Charlie Lawrence - Leadership Perspectives

2021-03-11T13:35:00.016-05:00

Motivate Your Employees with Purpose, Not Profits

It’s natural for leaders to emphasize the importance of hitting financial targets, but making numbers the centerpiece of your leadership is a costly mistake. Financial results are an outcome, not a root driver for employee performance, and a growing body of evidence tells us that overemphasizing financial targets erodes morale and undermines long-term strategy. So, what should you do instead? Use your time with your team to build and reinforce your organizational purpose. This requires three actions:

1. Reevaluate how you use your leadership “airtime.” Spend at least half your time with your team discussing your purpose and impact of the work, and no more than half your time on numbers or deliverables.

2. Talk about customers, clients, and colleagues with specificity and emotion. The more clearly an employee understands their direct impact on another human being, the more likely they are to go the extra mile — and they’ll also experience greater fulfillment in doing so.

3. Resist the urge to widely share every financial outcome, even if it’s positive. Ask yourself: What does my team really need to know on a daily basis to accomplish their goals?

Source: Harvard Business Review - Management Tip of the Day

2021-02-10T14:18:00.019-05:00

Attitude is the key to personal satisfaction but its also a foundational quality that makes organizations work. The quote in this headline really resonated with me as it speaks to my belief that for a leader to be successful you must surround yourself with talent. This talent must have the recreate skills for the work to be done, it should complement your own skills and most importantly fills in the gaps or deficiencies in the leader’s personal skills toolbox.

A servant leader understands and embraces this thinking and approach but no matter how well intentioned and obvious this is it will always be an uphill battle if the Attitude is not right! As the headline says people that Give A Shit is the defining and most foundational attribute for success. GAS means a number of things…

1. Pride in doing good work – a personal belief and core values that are self-motivating

2. Loyalty to organization – a personal commitment to the choice you make, and others make to you

3. Integrity – As Jack Welch used to say…knowing the difference between doing the right thing vs. doing what’s right. That is on my Jack top ten list.

4. Team players – believing that diversity of thought is good and finding enjoyment and satisfaction is group knowledge and success.

5. Being part of something bigger than self - The value of belonging to something you care about.

6. Being part of the solution and not part of the problem – Is the glass half empty or half full?

This list could go on and on but the essence of GAS in my opinion is the Golden Rule. Or maybe reminding our selves about what R. Fulghum wrote in 1990…in his book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup — they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned — the biggest word of all — LOOK.

2021-01-26T21:05:00.026-05:00

What has COVID done to how we work and the Office Furniture Industry?

Rethinking the Future Office - Workrite Ergonomics (proficiencypost.com)

The office has or will be changing forever. The office furniture industry has a history of chasing one size fits all solutions. Cubicles lasted for several decades, benching and hot desking came and Resimercial, making the office look like home or a student union building. The newer trends were largely designed to reduce real estate costs while selling it as the new collaboration environment. COVID has forced the industry to change and it wants a new one size fits all solution that every manufacturer that serves this industry can chase and do their version of! In my opinion that’s fool’s gold as every company does different types of work, has a different culture, different facilities, different community environment and they all have different financial means to make change.

I recently sat on a CES, Consumer Electronics Panel discussing this topic. The panels take-aways about where we are headed were:

1. More flexibility and accommodation on where we work

· More flexible schedules, more willingness to allow folks to work remotely, work from home multiple days a week but come in for meetings

· Some jobs may be able to be permanent WFH

2. The anticipated explosion of technology advancement that will improve remote work

· Challenges create innovation and COVID was the ultimate test from necessity for nearly every company to find new and potentially better ways of working remotely. New technology will soon advance this even further

3. More compassion and humanity to personal life challenges

· COVID has made company’s more employee centric, compassionate, and accepting of work life challenges. WFH will help employees, especially women better balance career and family as an example.

4. The shift of the company office becoming a cultural and community foundation but not mission critical for task work

· With more remote work, concerns for group safety, the high cost of living and real estate in many areas, etc. companies will have to get creative to not lose their culture or create a new one. Part of many companies is being a community. Silicon Valley is the best example of this with all the enticements…day care, free food, free social events, on campus housing, etc. Where do we go from here

My conclusion for the office and how work gets done.

1. Some corporate offices and campuses will shrink and have less task space. Task safe = private offices, cubicle, etc.…a desk to do work. Much of this work can be done where its less expensive and more convenient. Why should a company spend money on an expensive office building when COVID proved that many jobs could be done outside of the office?

2. The office and new technology will shift the office away from the place where all work gets done to a place to create the new culture and community of the company in a post-COVID era.

What does this mean for the Office Furniture Industry?

1. If I was a CEO of one of the Big furniture mega brands, I would be very concerned!

· There will be fewer mega projects of new office or remodeled offices that include many floors of ceilings, flooring, lighting, walls, desks and all the project management and installation work. These mega projects were what sustained these companies and industry for decades!

2. This shift will create opportunities for industry specialists!

· WFH, Remote work, task work specialists (desks, chairs, etc. for individual spaces).

· New distribution models and less dependence or need for dealers, designers, project managers and installers. Speed ease of doing business and cost will be the keys to success.

· Community, training and meeting space specialist (conference rooms, meeting rooms, large group spaces, technology infused spaces)

The office, commercial real estate and the office furniture industry have been permanently changed by COVID. The days of a one size fits all solution in what we used to call the office and how it gets done has changed. Flexibility and a willingness to embrace these changes will be critical for the suppliers to the industry. As customers and users of office furniture manufacturers are different than tech companies and they are different than service companies and they are different than medical products companies and the list goes. Even inside one of these companies engineers, accountants, sales, marketing, supply chain and customer service people all work differently shouldn’t the place and tools they have match the work rather than us modifying how we work to the office space we used to work in?

COVID was no fun but maybe as is often the case it has changed us all and forced us to really think differently. I believe that’s a very good thing for an industry that generally is slow to change and likes the comfort of constancy and sameness.

Rethinking the Future Office - Workrite Ergonomics (proficiencypost.com)

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2019-03-31T13:14:00.001-04:00

Success Will Come and Go, But Integrity Is Forever
Amy Rees Anderson
www.amyreesanderson.com/blog

If I could teach only one value to live by, it would be this: Success will come and go, but integrity is forever. Integrity means doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances, whether or not anyone is watching. It takes having the courage to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences will be. Building a reputation of integrity takes years, but it takes only a second to lose, so never allow yourself to ever do anything that would damage your integrity.

We live in a world where integrity isn’t talked about nearly enough. We live in a world where “the end justifies the means” has become an acceptable school of thought for far too many. Sales people overpromise and under deliver, all in the name of making their quota for the month. Applicants exaggerate in job interviews because they desperately need a job. CEOs overstate their projected earnings because they don’t want the board of directors to replace them. Entrepreneurs overstate their pro formas because they want the highest valuation possible from an investor. Investors understate a company’s value in order to negotiate a lower valuation in a deal. Customer service representatives cover up a mistake they made because they are afraid the client will leave them. Employees call in “sick” because they don’t have any more paid time off when they actually just need to get their Christmas shopping done. The list could go on and on, and in each case the person committing the act of dishonesty told themselves they had a perfectly valid reason why the end result justified their lack of integrity.

It may seem like people can gain power quickly and easily if they are willing to cut corners and act without the constraints of morality. Dishonesty may provide instant gratification in the moment but it will never last. I can think of several examples of people without integrity who are successful and who win without ever getting caught, which creates a false perception of the path to success that one should follow. After all, each person in the examples above could have gained the result they wanted in the moment, but unfortunately, that momentary result comes at an incredibly high price with far reaching consequences. That person has lost their ability to be trusted as a person of integrity, which is the most valuable quality anyone can have in their life. Profit in dollars or power is temporary, but profit in a network of people who trust you as a person of integrity is forever. Every one person who trusts you will spread the word of that trust to at least a few of their associates, and word of your character will spread like wildfire.

The value of the trust others have in you is far beyond anything that can be measured. For entrepreneurs it means investors that are willing to trust them with their money. For employees it means a manager or a boss that is willing to trust them with additional responsibility and growth opportunities. For companies it means customers that trust giving them more and more business. For you it means having an army of people that are willing to go the extra mile to help you because they know that recommending you to others will never bring damage to their own reputation of integrity. Yes, the value of the trust others have in you goes beyond anything that can be measured because it brings along with it limitless opportunities and endless possibilities.

Contrast that with the person who cannot be trusted as a person of integrity. Warren Buffet, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway said it best:, “In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first one, the other two will kill you.” A person’s dishonesty will eventually catch up to them. It may not be today, and it may not be for many years, but you can rest assured that at some point there will always be a reckoning. A word of advice to those who are striving for a reputation of integrity: Avoid those who are not trustworthy. Do not do business with them. Do not associate with them. Do not make excuses for them. Do not allow yourself to get enticed into believing that “while they may be dishonest with others, they would never be dishonest with me.” If someone is dishonest in any aspect of his life you can be guaranteed that he will be dishonest in many aspects of his life. You cannot dismiss even those little acts of dishonesty, such as the person who takes two newspapers from the stand when they paid for only one. After all, if a person cannot be trusted in the simplest matters of honesty then how can they possibly be trusted to uphold lengthy and complex business contracts?

It is important to realize that others pay attention to those you have chosen to associate with, and they will inevitably judge your character by the character of your friends. Why is that? It is best explained by a quote my father often says when he is reminding me to be careful of the company I am keeping: “When you lie down with dogs you get fleas.” Inevitably we become more and more like the people we surround ourselves with day to day. If we surround ourselves with people who are dishonest and willing to cut corners to get ahead, then we’ll surely find ourselves following a pattern of first enduring their behavior, then accepting their behavior, and finally adopting their behavior. If you want to build a reputation as a person of integrity then surround yourself with people of integrity. There is a plaque on the wall of my office which reads: “Do what is right, let the consequence follow.” It serves as a daily reminder that success will indeed come and go, but integrity is forever.

Are You A Leader? Do You Have A Steady Hand?

2019-02-09T12:31:00.000-05:00

I had no idea…its’s not what I expected! The shock and surprise that often accompanies a new leadership position can be daunting. Rarely does an organization change when things are working well so this should not be a surprise, but surprisingly new leaders often are not prepared. The first 100 days really are critical, and mistakes are hard to overcome. The organization is watching as much as listening…every word, tone, action are signals and a test that the organization is grading and deciding am I on this new team or not?

In my opinion it’s all about approach, style, values and your situational awareness and assessment skills, things that are all within your control. Do your actions match your words, do you value the team you inherited? Do you instill confidence and trust? Will people follow you even if it’s not easy?

Do you have a Steady Hand! What does that mean? As with many things it starts at the top, it starts with you.

1. Do you have a plan - a vision?

2. Are you a leader or a manger?

3. Do you lead by example – do you get your hands dirty?

4. Are members of the team viewed as part of the solution or disposable?

5. Do you value the past or only your ideas or change?

6. Are you curious?

7. Do people see you as a good person?

8. Have you earned the organizations trust?

9. Are your actions rational or emotional?

10. Do your actions match your words? Do those actions and words instill confidence?

Some may scoff and suggest these questions imply being soft. Some will suggest that leadership is about results and not how you achieve them. It most certainly is about results but the how most certainly does matter and rarely can those results be achieved if you don’t understand that!

Leadership is about:

§ Painting a picture for the organization and soliciting their help.

§ Gaining their support and help by getting your hands dirty, putting in the time.

§ Showing appreciation…saying thank you, good job or I appreciate your effort!

§ Being curious about why it was or is done that way before assuming its wrong and must be changed.

§ Accepting mistakes and using them as teaching moments.

§ Teaching and coaching is powerful vs dictating and managing.

These concepts are not new or unique, but they are all building blocks to getting an organization to want to be part of the solution and not be the problem. When a new leader comes in the organization already knows somethings not right and they know change is coming. It’s my experience that many of them want that change it’s the previous leader that wasn’t listening. It’s now up to the new leader to quickly gain their trust and capitalize on what the organization already knows…they must change.

Does that mean people won’t lose their job…no! Does that mean every idea will be accepted…no! Does it mean it will be easy…no! What it does mean, and shows is that you are engaged, want their ideas and value them and are willing to roll up your sleeves and do the dirty work that needs to be done. That is showing leadership and just as importantly showing that you aren’t smart enough to do it by yourself and you want and need their help.

It takes a steady and confident hand to lead this way and this scares weaker managers because this is hard work, more time consuming and requires more personal investment that’s why so many avoid this because its much easier to not listen, be the smartest person in the room and simply change things as managers often think change is what they were hired to do. It isn’t…what you were hired to do was fix it, improve it not change…that’s a big difference. Think about it – who would you rather work for, who would you follow, who would you go the extra mile for?

2018-04-19T22:32:00.003-04:00

What is Strategy?

Throughout my career I have seen tactics, objectives and goals be considered strategy and they are not! How does your company win in the market, beat your competitors, what makes customers want to choose you? That is strategy not what you hope to achieve or what program you are going to implement next month to drive sales. Its the big, structural things that are at the core of what you do to win...that is strategy...the things that guide your decision making and focus...what you are working on, where you invest, where you staff, etc...where you spend your time and money.

https://hbr.org/2018/04/your-strategic-plans-probably-arent-strategic-or-even-plans

2018-04-02T17:04:00.000-04:00

CEO Net Present Value

by
Michael Portland Chicago & Olli Laurén Washington DC
Egon Zehnder International, Inc.

There are substantial parallels between examining a CEO candidate and calculating the NPV of a capital expenditure. Much like a capital equipment investment project, every CEO candidate carries a certain capacity to create value, as well as a bundle of execution risks that might impede actual value creation. Boards can calculate CEO NPV by gauging a CEO candidate’s projected value creation, discounted by his or her leadership risks:

Projected Value Creation is analogous to the numerator representing cash flows found in the classic NPV equation. The CEO NPV denominator – Leadership Risks – anticipates what could limit the value the CEO will actually deliver, and is analogous to the discount rate denominator in traditional NPV.
So how does one define the numerator and denominator to calculate CEO NPV?

Projected value creation

Projected Value Creation depends largely on the CEOs capacity to create a performance culture that permeates the entire company. In a previous work, we examined how companies can create a true high-performance culture.³ Such companies consistently do three things:

Adhere to a performance ethic that combines the ambition to do the unthinkable and the discipline to deliver the nearly impossible
Exercise a passion for renewal in the business, products, the organization and its people
Liberate the right leaders to get on with the business of the company

These keys to creating a high-performance culture provide a sound template for assessing CEO candidates, gauging the correlated leadership strengths and limitations by asking:

Are they fiercely ambitious and rigorously disciplined?
Can they reinvent continually? Do they push the organization into new spaces by disrupting the organization and the industry?
Can they “get out of the way” and let their teams create extraordinary outcomes?

Leadership risks

Conventional wisdom holds that the risk of a CEO appointment bears direct relation to the CEO’s experience base. For instance, CEOs making dramatic transitions across industries or cultures are intuitively presumed to be riskier choices. This way of thinking does carry a certain face validity. Boards have reason to favor candidates who are proven in situations analogous to those the company anticipates. Particular “formative” or “must-have” experiences such as managing a turnaround, launching a new market expansion, or shepherding a merger can yield knowledge and insights that can only be gained by having been there and done that.
However, our work suggests that the risks and limitations of CEO appointment more closely correlate to how an executive processes experiences than on the experiences themselves. Humility and flexibility are especially crucial traits in a CEO.

Humble leaders “know what they don’t know” and are willing to ask for the counsel of others – meaningfully mitigating risk. If you look across many of the great corporate disasters, you will often find at the helm a CEO who lacked the humility to say that they did not understand something, or to admit that they’d made a mistake.

Should anyone hesitate to appoint a CEO with aptitudes and strengths known to drive performance in practically any industry?

Leaders with a high degree of flexibility – ability to change – can make even sharp transitions with grace and aplomb. Flexibility can be considered “part 2” of humility, which allows the CEO to see that change is needed, while flexibility is the willingness to then make that change. If leaders have the right degree of flexibility, this can significantly broaden the impact of their experiences. Leveraging previous learning to do things differently means organizations are not exposed to the risk of redeployment of a previously unsuccessful (or even partly successful) approach. Viewed through this lens, Louis Gerstner’s NPV “discount rate” was fundamentally low, even though he repeatedly led companies in industries where he had little direct experience. Should anyone hesitate to appoint Louis Gerstner, a CEO with aptitudes and strengths known to drive performance in practically any industry? In sum, CEO NPV gauges candidates’ projected value creation in terms of their ability to create a performance culture, “discounted” by gaps in their personal humility, flexibility, and experience:

Certain of a candidate’s potential derailers can likely be mitigated, once they have been brought more fully into view. However, when the analysis reveals an inherent lack of mental flexibility and humility, the board should recognize that such deficits are not easily erased.
Recognizing that humility and flexibility are keys to reducing leadership risks can dramatically change the board’s view of CEO candidates who they previously saw as a “safe pair of hands.” In truth, a CEO candidate who has had a long career at a particular firm may actually be a risky choice if they do not also have the requisite humility and flexibility to shift their approach in the face of a disrupted environment.

Prudent audacity

Should this calculation of CEO projected value be the sole basis for CEO selection? Hardly. But a rigorous analysis of each candidate’s projected value impact can counter the dangers of illusory safety by also allowing a measure of prudent audacity.
To better understand how this CEO NPV methodology might work in the real world, consider the following scenario, illustrated in a graph contrasting the expected trajectories of two CEO candidates.
“Low Risk” CEO is a candidate with ambitions and experience that feel directly on point for the role. Accordingly, his discount rate is lower early on, leading to an initially higher present value. However, “Low Risk” CEO is not particularly agile-minded or open to learning from experience and has a background of solid but middling performance. This substantially limits his upside and elevates his discount rate over time, as the future is bound to bring unprecedented opportunities and challenges.

In contrast, “High NPV” CEO has a higher discount rate early on, as her experience has not prepared her as fully for the role, but those risk factors fall sharply as she gains deep understanding of the business and as her ability to absorb information, rapidly adapt, and execute against ambitious goals all take center stage. The slightly higher risk early in her projected tenure is more than offset by her much higher potential value creation over time. CEO NPV analysis has “flipped the script” on what it means to make a safe choice, because it is now clear that “Low Risk” CEO has the potential to squander a great deal of value while delivering little in the way of added security.

Raise the bar

A CEO is the most complex and consequential asset a company will finance. As such, it is understandable that boards instinctively strive to minimize risk. The NPV analysis described above will often reveal that an unconventional CEO candidate is actually the safe bet.
Most importantly, CEO NPV helps boards raise the bar for CEO performance – and raising the bar is absolutely imperative. In a disrupted world, a new CEO may soon face radically different challenges than those faced by the incumbent. That means the “conservative” candidate may be the most risky choice.

2018-03-29T11:43:00.001-04:00

How Ergonomics Makes for a Healthier Workplace

When it comes to workplace health, ergonomics can't be overlooked

In a book published in 2014, Dr. James Levine, a professor of medicine at the U.S.-based Mayo Clinic, wrote that sitting is “more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV, and is more treacherous than parachuting.” He noted that because people expend very little energy while sitting, they are at risk for weight gain, diabetes, heart attacks, and even cancer.

His book, Get Up!: Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About It, sparked widespread interest in standing workstations. But studies have shown that standing for a prolonged period of time poses health risks too — it can lead to sore backs and feet, and varicose veins.

That same year, a study was conducted at Sony Pictures Entertainment with 50 employees who used ergonomic sit-stand workstations for five weeks. The switch to these adjustable-height desks resulted in a drop in body fat and blood pressure, as well as a spike in good cholesterol and fasting glucose.
When the study ended, each participant chose to keep the sit-stand desks, which were provided by Workrite, a California-based company that designs and manufactures ergonomic workstations and accessories.

That study was one of several that confirmed that ergonomics, the beneficial design and arrangement of workplaces, played a key role in health and wellness. Sit-stand desks have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they allow users to change position frequently throughout the day.

“When Levine’s book came out, people started to recognize the importance of movement, and that led to a big change in North American workplaces,” explains Workrite President Charles Lawrence. “Before then, ergonomic desks were only popular among progressive tech companies.”

Lawrence has noticed a surge of interest in monitor arms, which allow users to customize the position of their computer screens to prevent neck, shoulder, and eye strain.
Workrite has sold sit-stand desks for almost two decades and is a pioneer in ergonomic design. “Some of our competitors sell ergonomic products alongside furniture, but these products are more like medical devices,” says Lawrence, adding that his salespeople are specially trained in ergonomics and are familiar with every product in the company’s extensive inventory.

All employees — whether working in hospitals or warehouses — benefit from ergonomic equipment, design, and practices. By improving and supporting their workers’ health, employers make workplaces healthier and, ultimately, more efficient. “There is a lot of scientific evidence that shows the importance of ergonomics,” says Lawrence. “Anything companies can do to help their employees on the journey to good health would be great.”

http://www.industryandbusiness.ca/workplace-wellness/how-ergonomics-makes-for-a-healthier-workplace

2018-03-18T16:58:00.001-04:00

Career Advice and Leadership Philosophy from Charlie Lawrence

It was my pleasure to share some of the lessons learned and insight from my career and time at Workrite Ergonomics, GE, Masco and others with Sarah Scudder and Nicole Smartt of Star Staffing for their podcast Career Conversations. Thanks Ladies it was fun and I hope helpful to your listeners.

http://www.starhr.com/career-advice/career-conversations/

2018-02-04T15:57:00.000-05:00

FACTS ABOUT STANDING DESKS

What You Should Know Before You Take A Stand

by Charlie Lawrence, President Workrite Ergonomics

WHY WOULD I WANT TO STAND IN THE OFFICE?

Unless you live under a rock you have probably heard that “Sitting is the New Smoking” or maybe that “Your Chair is Killing You.” We can thank James Levine of the Mayo Clinic for really bringing this subject into the spotlight back in 2014 when he published his research on NEAT, Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. NEAT is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise.
Dr. Levine was able to stimulate awareness around the fact that we sit a lot and that it is affecting all civilized societies. We sit during our morning commute, we sit at our desk, we sit in meetings, we sit at lunch, we drive home, we sit at the dinner table or restaurant, and then we sit and watch TV. And then we do it again the next day, and the next day… you get the point!
This societal pattern has emerged as we have moved out of the industrial revolution where we worked in factories and were on our feet much more often. This was preceded by the agrarian period where we were doing back breaking work in the fields. Fast forward to today where we have become an information based society resulting in many of us sitting at desks all day and not benefitting from the physical movement of working in the field or in a factory.
Dr. Levine has said, “Chair-living has proven so enticing that we have forsaken our legs. It is now time to find ways to get us back onto our legs.” Where this research really got Dr. Levine’s attention was the correlation between the lack of movement over several generations and the dramatic increase in obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and other potentially very damaging health issues… all good reasons to think seriously about this subject!
The Scandinavians caught on to this some time ago. As an example, in Denmark the government has mandated that all office workers must have a height adjustable desk (sometimes called a standing desk… more on this later). In the early 1980’s some very early adopters began experimenting with these new desks but they were generally considered odd or not practical and, of course, back then having a desk job was a privilege and sitting all day was thought to be one of the benefits of getting an education… this falls into the category of unintended consequences!

Follow the link below to the complete whitepaper - you will be glad you did!

Add caption

http://workriteergo.com/facts-about-standing-desks/

2017-10-16T13:02:00.004-04:00

Workrite Ergo Family Relief Fund
My company, Workrite Ergonomics and our Northern California community has been devastated by fire and many of our team need help. Please visit the Workrite Ergo Family Relief Fund

@ https://www.gofundme.com/Workriteergo

SIT-STAND STUDY

2014-10-15T20:22:00.002-04:00

BIOMETRIC & ERGONOMIC STUDY CONFIRMS BENEFITS OF ADJUSTABLE SIT-STAND WORKCENTERS

Workrite Ergonomics, in partnership with Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. (FLA) and Sony Picture Entertainment (SPE), finds positive benefits from a workplace ergonomics and office equipment study designed to measure the health benefits and workplace effects when introducing adjustable height sit stand work surfaces into a typical corporate office environment.

Joy Boese, President of E3 Consulting, conceptualized the study and brought the three companies together to collaborate on the initiative. Joy recognized the potential of using FLA’s monitoring capabilities as a way to measure stress and fatigue in the workplace with the ultimate goal of using the data collected to educate employees, reduce injury and improve performance.

Conducted in one of SPE Los Angeles facilities, volunteer participants consisted of members of the SPE finance and information services groups. Managing the monitoring and biometric measures was Fujitsu Laboratories of America, responsible for the independent capture, aggregation, and analysis of all collected data and the reporting of results. E3 Consulting took on the role of project management and also had staff members on site to provide support for the study participants. Workrite Ergonomics provided the height adjustable work centers and flat panel monitor supports and coordinated the installation and set-up of the ergonomic equipment used in the study.

NEW TECHNOLOGY = BIG DATA + BIG RESULTS

During the study, volunteers were outfitted with a real-time wearable cardiac monitoring device designed to continuously capture various human biometrics, including ECG, heart rate and skin temperature. The adjustable height sit stand work surfaces were outfitted with Android devices, which served two purposes. First, they acted as sensors for surface height, movement and engagement, by continuously collecting accelerometer data and images of a specially placed sticker on the feet of the desk. Second, they hosted Fujitsu’s mobile real-time data aggregation and analysis platform — the Sprout™ (http://www.fujitsu.com/us/about/other/fla/research/data-driven-healthcare/index.html). The Sprout provided real-time data storage, analysis, and visualization of all the biometric and desk-related data streams. In all, over 287 GB of electronic data was captured over the test period. Participants were also manually assessed by a medical team at the beginning and end of the study, including capturing key metabolic biomarkers.

KEY METABOLIC BIOMARKER TRACKING CONFIRMS HEALTH BENEFITS

During the 4–week test period, over 40 biomarker changes were analyzed and tracked. The per participant average changes included:

An increase in good cholesterol (HDL) of 3.65
An increase in fasting glucose of 2.28
A reduction in fat as measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) of .86 lb.
A reduction in weight of .81 lb.
An decrease in average blood pressure of 2.28/1.20
Age and BMI were not distinguishing factors in the amount of standing desk usage

AVERAGE TWICE DAILY HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT HELPS WORKER SATISFACTION

The work surface tracking involved monitoring time spent sitting /standing and when participants were absent from their desks. On average, the mean standing percentage was 36%, with a high of 91% and low of less than 5%. Data revealed workers adjusted the height of their work surface on average two times per day, most often once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Workers stated they most enjoyed the freedom to make adjustments when they wanted to or needed to help relieve fatigue or better meet the work task at hand. On average, the heaviest standing occurred between the hours of 9–10 am, coinciding with the early part of most participants’ workdays, and the next heaviest standing period peaked around 3–4 pm. The data also revealed age was not a factor in desk usage - everybody in the study used the desks to stand: men and women, those with low and high body mass index, young and old. Women stood for a lower percentage of time compared to men, perhaps due to the footwear they used during the study.

Having the ability to

change work state during

the day is broadly empowering

SELF-REPORTING ERGONOMIC DATA REINFORCES BIOMETRIC FINDINGS

In addition to objective sensor data findings, subjective self-reported findings were collected via questionnaires distributed at the beginning and at the end of the study. These revealed even stronger judgments:

Participants were uniformly delighted with their new desks
Self-reported back pain decreased on average 1.3 points on a 1–10 scale
88% respond feeling healthier throughout the day
98% “loved” the new sit/stand work surface
Home sleep quality improved +0.7 on a 1–10 scale
All participants asked to keep height adjustable work surface after study

Halo effects: Some participants reported becoming more cognizant of diet, sleep and exercise during the study and reported that having the ability to change work state during the day was broadly empowering.

UNEXPECTED POSITIVE RESULTS DELIGHT RESEARCH TEAM

Hourly data tracking suggests heart rate can be affected by several factors throughout the workday including basic activities such as talking or standing. Several individual participants’ heart rate measures settled into narrower bands (the average highs post-adjustable work surface introduction are not as high as before), possibly suggesting improved cardiovascular fitness upon the introduction of the adjustable height work surface.

During the study, some participants reported becoming more cognizant of their diet, sleep, and exercise

At the end of the study, all participants were given a choice to keep their height adjustable work center or have their fixed height desks reinstalled. All participants chose to keep their height adjustable workcenters.

METHODOLOGY - STUDY OVERVIEW

In late 2013, Workrite Ergonomics was invited to partner with SPE and Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. in the design, development and implementation of a research study intended to measure the effects of and use of traditional office furniture work surfaces and the introduction of an adjustable height work surface in a typical corporate office environment. E3 Ergonomic Consultants conceptualized the study, brought the three companies together to collaborate and acted as project manager and on-site ergonomics consultants throughout the course of the study. Conducted in one of SPE’s Los Angeles facilities, volunteer participants were comprised of the SPE finance and information services groups. Fujitsu Laboratories was responsible for the monitoring of the participants and the adjustable height work surfaces, the aggregation and analysis of the collected data, and for reporting on the results of the study. Workrite Ergonomics provided height adjustable work centers and flat panel monitor supports and coordinated the installation and set-up of the ergonomic equipment to be used in the study.

RESEARCH FRAMEWORK

The study was conducted over a five week period. During Week One of the study, all participants worked in their usual workcenters which consisted of traditional fixed height desks in both cubicle and private office environments. During that week, the volunteers were outfitted with VitalConnect’s HealthPatch wearable cardiac patch sensor devices, which continuously monitor a variety of key biomarkers including ECG and heart rate. These sensor devices were integrated by Fujitsu Laboratories into the Sprout platform, thereby providing continuous storage of these biomarker data streams for establishing a baseline for each participant. The Sprout also enabled storage of participant stress values, based on real-time analysis of the ECG data stream. All participants also underwent basic health screenings for weight and body mass index (BMI) and took blood tests to establish starting levels for HDL & LDL cholesterol, fasting glucose levels and other key biomarkers.

Leading into Week Two, fixed height work surfaces were replaced with the Workrite Sierra Electric Workcenters and the Workrite Willow or Willow Dual adjustable monitor arms. These workcenters were instrumented with tablets running the Fujitsu Sprout; the accelerometer and camera sensors in the tablets were used to algorithmically assess the height and state of the workcenter. Beginning on Monday of Week Two, participants returned to work and began using their new workcenter equipment after receiving basic operating instructions and an overview of proper ergonomic equipment positioning.

During the next four weeks, each individual desk was monitored using periodic photographic data and real-time tablet accelerometry data to determine when participants were present and how much time was spent in the sitting or standing position. This real-time data collection and analysis was made possible through the use of Fujitsu’s Sprout mobile real-time data aggregation and analysis platform, running on Android tablets affixed to the work surfaces. In addition, all data streams (including those made available through the cardiac patches) were synchronized with the cloud in real-time for visualization and real-time on-site triage of any data collection issues.

During Week Five of the study, participants were patched and monitored again so physiological measurements could be taken and compared to the baseline data established during Week One of the study. Both biometric results and self-reporting results are included in this report. Participants completed a paper questionnaire at the beginning and end of the study.

Calling ALL CEO's - Get In The Sales Game - It's Your Job!

2013-11-11T12:13:00.004-05:00

A CEO approves executive-level decisions and oversees the company’s entire operations, right? Despite all these responsibilities, should a CEO bother to spend extra time to improve the company’s sales processes and strategies?

Yes!

A CEO who knows how to run a successful business, understands that the company’s survival relies on this.

So what is a CEO supposed to teach the Sales team? What changes can he make to help them double last year’s profits or at least vastly increase sales revenue?

Train them to sell in tough times. The financial crisis of 2008 has seriously affected the purchasing power of consumers. Out dated sales tactics won’t work anymore because everyone is giving a discount and consumers are aware that there are brands offering the same products and services.
So instead of memorizing sales pitches, reps must be trained to focus on the customer. They should listen closely to figure out the customer’s needs, wants, fears, goals, and dreams. Remember, anything connected to an emotion can be used as a leverage to make a sale!

Train supervisors and managers to ask specific questions during a coaching session. Ideally, sales reps must have a coaching session with their direct supervisor at least once a week. This could help them improve, but only if it’s done properly. For one, supervisors should ask specific questions about the sales representative’s activity. Questions like, “How did it go?” or “Did you make a sale?” doesn’t reveal much about their areas for improvement.
Ask questions like, “What’s your opening line?”, “How did you handle the customer’s objection of…?” instead.

Teach employees outside of the sales team to help with the company’s marketing and lead-generation. The company’s admin staff, support team, and HR team also have connections to possible clients. The problem is they are not trained to sell, or even ask for referrals. Those untapped leads are thousands of potential sales lost!
If you want to know how to run a successful business, you’ll need to learn how to think outside the box. For starters, employees not in the sales division should be trained how to ask for specific referrals, like asking for an introduction with a person from a specific organization or position instead of a general, “Do you know someone who might be interested in product X?

Change the sales system, so that a customer’s lifetime value isn’t over one-off transactions. Train sales reps to avoid selling the most expensive product when it clearly doesn’t match the buyer’s needs. Don’t force a customer to buy a new product, when what they have is still covered by a warranty.

Lastly, and most importantly, devise a sales system where the needs and opinions of the customers are heard. Sure, your company has great products and services, but what if your customers can improve what you are offering?
They are the ones using the products, so it’s only natural for them to have some suggestions. Before the next product launch, ask customers:

What they want
What they don’t like
What they want to see more

Listening to customer’s opinions is important in learning how to run a successful business. Aside from getting dozens of ideas on what to sell and improve about your products, it also drives customer engagement! Use it well.

2013 Incedo Group, LLC

7 Things Really Respected People Do

2013-10-31T17:58:00.002-04:00

Everyone wants to be respected. Here are 7 actions that make those who truly deserve our respect stand out from the pack.

Respect is not something you can conjure or demand, no matter how often you sing Aretha’s anthem. Respect is earned. And often the people who are most respected don't have to try to earn it. They simply take action in a way that makes others feel admiration.
Without respect, it’s hard to lead a company, manage a team or gain accomplishments. Earn and cultivate the respect of those around and you’ll soon find support that can help you achieve almost anything. Here are 7 actions that respected people naturally take. With a little focus, you can add them to your daily practice and avoid the Rodney Dangerfield dilemma.

1. They Under-promise and Over-deliver
Think about how you lose respect for someone. It usually happens when they represent something to you that turns out not to be true. It doesn't matter how big or how small the act. The first time it happens you may forgive, but the second raises credibility concerns. By the third time, you’ll likely never trust that person to deliver again. Conversely, respect follows those who religiously do what they say they’ll do. With trust comes respect and vice versa; it is a continuous circle. Respected people never leave you hanging.

2. They Are Comfortable in Their Own Skin

It's nearly impossible to respect people who don't love and respect themselves. They don't need to be flawless, but neither can they be flaw-focused. A little self-deprecation is admirable, but only if it accompanies self-confidence and assuredness. No one wants to follow leaders who are insecure and constantly complain about their own inadequacies. Most respect those people who take control of their own lives and resolve or accept their own shortcomings with a peaceful smile. Respected people understand nobody is perfect.

3. They Find a Way to Be Inclusive

Individual performers can certainly impress, but not when they disregard others on the journey. In fact, the more someone blazes a solo trail, the more resentment they create. It's great to lead the way, providing you bring the followers along and engage them in the process. There is little glory or fun in reaching a pinnacle and then waiting for everyone to catch up. People earn respect by bringing others to the Promised Land so all who are motivated and capable can share in the experience, the risk and the reward. Respected people leave behind no willing and able person.

4. They Focus on Solutions, Not Blame
So much productive time in life is wasted playing the blame game. I can't think of a single benefit to the practice. Those who insist on harping on scapegoats for political gain end up looking foolish. In most cases, either the truth surfaces or the work environment becomes so toxic that productivity drops and no one walks away unscathed. Analyzing a problem and identifying the source is certainly valuable but, once the problem is clear, the focus should be on resolution. People who bypass the politics and blame to resolve issues for the common good earn admiration and loyalty from almost everyone. Respected people solve problems without creating new ones.

5. They Seek and Share Knowledge

There is great value in being an active and continuous learner, but keeping it to yourself raises the proverbial "tree in the forest" question. What good is growing smarter if you don't share that knowledge for the benefit of all involved? So many entrepreneurs strive for learning ... only to struggle when it's time to open up to the team that needs to execute. Of course it takes work and effort to create an effective process for teaching, but this is why excellent teachers garner so much respect and stay lifelong in your memory. Respected people know the value of communal learning.

6. They Praise the Work of Others

Everyone appreciates being acknowledged. A job well done deserves recognition, while false modesty gets old fast. But people who ignore those who took part in a successful accomplishment are soon despised as selfish and ungrateful. There is little you can truly accomplish solely by youself. A little demonstrated gratitude and acknowledgment will go a long way in bringing you the reverence of your supporters. Better yet, share the glory and raise the esteem of everyone involved. Respected people take pride in contributing to the success of others.

7. They Find the Joy in Everything

It's hard to believe that anyone can actually discover happiness in trauma and tragedy; amazingly, it does happen. Humans constantly hope for joy, yet many gloss over daily events on that can raise a smile or elicit a giggle. But there are those who take life a little less seriously, always looking for that moment that can break the tension. These are the people who demonstrate the best of humanity and make even the hardest workday a day worth having. Respected people love life with all its twists and turns.

by Kevin Daum the best-selling author of Video Marketing for Dummies @awesomeroar

5 Critical Leadership Traits

2013-10-28T17:24:00.003-04:00

Good communicator. That means effectively communicating timely and consistent messages during good and bad times. And, knowing how and when to be a good listener. Communicating is critical. Employees must hear from their leaders. And, hearing from their leaders in person versus e-mail and written memos is even more effective.
Being a servant leader. Put your employees and your company first. A top manager who makes decisions that are self-serving will lack followers and will bring the company down.
Adaptable. Today, more than ever, a leader needs to adapt. That means adapting to competitive and industry situations. It also means being willing to change your decisions if new information or circumstances warrant the change.
Decisive. Leaders who aren’t decisive and who can’t make a decision will spin their organization into a frozen state where employees are unmotivated, wasting time, and discouraged.
Motivating. Smart, decisive, engaging, tough yet fair, personable and encouraging leaders are motivating. These leaders motivate employees to deliver their best for their leaders and for their company.

What is your list of five traits?

Posted by Eric Jacobson

What makes a leader special?

2013-10-25T18:42:00.003-04:00

I’ve seen my share of leaders. Some I’d rather forget, but learned a lot from and others I admire and emulate what they did and how they interact with their people.

As I look back and reflect on those that help me grow and develop, I noticed that good and great leaders have 10 things in common. Here are the 10 common things I observed about the leaders that I’ve worked with:

1) Listen to their people – When I say they listen, they really listen and respond to their constituents in a timely manner. They value their interaction with their people and see to it that they make time to listen to their needs and concerns.

2) Roams the floors – Just like Abraham Lincoln, a great leader spends time in their constituents’ work area and interacts with them. They walk the floor and make themselves accessible.

3) Believe in continuous improvement – their leadership paradigm is that the more they learn the more value they can add to their people. They invest time to learn something. Upon learning it they live it and lead others to what they learned to spread the knowledge and grow talents around them.

4) Never quit – the word quit is not in their dictionary. They know who to tap and ask for help to guide the team to get the job done. They’re able to encourage and motivate the team to dig deep and muster the courage to work through adversity.

5) Admit their mistakes – everyone makes mistakes, but great leaders admit their mistakes and apologize and make it right for their people. They learn the lesson from their mistake and make sure that they address it in a timely manner.

6) Love their people – they understand that people are their most important asset. They value their people and make sure that they have their people best in interest when they’re making decisions.

7) Add value to others – Great leaders always look for opportunity to add value to others. They make this a priority to ensure that they seek opportunities to grow and develop their people. When you grow leaders in your organization, you multiply the overall capabilities of your organization.

8) Use story to convey their message – they know how to use personal stories to connect with their people and appeal to their people.

9) Touch people’s heart – before they ask people to do something for them, they’re often the first one out there to lead other and work amongst everyone.

10) Grateful for their people’s contribution – they appreciate the contribution of their people. Take the time to recognize and seek opportunities to celebrate their success and achievements. They make it a point to make sure people know that their work is valued and appreciated.

I’d like to leave you with this quote from John Quincy Adams, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Want to be a leader? Make sure you do the same thing to help others and inspire them to achieve things they otherwise thought they could not accomplish themselves.

By Will Lukang, CLDC, PMP, CSM in October 24th 2013

Trust and the Workplace

2013-10-25T16:50:00.001-04:00

The office is more than a place that employees go to earn a paycheck. Relationships between employees and employers are essential in creating an efficient and successful businesses. For these relationships to flourish and employers to successfully manage employees, there needs to be some degree of trust.
The Jacobs Model , outlined in an infographic by U.K. financial-protection insurer Unum, identifies eight drivers of trust that are necessary in the workplace.
Find out what they are and how to use all eight to build workplace trust below

5 Keys to Inspiring Leadership, No Matter Your Style

2013-10-22T14:50:00.003-04:00

Forget the stereotypical leadership image of a buttoned-up person in a gray suit hauling around a hefty briefcase. Today, standout leaders come in all shapes and sizes. She could be a blue jeans-clad marketing student, running a major ecommerce company out of her dorm room. He might be the next salt-and-pepper-haired, barefoot Steve Jobs, presenting a groundbreaking new device at a major industry conference.

"Our research indicates that what really matters is that leaders are able to create enthusiasm, empower their people, instill confidence and be inspiring to the people around them," says Peter Handal, chief executive of New York City-based Dale Carnegie Training, a leadership-training company.

That's a tall order. However, as different as leaders are today, there are some things great leaders do every day. Here, Handal shares his five keys for effective leadership:

1. Face challenges.

Great leaders are brave enough to face up to challenging situations and deal with them honestly. Whether it's steering through a business downturn or getting struggling employees back on track, effective leaders meet these challenges openly. Regular communications with your staff, informing them of both good news and how the company is reacting to challenges will go a long way toward making employees feel like you trust them and that they're unlikely to be hit with unpleasant surprises.

"The gossip at the coffee machine is usually 10 times worse than reality," Handal says. "Employees need to see their leaders out there, confronting that reality head-on."

2. Win trust.

Employees are more loyal and enthusiastic when they work in an environment run by people they trust. Building that trust can be done in many ways. The first is to show employees that you care about them, Handal says. Take an interest in your employees beyond the workplace. Don't pry, he advises, but ask about an employee's child's baseball game or college graduation. Let your employees know that you're interested in their success and discuss their career paths with them regularly.

When employees, vendors or others make mistakes, don't reprimand or correct them in anger. Instead, calmly explain the situation and why their behavior or actions weren't correct, as well as what you expect in the future. When people know that you aren't going to berate them and that you have their best interests at heart, they're going to trust you, Handal says.

3. Be authentic.

If you're not a suit, don't try to be one. Employees and others dealing with your company will be able to tell if you're just pretending to be someone you're not, Handal says. That could make them question what else about you might be inauthentic. Have a passion for funky shoes? Wear them. Are you an enthusiastic and hilarious presenter? Get them laughing. Use your strengths and personality traits to develop your personal leadership style, Handal says.

4. Earn respect.

When you conduct yourself in an ethical way and model the traits you want to see in others, you earn the respect of those around you. Leaders who are perceived as not "walking their talk" typically don't get very far, Handal says. This contributes to employees and other stakeholders having pride in the company, which is an essential part of engagement, Handal says. Also, customers are less likely to do business with a company if they don't respect its values or leadership.

5. Stay curious.

Good leaders remain intellectually curious and committed to learning. They're inquisitive and always looking for new ideas, insights and information. Handal says the best leaders understand that innovation and new approaches can come from many places and are always on the lookout for knowledge or people who might inform them and give them an advantage.

"The most successful leaders I know are truly very curious people. They're interested in the things around them and that contributes to their vision," Handal says

BY Gwen Moran | June 14, 2013

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227012#ixzz2iTgskOqT

2013-01-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

You are NOT A Leader if....

Everybody thinks they’re a leader – most are far from it.

The harsh reality is that we live in a world awash with wannabe leaders. As much as some don’t want to admit it, not everyone can or should become a leader (my take on the born vs. made argument).

Simply desiring to be a leader doesn’t mean a person has the character, skill, and courage necessary to be a leader.

If you think you’re a leader, but haven’t been recognized as such, you have a problem. Either you’re incorrect in your self-assessment, or those you report to don’t recognize your talent. Here’s the good news; handled correctly, either scenario can be resolved if you’re willing to do some work.

I’m often asked what it takes to get to the top – it’s as if people want an add water and mix recipe for leadership. While there are many paths to leadership, they’re certainly not all created equal. Perhaps a more telling issue in today’s world is many of those desiring to get ahead, have no desire to help others get ahead.

I never cease to be amazed at the numbers of people in leadership positions that shouldn’t be. Likewise, I’ve stopped being surprised when those charged with leadership development can’t seem to figure out what constitutes a leader. It’s my hope the following list will eliminate the confusion about why someone isn’t a leader. You’re not a leader if…

1. You don’t get results: Real leaders perform – they get the job done – they consistently exceed expectations. No results = no leadership – it’s just that simple.

2. You get results the wrong way: If the only way you can solve the deficit described in point #1 above is through chicanery or skullduggery you’re not a leader. The ends don’t justify the means. If you abuse your influence, don’t treat people well, or confuse manipulation with leadership, you may win a few battles, but you’ll lose the war. Optics over ethics never ends well, and being a jerk doesn’t make you a leader.

3. You don’t care: Indifference is a characteristic not well suited to leadership. You simply cannot be a leader if you don’t care about those you lead. The real test of any leader is whether or not those they lead are better off for being led by them.

4. You’re chasing a position and not a higher purpose: If you value self-interest above service beyond self you simply don’t understand the concept of leadership. Leadership is about caring about something beyond yourself, and leading others to a better place – even if it means you take a back seat, or end up with no seat at all. Power often comes with leadership, but it’s not what drives real leaders.

5. You care more about making promises than keeping them: Leadership isn’t about your rhetoric; it’s about your actions. Leadership might begin with vision casting, but it’s delivering the vision that will ultimately determine your success as a leader.

6. You put people in boxes: Stop telling people why they can’t do something and show them how they can. Leaders don’t put people in boxes, it’s their obligation to free them from boxes. True leadership is about helping people reach places they didn’t know they could go.

7. You follow the rules instead of breaking them: Status quo is the great enemy of leadership. Leadership is nothing if not understanding the need for change, and then possessing the ability to deliver it.

8. You churn talent instead of retain it: Real leadership serves as a talent magnet – not a talent repellent. If you can’t acquire talent, can’t develop talent, or can’t retain talent you are not a leader.

9. You take credit instead of giving it: True leadership isn’t found seeking the spotlight, but seeking to shine the spotlight on others. The best leaders only use “I” when accepting responsibility for failures. Likewise, they are quick to use “we” when referring to successes.

10. You care about process more than people: But for the people there is no platform. Without the people you have nothing to lead. When you place things above the people you lead you have failed as a leader.

by Mike Myatt, Contributor to Forbes.com

2013-01-24T11:57:00.000-05:00

5 Must Have Skills for a Leader

Good times or bad...those who have these skilss will find a way to provide the leadership needed no matter what the situation...

1. They have the right values and beliefs. Great leaders live by a set of principles that guide them when the need arises.

2. They are inherently courageous. There is not an absence of fear, but management of it. Anyone who has overcome intense fright will tell you that there isn’t a better rush.

3. They are prepared. Their organizations are disciplined to assess threats and map out ways to deal with the crisis when it occurs. The CEO has to believe this day will come, and when it does, the company will be prepared to cope from the moment the crisis occurs to the point that recovery procedures begin.

4. They know how to communicate. Getting the right ideas into the heads of others is paramount. In the case of a recall or an environmental disaster, the first concern is public safety, not the financial interest of the shareholders.

5. They live and breathe the company culture. If the culture is right, the decision-making is much easier.

inspired by John Bell

2013-01-23T23:27:00.000-05:00

What are the drivers for buyers in determining who to do business with?

Great News! Price is NOT the driver in fact nearly 75% of the purchase decision is based on something other than price. Selling is a skill mixed with a little art but the facts tell us that all the elements of the Value Proposition are the most critical when it comes to meeting the customer’s needs…finding their hot button!

Things like Trust, Experience and Assortment all speak to an ease and comfort of doing business that hopefully becomes Loyalty and a repeat customer!

1. Price: 24% (Budget mentality)

* Consistently offers better prices compared to competitors

2. Delivery cost: 4% (Secondary Budget)

* Has reasonable delivery costs

3. Trust: 17% (No headaches)

* I know and trust this supplier – they consistently do what they say they are going to do

* The items they sell are always good quality

4. Experience: 17% (Convenience)
* I know they have it and they know how to do it

5. Information: 11% (Information)

* They make it easy to get information

6. Assortment: 12% (Selection)

* Has good range of prices, quality and products

7. Return policy: 12% (Insurance)

* Their warranty and return policy and process are reasonable

8. Loyalty: 3%

* They have been good to me

Based on research from McKinsey & Company

2013-01-09T18:02:00.001-05:00

Management Is (Still) Not Leadership

A few weeks ago, the BBC asked me to come in for a radio interview. They told me they wanted to talk about effective leadership — China had just elevated Xi Jinping to the role of Communist Party leader; General David Petraeus had stepped down from his post at the CIA a few days earlier; the BBC itself was wading through a leadership scandal of its own — but the conversation quickly veered, as these things often do, into a discussion about how individuals can keep large, complex, unwieldy organizations operating reliably and efficiently.

That's not leadership, I explained. That's management — and the two are radically different.
In more than four decades of studying businesses and consulting to organizations on how to implement new strategies, I can't tell you how many times I've heard people use the words "leadership" and "management" synonymously, and it drives me crazy every time. The interview reminded me once again that the confusion around these two terms is massive, and that misunderstanding gets in the way of any reasonable discussion about how to build a company, position it for success and win in the twenty-first century. The mistakes people make on the issue are threefold:

Mistake #1: People use the terms "management" and "leadership" interchangeably. This shows that they don't see the crucial difference between the two and the vital functions that each role plays.

Mistake #2: People use the term "leadership" to refer to the people at the very top of hierarchies. They then call the people in the layers below them in the organization "management." And then all the rest are workers, specialists, and individual contributors. This is also a mistake and very misleading.

Mistake #3: People often think of "leadership" in terms of personality characteristics, usually as something they call charisma. Since few people have great charisma, this leads logically to the conclusion that few people can provide leadership, which gets us into increasing trouble.
In fact, management is a set of well-known processes, like planning, budgeting, structuring jobs, staffing jobs, measuring performance and problem-solving, which help an organization to predictably do what it knows how to do well. Management helps you to produce products and services as you have promised, of consistent quality, on budget, day after day, week after week. In organizations of any size and complexity, this is an enormously difficult task. We constantly underestimate how complex this task really is, especially if we are not in senior management jobs. So, management is crucial — but it's not leadership.
Leadership is entirely different. It is associated with taking an organization into the future, finding opportunities that are coming at it faster and faster and successfully exploiting those opportunities. Leadership is about vision, about people buying in, about empowerment and, most of all, about producing useful change. Leadership is not about attributes, it's about behavior. And in an ever-faster-moving world, leadership is increasingly needed from more and more people, no matter where they are in a hierarchy. The notion that a few extraordinary people at the top can provide all the leadership needed today is ridiculous, and it's a recipe for failure.
Some people still argue that we must replace management with leadership. This is obviously not so: they serve different, yet essential, functions. We need superb management. And we need more superb leadership. We need to be able to make our complex organizations reliable and efficient. We need them to jump into the future — the right future — at an accelerated pace, no matter the size of the changes required to make that happen.
There are very, very few organizations today that have sufficient leadership. Until we face this issue, understanding exactly what the problem is, we're never going to solve it. Unless we recognize that we're not talking about management when we speak of leadership, all we will try to do when we do need more leadership is work harder to manage. At a certain point, we end up with over-managed and under-led organizations, which are increasingly vulnerable in a fast-moving world.

John Kotter

Dr. John P. Kotter is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at Harvard Business School and the Chief Innovation Officer at Kotter International, a firm that helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations.

So, What is a Strategy Anyway?

2012-09-19T20:15:00.003-04:00

I was a guest lecturer at the capstone course in an MBA program. The title of the course was, "Strategic Planning." It was near the end of the semester and the students were on the verge of graduation. I began the class by asking, "So, what is a strategy anyway?" My query was greeted by approximately twenty blank stares. I repeated the question; again, silence.
Finally, one brave soul raised her hand and said, "Porter Five Forces Model." Not wanting to discourage the class, I said, "Good" and wrote the name of the model on the board. Encouraged, another student chimed in, "BCG Growth Share Matrix."

Again, I wrote this on the board. Over the next two or three minutes another half dozen analytic tools made their way onto the board. Then I asked, "If I completed all of these analyses for my company, would I have a strategy?" A gentleman sitting in the front row responded sheepishly, "I don't think so, because you still wouldn't have a plan." Right! At its core, a strategy is nothing more than a plan to achieve your business goals.

Of course this definition of a strategy assumes that a company has established its business goals. All too often, that's not the case. Companies go into business to sell widgets, and sell widgets they do. But, senior managers often get so busy working in the business that they don't get around to working on the business. It's been said that America is the land of opportunity, and in the land of opportunity people can have anything they want. The trouble is that most Americans don't know what they want; because they have never taken the time to thoughtfully write down their goals. So, the first key to an effective strategy is to make the time to think through your goals and write them down.
Once the goals are written down, an actionable plan must be put into place to achieve the goals. We worked with one company whose CEO turned around and removed something from his drawer. With reverence, he presented it as though it were the original of the Gettysburg Address. As he handed it to me he said, "Read this, it's our strategy!" That evening I studied the document carefully. It contained a plethora of insightful analysis regarding the market, competitors, products, etc. It even spelled out the company's goals. Unfortunately, it did not contain so much as one word about who was going to do what, by when to achieve the goals. While perhaps brilliant analysis, this was decidedly not a strategy. A strategy requires a detailed plan to achieve the goals. Further, the plan needs to indicate not only what is going to be done, but which senior manager is responsible for each major task and by when it will be completed.

Further, for optimal results, the responsibilities of each senior manager must be cascaded throughout their respective organizations so that the goals of everyone in the company are aligned both with the company strategy and with each other. Suppose the president of a company declared to his senior management team, "Our goal is to increase profits by 30 percent this year, and it is up to each of you to implement plans to achieve this goal!" With this direction the VP of Manufacturing surveyed his plant and decided that the old equipment they were using resulted in significant inefficiency. Therefore, he would replace all of the old equipment with state of the art machines. This would result in increased productivity, reduced costs and therefore increased profits. The VP of Human Resources observed that many employees didn't know how to properly use the old machines on which they worked. Therefore, he decided to hire an outside training firm to retrain every manufacturing employee on how to most effectively use the existing equipment. This, he reasoned, would increase productivity, reduce costs and therefore increase profits. The CFO decided that she would eliminate all non-essential spending to drive costs down and increase profits. Obviously, this company is doomed to fail. While the plans of the three senior managers are certainly aligned with the company goal of increasing profits, they are most certainly not aligned with each other.

Once the goals of every member of the organization are aligned with the company's goals and with each other it is important to ensure that the human systems (e.g., performance management system, compensation system, hiring system, etc.) reinforce the achievement of these goals. For example, let's assume that one of the company's goals is to increase quality. It turns out that quality can be increase dramatically, but doing so will reduce productivity by 10 percent. Economically, this is a very good trade-off for the company. However, if production workers are paid a bonus based on productivity without consideration for quality, it is unlikely that they will be willing to reduce their output in favor of reduced errors. It is decidedly unfair to expect an employee to do something that is in the company's best interest, but that will reduce their income. A company's human systems must be aligned with and reinforce its goals.
In summary, a successful strategy requires:

A set of well thought out goals for the organization
A clear plan to achieve those goals
Each step in the plan must have a deadline for delivery and a single senior manager who is accountable
The goals of each senior manager must be cascaded down throughout their respective organizations so the goals of every employee are aligned with the strategy and with each other.
The company's human systems must work in concert with these goals

Successful execution of a coherent strategy requires achieving top to bottom alignment around a clear set of organizational goals. That takes a lot of work. But, experience shows that the results are well worth the effort and the cost of failure can be substantial.

Written by Whitestone Partners

Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues, and how he went about attaining them

2012-09-11T20:46:00.001-04:00

1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.

11. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

10 Calls to Action for Open Leadership

2012-09-06T20:19:00.002-04:00

Don’t just strategize for change

All businesses need to change. This is as true of a small, fast-paced creative business as it is of a global corporate behemoth. The problem is, despite the considerable money thrown at them and the legions of paper theories written about them, most change programs fail.

Strategy is, in fact, the easy bit. Paying for it hurts, but the pain passes. Doing it gets very hard indeed. You need to be prepared for the long road ahead. Only a dramatic shift in culture can yield the best results.

Do it now

Let’s face it, the ideal moment to change your business--when you’ve got a clear diary, all your clients are happy and there are no major projects in the pipeline--will never present itself. So stop waiting for the right time, just get on with it.

Pick the right team

The operative word here is team. You need to put together a genuine and focused group at the top of the business to make change happen. A team who invests effort in collective success and effort in making the team itself work effectively.

Do as I do, not as I say

Fundamentally, culture is the behavior of management. Too often, people accept change needs to happen, but believe it’s someone else that needs to behave differently to make it a reality. What you do as a manager, not what you say, is what really counts. Only your actions and leading by example will bring about a change in the way your whole organization behaves.

Engage, don’t mandate

The biggest barrier to change is mobilizing and energizing your workforce, which is likely to be highly skeptical. Your people need to be invited to shape the future of the business, not manipulated to satisfy the needs of management.

At Grey London we invited everyone to a series of day-long workshops to engage staff in developing our new vision and values. The management team didn’t define Open, the talent did. In an Open culture, the role of management is to create a culture that allows every individual to be the best they can be and then focus on removing obstacles and barriers that obstruct this ambition (of which inevitably there are many).

Break habits and make change visible

Culture is like concrete, which over time sets into a certain mold. An effective change program therefore needs a degree of physicality. Too much so-called change stays on PowerPoint. To really shake things up, you’ve got to take a sledgehammer to that concrete, but be mindful that, in time, the new way of doing things will also become too entrenched. You need to keep smashing and resetting to keep your culture vibrant and your business energized.

Fundamental to the success of Open is the breaking of barriers, physical or otherwise. So the first big step is tearing down walls: no offices (for anybody) and nobody sitting in departments. Then change your processes to involve all stakeholders throughout a project so everyone not only understands the problem, but takes pride and ownership in delivering the best answer.

Not all change has to be this radical, however. You can achieve a large amount by seemingly symbolic acts. Seen by everyone and felt immediately, symbolic acts can have disproportionate influence.

Management as mentors

Open turns the traditional organizational hierarchy upside down, recasting management as mentors. Ultimately, its success lies in the emphasis on the power of the individual and their teams to do the right thing, their way. It allows ambitious entrepreneurs to thrive and be the best they can be.

If you sit in an organization where the seventh floor doesn’t know what the first floor thinks, you can’t change a company’s culture. To combat this kind of malaise, you need to change people’s emotional contract with the organization--we went as far as giving junior executives a place on the board through the creation of "Open Chairs."

You also need tangible demonstrations of trust and devolution of responsibility. For Grey London, the most totemic act was the removal of "sign-offs." For us, sign-offs became a short hand for everything that we believed was wrong about traditional agency ways of working. Sign-offs are about control, but unfortunately, also disempower and imply that only the creative director’s point of view matters. This leads to a slow, dependent culture, frustrated clients and, most importantly of all, less good work.

Open belongs to everyone. It involves everyone. Even clients. Ideas can come from anywhere and anyone, so allow people to adapt the approach as they see fit and launch their own initiatives to promote a culture of collaboration. You’ll find leaders emerge at all levels.

Recognize that change is lumpy

Set ambitious metrics for success and be transparent about what they are. Encourage open and honest feedback and share all the results with everyone. Open is about decisions, action and continuous change. Coupled with ambitious targets and full disclosure on progress, comes the very real possibility of failure. If you’ve fully embraced Open, you will make the wrong decisions from time to time, but as long as you continue to act and make more good decisions than bad ones, your business will move forward fast. Remember, change isn’t linear--it’s lumpy.

At Grey London, implementing a "70% right" approach has served us very well. As General Schwarzkopf once said, “If you’ve waited until you’re more than 70% certain, then you’ve waited too long.”

Don’t stop

Too often, change consists of one-off initiatives that are forgotten by employees and abandoned by management. You need to nurture continual change and ongoing collaboration through workshops, training, social events and company-wide challenges.

We lie awake at night worrying "what next?" rather than, "did that work?"

The stakeholder journey

Identify your stakeholders and make sure they see the result of your change program--not just being different, but being better. Not better in the abstract or in a corporate sense, but better for them as individuals.

This applies to all stakeholders and you need to be able to articulate exactly how. From the personal association with a winning team, the potential career development if you’re the client who commissions a breakthrough piece of creative, the rewards that come with working for a successful company, and yes, even just coming to a nice place to work.