May 2, 2010

No matter who you are or what you do, stop pushing and start pulling


One of the highlights of my career so far, has been working closely with John Hagel, John Seely Brown, Lang Davison and Duleesha Kulasooriya at the Deloitte Center for the Edge on a number of initiatives, including the Shift Index. Recently John, JSB and Lang launched a book called The Power of Pull and I have written my thoughts below in review.

I like business books. I enjoy reading about the science and theory of how to lead complex organizations and how to make them successful in a hyper-competitive world, but I've often had difficulty. I am not a CEO of a major company. The decisions I make on a daily basis do not shape the lives of thousands of people. Thus I have felt forced to hypothesize about that time when I am finally *that* leader. That is, until I read The Power of Pull. The principles and techniques therein apply to all of us, no matter who you are or what you do.

The main tenant of the Power of Pull is that in order to thrive now and in the future, companies and individuals need to develop pull "the ability to draw out people and resources as needed to address opportunities and challenges." In their latest book, Authors John Hagel, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison, join forces to evaluate the power of pull over multiple decades across all aspects of business, people and industry. The authors ascertain that the "success of institutions will depend on their ability to amplify the efforts of individuals so that small moves, smartly made, can become catalysts for broad impact."

Using concrete examples from big enterprise, the authors tell stories of pull: SAP reaches out across corporate boundaries to build a creation space that is driving change back into the company; Visa implements back-office credit-card processing services allowing other banks to jointly own the venture, reducing the investment required to enter the credit card business; Li & Fung works with thousands of business partners in more than 40 countries to deliver capabilities that support a bevy of consumer goods, even recently (Jan. 2010) entering into an agreement with Wal-Mart that may generate an additional $2B in sales.

While those examples are certainly credible and to the point, the authors firmly state that we must first understand how individuals will harness the power of pull before we can understand how institutions will change. So perhaps even more powerfully, the authors share examples of how people like you and I use pull. Surfers in Maui, dubbed grommets, connect and collaborate within small groups and across the Internet to learn how to ride sixty foot waves and World of Warcraft aficionados get better faster using social media and innovative teamwork.

Ultimately, the best test for me personally, of the quality of a book, is how inspired I am after I read it. That is something that cannot be forced or faked. I either feel that way, or I don't. After reading the Power of Pull, I am inspired to try harder than ever before to more effectively achieve my potential, to collaborate with others, and to pull an institution along the way.

Join the Power of Pull.

May 1, 2010

My Reading List from 2009: Ranging From: The Only Sustainable Edge to The Master and Margarita

In concert with the practice of yearly goal setting, at the beginning and end of each year, I try to take a step back and reevaluate my reading and learning aspirations. Inspired by my cousin and brother-in-law who are avid readers, I have compiled my 2009 reading list and posted it here. Soon to be published will be my reading list for 2010, based on my books I've read, am reading or will read, albeit belated ....

With life's increasing demands and busyness, recently I have had a tough time getting through books in their entirety, reading every single page from cover to cover. So, to start from a more reasonable place, last year I set a goal of reading two books a month; one book business-related, the other social, global, or religious. Going forward in 2010 however, I want to do a better job of recording what I learn from my readings, so I am going to start using a mind map to outline and collaborate with other readers. Let me know if you're interested in joining the fun.

I've included the Amazon links for each book for your convenience and hope you check some of them out. If you've read any of these books before, I'd be interested in your thoughts. If you have any favorite reads you might recommend, please share.

I'd say my top two of all 24 listed below would have to be: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and Economics in One Lesson, in no particular order. That said, I enjoyed them all. Stay tuned for more ... I can't wait to share more good reads with you!

January
- Crucial Conversations
- The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid

February
- The Only Sustainable Edge
- High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them

March
- Outliers
- Three Cups of Tea

April
- The Big Switch
- Man's Search for Meaning

May
- Reality Check
- Mere Christianity

June
- The Long Tail
- One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

July
- Yes!
- The Master and Margarita

August
- Economics in One Lesson
- Strengths Finder 2.0

September
- Open Business Models
- Saving the World at Work

October
- 10 Rules for Strategic Innovators
- How to Change the World

November
- Future of Management
- 1776

December
- The Rise of the Creative Class
- Joseph Smith Rough Stone Rolling

Effectiveness vs. Efficiency

Effectiveness vs. Efficiency

Often times we toss these words around as if they are synonymous in definition and implication, I know I have. I found a few insights from some articles and have compiled them here. In understanding the difference between effectiveness and efficiency, I believe we will practice both, better.

"Are you doing the right things? The key to effectiveness is that you’re doing things that lead to results in the realm of your responsibilities. Meanwhile the key to efficiency is getting your things done in a manner that consumes just the appropriate amount of energy and resources."

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"Guy 1: I am so efficient I can fold 100 parachutes in a hour.

Guy 2: I am so effective I can fold 100 parachutes and every single one of them will open right.

Would you rather give your parachutes to the efficient or to the effective guy?"

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"I do not think that effectiveness and efficiency are mutually exclusive things. For a manager, they are both fundamental preconditions. Being effective means that one is able to properly analyze the evolving environment and selecting the right things as the areas of strategic focus for the enterprise. On the other hand, being efficient requires a carefully carved cultural and operational framework which helps the manager to achieve a particular degree of success, given the level of resources applied to a particular objective. In fact, it is fallacy to differentiate the two things as mutually exclusive. One can say that effectiveness is probably a thing that is more affected by the external environment. There will be inherent limitations to anyone's ability to keep on continually selecting the best objectives, given one's perceptions about the evolving strategic environment. Commitment of resources to a previously selected strategic objective also limits one's degree of freedom to keep on being effective on an eternal basis. On the other hand, being efficient is dependent upon the ability to adapt the internal operational environment by establishing a conducive operational culture. This is a relatively easier thing conceptually; however, it can be extremely hard to achieve in reality.

All said and done, a manager has to keep on striving to be both efficient and effective. That is his life!"

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