The Orange Chair Online

Restructuring to enhance service offerings and delivery. Join me on my latest change initiative. Check out my website: www.nickyfried.com

On my drive home I was thinking about a friend’s toddler. He’s a charming, sunny little fellow by the name of Elijah. Only trouble is Elijah is risk and change averse. And his mum is concerned because she knows that Elijah will need to take lots of risks and deal with constant change to grow and develop as a human being.

Personal change can be extremely gratifying – particularly when we feel like we have instituted the change and are in control of it.

I am fortunate enough to be going through my own self induced change right now.

Ken Milloy and I recently made the decision to restructure Strategic Connections Inc to better meet the needs of our clients. As a result of research conducted over the past three months we have decided to move forward with a new partnership-based model.

The most visible outcome of this change marks the end of an era of sorts: Strategic Connections Inc. is closing its doors and will be replaced by two separate companies; Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. and Milloy Management Consulting Inc. This new approach will allow us the flexibility needed to meet the ever changing needs of our clients – current and future – while allowing us to provide new and different services.

Through our partnership we will continue to provide the highest level of service and results possible. And for those who rely heavily on our online article library and resource centre, fear not, as plans are being made to ensure that all of the information found on the Strategic Connections inc. website will be available to all as in the past.

Here’s a little bit about the two organizations:

Nicky Fried Consulting Inc is dedicated to translating strategy and change so that it is meaningful and relevant to all employees.

We will help our clients to achieve better business results because their employees will understand the journey the company is on and the role they play in support of its success.

Milloy Management Consulting Inc will focus on supporting senior level leadership teams to identify and proactively pursue strategic programs that lead to competitive advantage through effective planning, communication and engagement.

We have had a blast in Strategic Connections and would like to thank all of you we've come in contact with. We are very excited about the next leg of the journey.

Here is my contact information. Have a look at my website, give me a call or send me an email. I'd like your input to develop and grow my new venture.

Website: www.nickyfried.com
Phone: 604.831.5692
Email at nicky.fried@telus.net

Do you have 45 minutes? Pick up a copy of John G. Miller’s QBQ: The Question behind the question. http://ping.fm/cBNx9 . It’s all about personal accountability.

Miller believes the answers are in the questions. He has a simple formula for taking accountability:
• Ask What and How questions
• Use I in the sentence
• Make the sentence action orientated.
E.g. What can I do to improve our relationship with marketing.

Imagine working in an organization where people functioned like that!

Lack of personal accountability at United Airlines. http://ping.fm/Fqyd4 v=5YGc4zOqozo&feature=PlayList&p=2772A63434557B0E&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=82 Customers notice when employees aren’t engaged.

In hard times the customer rules! Check out this Globe and Mail article http://ping.fm/HH6nl

Check it out! SW Airlines employee - gets the job done his way. http://ping.fm/gmYQD

Ten most common mistakes CEOs make in communicating strategy

 By Nicky Fried

It’s been six months of hard work, time and energy, the results are outstanding and you and your executive are looking forward to seeing your strategic plan implemented. Nine months down the road you are disappointed and frustrated. The new plan is not having the results you would like to see. Employees don’t seem to understand or care. It’s a great plan but it’s not getting any traction.

You are not alone. Seventy percent of change plans fail, not because they aren’t good, but because the people who must execute them don’t feel engaged. To fully engage employees you will need to actively communicate.

Here are the 10 most common mistakes CEOs make in communicating strategy:

1. Not having an engagement/communication plan. Any important initiative needs a plan. You have put a lot of effort into the development so make sure an equal amount goes into the execution.

Solution: Work with your communication team to develop a clear plan that targets different groups and maps out strategies, tactics and messages.

2. Leaving it up to someone else. You own the plan. No one else has the same passion for it. How can you expect them to communicate as effectively as you?

Solution: Show you are committed and get out and communicate. Your employees will respond to your passion and understand this is important to the organization, through your behaviour. You need to be a key tactic in the communication plan. You are after all the Chief Engagement Officer!

3. Trying to be someone else in communicating the plan. Don’t try and communicate in a style that doesn’t work to your best advantage.

Solution: Use your personal style to your advantage in communicating to staff. If you are an outstanding one-on-one communicator then set up a series of meetings that allow you to communicate in this way.

4. Not taking time to simplify the message so everyone can understand it. Remember only you and the executive worked on it for six months.

Solution: Work with your communication department to create key messages and graphics that clarify and communicate the plan so everyone can understand and relate to it.

5. Sending out the same message to everyone. Different areas will need to interpret the strategic plan in different ways.

Solution: Personalize your message to different departments so that they can begin the work of interpreting it for their area.

6. Not being available to answer questions about the plan. This is not about telling – it’s about engaging and helping people understand their role in the plan.

Solution: If you are holding group meetings, assign a large portion of session for questions. Host a blog where people can interact with you. Cancel appointments and open your door to employees.

7. Not making your communication objectives clear to managers on how they must communicate the plan to their employees.

Solution: Set clear and measurable communication objectives for managers on communicating e.g. “the plan will be communicated to all your staff by July 15”.

8. Not supporting managers with appropriate materials so they can communicate to their staff.

Solution: Develop discussion guides and Q/As so managers can fully discuss the strategic plan and help employees understand how they support it.

9. Not measuring the success of communication throughout the organization. How do you know your efforts are working?

Solution: Phone surveys to random employees to see if they have been communicated to and understand the gist of the communication.

10. Not communicating early wins. Employees need to see the new behaviours in action so they can understand what they need to do.

Solution: Know who your early adopters are and make sure their successes are fully communicated.

Peter Gruber on sharing stories to engage and communicate effectively

Here’s a great interview on storytelling with one of the masters, Peter Gruber, chairman of the Mandalay Entertainment Group.

 

Gruber maintains that we are all wired to tell stories.

 

Language is an organizing principle for human cultures and allows us to communicate values. We are not wired to remember information; only when it is embedded in story does it become memorable and actionable.

 

According to Gruber every great leaders is a storyteller, and it’s the stories leaders tell that move our hearts and excite people to action. Story makes people apostles and moves them to tell others. He reminds us that when if we tell people to move to the door – they don’t, but if we yell ‘fire’ - which is in essence a story – they run for the door.

 

Gruber talks about control and the viral nature of story, suggesting that control is in fact illusionary. He suggests that through story we provide the navigational stakes and the emotional connection and let others take and retell our stories.

 

Here is the link.

Feathers are soft; communication is a hard core management skill

 

Recently I came across Ten Tips on how to help your employees manage change in uncertain times from Towers Perrin. It’s good sensible advice like, have a strategy for uncertain times and communicate your strategy effectively. And, help employees understand the context they function within, let them know they area valued and give them an opportunity to air concerns. Have a look at them – I’m sure you will find them useful.

 

What intrigued me was the fact that the majority of the tips are communication related. We know that organizations that practice effective internal communication financially outperform those that don’t; up to 29.5% increase in market value and 50% higher shareholder returns. Impressive!

 

I don’t know why people call communication a ‘soft’ skill. Soft suggests something lightweight – like feathers. And feathers have a horrible habit of flying all over the place and being difficult to catch. I like to believe that we can be more targeted and deliberate with our communications. My business partner refers to communication as a fundamental management skill - a far more appropriate term, don’t you think?

 

People are more precious than machines

 

I had the pleasure of hearing Paul Herr speak today. His book Primal Management was published last month.

Paul’s focus is natural management. This is a management strategy that respects human nature and strives to align the workplace with the motivational survival-mechanism nature built into each of our brains. 

I’d like to share with you one of Paul’s analogies - I found it quite powerful.  

If you purchased a $5 million piece of equipment for your organization you would likely look after it. You would have dedicated technicians to watch over it, and you would have sensors in place to track and ensure it functioned within established parameters.

Do we do the same for human beings? No we do not!

And yet we should. A Brookings Institute study found that nearly 85% of a company’s assets are related to intangible capital tied up in knowledge and human talent. Our employees truly are our greatest asset and we are all quite willing to admit as much. But we need to go beyond the words. Why is this so difficult? I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Why people and engagement matter

This video was first produced in 2007. I came across it in my files and was reminded of why I feel so strongly about what I do, and the importance of engaging employees in the organizational journey. I hope you enjoy it.