Business Mastery

The Five Styles of High Performing Companies

Paul — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:41:29 +0000

by Paul Childs
Leadership is always dynamic not static. The ability to adapt not adopt is the key to thriving in a difficult economy.

SUMMARY : There are five key styles or structures that are contained in all high performing companies. In this economy companies have far less margin for error. As a result they need to be aware that all five of these styles must be present and brought out by the leaders during critical decision making and effective execution. Leaders who are self aware understand that these five energies are always in a state of flux and is never an issue of resources. Its an issue of understanding the environment and how co-creation takes place.

TAKEWAY: Powerful leaders understand the relationship between people and their environments. They know that different styles interpret reality in different ways, but they are masters at harnessing the nature of reality co-created in a learning environment.

The PIP Process REV

Paul — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:51:13 +0000

The key to the Inquiry process is to discover the key issues that reside in the organization and then to recognize the patterns and beliefs that underlie these issues. A powerful tool that can be used to discover the core issues is something called PIP, or Performance Improvement Points. The PIP process is nothing more than a way to get to the core issues that underlie the key problems in an organization so they can be solved.

How Centered Leaders Acheive Extraordinary Results

Paul — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:51:31 +0000

Consider that:

About 10% of Americans are taking some form of antidepressant .

In an average year some 30 million Americans drive drunk

14% of the population suffers from chronic insomnia.

15% to 18% of people have had a sexual partner other than their spouse while married.
Only humans could routinely overlook human beings as an important part of the mix in the discussion about business. It should come as no surprise. These issues a) aren’t as academically fascinating to us as corporate ethics and finance, b) are messy, and c) often hit too close to home. It’s no wonder they get pushed aside.

Harvard Business Review 2011 • Dan Pallota

Leadership Begins at Home

Paul — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 08:36:22 +0000

Posted on Harvard Business Review: November 23, 2010
One of the greatest gifts you can give your kids is help in foregoing immediate gratification, by setting boundaries for them and by modeling the behavior yourself. That’s also one of the greatest gifts you can give to those you lead or manage.

The Unproductive Narcissist

Paul — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:32:13 +0000

Narcissism Defined

Historically, the term “narcissism” comes from the Greek myth of Narcissus. In one of the more common versions of this myth, Narcissus is a physically attractive young man, who, upon seeing his own reflection in a pond, is so taken with himself that he withers away while staring at his own reflection in the water.

Deploying Successful Initiatives

manoj dhanotiya — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:31:08 +0000

PURPOSE

The purpose of deployment is to implement the initiatives in the workplace while continuing to look for the exploitation of unforeseen opportunities. It is to break the barriers that impeded progress and initiate change. It is to deploy the problem solving teams that are cross functional, systemic and collaborative in its approach.

The Design of Successful Initiatives

manoj dhanotiya — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:28:58 +0000

Where the goal of inquiry was to dig deep into the root causes of the problem and discover the underlying Performance Improvement Points (PIPS), the purpose of the design stage is to prioritize those PIPS and then decide where one will get the maximum leverage.

It is the design stage which will allow the ALT to create a true framework for change. Design is more than just a plan of how to get from here to there, it is a way to create and innovative blueprint for the solving of the PIPS discovered during inquiry.

When is an Action Learning Team Appropriate

Paul — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:33:19 +0000

An ALT can be very effective when addressing key organizational issues under the right circumstances. Several considerations should be weighed when deciding whether an organizational issue lends itself to an action learning approach or not.

Action Learning in the Army

Paul — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:52:56 +0000

Probably the least likely organization in which we would expect to find vigorous Action Learning Teams is the United States Army. The Army, like most military institutions, has the reputation of being conservative, hierarchical, and bound by centuries of tradition. Yet, some of the most impressive recent cultural and operational changes have come from the uniformed ranks.

Creating Integration

Paul — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 07:19:49 +0000

PURPOSE OF INTEGRATION
Change often takes a long time to become part of the organization’s DNA, especially in large companies. A number of forces can stop the progress of a change effort before it hits the finish line: turnover of key change agents, distraction of the leadership to other priorities, exhaustion. Short term wins are key in keeping the momentum going but the challenge is to not lose the urgency too early. The forces of tradition can take hold in amazing force and speed.