Excerpt from A-CHIEVE! (May 2011)
UNLEASH CREATIVITY | MOBILIZE TALENT | CAPITALIZE ON COLLECTIVE INTELLLIGENCE
“…while businesses have traditionally managed their workforces with an eye toward operational efficiency, they have not necessarily done so with the creativity, flexibility and speed to capitalize on the growth opportunities that spring from an ever-more dynamic global marketplace.”
Working Beyond Borders, IBM Study, 2010 | Summary Insights from 700 organizations across 61 countries
We thank companies like IBM who have the capital and reach to conduct expansive and thoughtful global surveys and share results with us so we can leverage their work within our own organizational microcosms. Unfortunately, great surveys like “Working Beyond Borders” come and go with little fanfare because we read a title, and in our age of information overload, quickly decide “Oh, that doesn’t apply to me and my organization because:
- We don’t have a global footprint
- Our industry and culture are unique
- We’re just fine the way we are
- The study is ‘blue sky’ thinking
- IBM is just trying to sell their services”
– when, in fact, the over-arching concepts apply to each and every one of us. Even more ironic, the study’s first of three challenges – cultivating creative leaders – defined as “nimbly leading in complex global environments”, speaks to our inability of being open to then creatively translating (connect-the-dots between) high-level concepts, trends and statistics into goal-driven, realistic and practical strategies and tactics that scream competitive advantage, unique differentiators, exceptional results, continuous improvement and marketplace relevancy. We love studies like IBM’s because we are anecdotally seeing and experiencing within small, mid size and large organizations, exactly what the study’s 707 Chief Human Resource Officers (CHRO) and Workforce Strategists are seeing and experiencing across the globe. So what are the “top 3″ challenges and how can they be remediated?
Click to continue reading ““Top 3″ Forward-Looking Trends”
Excerpt from A-CHIEVE! (May 2011)
With most everything in life, it’s all about ‘striking the right balance’ vs. allowing the pendulum to swing too far to the left or right. The same holds true in the leadership world as it applies to our strengths. If we turn up the dial too much on any one strength, oddly enough, that strength can quickly morph into a debilitating liability. Case in point – have you ever had the opportunity to work with colleagues who would generally be described as having “it’s my way or the highway” or “I’m right – you’re wrong” attitudes and when they don’t get their own way, they act out? And act out they do either overtly or covertly – from sabotaging your goals to misrepresenting your ideas to spreading malicious rumors about you to fighting you every step of the way. And even more confusing, while you’re observing all of their crazy behaviors, they’re adamant about having the best interests of your organization at heart and even take you to a place of martyrdom as they claim that they’re only fault is either caring too much or being too passionate about their work. Our advice – don’t be fooled! These colleagues are not passionate – they’re obsessed – and they need a healthy dose of ‘tough love’ coaching.
Click to continue reading “When Passion Turns Into Obsession”
A Three-Part Love Story
Part 1: The SharePoint Matchmaker, You Are
One of the most common questions I’m asked from IT and business leaders alike is how do they make the case for SharePoint in their organization? Most people who use SharePoint understand its potential to solve common business problems. But they have difficulty communicating the real value of SharePoint to the executives in their company making the budget decisions.
So where do you start? You begin by becoming a SharePoint Matchmaker. Don’t like the new role? How about Business Analyst? A SharePoint Matchmaker is essentially a business analyst focused on the business and technology of SharePoint. If you happen to be a business analyst already then this is going to be fun! (No, really – fun!)
Click to continue reading “Boss + SharePoint = Big Love”
