Book Review: Steve Jobs Biography

I recently read Steve Jobs' Biography by Walter Isaacson.  Since I have not followed his career, it was an eye opening view into his life.  The book is well researched and gives a well rounded look at this extraordinary man.

Steve ranged from tyrannical, dictatorial and mean to a man who was brilliant, visionary and brought ideas to fruition.  He had the uncanny ability to bring the right people together to get the job done.  It chronicled his early days with Steve Wozniak and the creation of Apple to his battle with pancreatic cancer in the end.

Throughout the book they talk about Steve's reality distortion field.  Bud Tribble at Apple coined this phrase, originally from Star Trek, in 1981 to describe him.  Steve had the ability to convince himself and others around him to believe almost anything.  Often, he created a seemingly impossible deadline for his employees to complete a project.  To their chagrin, the project often was completed on time. 

Although brilliant, he carried his own emotional baggage.  He was adopted at birth and upon realizing the implications of this a little later in life he had abandonment issues.  I highly recommend reading this book.  It was a fascinating biography into a fascinating man!

Transitions

We are constantly going through change and transition, both personally and professionally.  It is said change is inevitable.  One of my favorite resources for this topic is William Bridges' book Transitions; Making Sense of Life's Changes.  It has helped me navigate through multiple periods of change and transition. 

Bridges describes change as situational and transition as psychological.  Transition is the inner reorientation and self-redefinition that we go through to incorporate changes into our lives.  "Without a transition, a change is just the rearrangement of furniture" (Bridges, xii).

There are three distinct phases to transition as follows:

• Ending:  This must be dealt with if we are to move on to whatever comes next in our life.  Endings consist of five aspects to include disengagement, dismantling, disidentification, disenchantment, and disorientation (109).
• The Neutral Zone:  This often is the most difficult stage, and the one we want to either fast forward or reverse.  It may represent a time of emptiness, or feelings of being lost (133).  It may feel unproductive, although underneath the surface there is much happening.  It is a time of letting go.
• New Beginning: The change and renewal occurs with the deconstruction of the structures and outlooks of the old life (157).  When we are ready for the new beginning a new opportunity will arise. 

It is critical to experience the transition process in order to find new beginnings.  Change and transition go hand-in-hand.  How have you navigated through all three phases of transition?

Innovation and Creativity

I recently heard  Glenn Karwoski speak.  He is managing director of Karwoski and Courage and teaches innovation and creativity to corporations.  He knows how to help organizations make creativity and innovation actionable.  

To see and think differently is simple and not easy.  Glenn suggests creating an innovation team.  In order to do that, ask and answer the question, to whom did I write my 10 biggest checks.  Make those individuals a part of the team.  Include vendors and partners that will help with the business.  Manage the process as follows:

1. Clarify why the team is working together.
2. Make operating guidelines explicit.
3. Create an agenda and send ahead of time. 
4. Depersonalize conflict by creating norms and uderstanding the differences of team members.  

For the innovation and creativity process to be successful try the following:

• Encourage wild ideas.
• Go for quantity
• Build on ideas.
• Allow one idea at a time.
• Hold one conversation at a time.
• Avoid judgement.  

Innovation is necessary for sustained success.  What is your organization doing to promote innovation and creativity?

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Drive safe and enjoy the weekend!

Organizational Sustainability

This week I had the opportunity to hear Alan Atkisson speak of the Atkisson Group.  Alan has been a subject matter expert in the area of sustainability for over 24 years.  Currently based in Sweden, his client list includes Nike, Puma, Toyota, Levi Strauss, Ernst and Young and many more.

Alan had three key messages for the audience.  They are as follows:

1. Sustainability has become profoundly mainstream in the last 10 years. 
2. Sustainability has gotten SERIOUS.  The stakes are higher than ever.
3. Sustainability is transformational.  It is becoming more embedded in the formal thinking and design of an organization.  Resources are now allocated and positions created that focus on this topic.

China and Korea are leading the way.  The United States lags behind in this area and has not been an early adopter.  In part, our principle of the entrepeneurial spirit provides a contrast to compromise and rules which guide sustainability efforts.

 Sustainability is a critical issue for the 21st Century.  For more information contact robertaf@atkisson.com. 

What is your organization doing to become more sustainable?

Trust the Process

This week I had the opportunity to facilitate the first of two planning sessions for a client. Diverse individuals came together to discuss where they were going as an organization. The conversation was rich and resulted in a clear direction. Guided by their values, vision and mission, it was amazing to observe the process.

One of the things I have learned in my over 20 years of coaching and consulting, is to trust the process. This intention will make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful outcome(s). The following suggestions will also help:

1. Set an intention to trust the process.

2. See yourself in partnership with the client. The process is a collaboration.

3. Establish operating principles for the group process. I utilize four adapted from the book The Fourfold Way by Angeles Arrien. They are show up, speak the truth, listen to what has heart and meaning and be open to outcome.

4. Determine what pre-work, if any needs, to be completed prior to the session. This optimizes the time spent with the group.

5. Complete each session with a temperature check (how do you feel about the process) and one take-away.

6. As the facilitator, keep the ego and any personal agendas out of the process.

Trust the process may be a cliche. However when it comes to working with groups, it is critical to a successful outcome. How well do you trust the process in your organization?

The Value of 360 Feedback

Assessment is a critical piece to beginning an executive coaching assignment. One form of assessment is a 360 feedback instrument that gathers data from boss, peers, direct reports and self. The data is compiled into a report and presented to the individual being coached. I have been using a 360 feedback tool for over 15 years.

There has been much written about the value of this instrument. I believe this tool provides great value if positioned well. It is instrumental in helping the executive grow and develop as a leader. Let me offer some suggestions when utilizing this tool:

1. Clearly explain the purpose of the 360 feedback tool.
2. Educate the appropriate parties on the benefit of the instrument.
3. Stress the importance of the feedback for continued growth and development.
4. Provide a sample report.
5. Provide a sample letter that can be sent to all respondents explaining the purpose and the value to the individual.
6. Stress the confidentiality of individual responses (with the exception of boss).
7. Allow a minimum of 60 minutes (usually 90) to review the results with the coachee.
8. Ask open-ended questions to allow her/him to interpret the results.
9. Provide additional feedback, when necessary.
10. Use the information to determine additional goals to be addressed through the coaching process.

As for sharing the results with the coachee's supervisor, I believe it is really the responsibility of the individual, not the coach, to provide the information. However, the coach may be present to support the individual in sharing the results.

At times, we all need feedback. The 360 feedback instrument is one way to provide that feedback, particularly in a coaching situation.

How has a 360 feedback tool been utilized in your organization?