Review: The Art of Influence

The Art of Influence is a very short and very punchy parable.  It tells the story of how a recent graduate from business school meets up with one of the leading business leaders of the time and is taught some valuable lessons.

This is a short story.  It won't take long to read.  What it will do though is give you food for thought and some really important life lessons.

While there are four obvious laws that are stated (without giving them away) there also plenty of other thoughts, stories and pieces of wisdom that wind their way through the book.  A lot like the fable of Hansel and Gretel this story weaves its way along a path and encourages you to follow it.

Chris Widener is the author and has done a great job on this book.  Interestingly this book reminds me a lot of the other parable 'Who moved my cheese'.

This is a book or audio story that is well worth investing in annd aharing with your friends.  A quick note - you can probably skip the first half of the book and start at the chapter where the first law is introduced by Mr Gold.  The introductory content before this chapter doesn't add a whole lot to the over all story.

My final opinion - four stars out of five,

Communication - it's essential to get it right

In my organisation there are a number of central departments and committees who make decisions that affect how and when of the strategy and administrative processes for our organisation. At each meeting of those various committees minutes are taken and a record is kept of the main action points, resolutions made and decisions finalised.

Each department has designated attendees for each committee whose role it is to attend, provide robust discussion and state the departments view of any decision being reached.  However there are leaks in the pipes of information.  So what should we do fix it?

1. Communicate the main points to the people who actually do the work.  People at the front line need to be told over and over and over again what the new rules and expectations of them are.
2. Meet with the appropriate people in person.  Get together and talk about it face to face.  Chances are there will be more answers than questions.  Keep the agenda tight, the points sharp
3. Stay visible and contactable.  People need to know who you are and where you can be reached at.  For clear communication to take place - people don't want to and probably won't play hide and seek with the information that they need.
4. When you think people have got it - say it again!  You can never repeat the message enough times.  When it gets annoying is after the thid time you have said something and you still haven't made any progress or taken any action.  That sucks.

There will always be room for improvement when it comes to communication.  The best place is to start - is at the beginning!

Smart marketing - putting it in reverse.

This is one of the most powerful advertising videos I have seen in a long time.

How does it work?  It takes a simple idea - before and after - and reverses the cycle.

Super effective and very, very moving.

This fantastic video was created by Ogilvy.com.  To see more of their great work head over to their website.

Leadership lessons - Michael Jordan

 

1. Actions speak louder than words.
2. Lead from the front - talk to people and tell them what a great job they are doing.
3. Your attitude is contagious.
4. Practice makes perfect.
5. Patience is everything.
6. When the heat is on - you be the leader!
7. Rise to the occasion and do what it takes.
8. No regrets.

"The ultimate show and tell.  Telling the team how to do it and showing them how it's done."

Women in charge (NZ workforce census 2010)

Every two years the Human Rights Commission carries out a voluntary survey of the top companies and executives and governance bodies across New Zealand. There were a number of interesting points to arise out of the data. Here are a few items that I found interesting -

• Thirteen companies out of 100 have two or more board members who are women. 
• Only 43 of the top 100 companies have any female directors.
• Two women hold the top jobs as chief executives among the top 100 NZSX companies.

Unfortunately the numbers don't lie. The statistics speak for themselves.

 

So what does this say about women and governance/leadership?

 

Male dominated areas of governance in New Zealand continue unabated.

With change comes increased opportunities!

(Source: http://www.millennialmedia.com/wp-content/images/SMART/MillennialMedia-SMART-September-2010.pdf) 
So if I have a product or service to offer that directly targets or could be used by moms - what advertising avenue do you think I would use?  And if the moms are that intelligent and tech savvy then how much more are the kids?

32% of moms own a Smartphone in 2010 vs. 20% in 2009 (a 60% increase).
32% of moms say they use the Mobile Internet once a week in 2010 vs. 20% in 2009 (a 60% increase).

Review: How I did it... Anne Mulcahy

Anne Mulcahy is a person whom I had never heard of before until earlier this year.  Since then I have been excited, encouraged and enthused by her and what she has achieved in the world of business.  Being the CEO of Xerox is no easy task and one that has plenty of opportunities as well as pitfalls.

In the October 2010 edition of the Harvard Business Review Anne outlines in an article the whys and how’s of both succession planning and handover.  The story and the article are very honest and very little is hidden.  There are quite a few lessons and stories shared that have a lot of wisdom about them.

I enjoyed the honesty of the situation and the way the entire process was handled.  Another interesting part to this story is the fact that not only was one woman in charge of Xerox but she handed over the controls to another woman.  The fact that both Anne and her successor were able to garner the confidence and support of the board and directors is phenomenal.

If you were to only read one article or story about business this year - this would be the one that I recommend.

 

The ability to walk away

One key to long term success is to know and understand when it is time to walk away from a responsibility, a task or a project when you have done all you can and can't do anymore.  This year I have co-ordinated a qualification (which is made up of 8 papers taught over two semesters) as well as keep on with my day job as school administration manager.

Now I am quite aware that next year the qualification needs someone better than me to take it to the next level.  Honestly, I don't have any issue with that at all.  In fact the project has launched me on a huge learning ride and has totally changed the way i see both my teams and my own approach to how we do our jobs.

So with that in mind here are a few things I will do and recommend you should do if you reach the same point -

• Give it over to someone better.  If it is your choice to pick who to hand the project over to then pick someone who is better than you are in the specific areas that the project needs work done in.   
• Have a transition plan.  Stopping dead in your tracks and wallking away without doing a clean handover is detrimental to all the work you have done.
• Continue to support your successor however you can.

My key skill is getting projects up off the ground and having the ability to get the ball rolling.  Now that we have accomplished that fact now it's time to hand over the running to someone else.

Let people get on with their work.

I enjoy sitting back and letting the people who report to me do their jobs without disturbance.  This has both pluses and minuses attached to it.

Positives.

• Workers feel empowered to do their jobs.
• Workers have the power and freedom to make changes and implement best practices as they see fit.
• Workers have key responsibility areas and they held to account for those areas according to central reporting procedures.
• I allow each worker to have a specific area of knowledge and responsibility that each of the others could do but don't because they allow the information expert to cover it.

Negatives.

• There are times when I may not provide enough guidance in smaller matters.
• Workers sometimes look to others for guidance and leadership if they feel that I am not interested in what they are doing.
• Workers don't ask for new tasks as quickly as they could when their work load dries up.

How do I manage the good and the bad?

• Daily catch ups and reports.  Every day I speak to all each member of my team and get a quick overview of what they are working on and what their priorities are for the day.  This is done in an informal and casual way.
• Use central timelines and reports to keep people honest.  Each person knows what the timelines are for work expectations and administrative support.  I don't need to wave a big stick because the accountabilities are already in place.
• Let people create and understand the peculiar rythms of each of their particular roles.

In management (as with most areas of life) one size doesn't fit all - all the time.  Know your workers, find out what motivates them and then set them free to do what they are best at.

Employment matters and discussions.

When it comes to discussing peoples employment matters (especially in regards to contracts) then be early, be sincere and be honest,  No one likes to get screwed.  Remember - you reap what you sow.