Simplicity

"Whatever the tasks, do them slowly with ease, in mindfulness, so do not do any tasks with the goal of getting them over with. Resolve to do each job in a relaxed way, with all your attention."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

As Leo Babauta reminds us, in our daily lives, we often rush through tasks, trying to get them done, trying to finish as much as we can each day. We speed along in our cars to our next destination, rushing to do what we need to do there, and then leaving so that we can speed to our next destination.

Unfortunately, it’s often not until we get to our final destination that we realize what madness this all is. 

At the end of the day, we’re often exhausted and stressed out from the grind, the chaos and the busyness of the day. We don’t have time for what’s important to us, for what we really want to be doing, for spending time with loved ones, and for doing things we’re passionate about.

We have made our lives too complex to enjoy living!

And yet, it doesn’t have to be that way. As Leo Babauta has said, it’s possible to live a simpler life, one where you enjoy each activity, where you are present in everything (or most things) you do, where you are content rather than rushing to finish things. 

As I sit here to write this month’s Leading Indicator article, I do so in a unique situation. I am recovering from surgery……surgery to remove a few cancerous cells that were discovered in my body when I had my bi-annual medical back in November. 

I remember that day at the doctor’s office when the C word was pronounced. Though having lost several friends to the disease I never expected I would be affected. One of my good friends, Hugh, just lost his daughter to it. She was only 38. In those times we grieve and mourn to the best that we understand what people are experiencing, but we never know exactly how to relate. The fear, anxiety, and frustration that accompany this matter cannot be understood from the outside looking in. 

For the past few years, I have been writing articles, or maybe telling others how they should be living their lives to be more successful both personally and professionally. As I prepared myself for the surgery, I remember all the advice I gave, and I also remember a friend of mine, Gerard, who said “Merv, you need to take some of the advice you give!” It is easy to write words. It is much more difficult to act upon them.

At times like this, one’s power is reduced to nothing. Having lived a life where the ability to control and manage situations has been dominant, I am now totally dependent on others. Power has been reduced to faith. And that’s what creates fear and anxiety because faith requires trusting in something or someone beyond you. I have to have faith in my doctor that the problem has been diagnosed properly and the solution defined correctly. I have to have faith in the technology that is used to assist the doctors and nurses. I have to have faith in the drugs used to prevent unwanted outcomes after the surgery. I have to have faith in the surgeon that his skills are superior to the enemy within. I have to have faith in an unknown God whom I have believed in all my life but on whom I never had to call upon, but now whom I turn to believing that there is more purpose for my life than this. 

When you lose power all you have is faith. And if you have no faith, you have no hope. My faith gives me hope.

So I sit here with hope for full recovery and a return to a normal life in a few weeks. But it’s that phrase “a normal life” that made me think. When you are faced with what others call a “life changing experience”, does your life really change? And what is normal? Is normal going back to the same behaviour prior to what was supposed to be a life changing event? I think not!

For a few days I have had lots of time to think about life. I have concluded that I have allowed life to become too complex. We busy ourselves with activities believing that they all add value and enrich our daily living. But how much of what we do actually enriches us? As much as the doctor performed an assessment to determine my physical healthiness, this experience now has driven me to do a personal assessment to determine how I can realize optimal living. And the diagnosis is “simplify”!

What have I/we allowed in our lives to make them so complex that we fail at really living? We believe we must have our kids enrolled in soccer, hockey, swimming, piano and the like in order for them to live a full life. We work 10-12 hour days to obtain a standard of living that is expected of us and gives us the things that are supposed to make our lives better or happier. We ignore vacations - there is little time to take one or when we do, it’s without fail that along with the suntan lotion and shorts we pack the laptop and the Blackberry. We get up at 5:00 am to beat the traffic, work through lunch, leave late and get home by 7:00 pm to have dinner finished by 8:00 pm. But is that living?

When I do get to my final destination, I do not want to say “Is that all there is or was?” No, life is intended to be so much more. It’s time to simplify, to refocus and change in a way that while realizing one’s full potential we are living life to its fullest.

As CMAs, and as examples to others, we have to be so careful that we do not allow our lives to become so complex that we become unproductive. Busyness and productivity are not the same. Likewise, as CMAs, we have to be careful we do not allow complexity to seep into our organizations so that they become unproductive. So often we chase ideas that offer no enriching benefit to our company’s performance. It takes an “organizational changing event” (like a recession) to reduce the complexity and simplify. Think of the companies that have expanded in the name of growth only to realize poorer results, forcing them to re-engineer, right size, downsize, restructure, or why don’t we just say “simplify”. Don’t let that happen.

How much baggage, then, have we accumulated over the years that has so easily beset us, enslaves us, and fills our lives with unneeded complexity? Let’s get rid of all the baggage that so easily weighs us down in life!

Think

My mind often goes back to when I was a kid living in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. During the summer school break, I was often found on the “front porch” (we now call them decks) sitting alone in silence simply lost in my thoughts. There are times now when I am sitting alone on the cottage deck or on the living room couch lost in my thoughts. At times my wife Linda will ask, “What are you thinking about?” I simply reply, “Nothing,” which really isn’t true since I am still known for spending much time in quiet contemplation about life. One time, I remember a late night talk show host asking one of his guests, “What were you thinking?” Based on his guest’s unacceptable behaviour, it was obvious he wasn’t thinking at all. We regularly ask others, “What do you think about this or that?” Now that my two children are finished university, I have often asked them, “Have you given much thought about what you want to do in life?” During brainstorming sessions in our management meetings, we often ask each other the question, “What are your thoughts on this?” 

The ability to think, to express our thoughts, to convert our thoughts into constructive and profitable actions, is a critical component of leading successful lives and successful organizations. In each of my positions as President & CEO of various companies, I protected my time by providing moments when I could give 100% of my thought to the current performance and long term direction of the organization I was leading. I was hired and paid to think! 

Recently, I visited a local Chapters book store with the purpose of evaluating what books were being promoted on leadership. Of course, the list was infinite. But searching through all the titles, I never found one book focused on what I believe is a crucial part of successful leadership. That is the ability to “THINK”. 

When I was in consulting, the number one frustration CEOs I worked with expressed to me was the inability for their management team to think creatively and to present new ideas and solutions to a consistently changing competitive landscape. When companies talk about differentiation, they can no longer simply rely on a product or a service or technology. The most important point of differentiation is the “Thinking Quotient” of their organization. A low “Thinking Quotient” is what causes a company to fail. But a company with a high “Thinking Quotient” will set them apart. For example, Apple exceeds because it has a higher “Thinking Quotient” than its competitors. 

“As a Man Thinketh” 

There is a book written by James Allen with the title “As a Man Thinketh” (here Allen uses “Man” to refer to humanity). The author says, “All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is a direct result of his own thoughts.” 

Quotes from “As a Man Thinketh”

• Men do not attract what they want, but what they are.
• A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts.
• Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment, of these, if you but remain true to them your world will at last be built.
• The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its unchastened desires - and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.
• Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound.
• Every action and feeling is preceded by a thought.
• Right thinking begins with the words we say to ourselves.
• Circumstance does not make the man, it reveals him to himself.
• You cannot travel within and stand still without.
• As the physically weak man can make himself strong by careful and patient training, so the man of weak thoughts can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.

James Allen said............

A man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind. Just as a gardener cultivates his plot, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts. By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master gardener of his soul, the director of his life. Every thought seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit. 

A recent advertisement in the Economist magazine caught my attention since it was on this very subject matter. The ad simply said:

THINK
Few things possess more Power than a Thought
Because a Thought has the potential
To become something significant.
To solve something meaningful.
And to inspire us to achieve great things.
What makes a Thought so powerful
Is it can be created by anybody.
At anytime.
From anywhere.
That’s why Thinking should be encouraged
And nurtured in all its forms.
No matter how small.
Or how impossibly grand.
Because wherever Thinking happens,
Big ideas follow.
Minds become more enlightened.
Knowledge grows.
And people discover new ways to unlock their Potential.
So let’s start Thinking.

(from Qatar ad-Unlocking Human Potential-Economist Magazine April 2010)

As we emerge from the recession, the world around us has changed - it’s the kind of world that needs people with ideas, but more importantly, the skills to execute them successfully. Remember, as CMAs, we are the “ideas” people in business, with the grounding in accounting, management and strategy to make our ideas happen. With this in mind, I hope you have a thoughtful day!

Seasons

What season of life are you in?

I remember overhearing my two children who have had the uncommon benefit of travelling extensively around the world, saying to each other: “We love coming home to Canada; we wouldn’t live anywhere else; we love having and experiencing the four seasons our country offers”. 

Though across Canada the renowned Canadian winter was less evident this past year, the transition to spring is a welcomed event. For several months we arise in the dark to go to work and leave work to go home in the dark. Winter’s bitter cold is capable of piercing the most advanced micro fibres or the traditional wool and down used to keep us warm. While autumn attempts to prepare us for the advent of winter, it is the toughest season to bear. January and February, well thank goodness they are over. 

But now spring is upon us. The daylight hours extend their reach into our lives with hope and excitement. The increasing strength of the sun’s rays warm not only bodies but our thoughts as well. Our conversations are more positive, our faces express fun and laughter and our step has that extra burst of energy. We slowly watch the sprouting of flowers, trees and shrubs. And without fail, we anxiously await the celebration of the first lighting of the barbeque.

Spring represents a rebirth of nature, a resurrection of life.

In my readings, a favourite author of mine wrote a book about the “Seasons of Life”. I read it a long time ago but was recently reminded to take it out and read it again. One of his opening comments is:

“Did you experience a winter of discouragement blowing like an icy wind through your mind? Or do you feel the exuberance of spring renewal, the lazy warmth of summer rest? Perhaps the winds of change have brought an autumn of reflection in your heart.”

From my family of five brothers and one sister, and I being the youngest brother, I see the seasons of life acted out in our lives daily. My Dad is gone, and my Mom is reaching a season in life where she is contemplating moving into a nursing home. My brother Harold (#3) just announced his retirement, the first for us all. Now when the brothers convene at the Hillier family camp in Huntsville for that quarterly update of “what’s happening,” the conversation is primarily about when the rest of us plan to retire and what we will do with our time. My brother Lloyd (#4) for the first time in his life, due to a restructuring at MDS where he was VP, is now facing “transition”. A season in life many of us have experienced and thankfully successfully survived. And I, the youngest, will see my second child graduate from university in April 2010. My children, Richard and Joanna, will now seek out their own careers, cut their own path and live the seasons of life, many times over. Linda and I will begin the season as “empty nesters” and hopefully experience a rebirth of some sort of our own relationship, given that the past was smothered with other “seasonal” matters. And of course, we watch as our bodies’ age, their strength and energy decline gradually and graciously, with the odd health challenge thrown in to remind us not only of our mortality but more importantly our priorities.

Nature’s seasons are so reflective of our own lives. With change there is a consistency. Winter is gone but spring is here. Spring grows into summer. Summer fades into autumn. Autumn falls into winter. And with consistency, nature repeats itself over and over, without fail. 

Consider these questions about the “Seasons of Life”. 

(The questions are different, but each answer is the same.) 

What will guard us against foolish extremes?
What characterizes those who are habitually successful in sports or sales or some skill?
What single quality in a business builds respect deeper than any other?
What brings security in relationships?
What makes us choose a particular brand name over all others?
What’s needed most by parents in the home?
What draws you to the same restaurant time and again?
What do you want most from your phone service or internet provider?
What makes a good wine?

CONSISTENCY. That’s the answer to all nine questions, and you know it’s true. 

You can count on it. It’ll be there tomorrow just like it was yesterday… free from silly moods, sudden changes, or fickle fads. Early in the day or late at night, consistency stands firm. When pain or hardship bites, consistency doesn’t bleed. When the majority is tired and irritable, consistency is stable and resilient. Not insensitive, boring… but reliable, faithful. Not opposed to change or reason, but trustworthy. Not stubborn, but solid. Yes, that’s it: solid. It’s the stuff most mothers are made of when their little ones get sick… 

It reveals itself in faithful employees who show up on time, roll up their sleeves, and commit themselves more to doing the job than watching the clock. Diligence is its brother… dependability, its partner… discipline, its parent. 

CONSISTENCY. A living model of patience, determination, and strength — regardless of shifty, rootless times. The blasts of ridicule and criticism may punch it in the face — but consistency stands and takes it as silently as a bronze statue takes the tempest. One poet calls it “a jewel,” another “an anchor of iron.” It knows little of ups or downs, highs or lows, blue Mondays or holiday hangovers. It hates tardiness and absenteeism. It thrives on sacrifice and unselfishness. It’s an obvious mark of maturity. It’s hanging in there day in and day out in spite of everything that could get you sidetracked. 

Nature’s seasons have consistency. While we watch the changes nature brings us, nature is an example to us of consistent orderliness among the change. 

Let’s apply consistency to our own lives regardless of what season of life we find ourselves in.

The Red Tool Box

My dad was born in Cambellton, Newfoundland, the youngest of 7 kids. His mom died of cancer when he was very young and his father was not well. This caused Dad to drop out of school early and go to work in the logging camps to help support his family. He eventually got married and moved to Toronto. There he had two kids. But an unfortunate car accident in Scarborough left him seriously injured and he had to go back to Newfoundland and live with my mom’s parents until he recuperated. That took two years. Eventually he went back to work as a carpenter, had four more kids and settled in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. It was always his dream to return to Toronto. 

Dad didn’t earn a lot of money. He worked six days a week and as much overtime as possible. With five boys and a girl, there were many hungry mouths to feed. We never had much in the form of material goods. I, being the youngest of the five brothers, wore hand-me-downs until I outgrew my siblings and I needed my own clothes. 

One consequence of the car accident was that my dad was left with an impaired heart. He spent much time in and out of a doctor’s office and hospitals. We lived with the fear of Dad having a fatal heart attack all of our lives. But he kept working and striving for a good life for his family. Eventually, in December 1971, my dad decided to sell everything he had and move us all to Toronto. I remember arriving on my birthday, December 19th, at Union Station blinded by the bright lights of the city. It was bitterly cold and we settled in an apartment on Keele Street, in Downsview. Everything was so different from what I was used to. But then and there began a new life for us all.

In the later years of his life, Dad suffered from Alzheimer’s. The last few years of his life were not the best. He lived in a long term care nursing home and his declining health made life very difficult. Though always a fighter, my dad finally called it quits and left us in a peaceful sleep. The day was August 19, 2004. He was 79. That was five years ago.

On the anniversary of my dad’s death, I happened to go down to the basement of our house. We moved eight months ago from a detached house with a finished basement to a townhouse with an unfinished basement. Needless to say, there is a lot of stuff in the basement of our townhouse that used to have a place in our house, but now is mixed among a lot of things. I was putting up some shelves in my daughter’s bedroom and needed a few wall plugs. As I fumbled around, hidden underneath a bunch of junk, I saw a small red metal tool box. 

Many years ago when I was visiting my dad at his apartment in Markham, he pulled out of his closet a red tool box. He called me over and said he wanted to give a few tools that he no longer had any use for. So he filled it up with a hammer, various screw drivers, a saw and some other items I never knew what they were for. I took the red tool box home and brought it downstairs to my storage area. Over the years, the red tool box lost a lot of its contents, became dented and eventually forgotten, until now.

My dad never accumulated any wealth. When he died he had $10k in his bank account and that was the extent of his life’s savings. That money was applied to the cost of his funeral. None of his children received any financial inheritance. Unlike many of my friends who talk about what they have inherited and are expecting to inherit, that was never an expectation of mine. But what I did inherit was that red tool box.

As I opened that worn red tool box, and looked at some of the tools in it that had belonged to my dad, there was a striking realization that my dad’s sacrifice became my opportunity, and that was what I inherited from him. He sacrificed his life and all that he had to provide a greater opportunity to his kids, so that their lives would become better than his. The tools he gave me were not made out of metal or steel, but were carved out of his daily labour. My dad was a man of strong conviction, knew what he believed, and was loyal to his beliefs and to his family. He taught me to have a strong work ethic, what was right and wrong, not to let people take advantage, and to work hard and strive for excellence. He properly prepared me for life. Then I wondered, what have I done with my inheritance? Would my dad be proud! 

I decided to fix that red tool box, clean its contents find the rest of my dad’s tools and put them back in it. I keep it as a reminder of the sacrifices he made on my behalf, and to thank him for the opportunity he gave me. 

Last year at our annual CMA Past Chairs Dinner, one of the guests gave me a book to read. It was a history of CMA Ontario. While reading it, I was impressed by the story of the founders of CMA Ontario. It was amazing how a small team of people, with no money, no infrastructure and no materials, managed to build the foundation for what has become a great accounting designation today. It was amazing to read the record of their sacrifice, as they were all volunteers, and of their commitment and dedication.

 I have the pleasure as the current President, of celebrating the success of CMA Ontario. We have approximately 25,000 members now (students and certified CMAs). We will be moving soon to 25 York Street with 27,000 square feet of space, half of which is dedicated to our new Professional Development Institute and the other to administration. We have expanded member services, professional programs and research. But it is our founder’s sacrifices that have created such opportunities. I hope each CMA member does not forget about the sacrifices that were made to create opportunities for us, and that we leverage on our CMA inheritance to continually build a great organization and designation. 

As a member of CMA Ontario each one of us has been provided our own tool box that contains all the resources required to build a great career and life. Let’s not let ignore it. Let’s use it.

Surviving the Recession Part II

My mom, Marion Joyce Hillier, will be turning 80 years old in a few months. Turning 80 is an ageing milestone much like turning 16, 21, 30, 40, 50, and 65 was for some of us. Recently, my mom visited with her doctor for a full medical. At the end, Dr. Nitzken informed her that “he could not find anything seriously wrong with her” and she received a very positive medical report. This was certainly good news! Mom still lives on her own in a condo in Aurora and with the exception of driving her car (which remains parked in the underground garage for emergency purposes - has been for two years now) takes great care of herself. I find it quite amazing how she manages to do so much while on her own.

But if you were to visit my mom, you would find that she lives in the past. Turning 80, she apparently sees no future for herself. My dad, William Allen Hillier, died four years ago at age 79. Mom and Dad were married very young, raised six kids and while suffering some hardships throughout life, managed to survive through them all and enjoyed a basic but peaceful retirement together. But now she seems to spend her time remembering the past. Some stories of her past are interesting and enlightening, some are repetitious and others are more discouraging than others. I wonder though, with good health, a supportive family and the means to do interesting and fun things, why she isn’t a little bit more positive about her future, even if she is reaching the big 80. Her response is, “I wish I could go back and do it all over again!”

My wife Linda and I took our summer vacation early this year and spent it at the cottage. There were no kids, no friends and no family joining us for a whole two weeks, just the two of us. Now we have been married for 31 years. So it is always a concern about what we could possibly have to talk about or what we could do to stay busy that would keep us motivated for a whole two weeks. The cottage needed a small facelift. So like a good CMA, I developed a project plan that set out what we would be doing for each day for the entire two weeks. There was painting, raking, shoveling, small maintenance jobs, garbage removal, septic repairs, tree cutting and removing, grounds clearing and the like. The list was exhaustive but would keep us occupied. Linda yawned at this since she was expecting canoeing, kayaking, walking, biking, attending local markets and, of course, talking. This was as her itinerary. Fortunately for me the inclement weather made Linda’s leisure activity list almost impossible to do, but made our maintenance work manageable. 

But one day as the rain poured and we sat by the fire with tea in hand, we found ourselves talking, much to the wife’s delight. Our conversation focused on the times gone by. We talked about when the kids were very young, when they were in their teens and when they moved into their 20s and what each decade brought to us as parents. The greatest emotional effect on us was when we related it to the cottage. We remembered all the fun and crazy times we had, not just with the kids, but with their friends here with us, other families visiting and even our own relatives. We laughed, at times we cried (well she did externally and I did internally) and our minds left the present and focused on the past. It was just us now. The boat is idle, the canoe parked; there is no one screaming because a spider was spotted, no doors slamming, no asking “how come there isn’t anything here to eat”, no yelling over the excruciating music, no dogs running in and out and no wet towels or bathing suits left on the floor to trip over. It was just the two of us. It was quiet. We were alone. Then we said to each other “I wish we could do it all over again!”

That’s when I realized where my mom’s mind was. At 80 she wishes she could do it all over again! I had interpreted that as a negative statement but in fact it was a very positive one to me. 

A life well lived would be desirous to “do all over again”! 

My mind went to a story Mom told me years ago when I was very young, when I was learning how to deal with life’s challenges. (I will ask for some freedom in telling this story, and hope no one will look upon it as offensive in any way). My mom’s parents were church ministers (i.e. pastors) in Newfoundland. They never had much in the way of material goods, and relied heavily on the generosity of their parishioners for support, just to meet daily needs. One year during a very bad recession when financial support was low (much as what has happened today with charitable support at a historical low) their ability to cope from day to day was severely challenged. One Sunday after coming home from the morning church service, it was time to prepare the noon time meal, which in Newfoundland on Sundays was always a big event. But this Sunday there was in fact no food in the kitchen to prepare a meal. So, my grandparents simply placed a pot of water on the wood stove and then gathered around the kitchen table and prayed. Within the hour, a knock came on the door and a parishioner said he felt impressed to deliver a bag of groceries to my grandparents, thinking they could use it. My mom, her sister and her parents relieved that their hopeless situation had been resolved, then prepared a typical Newfoundland Sunday dinner. 

What I learned from that story (whether one believes in prayer or considers it simply a co-incidence is not the point) is that, even in the darkest moment, we should continue to believe that we will not just move out of a recession but beyond. My grandparents lived well into their 80s and enjoyed a peaceful but rewarding life. That one moment in their lives (and there were others) simply defined who they were and how they would approach life. They approached life with a strong faith and confidence in the good of others.

The current economic indicators are suggesting that we are beginning to move out of the recession. But, we can’t just be satisfied to move out of it, we must be determined to move beyond it. That means, while respecting and enjoying the memories of the good times passed, we can’t stay there mentally. We can’t allow the challenges of the present to prevent us from moving forward. What we must do is take that one baby step at a time and with absolute confidence, and belief in ourselves and others, be determined to make a better life for us as individuals, as families and as communities. 

Back at the cottage, it was a sunny and warm day. So Linda and I decided to end working for the day and go on a boat ride to relax, much to her delight. As we were about to leave the dock, I said “wait a moment…I forgot something!” So we tied the boat to the dock, I ran up 53 stairs to the cottage and returned with a few items. Linda seemed puzzled. I gave her a drink. I attached the player to the stereo deck and inserted a CD of Rod Stewart’s album The Great American Songbook. We left the dock and quietly motored along, with Rod singing in the background, the sun comforting us with its warmth and the beauty of nature surrounding us. Not saying a word but simply laughing, we knew it was time to start creating new memories for ourselves to look back upon with favour and delight.

If we are determined and committed to move beyond the recession, each one of us, when it is our time to look back will say like my mom “I wish I could do it all over again!”

Developing a High Performance Organization Part II

This is my last article in the series “Developing a High Performance Organization”. What most organizations fail to do when developing a high performance strategy or structure (design) is consider the impact culture has on success. No strategy, regardless of how well defined can be successfully executed without a supportive culture.  There must be an alignment between Strategy-Design-Culture!

A HPO Culture must consider the following elements (taken from our Organization Dynamic Model™):

Values &Beliefs
- Integration
- Credibility

HPO Leadership
- Modeling
- Strategic & Tactical Balance
- Empowerment
- Coaching
- HPO Teams

Human Resource Systems
- Selective Recruitment
- Employee Orientation
- Continuous Learning
- Performance Reviews
- Reward Systems

Organization Character
- Informal Communications
- Organization Feedback
- Adaptability to Change

The Human Resources Department is not solely responsible for creating the firm’s culture! It is the responsibility of management starting with the CEO. It is said that an organization typically takes on the values and beliefs of its CEO as reflected through his/her management team. I learned this lesson the hard way in my first role as President.

When taking over the senior leadership role of the Smith Group, I was gung ho to develop a strategic direction that would ensure financial sustainability. We developed a strategic direction, and completed a structural reorganization, selling a few non-performing divisions and starting a few new ones. This was the easy part. The most difficult aspect of being the new leader was changing the culture to align itself to the new strategic direction. And to my surprise, those who talked about change had difficulty accepting and executing change. While opportunity was given to those who faced change with apprehension, there are those times when a leader must make the tough decisions and get the “right people on the bus”, as Jim Collins wrote in his bestselling book Good to Great. This we had to do and what a difference it made. With the right team, we enjoyed not only years of continued record earnings performance but we were consistently recognized as being one of the “50 Best Managed Companies in Canada” until we sold the company in 2001. But it is said the true character of an individual or a company is not properly tested when you are living on the mountain top but when you go through the valley experience. After several years of record earnings performance (and might I add, exceptional bonuses), we lost our largest account, Digital Equipment of Canada, who moved their operations to the US and were eventually acquired by Compaq who themselves were later acquired by HP. Losing a major account within three months meant we went from making millions to losing millions over night. The turnaround specialists advised us we would need at least three to five years and an investment of millions of dollars in order to restore this wounded company. But that we did not have. So, we carefully re-examined our strategy, our design and our culture, realigned the three, and within a year we had Smith profitable again. Later I was asked, what did “I” do to create such a miracle. And honestly, my reply always has been: “I didn’t do anything. It was our team who was focused, committed, and aligned.” And so to Mike, Scott, Greg, Ross and Gerard, I express my gratitude, amazement and thanks for what “we” accomplished. Our shareholders were in awe, and when we sold Smith, even the competition asked what made the difference: It was I said, an “HPO Culture”.

It begins and ends with leadership. While the topic of leadership has been examined thoroughly over time, allow me to end this series with my comments on this critical subject. Collins calls it “Level 5 Leadership”. The Centre for Organizational Design and 360 Solutions call is “HPO Leadership”. Whatever the title, the critical components are the same. 

Leaders can be categorized into five distinct sets:

1. Technician
   1. High degree of technical proficiency
   2. Sought by others for expertise
   3. Uses analytical tools to diagnose problems
   4. Good at troubleshooting
   5. Likes to fight fires
   6. Makes decisions quickly
       
2. Manager
   1. Plans and schedules work
   2. Directs resources to accomplish work
   3. Sets daily goals and priorities
   4. Measures progress
   5. Completes reports
   6. Runs meetings
   7. Maintains discipline
       
3. Trailblazer
   1. Analyzes the environment
   2. Articulates vision
   3. Translate vision into objectives
   4. Communicates and enforces boundaries
   5. Interfaces with others outside
   6. Encourages risk taking
       
4. Architect
   1. Documents and standardizes
   2. Aligns systems to vision
   3. Analyzes and improves systems
   4. Challenges practices
   5. Reinforces culture
   6. Benchmarks with others
       
5. Coach
   1. Sets standards for performance
   2. Empowers people to make decisions
   3. Provides information and training
   4. Evaluates abilities
   5. Acts as mentor
   6. Conducts performance evaluation, organizationally and individually

Effective leaders know their strength and weaknesses! Very seldom will you find categories 1-5 in one individual. The job of the CEO is to examine “team balance” and ensure that all 5 categories are represented on the management team. But an HPO Team must have certain common characteristics. These include:

-a shared mission
-autonomy and authority
-interdependence and shared leadership
-broadly defined jobs
-meaningful participation in decisions
-high standards of performance

An HPO Team then, if characteristic of the above can be defined as:

“a self-managing , multifunctional, group of people organized around a whole process and empowered with full authority for their success”.

The following diagram helps put all this into perspective.

In these tough economic times, the difference between the winners and losers will always be the degree to which the company has Strategy-Design-Culture aligned! If there is one function of the senior leadership team that is more important than any other, it is the extent it has created alignment in the organization. And alignment will not occur while we as leaders/managers sit behind a desk.  Our leadership responsibility is to completely understand the leadership required in different situations and circumstances and ensure we are at the right times, supporting, delegating, directing or coaching our people to get optimal results. And if we can’t do that or refuse to do so we need to take ourselves off the bus and let those who can and will take the leadership wheel. If our culture prevents us from achieving our goals, it is managements’ fault! They have no one else to blame but themselves.

So in conclusion, what does a High Performance Organization look like? An organization which achieves outstanding results by making each person a contributing partner in the business!