"Hmm..."

I have been saying that to myself a lot lately. Its a reflective thing. I find when I am going "Hmm..." I am seeing things in a different way. Maybe its cause of new information or maybe a new insight. The latest reason is some unrest in the security of my job. It seems it was not as secure as I thought it was. Or maybe it is. Hmm...I wonder.

Sometimes its scary when you realize things arent as you thought they were. Its shocking and disturbing when it impacts something as important as your job (or marriage or health or your family or anything important to you).

Maybe you come up with an answer maybe you dont. But there is value in "Hmm...", its good to question things, to see things from a new light. Whether it builds your foundation of experience or solidifies your character. Each "Hmm..." is an opportunity to grow.

Transition Series Part 2

Which Strategy is the Right Strategy?

Wait..you mean I should have a strategy? Yup. A person without a strategy is about as good as a business without a strategy, or as lost. In this case, the strategy that the business/role requires is going to determine how you focus your learning agenda and attention.

Watkins explains that there are 4 basic business strategies:

1. Start-up
2. Turnaround
3. Sustaining Success
4. Realignment

Basic knowledge of the business and/or position you are moving into should give you a general idea of what strategy is needed (new company = start-up, failing old company = turnaround, etc). The basic checklist you want to run through for assessing the business and how your strategy fits into the business strategy, follow below:

1. (obvious) What type of situation is the business?
2. Implications for challenges/opportunities that you will confront? Start-up's challenges include creating new systems, building a team, etc.
3. Implications for learning agenda? Do you need different amounts of time with each employee?Will you likely be letting some employees go?
4. Which of your strengths are going to your greatest asset? Of your weaknesses which will be the greatest liability?
5. Prevailing frame of mind? Are you going to be on the offense (start-up) or more defense (sustaining success)?

These are the basic questions and should be expanded on. The main idea of this section is to give some thought to what type of business you are moving into. Many managers have failed because they have brought a personal strategy that doesn't fit with the business strategy.

Transition Series Part 1

Seeing as I am transitioning into a position within my company, I figured it was a good time to outline a transition framework. These frameworks and guidelines are drawn largely (if not all) from the book by Michael Watkins, The First 90 Days.

The Transition Series will look like this:

Part #1 - Don't Get Stuck In Your Old Job and Learn Fast
Part #2 - Which Strategy Is the Right Strategy?
Part #3 - Secure (and find) Early Wins
Part #4 - Negotiate Success (with your boss)
Part #5 - Achieve Alignment and Build Your Team
Part #6 - Make the Right Friends
Part #7 - Keep Your Balance (and help others)

Seven parts for seven days till I make the transition.

Part #1 - Promote Yourself and Accelerate Your Learning

A major goal in making a good transition is letting go of your previous job. It may have been a great experience or a bad experience, but what is most important is that you let go of it, mentally if not physically. Being stuck in your old role will not allow you to address the skills and focus that your new role requires.

The major goal of promoting yourself is to allow your mind to focus on the new role. We all know what it is like to enter into a relationship with someone who is still in love with an ex. It works the same for jobs.

Ask yourself:

• What has made you successful so far? Are these strengths sufficient for new job? If not, what skills do you need to develop?
• Does your new role require you to do things that in the past you haven't enjoyed doing? What is your plan for overcoming this obstacle?
• How will you mentally prepare for entering your new job and leaving your old one?

Accelerate your learning by developing a structured learning plan. The three main areas that you must focus on are as follows: Technical, Cultural and Political Knowledge. Use actionable insights as a way to speed up your learning. Develop these insights through a specific (tailored to your situation) set of questions that are standard across those whom you ask. Failure to understand any one of the three can lead to your changes meeting forceful resistance. All situations are complex, the more dimensions/angles you are able to study your particular one from, the more you will understand it.

Mistakes vs. "Mistakes"

It's all to common to hear in business these days that failure is ok, in fact, we should promote failure. If mistakes are failures than I am here to argue that there are good and bad mistakes (or mistakes vs. 'mistakes'). Bad mistakes are such things as typos, inaccurate spreadsheets, forgetting to call someone back, etc etc. Little good, lotsa bad. Good mistakes are trying out a new system that goes wrong, making a prediction on the future (assuming that you couldn't get more or better info) etc etc. These kind of mistakes often provide you with greater insight next time (a.k.a. experience).

Great Analogy

Excerpt from The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz:



"....Several years ago, the city of Orlando, Florida, planted a long line of trees along the highway that lead to our training center. The first time there was a storm with heavy winds, nearly every tree was blown down. The city dutifully sent workers to prop the trees back up. They secured them with baling wire and other external sources of support. It did no good. When the next storm came, the trees were blown other. A pattern that repeated itself numerous times over the next year.


It never seemed to occur to the folks in charge that if trees are to survive in a high-wind area, they must have a deeper root structure. It did occur to us that we were observing in nature a phenomenon that characterizes many of our own lives. Because we so often lack deep roots - firm beliefs and compelling values - we are easily buffeted by the prevailing winds. If we lack strong sense of purpose we cannot hold our ground when we are challenged by life's inevitable storms. Instead, we react defensively, blaming the storm or simply disengaging and ceasing to invest our energy."

Shift Happens

Cool vid courtesy of my father...

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/video/shifthappens

Nickel and Dimer's

I am sure I am not the only one irritated by this.

Cashier rings up $15.03. You have a $20. Cashier gives you back $4.97. Or:

• 1 toonie
  
• 2 loonies
  
• 3 quarters
  
• 2 dimes
  
• 2 pennies

Basically a pound of useless change in your pocket. Why not a $5? Have pity on us. Please. Suck up the 35 cents total that it might cost you per day and save your customers some irritation. In fact, what a better way to say "we think of your convenience'' than to do this one little favor. I don't blame the employees - well sorta - but the bosses should have the common sense to point this out to each cashier.