The Pursuit of Excellence...

Is it feisty or foolish??

Reflecting on my thoughts just the other day, I reflected over time on my decisions, actions, and reactions; thinking of what statement it makes about me today. After all, the present is where we live so our most important statement we make about ourselves is in the one we make today, and tomorrow when it becomes today. 

In a rapidly changing world, I have seen many succeed and fail under the weight of change and always considered my unrelenting pursuit of excellence to be a gold plated personality trait, which has driven many successes both professionally and personally. Yet despite these positives I, like so many others have had my fair share of failures, mistakes and missives that were not avoided but endured along the path of life that has brought me to this point.  Whether I have crested in success or moved bravely through the valley of misfortune, my unrelenting drive for excellence has motivated me to keep on going or when successful to make it better, not just for me, but as I have gotten older, for those around me in the hope that some day they may pay it forward.

Some realisations that have of late broadened my definition of “The pursuit of excellence” are:

1. ·      Success at any cost is not success, it is failure wrapped in illusion. If you don’t pay the price for the lack of consideration, somebody else will.
2. ·      Believing you are good is not the same as being good. Listen to others even if you don’t like what they say for they may hold the key to change that will transform your future ‘you’!
3. ·      Humility is not for schmucks; it retains humanity in us ‘human beings’ acting as a control to ego, arrogance and ultimately hubris. It balances our thoughts and allows us to see more clearly in our daily lives.
4. ·      Excellence is a relative term, not a fixed absolute. Ensure that excellence and effectiveness are balanced in your outcomes.
5. ·      If you are not passionate about what you do, then you will not be committed. Passion drives belief and belief can never be taken away from you if you choose to retain it.  A bright new day always comes after a dark night, so believe in what you do and you will find the strength, will and wisdom to overcome obstacles in reaching your goals.
6. ·      Excellence based on a false premise is arrogance in fine cloth. Stay balanced and in touch with yourself, your family, friends, work colleagues and wider society remembering we all play our part in our society.

So, as you can see, the hard charging youngster that once believed he could fly to the moon and back before breakfast is replaced with a much more reflective world view that still is foolishly passionate about the drive for excellence seeing excellence in more complicated yet clearer terms. Some may call this broader view foolish; others may see it as responsible??

Whatever other’s think about you, one can never think too much about it as we are on a journey in life that we only truly understand in retrospect. That being the case, being considerately engaged in the pursuit of excellence in the good times and bad can only leave a legacy we can be proud of as we reflect on our lives. Feeling, as much as knowing we did good in this world is something money can never buy, its a much more complicated matter we humans call life.

Credits/Sources:

Pics:

www.signavio.com

www.thisfitblonde.wordpress.com

www.tata.com

www.cranfield.ac.uk

www.huhonoursblog.wordpress.com

Innovating for Tomorrow..

Can it really be done?

When talking about his views on innovation, Steve Jobs famously referenced Ice Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky when he said “There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will.” There is no doubt that Steve Jobs was remarkably insightful in his vision for the future of Apple and through his vision, great products like the iPhone were born against the backdrop of great risks in their development which could have ended the giant corporation we know today.

So, is Steve Jobs part of small cadre of visionary leaders who can see where “the puck” is going to be, or is there a science and logic behind his mastery of innovation that everybody could use?

Firstly, when thinking innovation and where the ‘puck will be’, we need look at environmental risks in markets, what trends, etc. People tend to looks inwards, not outwards for their first and often most impacting source of information, which is ‘their gut”. Intuitive bias can be powerful if balanced against good environmental data analysis and an in-depth understanding of internal process, market/industry practices, wider environmental factors that impact the market place and how they all interact with each other. It is important to find this balance so one’s intuitive thoughts can be based on current facts, rather then assumptions reached through deductive reasoning based on past experience.

Armed with researched knowledge, an understanding of the company’s current operational state and the interacting markets one does business with, we should gain some tentative foresight of how the marketplace will act in the short to medium term assuming no product, industry or market disruption takes place. It is a good idea to map the elements from the top down out in a multi layered process flow map using time as the axis of advance, noting the relevant milestones and events that define the operating environment.

If ‘many hands make light work’, then ‘many minds make power a better look’. Try to bring in trusted and qualified business and technical experts to brainstorm new product concepts in a group setting with sharing/analysis of the above to give rise to an in-depth exploration of the newly created maps projecting a course and trajectory over the short to medium term through direct analysis and scenario planning.  It is however important to manage the group process and insert controls to keep the group input balanced and allow less dominant members to contribute meaningfully. After all, if all are chosen well, all should input positively for that reason. 

Outcomes from an analysis session should complete the map of the future where the industry(s) are evaluated in terms of course progression, how they would interact with a possible ‘X’ disrupter at product, product line and industry level along with how it would affect complementary product lines and industries? Also, what external interactions (regulatory, etc.) would take place and how it would map out as the axis of time progresses? It’s important to take a wide view using multiple scenarios ranking them in probability so opportunities via product innovation can be defined with an initial understanding of how feasible the market conditions will be to support such development. The follow on actions would be the starting point for project proposals in new product development based on this new and ranked foresight of actionable market wants and needs.

Its important to stress the above steps are very high level and great attention to detail is needed when exploring how and where the “puck” will be. The game of chess we call life has many unforeseen circumstances which we need to account for as best we can.  Whilst we can to a certain degree of accuracy map out where the puck will be with insightful and skilled colleagues collaborating in a high functioning and well-led group, we cannot replicate the savant like abilities of Steve Jobs who appeared to take the short cut to the same place innovating earlier, developing earlier and getting to market with products that delight customers to this very day. That said, process may not replicate the savant like brilliance of people like Steve Jobs, but it does a good job at replicating a close second in-terms of outputs, which I’m sure Steve Jobs would be proud of.

Sources/Credits:

Pics:

www.sciencelearn.org.nz

www.rlabs.org

www.gorocketfuel.com

www.springleafstrategies.com

www.performance-ideas.com

Credits:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/10/steve-jobs-used-wayne-gretzky-as-inspiration.html

The Shared Service Centre… the key to our salvation or our downfall?

Lead us well or leave us be!!

Leadership, SSC, functions, centralisation, strategy and vision, what they all have in common is the “3P’s” on which all enterprises post core concept are built; which is People, Process and Profit.

So, with that in mind, the Shared Service Centre was born in an attempt to increase controls and operational expertise/effectiveness by region whilst reducing costs through standardised process design, controls compliance, cost synergies in resources by region and other benefits through the economies of scale a SSC can bring to a large regional or global organisation. 

A shared service model is a centralised model at inception and it is assumed that the key process designs creating the infrastructure will be cost effective, integrated and lean in construct. A SSC model also assumes returns based on auxiliary functions being centralised and expertise deepening through “shared experiences”. Sounding good?? It sure does to me, so where is the problem and what can we do about it to ensure our business is sustainable into the longer term whilst supporting our company’s short-term goals?

Leadership - Regional Impact of a multifunctional SSC can be devastating to a business if the SSC is poorly led at one or more levels. Impacts from poor leadership can range from service limitations to severe business disruption as a result of poor SSC leaders. Conversely, well-led SSC’s can enhance service offerings and unlock value in process efficiencies supporting business development in ‘entity territories’ that engage the SSC for key services and functions.

Risk Management – A well planned out SSC will have a plan should the building burn down, but in truth, many don’t. The risks involved in having key back office functions in one place are many including loss of access for staff to fulfil SSC service offerings or indeed the loss of staff themselves should the building become uninhabitable or destroyed. Even with a well-planned and rehearsed contingency plan, business disruption is inevitable.

Standardisation – A centralised model runs the risk of becoming overly bureaucratic often in an attempt to gain more visibility over what entities are doing and reporting on. What is necessary for one entity may be redundant for another. However, standardised protocols may create a bureaucratic attitude and culture that aids stable project management but runs the risk of dampening innovation.

I could go on, but the risks defined above merit deep thought and if you come up with scenario based solutions to these, you will have addressed major downside risks to a successful SSC operation.

To aid you in this, the following should be considered in any review:

• ü  What are the objectives of the SSC by function, by service, by entity? Is the company engaged in centralised processes or is it totally new as a concept? Are the change management structures in place to handle this change? Will the project unlock or produce value if successful? What are the risks in if partly successful or if it fails? Is scope comprehensively defined bearing the company culture in mind?
• ü  Are the services of the SSC clearly thought out, mapped out in the existing structures and considered in terms of value creation from their existing place in entities (or totally new) to a shared service centre environment?
• ü  What company culture exists and will it need to change to incorporate an SSC? What leadership practices are preferred in the organisation? Is there a detailed and effective selection process in place to deal with selection of leaders and subsequent employee workplace practices supporting the service level provision of the SSC?
• ü  What process management methodologies are being used and are they suitable in practice to fulfil the scope definition set out for the SSC?
• ü  What risk management and project management structures are inset with the SSC structure to deal with SSC change management projects along with strategic risk management issues?
• ü  Does the SSC have a senior level leader that has reporting relationship with the board (C-Suite)?
• ü  Is there a detailed plan balancing service level provision, continuity of service, work place practices and culture along with leadership in place to ensure the SSC is a functional unit that fits into the overall company culture and organisational setting, yet is flexible enough to enact change as a flagship unit of the company?

All good thoughts, which should factor into key planning sessions and the execution of outcomes therein. The road to heaven or hell for SSC, client entities, it employees and its customers will be determined by these outcomes which can create salvation in sustainability or herald its downfall in the weeks, months and years to follow.

Credits/Sources;

Pics:

www.glazette.com

www.paulhypepage.com

www.stellendalepark.co.za

www.ibm.com

www.govopps.co.uk

www.martin-smith.biz

           

Credits: