HSM Inspiring Ideas

The Bloggers Hub Cap--Essentials from Top Business Blogs

Here are the can't misses in recent business blogs:

Economy, Trends, Change:

Bernanke Translated (WSJ Real Time Economics )

When U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke talks, people listen, though they may not understand what he says. On November 19, Bernanke spoke in Frankfurt to explain and defend the latest round of quantitative easing (QE2), as well as to assail China for failing to allow the Yuan to appreciate faster. If you're head is already spinning, Wall Street Journal economis editor David Wessel arrives to offer up some plain english for Bernanke watchers, juxtaposing excerpts from the Chairman remarks against the lay translation. Example:

• “The level of output in the advanced economies is currently about 8% below its long-term trend, whereas economic activity in the emerging markets is only about 1.5% below the corresponding (but much steeper) trend line for that group of countries. Indeed, for some emerging markets the crisis appears to have left little lasting imprint on growth. Notably, since the beginning of 2005, real output has risen more than 70% in China and about 55% in India.” TRANSLATION: “China, India and other emerging markets have resumed their rapid growth with surprising speed, but despite all my efforts the U.S. is mired in painfully slow growth — and Europe and Japan aren’t doing much better. Sigh.”

Enjoy.

Leadership, Performance, People:

How to Treat New Employees (Alexander Kjerulf--The Chief Happiness Officer)

"Studies show that new employees who have undergone a successful start-up process are 69% more likely to still be in the company after 3 years and they reach their full production rate 2 months faster." The CHO offers four tips on how your organization should treat new hires:

1. Be there for them the first day;
2. Have the practical stuff ready;
3. Give them a solid technical introduction; and
4. Lay down the culture.

Because it's never a good sign when the first day is the beginning of the end.

Strategy, Innovation, Communication:

What Makes a Great Tagline (Denise Lee Yohm--Brand as Business Bites)

The title says it all. Why do we remember "The Ultimate Driving Machine," while forgetting other marketing taglines that are, well, forgettable? While Yohn doesn't offer a precise answer to the question, she does review Forbes list of 25 "best loved" taglines (that BMW line gets number one honors) to determine if the best taglines share particular attributes. She can't detect any, which means that a great tagline may well be just a moment of inspired genius. So don't try and turn this art into a science; know your product and let the feelig express itself.

Kenichi Ohmae: Is there a Cyberleader in the House?

Who knows--when the Martians finally land on earth, they may be demanding, "Take me to your cyberleader."

As if understanding your business, employees, product-line, distribution chains, financials, and holding the room during meetings (annual or otherwise) wasn't enough, today's executives often preside over far-flung enterprises and oversee employees on more than one continent, let alone in more than one city. In addition, your company's online presence, especially if it includes social media, can mean that you are pursuing 24/7 exposure to the world at large. Are you able to hold that larger room?

Management guru Kenichi Ohmae ("Mr. Strategy") urges that you strive to play the new room just as well as you play to the traditional room--that requires honing your "cyberleadership" skills. This new skill set includes being able to communicate with people you've never seen or met and who, most likely, are culturally different from you: these are your employees in Asia, Africa, Europe, or South America (if you are a North America-based company). Your favorite war story or NFL analogy might not fly in that room. How do you express your leadership dynamism in that circumstance? Well,it's certainly not intuitive, and it's generally not been taught in college or business school, though that will undoubtedly begin to change. You have to strive to develop a new skill set to address the larger room--like learning a new language, you'll have to be able to do traditional leadership and cyberleadership interchangeably. You might even have to speak the leadership equivalence of Spanglish.

But cyberleadership doesn't stop when you perfect videoconferencing with your colleagues from Barcelona to Beijing; it extends outside the company "walls" and through the entire chain of management skills that today's leaders must develop. Leaders need to know how to deal with cyber-customers, and the advent of crowdsourcing (opensourcing of the development process) means leaders need to know how to deal with a coterie of people who while only tangentially linked to the company, may be integrally involved with a development process:

 

When "they" demand to be led to your cyberleader, will you be able to step up?

Patrick Lencioni Returns to HSM to Help You Build a Winning Team

In the introduction to his landmark work, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, Patrick Lencioni declares, quite forthrightly, "Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare." Is he right? Well, think G.E. under Jack Welch; Apple under Steve Jobs; the New York Yankees from 1918 until today. The best teams have an uncanny knack for superior performance--that can't be an accident. Maybe we can conclude that regardless of the circumstances, high-functioning leadership teams will more often than not find the right financing, develop the right strategy, adopt the best technology. They will also attract the best talent, further enhancing the team. Why? Because high-functioning leadership teams know who they are, share trust, core values and aims.

Whatever the endeavour, where this is no teamwork, the work becomes drudgery and success like pulling teeth. Most everyone has experienced being on such a team; it's not a pleasant experience. Maybe you're on one now, or maybe you're part of a team that could be better with a little tinkering. It's for you and your team that Lencioni developed his Building Winning Teams seminar, which returns to HSM October 26-27. Designed for the participation of managers and their teams (though individuals can derive equal benefit), the program starts from the fundamental premise that effective teamwork is the bedrock of organizational success.

Lencioni employs a hands-on style that begins with the intimate nature of the seminar. Limited to 150 participants, it requires teams to take a hard look inward by guiding them to an understanding of the five dysfunctions that can hinder performance and by helping you to identify them in your team. If that sounds like it can include some discomfort, Lencioni would say so be it. Or as he puts it, "All too often, team leaders and members operate under the assumption that success is dependent on never having to deal with a moment of interpersonal awkwardness or pain." That is,

[e]very great team must suffer a little, and sometimes a lot, in order to achieve greatness. It must confront, experience and struggle with uncomfortable and relationship-threatening moments of conflict and confusion, and then it must work through those moments by demonstrating interpersonal courage, persistence and forgiveness. By doing so, it establishes levels of trust that simply cannot be otherwise achieved.

For a little taste of classic Patrick Lencioni, check out his last appearance at World Business Forum, in 2009, where he discussed the four disciplines of a healthy organization:

 

Building a team is about confronting and overcoming the dysfunctions in your organization and realigning it around its core purpose, values and business. And in two days, Lencioni leads you to do just that. The seminar's breakout sessions reinforce the lessons by providing practical structure to address and evaluate, individually or with your colleagues, the issues relevant to you and your organization. In addition, all attendees receive a copy of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable.

Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, Inc., a specialized management consulting firm focused on executive team development and organizational health. He has been described by Ken Blanchard, author of the business classic The One Minute Manager®, as “fast defining the next generation of business thinkers.” Lencioni has worked with Southwest Airlines, New York Life, Microsoft, Charles Schwab, Amazon.com, Sam’s Club, Cisco Systems, the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, and FedEx, among others. To join him October 26-27, register for Building Winning Teams today.

#wbf10 HSM Announces Lineup for WBF11 and Big Move to Javits Center...Video

The bigM news droppes at WBF10 is that we are moving for WBF11 to Javits Center North. WBF11 (October 5-6, 2011) will feature more speakers and exhibit space and facilitate more interaction between speakers, attendees and sponsors. There will be more exhibit space and breakout space as well. We've already started lining up a stellar roster of thought leaders. The speaker list already includes Gary Hamel, Malcolm Gladwell, Seth Godin, Bill George, Ben Zander, Martin Feldstein, Tamara Erickson, Tal Ben-Shahar, Patrick Lencioni, Marina Gorbis, with more to come. Check out the video!

   

 

Day 2 Agenda at #WBF10

Here is the rundown of speakers at Day 2 of World Business Forum 2010:

• 9:00 Steve Levitt
• 9:40 Joseph Stiglitz
• 11:00 Marvin Odom
• 11:15 Al Gore
• 2:00 A.G. Lafley
• 2:15 Renee Mauborgne
• 3:15 Vijay Govindarajan
• 4:20 Luca Majorski
• 4:30 Nando Parrado
• 5:05 James Cameron

Great Lineup!

 

How to Influence People (You Already Know How to Win Friends) #wbf10

People (and organizations) use underwhelming force to try and solve overwhelming, internal behavioral problems. Why? Well, behavioral issues are the stuff of psychology not business school and management training. But when business is weighed down by non-core business issues, like "the culture," the long-term effects can be just as deleterious as declining revenue. But rather than developing the skills to deal with such problems, leaders often try solution A and solution B, and when neither works (or either offers a temporary respite from the problem), wash their hands of the problem. And when you tinker at the edges of a problem with isolated and inadequate tools, you get no solution and a bigger problem. Leaders of businesses large and small often follow this path and find (non)results and festering issues. But what if, presented with a problem, leaders tried proven solutions A, B, C, D and, if necessary, D and E, as well? What's more, what if leaders tried at least four of them, and even all six, in concert?

When it comes to leadership's ability to influence change in employee behavior, WBF10 speaker (and author of best-seller Influencer: The Power to Change Anything) Joseph Grenny comes out on the side of the latter option. Grenny developed "the six sources of influence" that can change human behavior, and suggests you need to use four or more to achieve meaningful results. When leaders use the right force to address behavioral problems, there is never a need to wash their hands of the issues because the issues are resolved, leading to enhanced business performance. Grenny explained the sources of influence in this exclusive HSM interview, and emphasized their results:

[W]e have studied over a thousand organizations and their attempts to bring about change. This very broad systematic strategy showed differences of an order of magnitude of 1000% when organizations started to employ all six sources of influence. These aren't marginal differences that made some incremental change. The six sources of influence describe the physics of change. If you are not using all of these elements you shouldn’t expect to see real significant behavior change occur.

And speaking of washing hands, the viral video sensation "All Washed Up," featuring Grenny's teenaged son, is worth a watch. In it, the 14-year old puts the sources of influence to the test using a most precocious crowd.

Grenny will be at WBF10 on October 5 to share his thoughts on how you can develop an influence strategy to change behavior and enhance organizational performance.

Don't Fear the Double-Dip; Run Your Business in a way that turns the D-D Back into an Ice-Cream Order #wbf10

Turn on any business news show--any news show--and the talk is of the possibility of a double-dip recession around the globe. Whether it's NYU's Nouriel Roubini saying the chances are 40% or Ford's President of Americas countering that one is unlikely, all this double-dip talk pushes a negative narrative onto business leaders and the public at large. But you don't have the luxury of burying your head in the sand when there's bad news. So how can you, the business owner/executive/manager, forge ahead when chicken little is screeching in everyone's ears? We thought about that when we put together the agenda for WBF10. And while we know that speeches don't create consumer demand or make debt evaporate and credit appear, the truth is that, even in a  difficult business environment, the best businesses survive and even thrive. Why? World Business Forum 2010 seeks to answer that query.

This year's Forum is divided into nine categories of inquiry: the Economy, Trends, Change, Leadership, Performance, People, Strategy, Innovation and Communication. It is your response to the challenges presented by temporal issues within these categories that, in large part, determines your success. The best businesses soar in good times and retool during tough times by focusing, laser-like, on how to answer the unique challenges of the times--by navigating the particular economic and competitive waters in which they find themselves. And each of our WBF10 speakers will address some aspect of one (and possibly more) of these nine topics to offer a "now" perspective on how you can not only overcome obstacles, but take advantage of them. In the weeks leading up to WBF10, we'll introduce the WBF10 speakers to you here. Last week, you met Renee Mauborgne, who has revolutionized the way business thinks about Strategy and Innovation, and Nando Parrado, whose perspective on Leadership and Performance in crisis are unparalleled because of his unique experience.

Double-Dip, if that's where we're heading, doesn't mean your business folds up shop and goes home. You attack the situation with the best tools at your disposal. And if you wake up in six months and business is booming, the tools will work just as well. Then you can order a mint-chocolate chip/vanilla bean cone and pat yourself and your team on the back for a job well done.

New release: Free Digital eBook "Best of HSM Inspiring Ideas 2009"

For the final issue of the HSM Inspiring Ideas newsletter for 2009, we have prepared a special end-of-year digital edition of the newsletter featuring some of the best content from the past 12 months.

Just click on the link or image below and you´ll be able to experience our new interactive digital flip-page format featuring tips, videos and articles from a whole range of thought leaders.

Enjoy the content right now on your computer, share with a colleague or download in PDF version to read at your leisure.

Best of Inspiring Ideas 2009

Wishing you happy holidays and a successful 2010!

Chris Stanley
Editor - HSM Inspiring Ideas

The next train leaves from all platforms

 
Kevin Roberts is CEO worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, The Lovemarks Company, and a featured speaker at the 2009 World Business Forum.

The next train leaves from all platforms

Kevin Roberts on why "digital" is a technology, not a medium.

Years ago, when businesses were just starting to use the Web to connect with consumers, I remember wondering if the digital could ever be emotional. Would a Web page ever offer the same emotional impact as a movie, a TVC, or a book? Back then, the Web seemed functional, visually unengaging, and obsessed with detail. Those were the days when an animated banner ad seemed revolutionary! How things change. While the purpose of most Web pages is still to deliver information, the way they do it is becoming increasingly more sisomo (the powerful combination of Sight, Sound, and Motion) and interactive. Last year I could even talk about the emotional Internet and this year we have seen it come into full flower with the Susan Boyle phenomenon. The 110 million YouTube hits on her first breakthrough performance were driven by the pure emotions of surprise, delight, and joy.

The big lesson is that digital is a technology, not a medium. All the various manifestations – email, Web pages, video streaming, Twitter – draw from the same digital source. It’s the same relationship an architectural drawing, a self-portrait, and a handwritten poem have with a pencil. This is an important idea because it helps us to think about all these different digital communications as part of a whole that can be combined in many different ways rather than as a set of unique ideas. Even more, it helps us turn holistic inside out. Instead of the idea of holistic making us as marketers the orchestrators of media of many kinds, we have to start thinking about holistic as describing the experiences of viewers, users, players, and consumers.

There are signs of this major mind shift in some great campaigns. Two terrific examples have been for T-Mobile in the U.K. Not too long ago, the idea of getting a bunch of people to dance in Liverpool Street Station or to sing in Trafalgar Square would have inspired a television commercial. Set ups on this scale cost money, and B.D. (Before "Dance") the only way to justify the cost was TV. Television remains hugely powerful because it is mass but with "Dance", Saatchi & Saatchi used mass with agility. "Dance" and "Sing Along" on TV primed the pump rather than served as the main event. The TV exposure was small but the impact was huge because people chose to get involved. They shared, they commented, they entertained each other. And where did they do that? On the Internet.

The best news? We have learnt that human behavior is shaping our digital future. That might not seem such a revelation, but for a while there it looked as though technology was setting the pace and for people people (like me), the future didn’t seem a great place to hang out. It’s feeling a lot more fun.

Kevin Roberts is the CEO worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, The Lovemarks Company.

To read more from Kevin Roberts, go to www.krconnect.blogspot.com

Learn more about the World Business Forum at www.wbfny.com

5 Benefits of Adding Webinars to Your Learning and Training Options

As shrinking budgets and a general global economic slow-down are requiring managers to achieve "more with less", the need to continue learning, adding value and improving your skills and those of your staff while reducing costs is becoming even more critical. To address these challenges, many professionals are adding webinars to their list of training options as a low cost option for educating themselves and their staff.

Below is a brief explanation of what webinars are along with five of the most commonly cited benefits associated with learning and training using webinars.

What is a webinar?

A webinar is an online "Virtual" seminar or event that usually involves a small number of presenters delivering a presentation such as a Power Point deck or series of documents to a large dispersed audience worldwide over the web. Attendees view the contents on their computer screens and listen to the audio on their computer speakers. In some cases, participants can opt to listen to the audio portion via telephone although listening via computer tends to be the most popular option.

Most webinars offer interactive capabilities which allow for a two way communication between presenters and the audience allowing attendees to ask questions and interact with the presenter by using their computers and the Internet.

5 Benefits of Learning and Training Webinars

#1 Convenience - Since webinars take place over the Internet directly on your computer, there is no need to leave the office or factor in travel time. Because of this, many professionals are using webinars as a time-efficient, cost-effective method of training and delivering knowledge to their staff.

#2 Affordability -  Besides the fact that there are no travel costs involved with attending a Webinar, the price of attending a webinar is typically much lower than other training options. Additionally, multiple participants can train together by viewing the webinar at a single location and therefore pay for only one connection. An entire team can gather in one conference room to attend together and discuss the webinar contents without having to invest time and money traveling to and from a physical seminar location. Because of all this, pricing per person for training by webinar tends to be much lower than many other alternatives.

#3 Efficiency- Most webinars are designed to last around 60-90 minutes in length and are usually scheduled to fit the work day of busy professionals. Because of their short length, webinars typically pack a lot of information into a very short period of time.

#4 Long Term Value - Many webinars offer the option to access the contents and materials again for some time after the event has ended. Because of this, participants can review the presentation multiple times, helping them revisit the materials for reference and apply the contents as needed.

#5 Ease of Use- Registering for and attending Webinars is usually an easy process achieved over the Internet with a standard computer browser and requires no more skill than using the average email program. Most webinar applications are designed for ease-of-use and require very little additional downloading of software, if any.

In conclusion, whatever your requirements may be, webinars present a very affordable and highly effective way of delivering training. Additionally, depending on the subject, webinars can also present opportunities to address key business topics and issues that can spark new ideas, focused discussion and drive action.

Because of their low cost and the easy access that attending over the Internet affords, you may want to consider giving webinars a try as an additional element to your selection of learning and training options.

For additional information on webinars and to view the complete list of upcoming webinars organized by HSM featuring world renowned experts and leaders, I invite you to visit HSM webinars at www.hsmwebinars.com