Building an Agile Culture

November 16, 2020

Good morning! Here’s a shout-out to the (mostly) patient heroes who are involved non-stop with caring for young children.I saw this meme:  “I keep hearing it takes a village to raise a child.  Do they just show up or is there a number to call?”

• Eleanor Roosevelt, two years before her death was asked about what she thought was her single most important message.  “Have hope.”
  • Two words: Have Hope… we can do that, can’t we?
  • Faith, hope, love are choices… faith is said to be a gift, but we still must decide whether to accept it, so I propose it, too, is a choice.

• If I were to ever play Augusta National (zero chance), carding a 10 on Hole #12 would probably be a good score.
  • Not the case for Tiger Woods.
  • The famed Par 3 signature hole is among the more picturesque and daunting challenges in all of golf.
  • By now you’re well aware of Tiger’s 10 yesterday — three times in the water! — as he experienced what it’s like to be a mere mortal.
  • But, here’s the important news:  On five of the next six holes, Tiger scored a birdie to methodically climb out of his self-made disaster and finish the tournament at one under par.
  • What can we learn from that?

• “Intelligence uses what is known to solve problems; creativity uses what is unknown to discover possibilities.”  (Sinek)

• (The Economist, 2020) — “Throughout its first 200 years, conservatism has contained an unresolvable tension:  which changes are inevitable, and which should be resisted?
  • Robert Peel, a Tory prime minister, thought his party’s governing philosophy should be to oppose unneeded social reform when possible, but to accept it if necessary.
  • But how can you tell the difference between unnecessary change and the unavoidable sort?
  • Practical, compromising conservatism of the type pursued in the past by prime ministers and presidents has sought to embrace its contradictions rather than take sides.  By doing so it became the dominant force in Western governance.
  • Uncompromising conservatism has a darker history:  from the pro-slavery arguments made by John Calhoun in the United States’ Senate, to the 20th century conservatives in France and Germany who failed to defend democracy.
  • Conservatism (might) be in trouble again; compromise is key for its renewal.”

Building an Agile Culture

• Building an agile culture (McKinsey and others)
  • Define the from – to aspirations (we call those strategic imperatives stemming from a shared vision)
  • Make the change meaningfully personal for your people
  • Culturally re-engineer the organizational architecture… change systems, processes, structures, technologies, rewards
  • Monitor, adjust, and learn

• Decisions are the lifeblood of organizations, and meetings are where important business decisions often happen.
  • Or, are they?!
  • In a recent survey, sixty-one percent (61%) of executives said at least half of the time they spent in meetings for decision making was ineffective.  (Smet, Jost, Weiss, 2020)
    • If you’re in charge, please re-think meetings… please.
      • (It IS possible to have really good ones, but advance preparation and focus are the keys.)

• Here is a synthesis of information and observations from a variety of sources.
  • Is there anything good to come of the COVIDs to-date?
    • Lower carbon emissions;
    • Work habits and routines are changing = more flexibility, more discretionary time;
    • So-called essential workers are gaining recognition — though perhaps not yet reward;
    • Pressure for healthcare reform is growing stronger;
    • People are connecting with loved ones to a greater degree, made possible by technology (not so true in 1918);
      • (Though, what is the impact of virtual vs. IRL?)
    • People overall are more involved in their local communities;
    • More people are getting outdoors for recreation, exercise, fresh air, and social/ emotional health;
    • More people are pursuing healthy and rewarding hobbies.
      • How about you?  Let me know, please.