Recommended Reading : Book Reviews

Beyond Entrepreneurship is a very logically laid out book that highlights a number of key elements required to turn one's business into a great company including: leadership style, the development of strategies and tactical excellence. However, I think the book's most compelling contribution to contemporary business is the de-mystification of organizational "Vision Statements". If you have ever caught yourself rolling your eyes at your organization's Vision then read on. I think Collins' approach is as inspiring as it is practical.

 

Quite simply, Collins contends that a Vision statement ought to consist of three parts, (described in the book as the Collins-Porras Vision Framework). The first part describes the company's culture as demonstrated by the organization's leaders. This forms the organization's Values and Beliefs or guiding philosophy if you will. It describes what the organization itself deems as important or critical to the way it conducts its business. After reading the examples provided in the book, it is readily apparent that these "Values and Beliefs" go way beyond the standard offerings of Integrity, Results, Innovation etc. The "Values and Beliefs" of the C-P Vision Framework are clear and consistent enough that employees can actually make decisions based on them. Now that is empowering.

 

The second of these components is the "Fundamental Purpose" of the organization. This is the part that will connect with people's desire to contribute to the common good or to make a difference on a grander scale. The Fundamental Purpose is a statement (or two) that speaks to things beyond shareholder value or market share. It speaks to understanding what role the organization has in society, humanity or the world. For example, a lock company may have the fundamental purpose of "Making the world a more secure place" or a pipeline company "Delivering energy so that people may thrive". Very powerful and inspirational stuff indeed!

 

The third and final component of the Vision Statement is the Mission. How often have you heard vision and mission used interchangeably? This used to drive me crazy, but no longer. The Mission to quote Collins "is a clear and compelling overall goal that serves as a focal point of effort". A mission needs a timeframe and should be audacious but achievable. Imagine the power of aligning an entire company towards achieving a single objective! Now that is energizing.

 

So there you have it, three easy steps to a Vision statement that actually makes sense and delivers organizational value. Oh and by the way, the rest of the book is pretty good as well! It is an easy read and well worth the time. Highly Recommended.

 

If your organization is currently revisiting its long term strategy, buying this book may well be the best thirty bucks you ever spend. This is particularly true if your strategy looks anything like: "We'll take the same approach as our competition only we'll execute it better". Almost any commodity based business or indeed any company following an "operational excellence" strategy that focuses on providing ever lower consumer price as its growth strategy will find the strategic approach presented in Blue Ocean Strategy to be very unconventional thinking - and that's the point. What is so compelling about competing with a myriad of different competitors if the outcome is marginally higher sales volume, largely offset by lower profit margins?

 

The authors present an interesting idea centered on the concept of a "strategy canvas" that forces the reader to consider a contrarian position to the established competitive landscape. Doing so potentially opens up "Blue Oceans" of new opportunity where the competition has yet to swim.

 

Of the examples of this phenomenon provided, perhaps the most interesting is that of Cirque du Soleil - the circus that isn't. Faced with declining consumer interest in the standard "three ring" circus and with growing controversy regarding the ethical treatment of animals, those with a passion for the circus life found themselves looking at a very bleak future indeed. Then along comes Cirque du Soleil, and interpretation of the circus that has reshaped our understanding of what a circus could be by focusing on the "entertainment" value rather than on the conventional trapeze, clown and animal based offering of the industry heavy weights. In short, instead of doing more of the same, only better, Cirque du Soleil created a "blue ocean" for itself where there was no competition.

 

In my opinion, what sets this book apart is that it moves beyond just selling the theory and offers some very practical approaches to creating a blue ocean in which to grow. As an example, the authors believe that companies that have successfully created blue oceans for themselves have embraced strategic profiles that share three simple characteristics. The first is focus, in other words not trying to do everything well or meet every customer's every need. The second is divergence which translates into looking for areas or qualities where the competition isn't and then focusing on those areas. And finally, all companies that have implemented a successful blue ocean strategy have been able to develop a clear and compelling tagline that communicates its focus and divergence to the largest number of potential customers in an effective manner.

 

The book is a bit academic when compared with much of the popular business literature but it is well worth the read. If I had a disappointment with the book it was that I could not ascertain what blue ocean strategy the authors had followed in either its writing or publication. Had this been obvious, the overall message would have been far more powerful.

 

According to the authors, a crucial conversation is "A discussion between two or more people where (1) the stakes are high, (2) opinions vary and (3) emotions run strong." The authors suggest that when these three criteria are met, our bodies will often respond as if we are under extreme stress or in danger. This can be a tightening of the chest, queasiness in the stomach, dryness in the eyes and of course a good shot of our old friend, adrenalin. When these reactions happen to me, I know I am in a conversation that matters and in which I am emotionally involved. (I am convinced any parent will recognize this state immediately!)

 

The book presents an interesting model for what happens when we are in a crucial conversation stating that unless "managed", people will move into either violence (raised voices, offensive posturing, pointing, etc.) or silence, (avoidance, withdrawal, disengagement). I have found myself in both positions at various times neither of which has resulted in satisfactory outcomes. So what can be done?

 

The authors contend that our emotional response to a crucial conversation stems not from the fact, observation or circumstance that precipitates it, but rather from the "story" that we tell ourselves based on that fact, observation or circumstance. Once this progression is realized, it is possible to step away from the story, challenge its authenticity and potentially reword it in such a way that we actually stay in meaningful dialog - and staying in dialog is the key to satisfactorily resolving the issue at hand.

 

An example may illustrate this point. Having teenagers in the house, it often happens that dirty dishes are left on the counter instead of being put in the dishwasher. In spite of my requests that our kids keep the house clean, this continues to be an issue. After making my expectations clear, one morning I came down to find dirty dishes on the counter and I got angry (move to violence). The story I told myself was one of my children's disrespect, irresponsibility and contempt for parental authority. I was mad. In recognizing that I was about to enter into a crucial conversation, I then was able to stop, challenge my story and consider an alternative such as perhaps my child was distracted by the phone or doorbell and simply forgot to return to the task at hand. In considering this alternative story, my emotional response was greatly diminished; (sanity returned) I was then able to raise the matter from a place of curious interest rather than from a place of anger. As a result, communication remained open and we added to the beauty of our relationship instead of potentially damaging it.

 

This simple model/technique is one of many presented in the book. I strongly believe that managing our crucial conversations into constructive dialog has tremendous potential in our careers and our lives. I consider this book a very worthwhile read!

 

I don't know about you, but in many situations I try to be "nice". I view it as part of my programming in support of being a good person. Susan Scott has convinced me that my programming is wrong. Susan Scott has convinced me that until I view and honor people from a position of respect and integrity, I will continue to spew meaningless platitudes, utter half truths and when faced with a real challenge, duck the truth entirely.

 

Now I am exaggerating a bit here. To be honest, I have found it quite natural to have fierce conversations when at work either in my leadership roles or as a coach. As a leader, I pride myself on providing people with meaningful, candid and useful feedback. As a coach, I relish the opportunity to confront people with the truth as I see it, hear it or believe it. However, where I seem to fall down in having these fierce conversations is in my personal relationships. Why? I believe it is because I feel the need to "protect" the ones I love.

 

To see if you might also fall into this camp either at work or at home, consider trying the following excerpt from the book with someone important to you: "When we meet tomorrow, I want to explore with you whatever you feel most deserves our attention, so I will begin our conversation by asking, 'What is the most important thing you and I should be talking about?' I will rely on you to tell me. If the thought of bringing up an issue makes you anxious, that's a signal you need to bring it up." Oh and by the way, the second part of this process is that you don't get to be argumentative or defensive - you get to listen intently!

 

This is truly a transformational book. It not only asks the reader to be real, it also asks you to respect your fellow human beings as being not only capable of, but interested in, hearing your truth. Having a fierce conversation is not about being rude, argumentative or disrespectful. It is about having the courage to identify the real issue, listen to others intently, present your views honestly and openly and seek solutions that enrich relationships.

 

I heartily recommend this powerful book to anyone who interacts with other people in their lives. I am assuming that this means you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to have a fierce conversation with someone I love..

I want to start this review by asking you to consider the last time you felt angry, frustrated or annoyed with someone. This could be anything from the jerk that cut you off on the way into work this morning to the ignoramus that decided everyone within a two kilometre range should enjoy his music. I bet just thinking about this causes your blood pressure to rise a bit, so for that I apologise.

 

Now as you were thinking about the individual in question, is it fair to say that you had a name or title for him/her such as I used above in my examples, e.g. jerk or ignoramus? Well this is not unusual and it also forms the basis of this book's fundamental point which is that when we consider people in this way, we are not considering them as people at all, but rather as objects. In Leadership and Self Deception, when we treat other people as objects rather than as people, we are "In the Box" of self deception.

 

This box of self deception is aptly named because usually we don't even notice that we are in it. However when we are in it, we create a fantasy based surrogate of reality that focuses on us as the victim and everyone else as the source of our discontent, anger or frustration. To help us narrow our view and limit our perspective - we need to assume that no one else has an alternative, so we turn them into objects. This book goes into some length about how to both recognise when we are in the box but also get out of it and what can happen when we do.

 

Now obviously it is not my intention to summarize all of the lessons in this book, but if you have followed me this far, chances are you will enjoy the rest of the book. I should warn you however, that it is not for the faint of heart because the approach taken ends up giving you full accountability for what is going on around you.

 

What I like about this approach is that it supports the contention that leadership and victimization are mutually exclusive. When people come to terms with this concept, a number of things are likely to happen. Firstly, many will believe that this idea compromises their value of "fairness" and in many cases they will be correct. Secondly, people may become intimidated and fearful when they realise that the success and happiness in their lives (or lack thereof) is totally and solely their personal accountability. However, if people can work through these two stages, a wonderful thing happens. They become empowered to create the lives they want without excuses or blame and in my opinion, a leader emerges.

 

I found this book to be a fascinating read because it presents a view of leadership that is significantly different than other books I have read. Often books on leadership tell us what to do or how to behave or even what knowledge is important for us to have. My experience is that a lot of books that purport to be on leadership are actually books on successfully managing a commercial enterprise. There is nothing inherently wrong with this of course - I personally have learned much from these books, however it does allow one to appreciate the difference in Cashman's work.

 

Let's start with Cashman's definition of leadership: "Leadership is authentic self expression that creates value". On the surface, this seems to be a very simplistic view of leadership but let's consider the ramifications of this statement for a second. If Cashman's definition is valid, then it implies (if not demands) that to be a leader, each of us must first be true to ourselves, i.e. authentic. Moreover, if we express our true and authentic selves in a manner that creates value, then we become leaders.

 

I think this is one of the most profound realizations that I have had in understanding my own leadership style. I have been most effective as a leader when I am not trying to be someone I am not. (Oddly enough, this is also true of coaching!) For example, there was a time in my leadership career when I found myself in awe of the analytical capabilities of some of the other leaders in the organization and indeed the organization itself created a culture of management by data analysis. My initial response to this was: "I need to be more like that in order to be successful". It did not take long for me to realize that this was not only difficult for me to do, but disastrous in terms of the results I achieved.

 

In another situation, I remember my boss at the time telling me that I needed to "be tough" with people or they wouldn't respect me. As I attempted to "be tough" (whatever that means), respect drained away and my credibility evaporated. Again I noticed this and when I resorted back to my "natural" self, both respect and credibility returned.

 

The other thing that Cashman's work offers us is the idea that to grow one's leadership capability, one must grow oneself. This growth or development occurs not as a result of training or having taken some leadership development program, but rather results from a more thorough realization of self. Imagine a leader that is self aware and confident in living his values and beliefs while focusing on achieving his life's purpose. It is very powerful stuff - but of course as I said from the start, not for everyone. It does align very well however with CTI's coach training approach and perhaps this is why I find it so compelling. This is a fantastic read for people who want to discover the leader that they are.

 

The concept that I refer to is that of credibility being the "currency" of influence. As a currency, individuals have the opportunity to earn, grow and when required "spend" credibility to influence outcomes. The follow on question then becomes, "How does one earn it?" and this is where Covey steps in and provides what I believe to be a brilliant breakdown of the concept.

 

Covey defines credibility as the product of both character and competence which to me make perfect sense. However, he doesn't stop there. He then further defines character as the product of both integrity and intent and then competence as the product of both capabilities and results. These four items, (integrity, intent, capabilities and results) form his "Four Cores of Credibility".

 

Each of these four cores gets a full chapter in which Covey provides both definitions and explanations interspersed with quotations from successful individuals who ably represent the idea being presented. It is a very effective means of conveying the concepts in an easy to read format.

 

The subsequent chapters of the book build on the four cores by identifying sixteen specific behaviors that can make deposits to your "trust account" or in my terminology, the credibility bank. There is nothing earth shattering in these behaviors - in fact their power lies in the fact that they are really common sense. However, don't dismiss them for this. My guess is that all of us can find personal examples where we fail to demonstrate these behaviors in a consistent manner.

 

Of course as with any process of personal change, knowledge of what to do and developing the skills to do it are only the starting point. Most often the toughest challenge people face is in demonstrating the personal will and commitment to implement the changes they want. As a result, this book does provide some practical tools to develop trust and credibility however, the success of any personal change effort will reside with the individual's commitment to it.

 

Overall, I thought this book was an excellent piece of work not only in concept, but in execution. Clearly it is a worthy successor to his father's seminal work in the same area.