John Pisapia blogs

Do Away with PISA?

John Pisapia — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 14:43:32 +0000

12/17/11 - Random Thoughts from the Conference on Imagination and Creativity #2

Well the day started out much like yesterday – missed the bus – but found 2 colleagues Robyn Gillies from University of Queensland and her husband (retired teacher) from Australia who had also – we shared a cab and I spent most of the day with them – about 3 pm I was looking at the program and saw a familiar picture and turned to Robyn and said OH there you are!! – Evidently she was an invited speaker on Cooperative Learning – Fame is Fleeting! - engaging together couple; enjoyed them.

Technology to the Rescue

John Pisapia — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:35:21 +0000

Random thoughts from the Confernce Creativity and Imagination held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

12/16/11

Missed the bus to the University as did a couple of my colleagues from Finland – so we shared a cab. They are at the East Finland University and are special educators – I have me many Finnish special educators on previous trips – they know how to travel -- the older professor has a colleague in Nebraska who he visits with -- an insight to the Finnish personality – he likes it – says he went to a small town of 700 people and read the history – said the town was formed in 1879 and nothing has changed much since – he says that is the way Fins like -

Creativity+ Innovation = Game Change!

John Pisapia — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:10:53 +0000

Steve Jobs was the Henry Ford of his time. Henry did not invent the automobile. He turned automotive transportation into an affordable consumer product. Steve did not invent the computer, the phone or the tablet. He turned these devices into affordable consumer products. The car and the modern computer interface came from the creative minds of other people but were commercialized by creative innovators Ford and Jobs.

Creativity is the development of a novel idea that has value (de Bono 2011, Amiable 1996, 2004; Sternberg 1999). Being creative in a leadership sense is the capacity to see and think differently than most. But, “being creative is not enough!”

Strategic Leadership: Key Definitions

John Pisapia — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:04:59 +0000

Strategic
At the center of anything strategic is a purpose that needs to be fostered, enhanced, or nurtured. So, when you hear the word strategic think purpose, priorities, strategies and the tactics you use to achieve your purpose.

What Makes these Events Creative?

John Pisapia — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:24:44 +0000

Observation #1
I was standing in the lobby of the Europa Hotel in Belfast waiting for a colleague to go to dinner. Singles, pairs and groups of young men and women rushed into the lobby and asked where was the White Collar Boxing taking place. The doorman said on the first floor, After observing this scene for a few minutes I asked the doorman what is white collar boxing and why were all these people rushing to participate. After all I had been at the hotel for 4 days and had not seen this many people in the lobby before. He explained that white collar means managers, lawyers, directors of companies where donating their talent to box each other for charity, He surmised that some of the people rushing in where coming to see their boss take a beating.

The Master SLer Steps Down!

John Pisapia — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:02:15 +0000

The Master SLer steps down! Steve Jobs says his health no longer allows him to fulfill his duties. He is the man who was a role model of:

1. Persistence and learning from mistakes – the Newton – Lisa. The newton turned into I Phone; Lisa turned into the Macintosh;

2. Commitment to values – ease of use and cool design – closed sourcing –

3. Resilience – forced out of Apple, he founded Next computer – returned to Apple and took it to greater heights.

4. Branding and Image - The Black Mock Turtle – The well worn blue jeans - The annual presentation of products we couldn’t do without. — The image, voice and soul of Apple. A Rock Star

Frame or be Framed!

John Pisapia — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:23:02 +0000

I am the eldest of six children in our family. After our parents passed, we all have grown older and closer. At our annual reunions there is always a time, generally at the dinner table, when our conversation turns to memories of our youth, our parents, and our views of the world then and now.

We grew up in a small three bedroom house with one small bathroom. With eight of us squeezed into this small house, we lived in exceptionally close proximity but when it was story-telling time during our reunions it is as if we each grew up in a different house to different parents and with other siblings. Memories are strange that way!

Roll Up or Roll Out?

John Pisapia — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:21:29 +0000

Dr. Linda Ellington
Associate Professor of Business
Palm Beach Atlantic University

Systems thinkers believe the whole is greater than the parts. They see the whole picture and the connections between and among seemingly disparate events and processes and use this information to make reliable inferences developing an increasingly deep understanding of underlying structure. Here is how it works!

Mulling it Over! Fast or Slow

John Pisapia — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:19:42 +0000

Reflection (or mulling things over) is the ability to inquire, mentally concentrate, carefully consider, and evaluate our experiences. Reflective thinking can be used on action, in action, and for action. When used on action we review past experiences to determine what happened and how could we have done it better. When used for action, the evaluative way the skills of critical thinking and creative thinking are important. When used in action we act intuitively relying on the rules of thumb we created when reflecting on action. Using these three tactics, reflection becomes a powerful strategic thinking skill that enables us to evaluate, decide and embark on new paths. The following vignette of how a school found its purpose illustrates how it works!

A Little Birdie Told Me!

John Pisapia — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 21:57:20 +0000

Reflection serves several functions. It can be used on action, in action, and for action. This post examines reflection in action or thinking on our feet in the heat of the battle. Schön’s (1983) ideas on reflecting in action, Simon’s (1987) intuition, Meyers’ (2002) and Gladwell’s (2005) thin slicing, Klein’s (1998) recognition primed decision-making, Chase & Simon’s (1973) chunking, and Pisapia’s (2010) contrast of blinking and thinking are examples of scholarly and popular work in the area.

Take Care of Your People

John Pisapia — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:29:50 +0000

I have lectured and established research alliances in many places in this beautiful world spreading the gospel of strategic leadership. In addition to my natural assignment in the USA, I have taught courses in Macau, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. I also lectured in Shanghai, Turkey, India, Italy, Greece, Paraguay, Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, South Africa, Northern Ireland, The United Kingdom, Portugal, Netherlands, Columbia, Canada, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. I have established working research alliances with colleagues in many more places than I have visited, such as Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. We work as a team using the strategic leadership instruments and protocols Dan and I developed even though we may never meet each other face to face.

Being Right is Not Enough!

John Pisapia — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:31:51 +0000

Kent Lineback in a recent Harvard Business post talks about the difficulty to convince his boss and colleagues about the need for fundamental changes the company needed to make. They essentially were comfortable with the way things were even it meant losing market share and profits. They couldn’t see the problem or were in denial. So they did the normal thing – they hired a consultant.

After the consultant made his report, Kent approached him and said "What do you think is going on? Every time I make the same points you just did; people nod their head, yawn. It’s a NATO organization; you know No Action – Talk Only kind of place. The consultant said, “You made good and accurate points but you didn’t build any bridges.”

We are in the Weeds!

John Pisapia — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:32:12 +0000

A few days ago, some the STQ Online Team (John, Lin, Gianni) shared a pizza at a local pizzeria. The waiter came over and asked “how are you!” I responded in my customary appreciative inquiry mode - “great and you?” He answered, we are in the weeds. Thinking the worst, I aked, “what does that mean?” He said its restaurant talk for “we are busy.”

You Don’t Have To Change!

John Pisapia — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:51:53 +0000

Mohammad Ilyas, Guest Blogger

No, you don’t have to change! But don’t expect the world to stop Changing! In fact, by all indicators, the pace of change in the world around us is becoming faster and faster. Here are few eye-opening projections from a YouTube video “shift happens.” This six-minute video beautifully describes the dynamics of the changes that our world is going through. It provides glimpses of powerful technology trends, global competitive environment, and the challenges that next generations are expected to face. There is no way that old approaches (and mindset) will provide effective solutions to these challenges. Here are a few relevant highlights from this video:

Does your Boss use a M16A2 or a AK-47?

John Pisapia — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:11:24 +0000

Michael P. Warkentien
Doctoral Student, Florida Atlantic University
Guest Blogger

In his 2009 book, the Strategic Leader: New Tactics for a Globalizing World, Pisapia suggests that old science tactics must be replaced by new science tactics. He proposes that, in environments that are ambiguous, unpredictable and somewhat chaotic, simplicity allows an organization to more quickly adjust to current conditions.

The simplicity is achieved by using the tactic of minimum specifications that are tied to the values of the organization. The Ritz Carlton Corporation provides a good example of a minimum specification to guide employee behavior when they say we are ladies and gentleman serving ladies and gentlemen. Employees are expected to apply this value when confronted with a difficult situation for which they have not been trained.

The Million Doller Idea

John Pisapia — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:03:00 +0000

Sherry Andre
Assistant Professor
Johnson & Wales University
Guest Blogger

With the New Year right around the corner, it is pretty safe to say many people will be creating a list of New Year’s resolutions. However, the reality is most people will never accomplish what they set out to achieve. Is it because their idea or plan is flawed? Probably not. Instead, it is much more likely to be the result of a failed attempt at execution, similar to a well defined strategy that fails to reach fruition due to implementation failure.

Do you think you are the exception? I don’t know. If you’re reading this maybe you are, but regardless I ask you to consider the following. I’ve heard we are exposed to at least one $1 million idea every day, but most, in fact almost all of us fail to do anything with those ideas. In a world so obsessed with money and material objects, this sounds a bit contradictory.

How I Missed the Future!

John Pisapia — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:09:39 +0000

Two years ago I entered my classroom and a student asked if her baby sister, a twenty two year old undergraduate student at the University of Florida (UF), could sit in the back of the room. Her reason for this request was that it was a holiday weekend and many public spaces on campus were closed. She explained that her sister who was on break from UF would be attending a family function after class as a surprise guest. So she needed to hide out for awhile. I said no problem; she could hide in my class since some of my own students were also hiding out; and I began class.

Watermelon, Zucchini, Keystones, & Strategic Leadership

John Pisapia — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:21:57 +0000

In The Strategic Leader, I suggest that leaders are responsible to create the conditions by which individuals and organizations can flourish. Consider these two examples.

Years ago, the central common bond among my executive team was a love of farming. Having come from a non farming childhood, I had difficulty being accepted into the group on any basis except competence. I set out to hone my farming instincts and not only participated in hay baling, castrating bulls, and butchering pigs but started gardening. I got a bunch of books on the subject and set out my plants, and watered as directed in a small space in my yard. Lo and behold, I soon had giant watermelons, corn as high as the sky and more tomatoes and zucchini than I could eat in two years.

The Byrd Effect

John Pisapia — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:06:07 +0000

Robert C. Byrd the long term senator from West Virginia died on June 26, 2010; he was 92 years old and served in the congress for 57 years. He was the white haired senator whose hands shook when he spoke on the floor of the senate. When I met him his hands weren’t shaking, but he was shaking things up!

My first meeting with the Senator came the week after I was appointed as West Virginia’s State Superintendent of School some 22 years ago. I was practicing the strategic leader tactic of BRIDGING – I flew to DC to meet all the congressional delegation and State department bureaucrats who were on my critical path. You know - the people you must have good relationships with if you want to move your agenda along.The meeting with the Senator began a series of interactions which taught me some valuable leadership lessons. My most vivid recollection is a lesson I call the “Byrd Effect.”

Soccer or a Relay Race?

John Pisapia — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 13:22:45 +0000

t The Strategic Leader Network (SLN)

Is your organization's conception of change a relay race or soccer?

In a relay race the baton is passed in a sequential, linear, structured way. In a soccer match, the ball is passed up the field in a non sequential, nonlinear order.