Old thinking that's particularly relevant today
“Managers who don’t know how to measure what they want settle for wanting what they can measure.” ― Russell Ackoff
A classic that's particularly relevant right now
If you haven’t heard of him, Russell Ackoff was an economic behaviourist before economic behaviourism existed, in the 1970s. His classic book, The Art of Problem Solving is a tour through this academic-consultant’s work, as he solves problems as diverse as “How do you keep fish in good edible condition on a fishing trawler — without freezing them?” The surprising answer: keep them in tanks of water, and put a predator, like a shark (!), in with them, to keep them active. Sure, you lose some fish, but the greater good is served by the majority of fish surviving in good condition. Also, Ackoff is charged with answering, “Why are some street corners better sites for petrol stations than others?” (Again, a surprising answer, and it’s not only the amount of passing traffic). He also problem solves how black supervisors can gain the respect of white subordinates (yes, this was the 1970s) and how to make safe drivers aware of other, less safe, drivers (he proposed something that we absolutely take for granted today). The gift of this book is that he shows how changing the base assumptions is often the path to a solution. Right now, the base assumptions are changing beneath our feet, often out of our hands, but this gives rise to some very creative problem solving in organisations.
My question: “What assumptions prevented you from solving critical problems in your business, but have now changed?”
An idea that inspires me - but can we do it now?
In 18th century Europe, salons were ways of gathering people under the roof of an inspiring host. They were held partly for amusement, but more to increase the knowledge and connections of participants through conversation. In the 1920s Gertrude Stein attracted people like Picasso, Hemingway, Matisse and James Joyce, and her salon was literally the first ‘museum of modern art’.
One of my clients, Leonie Boxtel, is a non-profit director and university philanthropy executive and has wanted to create something similar for years. She realised, “I know so many interesting people, but there are so few ways to bring people together nowadays, that are not social media, professional bodies, or highly formal, with a speaker”. So she invited 80 people to a salon — 40 attended — and her second salon also drew a good crowd. Leonie’s sole aim is to introduce truly interesting people to each other in a content-free, agenda-free, purpose-free environment. In the lockdown world, though, can this translate to a digital format?
My question: Can we do this during lockdown? If you attended something like this, what sort of people would you want to meet?
A great question that's valid today
Last year, a much younger colleague asked me, “Andrew, what are some critical skills that all senior executives need but some don’t ever learn?” I meet with many hundreds of executives every year and have formed my views on this. Given the realities of lockdown, I revisited my answer, and I think they hold very true indeed. Here are my top 3.
1. Sales skills
Very few people in government or non-profit sectors think of themselves as sales people. Yet they’re nearly always selling something: public policy, partnerships, buy-in on investable initiatives, and often services and products. Yet, very few I meet have cut their teeth on articulating benefits (aka value), targeting customers, and cultivating prospects. Today, these sales skills are put to great use 'selling' new thinking, innovations, and change.
2. Presenting skills
Some of the best executives I know possess a strong presence whether they’re with three people, 30 or 300. Yet, I’d rate less than one-third of my clients as excellent public speakers, who can tell stories, thematise a message, and use voice, pacing and tonality to draw people in. This applies whether we're doing it in person, or digitally.
3. Rapport building
When I watch my executive clients engaging with partners, funders, clients, or staff, I often notice lapses of attention, clumsy body language, poor listening and reflecting. These are utterly basic skill gaps that, once a person hits the C-Suite are very hard for others to bring to their attention. Today, we're challenged by achieving rapport through a Zoom screen --- but there are a number of critical ways in which to do this, which I'll put into my video series next week.
Question: What critical skills are executives around you missing? If asked, how would others rate your ability on these three?