August 23, 2011
Does your Corporate Vision ignite the fire within?
If you want engagement, ignite the fire within – if you want compliance, ignite the fire below.
~ Helena Nyman
In one of my last articles, I mentioned that 90% of organizations fail to successfully execute their strategies. I explained that it’s often not a bad strategy, but simply a lack of an inspiring (shared!) vision and a lack of
buy-in from the teams across the organization.
Let’s take an example of one of my clients – and I’m sad to say – a Fortune 500 Company. I got
called to trouble-shoot this organization that seemed “stuck” in low sales and disengagement. Since my belief is that success starts with an inspiring vision, my first question I addressed across the organization was about the corporate vision.
The result:
63% had no idea about the vision
25% knew that there was a vision, but they would have to check it somewhere in a message
12% knew that there was an x billion dollars amount associated with the vision
I almost choked.
Throughout time, great leaders have always had an inspiring vision that was worthy of
following and the confidence and integrity to get people to follow them. Vision is one of the most important elements to being a champion. Vision keeps us on track. I should even say that it shows us where the track is.
A vision needs to be challenging, and it has to stretch your teams. Further, you have to make your teams a part of the vision. Otherwise, you plan the wedding without the bride (as we say in Switzerland).
When I think about a leader with a challenging vision, I think of President John F. Kennedy. In 1961, he stood before the nation and said, “I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.”
How outrageous was this statement? Our scientist probably wanted to send him to the moon.Did JFK and the scientists have all the answers? Did they have a 100% guarantee for
success? Probably not. But what did it do to our Nation?
veryone started to think about the possibilities and focused their energy on SOLUTIONS.
I even heard the famous story of the janitor at NASA that felt he was a part of the project because he made the workplace for the scientists more comfortable, so that they could work more efficiently.
Where is that American Spirit today? Fear, focus on problems, boredom, disengagement.
Growing up in Switzerland, I was always dreaming about moving to America, because to me,
America was the country without limits. The country where people had the heart to dream big, the country where people had the courage to do what it takes to make things happen…
Today, I live in the United States. I even passed my citizenship test, and I’m proud to be American. I didn’t make all the sacrifices to come to America to give in to fears or excuses. I stand up for what I believe in, and I do whatever it takes to make things happen. I encourage many leaders globally to do the same thing.
Many leaders tell me: “We have to be realistic”. What does “being realistic” really mean? Isn’t it sometimes just another way to say “I don’t want to bother thinking about new things. I feel quite comfortable where I am right now”?
I admit that a challenging vision which will take you out of your comfort zone and requires some courage, but the payoff is quite rewarding; success, inspiration, aspiration and engagement.
Be “gutsy”, be outrageous! If you want to be successful, you can’t blend in – you have to stand out. Be a leader that your teams can look up to and be proud of!
By the way: The team I was talking about at the beginning of this article made 180 turn after only a few sessions, shows now record numbers (in this “bad” economy) and is engaged more than ever before…
August 15, 2011
Managing up
CEOs have to manage up with their Board of Directors, Senior Executives with their CEOs, Junior Executives with their Senior Executives and CEOs, etc…
A bad relationship with a boss (Board of Directors for CEOs) can be a career killer. It can lead to missed opportunities to demonstrate skills, lost promotions, a damaged reputation and
even a forced resignation
To read the full article. please visit the link below:
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs013/1101091009666/archive/1107134571209.html
August 8, 2011
Global Strategic Vision Retreat and Summit
Join our Global Strategic Vision Retreat on September 16th and 17th at the Miami Biltmore!
For more information, visit: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs013/1101091009666/archive/1106920654555.html !
The McKinsey 7S Framework
Ensuring that all parts of your organization work in harmony
© iStockphoto/Silense
How do you go about analyzing how well your organization is positioned to achieve its intended objective? This is a question that has been asked for many years, and there are many different answers. Some approaches look at internal factors, others look at external ones, some combine these perspectives, and others look for congruence between various aspects of the organization being studied.
Ultimately, the issue comes down to which factors to study.
While some models of organizational effectiveness go in and out of fashion, one that has persisted is the McKinsey 7S framework. Developed in the early 1980s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, two consultants working at the McKinsey & Company consulting firm, the basic premise of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful.
The 7S model can be used in a wide variety of situations where an alignment
perspective is useful, for example to help you:
- Improve the performance of a company.
- Examine the likely effects of future changes within a company.
- Align departments and processes during a merger or acquisition.
- Determine how best to implement a proposed strategy.
The McKinsey 7S model can be applied to elements of a team or a project as well. The alignment issues apply, regardless of how you decide to define the scope of the areas you study.
The Seven Elements
The McKinsey 7S model involves seven interdependent factors which are categorized as either “hard” or “soft” elements:
|
Hard Elements |
Soft Elements |
|
Strategy Structure Systems |
Shared Values Skills Style Staff |
“Hard” elements are easier to define or identify and management can directly influence them: These are strategy statements; organization charts and reporting lines; and formal processes and IT systems.
“Soft” elements, on the other hand, can be more difficult to describe, and are less tangible and more influenced by culture. However, these soft elements are as important as the hard elements if the organization is going to be successful.
The way the model is presented in Figure 1 below depicts the interdependency of the elements and indicates how a change in one affects all the others.
Let’s look at each of the elements specifically:
- Strategy: the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition.
- Structure: the way the organization is structured and who reports to whom.
- Systems: the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done.
- Shared Values: called “superordinate goals” when the model was first developed, these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic.
- Style: the style of leadership adopted.
- Staff: the employees and their general capabilities.
- Skills: the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company.
To print a worksheet, click here!
Placing Shared Values in the middle of the model emphasizes that these values are central to the development of all the other critical elements. The company’s
structure, strategy, systems, style, staff and skills all stem from why the organization was originally created, and what it stands for. The original
vision of the company was formed from the values of the creators. As the values change, so do all the other elements.
How to Use the Model
Now you know what the model covers, how can you use it?
The model is based on the theory that, for an organization to perform well, these seven elements need to be aligned and mutually reinforcing. So, the model can be used to help identify what needs to be realigned to improve performance, or to maintain alignment (and performance) during other types of change.
Whatever the type of change – restructuring, new processes, organizational merger, new systems, change of leadership, and so on – the model can be used to understand how the organizational elements are interrelated, and so ensure that the wider impact of changes made in one area is taken into consideration.
You can use the 7S model to help analyze the current situation (Point A), a
proposed future situation (Point B) and to identify gaps and inconsistencies
between them. It’s then a question of adjusting and tuning the elements of the
7S model to ensure that your organization works effectively and well once you
reach the desired endpoint.
Sounds simple? Well, of course not: Changing your organization probably will not be simple at all! Whole books and methodologies are dedicated to analyzing organizational strategy, improving performance and managing change. The 7S model is a good framework to help you ask the right questions – but it won’t give you all the answers. For that you’ll need to bring together the right knowledge, skills and experience.
When it comes to asking the right questions, we’ve developed a checklist and a
matrix to keep track of how the seven elements align with each other.
Supplement these with your own questions, based on your organization’s specific circumstances and accumulated wisdom.
Additional pointers:
1) Black out all the fields that have the coordinates of the same terms: EX.
Shared Values/Shared Values, Strategy/Strategy, etc.
2) Start by taking the 1st coordinate: Shared Values/Strategy
3) Ask yourself all the questions under Shared Values
4) Ask yourself all the questions under Strategy
5) Identify the gap. Is the strategy aligned with the shared values? Do you have strong values? etc…. Do you need to make any changes either in the category ‘shared values’ or in the category ‘strategy’ to align the both with each other?
This system helps you to realize that all the categories are inter-connected. If one is out of line, it affects the other areas as well!
7S Checklist Questions
Here are some of the questions that you’ll need to explore to help you understand your situation in terms of the 7S framework. Use them to analyze your current (Point A) situation first, and then repeat the exercise for your proposed situation (Point B).
Strategy:
- What is our strategy?
- How do we intend to achieve our objectives?
- How do we deal with competitive pressure?
- How are changes in customer demands dealt with?
- How is strategy adjusted for environmental issues?
Structure:
- How is the company/team divided?
- What is the hierarchy?
- How do the various departments coordinate activities?
- How do the team members organize and align themselves?
- Is decision making and controlling centralized or decentralized? Is this as it should be, given what we’re doing?
- Where are the lines of communication? Explicit and implicit?
Systems:
- What are the main systems that run the organization? Consider financial and HR systems as well as communications and document storage.
- Where are the controls and how are they monitored and evaluated?
- What internal rules and processes does the team use to keep on track?
Shared Values:
- What are the core values?
- What is the corporate/team culture?
- How strong are the values?
- What are the fundamental values that the company/team was built on?
Style:
- How participative is the management/leadership style?
- How effective is that leadership?
- Do employees/team members tend to be competitive or cooperative?
- Are there real teams functioning within the organization or are they just nominal groups?
Staff:
- What positions or specializations are represented within the team?
- What positions need to be filled?
- Are there gaps in required competencies?
Skills:
- What are the strongest skills represented within the company/team?
- Are there any skills gaps?
- What is the company/team known for doing well?
- Do the current employees/team members have the ability to do the job?
- How are skills monitored and assessed?
7S Matrix Questions
Using the information you have gathered, now examine where there are gaps and inconsistencies between elements. Remember you can use this to look at either your current or your desired organization.
- Start with your Shared Values: Are they consistent with your structure, strategy, and systems? If not, what needs to change?
- Then look at the hard elements. How well does each one support the others? Identify where changes need to be made.
- Next look at the other soft elements. Do they support the desired hard elements? Do they support one another? If not, what needs to change?
- As you adjust and align the elements, you’ll need to use an iterative (and often time consuming) process of making adjustments, and then re-analyzing how that impacts other elements and their alignment. The end result of better performance will be worth it.
Key Points:
The McKinsey 7Ss model is one that can be applied to almost any organizational or team effectiveness issue. If something within your organization or team isn’t working, chances are there is inconsistency between some of the elements identified by this classic model. Once these inconsistencies are revealed, you can work to align the internal elements to make sure they are all contributing to the shared goals and values.
The process of analyzing where you are right now in terms of these elements is
worthwhile in and of itself. But by taking this analysis to the next level and
determining the ultimate state for each of the factors, you can really move
your organization or team forward.
March 28, 2011
How to soar during difficult times
How to soar during difficult times
Part 1 of 5
Over the past few years, the economy has hit many industries. Businesses closed their doors or downsized, employees lost their jobs, and many families lost their homes and belongings. Fear started to sneak in. Not only people who lost everything, or who were at the edge of losing everything, but also the ones who still had their job security, struggled with this fear.
“Fear leads people to focus on the issues instead of the desired outcome. This creates the environment of ‘playing not to lose’ instead of ‘playing to win’. Employees in this situation tend to disengage which drives a company into “paralysis”", says Success Coach Helena Nyman.
Once an organization takes its course, it is a difficult and long undertaken to turn it around.
On the other hand, you have organizations that soar during this difficult economy. If you go back to the 1930s, you see that history repeats itself again. During the 1930s, there were companies that not only survived the crisis, but separated themselves from the sinking ship and became some of the nation’s leading companies.
Let’s take a closer look at what happens when fear sets in and employees start to disengage.
Engaged employees are clearly more valuable to your company than disenchanted ones. Great managers and leaders know this instinctively, and The Gallup Organization’s latest research into employee engagement levels among the U.S. workforce confirms it. In fact, according to Gallup’s calculations, actively disengaged employees — the least productive — cost the American economy up to $350 billion per year in lost productivity.
~ The Gallup Organization
One of Gallup’s researches (based on about 3 Million people’s responses) suggested as well that only 29% of the U.S. workforce is actively engaged, 55% is not engaged, and 16% is actively disengaged. To put it another way, for every two employees walking the halls of your organization, there is a cave dweller impeding the good work done by the engaged employees.
If 55% of all U.S. workers are not engaged, and 16% are actively disengaged, then 71% of the Americans who go to work every day aren’t engaged in their role. That means that American businesses are operating at less than one third of their capacities. What if only one third of a manufacturing company’s machines operated at capacity every day? What a loss of opportunities!
The good news are that there is still an opportunity for growth – even during this tough economy – if you can move your employees from the “not engaged” to the “engaged” category.
To learn more about how to turn your company around, create opportunities and lead your employees to high performance, stay tuned for Part 2 of ‘How to soar during difficult times’.
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January 12, 2011
Executive Coaching
According to the Hay Group, between 25 percent and 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies use executive coaches.
January 11, 2011
5 ways to lead successfully during Change
All the economic changes are driving companies to make adjustments. Companies are reacting with changes in their workforce, service offerings and compensation…and employees are feeling the effects.
Don’t get me wrong, change can certainly be a good thing. Sometimes, it’s truly needed.
However, change isn’t always easy for people to digest. They tend to have an immediate and sometimes physical reaction to any announcement of change.
The best companies will always adjust…and so change will be part of the equation.
Leaders should be more aware of the impact that change has on their teams, and they should be ready to support people through the process. Because the basic human need of feeling secure and valued is innate in all of us, leaders should be prepared to help nurture these emotions as change is occurring.
Be proactive as a leader to help ensure a smooth transition for your employees.
Here are 5 of the most important points to consider when you need to drive your team through changes:
Communicate the change effectively
This is critical to the success of any change. A clear expectation must be set with as many details as can be provided (and then followed-through on!) Leaders should be transparent…but that doesn’t mean they should disclose every single detail. It means they should be authentic and honest, while they share as much as they can at the right times.
Involve your team in change
“Change is a threat when done to me, but an opportunity when done by me.”
~ Rosabeth Moss Kanter
People want to play a part on what’s happening to their future. Engage their expertise to guide the change and they will reward you by being more energized by it.
Side note: Not involving your team in a new strategy can make you a part of the statistic that 90% of companies fail to execute their strategy
Remain consistent in your core values
While processes, procedures and services may be changing, your people need to see the stability of your core values. This will help them to remain confident in what’s happening, even if all the questions can’t be answered.
Share the vision and hope for the change
This is what I often refer to as the “power of why.” Most people are fairly purpose-driven. They want affect change and have an impact, so it’s important to share the value and benefit of the change, as well as to help each person understand their role in that bigger picture.
Be an obstacle-remover
In times of change, more than ever, a leader must provide the right tools for success and remove obstacles that are impeding progress. Leaders should encourage open communication and innovation. They should also allow for graceful failures. This is where great leadership will come through, as the true “rallying” of the team is what facilitate a smooth transition through change.
Many organizations invest a lot of money in creating a strategy, but they don’t provide their teams with the necessary tools to execute. Don’t become a casualty of this mistake!
What’s been your leadership experience in the midst of change?
Are you a great leader who has some additional ideas to share?
Or have you been led by someone who inspired everyone through a difficult transition?
Please share your expertise and experience with my readers. Thank you!
January 2, 2011
The Profile of a Creative Person
The Profile of a Creative Person
The creative person realizes that his mind is an inexhaustible storehouse. It can provide anything he earnestly wants in life. But in order to draw from this storehouse, he must constantly augment its stock of information, thoughts, and wisdom. He reaches out for ideas. He respects the mind of others — gives credit to their mental abilities. Everyone has ideas — they’re free—and many of them are excellent. By first listening to ideas and then thinking them through before judging them, the creative person avoids prejudice and close-mindedness. This is the way he maintains a creative “climate” around himself. They “reach for ideas.”
~ Earl Nightingale
November 29, 2010
EQ – The other 80% of Success!
Emotional Intelligence, or EI, describes an ability or capacity to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of one’s self, and of others. Our EQ, or Emotional Quotient, is how one measures Emotional Intelligence. Emotions have the potential to get in the way of our most important business and personal relationships.
Is EQ and EI Important to Leadership Development and Performance?
Research tracking thousands of high performing individuals in a variety of industries and job levels revealed that emotional intelligence was four (4) times more important in contributing to excellence than intellect and expertise alone! (IQ = 20% – EQ = 80%)
Leaders in different business areas received training in emotional intelligence competencies to help raise their EI skills in areas such as how to listen better and help employees resolve problems on their own, how to empower and inspire others, and how to become more effective personal leaders.
- formal grievances were reduced from an average of 15 per year to 3 per year
- production increased 17 percent.
Can Profitability be Attributed to Emotional intelligence?
Not only does emotional intelligence greatly contribute to job performance and leadership skills, it has also been found to increase profits. The following chart shows the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) competencies with a high enough emotional quotient (EQ) to positively affect performance (based on 360 data), and the amount of profit generated at a multinational services firm per year per partner.
As the chart shows, self-regulation appears to have the greatest impact on profit generation.
Can you Increase your Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Quotient?
Most Definitely Yes!
As one of the leading authorities on the impact of emotions on leadership and performance, my expertise is sought by Top Companies, Professional and Olympic Athletes.
How high would you rate X’s ability to recognize X’s own emotions and their effects? How high is X’s ability to recognize how X reacts to cues in the environment and how X’s emotions affect X’s performance?
2) Accurate Self Assessment
X knows X’s inner resources, abilities, and limits. How well is X aware of X’s strengths and limitations? (It is based on the desire to receive feedback and new perspectives about oneself, and to be motivated by continuous learning and self-development. It implies having the ability to target areas for personal change)
3) Self Confidence
This is X’s belief in X’s capability to accomplish a task. This competency is acknowledging that X is the best for the job. It is also about conveying X’s ideas and opinions in an assured manner and having a positive impact on others.
Self Management
4) Self Control
This is X’s ability to keep X’s impulsive feelings and emotions under control. It is being able to restrain negative actions when provoked, when faced with opposition or hostility from others, or when working under pressure.
5) Trustworthiness
X is taking action that is consistent with what X says and values. X communicates intentions, ideas, and feelings openly and directly, and X is welcoming openness and honesty in others. X shows integrity and takes responsibility for X’s own behavior and performance. X builds trust through reliability and authenticity.
6) Conscientiousness
X takes responsibility for X’s personal performance. X has an underlying drive for being reliable and for delivering quality work. X works in a careful and organized manner, paying attention to details, following through on commitments and promises, and building trust through reliability.
7) Adaptability
X has ability to be flexible and work effectively within a variety of changing situations and with various individuals and groups. X has this competency and is willing to change X’s own ideas or perceptions on the basis of new information or evidence. X is able to alter standard procedures when necessary, and juggle multiple demands as required.
8) Optimism
X has the competency to see the world as a glass that is “half-full” rather than “half-empty. X has the ability to see good in others and in the situation at hand. X sees challenges merely as opportunities that can be acted upon and taken advantage of to achieve optimal outcomes.
9) Achievement Orientation
X shows a concern for working toward a standard of excellence. This standard may be a personal need to improve X’s performance over past accomplishments, to outperform others, or even to surpass the greatest accomplishment ever achieved.
10) Initiative
X has the ability to identify a problem, obstacle, or opportunity and take action on it. X is consistently striving to do better, to experience new challenges and opportunities, and to be held accountable for X’s actions and ideas.
Social Awareness
11) Empathy
X understands other people. X has the ability to hear and understand accurately unspoken or partly expressed thoughts, feelings, and concerns of others. X is able to constantly pick up emotional cues. X can appreciate not only what people are saying, but also why they are saying it. X possesses a measure of cross-cultural sensitivity.
12) Organizational Awareness
X understands the “power” relationship in X’s own group or organization. This includes the ability to identify the real decision makers and who can influence them. X recognizes the values and the culture of X’s organization, and how those affect the way people act and behave.
13) Service Orientation
X is driven by the desire to help or serve others in order to meet their needs. X focuses X’s efforts on others. X is not just reacting to the requests of others; X is proactive in knowing what others’ needs are before they are articulated.
Social Skills
14) Developing others
X has the ability to foster the long-term learning or development of others. X’s focus is on the developmental intent and effect rather than on the formal role of teaching or training. X spends time helping people find their own way to excellence through specific feedback on current performance.
15) Leadership
X has the ability to take on the role as leader of a team or group. X has a desire to lead others. (Leadership is generally, but certainly not always, shown from a position of formal authority.) X works to bring people together to get the job done. X is able to build a strong sense of belonging within the group, leading others to feel they are part of something larger than themselves.
16) Influence
X has the ability to persuade, convince, or impact others in order to get them to go along with or support X’s agenda. X is able to grab someone’s attention. X knows how to make others stand up and listen.
17) Communication
X sends clear and convincing messages to an audience in an open and effective way. X makes X has an engaging style and is open to dialogue with the audience.
18) Change Catalyst
X has the ability to alert, energize, and lead groups to bring about specific changes in the way things are done. X recognizes the need for change and taking ownership of change initiatives in order to move the group or department forward.
19) Conflict Management
X has the ability to handle difficult individuals, groups of people, or tense situations with diplomacy and tact. This involves coming face-to-face with the conflict rather than trying to avoid it. X focuses on the issues rather than the people and is working to de-escalate the bad feelings.
20) Building Bonds
X works to build or maintain friendly, reciprocal, and warm relationships or networks of contacts with people (Building Bonds means developing and maintaining good relationships with a variety of people).
21) Teamwork Collaboration
X works cooperatively with others – being part of a team. X is working together as opposed to working separately or competitively. X is enjoying shared responsibility and rewards for accomplishments. X actively participates and enjoys building the capability of the team.
Executive Center of Excellence, Helena Nyman, CEO
Master Certified Success/Executive Coach Trainer
