Month: March 2023

Corporate CPR Episode 72: Why We Need a New Type of Leadership to Manage Corporate Change

/ Jana

On today’s show, we discuss why we need a new type of leadership to manage corporate change.

Lata Hamilton is a change leadership and confidence expert and founder and CEO of Passion Pioneers and creator of the Leading Successful Change program. Her change leadership training Leading Successful Change helps women carve their own paths for change in career, leadership and life. Lata is a Change Management Consultant, Leadership Trainer, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Practitioner, and Confidence Coach.

Lata is based in Sidney, Australia and has led change with some of Australia’s biggest companies on their major Transformation and Organisational Change projects with agile, fit-for-purpose, practical Change Management strategies, plans and approaches. She’s worked on changes that have impacted over 100,000 people, operating model changes impacting thousands, global cultural transformations, and digital transformation that is literally change the way that we work.

Key Takeaways

Change management as we know it, has to change:

• The old standard of change management is regimented and relies on the idea of change projects being a step-by-step process for managing change. Which is not based on real life.

• Organizational change requires fluidly and flexibility instead of strict processes and timelines so you can add value in the moment.

• We need to shift our mindset from “managing change” (how are we going to manage a process or project to some desired outcome) to embrace a more holistic view of “inspiring change” (how are we going to change hearts and minds and engage people through all levels of the organization)

Focus on the experience you want to create with the change, not on specific dates and times:

• Instead of thinking the change project starts and ends, think about the experience you want to create and the benefits you want to see from the experience. For example – for training, instead of thinking of it from a time/deadline perspective, think of it from an experience perspective and plan out a journey for a particular team member.

• Focusing on the experience works because the actual delivery of the change is not the success. The success comes from realizing the benefit of the change and using it to engage people correctly, so they are switched on for now and for the future.

How do you prepare an organization for changes caused by automation?

• Open people’s minds to the possibility of change early on. • Create a change vision at group level and an individual level.

• Provide inspiration to give people a reason to believe and hope in the future of the organization.

• Leadership should be highly involved in communication to build trust. If employees trust their leaders, they will follow them through tough/uncertain times.

Top 3 Takeaways:

1) Wake People Up. Look to empower people. Take a new approach – how can we focus on getting an emotional shift and emotional transformation now and in the future?

2) Think about the communications you use. Take every opportunity to build trust when you are in a project or not. Change doesn’t have a start and end date. It’s always rolling, and you are always paving the way for new changes.

3) Leading change is hard. If you are working in any change leader position, take care of yourself and take time to build your internal confidence. To be able to lead change with other people you need to be able to step up i to your leadership and your internal strength in the process.

Connect with Lata:

Website: https://www.latahamilton.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latahamilton

Corporate CPR Episode 71: What to do in the Wake of a Layoff

/ Jana

On today’s show, we discuss what your company should be doing in the wake of a layoff.

Miriam Meima has been a Coach & Facilitator for over twenty years.  She has closely studied the overlap between business and psychology in effort to learn how to support her clients in finding simple ways to be authentic and effective simultaneously.  Miriam has coached founders/executives and supported leadership development strategies at Slack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Hims & Hers, Glassdoor, Glossier and 100s of start-ups of all sizes across industries and regions.  

She has worked closely with the thought leaders studying the link between culture and bottom-line success.  Miriam has a unique ability to understand an entire system and how to most effectively influence change, taking into consideration the infinite complexity of the individual, company and current market conditions. She is well known for her success with cultural change and often speaks on the topic of “How to Preserve your Culture While You Scale.” 

Miriam’s credentials include an MA in Organizational & Management Development, a BA in Business & Psychology. She is a Master Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation, a Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Coaching and a member of Forbes Coaches Council.  Her work exists in the sweet spot blending left-brain research and right-brain creativity.  

After growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan (United States), and living in Spain, Colorado and Hawaii, Miriam now lives in New York City with her husband.  Miriam believes she is doing the work she was born to do and greets each new day with a sense of optimism.  

Key Takeaways:

Advice for those in companies that are having to lay off and experiencing fear:

  • Manage yourself first. Notice how you’re feeling and create a path to get back to bringing your best self.
  • Don’t make any major life decisions for a bit.
  • Focus on what you can control.
    • Solidify your value in the organization. Demonstrate your impact. Touch base with stakeholders to build bridges. Evaluate how you can improve.
    • Think about your next step if you do need another opportunity and connect with people that could help. Build the skills you will need if you decide to make a change.

As a manager, how do you help those on your team after a layoff?

  • Normalize the change
  • Be empathetic
  • Provide short term wins
  • Be more present and personable

As a leader, what if you see that your managers don’t have the skills to manage through a layoff? How should you prepare?

  • Lean into the relationship the managers have with the organization. Their relationship with direct reports is an extension of that. Give managers a safe space to express their own negative feelings so they don’t express them to their direct reports.
  • Be proactive and have a playbook to give them. Give them the information that they need to be able to move forward.

Symptoms of problems after a layoff:

  • Pace of communication. If the pace slows, it’s possible your team is feeling insecure or overwhelmed and disengaging.
    • For these people, it’s great to rally the team and encourage them in the mission ahead.
  • Stress level. Short bursts of high stress are expected, but there should be an end in sight. We don’t want to burn out the people we are retaining.
    • For these people, it’s great to have a conversation about priorities. Understand what the top ones are and be willing to let go of some of the lower ones without fear.

If the company does need to be leaner, how do you lead employees in the “less is more” mantra?

  • Focus to find ways to work smarter, not harder.
  • Have a brainstorming session on creative ways to change.
    • For optimization: Start – Stop – Continue exercise.
    • For innovation: Yes And exercise.

Top 3 Takeaways:

  • Manage yourself first – take care of yourself.
  • Be aware of the impact you’re having on others.
  • Smile. Some of the most seasoned leaders can move through difficult problems with a smile, and that is accessible to more of us.

Connect with Miriam Meima:

Website: https://www.leaderswhosmile.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miriam-meima/

Corporate CPR Episode 70: Why Leaders are Not Making an Impact

/ Jana

On today’s show, we discuss why leaders are not making an impact in their organizations.

James Saliba is a certified coach, trainer, and public speaker with a BA, MBA, and over thirty years of experience in the leadership world.

His career began as a software engineer before being promoted to management in the IT industry, where he eventually became the VP of a $4 billion tech company. He worked tirelessly to gain the knowledge and experience to become a leader employees wanted to follow. He has been in the trenches and has conquered most challenges leaders face throughout their careers.

Jim adopted a growth mindset and created an atmosphere where employees were encouraged to experiment and were rewarded for their hard work. Mistakes were not seen as failures but rather as learning opportunities to make changes and improve. He has leveraged his years of experience and experimentation to develop the successful Triple E structure to help his clients get unstuck so they can progress to the next level of leadership.

Key Takeaways:

Symptoms of a gap between leadership and employees.

People are promoted because of their technical expertise, but they don’t have leadership skills, and they aren’t being trained in that area.

What do companies experience when this happens?

Top leaders will find themselves having to manage their managers much more to get what they need, rather than being able to focus on the growth and health of the organization. Because management doesn’t like to be micro-managed, turnover increases.

What are the skillsets needed for leadership?

Vision and Strategy – Can I build a vision for my team/department? What do I want this to look like one year from now?

Execution and Production – How well am I executing, and am I producing?

People and Processes – Can I make a change in my department, or is the corporate culture fighting me in this?

Executive Presence – Can I communicate well,  carry myself well, listen well to understand what’s going on, and can I put that information into action?

What should companies do to address this situation?

Coaching / Mentoring tends to be better than Leadership Training so that the employees have a chance to learn something, try it out, and then get feedback and further guidance. Sometimes companies have a hard time justifying the cost of this type of training, but it brings a good ROI in the long run in productivity and creativity.

What would you tell the individual that doesn’t feel like the company is investing in them?

Great advice from Brian Tracy – Invest 3% of your salary into yourself and your growth.

How can you get the most out of training?

Be intentional about practicing what you learn as soon as possible. You can also find great training as free content on podcasts or social media platforms. Investing 3% of your time is a great strategy as well.

Is there a limit to how much a leader can learn? Is there a ceiling?

There are always new things to learn, and if we aren’t continuing to learn, people will pass us by.

4 Fears of Leadership

  • Fear of being incompetent
  • Fear of appearing foolish
  • Fear of failure
  • Fear of being vulnerable

How can we move past the fear?

  • Identify the fear.
  • Ask yourself- What is the worst thing that could happen?
  • Put things in place to deal with the worst thing.
  • Then take the risk.

How do I plan my growth? Ask yourself –

  • Where am I now – strengths, weaknesses, values?
  • How do I currently engage the world or my personal environment?
  • Where do I want to be a year from now?
  • How can I get where I want to go?
  • How am I doing? Evaluate your progress frequently.

3 Top Things to Focus on:

  • Self-awareness – Being able to look at what’s going on in you and around you to understand what things you need to tackle.
  • Self-development – We are constantly learning and changing the environment around us.
  • Support – Don’t do it alone.

Connect with James Saliba:

Website: https://jamessaliba.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamessaliba/

Jim’s book: The Six-Step Leadership Challenge

What Is “Event Chain Methodology” in PMO?

/ Jana / Leave a comment

A project management office (PMO) can take different approaches to mitigate risks and maximize opportunities for ongoing and upcoming projects. These approaches collectively form a PMO methodology. There are different methods that PMOs can use to keep their projects on track, and your PMO doesn’t have to use one exclusively. Consider incorporating Event Chain Methodology into your project management strategy. This method helps you plan against possible threats and evaluate the likelihood of success in meeting deadlines and budgets.

What Is Event Chain Methodology in PMO?

A Useful Approach Within PMO Methodology

Event Chain Methodology, as its name implies, aims to plot out a chain of events that could occur throughout the lifetime of the project. It starts with the expected chain of events; these are the individual steps and processes you will execute in sequence. You will need to plan out your project carefully before attempting to build an event chain. Once the ideal sequence is clear, you’ll proceed to identify variables that could disrupt the event chain.

These variables represent threats and opportunities. For example, suppose your project currently has 10 people assigned to it. What would happen if one or two people quit their jobs and abandon the project? How would that impact the time it takes to complete certain steps? Conversely, what would happen if a client dropped a particularly complex feature from the job description? How much faster could you finish the project? Event chain methodology encourages you to consider these variables.

Calculating the Domino Effect

Each variable in the event chain needs to be given a probability of occurring. With this probability set, it’s possible to run the entire event chain through a computer to crunch the numbers and determine how likely the project is to finish on time and on budget. Depending on the complexity of the project and the number of steps involved, these calculations can take a while to complete.

Once your project has been processed, you’ll be able to identify the most likely disruptors. You can also see which adverse events would trigger the biggest problems in your event chain. Some inconveniences may be minor and only require minimal work to correct. Others may stall your project for months. Identify the biggest threats and make mitigation plans. These contingencies can be included in your event chain so that if an issue arises, your mitigation plan goes into action.

Visually Representing the Event Chain

Event chains are best presented through a multi-layered Gantt chart. Each step in the project is laid out in sequence with bars that represent the time each step should take. Event chain diagrams use downward arrows to signal an adverse event. Downward arrows should point to actions in a mitigation plan or an alternate version of the next step, perhaps with a longer bar to reflect the additional time needed to resolve the issue. Conversely, upward arrows represent positive events.

With the right help, you can minimize the risk of setbacks and make it easier to overcome obstacles with solid contingency plans. Contact Project Genetics to speak to a project management expert and learn more about how we can keep your projects on track.

Corporate CPR Episode 69: Building and Retaining a Solid Team

/ Jana

On today’s show, we discuss what the steps are to building and retaining a solid team.

Mark Oristano has led a life a lot of sports fans would envy spending 30 years in the NFL broadcasting games for the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers. Plus a good portion of that time was spent working several jobs in the front office of one of America’s most famous and successful teams, the original Dallas Cowboys.

Mark worked under legendary Cowboy president and GM Tex Schramm learning his management style – a style that kept employees engaged and working for the team for decades. Tex also created a front office system that was the envy of the pro sports world.

Key Takeaways:

What was the measure of success for your team?

Success on the field was winning the Super Bowl. Success off the field was helping the team win the Super Bowl.

During the season, everything was run by checklists and procedures set in place. During the off-season, all of the checklists and procedures were re-evaluated to see if they should change or improve based on how the season went.

How do we keep great people?

  • Hire the best people you can find. They will cost you more up front, but it’s worth it.
  • Train them your way. Explain why you do things the way you do them to gain adoption.
  • Let them do their jobs. Don’t micro-manage.
  • Implement the Golden Rule – treat your employees the way you want to be treated.

How do you find the right talent that is a good fit for your organization? You want people who:

  • Understand the basics
  • Are eager to learn more
  • Have a desire to be a part of the team

How do you set up a new hire for success?

  • Give employees permission to not know the answer, but be able to find it and bring it to you.
  • Convey to employees that they all have a role to play. If they take care of the little things, the project will work. Everyone’s contribution matters.

3 Top Takeaways:

  • Decrease turnover. It costs 1/3 of the departing employee’s salary to replace them.
  • Be certain that you are receptive to your employees’ ideas, problems, and thoughts.
  • It’s not about you. It’s about the team.

Connect with Mark Oristano:

Website: https://www.leadwithprinciple.com/

Mark’s course: https://www.leadwithprinciple.com/courses/lead-with-principle

Corporate CPR Episode 68: Optimizing Operations Within Your Organization

/ Jana

On today’s show, we discuss how to optimize operations within your organization.

Tommy Yionoulis has been in the restaurant industry for nearly his entire adult life. He has a BSBA from University of Denver’s Hotel Restaurant school in addition to an MBA. This former stand-up comic turned SaaS founder, has extensive experience helping businesses become more efficient and profitable through process, accountability, and data.  He’s currently the Managing Director of OpsAnalitica, an Operations Analytics platform that focuses on managing and measuring daily team activities for large multi-unit businesses.  Tommy believes that the next big technological disruptor event for many businesses is going to be implementing Operations Management software to shape the future of work and beat our competitors through better, more consistent daily operations.

Key Takeaways:

Why do we need to optimize our operations?

We are not suffering from a lack of knowledge, but too much information and too many things to track. The human brain can only keep a few things in mind at a time. Leaders have already identified the things that they know they should do to stay on top of things, but they cannot translate that knowledge into consistent action at the location level. Often, an employee missing one step in the middle of a multi-step process will cause the process to fail.

What are the symptoms that indicate a problem? What is the trigger point?

Unfortunately, without implementing operations management software, an organization may not realize they have a problem. KPI indicators will lag. For instance, by the time the sales numbers indicate a problem, the business has been suffering for a while, and it may take years to win customers back.

How does the solution get you more instantaneous feedback? What is being measured and how does an organization know what action to take?

At the location level – It takes the guesswork out of running the business by scheduling a series of tasks and checklists.

At the upper level – It allows teams to be more effective and efficient. Corporate brings on people to manage multiple locations. The solution allows these managers to watch what’s happening in real-time. When there are issues, the solution alerts the managers.

How do you avoid “death by checklist”?

Checklists often need to be done at busy times, so they need to be focused and smart. Real-time collaboration can allow several people to check things together and be more efficient. Randomization helps ensure good coverage over a series of things that need to be checked as well.

How can a business promote adoption of the system?

Adoption is dependent upon the priority structure of the business. Part of the systems can be time-based to ensure things are done at the optimum time and promote accountability. Process and systems-driven businesses are the ones that succeed.

What are some of the key things a business should think about when wanting to optimize its operations?

  • Get started soon. Let the data influence you over time to make it better. Don’t wait to figure it all out.
  • Keep the process simple and track everything.

Top Takeaways:

  • Operations management is the next technological battlefield that we will all be in. In the multi-location business of the future, you’ll be collecting data from 5 places:
    • POS
    • Internet – social media
    • Checklist platform
    • Robots
    • Sensors
  • The key will be to bring all of that information together and turn it into real-time actions that solve the problems that are affecting the customers. Jump in on an ops program to get the data and take it seriously.

Connect with Tommy Yionoulis

Website: https://opsanalitica.com/

4 PMO Best Practices to Use During Mergers and Acquisitions

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Mergers and acquisitions are exciting times for a company. However, when not managed properly, they can produce more problems than benefits. A project management office (PMO) can take a leading role in integrating a new organization into your company while also making sure that projects from both businesses continue to run smoothly. PMO advisory during M&As is essential. Consider four best practices that PMOs should employ during M&As.

4 PMO Best Practices to Use During Mergers and Acquisitions

1. Separate Internal and External Projects

Both businesses in a merger or acquisition likely already have several external projects underway. External projects are customer-facing activities: new products or services, customer support projects, or sales and marketing initiatives. However, M&As also call for new internal projects. You have to integrate filesystems, unify the software that teams from both companies will use, and bring your new staff together. The PMO needs to keep external projects running while organizing internal projects to solidify the new company.

Consider creating teams with members from both organizations for internal projects. This minimizes the potential for resentment from team members of the company that’s been absorbed. It also eases fears of massive layoffs after a merger. Keep external project leads in place to avoid disruption. However, you may want to add a few experts from the recently acquired company to provide a fresh perspective and leverage their knowledge of the market.

2. Focus on Change Management

M&As mean change for everyone. Unfortunately, most workers are resistant to change. When people become proficient with your company’s processes, they worry that change will affect their performance or possibly add to their workload. It’s important to manage these changes and communicate clearly to everyone in the organization. Help people understand what changes will take place, when they will occur, and the benefits that will come from them.

The more you can get teams involved in change, the better the results. Set up pilot groups for testing so that you can get employee feedback. Listen to complaints and take suggestions into consideration. Allocate time to make adjustments to new processes; don’t expect to redesign everything perfectly on paper on your first attempt.  

3. Adjust Deadlines and Stay Vigilant

Speaking of time, you may need to adjust project deadlines across the board. M&As are complex and can create unforeseen challenges for both internal and external projects. Trying to impose original deadlines may only lead to frustration. It’s important to keep expectations realistic.

Monitor project progress more frequently during M&As than you normally would. New problems can arise quickly, so it’s vital that you stay in communication with project leads and immediately address any issues that appear.

4. Call for Additional PMO Advisory

Your existing PMO team may not be large enough to handle the extra demand brought on by your merger or acquisition. If your PMO is at capacity and is struggling to keep up with the additional tasks at hand, consider bringing in expert assistance. PMO consultants can help you stay on schedule and streamline the integration of both teams.

Contact Project Genetics to speak to PMO professionals and learn more about how we can help your M&As stay on track.