archive: Courage

What’s All The Fuss About this New Sheriff at Downing Street?

Thursday, July 15th, 2010

With an British mother and an American father, comparing the US and Great Britain is simply a way a life in my family . . . plus it gives me a bit of street-cred in this department. In this story, in my opinion, the Brits clearly win!

Sunday mornings with Fareed Zakaria on CNN are sacred in my house.  Which basically means that my kids and husband abandon me for that hour.  More often than not, I’m highly tempted to blog about one or two of the topics Fareed covers.  I typically resist, because I rarely disagree with Fareed and over time I’m afraid I might come across as a “Fareed Groupie”, which could tarnish my image of a self-thinking, intelligent, strategic, modern woman.  That said, this week, I am giving into temptation. I simply must blog about this new British government and the 39-year old George Osborne (Chancellor of the Exchequer – Secretary of the Treasury to Americans) whom I found to be slightly pompous (expected), highly intelligent (expected), but unexpectedly refreshing and on-point in his ideas around what people really want from their governments.  I personally, think the US Republican party could take a lot of cues from the new conservative sheriffs at Downing Street.  As an Independent, I actually prefer it when both the Democrats and Republicans are acting wisely as it makes for better candidate options and more solution oriented action.

If you missed the show, it’s easy to watch or listen on demand.  Just click here.

Just to add my own touch to the conversation, and keep up my image, here are the four primary reasons why I like what I heard from Osborne and feel strongly that this is the direction that successful politicians will have to take (regardless of party) to be successful in the future.

Not Afraid to Act

Osborne has pledged to the British people that he will not hide hard choices from them and he will make them.  He has clearly lived up to this campaign promise with his austere budget that is getting a lot of press. He feels strongly that the public wants a government who can admit when there is a real problem, and work quickly to get it fixed.

Proper Leadership

The kicker here is their assumption that the public can and should act as an intelligent deputy to a sheriff who is willing to make and stand behind decisions regardless of which direction the political winds are blowing. This new conservative party clearly recognizes that the British public clearly understands there is a debt problem, and that the country has been living beyond its means for some time, and so they are willing to take it on as their first priority.  They also realize that not only Great Britain, but Europe, requires proper leadership to bolster their image and regain the world’s confidence in their ability to pay their own way.

Collaboration is Not a Death Sentence

Osborne speaks of forming a proper coalition government where the other party holds seats in the cabinet and how the real benefits of diversity in Parliament are less about looking different and more about being different and thinking different.  One of the best statements Osborne makes in Fareed’s interview is, “We can’t abandon whole areas of policy to the Left in British politics.  There is no reason why the Conservative Party should not have a progressive policy on climate change or be interested in issues of poverty and equity in our society and have answers to those issues.”

Open, Open, Open

They are open to new ideas, new views and anyone who can come up with a better way to reach a common goal.  Osborne indicated that he constantly seeks out second opinions and alternative views.  He encourages large numbers of people to come into meetings and say what they want to say, and understands that listening is a large part of the job.  His office recently asked the broader group of public servants for their ideas on how to reduce budgets in a way that doesn’t damage the frontline services people receive.  They received over 65,000 responses in a couple of weeks, and had some of them around to Number 11 Downing Street for a chat recently.  Interactive governement . . . what a concept!

I’ve been saying for years (just ask my friends) that the politicians in the US are simply making things worse and what most people really want is an entirely new breed of politician that is much more suited for the 21st century.  We need politicians who care less about party line and more about solving problems. We need politicians who can explain both sides of an issue, without bias, and why they believe their decision is the best option.  We need politicians who can work with other politicians to get the job done and stop wasting the public’s time and money on petty politics.

As much as I love they way in which this new and refreshing British government is behaving, I would certainly caution them that the best solution in today’s environment is likely a combination of austerity in some areas and stimulus in others.  Because western politicians failed to play the austerity card when times were good, we are all now stuck in a precarious position.  The equation is really quite simple and it works for government, companies, and at home.  When times are good you pay off your debts, make smart investments, and put a little under the mattress for a rainy day.  When times are hard you dig out your mattress money and stretch on credit a little if necessary.  If used responsibly, credit can be a very stabilizing element in an economy.  When abused, as we all now know, credit can backfire as surely as a 1970’s MG.

One of the things I love the most about this new government is the fact that they aren’t letting fear run the show.  They are taking a stance, creating a strategy, and they are willing to listen to other ideas.  The longer we let fear run our households, our businesses, and our politics, the longer this era of uncertainty will linger.  It really is that simple.

Posted in Courage, economy, global, leadership, political, social, strategy | 1 Comment »

The Century of Women – The 21st Century

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

85Broads2Originally posted  The Century of Women on 85 Broads – a global network of 20,000 trailblazing women who are inspired, empowered, and connected.

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Isobel Coleman, the author of Paradise Beneath Her Feet, speak at a World Affairs Council event in Dallas. Like Isobel, for most of my career I strategically avoided “feminist” issues. After all, I grew up in a family where it was just as likely for a man to have a PhD as it was for a women and both genders were scientific leaders in their industries or political leaders in their communities. I have no brothers and my parents were clear from the age of 5 that we could be anything we wanted. We all saw Billie Jean King playing her famous tennis match, but to us kids, it was just another tennis match. She was there, playing against a guy, so what exactly was all the fuss about? Now, all these years later, I can appreciate Billie Jean and those like her for the courage they shared with world and the gifts they gave to all women.

As I made my way to the C-suite of some pretty impressive firms, I came to better understand the nuances and challenges that still exist for women today in the West. I also now view Women’s Empowerment as something that goes far beyond equal pay for equal work and obtaining 50/50 gender ratios. Much of the developing world’s success hinges on the empowerment of women in regions of the world where being raped can mean a brutal public death started by your own family.

Whereas the 20th century was clearly the beginning of equality for women, and phenomenal progress was made in a very short period of time, until our sisters in the remaining two-thirds of the world can freely speak, walk, vote, learn, and work, we cannot claim victory. As an eternal optimist I see much evidence that we are nearing a tipping point of progress that could get us there by the end of the 21 Century. 90 years is a long time. This is why I believe that the 21 Century is The Century of Women.

What Business and Politics Need the Most are Intrinsic to Women

The keys to success in the 21st Century are being more efficient with our resources, including the bottom of the pyramid, and innovating our way to preserving our environment instead of depleting it. We can all be thankful to the Henry Ford’s and JP Morgan’s of the world whose heavy-handed leadership led us through the Industrial Revolution. However, the skills needed to move forward in this century are far more intrinsic to women. I am in no way saying that women should replace all men leaders, but I am saying that we could all benefit from a few more women leaders.

When employees feel a part of a team, buy into the vision, feel they are heard, and are provided the opportunity to manage themselves, productivity and creativity skyrocket. In today’s business environment, most companies run at approximately half speed when it comes to human potential, productivity, and creativity. This is not about working longer and harder with fewer breaks. It’s all about desire, value, contribution, and time for rejuvenation and creative contemplation.

The 2010 Global IBM CEO Study, recently published, indicates the most important leadership qualities required over the next 5 years are: Creativity (60%), Integrity (52%), Global Thinking (35%), Influence (30%), Openness (28%), Dedication (26%), Focus on Sustainability (26%), Humility (12%), and Fairness (12%).

The paradigm shift that is revolutionizing not only business, but global social structures is a monumental opportunity for women leaders to step up and show the world that we have the innate leadership qualities that the world needs today and the courage to use them.

The Empowerment of Women in the Developing World

If you have any doubt that the empowerment of women is happening in places like the Middle East, you need only to read Isobel Coleman’s book, Paradise Beneath Her Feet. What she rightly points out is that for sustainable progress to take hold, it must come from within. The Soviets tried to forced education on women during their decade of occupation of Afghanistan and it ended up making things worse. Now Afghan men are sighting Islamic text to spread the notion that Islam is, and always has been, a religion that serves both genders equally. This is the only way for real progress to be made, and it is happening every day in the Middle East.

I’m sure most of you have heard about the “The Girl Effect” session at the 2009 World Economic Forum by now that unexpectedly stole the show despite having the worst time slot. Lee Howell, Davos Annual Meeting Director, indicated that, “The field work, economic analysis, and experience all point to the powerful effect you’ll have if you invest in girls.”

“A simple concept whose time has finally arrived”, wrote Ashish T. Galande of World Pulse. The tide is changing, but there is much work to do. Recognition of a solution and a change in mindset are always the first steps. “Despite the overwhelming evidence that helping girls escape poverty is the key to healthy social and economic growth, only a meager 0.6% of development money goes to this demographic” (Ashish T. Galande / World Pulse).

Shear Guts and Courage are Contagious

Technological advances have given all of us the ability to share and to seek out those who inspire and motivate us. Often it helps just to remind ourselves that we are not alone in our endeavors, despite how we may sometimes feel. 50 years ago, you might go months or years without hearing or reading something purely inspirational regarding the empowerment of women, now you can immerse yourself in wonderful stories, videos and writings anytime you heart desires.

Though many in the developing world don’t have access to technology, the few that do, spread the word. Conversely, those of us who live in the West have much better access to knowledge about women in the developing world and how we can support their efforts.

Shear guts and courage are highly contagious, especially from women to women. When we see others take risk, stand up for what is right, and challenge the status quo, we are much more inclined to do it ourselves. We must continue to support each other (men and women) in all endeavors that help to raise the level of human consciousness and provide a more meaningful life for more people. When you cut to the chase, this is the deep-seated desire of most . . . it is simply a part of being human. Sometimes, however, it gets covered with a bit of dust or becomes a little rusty. I believe that the power exists within everyone to good in the world. It is simply a choice how and when we use that power.

Posted in Courage, global, leadership, social | 1 Comment »

The Courage to Change the Healthcare Game

Monday, May 10th, 2010

3 applesAs someone who dreams up creative ways to engage customers and helps companies update their business models to thrive in the 21st century, I find myself often thinking about the healthcare system and how desperately it needs an updated model.

There have been a couple of news spots recently on healthcare providers starting to do things differently and experiencing huge success.  In one doctor’s office in Seattle, patient emails are answered daily by a physician, and appointments last twice a long as the average doctor’s visit.  The result is a much higher level of connection between patient and doctor and a much greater chance that “health-care” is being provided as opposed to “disease management” services.  The other story I saw involved a hospital here in Dallas that last year experienced the death of a patient while he waited in the ER for hours.  They completely revamped their ER process creating a number of different pods or mini ERs that take in multiple patients at one time so they can keep a closer eye on everyone.  Again, huge success in dropping their wait times and even more impressive, a dramatic drop in the percentage of patients that left before they were seen by a professional care giver.

In my opinion, the US healthcare industry needs a new business model far more than it needs new legislation.  We seem to be in this mode in America where we think that the best solution to all problems begins with massive new legislation.  Sometimes a tweak here and there can be very helpful, but solving all problems with more rules just runs counter to everything I’ve experienced on how to create change and lasting success.

At its most basic level, it is relatively easy to see that the healthcare system in our country is a bit backward.  We pay physicians when patients have something wrong with them as opposed to when they remain healthy.  To get paid for anything, the physician must start with a diagnosis and a diagnosis code.  Any time or energy a physician spends on prevention or educating patients on how to stay healthier longer is a bottom line deduction from their profits.  It is a simple case of rewarding the wrong behaviors.  There are no fingers to be pointed or people to blame, it’s simply a model that is ineffective at creating what is needed, which is healthier and happier people at a lower cost.  Perhaps 100 years ago, when there was far less knowledge about and focus on prevention, the currently model was relatively effective.  Healthcare is no different than so many other industries (like energy, automobile, finance, and telecommunications to name only a few) that need to change with the times in order to remain effective.  What is sneaking up on most of us is that the rate of change has skyrocketed and is now at a pace that is uncomfortable to most industries and businesses.  There is hope though; we just have to be willing to change the way with think about things and be willing to do it in dramatic ways.

During the thrust of the healthcare debate, I only saw one article that touched on the real issues.  The article discussed how organizations such as The Mayo Clinic and the Cleveland Clinic appear to run at a much lower cost structure and simultaneously have reputations for the best service available in the industry.  The article attributed this in large part to the fact that doctors from different disciplines collaborated very effectively on all kinds of cases on a daily basis, which tends to cut out tests and procedures that ultimately end up being unnecessary.  Unfortunately, most of the healthcare industry is built on an “every doc for himself” model that actually dissuades doctors from taking the time to collaborate as much as they would probably like to.  It is much easier to collaborate when people are co-located and when the concept is built into the care model.

Because the “every doc for himself” model is so pervasive, it has been difficult for the industry to take advantage of technology to the extent that it could, which would ultimately benefit the patients and reduce costs.  For example, if a doctor sees a new patient and diagnosis him/her with diabetes, there schedule probably only allows for them to spend 15 or 20 minutes explaining everything.  The patient is in such a state of shock they likely are only taking in a portion of the information that is radically changing their life.  What if you could also send the patient home with a computer login that accesses their own health web page customized to their personal care needs?  It could contain a longer video, of their very own doctor, explaining everything again that they could watch as many times as they wanted and could share with family members who might be participating in their long-term care.  A private chat board could be available that is manned by an RN or Physician’s Assistant answering questions in real time.  The possibilities are endless in this area.  How many relapses could be avoided if patients watched daily videos that indicate how things should be progressing after surgery discharge or an outpatient procedure.

The point is, we need to start thinking in terms of radical changes, and honestly considering if the business model is working toward our goals or working away from them.  Imagine a time when doctors get paid for keeping people healthy.  Imagine if your healthcare facility was a place where you could workout, ask a quick question, learn about nutrition, pick up some new recipes, and get motivated to live a healthier life?  The reality is the current business model is stifling progress, innovation, and advancement in how we think about and deliver healthcare.  Our healthcare system has been narrowed down to a transaction system.  It feels like progress is being made because there have been great advancements in understanding diseases and innovating new treatments, however, very little has been done around the delivery of healthcare.  We have State of the art medical knowledge delivered, in many cases, through an outdated and archaic system.  If you are looking for ways to cut costs and increase the quality of service, this is where the opportunities lie.  Unfortunately, until we correct the structure of the system, those efficiencies will likely continue to lie dormant.

In the business world we call this a classic case of structure taking over the strategy.  You always want your strategy to dictate the best structure, not the other way around.  Unlike a single business transaction or a single company, where you change the structure relatively easily, this is an entire industry in one of the world’s largest countries.  It is likely impossible for a single healthcare provider, a single hospital, or even a single hospital system to make a change to the structure on their own.  Maybe it will require a grass roots movement that strives for a total do-over in the way our healthcare system works.  Once the structure is changed to create the alignments and incentives necessary to meet the goals then, and only then, will we see meaningful change.

As much as I dislike the behaviors that the medical insurance industry sometimes displays, it is a complete waste of time to try and fight them.  Everyone has responsibility for things getting to the point that they have, and these bad behaviors are just another symptom of a system that is governed by an outdated and ineffective model.  The insurance companies will have to be a part of the solution.  Insurance is a numbers game.  When the youngest and healthiest people opt-out because the cost is too high it simply continues a vicious cycle where the insurance companies feel they have to remove the other end of the spectrum as well in order to balance out their risk.  I am actually a fan of having a minimum insurance requirement with the government picking up the tab if someone can’t afford it.  We have this requirement in the auto industry and I believe it is one of the reasons that auto insurance seems to work so well.

If you look at healthcare as an entire business system and start to dissect its “operating statement” you quickly realize that revenues are generated by one party (insurance companies) and expenses are created by another (providers), though for the providers those expenses are viewed as revenue.  The profits from the system are shared but not anywhere near equal to the value that each party contributes or in a way that promotes the desired outcomes.  The real value that an insurance company provides is an administrative function, yet in many cases, they take an outsized portion of the profits from a value perspective and often have the most control.  The insurance companies will say they also take on the risk, but I would argue that it is the purchasers of insurance that take the risk.  When profits start to go down the insurance companies simply start denying claims, dropping high-risk people, and jacking up rates for everyone else.  They have become experts at deriving ways of mitigating their risks by passing them on to their customers, and we have let them get away with it for so long that it is now seen as standard practice.  In fairness, nothing has been done to ensure that the young and healthy remain part of the pool, which I believe could solve a lot of the insurance issues.  This would be one of those areas where some legislative changes could be good.

The real question is not, could we come up with creative and inventive ideas to cut costs and increase quality, but do we have the courage to make the necessary changes to the underlying structure?  Do we have the courage to design a model that provides the incentives to promote the investments necessary to increase service quality and bring down costs?  I hope the answer is YES.  I believe the answer is YES.  We can have all the intelligence and innovation imaginable, but without the courage to make system wide structural changes we will likely only create an updated and over compromised version of what we already have, spend a lot of money getting there, and leave an even more complex mess for our children and grandchildren to clean-up.

We must find the courage to critically examine the current system and understand how the alignments and incentives are simply miss-directed to accomplish the goals of the medical community and our society.

We must find the courage to recognize that the failures are not born of malice from any party, but are born of a system that is simply out-dated and broken.

We must find the courage to work together and commit to create the world’s finest healthcare system and be a leader for the rest of the world.

WE MUST FIND THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE GAME!

Posted in Courage, Innovation, business, strategy | 1 Comment »

People Risk: What Most Companies Fail to Understand

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Dare to be DifferentIf you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that I feel strongly that the global financial crisis and ensuing economic recession was not necessarily due to too much risk taking, but more to do with a glut of certain types of risk taking and a real lack of other types of risk taking.  People risk is one of those that I would put in the “lack of” column.

As an executive in two finance companies during the bubble years I became very familiar with the hiring process.  What I generally saw was that hiring managers were not interested in taking any risk on people and generally liked to hire people that were just like themselves.  I suppose they felt as though they were taking enough risk on their deals, that they wanted to avoid any in the hiring process (too much market risk, not enough people risk).  Or maybe, they were simply taking the easy way out.  Just find the person who is doing what you want somewhere else and offer him/her more money to leave.  This is unfortunately what the recruiting business had come to during those years.  The reality is, most hiring managers (especially in the finance arena) are great at deals, but relatively poor at managing people.  Therefore, it was much easier to hire people who have previously done the exact job that you are hiring for so that you can spend as little time as possible with them and have little risk that they are not good at the job you are hiring them for.  It’s relatively sound logic as long as you are not interested in adding any creativity, ingenuity, or loyalty to your business.  How loyal do you think employees are that go from job to job chasing money?

Hiring for what people have done and not who they are, gets you people who have the ability to do certain tasks, but does nothing for adding to the moral, innovative, and energy building aspects of a business.  As with most things I write about, this was fine and worked well enough in the 20th century, but will be far less effective in the 21st century where the world, and particularly business, is beginning to work differently.  Employees, especially the younger ones, want their careers to be about something, they want to feel as though they are making the world a better place, and they want to work on something that is exciting.  People of my age and older, we never thought those goals were possible or even plausible to attain, so we simply gave in and focused on the money convincing ourselves that it is the ultimate measure of success.  I personally, am rooting for the kids of today and tomorrow, hoping they have the courage to get what they want.

When you hire people for who they are, what innate traits they bring to the table, and how they think, then you can maximize their potential in ways that maximize your business success.  Earlier this year, at the Front End Innovation Conference in Europe, there was a graduate student presenting some fantastic research on the traits of an innovative person.  She did a great job on the research and a great job at presenting, and I found it fascinating that the discussion it sparked really showed what a novel concept this was for so many people.  Sure, there have been personality tests that have been used in hiring practices for some time, but they really only tell you a few things like can you manage people, and will you get along with the others in your group.  I don’t dismiss those questions by any measure, but I sure would love to start hearing questions like, “What do you want to create? What are your passions? How connected are you to your own internal wisdom?” used somewhere in the equation.

When I asked on twitter whether you should hire people for what they have done or who they are, I got some great responses.  My favorite from @KrisSchindler and one that I agree completely with is to look for “intellectual curiosity”.  This concept has largely vanished from large institutions, and in my opinion, is not focused on nearly enough in our education system.  It’s a skill all of us are born with, and some of us choose to use it and others do not.  Who do you want working for you?

People Risk is not only about taking risk that someone with a different background who can think from new and creative positions is going to be good for your company.  People Risk is also about allowing yourself as a manager or executive to find the unconditional value in each person as individuals and as they interact within the company.  This takes time, and even more importantly, this takes being vulnerable enough to make those really strong connections that inspire people to work at their full potential.  When people are working at their full potential in an environment where they are respected, they have no desire to go somewhere else.

Alex Pattakos, PhD, writes in his book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts:

“The transformation of work in the twenty-first century is, in many respects, a call for humanity—a new consciousness that suggests more than simply trying to strike a balance between our work and our personal life.  It is a call to honor our own individuality and fully engage our human spirit at work—wherever that may be.”

Posted in Courage, Innovation, business, creativity, leadership | No Comments »

The 3 C’s of a Successful 21st Century Business

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Success Failure

Overtime, many businesses end up evolving through the lens of problem solving and not through the lens of what they want to create.  When you take the time to focus on what differentiates a company from its competition, what value it brings to its clients and the world, and what it really wants to become, the problems will automatically solve themselves.  If you are driven as an organization to create a shared vision and something is standing in your way, you will quickly find a way to remove it.   All the while, still focused on a unified vision.

To be successful in the 21st century, companies must learn to get out of problem solving mode and into the mode of passionate creation.  When solving problems, you are by definition looking to the past and limiting the upside of your answer resulting in a real lack of creativity, innovation, and initiative, which are all forward looking characteristics.  Focusing on questions that matter, questions that lead to ideas and initiatives that create value, brings Courage, Collaboration, and Creativity to the table.  With those three ingredients, the sky is the limit in terms of success.

People ask me all the time HOW to bring more Courage, Collaboration, and Creativity into their organizations.  They completely understand the need, but are unsure how to make it happen in a meaningful way.  These are not the things they teach in Business School.  I tell them there is one key element.  If they can passionately embrace this one key element, the rest will fall into place.  The key is the leadership team being willing and able to ensure that the underlying business model (the core from which the company extends) is courageous, collaborative, and creative itself.  Because the majority of companies today are based on business models that date back to the 1800’s, this can feel like a daunting task.  In reality, it may require a lot of change, but it is also the ticket to phenomenal results.

The challenge of bringing real innovation into companies that are large and set in their traditional ways, is also what can give new companies a real competitive advantage.  Young companies can very easily and very quickly create environments where employees soar, that attract the best clients, and that ultimately enjoy greater success.  This gives a whole new twist to the question of, barriers to entry.  We may also need to ask, what are the advantages to entry.

Courage

If a company is willing to show the courage necessary to break out of a traditional models, try something new and more appealing and show its desire for collaboration through its core actions, then the employees will be much more likely to do what is necessary to engage the best clients, discover the best new product ideas, and work to their fullest potential.  Leaders must model the kinds of behaviors they are seeking.

Successful 21st Century Businesses will be those that are always searching for something new and rely less and less on the status quo.  Always searching for what has changed, what new questions have emerged, and how it all interconnects.   They will use change as the fuel for their business model because they understand that they pace of change will only continue to increase overtime and at greater and greater rates.  They will also have the courage not to follow the herd and not to allow fear to dictate business decisions.

Collaboration

So many companies fail to harvest the energy and creativity already available inside their firms because their business models are designed to promote internal competition and silos.  If you want to promote cross-pollination and tap into the additional intelligence that exists only at the intersections of knowledge bases, then the internal business model must specifically promote those behaviors.

Creating teams that cross departments, functions, and even regions to work on organization wide projects is a simple way to begin working toward promoting a true culture of collaboration.  Promoting relationships and interaction between people who wouldn’t normally interact is critical.  Collaboration also promotes trust which will is quickly becoming one of the non-negotiables of success.

Creativity

When people are fearful of the consequences of any type of failure, they automatically go into a safety zone where the chances of failure are as small as possible.  This is a place where creativity cannot thrive, because creativity requires a certain amount of risk.  When people are not afraid of failure and know that it comes with a lot of great knowledge for success, they will be bring their full arsenal of creative tools.

Creating is a very natural state for human beings and one that fulfills our hearts and passions.  Thus when employees are free to create, try new things and receive critical feedback, their productivity will naturally increase.  Based on my two decades in the corporate world, working all around the globe, I estimate that most companies are operating at about half the productivity that is possible when employees are engaged and operating at their full potential.  This is not something that anyone really wants to admit, but we all know it is true.

Posted in Courage, Innovation, business, creativity, success | 1 Comment »

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