AN ENTREPRENEUR’S STORY
Unlike my mother who before reading anything else in the newspaper turned to the Obituary page to see who had recently died, a couple of weeks ago I happened upon the obituary of Leonardo Del Vecchio. The name caught my eye, my family knew people with that surname. The obituary took up the top half of a page in the NYT, Tuesday June 28,2022. Intrigued, I kept reading. Who was this person?
Watching 60 Minutes years ago I recalled a segment they did on Luxottica, the under the radar Italian manufacturer of eyeglasses. A spokesperson for the company said “our ambition is to eradicate poor vision in the world before 2050”. Mr Del Vecchio transformed the sleepy un -differentiated eyeglass industry into a billion dollar publicly traded company and single-handedly transformed wearing eyeglasses especially for those needing corrective lenses, into a vehicle to bring their personality into their everyday lives. Now even those who don’t need prescription lenses are wearing glasses as a fashion statement. The industry went from putting components together to making complete frames. Streamlining the process reduced expenses. Del Vecchio didn’t stop there. He wanted Luxottica to sell its product as well, acquiring retail chains throughout the world.
Recognizing upper and middle income families who wore luxury brands might want to top off their looks with designer glasses, he licensed 80% of designer brands. Frames were selling at exorbitant prices. Making, as one reporter said, “obscene profits”.
I am intrigued at how people build their businesses. Del Vecchio grew up in an orphanage, apprenticed to a metal engraver and took advantage of an opportunity to move to the small town of Agordo to get free land and a house if he built a business there. Luxottica was born.
Caltagirone said “he was a businessman and as a man had solid values; appreciating his loyalty, his determination and detachment from power.” When he died he was one of the three richest businessmen in Italy. DelVecchio retired in 2004 and came back ten years later to insure his strategic plan was implemented. Taking his dream a step further, in 2017 he purchased the French company Essilor, one of the largest manufacturers of prescription lenses in the world. The new company is Essilor-Luxottica. In 2019 at age 84 he acquired the Dutch optical retailer Grand Vision increasing his retail outlets to 16,000 world wide.
In Italy, he was known as “Mr Nobody”. Untouched by Italian business corruption scandals of the 1990’s. When interviewed by Associated Press in 1995 he said “I don’t like paying taxes, but I like sleeping at night.
Getting Back To Basics: Navigating a Polarized Work Environment
As we close out June and prepare for celebrations of Independence Day I find our country more polarized than ever. A firm believer in the fact that the strength of America lies in the premise that each of us has a right to S/he/their point of view. Unfortunately what has been lost is the opportunity to dialogue with one another. To help the other understand your point of view… and or provide information you were not aware of. The worst case requiring agreeing to disagree. In the 16th Century Macchiavelli wrote The Prince espousing tenets by which princes could rule. It is best known for the concept of divide and conquer.
Growing polarization in the US is seeping into our workplaces. Deleterious for successful businesses and our workforce. Divide and conquer encourages the use of fear, hesitancy, and immobilizes action. Simply put, only the ruler knows what is truly going on. Built on a foundation of power, domination and separateness.
I’d like to provide a different perspective of what I think exists today. Workers realize the importance of providing security and safety for their families. Recognizing they need to put food on the table. Don’t we all believe in that?
Human beings are goal directed so we get jobs that utilize our talents. An empowered worker adds value to the workplace. S/he/they may have a brilliant innovation, or insight. Of course you may not want to hear what the person has to say at a given point of time. Schedule a few minutes when you can focus and “receive the gift”. Don’t we all whether in the C Suite or on the shop floor want to be recognized and valued?
A few things to pay attention to:
Track how empathic you are. Just notice for a week to 10 days. Can you improve? What might you need to revisit?
When starting a meeting ask that all devices be turned off then take a moment for everyone to get focussed. Think of exercise. Thirty seconds can feel like a long time.
If your body is giving you signals that something is off don’t ignore them. Your body will never lie to you.
Make a simple plan to improve your communication skills.
Choice in the workplace is something many have lost sight of. We may not be able to influence everything around us but we can begin to pay attention to our reactions and check out our assumptions.
Enjoy your holiday. Some may not celebrate it as a day of freedom for all. Perhaps a great starting point for a dialogue.
The Tsunami Effect In Business…Inspires Me To Speak
A recent article in the NYT spoke of the impact Jack Welch had on the world’s businesses. Not pretty as far as I am concerned. Writing in 2018 I referenced the impact of an article by economist Milton Friedman (also in the NYT Sunday Magazine) stipulating businesses exist to create shareholder value. I remember this period well, as I was at the then venerable Equitable Life Insurance Company, (owned by its policyholders), at the time. Jack Welch became CEO of GE in 1981 shortly after Friedman’s ideas becan to take root. The ground swell that occurred, quarterly profits tracking amongst others, began the dismantling of heretofore unspoken American business values. Why does this happen?.....
Dr Elliott Jacques, the architect of the Requisite Organization system of management, used to say that when a person ascends to the C suite of a company and doesn’t have the full potential capability required of the role, critical decisions will be made, the impact of which is not realized until 20-40 years later. Welch was CEO of GE for 20 years and during that time most academicians and Wall Street analysts thought “he walked on water”. Many executives who operated under him were poached by stellar corporations to lead them. Most if not all failed. Employees of the many GE Companies will tell you differently.
At the invitation of a curious HR professional Dr. Jaques and I conducted a pilot analysis of roles at GE Plastics. In one week we uncovered serious fractures in the hierarchy of roles (vertical slices) from top to bottom in two functional areas. Although each of the three executives who had sponsored the pilot clearly understood the potency and potential impact of the findings they filed the report away.
Choosing to do nothing is at the core of our disengaged American workforce. CEO salaries and benefits are at all time highs. Worker salaries have stayed the same or diminished. Millions of jobs have been sent offshore. The recent Pandemic and supply chain logjams have demonstrated our vulnerability. The list goes on and on.
I find myself asking “Is our rugged individualism finally on its last legs?” Inspired mindsets working together can realize extraordinary results-why don’t we encourage more of this type of thinking? The perils of planet change affect us all. Killing teachers and students to the point of their being unidentifiable to their parents, is insane. Elders shopping on a Saturday afternoon or praying in church have a right to do that. Murdering them is a disgrace. The right to bear arms is a fundamental right codified in the Second amendment. However, that does not include assault weapons made for the battlefield being available to teens.
As you can tell I have a passion about the deterioration of our society and particularly the workplace where we spend thousands of hours during our lifetimes. Please let me hear from you. Let’s create a dialogue so we can put our hearts and minds together to stem this destruction. I want to know what you think. Please!
One last thing. Today June 14 we celebrate our Flag and all it stands for. Sunday is Juneteenth a reminder of an ugly time in our country. Do take some time to ponder and reflect on these important dates and their meaning for you.
Closing Out May & Looking Forward To June
As the month of May comes to a close I’m in a reflective state. Although most of us were celebrating the unofficial launch of summer and remembering those who have fought and died for our freedoms this Memorial Day Weekend with friends and family, who would have thought we would be holding our children, nieces and nephews tightly having just experienced the second worst slaughter of elementary school school children and their teachers in US history. Ten years since Sandy Hook, the little known town of Uvalde, TX is on everyone’s mind. You are probably wondering what if anything this has to do with the world of work and in particular Managing the first of the 4 Elements I introduced in my last blog? I’ll tell you what….
Managing, and management two common terms have lost favor over the past few decades. I am discussing them here today because I believe we have to up the ante of our work experience in two essential ways. The first to look at management as a specific role in companies and secondly how each of us individually can manage ourselves as a citizen of this great country.
As we build more complex companies the work of getting the product or service directly to the customer (be it the public or an internal customer) becomes more challenging. Management is the role that oversees these processes. Managers are the ones who must account for the outputs of those inhabiting the roles subordinate to that of the manager, and comprising their team or unit. Often I’ve heard managers say to me “I delegate the work to them, it's in their hands now” an expression of their own impotence or “I don’t want to be bothered'' approach. Not knowing the scope of their authority and for what they were being held accountable. Clarifying these elements is essential to getting products and services delivered with excellence.
Exceeded expectations, a level of excellence engendering pride and ownership in everyone at every stage of the product or services development brings me to briefly discuss self-management. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 the country stepped up. Americans were full of spirit. After the bombing of the WTC Towers in 2001 an invisible gas seeped over the country creating a pallor of fear. The fight in us diminished and has continued to do so. Granted I am simplifying a very complex set of problems and not politicizing. The US worker (and it's not only here in the US), has lost his/her mojo. The result is a workforce unwilling to go the extra mile. A workforce that has seen executives’ pay rise 300% while their compensation has stagnated. They’ve seen people fired and been asked to take over more responsibilities. Fearful and lacking trust. Have you put on blinders like the horses leading the buggies in NYC’s central Park? Are you happy with the person you have become? Are you waking up dreading going to work each day or are you excited about the ideas of innovation and fun that you’ve dreamt about. What are you doing to self regulate yourself? I ask you to take notice of your own thoughts and behavior over the next couple of weeks. What are you doing to bring the best of yourself to your place of work? Notice how your behavior has been altered perhaps while you have been unaware. Write it down. Begin making a simple plan of one thing you can do over the next few weeks to be more purposeful and bring positivity into your life. Change starts with us and with our awareness of what’s not right.
Granted we are living through one of the most challenging times in history. Covid has killed over one million Americans. There is much that is wrong with our institutions. Inequities. Injustice. Fear if we let it, is paralyzing. I think more of us. Won’t you? We can do better than this. Let’s begin the dialogue.
Reflections & New Beginnings
Many years ago I had the good fortune of attending a week- long seminar entitled The Future Of Business. Thankfully my corporate employer at the time saw this as a legitimate use of my professional development time. Sponsored by the then Burklyn Business School the featured speaker for the week was Buckminster (aka Bucky) Fuller. Sadly, I suspect many of you have never heard his name. A pity. Bucky was a genius, what was then known as an Urban Futurist, the creator of the world-renowned Geodesic Dome, Dymaxion Car and Home. An environmentalist, each of his inventions were energy efficient. Constantly traveling he shared his ideas of a worldwide energy grid providing enough energy for everyone on the planet to have refrigeration, running water and food security. Perhaps more than an environmentalist, he was a crusader for every person’s right to have access to water; he truly appreciated …… the concept that we are all members of planet earth. We are all one. About 125 of us traveled from throughout the US to a mountain Retreat Center to listen to him and put his ideas into action. A short man with very poor eyesight for the first five years of his life he went without glasses and saw whatever he laid eyes on as rounded, circular. First introduced on a Sunday evening, he laid down his ground rules of the weeklong program. Each of us was given a stack of 3x5 cards, and told to write down our questions. He would take no questions while presenting his material. On the last morning if our questions weren’t answered we could then answer them.
I was fascinated by his presenting the tetrahedron (four equilateral triangles joined together.
According to Bucky, the tetrahedron (an element of sacred geometry) could be found throughout nature and was the smallest geometric structure having structural integrity. Applying pressure to a cube or square it would collapse into a tetrahedron. On the last day of the program each of us got a chance to speak about how we would apply what we have learned. Inspired, I recall saying something to the effect of wanting to introduce the concept of structural integrity and the tetrahedron as a demonstration of it, to the world of executive management. Can’t tell you how many times I mulled this over in my head over the many decades since that experience.
Although it's taken years, I may have finally come upon the clarity with which to introduce these concepts into the world of work and particularly into my managerial consulting and coaching. Drum roll please. Introducing you to the Power of Four…representative of order, harmony and structural integrity in our universe. Think of
• Earth, Water, Fire and Air
• Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn
• East, South, West and North
• New Moon, Waxing Moon, Full Moon and Waning Moon
These examples of organizing in groups of four harken back to ancient times and peoples. Yet we still allude to them on a regular basis. I have put together four elements each of us as business owners or employed workers , in entry level positions or the highest paid in C Suites can customize so that you and your organization can become fully engaged, agile, and characterized by satisfaction, efficiency and profitability. Presently, I am introducing the Four Elements as:
• Self Management
• The Formula
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Care
Over the next few months I will be introducing each in greater detail so that you can utilize the proper dosage to bring you to peak performance not only at work but in life as well. I am also developing four sessions online programs that will go into each element more deeply and provide you with tools you can utilize to BE.
Let me know if you’d like to be among the first to hear about the virtual programs. You can sign up below.
Spring and the Backdrop of War
Spring arrived this past weekend. At the same time the devastating invasion of Ukraine by Russia is raging as I write this post. Not meant to be a political discussion, rather I seize the opportunity to identify and share insights. The possibility of invasion has been in our news outlets for months. If and when were the questions. I worked with a virtual assistant from Ukraine last summer assisting me in creating powerpoint presentations. Thinking about this personal connection I have with her I wrote in late January to wish her New Year's Greetings and find out how she and her family are. At that time she wrote back saying “we hope our neighbor smart enough don't start a war. But, of course, we also scary knowing how crazy he is:(“ . I checked in again on Mar 4, 2022 and she said….
“My son and I are in Warsaw. We feel as good as we can now.” When this devastating invasion occurred I as many of you were surprised by the leadership shown by Ukrainian President Zelensky. News programming had portrayed him as the comedian he was, the undertones hinted at a lightweight, a man of little depth and substance. Were we fooled!
World leaders and their populus have been in awe of his courage and standing his ground since the invasion. He and his family have not left the country. He speaks to the Ukrainian public regularly, visits troops and spurs his countrymen on. A demonstration of values, conviction and leadership we have not seen since perhaps Churchill. Can you imagine what corporations would be like if C Suite occupants regularly dialogue with workers, spur them on in challenging times, and demonstrate values, conviction and leadership? What might the level of worker engagement be? The agility of the business in times of rapid change?
Ponder the Ukrainian people’s commitment. Women, children and elders in major cities told to evacuate. Men between the ages of 18-60 told to stay and fight the aggressor. All who stayed committed to work to fight off the aggressor. Savagery intensifies hoping to break their Spirit. Yet they fight for freedom, justice and their democratic society. The people of Poland have stepped up in extraordinary ways. They know what it means to be brutalized. They have welcomed Ukrainian women and children with open arms. Thousands of miles away in the comfort of my home I watch and notice the masterful logistics refugee operation that has developed. The fight for freedom has been ignited. Ukranians escaping and Pols waiting to receive them with open arms committed to freedom and living peacefully as neighbors. Populations totally engaged. Can you imagine your employees being totally engaged? Aligned? Willing to do what it takes so that the company can BE its best?
Compassion, kindness, sharing, commitment, strong value-based communication. Some of us think we are seeing the 21st Century version of David and Goliath playing before our very eyes. I hope these insights inspire you to ponder and reflect on the kind of accountable managerial leader you are. Non managers think about the kind of employed worker you are. What do you stand for in the workplace? How can you make your workplace more inviting? How can you tweak some of your own behaviors to make you a better worker having more energy for the things you are passionate about? I welcome your comments.
AT THE HEART OF THE MATTER
It’s been over two years since we at BE have written a blog. February has always been a time for “heart-felt” conversations with readers. Today there are wonderful reasons to be reaching out to you. The slowdown initiated by Covid 19 provided ample time for soul searching, pondering and reflecting on the business of BE. What values underlie our work? What do I truly believe about work systems? About workers? About the world of work? Today we launch BE’s …. new website, and thought leadership blog.
Before Covid assaulted the world, I was challenged to write a short book. A marketing tool, something to leave behind when meeting with prospective clients. Always up for a chaIlenge I embraced the task wholeheartedly. I synthesized my knowledge, skills and experience and stated what I believe to be essential to work systems of all sizes. The Four Elements Guaranteed To Transform Your Experience At Work was born. I was puzzled as to whether what I wrote was a leave behind short book or a white paper intended to spark the reader’s interests. I sent it electronically as a white paper.
The unanticipated slowdown of business combined with the fear of life and death that swept through our country and the world precipitated revisiting my thoughts. BE has been a home office business for 25 years. Each morning I climb a flight of stairs and enter my office. My long term life partner is an artist whose studio is in our basement. We did not have to deal with the trauma of newly working from home with spouses and partners and suddenly having children being schooled virtually. Ours was an easier transition than most, the trauma creeping up on us stealthily.
Healthcare workers from MDs to maintenance workers were serving in hospitals with makeshift protections. Those whose job it was to keep our public transit operational were at work so that healthcare workers could get to work. The lowest paid workers, those who keep food on the shelves of supermarkets or run bodegas were also working. I began to wonder what makes them go to work? Engagement, value and appreciation. Taking pride in the fact they, perhaps for the first time in their lives, considered essential workers. Working for the betterment of the citizenry. Not only a NYC phenomenon, their elevation occurred throughout the country.
During this period I purchased a Certified Learning Provider program offered by Appleton Green & Co.. A structured system enabling me to develop a 12 month program entitled Management Paradigm consisting of monthly six-hour distance learning sessions. Writing during Covid fine tuned my thoughts and synthesized the developments I was observing in real time among the workforce. It reignited my passion to transform the world of work. Unfortunately millions of women left work to care for children and family. Others used the downtime, a first for many, to think about the meaning of their life. I've always embraced workplaces where workers at all levels are engaged, paid fairly and the companies they work for are profitable.
Welcome to my new website. Please sign up to be on my blog distribution list. In upcoming blogs I will be sharing how I see workplaces evolving, the role of managers, the accountability workers must embrace and how we all need to take care of ourselves as individuals and teams. I look forward to having much mutually stimulating discourse with you.
Till the next time ....peace and kindness,
Rosemary
At Bova Enterprises, we customize our approach to meet the specific needs of our clients. One size certainly does not, nor should not fit all. We work both long- and short-term depending on the issues at hand. Often we become a regular advisor (akin to legal or financial advisors) digging in deeply to know the company and its managers in an on-going fashion. Of course depending on the type of client or service needed, we also bring a richness and depth of expertise via a wide cadre of senior associates to solve problems, identify solutions and much more.
A Curious Juxtaposition
I am fascinated by how the entire world has been affected by the horrific tragedy that took the life of a basketball superstar, his 13 year old daughter and seven other lives including two of her teammates and their parents. A Sunday trip to the girls' basketball tournament with neighbors and friends--Kobe Bryant was known to have used his own helicopter for years so that he could provide more time for family and not be stressed before workouts and games. How’s that for out-of-the-box thinking?
Not much a basketball fan, I knew little about the man. I didn't know he went from high school to the NBA after spending a good part of his childhood living in Italy. I knew he was accused of sexual misconduct years ago, was on trial and then returned to the Lakers. I knew he had since retired and was writing childrens' books. I remember that his interest in animation led him to an Oscar win a few years ago. So, why did this tragedy hit me so hard?
His is a story of redemption--A brash seventeen year old who transforms himself over the course of a 20 year career into a legend known around the globe. He clearly demonstrated neighborliness, friendship and kindness on a regular basis, something perhaps many of us think we would consider as well. This time he offered others a ride to the tournament… A tragic decision.
Work ethic, focus, commitment… Recognition of the responsibility that comes with being looked up to by millions of young people all around the world… Openly speaking of mistakes made, dreams not realized, yet moving forward on this new trajectory… Ever seeking the best.
Then, in a flash it is over, on a steep remote hillside that is difficult to get to leaving us all seeing the smoldering wreckage in the news for days. Simultaneously, we are in the throws of witnessing just the third impeachment trial of a U.S. President in our country's history. This is a curious juxtaposition of two men and what they stand for. Let’s, for a moment, stretch this into a spectrum with basketball legend at one end and impeached U.S. President on the other.
Perhaps Kobe's death and that of his daughter Gianna, as well as the others on board that flight put in stark relief the values to which our country ascribes. Ever the optimist, I have to think this is beyond a senseless tragedy. Rather, it calls into our consciousness the ability for a legend to redeem himself over a lifetime. Where would you place yourself on such a spectrum? I ask each of us to take time to ponder and reflect upon our own work ethic, our own commitments, our own focus and the soul and values our great country represents. Time is indeed precious, and we all have the ability to make a positive difference, to live with purpose. Perhaps it is time for all of us to take a new step forward.
Let's Talk Community
Our humanity is based on being relational beings. We are individuals who are part of something bigger than ourselves. Whether in our homes, among our friends and families, in our cities and towns or of course, in our workplaces—we are part of a community.
Of course, individualization has its place, and that old saying, “no one takes care of number one like number one” stands. However, we must also take time to prioritize community. For there is immense value in community—support, safety, connectedness and success.
In business your community is your team. Your team is your community. Whether the organization is big or small, your community is your colleagues. When 50 or 100 or 1,000 plus people come together to work, should the focus be individualization? No, the focus must be the whole organization (the community). Everyone benefits. Our community benefits when we shift our mindset…
From me to us
From how can I get ahead to how can we care for one another
From who’s that new guy, to hello, nice to meet you
From meetings are such a drain, to this could be a good time to get to know others and further understand the priorities of the department or business
We benefit when…
We feel part of something bigger than ourselves
Our contribution is appreciated
We feel camaraderie with others
Enthusiasm and high energy are experienced on the job
I invite you to do a personal audit. Next week, pay attention to the chatter in your mind. Is your inner voice focusing on a me first attitude or negative things? Or, are you focused on the we and getting the job done with a degree of satisfaction, and even enjoyment. Score yourself. Then choose to change so that you can reap the benefits of being part of a well-functioning community, aka work team.
A New Twist on Resolutions
I had originally planned my first blog of 2020 to be sent closer to January 10th, near the first Full Moon of the decade. However two friends forwarded items to me that I think should get out into the universe sooner rather than later.
The first is a new twist on New Years Resolutions:
I surrender the year that has just past and ask that only the love remain. I cast all else into a fire of transformative power. I release myself and others from any effects of my wrongmindedness or wrongdoing. I surrender who I was, what I did, who I loved--who I failed to love--and ask that all things be made right. May I continue to grow in light and in love--and this year, may I be better.
I plan to embrace these words (the author of which is unknown to me) and adapt them as my own guiding principle for 2020.
Sacred Earth has its origins in Australia from 2012. It is a combination of photos and spiritual music. Friends have already commented on its impact. To some spiritually awesome and others simply relaxing. Each will have your own experience. Do however, send blessings and prayers to Australia particularly NSW as catastrophic fires ravage areas around Sidney.
Personally, I am coming off a whirlwind December weaving together my mother’s passing with Christmas and New Years. I’ve been embraced by the generosity of family, colleagues and friends. Grief is unfolding.
My hope for each of you in 2020 is to have inner peace and greater joy and engagement at work. I will be mixing the blogs up with print and video in 2020.
Reflections to Wind Down Our Year
Thanksgiving is behind us and many of us are anticipating Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa and perhaps some other celebratory times of which I am unaware. There is a dramatic difference this year--my mom, Mary Bova died December 8th. Mom was 101 and lived a good life. My brother and I were both with her the day she died. She wasn’t “sick,” she had dementia and would say to us why do I have to take these pills I’m 101? She had no interest in eating, and the only real delight she had was her two-year old great granddaughter, Francesca Robin who is the daughter of granddaughter, Jessica and her husband Ryan. She knew her grandson, Jonathan had moved in with long time girlfriend Eve and if all went well they would marry. I’d been in wonderment. Would mom make it through Christmas? How would we all handle this.
There is an intensity like a heavy fog overcoming most people these days. We are close to a tipping point. Civility is out the window. Overwhelm creeps into daily experiences reshaping reality. Hundreds of spam calls on my business as well as my personal phone. Unscrupulous marketing tactics that have caused my American Express Platinum Card number to be changed three times in two months (Bless their vigilance). Ads for Black Friday and Cyber Monday seem to be flowing over into this second week of December. My inbox is being bombarded with emails from online vendors I once loved to shop with, but now feel exacerbated by.their onslaught of sales.
Plus, of course there have been numerous terror attacks around the world, and countless senseless shootings by young people everywhere.
Where has the joyfulness of (in my case, Christmas) gone? My mom, born in 1918 had seen dramatic changes in the world over her 101 years. Perhaps one of, if not the biggest has to do with how we are with one another, how humans treat other humans. BEing versus doing. I’ve always worked hard to balance this dichotomy, perhaps not always elegantly actually sometimes downright messy. But nonetheless, I held nothing back from my mom. I spoke and/or wrote my truth to her.
I re-read Mom At 97, a blog from four years ago... Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, the Christ. Christ always spoke his truth to disciples as well as followers. Perhaps speaking our truth, but with compassion and understanding is the direction we all need to move in. Truth and compassion… Might more of this bring civility back to our everyday lives? To our workplaces? To the world around us, both near and far? Please, let’s all give it a good try this holiday season--speak your truth with compassion. Start now, don’t put it off. End 2019 by treating others with dignity and respect, no matter our differences, perspectives or shortcomings.
Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do, say or think of today. BE your best you.
Here's to a Peaceful Thanksgiving
I think you'll agree that we are living in a time when the traditional or usual ways of doing things are falling by the way side or even crumbling before us.
This doesn't have to be a bad thing when it comes to our Thanksgiving holiday. Perhaps it can even be the key to a peaceful holiday for all around your table.
So why not buck tradition with some of these ideas...
Set ground rules-- No discussions on contentious topics (think politics)
Find a poem or a quote you find inspiring to share at the table
Ask folks to share one thing they are most thankful for
See what people think they'd like to contribute toward next year's Thanksgiving celebration
What might be some of your non-traditional ideas for achieving a peaceful and enjoyable Thanksgiving?
Ups and Downs
I recently became excited when I heard about a particular presentation--Organization Structure: A Tool for Advancing Innovation and Business Bottom Line--sponsored by the FedCap Group, a consortium of companies that hire and provide programming for people who are traditionally hard to place. They serve those with disabilities, folks on public assistance, youth in transition, those who may be suffering with mental health issues and those involved with the criminal justice system, to name a few.
If you know me and my work, you know I simply could not resist attending this event. For, finally someone was taking organization structure to center stage! How terrific! I applaud FedCap for being among the few willing to address the issue of structure.
At this presentation I learned:
According to a McKinsey survey, 60% of global executives said they have experienced a redesign within the last two years
Almost 90% of the consultants at Boston Consulting Group said they had recently carried out a restructuring
A Bain & Company study of 57 reorganizations found that fewer than one-third improved performance
The panel consisted of a consultant, the head of a NYC based non-profit, and the CEO of an insurer based in Westchester. All obviously were caring professionals. Some referenced the importance of mentoring; another spoke of hiring outstanding talent when they see it and figuring out the role later; and all talked about the importance of transparency of in-person individual and team communications. So interesting!
Nothing was mentioned about organization infrastructure.
Where was the attention to creating an infrastructure upon which everything else hangs? Where was the organization spine? Let me make this cogent point using the human spine as metaphor. The human spine is the conduit within the body through which energy flows. It consists of discs spaced apart for its entire length holding the spine vertically. Energy flows to organs and other parts of the body through the spinal column, with the spinal cord running from the brain stem down to the lower back, with nerve endings and ligaments. Each has a unique function in the overall well being of an individual. Fluid travels up and down the spinal cord directly to the brain. A physician may order a spinal tap to remove a small amount from the lower spine in order to determine what is wrong within the body. This can determine if there is a serious disease. When discs are damaged there is pain. There is blocked energy and imbalance. When the integrity of the spine is violated we suffer. The spine is complex. We don’t see our spine, but we know it is there holding us up, doing its work to keep our body healthy.
The human spine is a great metaphor for organization structure. Most have not yet studied the invisible infrastructures of our work systems--our companies. Yet the process exists. I think it’s about time to study and apply the body of knowledge known as Requisite Organization (RO). Dr. Elliott Jaques spent his life’s work making visible the invisible organization infrastructure, uncovering scientific facts related to organization infrastructure so that work systems have integrity, creating conditions which support the flow of human imagination and creativity directed towards excellence of the products and services delivered.
Strangely enough, other parts of the world--Asia Pacific and Africa--embrace Dr. Jaques’ findings. As does General Colin Powell (as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff). The clarity of role accountabilities and authorities, and the importance of having a boss located in the next level of the organization are transformative to the organization’s overall success and profitability, individual worker satisfaction, engagement and fair pay.
Have you looked into RO? BE welcomes the opportunity to conduct an executive briefing for you and your top team, and/or to conduct a pilot study to show you exactly what you have in your company. We are here to help.
BE Bold, BE Brave and BE your Best.
Express Yourself
Happy All Hallows Eve! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do some trick or treating with you today. Isn’t it amazing just how popular Halloween has gotten as a national holiday in the United States? Let’s start this blog by going back in time with a few questions.
When you were a child, how involved did you and your family get celebrating Halloween?
Did your whole family get dressed up and go trick or treating, or did your parents walk with you around the neighborhood?
Was your costume made or bought; and if it was bought how much did it cost?
I’ve watched the evolution of Halloween over the last 10 to 20 years, particularly the shift from a child’s celebration to that of an elaborate adult holiday, and I can hardly believe my eyes. I’ve been wondering why has this happened. Of course, I have some thoughts. But first, some stats… tricks or treats… facts or fiction.
It is estimated by the National Retail Federation (NRF) that Americans will spend $8.8 billion on Halloween this year. The average planned spending per person is $86.00, with men spending approximately $20.00 more than women on their costumes. Fact of Fiction?
First off, I am not naive. I know the world’s marketers and advertisers are behind this. But hear me out--I also think the rise in popularity of adults expressing themselves on Halloween is correlated to the fact that they feel as though they are unable to fully express themselves at work.
Just think about this. We each need an outlet to express who we are in order to make ourselves known, and to show the world our creativity and imagination. We do this in our approach to our work, our hobbies, etc. In fact, many of us approach the tasks assigned to us in a unique way--we integrate our knowledge, skills and experience with our personality and behavioral traits to address the tasks before us.
Meanwhile, today’s workplaces are driven by the importance of corporate quarterly market results which creates an imbalance with more emphasis on the results and less attention paid to people and culture. The end result of this imbalance is a lack of engagement; people doing just enough to get by because anything more will not be noticed, valued or appreciated. In fact, the opposite is true in some companies. For instance, doing more or suggesting a new approach is met with resistance. When we get to this point employees, management, and clients and customers suffer as a result of lackluster performance.
I suggest asking your employees what they did for Halloween this year, and whether or not they dressed up. It could be an indicator to you that you need to be paying more attention to the only asset that differentiates your company from its competitors, your people. Please let me know what you find out.
Cogent Distinctions
We now live in a digital age where data is always at our fingertips. Distinctions are important and I’m afraid, in the digital age, not looked into enough. I’d like to discuss two that are of particular importance and worthy of pondering and reflection. The first is management and leadership. The second is OD and training.
When I recently served on a panel discussing Trends In Leadership at New York City SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) I heard comments from my co-presenters and the audience, which helped me to sharpen and put into greater focus some distinctions. Then, a recent phone call with a colleague new to a current corporate role helped clarify distinctions even further.
I use the phrase managerial leadership when referring to a role that is accountable for the production of work in a unit. It involves assigning tasks, oversight, coaching, and allocating resources. The managerial leader is accountable for the outputs of his or her team.
Dr Elliott Jaques’ Requisite Organization provides distinctions that are essential to overall organization wellbeing and clarifies accountable managerial leadership. He also lists the authorities that travel with the roles of managerial leaders. I have never seen or heard of a comparable definition and/or understanding of leadership. Leadership can be considered an attribute of a role but does not define the role. People say leadership is about leading. Leading what? To where? By when? Within what resources?
Often when I hear people referring to person X as a good leader they are referring to that individual’s personality or ability to influence others in a certain direction. What if the ‘leaders’ in your organization were absolutely clear on what they were accountable for, and what authorities their roles had to exercise for the work of the organization to be done within agreed upon standards of excellence? What transformation would you see?
OD and training activities may sound similar and may even overlap, but they are different and they warrant clear differentiation.
Through many conversations with peers and friends I’ve come to appreciate that individuals and departments responsible for changes in culture, organizational improvement and training in all kinds of companies are continually asked to change their own direction and focus. This can be both demanding and challenging.
Clear guidelines providing distinctions about roles and an overarching business strategy can offer a useful roadmap to different aspects of those roles. Without this clarity, roles may be easily mixed together. For example, training programs can often focus on teaching people new skills and how to operate more successfully in their roles, whereas Organization Development by definition seeks to help the entire organization in a different way.
When an organization-wide perspective is agreed upon—Organizational Development initiatives, training and or team building for example—the work is about the business doing better. While many companies earnestly provide employees with growth opportunities, billions can also be wasted on training programs that don’t seem to move companies forward.
You may wonder why. One reason is that that such training programs may not be part of a larger business/OD strategy developed as a contextual framework agreed to by senior management. Seldom are these processes as clear and objectively measurable as anyone would like. There is enormous subjectivity to them, especially as they often seem to shift with leadership changes every few years.
In the absence of roles with clearly articulated managerial accountabilities, leadership and other skill set trainings will likely emphasize the development of individuals, and not necessarily the organization. This limitation may be difficult to recognize in the face of best efforts and complex daily challenges.
The Important Role of Safety
Safety and the concept of feeling safe is a key component to an effective and positive relationship. The role of safety in relationships really is quite significant, whether the relationships are those at home or in the workplace.
Furthermore, effective relationships are important elements of a positive and successful workplace. Negative and ineffective relationships not only cause a loss in business but they make everyone involved miserable, and when everyone is miserable productivity suffers. This string of consequences could go on with disastrious results—all stemming from safety.
Now, I have a sense that we would agree with this statement: It’s worth taking even a bit of time to dissect this concept of safety in relationships in order to get to improving the variety of relationships in our lives.
Now, I have a sense that we would agree with this statement: It’s worth taking even a bit of time to dissect this concept of safety in relationships in order to get to improving the variety of relationships in our lives.
What does it take to feel that sense of safety?
1) Trust
2) Teamwork/Collaboration
3) Ability to communicate with each other
4) Boundaries
5) Mutual give and take
6) Respect
It would be quite difficult to have safety in a relationship without these six factors. Can you think of anything else that could influence your feeling of safety?
Developing positive and effective relationships at and for work isn’t always easy, yet it’s so important. Relationships take time, feeling safe within takes time. Time that is worth every second.
Discipline
Every once in awhile you find yourself somewhere listening to something and you have one of those aha moments. I had that experience just recently. I was at mass listening to the priest give his homily. The point he chose to highlight from the Gospel reading was, discipline.
For most of us, we think of discipline as the need to “discipline” another be it a child or a worker. There is often that connotation of having done something wrong and needing to be punished. However, the priest spoke about the origin of the word coming from Old French and Latin disciplina as meaning instruction and knowledge.
This got me thinking…
Although I knew he was making a point about the importance of being disciplined in one’s religious practices, the importance of reframing discipline became crystal clear to me. Discipline, when used properly in the workplace is transformative, not only to the individuals involved but to the company or organization as a whole. Just think about it.
What if we were able to introduce the importance of increased knowledge and instruction through continuous learning and skill development communicated in a compassionate constructive fashion? Employees would not only be engaged in the tasks at hand but, like a stone thrown in the center of a pond ripples would spread out. Can you imagine the shift of energy in the workplace? Enthusiasm, an engaged workforce. What if you went home every night after a full day of work and felt exhilarated? What impact would that have on your family--spouse, partner, children, neighbors? The trickle down effect is almost inconceivable.
I ask you, how do you think of discipline? When someone at work f..ks up how do you react? Do you punish? Or do you constructively impart knowledge and educate. Years ago Bucky Fuller wrote an article entitled, The Mistake Mystique. I, for one, grew up being afraid to make mistakes. In the article he pointed out how essential it is for all of us to make mistakes and learn from them; to correct and keep moving forward.
I welcome your comments and suggestions. Lets create a community where we share with one another. Let’s help each other be bold, brave and be our best.
How Courageous Are You?
Let's talk about courage. Do you consider yourself to be courageous--at work? Believe it or not, your courage and that of your employees and/or colleagues could be what stands between you and business success. Take a look...