It’s tough to grow when you are breathing your own exhaust, getting little useful pushback, and not knowing what you don’t know. That’s why my best clients enlist my services as a trusted advisor.
When I told you about my newest book, The Clarity Papers, I forgot one important detail: the Special Offer!
If you saw my email or blog post yesterday, you know that my newest book, The Clarity Papers, is now on Amazon! And you also know that Amazon is offering the Kindle version for free today, January 24th, through Friday this week. Three days only. I promised to remind you. So, you might want to download it now before you forget: The Clarity Papers.
Remember when Bambi was born and Thumper was jumping around yelling, “It’s happened! It’s happened! The new prince is born!”? Well, that pretty much describes the way I’ve been feeling the last few days and I’m really excited to share my news. No fawn, unfortunately, more like a dawn! My newest book, The Clarity Papers, has arrived! Furthermore, the Kindle version will be available for free tomorrow, January 24th, through Friday this week. I’ll post a reminder tomorrow morning with the link so you don’t forget. What’s The Clarity Papers about?
There are five population areas around the world where people live longer than the average US citizen by almost 25 years. They don’t just live long, they live well, remaining vibrant and healthy as they age. They are called Blue Zones and researchers study them to find commonalities.
Look around you. Listen to the conversations. Read pretty much any meeting agenda. What will you find? Lots of people discussing, reporting, communicating, and reviewing – activities described by what I call treadmill verbs. Why do I call them that?
I am one of those people who can’t go to sleep at night until a problem is solved. I discovered this in math classes long before majoring in the subject in college. Heck, I discovered this as a small child every time I got my hands on one of those tangles of metal that can be separated into two parts only with the right twists and turns. As a software engineer, I continued to solve problems. All night long, if necessary. As a consultant, I am still solving problems, though now the problems involve business challenges, often quite twisted and tangled! And I’ve got to tell you, no matter how good I’ve gotten to be at solving problems, I still pay attention to process. Actually, let me flip that around. My success at solving problems is undoubtedly a result of using disciplined process. If you want to solve problems effectively, especially when working with others, a disciplined process is invaluable. My SPOT™ Remover for Problems will save you time and help you avoid ‘solutions’ that aren’t really solutions because they don’t work!
Welcome to the Clarity Quiz! Smart, effective problem-solving can be described in four basic steps. I’ve captured those steps using the acronym SPOT™, as in SPOT Remover for Problems™. Which step(s) of the problem-solving process do you think people most often short-change? Specifics – The first step is to determine the specific conditions under which the problem does and doesn’t occur in order to find the cause. Do you see people short-changing the process of identifying those specific conditions? Potential Causes – The second step is to identify potential causes that explain the specific conditions under which the problem does and doesn’t occur. Do you believe most people give enough attention to identifying enough potential causes? Or do they come into the problem with preconceived notions about the cause? Or perhaps they are already thinking about their preferred ‘solution’? Options – The third step is to identify your options for eliminating the cause. Do you think people are too quick to glom onto a preferred ‘solution’ and never really consider other options? Test – The final step is to test the most promising option to see if it really does eliminate the cause of the problem. How often do you see these tests performed? Or do people find their preferred ‘solutions’ so exciting that they rush ahead without taking the time to test? Make your selection and then continue to see if you are correct!
A good strategic framework provides focus by limiting the number of directions the organization runs. You’d be foolish to try to extend all your products while simultaneously expanding all your markets while also ramping up capacity or shifting your business model to include new types of production, sourcing, sales, delivery, and partnerships. This isn’t just an issue of capacity. It is also an issue of risk, learning, complexity, and credibility.
The RFP (Request For Proposal) process used by non-profit organizations has got to stop. It is inefficient and ineffective. There is no way it is in the best interests of your organization. Furthermore, there is no one in my global network of excellent consultants willing to participate and I’m sure we are not the only ones opting out. Let’s start with the inefficiency