There is a group of forensic chemists who gather periodically for something called “The Bite-mark Breakfast”, where they are treated to a slide show of various bite marks, which they attempt to identify while enjoying their eggs, sausage and toast. (This popped into my head this morning as I was feeding my cat. She was in a nasty mood, and I made the mistake of picking her up to give her a little rub before heading off for a 3 week business trip.) In this same vein (pun intended!) I thought it would be fun to take a spirited look at the wounds incurred by engineering projects, in particular those of the self-inflicted kind. While there are endless challenges rained down upon any product development project, the most regrettable are those we bring upon ourselves. These acts of self-mutilation and attempted suicide are largely avoidable, and it’s a pity to have any hard-working team suffer the consequences of such behavior on the part of an engineering project leader.
The single-most hideous self-induced risk to life and limb of any project is to for an inexperienced and unqualified project manager to take the lead. Just because project management seems easy when it’s done properly is no reason to believe that anyone with half a brain can do it. Technical geniuses who can figure out how to launch the space shuttle from their iPods can’t necessarily hammer out a shared vision among the divergent views of a bunch of clamoring stakeholders. Process gurus sporting black belts in the latest incarnation of statistical process control and the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle created by Shewhart and popularized by Dr. Deming in the last century aren’t automatically gifted at motivating, coaching and inspiring individuals to contribute their very best in the pursuit of a worthy cause. And don’t EVEN get me started about what a person who is able to study the PMBOK (PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge) and remember what they read long enough to answer multiple choice questions on a test may or may not be capable of!
A qualified and experienced project manager knows enough about the product and technology to facilitate sensible decisions among the project team, and detect total nonsense when they hear it. They are capable of employing a variety of problem-solving methods that assure that all relevant information and viewpoints are considered, not just chairing a round table swapping of opinions. And, far beyond dishing out tasks and checking on status, they are committed to bringing out the best in each of the individuals on their team through a combination of appropriately matching the person to the task, encouragement and course-correcting feedback. These are the essential “3 Ps” that produce business results: Product/Process/People.
Yeah, but . . . what if you are the unqualified and inexperienced project manager who is currently leading a project that is way above your capacity? Run, don’t walk, to the nearest highly experienced and capable person you can find and beg them to help you and your team avoid the self-inflicted damage toward which you are surely tottering. Get them to “shadow manage” the project by coaching and mentoring you every step of the way. Meet with them at length on a weekly basis, and talk with them informally frequently throughout the week. This is exactly how I managed my first project, which I was assigned to lead after I complained bitterly about the inadequacies of the current project manager. I was fortunate to have a manager who was willing and able to guide me through my first project leadership experience. You may not be so lucky, in which case you may need to find a mentor, or even hire someone to help you. That’s right, if you can’t get your company to provide you what you need, pay good money out of your own pocket if necessary to get the kind of support that you need to do a great job on your project. I’ve hired professional coaches from time to time in my career, usually when I stepped into a role that felt 5 sizes too big for me. There’s nothing like having someone with 20 years of experience showing you the way. Reading books, taking classes and passing exams are no substitute for decades of experience. Consider it an investment in your continued employment! And you can usually write it off on your taxes.
Cross posted at www.SVProjectManagement.net
_________________________________________
Kimberly Wiefling specializes in enabling people to achieve what seems impossible, but is merely difficult. She is the author of one of the top project management books in the US, “Scrappy Project Management - The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces”, growing in popularity around the world, and published in Japanese by Nikkei Business Press. The founder of Wiefling Consulting, LLC, she consults to global business leaders. She spends about half of her time working with high-potential leaders in Japanese companies, facilitating leadership, innovation and execution excellence workshops to enable Japanese companies to solve global problems profitably.
More...
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Transparency [Rino Jose]
We say we want transparency in decision-making, transparency within our organizations...but do we really mean it?
Transparency within organizations is a good thing. It means that teams and functions are communicating freely. It's a sign that decisions are being made with more information and more scrutiny. It indicates that the organization is executing efficiently.
When problems arise in transparent organizations, people can see them immediately and from different perspectives. The organization can respond quickly to unexpected events and save valuable time. Organizational goals can be modified, and the people can quickly realign their activities.
There are three main reasons that keep organizations from being transparent. The first is that most organizations have unintentionally developed a "culture of opacity". You can see this when people say their information needs to be filtered and controlled because others can't understand it out of context. You can also see this when people don't trust their own teams to report information. Some organizationl roles exist simply to filter and throttle information.
A second reason is that it can take a lot of effort to be transparent. There may not be an easy way to communicate what's happening or why. People may not even be able to track all of the information that's being generated by their teams, creating a kind of opacity by default. Technology, however, has advanced to the point where this should no longer be an issue. There are tools that can reduce the effort of tracking and presenting information so it's less than negligible (i.e., they actually cut the effort of what you're doing today as they provide transparency for your team).
The third main reason is that...
One of the things I said about breaking a "cycle of distrust" was that someone had to go first, to make the first gesture. Transparency is a perfect example of this. We can't say we want transparency within our organizations if we ourselves are not willing to reveal how we make our own decisions. Someone must take the first step.
Why is it so hard to do this? If we feel the need to hide something, we should question that. If it's because we don't trust others in the organization, we should question that, too. Get to the root of distrust and eliminate it. If it's beyond your authority, find someone with more clout. There are always people with influence that want the organization to run well. It's likely that they aren't able to see where the problems are. Build a window into your team so they can see for themselves.
(originally posted on Management Revolution)
_________________________________________
Rino Jose is the principal co-founder of Lakeway Technologies, a startup that develops web apps for automating engineering and project management. He has developed software and managed software teams professionally for over 15 years. As a manager and management consultant, he has led turnarounds for multiple engineering teams. Rino holds a B.S. from U.C. Berkeley and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania with cross-disciplinary focus between Engineering, Computer Science, and the Wharton Business School.
More...
Transparency is a Sign of Efficiency
Transparency within organizations is a good thing. It means that teams and functions are communicating freely. It's a sign that decisions are being made with more information and more scrutiny. It indicates that the organization is executing efficiently.
When problems arise in transparent organizations, people can see them immediately and from different perspectives. The organization can respond quickly to unexpected events and save valuable time. Organizational goals can be modified, and the people can quickly realign their activities.
Why Aren't Organizations More Transparent?
There are three main reasons that keep organizations from being transparent. The first is that most organizations have unintentionally developed a "culture of opacity". You can see this when people say their information needs to be filtered and controlled because others can't understand it out of context. You can also see this when people don't trust their own teams to report information. Some organizationl roles exist simply to filter and throttle information.
A second reason is that it can take a lot of effort to be transparent. There may not be an easy way to communicate what's happening or why. People may not even be able to track all of the information that's being generated by their teams, creating a kind of opacity by default. Technology, however, has advanced to the point where this should no longer be an issue. There are tools that can reduce the effort of tracking and presenting information so it's less than negligible (i.e., they actually cut the effort of what you're doing today as they provide transparency for your team).
The third main reason is that...
Transparency Requires Trust
One of the things I said about breaking a "cycle of distrust" was that someone had to go first, to make the first gesture. Transparency is a perfect example of this. We can't say we want transparency within our organizations if we ourselves are not willing to reveal how we make our own decisions. Someone must take the first step.
Why is it so hard to do this? If we feel the need to hide something, we should question that. If it's because we don't trust others in the organization, we should question that, too. Get to the root of distrust and eliminate it. If it's beyond your authority, find someone with more clout. There are always people with influence that want the organization to run well. It's likely that they aren't able to see where the problems are. Build a window into your team so they can see for themselves.
(originally posted on Management Revolution)
_________________________________________
Rino Jose is the principal co-founder of Lakeway Technologies, a startup that develops web apps for automating engineering and project management. He has developed software and managed software teams professionally for over 15 years. As a manager and management consultant, he has led turnarounds for multiple engineering teams. Rino holds a B.S. from U.C. Berkeley and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania with cross-disciplinary focus between Engineering, Computer Science, and the Wharton Business School.
More...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Commitment – Inspiration that Never Fails [Kimberly Wiefling]
Inspiration is important to effective engineering leadership, and every kind of leadership in fact. But we can’t depend on it showing up when needed.It comes and goes, like a feral cat that roams about looking for a bite to eat. We can feel inspiration waxing and waning within us, and the inspiration from the outside world can’t be counted upon to show up on a regular basis. However the important work that we need to do in our projects, and in life in general, remains – independent of whether we happen to be inspired to do it. That’s why I have chosen to be inspired by my commitments. The commitments of a person of integrity are solid, powerful and lasting. These kinds of commitments carry the weight of reputation and intention. They are ever present. If you lead inspired by your commitments it doesn’t matter whether we’re tired, feeling disheartened, low on energy, unappreciated, or frustrated by circumstances. The commitments that we have made call us to action. This is mighty handy when we can’t afford to wait for inspiration!
When we rely solely on external sources of inspiration, such as other people, positive feedback, the positive results of our work, we give away our power. If you’re a gifted painter and no one wants to buy your works, should you stop painting? If you’re a talented musician and no one wants to pay you for your music, should you stop writing or singing? And if you are a dedicated project leader working on a project that truly matters, but that people do not acknowledge, support or appreciate, should you do a crappy job, give up hope, and leave gesturing wildly into the air with one particular finger? I don’t think so. (OK, if the project DOESN’T matter, maybe go with the finger thing.)
Mother Theresa was this kind of leader. A couple of the sayings purported to be among her favorites (and I think useful for today’s engineering leaders!) are “Despite giving your best to the world, you may be kicked in the teeth. Give the best you’ve got anyway.” and “Years of your hard work may be destroyed overnight. That should not deter you from building upon your hard work.” Mother Theresa was not relying on inspiration to get her out of bed in the morning, and she wasn’t relying on positive feedback, encouragement or support. Nope, she knew who she was and what she was committed to doing, and she got up every day and did it. Period.
What kind of leader are you? What are you committed to more than your comfort or the approval of your colleagues, friends, or the world in general? And what’s your commitment worth? If you’re only committed when you’re inspired, well, that’s a bit dicey. But if you are wholeheartedly committed when you give your word, and your word is tightly bound up with your integrity, then you have a chance of living up to your commitments whether or not you happen to have a source of inspiration in your life.
And here’s a bit of a kōan for you . . . what if you are ‘committed to being inspiring’ whether you feel like it or not? (I guess that’s kinda like saying that you are living vicariously through yourself.) If you are committed to being truly and authentically inspiring then your team can depend on you to inspire them when they need it, whether or not you yourself feel inspired. Now that’s something a great leader should ASPIRE to!
Cross posted at www.SVProjectManagement.net
_________________________________________
Kimberly Wiefling specializes in enabling people to achieve what seems impossible, but is merely difficult. She is the author of one of the top project management books in the US, “Scrappy Project Management - The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces”, growing in popularity around the world, and published in Japanese by Nikkei Business Press. The founder of Wiefling Consulting, LLC, she consults to global business leaders. She spends about half of her time working with high-potential leaders in Japanese companies, facilitating leadership, innovation and execution excellence workshops to enable Japanese companies to solve global problems profitably.
More...
When we rely solely on external sources of inspiration, such as other people, positive feedback, the positive results of our work, we give away our power. If you’re a gifted painter and no one wants to buy your works, should you stop painting? If you’re a talented musician and no one wants to pay you for your music, should you stop writing or singing? And if you are a dedicated project leader working on a project that truly matters, but that people do not acknowledge, support or appreciate, should you do a crappy job, give up hope, and leave gesturing wildly into the air with one particular finger? I don’t think so. (OK, if the project DOESN’T matter, maybe go with the finger thing.)
Mother Theresa was this kind of leader. A couple of the sayings purported to be among her favorites (and I think useful for today’s engineering leaders!) are “Despite giving your best to the world, you may be kicked in the teeth. Give the best you’ve got anyway.” and “Years of your hard work may be destroyed overnight. That should not deter you from building upon your hard work.” Mother Theresa was not relying on inspiration to get her out of bed in the morning, and she wasn’t relying on positive feedback, encouragement or support. Nope, she knew who she was and what she was committed to doing, and she got up every day and did it. Period.
What kind of leader are you? What are you committed to more than your comfort or the approval of your colleagues, friends, or the world in general? And what’s your commitment worth? If you’re only committed when you’re inspired, well, that’s a bit dicey. But if you are wholeheartedly committed when you give your word, and your word is tightly bound up with your integrity, then you have a chance of living up to your commitments whether or not you happen to have a source of inspiration in your life.
And here’s a bit of a kōan for you . . . what if you are ‘committed to being inspiring’ whether you feel like it or not? (I guess that’s kinda like saying that you are living vicariously through yourself.) If you are committed to being truly and authentically inspiring then your team can depend on you to inspire them when they need it, whether or not you yourself feel inspired. Now that’s something a great leader should ASPIRE to!
Cross posted at www.SVProjectManagement.net
_________________________________________
Kimberly Wiefling specializes in enabling people to achieve what seems impossible, but is merely difficult. She is the author of one of the top project management books in the US, “Scrappy Project Management - The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces”, growing in popularity around the world, and published in Japanese by Nikkei Business Press. The founder of Wiefling Consulting, LLC, she consults to global business leaders. She spends about half of her time working with high-potential leaders in Japanese companies, facilitating leadership, innovation and execution excellence workshops to enable Japanese companies to solve global problems profitably.
More...
Saturday, March 20, 2010
The Endless Journey-Becoming the Kind of Leader You Admire [Kimberly Wiefling]
The process of becoming a great engineering leader, or any kind of leader for that matter, is a perpetual quest. It is an endless journey of self-discovery. Just like going to church, you can never be “done”. There will be successes along the way, but no failures, only feedback from which you can choose to learn and grow. Sometimes the challenges you face will seem too enormous for you, but you will benefit more from the difficult parts of your travels than the easy roads. When Nelson Mandela was asked what changed about him during years in prison he said he matured in prison (an environment not totally unlike some corporate environments). In my experience, age definitely helps improve leadership wisdom, especially since it brings more patience!
There will never be a convenient time for you to invest in developing yourself as a leader. It will never be the most urgent or pressing task on your “to do” list. But it will certainly be the most important thing that you can do to increase your ability to make a positive difference in your work and enhance your overall career success.
You may be fortunate enough to have help: a mentor, coach or guide who provides valuable advice or support in your quest to become a great leader: but no one can give you what you deny yourself. A mentor can help you make best use of the opportunities that you have before you if you are willing to listen openly to their advice.
Leadership is not a position in an org chart or a title on your business card. It’s a mindset, it’s behavior, a way of communicating, especially listening. Do not wait until you are given a position of leadership to become a great leader. Commit today to becoming the kind of leader you admire regardless of your role or title in your organization. Set goals for your leadership development that extend far into the future, clearly imagining yourself as the leader you admire and then taking steps to become more like that leader every day. As you look back on your journey from the far future you will be amazed at your progress and the positive difference that one person can make in your company and in the world.
Cross posted at www.SVProjectManagement.net
_________________________________________
Kimberly Wiefling specializes in enabling people to achieve what seems impossible, but is merely difficult. She is the author of one of the top project management books in the US, “Scrappy Project Management - The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces”, growing in popularity around the world, and published in Japanese by Nikkei Business Press. The founder of Wiefling Consulting, LLC, she consults to global business leaders. She spends about half of her time working with high-potential leaders in Japanese companies, facilitating leadership, innovation and execution excellence workshops to enable Japanese companies to solve global problems profitably.
More...
There will never be a convenient time for you to invest in developing yourself as a leader. It will never be the most urgent or pressing task on your “to do” list. But it will certainly be the most important thing that you can do to increase your ability to make a positive difference in your work and enhance your overall career success.
You may be fortunate enough to have help: a mentor, coach or guide who provides valuable advice or support in your quest to become a great leader: but no one can give you what you deny yourself. A mentor can help you make best use of the opportunities that you have before you if you are willing to listen openly to their advice.
Leadership is not a position in an org chart or a title on your business card. It’s a mindset, it’s behavior, a way of communicating, especially listening. Do not wait until you are given a position of leadership to become a great leader. Commit today to becoming the kind of leader you admire regardless of your role or title in your organization. Set goals for your leadership development that extend far into the future, clearly imagining yourself as the leader you admire and then taking steps to become more like that leader every day. As you look back on your journey from the far future you will be amazed at your progress and the positive difference that one person can make in your company and in the world.
Cross posted at www.SVProjectManagement.net
_________________________________________
Kimberly Wiefling specializes in enabling people to achieve what seems impossible, but is merely difficult. She is the author of one of the top project management books in the US, “Scrappy Project Management - The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces”, growing in popularity around the world, and published in Japanese by Nikkei Business Press. The founder of Wiefling Consulting, LLC, she consults to global business leaders. She spends about half of her time working with high-potential leaders in Japanese companies, facilitating leadership, innovation and execution excellence workshops to enable Japanese companies to solve global problems profitably.
More...
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Next EL SIG Meeting: "Bust The Silos" [Robert Lasater]
The next meeting of the Engineering Leadership SIG of the SD Forum is this coming Thursday evening, March 18. The program starts at 6:30 PM, with the featured talk, "Bust The Silos: How to Improve Groups and Organizations Working Together" by Jeff Saperstein starting about 7:10 PM.
Summary of the Presentation
If you experience difficulties with group collaboration because of job description and functional department silos, lack of time for people to provide guidance to each other, and a mismatch between rewards and encouragement of group outcomes, then you are not alone.
Demand Creation orientation and practices can improve collaboration—based on new business processes supported by technology—to enable an organization to be more customer centric and responsive resulting in increased productivity and sustained, profitable growth.
In this session we will explore what hold us back from collaborating better and Jeff Saperstein will speak about what he has learned in his research to write Bust the Silos: Opening Your Organization for Growth.
About Jeff Saperstein:
Jeff Saperstein is an author, teacher, and consultant. His books and case studies focus on best practices for innovation. He has worked with governments, corporations and non-governmental organizations to use marketing to increase growth. Mr. Saperstein teaches at San Francisco State University College of Business, at Cisco, and other corporations, He teaches seminars on Tech Clusters and Innovation at the European School of Management in Paris and hosts International MBA groups for immersion tours in Silicon Valley. In addition he leads technology bloggers on writing trips to regional centers of innovation excellence including Israel and London/Cambridge. He is also co-founder of "Traveling Geeks".
Location
SAP
3410 Hillview Avenue, Building 1
Palo Alto, CA
94304
In the Palo Alto hills above the Foothill Expressway, between Page Mill Road and Arastradero.
Agenda
6:30 - 7:00 Registration, Free wine, beer, snacks, pizza, soda and networking
6:33 - 6:58 Engineering Leadership Roundtable (New and Expanded!)
7:00 - 7:10 Introduction and brief announcements
7:10 - 8:20 Keynote and Q&A
8:20 - 8:30 Other announcements (next month's topic & speaker, jobs, blogs ...)
8:30 - 8:45 Informal networking
8:45 - 8:50 Clean up and have a safe trip home!
Engineering Leadership SIG events are primarily about Engineering Leadership, and are not restricted to software development. Audience reaction tends to be overwhelming positive, with participants giving recent presentations 4 or more on a scale of 1 to 5.
SNACK and BEVERAGE Sponsor for this Month: ProjectConnections
ProjectConnections.com provides practical project management know-how to the people who are leading and managing projects, teams, and people. Our goal is to help you save time, avoid or solve problems, and ultimately be successful on your business-critical projects. The site provides practical just-in-time tips, techniques, tools, and advice through a broad set of online project-related resources, with support for new and experienced managers alike, and both individual and organizational plans available to support everyone who's depended on for the success of your projects.
We would like to thank ProjectConnections for their sponsorship!
More...
Summary of the Presentation
If you experience difficulties with group collaboration because of job description and functional department silos, lack of time for people to provide guidance to each other, and a mismatch between rewards and encouragement of group outcomes, then you are not alone.
Demand Creation orientation and practices can improve collaboration—based on new business processes supported by technology—to enable an organization to be more customer centric and responsive resulting in increased productivity and sustained, profitable growth.
In this session we will explore what hold us back from collaborating better and Jeff Saperstein will speak about what he has learned in his research to write Bust the Silos: Opening Your Organization for Growth.
About Jeff Saperstein:
Jeff Saperstein is an author, teacher, and consultant. His books and case studies focus on best practices for innovation. He has worked with governments, corporations and non-governmental organizations to use marketing to increase growth. Mr. Saperstein teaches at San Francisco State University College of Business, at Cisco, and other corporations, He teaches seminars on Tech Clusters and Innovation at the European School of Management in Paris and hosts International MBA groups for immersion tours in Silicon Valley. In addition he leads technology bloggers on writing trips to regional centers of innovation excellence including Israel and London/Cambridge. He is also co-founder of "Traveling Geeks".
Location
SAP
3410 Hillview Avenue, Building 1
Palo Alto, CA
94304
In the Palo Alto hills above the Foothill Expressway, between Page Mill Road and Arastradero.
Agenda
6:30 - 7:00 Registration, Free wine, beer, snacks, pizza, soda and networking
6:33 - 6:58 Engineering Leadership Roundtable (New and Expanded!)
7:00 - 7:10 Introduction and brief announcements
7:10 - 8:20 Keynote and Q&A
8:20 - 8:30 Other announcements (next month's topic & speaker, jobs, blogs ...)
8:30 - 8:45 Informal networking
8:45 - 8:50 Clean up and have a safe trip home!
Engineering Leadership SIG events are primarily about Engineering Leadership, and are not restricted to software development. Audience reaction tends to be overwhelming positive, with participants giving recent presentations 4 or more on a scale of 1 to 5.
SNACK and BEVERAGE Sponsor for this Month: ProjectConnections
ProjectConnections.com provides practical project management know-how to the people who are leading and managing projects, teams, and people. Our goal is to help you save time, avoid or solve problems, and ultimately be successful on your business-critical projects. The site provides practical just-in-time tips, techniques, tools, and advice through a broad set of online project-related resources, with support for new and experienced managers alike, and both individual and organizational plans available to support everyone who's depended on for the success of your projects.
We would like to thank ProjectConnections for their sponsorship!
More...
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Cross Posting on the EL SIG Blog [Robert Lasater]
Crossposting is an old and established tradition in the Blogosphere, and I am happy to announce the blog of the Engineering Leadership SIG of the SD Forum is adopting it.
Kimberly Wiefling is a key person to making this Engineering Leadership SIG work. Her energy and enthusiasm are truly remarkable. She has agreed to cross post some of her work from SV Project Management on this blog. One of her postings has already appeared and some more will be appearing over the next few days.
If you have a blog you would like to have cross posted here, or have selected postings you would like to contribute to this blog, please send email to elsigblog@gmail.com or rlasater@hotmail.com.
More...
Kimberly Wiefling is a key person to making this Engineering Leadership SIG work. Her energy and enthusiasm are truly remarkable. She has agreed to cross post some of her work from SV Project Management on this blog. One of her postings has already appeared and some more will be appearing over the next few days.
If you have a blog you would like to have cross posted here, or have selected postings you would like to contribute to this blog, please send email to elsigblog@gmail.com or rlasater@hotmail.com.
More...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Problem Solving and the Black Swan [Matt Schlegel]
In past blogs I have described the importance of creating a clear statement of the problem before you jump into a problem-solving project. The challenge with creating this problem statement is that not everyone has the same problem. In fact, during good times the types of problems that people have grow diverse and less severe. Then, in flies the Black Swan, a disruptive event that impacts a great number of people. This event presses the problem-solving reset button.
In The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb describes the impact of infrequent events. Taleb calls such an infrequent event, “a Black Swan.” In terms of problem solving, the impact of a Black Swan event is clear – a large number of people come to share a common problem. Whatever smaller issues those people may have faced before, there is a huge problem in front of them that many must address.
In the corporate world, a Black Swan event may be any number of situations: the departure of an important leader, customer or vendor; the restructuring of a division; a merger or acquisition of another company. The list goes on and on. Any of these events gets the attention of everyone in the company and creates a natural urge to want to help solve the problem.
The great news about a Black Swan event is that it gets everyone focused and working together. In large organizations this is hard to do, but when it does happen, seemingly miraculous accomplishments can occur. For instance, once Apple was at the brink of bankruptcy in the 1990’s, the company became very focused on its “core” values and has thrived every since.
When people share a common problem, they are naturally compelled to work together to solve that problem. The important first step of any problem-solving process is the creation of a clear problem statement. Black Swan events grab everyone’s attention and help create a common problem for all. As if a reset button were pressed, it brings everyone to the first step in the problem-solving process. As organizations get larger and larger, these Black Swans can perform an important function in re-aligning people and creating a common problem statement. With that common problem, people focus their energy and overcome even the most difficult challenges. Today, as I reflect on the US and how divided the nation has become and remains, I wonder what Black Swan will cause us to focus our energies again.
_________________________________________
Matt Schlegel developed his problem-solving methodology over the past decade. He continues to use the process to help companies solve big challenges, and folds those experiences into the refinement of the process. He also consults for companies developing products jointly with Asian companies. Matt can be found at www.sakinoconsulting.com.
More...
In The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb describes the impact of infrequent events. Taleb calls such an infrequent event, “a Black Swan.” In terms of problem solving, the impact of a Black Swan event is clear – a large number of people come to share a common problem. Whatever smaller issues those people may have faced before, there is a huge problem in front of them that many must address.
In the corporate world, a Black Swan event may be any number of situations: the departure of an important leader, customer or vendor; the restructuring of a division; a merger or acquisition of another company. The list goes on and on. Any of these events gets the attention of everyone in the company and creates a natural urge to want to help solve the problem.
The great news about a Black Swan event is that it gets everyone focused and working together. In large organizations this is hard to do, but when it does happen, seemingly miraculous accomplishments can occur. For instance, once Apple was at the brink of bankruptcy in the 1990’s, the company became very focused on its “core” values and has thrived every since.
When people share a common problem, they are naturally compelled to work together to solve that problem. The important first step of any problem-solving process is the creation of a clear problem statement. Black Swan events grab everyone’s attention and help create a common problem for all. As if a reset button were pressed, it brings everyone to the first step in the problem-solving process. As organizations get larger and larger, these Black Swans can perform an important function in re-aligning people and creating a common problem statement. With that common problem, people focus their energy and overcome even the most difficult challenges. Today, as I reflect on the US and how divided the nation has become and remains, I wonder what Black Swan will cause us to focus our energies again.
_________________________________________
Matt Schlegel developed his problem-solving methodology over the past decade. He continues to use the process to help companies solve big challenges, and folds those experiences into the refinement of the process. He also consults for companies developing products jointly with Asian companies. Matt can be found at www.sakinoconsulting.com.
More...
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