We wrote an article for Frost & Sullivan’s GIL eBulletin that was
published this week.  Frost & Sullivan found that most companies used
their research in order to create growth strategies and they started a
Grown Innovation and Leadership symposium that I frequently attend.
Our article this month was titled Four Ways to Manage A Diverse Workforce
for Innovation and Growth.

You can read it here.

One of the things that I find most interesting about strength based
thinking is that it seems as though we (as people and as companies)
seem to take our strengths for granted.  We expect others to be able
to do what we find so easy.  And many times, we wish we could do what
we see others do so well.  I see the same things happening with
companies.  The article talks about different ways to look at
innovation in light of the strengths that your company possesses.

I’d like to hear how you define the strengths of your organization.

I read  a great blog post this morning by Rosabeth Moss Kanter.  You can read it here (Five Tips for Leading Campaigns for Change).

In many ways, her post relates to two important concepts we try to emphasize in our work:  sync and cognitive filters.  She points to the need for a memorable message, the need for stories, action tools, partners, and “point of action” nudges.  Together, these five elements relate to creating a direction, building a culture that supports the change, giving process to the effort and connecting the ideas in concrete ways to stakeholders.

Typically, we find that most of us can’t do all these things well because they are very different strengths (i.e. filters).  By making sure that each of Rosabeth’s elements work well together (i.e. they’re in sync), you have a better chance of enabling change.

When you think about the change efforts you’ve been a part of, did leaders recognize our cognitive diversity and use that knowledge to their advantage?

In his book, Start with Why, Simon Sinek challenges us to ask Why?  Sinek has a background in marketing, and proposes that most people know what they do and how they do it.  But if you ask them why they do it, they often don’t have an answer.  Sinek wants to “inspire people to be inspired” by finding their why.

His thinking is simple, straightforward, and powerful.  It resonates with my experience and from a personal perspective, it can be hard to keep the why in mind when dealing with the challenges of business and life.

We recently talked to a large company that has merged two divisions.  The company leaders are asking the question, How are we better together?  I believe their how is Simon’s why.

When is the last time you’ve really looked at your why?

MT3U2UAKR5T6

Danny Ludeman, CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors, recently spoke at Webster University as part of its Success to Significance Speaker Series.  He spent part of his time talking about lessons learned during the A.G. Edwards: Wachovia Securities merger including several surprises that even a CEO as experienced as he was not prepared for.

We’ll share just a few them for your consideration.  First, he talked about never underestimating the human impact of an acquisition or merger.  He noted that the economics of the transaction were fairly simple.  It was the effect on people that one should never underestimate.

Secondly, he felt that his team focused too much on the similariites of cultures.  For example, both were customer-centric cultures.  But the ways in which they expressed customer service were quite different.  They underestimated the impact of those differences on their efforts to integrate the organizations.

One final observation of Ludeman’s that he spoke of as a both a business and a life lesson:  the importance of differentiating between wants and needs.  The concrete example he used from the A.G. Edwards:Wachovia Securities merger was the legacy A.G. Edwards employees’  ”need” to be part of an organization with a reputation for integrity and customer service.  As a result, they expressed their “want” to retain the A.G. Edwards name.  Their “want”  was a barrier to seeing other ways to meet their legitimate need.

As you think about mergers and acquisitions you have experienced, which of these lessons resonate with you?

I had a great conversation with Mark Sylvester yesterday during a webinar on promoting organizational sync.  Mark has a company called introNetworks that helps connect people via smart social networks.

I first used introNetworks software when I attended the TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment and Design).  The software allowed me to choose attributes that best describe me and then view the attributes of more than 1,000 people at the conference. Being part of this smart network allowed me to quickly recognize people, gave me ideas for conversation starters, and help me find people with common interests.

I hope that if you participated in the webinar today you found the conversation helpful.  If you missed it, you can listen to it here.  I think there is great potential to promote organizational sync with a resource like introNetworks.  Anything leaders can do to facilitate different ways to connect like minded people is helpful in promoting sync.

I came across an insightful quote about vision from Michael Hyatt who is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

“This is where great leadership makes all the difference. Leadership is more than influence. It is about reminding people of what it is we are trying to build—and why it matters. It is about painting a picture of a better future. It comes down to pointing the way and saying, “C’mon. We can do this!”

When times are tough, vision is the first casualty. Before conditions can improve, it is the first thing we must recover.

I thought this was well said.  Having a strong vision is one of many ways to lead an organization, and I think it’s a powerful motivator when leadership can paint a clear and compelling picture of the future.

And of course, sometimes the path ahead isn’t so clear.  Then what do you do?  Be disciplined and step back and thing about the horizon.

Of course, it isn’t everyone’s style to create a compelling vision.  Direction is only one aspect of an organization that needs to be in sync.  Still, I believe it’s important to let others who tend to think this way participate in setting a compelling direction.