The e-newsletter from Forrest WorkshopsFrom the pine...Really like that quote attributed to Warren Buffet; "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree long ago." Someone showed initiative. Someone did something, worked on something, nurtured something, at very least enabled conditions to allow its growth (and, as a result, here, way down the track, the world is a little better). More than likely, it involved work. Day-in, day-out, repetitious, disciplined, "Groundhog Day"-type work. If grit and persistence for the long haul is one of the more consistent, actionable predicators of success, then understanding and accepting your version of Groundhog Day seems to be a smart play. The stuff that, if stuck with, will grow like a super fund. Not quickly, but with an eye on an endgame many years, even decades from now. Accepting that isn't easy. We have shiny eyes for shiny new things. Variety and diversity is interesting and (to trailblazers at least) appealing in vanilla surrounds. The paradox: "new" likely provides more efficient, economical mechanisms to producing "better", but "old" stuck with for yonks has the runs on the board for legacy-level results. Which path? Reinvent and redirect? Or stick to knitting long term? Guess it depends. Do you want to go out as a shade maker? A statue-worthy figure in the eyes of your Groundhog Day beneficiaries? Or is a shed full of mini-projects you had a hoot working on (but make not a smidge of difference in the scheme of the planet) likely going to do it for you on your death bed? If you're going "long game legacy", maybe thinking long and hard about what your Groundhog Days entail is smart. The skills you get to flex and develop, the beneficiaries you get to focus on, the aspects of the grind work you derive joy from just because you find the work fun. Again and again and again and again. Because, on a cold, wet, grey, unappreciated Monday morning, when that work still needs doing and you're not feeling the love, it might just be easier to stick with if you've chosen a recurring Groundhog Day agenda where even at its worst, the faintest glimpse of smile-making shine still penetrates the mud. (Trees love mud). Troy Forrest, Forrest Workshops & Strategy Road. Strategic play – Decision modelsStrategy development and strategic planning is about decision making. What we'll do, and what we won't do. Biggest and hardest part of the gig. So how to decide? There are a number of textbook "models" of decision making you can employ;
Lots of others, like the Vroom-Yetton-Jago model, the OODA loop, Paired comparison and the Ladder of Inference (google them if you're really interested, some good pointers). The one I like best? The one where leaders sit around a table, eyeball each other, having done their homework, and address the following 5 questions...
You don't have a crystal ball. No-one does. Inform yourself. Know yourselves. Collaborate. Then pick and crack on. From "Poke the box", Seth Godin. The Green RoomGood wood from smart guest contributors. This edition…. Michelle Bakjac from Bakjac Consulting, who, in her 102nd article (onya Michelle!) gives some sage counsel on eliminating excuse-making (what's your excuse for not producing content?)... The view from the fulcrum(Opening para's of the white paper...) Left, or right? The decisions on the plates of the business leader of 2019 are more multi-dimensional than ever, and less anchored by a history. A point of origin, or a mechanism that progressed your enterprise over decades to its current point, is not the rigid paradigm for tomorrow’s operations it might once have been perceived to be. Today’s organisation, and tomorrow’s, has a plethora of options and enablement mechanisms available to it. The means to completely reinvent and redeploy their energies, to deliver and realise value on paths perhaps never before imagined. So the leader’s role, while exciting and opportunity-filled, requires a more thoughtful and deliberate circumnavigation of the options landscape, the multi-directional forces, the 360° array of positions their entity might take. The strategic decisions before them are multitude. They simply can’t be sighted, appreciated or contextualized sitting on one comfortable side of the see-saw. They need a leader to stand on the fulcrum and scan. (To read the 13 strategy decision making tips for the leader of 2019, simply click here or on the picture below to read the full white paper....) Workshop observation...Facilitators love 3M.a. Sticky notes... terrific tools for mass engagement, synchronised input and pattern crystallising in a workshop... Seeds3 questions to ask yourself Monday morning, staring at that big ass to-do list…
The hill is non-negotiable. The question - stare at it? Walk it? Or run it? The Swarm GuideMeet Strategy Road Associate Mike York, a specialist advisor and support partner to successful businesses readying to scale up. With more than 10 years experience working with some of Australia's and the world's largest brands to deliver projects with multi-million dollar budgets, as well as supporting start-up founders in scaling up and exiting, Mike can help enterprises of all sizes with people, process and technology matters. Check out his value delivery engine, MikeYork.com. BloomingCut yourself some slack...Last Sunday, after a hike up the hill, a few mates adjourned to mine. We lit a fire. We ordered dial-a-pizza. We cracked open a flash bottle (or 2). And we spend a couple of hours talking absolute rot about absolutely nothing. The sun was shining. The lawn was already mowed, so.... The kids were studying or out at friends. The better half had other things on. The narrow window of opportunity was there. There's always more work to be done. Ambitions to realise, grind to push through, another hill to climb. There are always others that'll benefit from your extra efforts on their behalf, and "generous" means going a little further, for others, at the price of time on you. But sometimes, sometimes. Breathe. Get the mates. Light the fire. Open the bottle. Talk the rot. Memory-make. Open the valve just a little. Makes you more grateful, and you can put that to work tomorrow. Don't knock the combo 'til you tried it... Worth a Bo Peep...Roman Mars is a plant geneticist, and in 2013, was voted by Fast Company Magazine as one of the 100 most creative people alive. A few years back, he started a podcast, 99% invisible, that explores people, places, stories, creations and human constructs that largely go unnoticed (but are fascinating, holding innumerable lessons). Check out the site, the stories (and highly recommend the podcast) - http://99percentinvisible.org. Luft balloons* (imagine...)The bad emotions you don't ever want the punters associating with you, your brand, the stuff you put out into the world... how often do you pull the crew together to flesh them out? A dozen to discuss, decide & deploy against...
Image credit below - Harrison Telyan Slide deck specials You can't quickly engineer it. It's not cookie-cutter-replicable or leader-mandatable. And trying to transplant it across organisations, across time periods.... well, it just doesn't work. Culture - organic to its shoes - and some of the influences that can help shape it. Cross-functional conversations Part of the benefit of a diverse organisation (cross-functional teams, or just a motley crew of different experiences / skills / worldviews in the room) is that it buffers you from same-ol same-ol drinking your bathwater. It tests and challenges and explores topics from different angles that unipolar teams just can't. But it's difficult - different takes, agendas, levels of skin in the game, competing priorities and the impact of decisions isn't always meted out equally. Fundamentally, to work, any decent cross-functional conversation needs to centre on a common goal (the "what's in it for all of us" piece). Establishing that off the bat - "Why are we in a room together - what, putting our heads together, might we achieve that benefits all?" - is vital. Others;
Cross-functional workshops can be terrific culture influencers and team bond tighteners. They work best when approached with an egalitarian attitude - "everyone in here, and every piece shared, is important" - and with leadership that visibly values input from all quarters... before making a clear, purpose, vision & values aligned decision. The trees for the woods…Some days, you just get your ambitions and abilities ar$e about... (via @Kookslams) Wanna sign up?If a mate has forwarded this free e-share to you and you’d like it once or twice a month, click here and type "sign me up, Scotty!" – thanks! Thank you for reading! Forrest Workshops custom-builds and facilitates team workshops on topics ranging from strategic planning, leadership and sales practice development, to innovation, customer experience creation and collaborating with your supply chain in an evolving market. Based in Adelaide, serving clients nationally and internationally, from SMEs to Fortune 500s. NEW! Forrest Workshops For One are tailored Coaching & mentoring programs for leaders, business owners, sales and service professionals. High-touch, deep- and long-term impact support. Contact Troy Forrest from Forrest Workshops on 0430 308963 or troy@forrestworkshops.com.au for a discussion. |