 percent of men and 14 percent of women follow through on our resolutions. Most of us drop our efforts by Valentine's Day, having faltered early and been overrun by the all-too-common cascade of rationalization and resignation.

If you're struggling, take heart. You can achieve your goals, and keep your resolutions. Having failed in the past in no way makes you weak-willed. What gets in the way of most of us is a total lack of preparation for success in achieving our resolutions. Here are some tips that can improve your odds.

Be specific. You are much more likely to follow through on a resolution with dates and measures in them. For example, "I will lose 2 pounds a month until Memorial Day, with an end goal of losing 10 pounds. I'll weigh myself on the 28th of each month." Contrast that with, "I want to lose weight." Which is more likely to produce results?

Be realistic and fair toward yourself. How many smokers have failed by vowing to quit a 3-pack-a-day smoking habit "cold turkey"? And dieters by limiting themselves to starvation-level calorie intakes? Achieving our goals should be enjoyable, not punishment and deprivation. Rigid and severe regimens are an "all or nothing" approach which can only exhaust you by constantly testing willpower. It's best to start with small, sensible, progressive goals that don't cause misery. Cut back in small ways. Give yourself small milestones along the way. As you succeed in those progressive goals, extend and expand them. Such goals are also more likely to result in a true lifestyle change, rather than a short-term crash course that is unbearable in the long run.

Review. We're often making the same resolution we made but didn't keep last year. You have a perfect opportunity to identify some potential problems! Think about the situations and obstacles which tripped you up last year. Did you end up pigging out on neighbor Bob's chili-cheese dip at the Superbowl party last year? Did Cousin Lisa's smoke-break call you outside despite your intention to quit? In either case, make a mental plan for what you'll do when tempted. Take gum to chew; bring something tasty but less sinful to munch on; sit away from the food; or take a few quiet moments out back, rather than out front with the smokers.

Write it down. By putting your resolution in writing and posting it somewhere within your view, you'll remind yourself to make choices that are consistent with your goals. As anyone who benefitted from taking tons of notes in school will know, merely writing it as you hear it can often give a little memory boost to the material. Many of us are visual or kinetic learners, so the mere act of manipulating a pen in writing our goals, or seeing it in black and white on a piece of paper, can impress that goal more deeply on our consciousness.

Share your goals. This may be the most important tip of all. It's unfortunate news for "the fairer sex," but men are more likely than women to always or often keep resolutions. (22% of men, versus 14% of women). Do men just have stronger wills (no) or is it something else? The key may be that men are also proportionately more likely than women to share resolutions with their spouses or others (41% of men versus 29% of women). Success in any given goal is much more frequently achieved when the goal is widely known and shared. What if everyone at the Superbowl party knew you were trying to lose 10 pounds? Would you be less likely to go for a third serving of the chili-cheese dip? If your family knew you had committed to one cigarette every 6 hours, you might be less likely to join your cousin in the garage for smoke-breaks. That's why sharing your resolutions is so important.

With some preparation and forethought, you can keep those resolutions. Be firm, but kind, with yourself, remembering that it takes 3 weeks of fairly consistent effort to cement a new "routine." Every step you take toward achieving a goal, no matter how small, is a significant improvement, and can't be wiped out by a small misstep. Get back on track, and take it one step at a time.

Let's get to work!

The Right Bus, The Right Seat

How do you feel about your work, your career, and the direction in which your life is heading? Does thinking about it make you satisfied and happy, perhaps spark some ideas and remind you of things you'd like to accomplish, or is it something you'd rather not think about? A survey conducted by Harris interactive last year shows that 55 percent of all Americans are unhappy with their jobs. Only 20 percent feel passionate about their jobs, and a mere 15 percent feel energized by what they do. Why? It's not a rhetorical question. It's an important question with important answers that affect our health, our creativity, and our ability to stay competitive in an ever-changing global business environment. When what we are doing is uninteresting, unpleasant, or extremely stressful, creativity, productivity, and happiness all suffer. Those numbers suggest that many of us are spending a large portion of our lives doing things we don't enjoy, or in environments which feel oppressive to us, and that we often feel drained by what we do. Obviously, there are practical limitations to how closely we can follow our dreams -- mundane matters still have to be taken care of, and even when we're excited about the work itself, we may dislike the routine matters that come with it, such as invoicing, record-keeping and so on. But how can so many of us be not just unenthusiastic but actively stressed by what we do. The numbers don't lie. The National Institude for Occupational Health and Safety, Centers for Disease Control reports survey results which confirm the occupational malaise. Forty percent of workers reported that their jobs were very or extremely stressful, with 25 percent viewing their jobs as the top stressor in their lives. Twenty-nine percent felt quite a bit or extremely stressed at work. And 26 percent said that were "often or very often burned out or stressed by their work." A full 75 percent of employees believe that workers have more on-the-job stress than was experienced by the previous generation.

It's worth investigating the causes behind that stress and burnout, which is often closely related to work culture and departmental communications issues. Rather than employees going on a hunt for just the right workplace environment, or employers having to deal with excessive turnover costs, all involved can benefit from the expertise of an executive/management coach. Individual workers can get a better sense of their own driving interests, their working styles, and many other factors that affect "fit" and satisfaction -- which in turn affect health, productivity and success.

Employers, too, benefit greatly from a deeper understanding of just what motivates and rewards their most important people.

Stressed? Losing good people? Call a coach!

Lessons from "The Last Lecture"

Distinguished professor Randy Pausch gave the traditional "last lecture" to a packed house at Carnegie Mellon University in fall 2007. These lectures, given by retiring or departing faculty answer the question:

"If you had one last lecture to give students, what would you tell them?"

Pausch is a beloved figure, virtual reality pioneer, human-computer interaction researcher, co-founder of CMU's Entertainment Technology Center, and creator of the Alice software project. And Randy Pausch is dying. Last year, he felt somewhat tired and had a few digestive symptoms. He went to the doctor, only to be told that he had mere months to live because he had metastic pancreatic cancer -- the most deadly of all cancers. Yet Pausch, a father of three young children, focused on "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," his lifelong pursuit.

Pausch on How to Achieve Your Childhood Dreams

• We can't control the cards we're dealt, but only how we play them.
• Focus not on problems or death, but on how to live.
• Never give up dreams, childlike wonder, and enthusiasm.
• We benefit and learn from pursuing dreams, even if we never achieve them.
• Experience is what we get when we don't get what we wanted.
• If no one tells us when we're doing a poor job, that means others have given up on us.
• When someone pushes us, it's because they care that we are our best.
• Rejection letters are inspirational -- one more avenue explored.
• "Brick walls" are there to give us a chance to show how much we want "it."
• Have fun all the time, every day. Consciously choose to enjoy life.
• Humility is important.
• Expressing creativity is more important than pristine surroundings -- let kids paint their dreams on their bedrooms walls, and forget the resale value.
• No whining, no self-pity. ("When your father was your age, he was fighting the Germans.")
• Value people over things.
• Choose to be a "Tigger," not an "Eeyore."
• Work and play well with others: tell the truth, apologize when wrong, and look for the best in others.
• A true apology says, "I'm sorry. It was my fault. How can I make it right?"
• No one is pure evil -- be patient, and the good side will show itself.
• Show gratitude: It's simple and powerful.
• Don't complain -- just work harder.
• If we live life the right way, dreams will come to us, and karma will work itself out.

While Randy Pausch makes it clear that his last lecture is for his children, millions have seen and been changed by it since its posting online.

• The video is worth watching in its entirety, and can be seen here: http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/.
• Pausch also gave an 11 minute reprise of the presentation on the Oprah Winfrey Show October 7th, 2007, which can be viewed here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8577255250907450469&pr=goog-sl.
• High-resolution downloadable versions of Randy's videos can be found at www.cs.virginia.edu/robins/Randy.
• And his book, "The Last Lecture," which delves deeper into these life lessons, is available here: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Last-Lecture/Randy-Pausch/e/9781401323257/?itm=1
• Other Links: www.randypausch.com www.etc.cmu.edu www.alice.org

Flexible & friendly beats smart

Wharton@Work asked members in its December 2007 poll, "What are the most important qualities you look for in team members?" They answered:

• Flexibility/adaptability - 40 percent
• Interpersonal skills - 29 percent
• Specific functional skills - 15 percent
• Intelligence - 12 percent
• Loyalty - 4 percent

Turns out that most of what you really need to know, you DID learn in kindergarten.

As parents, many of us know that one of the competencies expected before children progress in school is the ability to transition smoothly from activity to activity on agendas set by circumstances. And getting along with others is, of course, essential at all ages. What's interesting here is how unimportant intelligence and loyalty are. Once you think about it, though, it makes perfect sense. We've all known people who were incredibly bright, but very difficult to work with. Stanford-Binet intelligence tests don't measure emotional intelligence, which is far more important in teamwork than spatial manipulation ability in most cases. Personal loyalty, too, can be problematic, if it prompts people to cover up unproductive behaviors, support faulty premises, or avoid challenging things which may cause problems later.

Teams drive work

Why should you keep those important team characteristics in mind? Because they are the driving force behind work, according to Wharton's January poll. When asked if leaders or teams primarily drove their work, 52 percent of members said teams, 34 percent said a balance of the two, and only 14 percent said their work was driven by leaders.

Smart is as smart does, my mother used to say. Smart leaders put their money on teamwork.