Business Ethics & A Moral Compass

 

The notion of an “ethical business” isn’t an oxymoron. Two automotive companies make me wonder:

• GM was just fined $900 million for the car ignition problem that killed over 100 people. People inside GM knew the truth and looked the other way. Right now, the Justice Department has no plans to issue criminal indictments. I heard someone on the news say, “The law really doesn’t address this issue.” It would seem product liability laws have kicked in but what about concealing the truth from management and customers? What about customers dying and not one word was uttered by GM until it was forced to face the music?

• VW has been caught providing invalid documentation of diesel engine emissions on its automobiles. The software settings that confirmed the vehicles met emission requirements were changed for production vehicles meaning the vehicles did not meet emission requirements. VW is facing fines of up to $18 billion for this violation.

I was taught we should “do the right thing.” Both GM and VW have failed to “do the right thing.” In the case of GM, people have died. In the case of VW, our environment has been compromised.

Ethical choices in business depend on a proper moral compass. Leadership must set the compass and monitor compliance.

Thought for the week:

“If you see distraction externally, you end up creating an internally distracted state.” – Tim Ferriss

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What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2015 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive! To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Play Small To Lose

My father and I took up watching Stanford football after my mother’s passing in 2007. Stanford has had some pretty good years the past decade with Coach Jim Harbaugh (who went on to coach the San Francisco 49ers and now the University of Michigan) and Coach David Shaw who is in his fifth season coaching at Stanford.

Dad, a 1948 Stanford B.S. Electrical Engineering grad, is ever hopeful that “this is the year.” It only took one game to see that this likely isn’t Stanford’s year. Stanford looked and played flat yesterday in their 16-6 road loss to Northwestern University. This was a very disappointing start to what appeared to be a season filled with hope and great aspirations. What happened?

• Shaw’s play calling was too conservative. This is a bad habit of his. It’s tough to watch when Stanford has a small lead but when the team is behind, it is maddening. When you need to pile up a lot of yards as time wanes in the game, 5-yard passes won’t get it done. And, it didn’t.

• While I don’t yet understand the new rules changes about when the clock stops, it is clear that you have to manage the clock differently today than just a few years ago. The clock doesn’t stop much and the available time to run plays is far less than it used to be.

• Shaw built his offense around a guy who can run and catch the ball. But, when this guy is central in too many plays, the opposing defense rightly concludes if he’s not running the ball, then a pass is headed his way. The team is not effectively using all its offensive weapons.

• The quarterback, Kevin Hogan, decided to play one more year at Stanford and not enter the National Football League draft after having 3 strong games at the end of the the 2014 season. His inconsistency and ineffectiveness yesterday won’t help him with his NFL aspirations.

Stanford has some really tough PAC-12 games this year: Oregon, UCLA, USC and Cal. They also play Notre Dame.

David Shaw shoulders the blame for yesterday’s loss. Stanford was ranked 21st going into yesterday’s game. They don’t belong in the Top 25. Stanford has the talent but lacked in execution yesterday.

What’s the lesson? When you need big plays and play small, you’re not going to win in football or in business.

Thought for the week:

“Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied.”  Dale Carnegie

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What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2015 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive! To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Too Much Ouzo?

Greece had a referendum a week ago and voted “no” to accepting the terms of financial bailout from the European Union. The “no” vote stems from nationalistic pride, not common sense.

While the Greeks were momentarily happy for “standing up to the EU,” Greece now needs to negotiate a bailout that resembles what the Greeks voted against. Huh?

What we have witnessed can only be deemed a Greek government leadership failure that has brought Greece to a state of financial insolvency. The Greek government has failed to lead.We now know how not to lead.

Too many departments and organization fall victim to not leading. Don’t let this happen to you.

Photo Credit: Dennis Jarvis on Flickr

Thought for the week:

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt

What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2015 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive! To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Investing In Employee Growth

 

This story or its variations have been shared many times:

CFO: What if we invest in our employees and they leave?

CEO: What if we don’t invest in them and they stay?

In a Fast Company article I wrote called How Much Experience Do You Have?, I offered the following story:

Our CEO offered, “Someone who repeats the same year of their life fifteen times doesn’t have 15 years of experience; they have one year of experience repeated fifteen times.” That thought really stuck with me. We had a lot of people that fit that bill. What are leaders facing?

A business is either evolving or dying. The people within the business are either growing or dying. What are you doing to ensure your people are growing?

Photo Credit: Sean MacEntee, Flickr

Thought for the week:

“Only 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh water. 97% of the water on Earth is salt water.” – Heard through @AquaiWater on Twitter

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What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2015 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive! To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Vishal Sikka Departs SAP

Sunday evening, May 4th, I learned Vishal Sikka, CTO and an executive board member of SAP, had resigned for “personal reasons.” News of his departure is shocking to me. Earlier this year, I met him to learn about the transformation he was leading. Vishal is a very impressive individual.

• About 25,000 employees reported to Vishal. SAP has some 70,000 employees total to give you some perspective.
• People in Vishal’s organization are in shock and traumatized by his departure. They won’t have definitive answers about what his departure means for some time yet. Vishal’s vision was clearly instantiated in the product roadmap; it can’t turn on a dime.
• Vishal’s story seemed almost too good to be true and, perhaps in the end, it was. He was leading SAP and its SAP customers to a new and, in my opinion, better place. However, those who lead enterprise-wide transformations scare those who are reliant on and nervous about changing the status quo. There is always friction and resistance to change. SAP’s status quo won last night.
• He seemed to enjoy a very cordial relationship with his team. He knew people in Palo Alto by their first names, something that surprised me. After all, an important guy like Vishal doesn’t have time for such trivialities, right? Wrong.
• In a streaming media event, Vishal appeared to be a rock star at SAP. He had the ability to advocate for non-traditional development issues, e.g., pricing products and services. His ability to influence and make change had to scare some people in leadership roles, people who didn’t hold back voicing their concerns.

My friend and colleague, Ray Wang of Constellation Research, noted that Vishal’s departure boiled down to 3 issues:

• Vishal advocated for building platforms as opposed to applications
• Vishal was enabling customers to build versus buy applications and solutions
• Vishal was enabling customers to innovate versus simply executing what SAP defined

Who was most concerned about this paradigm shift that Vishal was leading? Sales and the board of directors. The board took action to alter the path Vishal was putting the company on.

Big companies do what they have to to protect revenue streams. Ultimately, I surmise SAP had real fear that Vishal was going to upset revenue streams.

When SAP tried to cage an innovator like Vishal, he had little choice but to flee the building. Change is hard even for a smart, engaging, charismatic professional like Vishal. And, change is even harder for SAP, a company that has seen a number of executives leave the company.

I hope Vishal, his team and SAP find a compelling way to thrive.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting
http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2014 Dave Gardner

For Change Sake, Meet People Where They Are

I was contacted by a manufacturing company in a world of hurt. The short version: the client had purchased an ERP system with the hope that business execution would improve. It didn’t. There were no processes in place to be integrated with the new tool. No one used it. The ERP investment was yielding no business benefit.

The client had an open stockroom and did not want to build a cage around it. When it came time for process roll-out, I had to share the idea of “transacting inventory” to account for its consumption by individual job. I knew “transacting inventory” would never resonate with this team so I had to invent a sticky way of making the point.

As I drove by a Wal-Mart, I discovered a solution to my problem:

• Wal-Mart is like a big open stock room
• If you don’t pay (transact the merchandise) at the register on your way out the door, it’s shoplifting.
• And, for my client, if they didn’t stop by the “register” to charge off the parts to the job, that, too, would be considered shoplifting.

The notion of “shoplifting” became the key to my training and to changing the business practices and culture around ERP adoption. Afterall, who would want to be accused of shoplifting?

This idea stuck. When someone would come out of the stockroom with one or more parts, the other people on the shop floor would point at the person and ask if they shoplifted the parts. This became a big part of driving inventory accuracy.

Without this “shoplifting” idea, I doubt we would have gotten the adoption we needed. The company had a 35-year history of not transacting inventory–it was like being in the wild, wild West. Yet, I helped my client cross this uncrossable chasm in a matter of minutes.

The lesson: meet people where they are, not where you wish they are, if you want them to adopt change their world. It’s okay to make it fun sometimes, too.

 Photo Credit: Alison Christine, Flickr.com

Thought for the week:

“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change.” – Jim Rohn

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What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2014 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive! To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

How Leadership Can Undermine Culture

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: leadership and culture

I didn’t expect to awaken this past Thursday to seeing Santa Clara University on the front page of the San Jose Mercury News.

Father Engh, University President, made headlines by announcing his decision to drop elective abortion coverage for all University employees. Some would say, “C’mon, Dave–this is a private Jesuit university of practicing Roman Catholics–Father Engh is correct in adopting this position.” And, “some” would be right.

Here’s the problem. The decision was made unilaterally without consulting with the employees. The announcement came as a shock to the University’s 1,600 employees. Does Father Engh really want to shock the institution and culture of the University? One faculty member offered:

“Santa Clara has a stated commitment to shared governance, inclusiveness, openness and so forth,” said history professor Nancy Unger. “This is such a powerful violation of all that Santa Clara says that it stands for.”

Apparently, there will be discussions with the stakeholders about this change after the fact. Too late.

As is often the case, it’s often not the policy change that offends as much as it is the way in which the decision is communicated.

Father Engh is clearly seizing the opportunity to align the University’s position with the Affordable Care Act. The ACA requires that birth control be made available. It doesn’t require that an employer offer abortion coverage. The University is complying with the both the law and teachings of the church.

While it works logically, as a practical matter, the manner in which this change was announced has undermined the University’s culture.

It doesn’t take much for leadership to undermine the culture of any organization–it only requires taking action that is inconsistent with cultural norms. Trust can be made very fragile very quickly. And, that is what has happened here.

[Full Disclosure: I’m a member of the Leadership Board for Santa Clara University’s College of Arts and Sciences. My views are my own.]

Thought for the week:

“I am in awe every day of the power of words. The ones we say, the ones we omit, the ability of elegantly assembled ones to move us.” – Amber Naslund via Twitter

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What do you think? I welcome your comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Can Microsoft jumpstart growth via a reorganization

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: Microsoft’s big reorganization

Microsoft announced a major reorganization this week. A news report offered Microsoft is:

“organizing itself around key areas designed to make the company more nimble in a fiercely-competitive technology sector. The company said it will deliver multiple devices and services as a single company, rather than a collection of separate divisions, after completing its first major overhaul in five years.”

Oh my, Microsoft! I’m giddy with excitement and anticipation. Not! How many eye rolls did this news produce internally and externally? Raise your hand if you truly believe Microsoft’s “problem” can be fixed with a reorganization. Hmmm. Well, I saw Steve Ballmer’s hand go up.

Microsoft’s “problem” isn’t going to be fixed by a reorganization. Just what is the “problem?”

Microsoft is a legacy company with a status quo, complacent culture trying to stay relevant with its customers. What do customers really care about? Themselves. What does Microsoft really care about? Making money. Microsoft is all about protecting revenue streams. Microsoft isn’t much of an innovator. They are doing a poor job playing defense when they should be playing offense.

Microsoft has lost my attention:

• I grew weary of the user interface changes in MS Office that added no value to my use of the suite. I use Libre Office, an open source, free tool.
• One of my happiest technology days in recent memory was liberating myself from Microsoft Outlook. Why? I couldn’t find things in my email–the search function is horrible, wasted a lot of my time and added to my frustration. Now, I use Gmail which is fast and integrates seamlessly with my CRM system (ACT!) and leverages Google’s search capability. Search is fast and pretty foolproof. With MS Outlook, it was slow and a real crap shoot.
• Sharepoint–a repository–is “free” and is pushed by IT as a collaboration tool. It has a horrible architecture and only serves to silo data and teams.
• Skype was far more reliable before Microsoft bought it. Google Hangouts are free and offer much better service.

Microsoft is a follower and not a fast follower at that. There’s been little innovation perhaps in part due to Microsoft’s desire to not disrupt anybody. I’ll acknowledge Windows 8 has been a bit disruptive but not in a good way.

Microsoft suffers from big company syndrome. They have not given themselves or the marketplace a compelling “why” or vision that inspires Microsoft leadership, Microsoft employees, channel partners, shareholders or customers. That’s no way to thrive. And, certainly no way to accelerate growth. So, anybody excited about the re-org?

Thought for the week:

 “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” – Warren Buffett

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe. Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

It’s All About The Customer

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: the customer

Great companies focus on what customers need and want, creating strong desire for their products and/or services along the way.

Distressed companies focus on “how to fix the business,” not necessarily how to connect with, inspire and connect with their customers. For distressed companies, it’s almost as if the customer isn’t there. You’ll hear a lot of “we need to do this, we need to do that,” etc.

Is your company:

• Focused internally or on the customer almost to a fault?
• Continually looking for ways to enhance the relationship with your customers in meaningful and impactful ways?
• Driving innovation in a way that makes customers sit up and pay close attention?
• Creating excitement for your customers?

It’s all about the customer. Without the customer, you have no opportunity to thrive.

Thought for the week:

“The big win is when you refuse to settle for average or mediocre.”  – Seth Godin

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

My First Trip To Istanbul, Turkey

Photo Courtesy of Flickr, Moyan_Brenn

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: my first trip to Istanbul, Turkey

The Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy taught us “there’s no place like home.” I’d like to add, “There’s no place like Istanbul!”

I’m just back from Istanbul where I attended the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network annual global conference co-sponsored by Intel. I was also invited to keynote the Endeavor Istanbul entrepreneurial conference, an event postponed due to the on-going protests. You know you’re not home when:

• There are metal detectors at all hotel entrances
• Internet access is quite unpredictable
• Your passport is examined three times at the airport prior to boarding a return flight

The protests in Istanbul remind me of protests in the U.S. back during the Vietnam War. In Turkey, it is simple: the people don’t want a historic park replaced with a shopping mall in the downtown area. And, they are letting the Prime Minister know.

The Prime Minister sees this as an attack on his authority (and ego). His announcement is the genesis of protests that have triggered a violent government response that is only adding fuel to the very protests he wants to stop.

Leadership means getting buy-in from, not ignoring, stakeholders, even those who didn’t vote for you or won’t vote for you in the next election. The Prime Minister does not know how to come to a more feasible solution without appearing weak.

He’s not leading. He’s infuriating a large segment of his own population. The emperor has no clothes yet his advisers don’t seem to want to share the news with him. He won’t thrive but I believe, ultimately, the Turkish citizens will.

I really enjoyed Istanbul, the food, the people and the Turkish entertainers. I can’t wait to return.

Thought for the week:

“Don’t let your past steal your present. Attitude & focus are critical factors in your success. Don’t surrender them to yesterday.”  – Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here. I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Fighting The Status Quo

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: fighting the status quo

My consulting practice is about accelerating growth through change. Occasionally, it feels like some would prefer my practice be more about “accelerating growth by preserving and maintaining the status quo.”

If you are about preserving and maintaining the status quo, you don’t need me. You can do that on your own.

There are implications of inaction. Have you taken a few moments to consider the implications of your status quo?

If the area you are responsible for is suboptimal in fulfilling its essential value to the company, ask yourself,

• What is my legacy going to be?
• When I am ready to move to a different company or area within my current company, what legacy will people ascribe to me?
• Did I move the needle on the business? Or, did I pretty much support the status quo?
• Did I produce measurable, value-laden, important business outcomes or can I merely report that we worked hard?

As my mentor, Alan Weiss, teaches: “We are here to make waves.” He’s right. Businesses that thrive eschew the status quo.

Thought for the week:

“The faster you build trust, the more likely you are to increase deal velocity.” – Dave Gardner

What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com © 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe. Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

American Airlines Social Media Rocks!

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: social media

I had to fly from Silicon Valley to Austin this past week and decided to:

• Fly American Airlines for the first time in a few years (other airlines currently offer non-stops on this popular route that American pioneered back in the early 1980’s)
• Use American’s mobile app for check-in, boarding passes and getting through security

I was really disappointed in the Android mobile app. I needed to get paper boarding passes for 3 of the 4 flights as I could not retrieve them via the mobile app. I did manage to get through security both times using the mobile app–it could have been a disaster to be sent back to the ticket counter to get a boarding pass!

I knew this result wasn’t up to American’s standards and wanted to speak to an executive about my experience. I believed that my insights could help them improve a situation I was convinced they weren’t aware of. I won’t bore you with all the details, but, here’s an executive overview:

• I emailed customer relations who put me in touch with the web services team within one hour. Great!
• The web services team told me I needed to speak to the third-party developer of the mobile app and gave me a phone number to call. This wasn’t what I wanted and I find it impossible to believe American would want me to speak with their technology vendor. I called as instructed. When AppleCare answered the phone, we both got a quite a chuckle as I knew Apple hadn’t built the Android mobile app on my Motorola Droid 4 phone.
• I was then told to call the travel desk. I was given the main phone number for American. I tried 3 times and was never able to connect with a human being via their automated call system–hello?
• I sent a Tweet: @AmericanAir I’ve invested nearly an hour to try to reach a human today to provide feedback about your Android mobile app…no success.

The social media team reached out to me within minutes. I provided more detail and my contact information. Within an hour or so, the gentleman responsible for the Android mobile app called me and I was able to give him information about my mobile experience. He learned about issues he was completely unaware of. He was very appreciative for my insights. I am confident my input is going to help them get closure on these issues. I’ll be watching and listening. And, now I know how to follow-up with him should I have issues in the future.

There is good news here. One, I was able to accomplish my mission to help American Airlines learn about usability issues with its Android mobile app and two, American Airlines restored my faith in them via their social media team who really shined! The social media team rapidly connected me to the right person and got that person to call me the same day.

There are lots of lessons in this short piece IF American chooses to go through this blog post carefully. Perhaps the social media team will help by making sure the executive in charge of customer experience sees this. Frankly, it would have been a lot easier for me to just give up on this issue, but, that’s not what I am all about.

For my readers, I ask you to consider do you really know what it’s like to contact your company should a customer have an issue? It is easy? Or, hard? If it’s hard, it will be hard for your company to thrive.

Thought for the week:

“Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” — Marilyn vos Savant

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What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Big Company Syndrome

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: big company syndrome

You know your company is plagued with big company syndrome when:

1. There is little or no sense of urgency.
2. The smallest unit of time is 1 year.
3. If it can’t be done in a year, allow 2 years or maybe 3.
4. There is always next week, next quarter, next year, next decade.
5. Incrementalism is favored over actions that move the needle for the business.
6. You study, analyze, and ponder for years without solving well-known problems.
7. You invest huge amounts of capital on information technology to solve a problem that no one can articulate well.
8. You are more concerned about getting to a perfect solution than rapidly implementing a solution that might be “good enough.”
9. Decisions can only be made at the highest levels of management.
10. People have little faith that their ideas are valued when senior management consistently overturns the recommendations of people on the front lines.
11. Your people think they are part of a team with well-defined roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for each member when, in reality, they are part of a committee with poorly defined roles, responsibilities and accountabilities. [What if a professional baseball or football team played like a committee rather than a team?]
12. Smaller, more agile competitors are running circles around you but you believe they’ll never be a threat.
13. Your leadership is internally-focused with a passion for revenues, margins, market share, stock price and continually fixing what is wrong about the business but has no real passion for the business they are in, e.g., the products, the customers, driving innovation, etc.
14. Employees and customers feel as though they are treated with indifference.
15. Employees are risk-averse and cling to the status quo.

I don’t see how a company suffering from big company syndrome can thrive. Do you?

Thought for the week:

 “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit at the typewriter and bleed.” – Ernest Hemingway

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What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

The Power Of Focus

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: the power of focus

Thank God It’s this Monday and not the last.

When people were attacked at the Boston Marathon, it ignited a singular focus to find the perpetrator and bring him or her to justice. At the end of the week,

• we see the result of the focus on one goal
• we see the result of incredible collaboration from thousands of people who have never worked together on a project like this before to produce a powerful outcome in just over 4 days
• we witness the euphoria of a grateful citizenry
• we feel relief

The contrast is stark: In a few days, we’ve felt the horror of the attack and sheer jubilation as a result of the suspects being neutralized.

To all who played a hand in getting us to this point, thank you. To our first responders and good samaritans who jumped into action, thank you very much.

And, finally, to all who have been impacted by the horrific event, know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Thought for the week:

“In your quest for the riches, don’t forget to enjoy the richness of what you already have.” – Rajesh Setty

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What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Appealing to Self-Interest

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: appealing to self-interest

Recently a high school in California faced an usual problem: The girls had started kissing the mirror in the restroom, leaving hard-to-remove imprints. Joe, the dedicated janitor, appealed to the principal for help. The principal immediately announced that the mirror kissing must stop…or else.

The kissing increased. Girls who had not really considered kissing a mirror suddenly saw the appeal. At the end of his scholarly rope, the principal called in a consultant, who brought sage advice to the situation—as we always do.

The consultant suggested that the principal meet with the president of each class in the girls’ restroom to discuss the situation. Initially the principal asked for both their empathy and cooperation in addressing the problem. Then he announced, “I think that once you understand how difficult the girls are making Joe’s job, you’ll use your influence to convince your classmates to stop kissing the mirror.”

To demonstrate the arduous task of cleaning the mirror. Joe took a toilet brush, dipped it in the toilet, and then scrubbed the mirror. That was the last time he ever had to clean the mirror.

Too often we try to effect behavior change by presenting our wants and needs while simultaneously ignoring those of others.

Consultants know better. People change—when they do change—for their reasons, not ours. If we pinpoint their motivations and fears, we take significant strides in the direction of our goals.

When we don’t, we end up with toilet water on our kissers.

Note: This guest post comes courtesy of my good friend and colleague, Linda Henman, Henman Performance Group.

Thought for the week:

“Worrying is like praying for the things you don’t want.” – Source unknown

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What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

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DeNardo Lectureship A Home Run for Santa Clara University

I joined the Leadership Board for the College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University this past fall. Until then, I confess to having spent little time on campus since receiving my MBA there in 1976. Since joining the board, I heard a constant refrain from the executive committee members: “Wait until the DeNardo Lectureship!” This past week was finally the week. And, now I understand why my colleagues were so excited.

The DeNardo Lectureship is combined with Health and Science Horizons and is a series of events designed to enrich student, faculty and community understanding of modern healthcare topics. As the university website states:

Boasting dynamic and eminent speakers, the series features interdisciplinary programs aimed at inspiring an intellectual dialogue across campus and our community. Health and Science Horizons brings out the best in Jesuit education, reflecting Santa Clara’s institutional commitment to the pursuit of informed ethical discourse.

Health and Science Horizons is presented in partnership with the Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, and SCU Presents.

About The Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship

Gerald and Sally DeNardo, Photo courtesy of UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center

The Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship was established through an endowment created and funded by Gerald and Sally DeNardo. Their vision is for the Lectureship to be the major and most effective presentation in the health sciences at Santa Clara. The DeNardos expanded their vision to include Science Research Scholars, as well as a Senior Prize.

The vision for the Gerald and Sally DeNardo Science Scholars is to support the undergraduate research experience of outstanding science students with Santa Clara University faculty mentors. The Gerald and Sally DeNardo Senior Prize in Science Research is to recognize outstanding research accomplishment by a Santa Clara University undergraduate pursuing a career in the health sciences.

The major events this year included:

• A keynote by David Kessler, M.D., former Food and Drug Administration head under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton
• The Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship Recognition Dinner
• An Iron Chef event—the art and science of cooking healthy food
• “Hunger, Obesity and Food Justice”
• “What’s For Dinner? How Marketing Influences Our Food Choices”

I had the pleasure of attending the first two events.

David Kessler, M.D.

If the program goal is the “pursuit of informed ethical discourse,” I give Dr. Kessler’s program an A+. When you hear someone speak and the message takes up a prominent place in your mind for days afterward, you have real impact.

Dr. Kessler is considered the leader in turning the tide on the acceptability of cigarette smoking in the U.S and globally. I know a great deal about smoking. I smoked 2-3 packs of cigarettes a day for 18 years up until February of 1990 when I came to realize I was swimming against a strong current of change. It was becoming harder and harder to smoke where and when I wanted. The non-smoking world was closing in on me. I had to stop.

Smoking was falling out of favor. I would no longer be able to smoke in the office. Smoking was being banned on airplane flights in the U.S. And, there was little question about whether smoking was a healthy choice. It was not. Until Tuesday night, I really didn’t know who to credit with this dramatic change in attitudes and regulations about smoking. Now, I know.

Now, Dr. Kessler is taking on what represents one of the greatest national health challenges in our country’s history: the food we eat. His latest book is The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite. In this book, Dr. Kessler explains how the food industry has a disastrous impact on the eating habits of millions of Americans. The food we eat is dominated by sugar, salt and fat which is contributing to many health challenges including obesity, diabetes, and heart problems. He spoke about the current food carnival atmosphere we live in today—there are draconian implications for maintaining the status quo. Current projections show 30% of the U.S. population will be diabetic by 2030, a statistic that comes with huge healthcare cost implications. After 90 minutes with Dr. Kessler, I conclude his message is a message that everyone needs to hear and act on.

Coincidentally, the night after his speech, Taco Bell announced that they are are planning to offer healthier food choices for about 20% of their menu by the year 2020. Bold leadership! Kidding! Taco Bell is the poster child for food dominated by sugar, salt and fat. Taco Bell understands how addictive sugar, salt and fat are and don’t want to negatively impact what their customers crave: cheap, fat, salty, filling food combined with sugary beverages.

My suggestion: Get Dr. Kessler’s book, read it, share it, and discuss it with everyone you can. Dr. Kessler has an important message and perspective. Don’t look for the government to take the lead on helping us address this issue–”we” are going to have to do it on our own.

The Gerald and Sally DeNardo Lectureship Recognition Dinner

The dinner was preceded by a poster session put on by the Santa Clara University Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. Key take-aways:

• I met incredibly bright, passionate students presenting complex research
• The students did a very good job explaining their research in layman’s terms—I commend them for being able to do that
• They have very capable, committed academic advisers
• It is hard to believe how gifted students are today

The DeNardos have laid the groundwork for committed student/professor research and collaboration. The scholarship assistance they are providing is extremely valuable. It was a pleasure to meet and have dinner with several award recipients and their professors.

Summary

Gerald and Sally DeNardo have put something in place that is incredibly special. The DeNardo Lectureship Committee is doing a remarkable job of ensuring the vision of the DeNardo’s is achieved. I am looking forward to this event in 2014. And, you can be sure I’ll be telling new board members to come experience something very special!

As I walked to the car after the second night, I had a feeling of elation. It is amazing to see where the Santa Clara University students, the faculty, the campus and the university administration have evolved to. Am I jaded? I don’t think so. I see many impressive things. But, one thing that is unmistakable: what is happening at Santa Clara University is very special.

Dave Gardner

Taking The Temperature Of Your Business

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: taking the temperature of your business

• Are your employees happy and excited about your business?
• How is your employee turnover?
• Are potential employees excited about the prospects of working for you?
• Are you internally focused or customer focused on everything you do?
• Are your customers loyal, enthused and delighted about the opportunity to do business with you?
• Is customer retention high?
• Are your investors excited about the future or worried about your viability?
• Are industry analysts upbeat or writing doom and gloom stories?
• Is your business growing, shrinking or stuck?
• Are you excited about getting up every day and facing your world? Or, is your head just not in the game?
• As a leader, are you and your team inspired to take action or in the doldrums worrying about how your life will play out?

It is important to confirm the answers to these and many more questions. You shouldn’t guess about the answers. You must assume your competitors are thinking about and addressing these issues.

The best practice is to have an independent third-party dig in and help you understand where things stand. For a modest investment, you can either confirm what you believe to be true and/or learn about gaps have yet to appear on your radar screen. This will help your business thrive.

Here are two Fast Company articles about this:

Filtered Water Is Good; Filtered Information, Not So Much

Are You Excited About Your Business Execution and Collaboration?

Thought for the week:

 “I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.”  – Thomas Jefferson 1816

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What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

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Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

How To Destroy Dell

Note: This posting is based on my weekly “Thank God It’s Monday” that helps you and your company thrive!

This week’s focus: how to destroy Dell

Dell is attempting to go private. In Saturday’s news, there is word that the private equity firm Blackstone may be making a bid for Dell and may be attempting to recruit Mark Hurd, the former CEO of HP, to be president should the deal go through.

While Mark Hurd did positive things for HP’s stock during his tenure, his sole focus was wringing every scintilla of cost out of the company. He was responsible for no new, significant innovation and left a horror story behind that HP is still trying to dig out from under. HP’s merger and acquisition activity of the last 10 years has largely been written down to a fraction of the original investment value. He left a deeply demoralized team when he resigned due to personal improprieties. Mark Hurd joins Carly Fiorina and Leo Apotheker in undermining the spirit of the company.

Now, after all the talent that could have made a difference at HP has long since left the company, HP finds itself with flat-footed with little bench strength as it engineers a turn-around. This formerly “A” company is left with mostly “B” and “C” players to run the show.

The worst thing in the world for Dell employees and customers would be for a private equity firm to take over Dell without Michael Dell at the helm. Add Mark Hurd to that mix and the party will be over. I don’t see how Dell can possibly thrive under a traditional private equity culture. Remove Michael Dell and Dell becomes just another company.

[Note: I encourage you read why Dell is poised for a strong comeback in my highly-acclaimed Fast Company article If I Sell You My Company Will You Respect Me In The Morning?]

Thought for the week:

“The problem with the world is the intelligent people are full of doubts while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” – Charles Bukowski

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What do you think? I welcome your blog comments!

___

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting

http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Gardner & Associates Consulting  All Rights Reserved

Note:  To receive an email version of “Thank God It’s Monday” to start your week, please subscribe here.  I would very much appreciate your suggesting to others that they subscribe.

Privacy Statement:  Our subscriber lists are never rented, sold, or loaned to any other parties for any reason.

Marrisa Mayer Earns $1.1M Bonus

Here is the news reported yesterday in nbcnews.com:

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer received a $1.1 million bonus for her first five-and-half months running the Internet company, during which time the company’s stock gained 46 percent…

The 37-year-old Mayer is eligible for an annual bonus of up to $2 million. Yahoo adjusted last year’s bonus to reflect that Mayer spent less than half the year as CEO.

I’m really happy for her.

She is taking action, challenging and changing the status quo, making tough decisions, and restoring shareholder confidence.  She is leading Yahoo out of the abyss.

This is what leaders and change agents do. I continue to wish her and her team well.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Dave Gardner

Marissa Mayer Orders Telecommuters To The Office

There’s been a huge outcry–mostly negative–about Marisa Mayer, Yahoo’s CEO, ordering telecommuters to the office by the first of June.

Most of what I read is missing the critical point that Yahoo must do this due to a failure of leadership, a failure of management to hold telecommuters accountable for adding value to the business.

I’m certain most would agree that morale at Yahoo the past 10 years has been pretty abysmal. There’s not been a lot for employees or investors to get excited about. The trend line has been down. There’s been substantial turnover in key executive leadership.

When morale is low, low productivity follows.

Many reports suggest that employees who work from home are highly productive and even more productive than employees who are in the office everyday. I can’t argue with that point. But, telecommuters have to be managed. Anecdotes I’ve read in the media about Yahoo suggest that leadership and oversight has largely been absent.

Does Yahoo’s decision portend the death of telecommuting? Absolutely not. It is simply a step necessary to get Yahoo operating together. Surely, this will be disruptive to some employees and their families. Some will leave the company because of this. And, that might be a good thing. I’m sure some accommodation will be made for some employees. And, once the company is banging on all cylinders again, telecommuting may again be granted as a privilege to some.

As Ronald Reagan taught us, “Trust but verify.” If you don’t hold people accountable, you run the potential of ending up in a very dark place.

Dave Gardner, Gardner & Associates Consulting http://www.gardnerandassoc.com

© 2013 Dave Gardner