E-M8 Entrepreneurial Management for Eternal Mission

It seems that often our solution when things don’t work is to try harder and push. Often, the idea of change is doing more of the same. Yet, the solution is often to stop and regroup. It’s time to learn new tools, to connect the team on a level that was never before experienced. Value Gatherings are precisely the events where such a transformation can happen in just a day. To be sure there is lots of preparation and lots of follow up, which by the way is the secret of why it works, but the one day event is all that it takes to transform a business unit.

Couple days ago I was enjoying the day at the lake when I was struck with the degree to which our businesses are fragmented. Park ranger referred us to the front desk for questions about fishing and to a store down the road for boat rentals. The store referred us to the park for the hours of boat launch and the landing costs. In the end, had I actually cared to I could get all the info I wanted. That’s not the point.

The point is that with just minimal cross-training and some aids (like brochures, information boards and a web site that integrate answers to all these questions) all of this interdepartmental mess and outsourcing would have appeared seamless to the consumer. As a result the customer satisfaction would be higher and, quite likely, a fair amount of cross selling and upselling would take place.

Businesses and government agencies miss out tremendously by focusing on specializations. Specializing while being able to also function as a generalist is at the heart of a mass customization environment.

What can you change in your business to reduce the customer runaround?

This book published almost 200 years ago is the first one to create the argument that the short term focus on the profits has to be balanced with the long term focus on the people. Carnegie, who is allegedly a robber Barron, but in my view simply one of the more brilliant capitalists of his day, builds the case for recruiting and trainingthe best, properly compensating, prazing and  creating a productive work environment, all as the secret to building a successful business.

He further argues that by enriching the most entrepreneurial and innovative, the capitalistic society enriches all, since those enriched tend to engage in charity work helping the fellow men.

While some of his ideas seem either obvious or questionable today, it is amazing to me that 200 years later we are still talking about the adoption of the basically the same concepts in our businesses.

This book is significant as it is the earliest precursor to E-M8 Excellence Matrix that I have come across. It is also significant in highlighting the amount of time it takes for ideas to become adopted and generally accepted.

It is a good read. I recommend it.

Value Gathering is a concept that I have been introduced to fairly recently. As I learned about it, I understood why executives from companies as diverse as GE, Manpower, Harley Davidson, MillerCoors and Trek Bikes rave about it. The activity goes beyond team building, into reimagining the team together while learning new ways of expressing and communicating among the team members.

Over the next few months I will learn, experience and report, so stay tuned for my findings.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a  very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf  balls. He  then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.  

Which is why after a day of managing the flood recovery and the many interesting and crazy phone calls, this evening Mark and I just kicked back at John Harbor’s for a great beverage and some live sound.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the  jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas  between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was  full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the  jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.” The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. “Now,” said the professor as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognise that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things–your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions—and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else—the small stuff. “If you put the   sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the  golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that  are important to you. “Pay attention to the things that are critical to your   happiness. Play  with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first—the  things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just   sand.” One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”