From the monthly archives:

March 2010

Integrity

03.29.2010

Some people believe integrity is something you are born with, or not. I don’t believe that, simply because I’ve seen people completely change their behaviors. In this next video of the Cultural Transformation Video Series, we explore the role integrity plays in leading culture change.

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For Startups, How Much Process Is Too Much?

03.26.2010

Eric Ries, author of the StartupLessonsLearned.com blog, has been speaking and writing about lean startups. His particular focus is on software startups, and perhaps even more focused on those that are web-based and broadly distributed products. However, his thoughts on how to use lean principles such as experimentation, structure, and rapid learning in a startup [...]

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An idea is not always enough.

03.24.2010

A useful fable from Aesop, one of my all-time favorite writers, The Mice in Council.
Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had [...]

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Diagnosing Current Reality as 1, 2, 3

03.22.2010

..although note I did not say “as easy as 1, 2, 3.” Diagnosing our current reality of any situation is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks for a lean thinker. It’s harder for a lean thinker than for a non-lean thinker. Why? Because a non-lean thinker is quite comfortable just assuming they know what’s [...]

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You’re sacked! NEXT!

03.17.2010

Although I have written about Undercover Boss, don’t expect this post to be about Donald Trump’s Apprentice (even if the show has now officially jumped the shark, since we now have crook governors and ex-wrestlers). But while fun to say “You’re Fired!” on TV, it’s a lot harder in real life.  
I found some interesting comments [...]

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Get the Most from Your Conference Experience

03.15.2010

Are you heading to a conference soon? We’re coming up on conference season for many organizations. I observe most people not getting their full value out of the process. I will share why at the end of this post.
I have my own schedule. In April alone, I will be keynoting at the following programs:
April 9, [...]

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Dream Big, Act Small

03.10.2010

Yesterday I was working with a team who was working on a very long-term kind of change. They were really stuck, spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to achieve the end state. That is a mistake. Abraham Lincoln said:

“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day [...]

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Creating Employee Engagement, Part 4

03.08.2010

This is the final part of a 4 part series on Creating Employee Engagement. You can first read Parts 1, 2, and 3.
Skills Required for Engagement
Skill gaps to create engagement exist both in employees and managers, although most transformation efforts tend to focus on only one or the other group.
Employees need to be able to [...]

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Creating Employee Engagement, Part 3

03.05.2010

This is part 3 on employee engagement. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
The Development of Systems to Support Engagement
When conducting an assessment, one of the most revealing questions that I seem to ask is “if you have found waste or an opportunity to improve, what do you do with it?” I usually get answers ranging [...]

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Creating Employee Engagement, Part 2

03.03.2010

This is Part 2, you can read Part 1 on Creating Employee Engagement.
The Role of Culture in Engagement
Culture is the set of shared assumptions, beliefs, and principles that a group or organization holds. It is best measured or observed by the shared behaviors or habits that are exhibited.
A certain set of beliefs and behaviors need [...]

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