“Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.” Albert Einstein
I met Melissa in the summer of 1983 at a teenager retreat. We spent a lot of time together with the other teenagers and alone with each other during the retreat. We became quite fond of one another. We lived several hundred miles from one another. We ended our time together, wanting more of a relationship. Melissa wrote me a letter a month later she had decided there is no future for our relationship. She planned to spend some of her college years in both the United States and France. She did not see a way we could grow our relationship with distance.
I cried for an hour after I read the letter. I knew she was 100% correct. She had much more intelligence than me, much more class than me, and her family was much more wealthy than mine. There were no viable means to grow our relationship. I ran into her several months later, unexpectedly. Our conversation was awkward. We wanted to continue our relationship, but the spark was gone. I have not talked with her or seen her since that day.
Melissa served both me and us with her leadership demonstrated in her letter. She considered the facts, made a choice, and communicated herself well. Her efforts form the basis for a successful leadership strategy.
Consider the attributes of this story. Then, consider how your people, the followers of your leadership, are wondering how to grow a relationship with you. Who makes the first move? Who makes the next move? How will these moves be made? Oh, and there is accomplishing the work they are being paid to do.
I shared in-depth recently about love. I also shared leading by serving is a formal leadership style. I shared over the past several weeks how leaders I identified have demonstrated love to their followers, along with those outside of their organization. If things went well for you this past week, then you are wondering now how to deliver love to your followers. If things did not go well for you last week, then you are wondering now if loving your followers is worth the hassle. Let’s talk about the second item first, and then we will cover the first item.
HASSLE AVOIDANCE OPTIONS
I see there are three options when it comes to relating to people. The first option is to love them. The second option is to hate them. The final option is to care less about them. This final option may be considered to be a form of hate, but I identify it as a form of ambivalence. It is not a form of apathy.
If I know my leader hates me, then there is no point in my trying to follow them. I may be forced to follow them, but I will not perform at my best potential to deliver my work. It seems to me this combination is an inescapable attribute of humanity.
If I know my leader is unsure of either their love or hatred for me, then I am thinking the day will come when they chose to either love or hate me. I will wonder which option they will choose with more and more thought devoted to this wondering until the day comes when they make their choice. I will not focus entirely on my work, as I will have part of my attention direct elsewhere. It seems to me this combination is an inescapable attribute of humanity.
If I know neither hatred nor ambivalence empowers my followers to work fully to accomplish their work, then it makes sense to be the only viable option is to love them. I know of no credible evidence where I should conserve love. Conserve, in the form of holding back at some point. I may be too tired to give love, but this condition is a call to rest instead of a call not to give love. If I want the best return for my investment of time, money, and perhaps even a bit of social status, then it makes sense to me to maximize my investment of love into my followers so they will have the best potential to deliver to me the work I ask them, and perhaps am even paying them, to accomplish.
LOVE DELIVERY OPTIONS
A relationship involves two or more people. If I have thousands of people in my organization, then it is impossible to spend individual time with each other. I must work with my direct reports to accomplish loving all followers of my leadership. I must instruct, model, and require my direct reports to love their direct reports, all the way to the lowest level of the organization. This step is what I call a mandate.
Next, I must know my direct reports are doing what I mandate of them. I must go to those at different levels in my organization and ask them individually to tell me their understanding of the mandate to understand what I required in my mandate is being accomplished. Talking in person is better. Talking by video is better than only audio. However, audio talking is better than not talking. It is more effective to go to the middle of the organization first, then the bottom when having these talks. This approach gives me accurate first-hand findings quite quickly. This step is what I call a measurement.
Next, I take any corrective action necessary to match what I mandated with what I measured to eliminate any variance. This action occurs speedily over a day or so. This step is what I call a demand.
If any of my direct reports disagree with my leadership, then it is best either I change my leadership, or they cease reporting to me. I am willing to discuss how I accomplish my work. I am not willing to discuss what I mandate. A mandate is derived by what I know must happen to preserve the organization, to grow it, and perhaps even turn it over to another leader at some future date. I know a mandate by the intersection of my worldview, my ethics, and my morals.
So, how about the followers? There must be enough of an intersection between leader and follower in their worldview, ethics, and morality for them to be able to accomplish the work in their hand. The best practices of both diversity and inclusion tell me I have a better chance of success with as much input as I can receive. Yes, there is a condition known as analysis paralysis. This condition is when a person cannot act on their work because they are taking in too many considerations. We covered this condition when we discussed being scared. The inputs never stop. So, it is best to have as diverse a follower set as I can have in my organization to ensure I have the most inputs possible. Furthermore, I had better love each of them if I expect each of them to be included in my organization by their choosing to do the work I have put into their hand.
BONDSERVANT
It is my considered position my loving anyone is a choice I must make daily. I must choose to make myself indebted to love. I do not force anyone to love me. It is impossible to achieve this action, so there is no reason to try and do it.
The idea here is to have a continuous conversation that matters. Matters, in the form of contributing productively to the desired outcome. It is spending the time talking about what organization members are supposed to be talking about: their work. Then, the purposeful conversations occur at all levels of the organization.
CAPTURING
Now, it is time to write out your action plan to know with certainty how you are going to lead your followers by means of love. Review the material we covered in our discussion on the topic of love. Then, write out a table with the following structure:
Column One, HOW. Write a sentence of how you will deliver love to your followers.
Column Two, STORGE. This column is populated with entries of YES or NO based on HOW you deliver love.
Column Three, PHILIA. This column is populated with entries of YES or NO based on HOW you deliver love.
Column Four, EROS. This column is populated with entries of YES or NO based on HOW you deliver love.
Column Five, AGAPE. This column is populated with entries of YES or NO based on HOW you deliver love.
This table now contains your Love Action Items list.
You should be able to write out twenty sentences of HOW you will deliver love without expending much effort. I encourage you to keep each sentence as short as possible while maintaining your clarity. Write out the HOW entries first, then come back and identify which love definition each HOW item matches. The result is each row in your table telling a specific action, matched with one or more specific love definitions, for anyone impacted by your leadership to understand your leadership style better. If you need some help with the HOW part, then read some of the work accomplished by Gary Chapman. Chapman realized there are five common love communication mechanisms.
My strategic partner David Daniels shared with me his thoughts on forming the Love Action Items list. “I have always welcomed different points of view, as long as they came from a positioning of the organization’s values and mission. However, once a decision was made, I fully expected my team to embrace and support the direction. I have watched so many situations where leadership gave the appearance of support to the leader and then went out and trashed the direction or lent unenthusiastic support of it.” I agree with David’s viewpoint. It is best to write your Love Action Items list from the position your people changes may involve changing some of your people who report to you directly, whether or not they serve as leaders.
Your analysis of your table containing your Love Action Items list will help you plan to deliver love to your followers. The best news is your followers will know how you are planning to act, know instantly how your actions match your plan and are empowered to contribute to your table by adding rows as you approve. The key here is your HOW items need to be received by your followers, and your followers HOW items need to be received by you.
Now, some good news. The four types of love expressed through five different options work out to be 465 different combination options. Clearly, there is no shortage of options available to anyone desiring to love anyone. Do some reading on permutations and combinatorics to learn more about combinations. Remember, the leader-follower relationship must work in harmony and not be forced to be effective. We will discuss the work you accomplished with your Love Action Items list next week.
So, I ask you: where do you want to go? I hope your answer is to develop the plans necessary to accomplish the strategy you know you need to achieve to arrive at your desired destination. If this is the case, then let’s get to work. If not, then I wish you the best of everything.
I hope we will see each other here next week. Email me if you need to talk before then.
Dr. Stephen H. Dawson, DSL
Executive Strategy Consultant
Stephen Dawson is an executive consultant of technology and business strategy, serving significant international organizations by providing leadership consulting, strategic planning, and executive communications. He has more than thirty years of service and consulting experience in delivering successful international business development and program management outcomes in the US and SE Asia. His weekly column, “Where Do You Want To Go?,” appears on Thursdays.
Dr. Dawson has served in the technology, banking, and hospitality industries. He is a noted strategic planning visionary. His pursuit of music has been matched with his efforts to lead by service to followers. He holds the clear understanding a leader without followers is a person taking a long walk alone.
Stephen has lived his life in the eastern United States, visiting most of the United States and several countries. He is a graduate of the Regent University School of Business & Leadership.
Contact Stephen Dawson at service@shdawson.com.
Thank you for visiting our Blog!
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
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Reifschneider Completes PE Firm Engagement
Reifschneider Completes PE Firm Engagement
Doug Reifschneider, Member of ITB Partners, and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Chief Outsiders, recently completed an extensive PE firm engagement. The PE firm’s project was compressed into 45 days, and because of the need for speed, Reifschneider partnered with a colleague from Chief Outsiders to complete the project on time. The PE firm employed the two CMOs to develop a 100-day plan for a household services firm they plan to acquire.
The pair from Chief Outsiders complimented each other because the project included:
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- Digital Marketing Assessment
- Digital SWOT
- Scorecard for the website, digital marketing, and social media
- recommendations
- Gathering insights about the customers, competitors, and company
- Develop a growth strategy
- Activated SWOT analysis
- Brand positioning workshop
- Brand house exercise
- From here to there exercise
- Developed a marketing plan for the balance of 2021, including 14 “Game-changing” ideas
- Prepare a go-to-market plan if invited to continue work with the new portfolio company
- Digital Marketing Assessment
About Doug Reifsc hneider
Doug Reifschneider is a dynamic marketing leader with 30+ years of experience in the restaurant industry. He has a history of driving growth through the creation and delivery of unique, creative brand strategies enhancing customer affinity and market position. While at Firehouse Subs, Mr. Reifschneider helped achieve a 4X increase in locations, to 1,030 restaurants generating $684M in revenues and 19.4% average annual sales.
During his foodservice career, he navigated the ever-changing marketing/advertising environment. The advertising menu proliferated from a relatively short list of tactics (TV, radio, print [direct mail, magazines, newspaper, etc. ], OOH, POP, and direct selling) 20 years ago to thousands of online options which included but was not limited to display, native, SEO, SEM/PPC, web sites, landing pages, mobile and others. Doug has experience with all of it and is always looking for new technologies to exploit such as Blockchain.
Throughout his career, he consistently strengthened brand equity, grew the customer base, and boosted revenues through the development of innovative marketing campaigns.
Contact Doug at reif78@gmail.com
Ask the Right Questions!
Marketing Research is Simple…
Asking the “Right” Questions
In my previous blog, I reviewed the three steps necessary to conduct “good” Marketing Research:
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- Ask the “Right” Questions,
- Ask the “Right” People,
- Ask at the “Right” Time
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However, simple these steps may seem, getting all the steps “Right” is a challenge. In this blog, I’m going to probe more deeply into the topic of asking the “Right” questions.
Over the course of my career, I’ve seen numerous badly worded questions and poorly constructed questionnaires (yes, I’ve written many myself). There are three basic ways to fail in asking the “Right” questions:
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- Asking the “Wrong” questions
- Failing to ask all the “Right” questions
- Asking the “Right” questions in the “Wrong” way
First, to avoid asking the “Wrong” questions, it is important to keep a laser focus on the objectives of the research. Losing sight of your objectives can cause you to stray off into topics and issues that are not relevant. This is especially true when there are many levels of people providing input to the questionnaire design. One solution is to design a mock report or outline before you start writing the questionnaire. Knowing the key components of the report will define the information that you need to include in the questionnaire.
A more insidious problem is when you “think” that you are asking the “Right” questions, but you wind up leaving some key questions out. A classic example is the case of New Coke. Coca-Cola introduced a new formulation of its flagship brand in 1985. Extensive marketing research had shown decisively in blind taste tests that the taste of the new formulation was preferred over the current Coke formulation and over Pepsi. The Coke marketing team thought they had a winner, and the new formulation was launched with heavy advertising and public relations. But, soon after the launch, the company began receiving letters and telephone calls from people all over the country expressing anger and disappointment about the “new” Coke. What happened? One issue was that in the marketing research, consumers were asked blindly whether they liked the taste of the new formulation relative to Coke and Pepsi. They were not asked, either directly or indirectly, whether they would be in favor of replacing the Coke brand with a new formulation. Loyal Coke drinkers couldn’t accept that their beloved Coke brand had been changed. Aside from taste, there were strong emotional connections that people had with the brand that were not fully considered in the research. They neglected to ask all the “Right” questions, such as “how would you feel if this new formulation replaced the current Coke formulation?”. Perhaps the negative consumer reaction may have been predicted or mitigated if they had these insights developed from the research.
Finally, to avoid asking questions in the “Wrong” way, there are 6 errors to avoid:
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- Leading or Loaded questions:
Perhaps the most common way to bias a question is to lead the respondent toward an answer that you’d like them to make. For example, if you wish to get positive answers to a satisfaction question, you could ask “How excellent is the customer service you receive?”. An unbiased alternative is “Please rate your level of satisfaction with the customer service you receive.”.
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- Loaded questions:
Loaded questions are similar to leading questions in that they subtly (or not so subtly) push the user toward a particular response. Here you are making an assumption about the respondent that is included implicitly in the question. An example is, “What do you love about shopping online?” This presumes that a person loves shopping online and will bias their response.
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- Unbalanced scales:
One way to lead questions is by using an answer scale that is unbalanced. Asking, “please rate your satisfaction with the service on your last transaction” is unbiased. But, you can bias the answers with an unbalanced scale, that provides more positive than negative choices, such as:
| Extremely Satisfied | Very Satisfied | Somewhat Satisfied | Satisfied | Dissatisfied |
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- Double-barreled questions:
Double-barreled questions attempt to ask about two constructs in the same question. “Please rate your satisfaction with the courtesy and competence of your customer service rep”. The customer service rep may be perceived as very courteous, but not very competent. Or vice versa. Therefore, the answer to a double-barreled question is not clear. To solve the issue, you need to break the two constructs into separate questions.
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- Unclear questions:
Questions that are too long, grammatically incorrect, using acronyms or jargon, or written above the heads of the target respondent will either be skipped or answered invalidly. Keeping the reading level slightly below what you think is the average reading level of your target respondent.
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- Unanswerable questions:
You can get skewed results to survey questions when you are asking something that the respondent can’t easily answer. Perhaps it is information that is obscure, that they would have to look up, that happened too long ago, or that is just unknowable. An example is, “Please tell me how much you paid for Title Insurance when you purchased your first home?” Unless a respondent closed on their first home very recently or has easy access to their records, you are probably going to get inaccurate answers to this question.
In summary, to assure that you are asking the “Right” questions:
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- Keep focused on the objectives of the research. If a question doesn’t contribute to answering the key questions in the objectives, eliminate it.
- Are there questions that you are missing? Look at your report outline. Do you have all the key information covered?
- Be aware of and avoid the common question bias pitfalls.
- Have a colleague read the questionnaire over and make sure they understand it and it is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
The time you spend upfront to get the questions “Right” will save you the embarrassment of having to explain why you don’t have the insights that were expected.
Look for my next article next week that will probe more deeply into how to “Ask” questions of the “Right” people.
Carl Fusco is a Marketing Research and Consulting Executive skilled at directing the application of research techniques and insights to solve problems and support data-based business decisions. Over his 35-year career, Carl has built a reputation for quality, integrity, and creativity by establishing trust, credibility, and acceptance with clients and associates. He has built a proven track record of success in organizational management and leadership, research design and implementation, and analytic rigor and impact.
Contact Carl at:
carl_fusco@yahoo.com
770-364-7160
Thank you for visiting our Blog!
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Inclusion
“All musicians are potential band leaders.” Thelonious Monk
I was being recruited in 1994 by a big-name record label out of Nashville to serve as bandleader for an up-and-coming country music guy. The deal terms proposed to me were pretty good, but I did not feel good about the deal in my gut. I passed on the work for one reason: they had not heard me play a note. They knew of my education and experience credentials but did not know too much about me as a person.
I recommended last week a short film for you to watch. I hope you watched it. We were going to talk about how your viewing experience of this short film went for you during our time together this week. The part about the whole person we covered last week is key to both this week and all things going forward. We will discuss the concept of inclusion as we meet now to go through how you felt during your viewing experience of the short film.
INCLUSION
I, for lack of a better way to say it, was in the band of this up-and-coming country music guy in 1994 without accepting the offer. My customer was going to be out in a sea of lights. They would be nameless and faceless to me. I would be paid bi-weekly if two things occurred. First, the new material we were going to record into an album sold where the record company was happy with album sales. Second, concert tickets supporting music material the guy had going on before me and supporting the pending record album sold. I would be replaced in an instant if both of these conditions were not happening consistently. I was okay with this criteria combination, as it is the nature of the work. Not everyone sees it this way. The album Centerfield is the third solo studio album by John Fogerty. Fogerty played all the instruments on this album himself. I guess John did not want to have the collective risk of some people problems anymore at that point in his career.
The identified people problem suffering your ability to have strategic planning work accomplished was compacted into a few minutes during the Most film. The older main character realized the problem, considered it, and acted on it. He had to act, one way or the other. He acted under duress imposed on him from the circumstances, not any person or persons. All options presented to him hurt him. It hurt me to watch the film. It is probable resolving your people problem is going to cause you some hurt, one way or the other.
The definition of inclusion is simple: included. Included, in the form of being…in. The degree of in is another topic. The fairness of being in or out is another topic. All I am saying to you now is a person who is included in your organization is in your organization, period.
A recent discussion with David Daniels had Dave sharing more of his wisdom with me. “Inclusion as part of the D & I equation revolves around people feeling like their voice is heard while leadership supports this concept because they believe it produces better solutions, thus better results, both financially and with higher commitment levels of employees i.e. the ability to attract the best of the best in their industry.” I agreed with Dave. I see people providing their input as many rivers coming together in a pool to feed a tree. The tree, in this example, is the work the people need to accomplish. It is tough to remain distinct when mixed, but this condition is similar to a cake. Add the ingredients, mix them, bake them, and there are no more ingredients. There is cake. Altering ingredient amounts and types means a different tasting cake. A structural approach to strategic planning for the who part and when they get involved part helps to accomplish a preferred result.
HOW MUCH IN?
Remember I wrote a few paragraphs back my customer would be out in a sea of lights? Well, those people were to be a part of my organization. I needed them to be happy by spending their money for me to keep my band leader job. I was not sure I could deliver the collective satisfaction the folks in that sea of light were after, as the big-name record company out of Nashville had not heard me play a note. There had to be a stronger connection to know if we would make it to success by a probability calculation.
Your strategy work is not getting accomplished as you prefer. We pushed off the option it is not a time or skills problem causing the work delay. It would be best if you now changed who you include doing your strategy work. This change does not mean they need to leave your organization; only stop doing this work. If you realize they do not have the skills to do the work, then you have a separate set of staffing actions to accomplish. Additionally, you have to take a hard look at if they should have done the work based on the time allotted to them to do the work combined with the workspace resources where they perform their work. Again, as I said a few weeks back, you have to call it for what it is.
Thelonious Monk made a strong point without saying it. One must first be in the band before one can lead the band. Franklin Roosevelt made the same point: “You are either with us or against us.” Today, we are faced with how to best recover from the 2020 global pandemic. It is clear the definition of work for many roles has changed forever. So, who is in your band, so to speak, for your organization going forward?
Richard Florida and Adam Ozimek addressed some of the challenges with remote work going forward. “Before the pandemic, a number of communities developed strategic initiatives to attract newcomers—some aimed at high-tech workers but others open to anyone who commits to moving. Many include the lure of cash incentives, akin to the moving expenses paid by companies to new hires.” This criterion is no longer valid for many industries and companies. “To lure and support the growing ranks of remote workers, communities will need to build out more complete ecosystems for them to live, work and gather.” Meaning, the ability to do remote work effectively as a whole person has changed the workforce forever by establishing suburban life a primary regardless of distance from the office to home locations.
Nataly Kelly wrote about the complexities of having inclusiveness in a global organization. “While it might not be immediately obvious why an employee in Tokyo should learn about the history of slavery in the United States, if we want our global teams to work together, they need to understand one another’s realities.” Going deeper, the concept of data is still not managed well at the executive level. Data, in the form of understanding the facts for how we as humanity got to where we stand today.
Thomas Davenport and Randy Bean found in their survey executives are excited about implementing artificial intelligence in their organizations, but they do not have reliable data leadership skills and leaders based on “nascent and evolving” leadership roles. “The executives are usually pretty bullish about technology but quite bearish regarding whether their organizations are becoming more data-driven.” The survey shows the role of data officer at the executive level is not agreed on by a high majority of executives.
The pattern playing out is clear. The leadership’s proverbial music is not making the audience (the organization) happy enough for them to want to keep listening. The organization cannot understand how data, being facts, interrelates because the leadership does not have a strong enough grasp on the data lifecycle concept themselves. Bad data, either incorrect or insufficient, feeds into both inaccurate and ineffective data analysis. This combination destroys efforts such as the planning of strategy.
REFRAIN TO CHORUS
My work as a bandleader was to play acoustic guitar, sing harmony, arrange much of the music after songwriters derived a melody, set the performance tempo, and develop musicianship in the band members. It is not easy to hide during a live performance of music. Strumming the guitar only goes so far, as we say in the guitar business. One must play the guitar, in my case, with the other musicians to have a band. Add in the singing aspect, and the sound is either is or is not pleasant to the paying customer. Your role now as a leader is to use a refrain to help get your people either to or back to productivity.
You could swap guitars, swap guitar amplifiers, move the musicians to a different location on the stage, or any number of changes to help improve the sound of a band. Say you needed to pick out a chair for you to sit down in for whatever reason. You could pick from many different seating options to meet your need. If you need strategic planning work accomplished, you will need to keep making changes to find the mix that results in productive work output. You are looking for, as an analogy, both applause and continued funding from your audience for your strategic planning work. There is a time constraint to almost everything. The older main character in the Most film was under an explicit time constraint. Staying focused on the scope of the strategy you are trying to plan is a viable means to knowing if you are either spending too much time getting the work accomplished or if you are indeed not getting work accomplished.
I used the words of James Taylor to help me walk out most of my musical journey. “I believe musicians have a duty, a responsibility to reach out, to share your love or pain with others.” The older main character in the Most film made the same choice as Taylor: sharing love or pain with others. Both this older main character and Taylor are leaders in their respective lots of life. Leading is not easy, but I never said it was easy.
Take time this week and consider the topic of who you need and want to include in your organization. Think about the associated time constraints, the money constraints, and the pains of having people come and go either moving around or out of your organization. The world population reached 7.8 billion people as of March 2020. There is no shortage of people for anything. Clearly, you cannot pick everyone in the world because you do not have enough money to pay everyone in the world. Besides, you would get so big along the way you would be identified as violating antitrust. Selecting irrevocable choices…this is the harsh reality of accomplishing strategic planning. Perhaps playing some music you like to hear during your consideration time will help you go through this thinking easier.
So, I ask you: where do you want to go? I hope your answer is to develop the plans necessary to accomplish the strategy you know you need to achieve to arrive at your desired destination. If this is the case, then let’s get to work. If not, then I wish you the best of everything.
I hope we will see each other here next week. Email me if you need to talk before then.
Dr. Stephen H. Dawson, DSL
Executive Strategy Consultant
Stephen Dawson is an executive consultant of technology and business strategy, serving significant international organizations by providing leadership consulting, strategic planning, and executive communications. He has more than thirty years of service and consulting experience in delivering successful international business development and program management outcomes in the US and SE Asia. His weekly column, “Where Do You Want To Go?,” appears on Thursdays.
Thank you for visiting our Blog!
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Reading – Stephen H. Dawson, DSL
“A capacity, and taste, for reading gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others.” Abraham Lincoln
I do not know why the Steven Spielberg film skipped over the assassination event of Abraham Lincoln. I am not a huge fan of Daniel Day-Lewis’s work, nor do I have anything against him. I believe Day-Lewis portrayed Lincoln with excellence. Lincoln shared in this film he studied the work of Euclid in his Elements writings. I think, but I do not know, that both Spielberg and Day-Lewis were attempting to make the point that understanding their work required the audience to do some supporting reading on their own to grasp the magnitude of the story presented in the film. This postulate of mine brings me to the topic for our time together this week. Specifically, making good on my commitment to you to discuss how diversity, inclusion, and what Chesterton talked about with the human species will help you get out of the circumstances hindering your strategic planning work.
I shared last week about the need to look should one want to see. I looked over some of Euclid’s Elements recently, remembering how they helped structure my thoughts years ago when I first studied mathematics. Mathematics helped me learn how to read. I needed the means to get through spelling, grammar, and punctuation learning obstacles to accomplish writing assignments of the materials I read. I was able to approach the skill of outlining what I read more effectively, as I had a formula for how to accomplish the outlining. It led me to help me read more effectively. The simplicity of logic apart from rhetoric found in mathematics helped me understand better how to form my messages to convince readers my points were valid, doing so with either reduced or no conflict. I enjoy conversing, but I enjoy writing more than public speaking. Both have proven to me I need to plan what I communicate by being sure of what I have read in my life.
I also shared last week realizing strategy work is not progressing as desired means either your people do not have the time to do the work, or they do not have the skills to do the work. This condition, at its root, is an organizational design problem. No credible leader will ever find they are in this position. A successful leader knows their people, their abilities, their conditions, and operates their organization accordingly. Spielberg’s success in his film work tells me he is a successful leader in film work. I view Lincoln as a successful leader of a nation. I am convinced without reservation that reading is a critical success factor for staying out of the mess I identified as the cause of strategy work not progressing as desired.
WHAT READING?
Reading can occur in many different forms, such as letters, numbers, symbols, colors, or hand and arm signals. Effective reading involves not only considering a text in the original language but also translations of the text. Euclid’s Elements is the second most published book in history. Consider reading this text in another language to see how it reads to you. Consider also the value of a translation that is not literal but paraphrased.
Take the daily newspaper and look at any topic from different writers. The reporting on the same topic will often vary widely. Take some time and read how the Wall Street Journal article and the Financial Times article regarding the McKinsey leader’s recent dismissal differ. Think about bias and diversity as you read these articles. How did each writer look to help their reader understand what has happened with McKinsey’s performance as of late? Does either of these articles help you want to change your staffing choices? My point is you will see quickly how learning can continue on any topic and how miscommunications can occur from what seemed to be a clear and understood text.
HOW MUCH READING?
Kate Northrup wrote about the viability of planning when the future is unclear. She gets into the topic of strategy. She implied reading is required to accomplish her recommendations. I am of the position that reading should be perpetual. There is no shortage today of material to read. There is a distinct decline in the credibility, meaningfulness, and associated value in most of the material available to read today.
I did an Internet search for images of reading. All of the images I found involved only people looking at physical books. Looking at a computer screen is called viewing. So, there is a belief growing in our society that reading can only occur in books. I disagree with this claim. The definition I provided of reading did not include reading expressions on a person’s face. I can view an expression, but I do not know for certain there is a message attached to an expression. Hence, it is best to keep reading to letters, numbers, symbols, and colors that can be referenced later when you need to come back to them. I equate reading a book with viewing letters, numbers, symbols, and colors on a computer screen. The answer to how much reading you need to do is this: whenever you have enough proof to know you have the facts to do what you need to do.
I have shopped exclusively at Men’s Wearhouse for suits, shirts, and ties since 1999. They impress me with their overall experience. The people both in the stores and on their telephones who have helped me over the years sometimes have my skin color and gender; other times they do not. I care about getting the suits, shirts, and ties that I need and want more than I care about a particular skin color or gender helping me. Their industry has suffered from the cutback on social outings and workplace gatherings last year. They went into bankruptcy in 2020 and are emerging through restructuring. They have an idea to help increase their sales by doing measurements of a customer’s body dimensions by scanning, matching these measurements with inventory, and deciding how to serve their customers best. It is an impressive undertaking. Imagine how much reading they had to accomplish to come up with this system. Then, imagine how much they have invested in this system. They, as a company, are at the point of either growing much more or dying. I cannot imagine their debtors would have approved their restructuring plan to include this new system without sufficient credible belief the plan will return a suitable profit. The Men’s Wearhouse story is an example of how much reading is necessary to run your organization effectively.
AM I SURE?
I believe, based on the espoused morality of my worldview found in my ethics, there is never a valid reason to be either rude or disrespectful. Seattle Mariners chief executive Kevin Mather resigned recently due to disparaging remarks he made about player English skills. His career-ending event could also mean Mather is finished as a leader. I have two good friends, both in their thirties, who are illiterate. One is a carpenter, the other a welder. They struggle to have enough income. They are both happy, each with a small family. They both want to learn to read. You are looking to now restructure your organization with those who have the skills you need to do the work you need to accomplish. Do you want to have a literate person who you have to terminate or an illiterate person who does a great job for you? I am of the position you need literate members in your organization, and you do not need problems. How can you differentiate when a literate person will make an unpreferred choice such as Mather did, or that an illiterate person can make preferred choices?
I do not have the skills to operate heavy equipment. Do you want me to come near your house operating either a bulldozer or an excavator until I gain such skills? Do you want me to sit atop the running equipment and read the owner’s manual as I figure out how to use the heavy equipment near your house?
WIND UP
Your acting on your realization you need to alter your organization members who have neither the time nor the skill to do their assigned work is too late to accomplish this repair with discretion. You must take corrective action in public light to achieve the necessary changes. The terms diversity and inclusion, terms I have yet to define to you, are what you look to address to alter your organization effectively. The only way and I mean the o-n-l-y way, to go through this process effectively is first to understand the topic of evil. I also need to define the term evil to you from my understanding of it. Succeeding in making these people change is not about removing or adding more of skin color or gender. Do you want anyone who does evil as a part of your organization? Do you care about their skin color or gender if they have the skills you need to do the work you need to be accomplished? Do you have the means to measure the skills your people claim to possess? Are you, in the espoused morality of your worldview found in your ethics, able to prove you both need and want your people to have the skills they need to do the work you need to accomplish more than you desire for skin color or gender headcounts in your organization?
Next week, we will begin to tear apart the fabric comprising the terms diversity, inclusion, and evil as an exercise in research. This week, I encourage you to spend time contemplating how much you care about skin color and gender in comparison to relevant skills you need your people to have to do the work you need to be accomplished.
So, I ask you: where do you want to go? I hope your answer is to develop the plans necessary to accomplish the strategy you know you need to achieve to arrive at your desired destination. If this is the case, then let’s get to work. If not, then I wish you the best of everything.
I hope we will see each other here next week. Email me if you need to talk before then.
Dr. Stephen H. Dawson, DSL
Executive Strategy Consultant
Stephen Dawson is an executive consultant of technology and business strategy, serving significant international organizations by providing leadership consulting, strategic planning, and executive communications. He has more than thirty years of service and consulting experience in delivering successful international business development and program management outcomes in the US and SE Asia. His weekly column, “Where Do You Want To Go?,” appears on Thursdays.
Dr. Dawson has served in the technology, banking, and hospitality industries. He is a noted strategic planning visionary. His pursuit of music has been matched with his efforts to lead by service to followers. He holds the clear understanding a leader without followers is a person taking a long walk alone.
Stephen has lived his life in the eastern United States, visiting most of the United States and several countries. He is a graduate of the Regent University School of Business & Leadership. Contact him at service@shdawson.com.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Looking
Men differ LITTLE on what things they will call EVIL. They differ GREATLY on what evil they will call EXCUSABLE.” G. K. Chesterton
We only see if we look. We only look by choice. We may glance at or skim through what we read, but neither of these actions results in seeing.
G. K. Chesterton made a point about humanity in his observation of men and how they differ. I understand that Chesterton uses the term man in his statement as mankind, the human species. I interpret one of his unstated points as this: a little evil brings great inexcusability. I wonder what a lot of evil would bring. I choose not to look for more evil. Chesterton did not make it clear what evil is and is not. I wonder how many people today care to look into what he meant.
I got new eyeglasses last year, the kind that reminds me I am not a kid who did not need eyeglasses. They look good on me. I see better with them. I do not like to wear them. I only wear them when necessary. Additionally, I am unable to discern evil with them.
I shared last week about being scared. I used this condition in the context of you being unsure of the strategy you propose to plan. We were going to talk next time about making people changes to your strategy work. Let’s have this talk now.
Making changes to the work assigned to your followers, your people means one of two things. Either they do not have the time to do the work, or they do not have the skills to do the work. If they are not interested in the work of their role, then that is another matter. It is part of my work to help my customers discern between these conditions. We look at the facts, then we call it for what it is. Many of my customers are afraid they will be calling their people evil when their people do not get their assigned work completed. A common term used today is optics. It is a subjective term. It is a horrible term, from what I see. Facts are facts. They are absolute. Nothing absolute needs perspective to understand the fact. We need to understand the repercussions of facts to know their value, and those repercussions require various perspectives to comprehend the complexities of their collective impact. Facts are not subjective. Hence, the difficulty in assessing the people productivity part of strategy work.
LOOKING
Looking at anything displeasing can be difficult. Looking at evil, for me, is displeasing. I cannot say a person is evil, as I do not believe it is possible. I can say their actions are or are not evil. I make this determination based on the espoused morality of my worldview found in my ethics. Meaning, my definition of evil is not necessarily the same as anyone else’s. I do not consider evil when I look at the research. I look for facts. Helping my customers do the same involves many prior discussions to learn their abilities, perspectives, and positions to comprehend their research abilities. It is not a quick look, a glance, or a skim of the research we accomplish to evaluate either the facts of their strategy or the work of their people to plan their strategy. It is a series of discussions.
SEEING
Seeing an opinion unsupported by facts, to me, is a form of evil. I am allowing the person to share their opinions with me to convince me without relevant supporting evidence. Sure, there are times when this scenario is necessary for my best interests. HEY STEPHEN, GET DOWN! I confess that hearing these words, regardless of vocal tone, would at least put my head down. I would, once I am sure it is safe to raise up again, either thank them or ask them why they told me to get down. This simple example is to help you see how much time you could be wasting looking at work accomplished by your people but not seeing enough value from it. The intentional circular effort I shared about last week is what I am describing here. If you do not see value in your people’s work, then you either have a communication problem or a worker skills problem. I set aside the possibility of a worker not having time to do their assigned work because you already took care of that problem earlier…didn’t you? I cannot imagine you would have miscommunicated with your workers, as you have a written plan to accomplish work assignments…don’t you? Did you talk with them, or did you send them an emoji hoping they understood what you intended to say to them?
INTERPRETING
If your people have the time and skills to do their assigned work, then the work will be accomplished as planned. If your strategy work is not progressing as communicated in your plan, then you have a people problem. It is not a technology problem. If it were, then you are executing the wrong plan. It is not a workplace problem. If it were, then you are executing the wrong plan. I could go on presenting examples here, but Pilita Clark explains it pretty well.
So, we have a people problem. Is it their fault they do not have the technology they need? Is it their fault they do not have the workplace they need? No, these are your problems as their leader. Perhaps they do not have the skills to use the technology. Perhaps they cannot get to the workplace. These are their problems. They will have to solve them to remain employed with you. It is not a matter of evil versus good, fair versus unfair, or happy versus sad. They are the facts you face while attempting to complete your strategy work. If the work must be accomplished, and your workers cannot complete the work as planned, then you must get other workers assigned to the strategy you need to have planned.
I tell you, from the position of both a professor and as a management consultant, the problem I just described to you is widespread today. We have not prepared today’s students with enough skills to do the work in many roles involving strategy development. We have provided them pieces of education in the form of shorter degree program course durations with the expectation they will assemble these skills effectively into pertinent credentials. An outcome of these conditions over the past three decades is a student’s inability to absorb the lesson material deep enough to achieve the transformational experience of education. This change occurred about the time microcomputers showed up in commonality. There is a direct connection between increased access to learning and learning deficiency caused by information overload. It is a realization of analysis paralysis. Meaning, many degree programs in the past few decades do not have enough analysis instruction contained within them. Those who experienced high achievement did so outside of a single degree path. See if the article by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Becky Frankiewicz rings a bell with you for how you look at your workers’ circumstances. I recommend you get to the point of interpreting it.
Next week, we will begin to talk about how diversity, inclusion, and what Chesterton talked about with the human species will help you get out of the circumstances hindering your strategic planning work. Specifically, how to go about staffing your organization to do the work you need to be accomplished. We will approach the balance of emotion and logic by considerations of needs and wants.
So, I ask you: where do you want to go? I hope your answer is to develop the plans necessary to accomplish the strategy you know you need to achieve to arrive at your desired destination. If this is the case, then let’s get to work. If not, then I wish you the best of everything.
I hope we will see each other here next week. Email me if you need to talk before then.
Dr. Stephen H. Dawson, DSL
Executive Strategy Consultant
Stephen Dawson is an executive consultant of technology and business strategy, serving significant international organizations by providing leadership consulting, strategic planning, and executive communications. He has more than thirty years of service and consulting experience in delivering successful international business development and program management outcomes in the US and SE Asia. His weekly column, “Where Do You Want To Go?,” appears on Thursdays.
Dr. Dawson has served in the technology, banking, and hospitality industries. He is a noted strategic planning visionary. His pursuit of music has been matched with his efforts to lead by service to followers. He holds the clear understanding a leader without followers is a person taking a long walk alone.
Stephen has lived his life in the eastern United States, visiting most of the United States and several countries. He is a graduate of the Regent University School of Business & Leadership. Contact him at service@shdawson.com.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Scared – A New Post on Strategic Planning from Stephen H. Dawson, DSL
“Fear is nothing more than an acronym: False-Evidence-Appearing-Real.” Unknown
A friend of mine passed a week ago. He worked himself to death, literally. He worked 80 to 90 hour weeks intermittently for the past 15 years. He was quite good at what he did, but he overdid it to the point of costing him his life. His passing helped me remember to not work so hard but to work smarter each day so I can work less overall.
I shared last week about the concept of spending time to gain the required perspective to go about the necessary work you have at hand. I thought more over the past few days about the fear I saw in 2020 held by many folks both near and far and how it often played out into anger by acting as a defense mechanism. I put down fear decades ago by learning from the wisdom held by one of my first mentors. “Fear is nothing more than an acronym: False-Evidence-Appearing-Real.” Fear occurs during a state of confusion about facts. Fear is not scared, nor is it anxiety. Anxiety can cause confusion, but scared alone is not anxiety. Scared is known by the paralysis it causes in someone who is scared. Anxiety is a slow wear on the whole person. Meaning, scared is a present tense term.
I saw an episode in a situation comedy television show years ago that grips me to this day. Frankly, it scared me stiff. It scared me because I saw how accomplishing all of the work conceivable to be wise does not assure success. My friend who died recently was one of my mentors. He helped guide me through my graduate and postgraduate years. He was a wise man. A coach is not a mentor. Suffice it to say, one has to succeed in receiving mentoring first to succeed in receiving coaching. I prefer mentoring over coaching, for many reasons. We can cover the differences between coaching and mentoring in a future column.
I received comments regarding the column last week that matched the next healthy step in the strategic planning work. The step we are at now is knowing the defined strategy that needs to be planned. There is an intentional circular effort in strategy where an idea is formed and research occurs to support developing the idea. The strategy is then refined, perhaps redefined, then planned, then perhaps refined and redefined again, to its final planning, and then executed by way of strategy process realization. This circular effort is not unique to strategy. There is a research condition known as analysis paralysis. Essentially, too much analysis is occurring to the point the research is stalled by figurative paralysis. There is much work occurring to accomplish the strategy effort, perhaps with good intentions. However, the collective work effort is not advancing by realizing clear and healthy organizational growth. Things are stuck. This research condition is not unique to strategy. The best action to resolve analysis paralysis is to stop the research work. Take inventory of where the work stands, determine the clear facts held, and assess if the work is worth continuing at the time with the people assigned to the work.
We realized earlier we were going to an unknown destination, deciding we did not like that address. We took some time and breathed, gaining the necessary focus to begin the planning work. You wonder if the idea outlining your proposed strategy has merit. What exactly is the strategy we are to plan out for others to follow? You now do not know the defined strategy that needs to be planned. You cannot proceed to the intentional circular effort in strategy. We have come to the realization you are now scared, as you are unsure of your idea forming your strategy. Hence, fear pushes this person to be scared. How do I know you are scared? I know because you do not have the research to support planning your strategy. If you did, then you would not be reading this column.
I view there are three options available to resolve this matter.
QUITTING
The act of quitting can be called regrouping. I call this equivalence a falsehood. Quitting is quitting, and regrouping is regrouping. If one does not want to develop a strategy, then say it. The decision to quit is not about some type of size or power. It is about being unwilling to look at the problem and resolve it productively. Move on, do something else. If shame or embarrassment go with quitting, then that is part of the package. Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own said it well. “It’s supposed to be hard…The hard is what makes it great.”
DENYING
The thought of not having a strategy to fulfill a goal is an excellent means to have followers walk away from their leader. These followers do not know what work they should be accomplishing, how they will benefit from whatever work they do, guess what they should do next, believe their leader has a plan, and wonder why their leader cannot communicate the unknown plan being executed. They deny the reality their leader is not leading by believing they are executing a plan they have not been given to follow. This condition is where the credibility loss for the leader occurs and ends their time in leadership.
FACING
If bravery is doing what is necessary when afraid, then strategy work is an act of bravery. I have not known a successful leader either first-hand or by distance who has not been afraid at some point in their leadership work. Afraid is not fear. Afraid is a healthy response to danger. A crucial success factor for the strategist I defined as successful was their not letting fear be a part of their work. False-Evidence-Appearing-Real. Those leaders worked to gain facts by eliminating opinions not supported by facts. If a tree is known by its fruit, then a tree is a good example of work productivity. Be the proverbial tree you were meant to be by putting down roots and taking the time to do the work needed to grow your harvest.
It is probable a person or organization new to strategic planning needs help with their work. I encourage you not to be either fearful or afraid of this need. I recommend you gain the help of a qualified strategist. Review their credentials, interview the credentials they provide to confirm their work, and select a strategist to help you.
What to buy, what to sell, what to change, are the easy parts of a strategy. They are easy because the accomplished research used to define your strategy reveals what to buy, sell, and change. The hard part of the strategy is knowing you know, for certain, what strategy first to form and then to execute. I say it is hard because of False-Evidence-Appearing-Real getting in the way of going about the strategy work. Looking back, you will be amazed at how simple your strategy is once it is defined. It is a matter of setting aside fear with each action you take.
I intentionally did not state the obvious point that many people are involved in any strategy formation shy of a person who lives alone. I set aside those living in solitude for the final point I bring to you for consideration this week. It is probable your analysis paralysis means you have someone, perhaps several people, working on your strategy effort who do not hold the required qualifications to do the collective work you need to accomplish. Does this scare you? It should. It means you are not willing to stay paralyzed. Scared is known by the paralysis it causes in someone who is scared. Meaning, scared is a present tense term. We will talk next week about making people changes to your strategy work. Forget the realities of male versus female, older versus young, and skin color. Look at people from the perspective of the skills they hold to help accomplish their part of your strategy effort. Try to work through the thoughts of what it will take for you as their leader to separate the unproductive people assigned to your strategy work from the work you need to accomplish. There is no need to be fearful.
So, I ask you: where do you want to go? I hope your answer is to develop the plans necessary to accomplish the strategy you know you need to achieve to arrive at your desired destination. If this is the case, then let’s get to work. If not, then I wish you the best of everything.
I hope we will see each other here next week. Email me if you need to talk before then.
Dr. Stephen H. Dawson, DSL
Executive Strategy Consultant
Stephen Dawson is an executive consultant of technology and business strategy, serving significant international organizations by providing leadership consulting, strategic planning, and executive communications. He has more than thirty years of service and consulting experience in delivering successful international business development and program management outcomes in the US and SE Asia. His weekly column, “Where Do You Want To Go?,” appears on Thursdays.
Dr. Dawson has served in the technology, banking, and hospitality industries. He is a noted strategic planning visionary. His pursuit of music has been matched with his efforts to lead by service to followers. He holds the clear understanding a leader without followers is a person taking a long walk alone.
Stephen has lived his life in the eastern United States, visiting most of the United States and several countries. He is a graduate of the Regent University School of Business & Leadership. Contact him at service@shdawson.com.
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.
Important Offer from Bright Water Consulting
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Looking Back to Move Forward
Planning Requires a Learning System
I began 2020 with a great sense of optimism. However, within weeks of my New Year’s post, the world was in lockdown. Was I ever surprised! I did not anticipate the Covid-19 Pandemic. Honestly, we were all surprised. Sure, we knew it was a possibility. The concept had been discussed in the culture, complete with dire warnings mostly ignored.
I had just completed a COO search when the lockdown began. My placement’s start date was March 16. I was sure that my client would rescind their offer. But I was wrong. The new COO became an integral part of their organization, helping them navigate through the challenges created by the pandemic.
Great companies create a learning culture that guides their planning. Share on XMy first blog post of the year is meant to establish a theme for the New Year. It is somewhat different this year. It seems appropriate to put 2021 into greater context, given our experience in 2020. As we begin 2021, we are into the second flair-up of Covid-19, tracking the normal influenza cycle. The residual effects of 2020 will be with us for a while, certainly through 2021. Companies are still looking for a handle on the situation. They have learned much but need more time to adapt and thrive.
My ‘beginning of the year message’ of 2020 was a typical opener, The setup spoke to the importance of planning and goal setting. I wrote that companies are more likely to achieve their objectives, whereas individuals abandon their New Year’s Resolutions within a few short months. I observed that the difference might be due to a lack of systems. Goal attainment requires a system that incorporates learning. Creating virtuous habits is the key to success. That was my thinking at the beginning of 2020.
A chronological review of the topics for my 2020 posts is revealing. In the first quarter, I was writing about making a productive start to the new year. Pre-pandemic thinking. In the second quarter, I was writing about situation awareness. I wanted to understand the effects of the pandemic and assess the needs of our clients. By the third quarter, I was writing about developing strategies to reconnect with customers. The fourth quarter was the setup for 2021. I wrote about the need for a clear positioning statement, supported by a communications program.
My 2020 Blog Themes by Quarter
-
- !st Quarter Planning and Strategy -Typical Start of New Year Message
- 2nd Quarter – Understanding/Responding to the needs of clients – Communications.
- 3rd Quarter – Reconnecting Strategy-Communications
- 4th Quarter – Positioning Strategy-Communications
A catalog of my 2020 articles is listed at the end of this post.
The lockdown made it clear that business models need to adapt to a new paradigm. Many trends already working their way through the economy accelerated. Remote working and internet shopping are obvious examples. Other changes were not expected, especially health protocols surrounding Covid-19 mitigation. There was a noticeable impact on the supply chain due to bottlenecks at the manufacturing/production node. The service sector was hard hit as ‘high touch’ retail concepts collided with social distancing, PPE, and sanitation protocols. Our clients struggled to adapt. My goal was to help them understand, adapt, and reposition themselves for success. This is still my focus. Find a defensible niche, organize around that strategy, and market your brand (communicate) accordingly.
My take-away from 2020 is that most companies are not investing in strategic threat assessments or developing contingency plans. This leads me to believe that their planning systems are not generating information to protect their flanks. Actionable information is the foundation for planning. A robust strategic analysis discipline will validate strengths, mitigate weaknesses, identify opportunities, and surface threats. This approach to planning creates a learning culture. An effective planning system is a learning system. Good companies employ a planning system. Great companies create a learning culture that guides their planning.
A Fresh Approach to Strategy!
Beginning a new year is still exhilarating. Maybe even more so this year. We face a fluid situation as the second phase of the Covid-19 Pandemic takes its toll. And a new Political Administration will soon be in place. We know that further change is coming, but its size and scope is unclear. The challenge is to gain clarity to ensure our continued survival. This requires more experience and solid analysis.
My 2020 articles in reverse chronological order.
Write an Impressive Cover Letter, Dec 28, 2020
Your Bio – Why it’s Important, Dec 19, 2020
Position Yourself for Success, Dec 12, 2020
Is Your Job Search Strategy Working, Nov 21, 2020
The Turning Point, Oct 24, 2020
A Crisis Averted, Sept 29, 2020
When Opportunity Presents (Public Speaking) Aug 15, 2020
Job Search in the “Latest” New Normal – Know Your Options, Aug 1, 2020
Job Search in the Latest “New Normal” – Recruiting and Selection Dynamics. July 25, 2020
Job Search in the Latest New Normal, July 18, 2020
A Compelling Story Is Your Launchpad, July 11, 2020
Job Search – What’s Your Story, May 31, 2020
Things Will Change – New Habits Will Be Created, March 21, 2020
Starbucks Meets WeWork at the Automobile Service Center, March 7, 2020
Identify Toxic Entanglements: Adapt or Disengage, January 20, 2020
Don’t Become Entangled in Their Pathology!, Jan 11, 2020
Do You Plan to Achieve Your New Year’s Resolutions, January 4, 2020
Thank you for visiting our blog.
Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners
I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox. Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.
Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read. Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.