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<title>THINK Leadership Ideas</title><link>http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/index.php</link><description>New from THINK Leadership Ideas</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2008 Tom Stevens</dc:rights><dc:date>2012-07-20T06:49:36-04:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:01:59 -0400</lastBuildDate><itunes:author>Tom Stevens</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Think Leadership Ideas</itunes:name><itunes:email>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:category text="Business"/><itunes:keywords>business, leadership, management, coaching, Stevens</itunes:keywords><itunes:subtitle>7 Ideas Coach</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary>You are already successful&#x2c; but couldn&#x2019;t you use a quick boost of leadership inspiration and ideas? 7 Ideas Coach is designed especially for busy executives&#x2c; business owners&#x2c; and knowledge professionals who seek create and sustain exceptional organizations. Speaker&#x2c; executive coach&#x2c; and mayor Tom Stevens packs each 7-minute &#x201c;coachcast&#x201d; with practical advice and unconventional leadership wisdom. Visit www.ThinkLeadershipIdeas.com for articles and bonus material. </itunes:summary><itunes:image href="http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/podcast_channel.png" /><item><title>Big Planning Retreat Errors  #3</title><dc:creator>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</dc:creator><category>Leadership Articles</category><dc:date>2012-07-20T06:49:36-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/retreaterrors3.php#unique-entry-id-166</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/retreaterrors3.php#unique-entry-id-166</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[the reason retreats underperform is not what you think&hellip;.


As soon as planning for a retreat begins, smart leaders can start avoiding three big and all-to-common mistakes.


I&rsquo;m not talking about having a long meeting but never crafting a plan, or making a plan but not specifying a time-frame or accountability in their action steps to accomplish objectives.   Most enterprises organized enough to have a retreat at all get these basics.


Actually, getting the basics right can be a problem.   The errors I see organizations perpetuate - again and again - often go unseen because the organization has the basics right and never look beyond them.   And this can keep an organization - whether business, public agency, or non-profit - mired in mediocrity.   Don't let these errors creep into your leadership or board retreat!


...Internal Goals, but NO CUSTOMER OUTCOMES


What the error looks like&hellip;.

The retreat results in a well-crafted and thoughtful plan that nicely outlines what people in the organization will do, how they will do it, and how the quality of what people do will be measured.


What&rsquo;s so wrong with that? 

...What happens from what you do.


And it is astonishing how much this is ignored by so many organizations.   They set goals, but all the goals are about what they will do - without taking time to contemplate their organization from the customer&rsquo;s perspective.   They focus too much on transactions and organizational outcomes, and too little on customer outcomes.


Businesses excel at making money when their customers experience a distinctive value from that business.   Nonprofits and public entities excel at their missions when their &lsquo;customers&rsquo; experience distinctive outcomes.   In short, customer outcomes should be the driver of operational objectives.


Exceptional organizations discern the distinctive value they create for customers, and then focus what people do and how they do it to deliver that value.   They measure customer outcomes as well as the quality of organizational inputs.


In exceptional organizations, everything revolves around creating customer outcomes.   It is clarity about customer outcomes that most informs meaningful direction and strategy.


How to avoid the error...

Early in your agenda include discussion, clarification, and articulation of outcomes from your customer&rsquo;s (client, constituent, community) point of view - and then work action planning focused on producing those outcomes.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Big Planning Retreat Errors  #2</title><dc:creator>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</dc:creator><category>Leadership Articles</category><dc:date>2012-07-18T10:01:41-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/retreaterrors2.php#unique-entry-id-165</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/retreaterrors2.php#unique-entry-id-165</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[the reason retreats underperform is not what you think&hellip;.


As soon as planning for a retreat begins, smart leaders can start avoiding three big and all-to-common mistakes.


I&rsquo;m not talking about having a long meeting but never crafting a plan, or making a plan but not specifying a time-frame or accountability in their action steps to accomplish objectives.   Most enterprises organized enough to have a retreat at all get these basics.


Actually, getting the basics right can be a problem.   The errors I see organizations perpetuate - again and again - often go unseen because the organization has the basics right and never look beyond them.   And this can keep an organization - whether business, public agency, or non-profit - mired in mediocrity.   Don't let these errors creep into your leadership or board retreat!


...Action List, but NO STRATEGY


...The retreat consists entirely of listing problems or issues - maybe even putting them in priority order - then one by one discussing particular solutions.   The group then creates an action plan to implement each solutions.


...Action items are handled independent of each other, without attention to how they are interdependent or how they work in combination to produce results. 


Checklists are an awesome tool, but do not a strategy make. ...  Strategy is not about listing the work to be done, rather it&rsquo;s about the &lsquo;game plan&rsquo; for winning, about how the organization will make choices among options.   Strategy is the set of activities that, in combination, outline the distinctive way the organization will achieve goals.   Strategy clarifies what to do&hellip;..and what NOT to do.


...	&bull;	McDonald's meticulous production-line processes for procurement and food preparation combine to provide an inexpensive meal that is dependably consistent - worldwide;

	&bull;	Southwest Airlines&rsquo; fleet of only one kind of airplane, engagement of employees and customers alike to master quick plane turnaround, and point to point scheduling, combine to provide a distinctive low-cost transportation alternative;

	&bull;	Habitat for Humanity&rsquo;s use of volunteer labor, plus sweat equity and zero or low cost financing for home recipients, combine to generate enormous community support while advancing their mission to move low-wealth people into home ownership.


In my experience, organizations that work from a &lsquo;to-do&rsquo; list without a strategy look and act &ldquo;generic&rdquo; for their industry.   Often well-intentioned leaders erroneously think that big success is just around the corner if only they worked just a little harder, if they just did everything on their list, or if they can get the attention of the right people - when what is really needed is a clearer strategy. 


How to avoid the error...


Include in your agenda strategic thinking about the distinctive way the organization could conduct its operations, and how the various activities of the organization link together. 


...Tom Stevens helps leaders create and sustain exceptional organizations. 

...This article may be freely reprinted in your company, association, or publication (or website) under the following terms: that the author attribution, copyright notice, contact information, and this reprint notice be included; and that you inform us that you are using the article (samples appreciated).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Big Planning Retreat Errors  #1</title><dc:creator>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</dc:creator><category>Leadership Articles</category><dc:date>2012-07-16T11:09:50-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/retreaterrors1.php#unique-entry-id-164</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/retreaterrors1.php#unique-entry-id-164</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[the reason retreats underperform is not what you think&hellip;.


As soon as planning for a retreat begins, smart leaders can start avoiding three big and all-to-common mistakes.


I&rsquo;m not talking about having a long meeting but never crafting a plan, or making a plan but not specifying a time-frame or accountability in their action steps to accomplish objectives.   Most enterprises organized enough to have a retreat at all get these basics.


Actually, getting the basics right can be a problem.   The errors I see organizations perpetuate - again and again - often go unseen because the organization has the basics right and never look beyond them.   And this can keep an organization - whether business, public agency, or non-profit - mired in mediocrity.   Don't let these errors creep into your leadership or board retreat!


...Lots of Effort, but NO DIRECTION


...The retreat consists entirely of listing problems or issues - maybe even putting them in priority order - then one by one discussing particular solutions.   The group then creates an action plan to implement each solutions.


What&rsquo;s so wrong with that?


Of course it's valuable and essential to excel at problem solving - the error is thinking that problem-solving is all there is.


Success is more than the absence of problems. ...  We do not gain optimal health simply by treating illness, just as we do not acquire prosperity simply by cutting costs, nor do we assure quality products simply by reducing manufacturing defects.


Success comes from discerning a desired state - health, prosperity, quality - and then taking action to make it happen.   Actions include proactive steps that move us closer to goals - a direction - not just actions to remove obstacles in the way.


Direction is discerned through possibility thinking!


Possibility thinking is elicited by questions such as &ldquo;what are we building;&rdquo; &ldquo;what is going well and how do we get more of it;&rdquo; &ldquo;what is our vision;&rdquo; &ldquo;what are our dreams and how will they be fulfilled?&rdquo;   Questions whose answers speak to the highest and best use of your assets and talent.


Possibility thinking is too often omitted, because people are too caught up in problems or problem-solving is the only way people feel valuable - or worse, because direction is assumed and not articulated.


How to avoid the error...


Include in your agenda possibility thinking about big picture goals and strengthening what the organization is already doing well - not just problem-solving.


...Tom Stevens helps leaders create and sustain exceptional organizations. 

...This article may be freely reprinted in your company, association, or publication (or website) under the following terms: that the author attribution, copyright notice, contact information, and this reprint notice be included; and that you inform us that you are using the article (samples appreciated).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Reframing Emotions in the Workplace</title><dc:creator>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</dc:creator><category>Leadership Articles</category><dc:date>2012-06-27T10:19:50-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/ReframingEmotions.php#unique-entry-id-163</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/ReframingEmotions.php#unique-entry-id-163</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Imagine you and a colleague hop in a car, pull out of the parking lot, and head for the interstate highway.   As you approach the on-ramp, your colleague reminds you that at high speeds your car can careen out-of-control - and to prevent this you should turn your car off.


...Anyone who has spent a few years in the world of work has heard someone warned to &ldquo;leave your emotions at the door&rdquo; or otherwise advised to &ldquo;turn off&rdquo; emotions &ndash; they don&rsquo;t belong at the office.


Turning your emotions off because they get in the way of work is as misplaced an idea as turning off your car because it has the potential of speeding out of control. 


...Positive emotions and climate have been linked to employee retention, increased revenue, better critical thinking, and better decision-making. ...  If the answer is &lsquo;your people using their brains&rsquo; - then don&rsquo;t you want and need them at their best?


Neuroscience tells us we cannot &lsquo;turn off&rsquo; emotions even if we wanted to &ndash; at least, not without shutting off effective brain functioning.   Our brains are hard-wired so that processes for rational thinking, social interaction, emotional responsiveness, and physical regulation are intertwined in ways that mutually impact each other.   Hour by hour, minute by minute, your brain&rsquo;s emotional processes impact your thinking and behavior - most of the time helping you navigate the world successfully.


Simply put, emotions CAN&rsquo;T be turned off - but they CAN be modulated and directed to constructive purposes.   Rather than trying to get people to &lsquo;turn off&rsquo; emotions, the best leaders model, encourage and develop people to use emotions appropriately, wisely, and intelligently.   Indeed, this is the basis for the notion of emotional intelligence (or EQ), the competency of understanding and using emotions in everyday life. 


Emotional intelligence is not about baring one&rsquo;s soul or being &ldquo;touchy-feely&rdquo; &ndash; it&rsquo;s about making full use of your brain, experience, and talent.


...Likewise, you won&rsquo;t get far pitching your innovative idea to the management team, much less selling a product to a customer, without emotional engagement to accompany sound reasoning.   On reflection, it&rsquo;s easy to see this role for emotions in the workplace - especially in knowledge based, high value endeavors.


What is surprising to many people, however, is that emotions are biologically linked to critical thinking &ndash; i.e., to the use of the intellect, rationality, and logical analysis.   While conventional wisdom says emotions get in the way of analytical thinking, modern neuroscience embraces the idea that emotions are essential for supporting intellectual performance. ...  A study at Cornell University showed that a good mood increased both the speed and accuracy of radiologists making a diagnosis. 


How smart we can perform at any given moment is significantly influenced by emotions, simply because that&rsquo;s the way the brain is wired.   Yes, emotions can lead us astray, but much of the time they help us respond to the world more quickly, accurately, and successfully.


Where the value that people add to organizations comes from brainpower, it behooves leaders to create conditions that enhance people using their brains to the fullest.   Leadership that integrates emotional intelligence into the workings and culture of an organization, all else being equal, will have far more brainpower to draw upon &ndash; critical thinking brainpower that can be a tremendous competitive advantage.   Leaders who cultivate their own emotional awareness and skill are in the best position to cultivate similar qualities in their organizations.


...For leaders of knowledge-based organizations, the question is not if emotions are engaged, but how.


...This article may be freely reprinted in your company, association, or publication (or website) under the following terms: that the author attribution, copyright notice, contact information, and this reprint notice be included; and that you inform us that you are using the article (samples appreciated).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Get On the Same Page with a Strat-Map</title><dc:creator>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</dc:creator><category>Leadership Articles</category><dc:date>2012-04-08T13:33:41-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/StratMapgotsp.php#unique-entry-id-162</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/StratMapgotsp.php#unique-entry-id-162</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the way that a master chef&rsquo;s recipe describes the essentials for creating a distinctive dish, a Strategy Map describes the essentials for creating a distinctive organization. 


When a master chef creates a signature dish, each ingredient and each preparation step contribute to the final result.   What makes the dish distinctive is the unique combination of ingredients and preparation.   In the right combination, commonplace ingredients and steps can yield a magnificent and distinctive food experience.


The main ingredients of a strategy map are an organization&rsquo;s strategic objectives, coherently organized into a one-page diagram.   Like like an extraordinary recipe, even commonplace organizational objectives in the right combination can yield an exceptional and distinctive organization. 


Strategy Maps - or as I call them, strat-maps - evolved from the Balanced Scorecard model developed in the 1990s by Robert Kaplan and David Norton of the Harvard Business School.   Strategy maps are widely used in business, non-profit, and public organizations, large and small.   Strat-maps are a brilliant tool for organizations where &ldquo;intangible&rdquo; qualities - e.g. specialized knowledge, leadership, or company culture - are instrumental to an organization&rsquo;s identity and success. 


The creation of a strat-map requires an organization to identify essential strategic objectives in each of four perspectives - financial, operational, customer, and intangible know-how - then link how they relate to each other in a one-page map.   The perspectives are universal, although how they are organized to link strategic objectives is different for businesses than it is for non-profits and public entities. 


When engaged in strategic planning, organizations often focus too much on what actions they are doing, and too little on what results are being achieved - especially how results are experienced by customers.   Regardless of whether the organization is a business, non-profit, or public entity, the key to getting a strat-map right is clarity about what customer experience the organization desires to create. (see related article, Ask This Question) 


...Ultimately, all strategic objectives should contribute to creating a distinct result that is valuable to customers.   For non-profits and public entities - even when there is a clear &ldquo;mission&rdquo; - it&rsquo;s not uncommon to go through a process of clarifying who their customer (constituent, consumer, community, client) is before they can specifically identify customer oriented results. 


Strategy guru Michael Porter notes that strategy is about choosing a particular &ldquo;set of activities&rdquo; to deliver a &ldquo;unique mix of value.&rdquo;   Too often the outcome of strategic planning retreats is a list of actions that have no apparent connection to each other.   Strategy is more than a list of to-do items.   A strat-map can help everyone in your organization see how various actions &ldquo;link&rsquo;&rdquo; to create a unique mix of value to customers - in short, a real strategy.


A one page strat-map that captures the essence of a company, in the hands of talented leaders, becomes an exceptional tool to foster clear and focused effort - and thereby create and sustain an exceptional organization.


...Tom Stevens helps leaders create and sustain exceptional organizations. 

...This article may be freely reprinted in your company, association, or publication (or website) under the following terms: that the author attribution, copyright notice, contact information, and this reprint notice be included; and that you inform us that you are using the article (samples appreciated).


...Get this article immediately when you subscribe...get articles now


Create a Strategy Map for Your Organization - how Think Leadership Ideas can help


Get on the Same Page with a Strat-Map - 7 Ideas Coach podcast
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Ask This One Question...</title><dc:creator>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</dc:creator><category>Leadership Articles</category><dc:date>2012-03-28T08:06:51-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/AskThisOneQuestion-Experience.php#unique-entry-id-161</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/AskThisOneQuestion-Experience.php#unique-entry-id-161</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Your Answer Informs How To Align the 5 Key Priorities of Leading an Organization


If you want to create and sustain an exceptional organization, one that stands out from the rest, the most important question you can ask is &ldquo;What is the experience we create?&rdquo; 


In a previous article I outlined the 5 key priorities for leading an organization - direction, performance, innovation, structure, and culture.   The key to aligning these priorities is to ensure they all are focused on creating a specific customer experience. 


...Technology, globalization, and a relentless 24/7 pace have pushed productivity, lowered prices, and turned many products and services into commodities.   These same factors have also stimulated an increased desire to find expressions of individuality and meaning.   Much of the world has moved into a post-service economy where value is created by knowledge and creating experiences.   In today&rsquo;s marketplace, you need right-priced quality products and services along with great customer service just to be in the game.   The businesses that win our attention are those that meet our higher-level needs &ndash; personal attention, belonging, identification, meaning, and image. 


Melinda Davis, in her thought-provoking book The New Culture of Desire makes a case that seeking &lsquo;bliss&rsquo; will be the new driver for consumer buying decisions.   Increasingly in today&rsquo;s marketplace, people seek experiences, not simply products or services. 

...An &ldquo;experience&rdquo; can be defined as the sum of interactions that people have with your business combined to form a coherent and meaningful whole in the mind of the customer.   Case example: Starbucks makes excellent coffee, with friendly and expedient service &ndash; but where the company really cashed in was in marketing the experience of a daily dose of luxury accessible to the common soul. ...  As Starbucks grew into a powerful national brand, independent shops everywhere sought success by contrasting themselves as the authentic local coffee shop.   In this writer&rsquo;s local environment, Cup-A-Joe, Weaver Street Market and Caffe Driade have become fabulous coffee spots where people gather.   Meanwhile Starbucks continues to sustain its brand via focus on customer experience, a few years ago through an emphasis on music, and more recently through a concentrated effort of engaging customers both within stores and via one of the most extensive social media communities on the planet.   The lesson here is that for both national and local businesses, attention to the customer experience plays a role in establishing value far beyond simple price, quality, or service considerations.


Customer experience is relevant to organizations from all sectors - business, public and non-profit.   Much of the success of Habitat for Humanity can be attributed to their strategy of creating a hands-on experience of building a home - an experience shared by the recipient home owners, individual volunteers, and corporate donors alike.


...It requires meaningfully connecting multi-faceted associations that customers make with your industry, product, or service to important aspects of customers&rsquo; emotions, thoughts, and values.   Important: answer the question from the customer&rsquo;s point of view, otherwise your thinking won&rsquo;t go beyond simply listing what your organization does for customer service and quality.


Organizations that are intentional in how they create customer experiences are relentless in shaping their behaviors, communications, marketing materials, and surroundings in order to evoke a personal experience in the mind of the customer.   Leadership lesson - if you simply think of what you offer your customers as a mix of price, quality, or service, you probably are missing out on real success.   When you are intentional about delivering your products and services packaged in a creative and coherent experience, you give yourself a powerful edge to maximize the value you offer &ndash; and therefore the value that comes back to you.


...This article may be freely reprinted in your company, association, or publication (or website) under the following terms: that the author attribution, copyright notice, contact information, and this reprint notice be included; and that you inform us that you are using the article (samples appreciated).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Leadership and the 8th Muda</title><dc:creator>tom@thinkleadershipideas.com</dc:creator><category>Leadership Articles</category><dc:date>2012-07-27T16:45:51-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/8th%20Muda.php#unique-entry-id-8</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.thinkleadershipideas.com/leadershipideasblog/files/8th%20Muda.php#unique-entry-id-8</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As pioneered by Toyota and adopted worldwide as LEAN processing, top businesses strive to eliminate muda - any waste that does not add value for the final customer. 


Seven mudas are traditionally recognized: overproduction, waiting, unnecessary transport, over-processing, excess inventory, unnecessary movement, and defects. ...  Liker, in his excellent book The Toyota Way, adds an eighth muda &ndash; unused employee creativity.


Liker describes the eighth muda as the waste of &ldquo;losing time, ideas, skills, improvements, and learning opportunities by not engaging or listening to your employees.&rdquo; 


Too many organizations suffer from CEOs, owners, and executives that inflate the eighth muda, rather than contribute to its elimination.


In the two weeks before writing this article I was told handful of stories - unsolicited - about clueless bosses who seem eager to be eighth muda poster icons. 

...	&bull;	Arrogant statements of who is in charge &ndash; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s my way or the highway,&rdquo; or &ldquo;In this company, I am god.&rdquo;


	&bull;	Ignoring and refusing to discuss looming challenges that keep partners, directors, and other lesser executives awake at night.


	&bull;	Refusing to let other executives to speak on the company&rsquo;s behalf, even if they are more polished presenters - but also can&rsquo;t seem to find time to improve their own basic presentation skills.


	&bull;	Discounting human concerns, while fixating on a company goal &ndash; &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t care about anything except making this quarter&rsquo;s numbers.&rdquo;


In all fairness, these executives could accurately be described as passionately enthusiastic about their company or idea, incredibly smart, and enormously talented individuals.   They possess inspiring visions, and have an enviable track record of achievement.   What is often outside of their awareness is the deep erosion, if not outright destruction, of relationships that could sustain and amplify their success.


8th muda leaders can obsess about squeezing each penny of value out of their organizations, yet flush tons of money down the drain in the form of lost opportunity and employee turnover.   When faced with 8th muda bosses, the best and the brightest look for opportunities to go where they are appreciated - places where they not only have economic opportunity but can make a contribution to something larger than themselves without having to endure a pile of muda.

I hear plenty of stories, too, of great places to work, and of incredible leaders who strive to bring out the best talent of everyone in the company.   They may call it any number of things, but what you consistently see are leaders that are intentional about eliminating the 8th muda, the waste of untapped employee talent.   They invest in employee development, pay attention to the human side of their businesses, and correct unintentional disincentives whenever they are discovered. 

...Seeking to reduce the muda on the human side is as important and as do-able as reducing muda in manufacturing or operational processes.   It does, however, require an effort to learn and practice a distinct body of leadership and interpersonal skills - above and beyond knowledge and skill in business and in your particular industry or profession.


Exceptional leaders look hard at their organizations and ask, &ldquo;Where are we eliminating muda?&rdquo;  


They also look at themselves and ask, &ldquo;In what ways am I creating muda?&rdquo;    The next question to ask is, &ldquo;What are you going to do about it?&rdquo;


...Tom Stevens helps individuals and organizations create brilliant futures and make a difference. 

...This article may be freely reprinted in your company, association, or commercial publication (or website) under the following terms: that the author attribution, copyright notice, contact information, and this reprint notice be included; and that you inform us that you are using the article (samples appreciated).
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