CMA Ideas

I have always liked The Effective Executive, by Peter Drucker.  While the book was first printed before many of the current leaders were in business, the core truths remain the same.  There is a difference between managing your organization and working in your organization.  Focusing on where you spend your time is critical.  A great leader knows how to find the strengths in people and organizations and use those to get things done.  Finally, how you go about making decisions and implementing them is critical.  If you can get past the references to IBM typewriters and female secretaries, the book remains mandatory reading for executives today.

How would you feel if someone said your company was “vanilla”? So often we equate vanilla with boring or bad but isn’t vanilla the most successful and longest lasting flavor ever? Paul Leinwand and Cesare Mainardi recently discussed just this issue in the Harvard Business Review. Leinwand and Mainardi stress the importance of focusing intensely on what you or your company does best. They call it the coherence premium. In general the coherence premium tells you to stick with your companies “vanilla” or what you do best.

Jim Collins reiterates this principle when he discusses the hedgehog concept in his book Good to Great.  He states that organizations are more fruitful when they do one thing better than anyone else instead of doing many things well. Ultimately it may take time to identify what will be an organization’s hedgehog concept, but those who do are often rewarded with success.

Companies today are so focused on innovation and creativity that too often they lose focus on what they have done that was successful. Leinwand and Mainardi suggest that companies should create their strategy from the foundation of “what they do best” within the marketplace. They further illustrate that coherence in capabilities correlate strongly with greater profitability (as measured by EBIT margin). When you think of innovative companies you may think of Apple. But when you look with a “vanilla” eye you can clearly see that they have built off of their strengths (i.e., technology). Working off your organizations “vanilla” doesn’t mean being boring! So start with vanilla, and build from vanilla.

Written by Dana M. Borchert, PhD

Dan Bean, a partner at CMA, was recently recognized by the St. Louis Small Business Monthly as one of the “Top 100 St. Louisans to Know To Succeed In Business”.  Dan, along with 99 other key executives, financiers, notable achievers, connectors, and other business leaders, were selected based on their efforts, contributions, and experiences giving back to the Greater St. Louis business community.

Dan and the other nominees were listed in the Small Business Monthly’s April “Top 100” edition.  They were also honored at a luncheon sponsored by Charter Business and Winning Technologies.

Dan has provided consulting services in a wide variety of industries, since 1980.  His focus is on strategic planning, organizational assessment, leadership and management development, coaching and team development.  He works extensively with family businesses, particularly at the time of generational transition and at time of family conflict.  He also leads CMA’s Family Business Forum roundtables and serves as the liaison to Saint Louis University’s Institute for Private Business.

Please join us in congratulating Dan’s accomplishments!

Are you or your employees feeling stressed and worried? It is likely that the three top causes of such stress are money, work, and the economy.  These are the top causative issues for stress in America according to the Stress in America Survey conducted annually by the American Psychological Association.  The symptoms of this stress are experienced by many Americans as irritability or anger (42%); fatigue (37%); and lack of interest, motivation, or energy (35%).  So, financial and job-related issues are very worrisome for managers and employees, and we have a workforce that is feeling fairly edgy and sometimes hampered in areas that are crucial to productivity and achievement: energy level, motivation, and interest!

So one of your challenges, if you are a leader or manager, is considering ways to help your team members manage their stress so they can focus, tap into their talents productively, and work together as a team without undue conflict or tension.  Unfortunately, there is no secret formula to make stress go away, but we can effectively manage it.  Some practical guidelines for stress management that you can suggest and foster as a leader, manager, or supervisor include:

1. Encourage and implement healthy workplace strategies and programs, such as: exercise, good nutrition, and appropriate attention to health issues.
2. Encourage people to pause, take a break, and recharge their mental batteries when they feel stuck or overwhelmed with a task or project. Trust me, a brief period of R&R can do wonders!
3. Let your team know that you appreciate their efforts and tenacity and you want to help them be successful—emotional support from a manager, as well as from peers, has a buffering effect on stress.
4. Stay alert for signs that stress is negatively impacting employees so they either address this with their managers or pursue focused healthy stress and anger management strategies and techniques.

Some additional sources for stress management techniques and programs can be found in The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook.  And remember, if you are feeling stressed, you are certainly not alone, and recognizing the symptoms of stress is the first step in managing it in a healthy way.

Thanks,

Henry Hummert, PhD

Did you know that, according to The Traveler’s Zone, China is one of the 25 most beautiful places to visit in the world? I have been very fortunate that our international work in assessments takes me to Hong Kong several times a year.  In case you happen to be heading to Hong Kong, here are a couple of tips that may make it easier for you.

1. This is the safest and cleanest city I have ever traveled to, including most in the United States.  Believe it or not, I actually had an easier time getting around town and communicating with people than I do in most major U.S. cities!
2. The taxi service is well-developed, highly regulated, and most people speak English better than I do!  It is an easy system to trust and only costs $15 to go from one end of the island to the other.
3. If you are concerned about getting somewhere, ask someone at the hotel to write down the address in Cantonese.  I carried it as backup, but almost never used it.
4. The high-speed rail can take you from the airport into downtown Hong Kong, which is ideal since the airport is about 30 miles out.  The train is about $13 one way, and there are helpful signs in English to get you where you need to go.  Once you get off the train, take a taxi to your hotel or wherever you need to.  My drivers have always been courteous, well-informed and English-speaking.
5. I’ve stayed twice at the Excelsior Hotel, which is on the budget end of the hotels in the Mandarin Oriental chain.  However, being a lower-tier hotel in the Mandarin Oriental chain is like being the slowest guy in medical school at Harvard.  I found it to be extraordinarily well-run, and it is where they train all of their customer service.  For an extra $30-40, you can upgrade to the executive floor, which gives you access to the executive lounge.  They serve 3 light meals a day there, as well cocktails in the evening, all included in the fee.  And as a bonus, I also had access to high-speed Internet. They have currency exchange at the most fair rates I saw in the executive lounge, too. All can be cost savings as well as real conveniences.
6. If you need souvenirs to prove you were in Hong Kong, ask the taxi driver to take you to Stanley market for the cheap, gaudy souvenirs everyone needs. If you want something more upscale, Hong Kong is the only place I have ever been that had a Cartier jewelry store inside of a Starbucks. Luxury items at luxury prices are on every block.
7. Take advantage of all the fresh fruit you can.  The mangos and dragon fruit are almost reason enough to move there.

Again, good luck to anyone traveling to Hong Kong.  It is one the easiest, friendliest and most beautiful cities to ever visit.  Travel well!

Terence Bostic, PhD

CMA is proud to announce that Jennifer Nguyen, Ph.D. has been selected to be the first recipient of the Women’s Endowment of the Society for Psychologists in Management (WE/SPIM) award. Jen was nominated as a promising female leader with a background in psychology.

Jennifer is an energetic and motivating consultant that partners with her clients. Her work is focused on talent management, training and development, assessment for selection and development, executive coaching, and organizational change efforts. She is an artist at heart and brings passion and flair to any organization she works with.

Please join us in congratulating Jennifer’s accomplishments!

Please join us March 8, 2012 at the Ritz-Carlton, to hear Col. Dave Bellon, USMC-R, VP Operations – QRS Direct, and Terence Bostic, Ph.D., Senior VP – CMA, deliver an action-packed presentation on situational judgment and decision making from two very different perspectives.  You will hear the compelling story about the live-saving rescue of a girl from the battlefield of Iraq and how you can apply these principles to your place of work.

Situational Judgment – making good decisions “in the moment” – requires the complex interplay of people and culture, organization and teams, and dynamic strategy in the marketplace.

Terence Bostic will discuss with Dave Bellon how to assess and develop situational judgment for any organization.  The event promises an exciting exchange between these two high-energy, insightful professionals.  Don’t miss it!

Agenda:

• 7:00am   Registration, breakfast, networking
• 7:30am   Welcome, announcements, introductions
• 7:45am   Featured speakers: Dave Bellon & Terence Bostic
• 8:30am   Q&A with speakers
• 9:00am   Facilitated breakout sessions
• 9:30am   Adjourn

RSVP Online to reserve your spot.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Here’s what’s happening at CMA as we roll into a new year:

We are pleased to announce the promotion of Terence Bostic, Ph.D. and Jennifer Nguyen, Ph.D. to Senior Vice President, Christopher Awad, Ph.D. and Jami Wolfe, Ph.D. to Vice President, and Henry Hummert, Ph.D. to Senior Consultant.

We’ve confirmed dates for our 2012-2013 Leadership Advantage program, which will kick off in the fall.

A warm welcome to our newest team member, Thor Welker, who joined support team in December.  We are also saying goodbye to Jay Lewis, MA, MBA, who is moving to a web strategy position at EverBank.

2011 was a great year at CMA, and we’re looking forward to an even better 2012.

Today, in the United States, women are the changing face of business.  Women not only have emerged as a majority of the U.S. workforce but now wield purchasing power in excess of $5 trillion.  They buy half of all computers, half of all cars, make more than 80% of all consumer purchases, and represent nearly half of all shareholders.

It is universally acknowledged that there is, and will be, a growing shortage of senior level employees as baby boomers exit the workforce.  Successful organizations must replace them with educated, knowledgeable talent.  Currently, women are now garnering 58% of university degrees and 44% of M.B.A. degrees – a significant and growing segment of the knowledge worker talent pool.  Recognizing this, some top companies, such as American Express, CISCO, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Intel, GE, and others, have initiatives that give high-performing women the skills and support to move into leadership positions.

It is not about diversity of gender but the diversity of thought, behavior, and style that is required to solve complex, global problems and accelerate innovation.  Management Research Group (MRG), a prominent firm specializing in the creation of behavioral assessment instruments for individual and organizational development, analyzed the leadership behaviors and styles of 900 pairs of men and women leaders.  They employed a matching procedure that assured any differences in leadership style were due to gender, not difference in organizational position or culture.  Each of the 1,800 was assessed using MRG’s Leadership Effective Analysis (LEA) instrument and in a 360º feedback process.  Results indicate there are differences between men and women’s approach to leadership in two major areas:

Task vs. Strategy

• - Women tended to be more task and results focused than men.
• - Men were more apt to take a strategic approach to leadership.

Expressiveness vs. Constraint

• - Women operate with more energy, intensity, and emotion, have a greater capacity to keep others enthusiastic and involved, demonstrate more concern for others, and are more involved in the development of others.

• - Men are more low-key, deal with issues in an objective manner, and use language that more effectively persuades and builds commitment for ideas and initiatives.

The 360º feedback data indicate that bosses see men and women as equally effective overall.  Peers and direct reports rate women as slightly higher than men in overall effectiveness.

In order for there to be a compelling reason to ensure diversity, companies need to define how diversity links to business results.  Late last year, McKinsey & Co. conducted its Global Executive Survey.  Seventy-two percent of respondents believe there is a connection between diverse leadership teams and financial success (up 12% from the 2009 survey).  Yet, only 28% had diversity as a top-ten agenda item.  It is not sufficient for an organization to only have a diversity policy.  People follow cultural norms and what they believe leadership wants.

Here are some general considerations for those who want to continue their advancement to higher leadership levels: develop skills in strategic analysis and planning; expand networks to develop a wider range of resources for knowledge and opportunities; see yourself as a leader; raise your hand, volunteer for assignments; accept risk as a part of opportunity; take ownership of your professional development; develop persuasive skills to sell ideas and gain support; seek out a mentor and senior advocate; be who you are – authenticity forms solid relationships.

There is no one right way to lead.  Companies will increasingly need diversity of leadership behavior and style to lead a multi-generational workforce, as global markets become more complex and competitive and new, diverse markets emerge.  Men and women need to value their differences and learn from each other.  It will be for their individual and collective benefit.

For over 35 years, CMA has provided professional services for the selection, development and retention of leaders at all levels.  To learn more, please contact Joe Hoffman or Dan Bean, partners at CMA.

For an article in the July issue of Small Business Monthly, CMA’s managing partner, Dan Bean, shared some perspectives on CMA’s place in the business community:

Today Bean strives to continue helping business owners through his consulting business and time he dedicates to giving back to the St. Louis community. “We provide St. Louis businesses with a variety of services to build their businesses,” he says. “These include assessments to acquire, manage and develop talent; organizational development to increase the capacity and capability of business to take care of clients; and strategic planning for public, private and family-owned businesses as well as nonprofits.”

Bean also supports entrepreneurs through free seminars. “We have a family business speaker series, which is a learning opportunity for family business owners and their advisers,” he says. “We sponsor St. Louis University’s Institute for Private Business that’s held in the John Cook School of Business, the St. Louis chapter of the Entrepreneurship Institute and the Organization Development Network. We have two to three graduate student interns to give back and develop students, round out their education, and help them effectively transition to the world of work. Personally, I serve on the board of the YouthBridge Community Foundation. Youthbridge supports three E’s for not-for-profits serving children: education, social entrepreneurship and endowment.”

View the full article at Small Business Monthly’s website.