Passion, People and Principles
post # 513 — March 6, 2008 — a General post
Normally, I’m not a big fan of business books written in the form of fictional fables. But there’s anew book by Gale Crosley (a consultant to CPAs) and Debbie Stover (a freelance writer) called AT THE CROSSROADS: The Remarkable CPA Firm that Nearly Crashed Then Soared.
It describes a small accounting firm with realistically-drawn issues based on all-too-human partner types. The managing partner of a friendly firm (the proxy for the consultant author) guides them through a retreat and planning process to turn the firm around.
What I like adbout the (well-written, well-paced) story is that it avoided idealism, drew attention to the tough choices that improved performance requires, and didn’t pretend (too much) to have a magic formula for success.
The book probably won’t appeal to big-frim types, but is relevant across a broad spectrum oof industries and professions.
As a part of my continued efforts to promote “Strategy and the Fat Smoker” practices and principles, I am hosting the “Give a Copy to Management” campaign at my website.
If you feel that your workplace could benefit from the ideas put forth in Strategy and the Fat Smoker, then sign up at my website and provide the name of the senior executive or managing partner to whom you would like a book sent. (You can choose to be identified or anonymous when I send the book to your management!)
I will then send your manager a free copy of the book. I will also send you, free, a copy of the Fat Smoker Executive Summary Ebook.
To participate, go to http://davidmaister.com/management
post # 511 — March 3, 2008 — a General, Managing post
Disclosure point one:Patrick McKenna was my coauthor on the book FIRST AMONG EQUALS.
He and his firm, Edge International, have just launched, in concert with Managing Partner Magazine, a service through which new law firm managing partners will have access to advice through a newly formed Leadership Advisory Board (the “LAB.”)
Disclosure point two: the following description is adapted from their press release.
The LAB will be comprised of experienced and knowledgeable managing partners, and will offer new law firm leaders a forum in which to pose questions about issues of greatest importance to them and to receive from the LAB advice and guidance based on its members’ many years’ experience as law firm leaders.
The LAB is the brain child of both Patrick and Baker & Daniels’ Chair Emeritus Brian Burke. Burke says, “While teaching a Managing Partner Magazine-sponsored program that Patrick and I conduct for new managing partners, it became evident that these leaders of law firms have very limited resources from which to draw guidance. While their firms might belong to a network of law firms or they might get together with other managing partners in their local markets, it can be awkward for managing partners to ask questions in such settings about the more sensitive strategic, interpersonal, or operational issues that they find themselves confronting.”
Any managing partner can now seek advice (anonymously, if preferred) by logging on to the Managing Partner Magazine web site. Once there, managing partners may pose questions, challenges, or issues. McKenna and Burke will circulate the inquiry to all members of the LAB, asking for individual guidance, views, and examples; gather and synthesize the group’s feedback; and draft a cogent response to the individual presenting the inquiry.
Explained one of the LAB members, “I believe that there is a dearth of good advice and mentoring available to new managing partners. It is staggering to think that corporate CEO’s and other C-level people in the corporate world train their entire careers in order to be prepared when it is their turns to take the helm, but law firms put people at the helm of an enterprise whose revenue numbers have two commas in them with little or no formal training and almost no mentoring.”
For further information contact Patrick McKenna at (780) 428-1052 / (800) 921-3343
post # 510 — — a General post
A review of my recent book referred to it as an “uneven collection of essays”, which is fair comment. I took consolation in the fact that no-one ever achieves a consistently high standard.
For example, (and for fun), the Beatles released about 187 official recordings in their career. Here are my nominations for the 20 tracks that would make up “The Beatle’s Worst Album”:
- Act Naturally
- All Together Now
- Baby You’re a Rich Man
- Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill
- Dig A Pony
- Dig It
- Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey
- Flying
- For You, Blue
- Good Morning, Good Morning
- Happiness is a Warm Gun
- Helter Skelter
- I Want You
- Maggie May
- Revolution #9
- Why Don’t We Do it in the Road
- Wild Honey Pie
- Yer Blues
- You Know My Name Look Up the Number
- Your Mother Should Know
***
Any other nominations?
As part of the promotion for STRATEGY AND THE FAT SMOKER, I was interviewed for CNN.com by Jennifer Reingold of Fortune Magazine.
They have divided the video interview into a number of short components. After three short ad intros, here are parts one, two and three.
I believe that more installments are coming, and if they arrive, I’ll post them here.
post # 508 — February 28, 2008 — a General, Strategy post
I have just been examining a fascinating book called JUST ENOUGH ANXIETY by Robert H. Rosen, which argues that, for optimum achievement, you can have both too little and too much anxiety – both as an individual and as an organization. The book explores how a leader / manager creates the optimal amount.
The (well-reasoned) book argues that there are five leading indicators for business success. They are:
- Purpose and Values
- Productive Relationships
- Shared Direction
- Creativity and Innovation
- Performance Excellence
Each indicator specifies a crucial strength an organization needs to produce superior business results. And each one offers clear opportunities to do something today that will improve results over time.
Here’s the graphic summarizing the arguments:
The fifth episode of my new podcast series, Strategy and the Fat Smoker, is now live and available for download.
It is dedicated to exploring the themes found in my new book by the same name. Each chapter will be accompanied by an executive summary ebook covering the same material. I encourage you to forward these to friends and associates who may be interested in the topics covered. If you are already a subscriber to my podcast feed, this pdf will be available in your itunes.
“What’s Our Deal?” focuses on with how many companies strive for a climate of commonality and coordination, but fall short in practice due to a lack of commitment or even for a lack of clearly stated goals or rules. This episode takes a look at how a company can build solid, non-negotiable rules of membership in order to create unified, forward momentum at all levels of the organization.
.
NOTES FOR THE EPISODE:
00:42 – Introduction
01:38 – A hierarchy of concepts
03:44 – The importance of purpose
08:35 – Management and commitment: The key to a mobile organization
11:44 – Will they follow you?
16:38 – No final whistle: excellence into the indefinite future
19:05 – Revisiting values over time
21:40 – Creating rules of decision making
23:26 – Conclusion
You can download What’s Our Deal? or sign up to receive new Business Masterclass seminars automatically with iTunes or other podcast players. My seminars are always available for download at no cost.
post # 507 — February 25, 2008 — a Careers post
Pasi Raikisto, from Finland, raised a very interesting question in some email correspondence. He noted:
“It would be interesting to know what kind of experiences drives people to become and stay as a consultant. I know many consultants whose professional life began when they were kicked out from their “normal job”. How often is this the case? Are consultants actually underperforming compared to “normal workers”?
“Or, sometimes, it’s consultants who left professional service firms to go out on their own and start solo or small firms. Perhaps because the professional service firm did not ‘walk the talk.’
“I know that I play the devil’s advocate a bit in phrasing it this way, but I want to challenge our profession and things we stand for. Maybe this is an interesting question for broader discussion.”
***
Yes, Pasi, I think these are very interesting questions. A lot of the people who read and comment on this blog are consultants of one kind or another, and many left previous organizations to enter the profession (including me!)
It certainly seems as if there are a lot of (maybe a growing number of) consultants out there, who became consultants for (some of) the reasons he proposes. Why is that? Are there any broad generalizations or hypotheses about “us” that can be made? Are we a special breed?
post # 506 — February 22, 2008 — a Client Relations post
Ford Harding has carved out a deserved reputation as one of the most highly regarded authors, trainers and consultants on sales in professional services. His books began with RAINMAKING in 1994, followed by CREATING RAINMAKERS in 1998, and then CROSS-SELLING SUCCESS in 2002.
Now he has issued a second edition of RAINMAKING, revised and updated. Here’s his chapter list:
- Writing and Publishing Your article
- Finding a Podium
- Marketing by Mail
- Organizing Seminars and Conferences
- Getting Publicity
- A Few words on the Web
- Eliminating the Dread of Cold-Calling
- Networking: The alternative to Cold Calling
- Special Rules for Special Networks: Trade associations, Formal Networking Groups and Internal Newtorks
- Increasing Network Quality
- How Markets Structure Networks
- From Networks to Leads
- Building Client Relationships that Last
- The Sales Meeting: The First Five Minutes
- The Sales Meeting: Questioning and Listening
- The Sales meeting: Offering Your Solution
- The Sales meeting; Formal Presentations
- The Sales meeting: Handling questions and Concerns
- Team Selling
- Shortening the Sales Cycle
- Writing a proposal
- Quoting a Fee
- Turning Down Small Work
- When You Lose a Sale
- The Logic of a Sales Strategy
- Simple Strategies that can Help You Now
- Self-Marketing: Experts Make Themselves
- Market-Based Strategies
- Conclusion: Becoming a Rainmaker
****
Even if you know Ford’s first edition, this second edition is a must-read!
post # 504 — February 20, 2008 — a General post
Before he sold his firm, Richard Metzler was one of the pioneers in building a consulting business. Now, he and his son, Jon Metzler, have begun serializing (on-line) a new book entitled “Lore Of Wizards: Consultants On Consulting” . A new chapter will be issued every month until the complete book is finished in July or August. At that time, all chapters will be bound in to a single book and offered for sale.
The book is essentially consultants talking about consulting. The Metzlers interviewed nearly 35 prominent management consultants, mostly in their own offices. They intentionally left the interview open ended, that is, they could talk pretty much about what they wanted to talk about as long as the subject was consulting.
Check it out!
