[READING TIME: 8 MINUTES]

In this 8020Info Water Cooler, we look into the mindset of a changemaker, pitfalls of binary choices, qualities of a wise leader, the life cycle of an organization, and improving presentations. We’re also celebrating a milestone — Edition #400. Enjoy!

1. The Keys to a Changemaker Mindset

Change consultant Greg Satell says managers need to change their mindset when facing dramatic change.

Most of the time they operate from a manager mindset, building consensus and executing with predictable outcomes. But in an era of disruption, inevitably we hit points where more dramatic disruption is required. And that requires a changemaker mindset.

The key hallmarks of a changemaker mindset involve these three questions:

• Where do you start? Beginning with a big bang will usually backfire as some people won’t like what’s proposed and will undermine you. Effective change starts slowly and gains traction, then grows toward a tipping point that unlocks a cascade in which more people join in. He recommends picking a keystone change: a clear and tangible objective that paves the way for a chain of domino-like changes in the future.
• Who do you start with? Find people who are enthusiastic. As he writes on his blog: “When we’re passionate about an idea, human nature makes us want to go out and convince the skeptics. Don’t do that. It never leads to anything good. Go out and find people who want your project to succeed, who you can empower to bring in others that can bring in others still. That’s how you create a cascade.”
• How do you sustain the change effort? As you start to gain success you can stop selling your idea and begin selling success to the skeptics. Here it helps to demonstrate ways they can achieve their own goals through joining the change effort.

2. How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Binary Decisions

Often when we face a challenge we quickly frame it as a binary choice with only two options — for example: to buy or sell; keep a project in-house or outsource it; work in the office or work from home.

Eric J. McNulty, associate director of the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative at Harvard University, says we need to move past such deceptive formulations.
He makes a case for considering all the options, not just two and only two.

• Walk back through the steps by which options A and B emerged. Perhaps there were other possibilities and you narrowed it down, sensibly, to those two. In that case, you are likely on solid ground.
• But if you got to this choice without rigorous scrutiny, do that now. Solicit diverse ideas, asking others “what are we missing?” — a question safe enough for most people to answer. Sometimes throwing out a possibility everyone will reject can also spur fresh alternative, he notes.

“It’s critical for executives to overcome this cognitive tendency to quickly make insufficiently informed binary choices,” he writes in strategy + business.

3. The Six Qualities of a Wise Leader

As artificial intelligence becomes more commonplace, longtime executive Chip Conley says wisdom will become even more precious. To assess yourself, consider these six qualities a wise leader needs in the age of AI:

• Pattern Recognition:  This is the ability to see the whole instead of just the parts. It includes the peripheral vision to discern the long-term consequences of short-term decisions.
• Unvarnished Insight:  With experience comes a clearer view, an intuitive insight, and the courage to express that insight. “A wise leader can cut through the clutter to find the core issue that needs attention, whether it’s in a job interview or a strategic discussion,” he writes in Inc.
• Self-reflection:  Wisdom involves listening. That includes listening to yourself and to the energy in a room. With that must come time for reflection, to know yourself and trust your heart.
• Openness to Dissent: Google studied hundreds of internal teams and found the most consistent variable among effective teams was how psychologically safe members felt. “The smartest person in the room is often stroking their own ego. The wisest person in the room stokes curiosity and builds trust,” Conley says.
• Curiosity:  Wise leaders love to learn and are open to new experiences.
• Comfort in the Face of Paradox:  He describes wise leaders as chemists of juxtaposition. They can synthesize seemingly opposite qualities in themselves: Right brain and left brain, extroversion and introversion, gravitas and levity, and curiosity and wisdom.

Developing these qualities will help make you an effective leader people will want to follow.

4. Winston’s Star: How to Improve Presentations

The late MIT professor Patrick Winston would present an annual lecture to help students improve their presentations, His talk emphasized five elements:

• Symbol:  Use a visual symbol to make your idea stick. He used a five-pointed star in this talk and the schema became known as Winston’s Star.
• Slogan:  Find a simple, catchy slogan for the central idea.
• Surprise:  The human brain loves novelty so highlight the contrarian, counterintuitive, or surprising details of the idea.
• Salient:  Determine the most pertinent pieces and deliver those succinctly. Avoid unnecessary fluff.
• Story:  Use storytelling to simplify, spark emotion, and be memorable.

Venture capitalist Sahil Bloom shared the method recently on his blog and asked: “How can you incorporate the items from this simple checklist to improve the impact of your words on the audience?”

5. Zingers

• Candidate-Friendly Scheduling:  Job candidate no-shows are an increasing phenomenon and many candidates are complaining the process is too long and slow, notes recruiting specialist John Sullivan. He recommends candidate-friendly interview scheduling — collaborate to find a time that works well for both parties rather than dictate when the individual must appear for your own convenience. (Source:  DrJohnSullivan.com).
• The Key Pillar of Customer Service:  Consultant Shep Hyken says the fundamental customer service pillar – often overlooked – is respect. How do you show your customers you respect them? Are you doing anything that indicates you don’t respect them, even if it’s unintentional? (Source:  Human-Centered Change and Innovation Blog).
• Think Ahead to Plan Breaks: Productivity consultant Marc Zao-Sanders says we usually take breaks after our energy is truly sapped and we realize we are running on empty. That’s too late, and also makes us susceptible to gratifying temptations like unhealthy snacks, compounding the problem. Plan your breaks sensibly, at the start of the day. (Source:  One Thing at a Time blog).
• Web Site Longevity: For top marketing brands, the average lifespan of a website is two years and one month. Orbit Media, which designs sites for a broader range of clients, found the average lifespan for those sites is six years and four months — about three times longer. (Source:  Orbit Media).
• Choose Your Books Wisely:  Silicon Valley essayist Paul Graham says people don’t realize a component of effective reading is searching for the right book: “There are a huge number of books and only a small percentage of them are really good, so reading means searching. Someone who tries to read but doesn’t understand about the need to search will end up reading bad books.” (Source:  FSBlog).

6. The Model: The Life Cycle of an Organization

Consultant Ichak Adizes argues that organizations, like people and plants, have a life cycle that goes through certain stages. If we know those stages, we can more capably handle them, as we do raising children. Here are the 10 he shared in his 1999 book, Managing Corporate Lifecycles: Predicting Future Problems Today.

• Courtship:  This stage precedes the organization, which has yet to be born. It exists only as an idea.
• Infancy:  The organization is founded, risk taken on, and cash is needed to pay bills so the focus is on product development and sales.
• Go-Go:  These are the wild years, the company experiencing rapid growth and expansion. “Success makes the founder and organization arrogant – arrogant with a capital A,” he warns.
• Adolescence:  This is an emotional rebirth as the organization resists any management that behaves like a founder and opts for professional management.
• Prime:  The company reaches its optimal state, balancing the key elements of flexibility and control. There are actually two parts here: A still growing phase, which he calls Early Prime, and The Twilight Zone, when the organization becomes too comfortable and complacent.
• Aging:  Growth slows down. Risk appetite goes down; politics go up.
• Aristocracy:  People want less conflict and change, so that is minimized. The focus is on past achievements.
• Salem City:  The good-old-buddy days of the Aristocracy are gone, revenues and market share are down, and the witch hunt begins.
• Bureaucracy:  The focus is on rules and policies, not growth.
• Death:  Commitment is gone and there is a lack of resources to reward members of the organization for working.

7. Around Our Water Cooler

What We’re Reading:

• Harvey’s Pick:  The Shopify Story, which will be published this week, is an engaging chronicle of the Canadian company’s growth into one of the world’s top tech companies. Author Larry MacDonald goes back to the many interviews co-founder Tobi Lütke and others gave over the years, so it captures their insightful thoughts on managing and building the company in the moment.
• Rob’s Pick:  The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is a real tonic for all the types of internal resistances that keep us from creating, whether that’s in the arts, designing or starting an entrepreneurial venture. If you’re plagued by self-doubt, vanity, fear, self-sabotage or other internal obstacles, this easy read will psych you up to break through typical blocks so you can just do the work.

A Heartfelt Thank-you to Harvey Schachter on #400

As we mentioned in our last 8020Info Water Cooler, this edition marks a significant milestone for us — #400.

From the beginning, our aim has been to keep you abreast of some of the latest tips, strategies and actionable findings of interest to public sector organizations, non-profits, municipalities and small business groups. We called it the Water Cooler since that’s often the place where the best ideas are shared.

Harvey Schachter has researched and written the lion’s share of those 800,000 words, maintaining a daunting discipline in sticking to our content framework and in meeting our tri-weekly publication schedule for almost 24 years. And as our resident “loyal rebel”, he has also challenged ideas when they didn’t make sense and broadened the range of content we distill for publication.

I join with our many loyal readers —managers, board members, executive directors, volunteers and entrepreneurs— who have benefited from Harvey’s sharp eye for insights and discerning, on-point writing in our modest publication. Thanks a million, Harvey, and congrats on the milestone!
— Rob Wood, President & CEO, 8020Info Inc.

A Note About A Change in Our Format:

Going forward, with this milestone behind us, The 8020Info Water Cooler will undergo a bit of a refresh in format — shorter in length, with slightly increased frequency, and a continuing crisp focus on strategy development, governance, risk assessment, communications, management and leadership. We hope you will enjoy it.

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8020Info helps senior leadership teams and boards develop, clarify and build consensus behind strategic priorities. Our services support strategic planning and change processes, marketing communications and research / stakeholder consultations. We would be pleased to discuss your needs and welcome enquiries.

8. Closing Thought

“A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
— Sensei Ogui