July 5, 2010

Some Call It Non-Strategic. I Call It CRAP

CRAP is the enemy of progress. If it isn’t expunged from your organization the ‘old’ will continue to have a significant role and the ‘new’ will be hampered. The major source of bandwidth for taking on new activities is the time currently being spent on thinks that really don’t matter. Tom Peters calls it Grunge.

Whatever the descriptor, it will keep you stuck and prevent you from moving forward (has a personal dimension to this as well, right?).

How to eliminate the CRAP?
> Assign a Cut the CRAP Champion to be responsible for inventorying ALL projects going on in your organization.
> From this inventory, create a KEEP Category. Make it short. Bear down on the projects to make sure each one of them is 100% aligned with your new direction.
> Create a CUT Category. Make it long. Gather all questionable projects. These will be the eventual source of bandwidth for new activity.
> For each CUT project, note the person who is currently working on it. The Project Prime. At the end of the day, people will have to be re-assigned to the ‘new’.
> Have a CRAP Critical Assessment Meeting. Involve the senior team responsible for the execution of your new strategy. Trot each CUT Project Prime into the room and have them explain in detail how their project relates 100% to the new strategy. Side benefit: you will see how well they really understand your new strategy.
> Decide THEN which CUT Projects will be terminated and the resource savings that will result.
> Develop a Resource Re-assignment Plan. Be prepared to exit people who either don’t have the skills to take on a KEEP Project or who don’t want to support your new direction.
> COMMUNICATE the results of your work. KEEP Projects and CUT Projects and why certain projects were terminated. A great opportunity to talk about your new strategy. Involve the team accountable for executing your new course.

CUT Projects have momentum. They need to give way for the KEEPERS. Tough work. Critical to your success. Get on it. TODAY!

Cheers, Roy
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Posted 7.5.10 at 07:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 1, 2010

What Motivates an Author?

I never had any plans to write a book. In fact it never occurred to me.

I left my executive position as Chief Marketing Officer with TELUS, a major Telecommunications Company in Canada, and decided to develop Seminars and Workshops for organizations looking for ideas to take their performance to the next level.

I had a great deal of material to work with since I spent 33 + years as the “Communicator”, “Change Leader”, “Experiementer Guy”, the “Try-it Guy” and the “Innovator” who would push the organization to adopt new ways of doing business. You might recall that in the 1970’s cataclysmic changes in the Telecom industry were happening as a result of all-out competition being permitted by Regulators worldwide, and dramatic technological change. Both factors changed our environment considerably.

Why this direction after leaving a very structured career?
> I am not a strong altruistic person, but I wanted to “change a life” in business.
> I wanted to be a resource person, particularly for small-to-medium business, that could apply my lifelong learnings to help others be successful and survive.
> I loved the “show” of giving presentations. Performing always was a passion of mine, and these events provided an effective outlet.
> It turned me on to see someone’s face light up when one of my ideas excited them and the “WOW” factor kicked in.
> This is a great context to continue to learn more about my own material. EVERY presentation unearths a deeper perspective for me of my work. Different angles. Flaws that need to be corrected. Audience feedback that should be incorporated. Examples that strengthen the principles.

My book was the evolutionary consequence of “The Show”. My audience wanted a more permanent record of my Power Point slides. They wanted more detail. More examples.

They suggested I write a book. Being the customer-obsessed person that I am I couldn’t refuse. BE DiFFERENT or be dead was born over a eighteen month gestation period.

It’s interesting to me that I don’t see myself as a writer. I see myself as a business guy with lots to share, and a strong desire to do so. And I’m getting tremendous satisfaction from it.

Cheers, Roy
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Book Pages
BE DiFFERENT or be dead:Your Business Survival Guide
About the Book
About the Author
Critical Praise for BE DiFFERENT

Posted 7.1.10 at 08:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 28, 2010

Leadership by Serving Around

Tom Peters has always been an advocate of MBWA as a tool for managers to promote Excellence in their organization.

I’m a fan of MBWA but I think the idea needs to be refreshed and more directly connected to the principle of Serving and Servant Leadership, hence my term Leadership by Serving Around (LBSA).

MBWA needs a purpose for it to be strategically effective. Its not about aimlessly wandering around chatting people up and listening to their issues. Rather its about exploring the nooks and cranny’s of the organization looking for an opportunity to SERVE people in ways that will enable the organization’s Strategic Game Plan to be executed. Furthermore I think we need to question whether the “Management” word should be retained given its connotations that fly in the face of the behaviors required in a SERVING leadership culture: control, momentum-based thinking, top-down and directive.

So what does LBSA look like?
> leaders wander with the objective of spotting a Serving Moment. An opportunity to SERVE someone. To help them in some way that will allow them to get on with their job more easily. Removing roadblocks. Bashing barriers. Destroying Dumb Rules. Enabling people to do what they know is required to do a good job.
> leaders allocate significant calendar time to this ritual. You can’t spot a Serving Moment if you are in your office. Get the hell out of it and do something strategic!
> LISTENING.
> LISTENING.
> LISTENING.
> Leaders serve well by receiving information, processing it and then acting on it. The process begins with REALLY LISTENING.
> INTERRUPTING is verboten. Give people time to tell their story. Allow them freedom to express their issues on their terms.
> ASKING QUESTIONS is the tool the leader uses to understand, to engage and to connect with the individual in the discussion. Questions “Rain Down” until the leader is satisfied they clearly understand the matter being raised by the employee.
> the specific question “How can I help?” is the theme of the conversation.

I want you to move beyond MBWA to Leadership by Serving Around. LBSA is a critical strategic act that leaders must perform. Strategy execution depends on it. Frontline success depends on it.

What else is more important?

Cheers, Roy
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Posted 6.28.10 at 07:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (3)

June 24, 2010

Labels for a Frontline Leader

The Frontline Leader position should “Rule the Charts” given the strategically critical role it plays caryying out the Game Plan of the organization.

When creating the list of Role expectations for this position, consider the following Labels….

> Barrier Basher
> Roadblock Destroyer
> Execution Maniac
> “One-And-Only” People Server
> Dumb-it-Down Fanatic
> Ultimate Cheerleader
> Praise Lavisher
> Celebration Host
> Recognizer and Rewarder of Dazzling Moments of Service
> Chief Custodian of The Customer Moment
> Relentless Advocate of the Frontline “on the inside”
> Customer “Secret” Gatherer
> Service Recovery Addict
> “Get-Me-The-Results”
> “SHE”. The fact is that women are generally better than men at the above!

Recruit individuals in the image of these Labels. Hold them accountable to perform these responsibilities in a superlative manner. Pay them for doing this stuff.

The result? Customer Moments that will create fans and advocates for your business for Life. Worth doing? You bet!

Cheers, Roy
Remember to follow me on Twitter
Take the BE DiFFERENT Quiz

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Posted 6.24.10 at 08:00 am by Roy Osing | Permalink | Comments (0)