First Serve Strategies

Archive for the ‘Strategic Thinking’ Category

Most would agree that when trying to develop effective strategies to drive transformative change it is helpful to start with agreement regarding objectives.  After all, if we are each working toward a common objective, how hard can it be to reach agreement?  Look!  It’s a bird.  It’s a plane.  It’s a Debt Ceiling!

The current debt crisis in the U.S. provides ample evidence that starting with common objectives may be overrated.  I would like to believe that there is a common objective to which every member of Congress can agree.  Oh, I don’t know.  How about something like, “we all agree we would like to maintain a AAA bond rating?”  The problem is that finding a common objective that becomes the common denominator is often too far removed from strategies to be useful.  Said differently, the more abstract an idea, the farther it is from concrete strategy or policy.

Over the past two days I was involved in a strategy advance (as opposed to a strategy retreat) with a group of my colleagues at Drexel University.  At the beginning of the first day the facilitator asked each of us to reflect on past meetings or strategy sessions that were particularly productive.  She then asked us to recall if there was an essential ingredient that made it successful.  Upon reflection, I settled on one ground rule that I feel is essential–complete transparency of objectives.

While it is not necessary that we start from a common objective, it is essential that we be honest and transparent regarding our objectives.  Said differently, there should be no hidden agendas.  Often, facilitators argue that everyone must check their egos at the door.  One can check one’s coat at the door.  One can check one’s purse at the door.  One can even check one’s smart phone at the door.  But it is very difficult to check one’s ego at the door. Even if we could, it could prove dangerous.  All those very large egos would likely block the exit, creating a fire hazard! Furthermore, our passion, creativity, drive and intellectual power is often fueled by our egos. How transformative would our strategies be without passion, creativity, drive and intellect?

During those two days, I witnessed a diverse group of very bright, passionate, creative people working together in an energetic and collegial fashion to tackle tough issues toward positive, transformative growth.  As a result, we were able to celebrate the victory of a great start on a long journey.  One reason for the success is that we established realistic ground rules up front.  Not the least of which was to ensure complete transparency of objectives.

© Mark Loschiavo

When my son was in middle school he got involved in a program called Children’s International Summer Villages (http://www.cisv.org/about/history.html).  A woman who believed that if children could learn to relate to kids from other countries it would promote world peace started CISV shortly after WWII.

In my travels, I have found music to be a common denominator—the universal language.  Whether it was singing along to a Beatles tribute band at a table in Roppongi with two Koreans and six Japanese, jamming in a karaoke bar in Tokyo with musicians who spoke no English, or jamming with an outdoor market vendor in Bangkok for 45 minutes, playing a stringed instrument called a Thai Pin, that I picked up for the very first time that day, connections were made.  The Thai vendor and I couldn’t communicate with each other in any other way, but we became brothers that day.  When my business associates finally found me they were relieved to learn that I was NOT abducted–just distracted.

I am privileged to serve on the board of LiveConnections (http://liveconnections.org), an organization dedicated to providing innovative music education programs to build bridges and connect cultures.  It was started by a group of people who are passionate about music, but more passionate about making a difference in the world through music.  Now, that is something to sing about!

If this is something that resonates with you, please go to http://liveconnections.org to make a donation.

As the Executive Director for the Laurence A. Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship at Drexel University, I incorporate our guiding principles of “always rich content” and “excellence in everything we do” into all of our events. At our recent annual entrepreneurship conference I was struck by a recurring thought. As one might expect, a significant amount of research, thought, planning and coordination took place long before the day of the event to make it successful, but that is not the theme that kept playing through my mind throughout the day.

Like the tune that stays in your head, long after the song has been heard, the concept of transitions kept tickling my gray matter. As important as the registration process, the audience, the panel, the presentations, and the food, the transitions were what brought it all together. The transitions were an important differentiator.

This should not come as a surprise. For three decades I have been heavily involved in strategic management. Strategic management inevitably results in change—sometimes very significant. Change causes stress for everyone in the organization, and those not involved with architecting the change feel the stress more intensely. When planning, communicating and implementing change it is important to focus on the transitions.

Television networks carefully manage the placement of their commercials to entice the viewer to stay tuned for the next show. With the advent of technology and the increase in choices the phrase, “don’t touch that dial” is no longer sufficient to hold the viewers attention.

Successful novelists focus on the transitions from the end of one chapter to the beginning of the next. A fluid transition entices the reader to rush headlong into the next chapter. The objective is to ensure that the reader “can’t put it down.”

Change requires everyone to move from one chapter in the organization’s life to the next. In order to manage it successfully, stakeholders need to be motivated to rush forward into that next chapter with enthusiasm. If you do not want them to “put the book down” focus on making the transitions as fluid as possible.

©Mark P. Loschiavo

Legend has it that a young man stopped on a dusty French path in the late Middle Ages to watch a laborer chipping away pieces from a large stone. “What are you doing?” he asked the worker.

“I’m trying to make this round stone square,” came the reply. “I’ve been working on this one stone for more than a week, and look how little progress I’ve made.”

The young man walked a bit farther and saw another laborer hammering away at a similar block of stone. “What are you doing?” he asked.

The worker replied, “My job. I’m a stone mason.”

Not much farther down the path the young man encountered a third laborer, also working a heavy piece of stone. “What are you doing?” he asked.

The worker looked up briefly from his task and replied, “I’m building a cathedral.”

Where do you find yourself these days? Are you chipping away at the tasks in front of you, just doing your job, or are you fulfilling your vision for the future? How about those around you?

The difference between “doing a job” and “fulfilling a vision” is often reduced to nothing more than risking the comfort of the current state long enough to visualize a desired state. Once you have even a fuzzy vision of where you want to go you must set specific goals along the way, and have the courage to tell someone about them. If you don’t think you have the time or patience for that, remember that the cathedrals of the Middle Ages typically took about 100 years to complete.

©Mark P. Loschiavo

As we plow in to the New Year with an uncertain economy, and troubling world events I am reminded of an excerpt from Earl Nightingale’s Lead the Field. I find it inspirational and thought I would pass it along to you. I hope you are finding the New Year prosperous.

In 1843, a man was born who was to have a profound effect upon the lives of millions of people. His name was Russell Herman Conwell. He became a lawyer, then a newspaper editor and, finally, a clergyman. During his church career, an incident occurred that was to change his life and the life of countless others.

One day, a group of young people came to Dr. Conwell at his church and asked him if he would be willing to instruct them in college courses. They all wanted a college education but lacked the money to pay for it. He told them to let him think about it and to come back in a few days.

After they left, an idea began to form in Dr. Conwell’s mind. He asked himself, “Why couldn’t there be a fine college for poor but deserving young people?” Before long, the idea consumed him. Why not, indeed? It was a project worthy of 100 percent dedication—complete commitment.

Almost single-handedly, Dr. Conwell raised several million dollars with which he founded Temple University, today one of the country’s leading schools. He raised the money by giving more than 6,000 lectures all over the country, and in each one of them, he told a story called “Acres of Diamonds.”

The story is the true account of an African farmer who had heard tales about other farmers who had made millions by discovering diamond mines. These tales so excited the farmer that he could hardly wait to sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds himself. So he sold his farm and spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent searching unsuccessfully for the gleaming gems that brought such high prices on the markets of the world. Finally, the story goes, worn-out and in a fit of despondency, he threw himself into a river and drowned.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, or farm, in this case, the man who had bought the farm happened to be crossing the small stream on the property. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of blue and red light from the stream’s bottom. He bent down, picked up the stone—it was a good-sized stone—and, admiring it, later put it on his fireplace mantel, as an interesting curiosity.

Several weeks later, a visitor to his home picked up the stone, looked at it, hefted it in his hand—and nearly fainted. He asked the farmer if he knew what he’d found. When the farmer said no, that he’d thought it was a piece of crystal, the visitor told him he’d found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered. The farmer had trouble believing that. He told the man that his creek was full of such stones—not as large, perhaps, as the one on the mantel, but they were sprinkled generously throughout the creek bottom.

Needless to say, the farm that the first farmer had sold so that he might find a diamond mine turned out to be the most productive diamond mine on the entire African continent. The first farmer had owned, free and clear, acres of diamonds, but he sold them for practically nothing in order to look for them elsewhere.

The moral is clear: If only the first farmer had taken the time to study and prepare himself—to learn what diamonds looked like in their rough state—and, since he had already owned a piece of the African continent, to thoroughly explore the property he had before looking elsewhere, all of his wildest dreams would have come true.

Each of us, at this moment, is standing in the middle of his or her own acres of diamonds. If only we will have the wisdom and patience to intelligently and effectively explore the work in which we are now engaged, to explore ourselves, we’ll usually find the riches we seek.

©Mark P. Loschiavo

During my most recent trip to Italy I was once again reminded of a difference between Americans and Italians. While walking the streets of Rome I witnessed people engaged with one another in discussion and fellowship both day and night. I saw it in and around the restaurants, the squares, the fountains and on the sidewalks. Time seemed to take on a different meaning.

The Greek language has two different words to describe time. One provides the root for our word chronology, and describes time from the perspective of moving through time. The second refers to time as a moment—a good time was had by all. What struck me as I walked the streets of Rome is that Americans all too often view the things that happen to us on our way to our destinations as distractions or things we must endure along the way. To most Italians these distractions are what life is all about.

Upon further reflection I have come to believe that successful leaders have the ability to capitalize on both elements of time. The first is obvious. Through strong organization skills and the ability to prioritize, effective leaders are able to accomplish a great deal in a short amount of time. While not as obvious, the second is even more important. By being in the moment, and remaining receptive to those we encounter along the way, we can gain a great deal. In addition to developing stronger relationships, being in the moment opens our minds to take advantage of the serendipity that surrounds us. By keeping our eyes open to the possibilities of our everyday encounters we might just find solutions to our toughest problems.

©Mark P. Loschiavo

When a business gets started, the founding members spend a great deal of time together visioning what the company will be. Often, they spend more time together than they do with their friends and families. It is a very intense time where there are endless discussions about what they want the company to look like, what makes them unique in the marketplace, to whom they will offer their products and services, and how they intend to deliver those products and services. Exit strategies are also a topic of discussion. During these times much dreaming for the future occurs. A common story is developed and a common language takes form. In short, the culture and the strategy for the company starts to take shape-either explicit or implied.

If the company is successful, structure and organization will soon follow. At this stage the founding members will often compartmentalize responsibilities among themselves in order to optimize their time. Once this occurs they find themselves spending less and less time together. When they do meet it is typically to discuss monthly measurements or to deal with a particular crisis.

As time goes on the management team becomes consumed with the operational issues of maintaining the company infrastructure, managing customer satisfaction and growing the company. If successful, the company continues to take on more employees to handle the increasing demands-still little discussion about the company vision.

As long as the company is growing rapidly the leadership team is happy and morale remains high throughout the organization. Everyone has plenty to do just keeping up with structure, performance and growth.

But once the growth begins to slow, things change, and the focus often turns to maintaining existing accounts and rethinking the structure of the company-the beginning of the slippery slope, and possibly the beginning of the end.

Mark P. Loschiavo, President of First Serve Strategies talks about what you, as CEO, can do to avoid the slippery slope and optimize your company’s growth over the long-term.

©Mark P. Loschiavo