Monday 31 July 2017

Is it time to upgrade your human operating system?


Last week I introduced you to the guide and pulse check pictured above. If you don't yet have it please email me ian@ianberry.biz and I'll send it to you.

Often taking the actions in the guide follow a review that I conduct by spending a day with you in your business working on your business. Sometimes such a review becomes the catalyst for upgrading your human operating system which is how I sometimes name workplace culture.

Corporate anthropologist Michael Henderson got it absolutely right when he said "Culture is what it means to be human here"

If you have less than 90% of your employees bringing the best version of themselves to their work every day, you need to transform your culture. By doing so now you are ensuring your total readiness for the inevitable disruption that's coming to your business. And which usually arrives like a deadly virus and threatens your existence.

Maybe I can help you my conducting  a review. I'll provide you with key recommendations in each of the areas pictured below. To arrange this special day together please contact me on +61 418 807 898.
The above review tool and the special guide and pulse check referenced are keys to maximising value delivery capability in your workplace, which I have found to be the simplest yet most profound way to increase self esteem and business worth.

This insight inspired me to develop the following maximising value delivery capability process:


Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 28 July 2017

The Appreciative Leader Community Stage Two

I'm sure you're familiar with the diffusion of innovations theory. 

The Appreciative Leader Community has now entered early majority territory!


This means I have now introduced team and organisation membership options as well as individual.

All the details are here.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 26 July 2017

The Future of Training by Gihan Perera

This webinar by Gihan Perera is a great companion to the one he did on The Future of Conferences which you can view here.



Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

PS I highly recommend Gihan's book The Future of Leadership referenced in the webinar. You'll find the book here.

Monday 24 July 2017

Maximising Your Value Delivery Capability

My greatest lesson from working with more than 1000 leaders, women and men, in over 40 countries since 1991 is that maximising value delivery capability is the simplest yet most profound way to naturally increase self esteem and business worth.

For this reason the one-thing I focus on in my work with you is maximising your value delivery capability.


My special guide and pulse check pictured is my gift to you. You don't have to subscribe or sign-up for anything simply email me ian@ianberry.biz requesting it.

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 21 July 2017

Are visuals and conversation better value than tests and analysis?

When it comes to learning and helping each other to learn my answer to the questions is yes.

Below is an example I use in helping people to learn and reflect


Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 19 July 2017

3 is a great rule

Image courtesy of organisational physics.com

I'm sure you're familiar with many famous 3's. The theory is we can easily remember 3. And it works in practice! I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that the 'Rule of Three' is pervasive everywhere in our society. Think stories, fairy tales and myths, and the lines from history that inspire us

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen”
“Blood, sweat and tears”
“The good, the bad and the ugly”

are just 3 of zillions of examples.

And of course we know that we humans can last 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.

I know in my business I speak, mentor, and provide online programs and resources that support both. I do other things. These 3 however are where my gifts (talents) lie and where I provide the most value to my clients.

Essential Threes for Remarkable Leadership, Management and Culture

Leadership

Self-leadership: self-awareness, self-appreciation, self-expression.

Leading For Others: understanding, appreciating, influencing.

Leading For Leaders: assessing, deciding, executing.

Management

Process: circular, proven, visible.

Policy, Procedure, Practice: simplicity, brevity, practicality.

Systems: reliable, interconnected, empowering.

Culture

Who Before Do: feeling valued, living values, delivering value.

We Before Me: shared-view, collaboration, solidarity.

What it means to be human here: happy, safe, meaningful.

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 17 July 2017

A co-promise is always better than a compromise

It's obvious that many citizens of planet earth are disillusioned with traditional politics regardless of persuasion right?

Just think Brexit, Trump, Emmanuel Macron, and Theresa May's disastrous decision to go to the polls and lose the "unlosable" majority. The common denominator for me has been ego's; the trouble that always follows ego's that are out of control, and how change follows ego's not out of control (Macron in my view).

Interesting take on Trump by Henry Mintzberg here. 

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte bucked the trend and I suspect Angela Merkel will too. These two both appear to have their ego's in check.

I was pleasantly surprised with Oliver Stone's interviews with Vladimir Putin. Critics have been savage like this article for example. I have no way of verifying what Mr. Putin said. I did feel I was listening to someone who knew what he was talking about and that he was decent human being. I didn't detect an unhealthy ego.

You might be shocked with a Westerner saying nice things about Putin. All I can do is say what I feel. Your response is entirely up to you of course.

I heard refreshing things no Western leader has said in the Putin interviews. I have no way of verifying what Western leaders say either.

I do know that there's always more than one side to a story and a house divided against itself never achieves anything remarkable.

In my own country Australia I shake my head pretty much on a daily basis. If the press is even half right then missteps, mumblings, and mayhem reign. the resulting compromises politicians make means mediocrity is the normal result.

A common sense solution (what say you?)

Do whatever it takes to gain a co-promise. In my view it's always better than compromise.

This book by the FBI's former chief negotiator Chris Voss will help you.

There's much that's excellent in the book. I particularly like the fact that being a remarkable negotiator has much to do with being a remarkable human being!

Chris is scathing of compromise. He says:

"I'm here to call bullshit on compromise right now. We don't compromise because it's right; we compromise because it is easy and because it saves face. We compromise in order to say that at least we got half the pie. Distilled to its essence, we compromise to be safe. Most people in negotiation are driven by fear or the desire to avoid pain. Too few are driven by their actual goals. So don't settle and - here's the simple rule - never split the difference.

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 14 July 2017

The great connection between what you read and how you lead

Your past, present, and future reading list is a great indicator of who you are as a leader, and who you're becoming.

There's a good list by the folk at Tomorrow Today here.

The following also came from Tomorrow Today:

New York Times Business Bestseller List (based in sales not recommendations) 






Here's my full recommended reading list. 

My top 21 recommendations list (pictured) is here.


A lot of people enjoy book summaries. My favourite is The Book Rapper, Geoff McDonald. Get his raps here.

What are you reading?

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 12 July 2017

A Pathway To Personal Accountability

Below is my first video blog.

The subject matter is also the feature of my next complimentary online symposium at 4.30 pm AEST on Monday 7th August 'How To Make Accountability A Sure-thing In Your Business.' Learn more and register here.

Please note that the video runs for 15 minutes so time for a break or quick catch up with colleagues.



Be remarkable.
Ian

Monday 10 July 2017

5 proven principles for thriving on change from Aaron Dignan

I love this short talk from The Ready's Aaron Dignan.

One of my favourite pieces is about getting rid of "organisational debt" (about the 32 minute mark).



Aaron's 5 proven principles:

From control to participation, planning to experiencing, big changes to small changes, adding to subtracting, resistance to information.

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Friday 7 July 2017

The crucial differences between passionate people and zealots

I read the following in the July edition of Balancing Act a great newsletter from Alan Weiss:

"I think passionate people seek to influence and persuade. But zealots insist on conversion. A passionate person will give it his or her best shot, but respect you if you decide to demur. However, zealots insist that not only are they right but you must be wrong. You can only be "cleansed" by becoming one of them. (When you talk to people about climate change, or immigration, or abortion, or—unfortunately today—politics, you can see this phenomenon all too readily.)

"Zeal" means "great enthusiasm." But "zealotry" is about fanaticism and intolerance. I love being around passionate, enthusiastic people, whether I agree with them or not. But I eschew zealots, even if they do agree with me."

I'm with Alan. You?

Be remarkable.
Ian

Wednesday 5 July 2017

The Leader's New Work

I've been restudying Peter Senge's great work recently.

The original publication in 1990 was highly valuable when I was just starting out as a leadership development speaker, writer and mentor.

I read the 2006 revised and updated edition shortly after it came out and have continued to use the insights presented in my own best way as foundational to my work.

My passionate interest in the new world of work, and particularly what this means for leaders and the future of leadership, meant that this restudy (I did reread all 445 pages) focused on chapter 15 'The Leaders New Work'

There's a lot that's old about the new!

Senge quotes Confucius for example "To become a leader, you must first become a human being."

I see leaders becoming better humans every day in my work. One of the reasons I get out of bed every morning filled with enthusiasm is because of the joy of knowing that leadership is fundamentally about being human and that I will see this in action today.

I'm not into generation descriptors (I value humans of all ages) however what I know for certain is that Millennials, Generation X and Y whatever the label are people half my age. You get that leadership is about being human and because you outnumber the rest of us the future of the world is in good hands.

In The Fifth Discipline Peter Senge says that the leader's new work is about being designers, teachers, and stewards. I like these. What really jumped out at me however in this chapter was the reference to the English verb "lead" which comes from the Indo-European root "leith", which means "to cross a threshold."

My takeaway from this is that The Leader's New Work therefore is all about helping fellow human beings to move from what is to what can be with meaning and purpose for them.

Who will you become? What will you do next?

Be remarkable.
Ian

PS FYI below is a snapshot of some of my notes from rereading The Fifth Discipline.


Monday 3 July 2017