Let’s face it–2009 is over and we are on to 2010. We can wallow in our “shoulda-coulda’s” or we can get ready to have our best year ever. Not that I am naive, but the economy is not the obstacle that most people believe it to be–your willingness to take action, even risk, might be.
As Bill Taylor, author of Mavericks at Work, and co-founder of Fast Company says, “too many are afraid to miss the boat or sink the boat”. What about just rocking it? Searching for those ideas that help you make waves and change course?
Here are some lists to help get you thinking, borrowed from HBR Jan/Feb issue (the list is theirs, the comments mine):
Breakthroughs for 2010: Which of these ideas could you take advantage of?
- Motivate workers more effectively (deliver real customer service!)-see last blog on that very topic!
- Technology that can revolutionize health care (p.s. it’s email) What simple change can you make (like add a technology or change your pricing model ala SW Air) to separate you from the pack?
- What the financial sector should borrow–a military approach to keeping the economy safe.
- Getting the drugs we need–setting standards that spur innovation. How well does your organization conduct organic innovation? Do you incorporate the ideas of shared sourcing? Most of the lead innovation companies do.
- A marketing solution for achieving green. How (not if) have you capitalized on the green trend–To save money? To show corporate responsibility? To meet customer preferences?
- A faster path from lab to market. Who doesn’t know that lifecycles are growing faster all the time. What are you doing to speed yours up (re-read #4–shared sourcing would help!) So does hiring outside contractors who are good at it! Or having a brainstorm with your most creative company minds once a week.
- Hacking work. Another Bill Taylor-ism is that R and D stands for Rip Off and Duplicate. Now my ethics interpret that as not truly stooping to breaking any rules but often the fast follower has an opportunity to make the same thing even better–or borrow an idea from another industry and apply it to yours. According to HBR we should learn to love the rule breakers! Great–I am in!
- Spotting bubbles on the rise. This speaks to the economic bubbles as well as new trends. Find or create tools that track historic indicators of what indicates a change that is to our advantage.
- Create more Hong Kongs. All I will say is if you haven’t been, you need to go and you will get it.
- Independent Diplomacy. With a global economy, what are you doing to make a difference in the world. Do you have a value based culture and strategy?
The next list from HBR is the six mistakes that can derail your attempts to change (again, list theirs and comments mine):
- Cautious management culture. In my work I have found that the vast majority of things that hold companies back from change is their current business model and belief systems–internal factors within their control. You can change if you want to.
- Business as ususal process management. If business is at full capacity where do you find the resource to change? Start a stop doing list and keep track of all the things you do that don’t add value–keep it posted and add to it regularly and watch it grow! That alone is a great source of opportunity to re-allocate old to the new!
- Initiative Gridlock. It is important to identify how many initiatives you can reasonably do with your resources and do a few really well then a whole bunch marginally.
- Recalcitrant Executives. Nooo! Nobody we know has that problem, right? I have often said if you aren’t part of the solution you are part of the problem. Executives have to manage that aggressively. It is their job to run interference for the people in the organization that have to get the job done so all can be held accountable.
- Disengaged Employees: Ditto above except…it is really important to ensure they understand what is expected of them, get the chance to have early wins and feel they are doing valuable work. When that happens disengaged employees are rare.
- Loss of focus during execution. Communication is a tool that can never be underestimated. It is often stated that it takes at least 7 times before someone really hears a message. Executives often think they have communicated until they are blue in the face–but you cannot overcommunicate—keep the end game visible, make the steps clear, help people focus on the current one, make successes important, and keep the conversation lively!
Have a fantastic 2010!
