Can You Be Too Connected?

Over the years, our organization, SVI, has launched thousands of social networking studies to measure the connectedness of leaders inside and outside of organizations. We wanted to understand how one’s connections to others, or their networks, impede or enable one’s success. Do the most successful leaders have the most contacts? Do the most trusted leaders have the most friends? If I have more Facebook or Twitter friends than someone else, am I more likeable?

With the rise of social networking and the new emphasis our businesses have put on community involvement, it seems like we’ve elevated the importance of our connectedness to others. But is this a good thing? What does our research have to say?

After receiving almost 10,000 survey responses, we’ve discovered that there is no such thing as a standard ideal network. Different situations call for different relational dynamics. We did learn, however, that you can be too connected. Studies have shown that having too many connections impede our productivity. In this instance, our connections become the priority, not our performance. Additionally, too many connections can impede the level of trust others have in us. After all, isn’t it hard to trust the dinner party “glad hander”? You know these people. They are at every community event shaking hands with everyone they come in eye contact with.

For the champion, building relationships is different. What matters to the champion is not the quantity of their relationships, but rather the quality of them. And like our research shows, someone who’s not overly connected or networked has the time to invest in others and build a deeper level of trust with a precious few. Our research shows that the top performers in a business aren’t the most connected. In fact, these top performers typically drive the middle of the road when it comes to their network strength. The difference is, however, that these top performers are the most trusted regardless of their network size.

Below are a few ways to build trust within your networks:

Invest in others by listening first and showing real concern. Seek to know their agenda or needs before you share yours.
Be willing to be a little more transparent or vulnerable than usual. Share more of yourself with others in the truest way. Don’t project something you’re not.
Always operate with a cooperative mindset, pushing your self-serving agenda aside for the sake of a win-win outcome.
Don’t be afraid to share your emotions. Allow others to see your passion. It will ignite theirs and they will appreciate you for it.

I’m spending time discussing this at the upcoming Northwest Arkansas Economic Summit coming up on November 11th.  I hope to capture your thoughts on this topic prior to the event.  Please leave a comment on this post.

If you are near Northwest Arkansas on November 11th, I invite you to come to the summit. There is more information about how to take part in this summit at their website.

Onward!

Tags: champion, connect, connected, connecting, network, networking, organizational, OrganizationalChampions, professional, relationships, social

Playing It Safe Isn’t … Safe

I’m the un-proud owner of five residential units. These properties have never cash-flowed and they continue to deteriorate as it becomes yet another residence for yet another college student. Over the past two years, I’ve just been riding this money pit, waiting for an economic revival. Still waiting.

As I wait, I’ve tried to do as little as possible. Pay for maintenance only when the maintenance problem is life-threatening. Shrubs? Ha! Not a chance. But my lack of attention to these properties is starting to show. My competition is passing me by as they have better yards, brighter colors, and new amenities.

Over the past two years, with my properties, I was playing defense – protecting my position and my cash, doing as little work and as little harm as possible.

But my strategy is now shifting. If I continue to play defense, my properties will collapse (not literally, buy maybe). I need to look for ways to be more relevant and more attractive to potential customers. I’ve got to learn to compete again. I’m starting to spend again in order to make money. While that was uncomfortable a year ago, it’s absolutely necessary now.

It’s time to get aggressive, to play offense in business, to move from protection to progression. Those who are unable to shift from a defensive to an offensive mindset will find themselves significantly behind the competition as we grow closer to the rebound.

In order to shift to this offensive mindset in business, it will be important to become opportunity-minded – curious about our potential, evaluating the quality of our position, forward thinking and visionary, and courageous. Yes, spending money in a cash crunch environment takes courage.

Interestingly enough, our initial findings from the Champions ECChO assessment (www.championseccho.com) reveal that the opportunity-minded principle has the lowest average scores of all of the core principles of a champion as well as the smallest spread of scores.

Core Principle #1 – Enlightened: Avg. enlightenment score = 69%
Core Principle #2 – Connected: Avg. connected score = 72%
Core Principle #3 – Change-Maker: Avg. change-maker score = 73%
Core Principle #4 – Opportunity-Minded: Avg. opp-minded score = 68%

Those findings may have developed as a result of our difficult business environment. In a difficult business environment, defensive minds prevail. However, I encourage you to shift your mindset:

1. Grow your curiosity
2. Cast a new vision
3. Develop the courage to begin to take more risks

Onward!

Tags: bold, brave, business, challenge, downturn, economic, Leadership, offense, vision

Appearance on Talk Business

Here is my recent appearance on the business talk show Talk Business.

Org. Champion Webcast 013 – Getting On Top is One Thing, Staying There is Quite Another

 

 Org. Champion Webcast 013 - Getting On Top is One Thing, Staying There is Quite Another: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In the 13th episode of The Organizational Champion Webcast, we look at blog entries from Om Malik, CEO of GigaOm, a news blog focused on the communications and tech sectors and William C. Taylor, the author of Practically Radical.  We also discuss the difference between focusing on change management and developing a team that is agile and ready for anything.

Show notes for this episode can be found at podcast.organizationalchampions.com.

Organizational Champion Webcast – Ep. 10 – 7 Leadership Principles They Didn’t Teach You in Business School

Show Notes:

The Organizational Champion hits the shelves on June 5th.

Alan Mulally

Allen Mulally is the CEO of the Ford Motor Company and he is a champion. We talk about why we think so…

In The News:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/136/through-the-fire.html
Sean Maloney of Intel talks about why Intel is on the move while it seems as though everyone else is in full retreat.

Being Counter-Intuitive

• Myth of Life Balance
• Passion v Security
• Multi-tasker v Fast tasker
• Periodization
• Investing in the individual
• Emotional energy
• Change Maker before Opportunity

Close

Follow Mike on Twitter – www.twitter.com/thompsonOC
Follow Murray on Twitter – www.twitter.com/murdog

Tags: Allen, champion, champions, counterintuitive, Ford, Mulally, Podcast

Four Champion Actions from an American Icon

Detroit is so easy to hate, isn’t it. It seems so much bad news comes from that staple American city. Not only are its businesses in shambles, but its sports franchises are even more embarrassing. I get to Detroit fairly often because of one of our clients. And when I’m there, I actually have a great time. I like the city and the people who live there. The city is “real” and has a strong cultural vibe. So anytime a positive story comes out of Detroit, I want to do my part to promote it.

The May, 2009 issue of Fortune features its cover story titled, Ford’s Comeback Kid. The story introduces us to Ford’s new CEO Alan Mulally and gives us some insights into some of the many things he’s doing right in order to position Ford for a great “comeback”. Mulally is a champion because he is an effective change maker – something Ford and the American auto industry desperately needs. Alex Taylor III, the writer of this story, identified a few “champion” attributes in Mulally that I’d like to point out.

First, Taylor describes Mulally as an enthusiastic man who likes taking on bold challenges. I’d say…taking over the top spot at Ford is truly a bold challenge. Taylor describes Mulally as open and available. What you see is what you get with Mulally. Taylor highlights Mulally as demanding full attention – his meetings are BlackBerry free.

Finally, Mulally is truly mission-minded as he states, “I am here to save an American and Global icon.”

How so? Through culture.

I’m betting Mulally creates three new characteristics in Ford’s culture – a culture that is:

1. Action oriented – He will demand speed of execution behind bold ideas – look for the 2010 Taurus to be a vibrant and desirable car that is fuel efficient, safe, compelling and strong value.
2. Agile – Mulally will create a culture that challenges the status quo. He will open new avenues for feedback and will demand from all directions in the organization as he leverages the knowledge of the entire organization.
3. Resilient – The Ford culture will learn to overcome barriers and perform well under pressure. The culture will hunger for change, not just accept it.

What can you learn from Mulally and Ford’s direction.

1. Never remain stagnant – move, progress. It’s easier to maneuver around barriers when you’re moving. It’s much harder to turn when you’re standing still.
2. Develop a strong curiosity and challenge the status quo.
3. Constantly seek feedback and insights from all directions in your organization (direct reports, peers, supervisors, customers, suppliers).
4. Maintain a sense of mission during challenging times. Allow your sense of mission to keep you passion ignited during setbacks.

Onward!

Tags: Auto, champion, Detroit, Ford

Organizational Champion Webcast – Ep. 09 – The Opportunity Minded Leader

 

 Organizational Champion Webcast - Ep. 09 - The Opportunity Minded Leader [41:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Notes:

In today’s episode, we discuss our final stop on the Champion’s ECChO model, Opportunity Minded. Execution and doing what has to be done seems to always be in the way of seeing the road ahead, yet the best of the best, the Champions are able to do it.  We are going to discuss how to get out of the weeds and see the big picture.   That and much more in today’s episode of The Organizational Champion Webcast.

The Organizational Champion hits the shelves on June 5th.

In The News:
Inc’s 7 Signs that You May be a Bad Boss. – http://www.inc.com/multimedia/slideshows/content/7-signs-that-youre-a-bad-boss_pagen_1.html

Hot Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman

Three Characteristics or Outcomes of the Opportunity Minded Leader

• Visionary
• Never Satisfied
• Courageous

Questions about Opportunity Minded Leader

• We all have a job to do.  How do we get out of the weeds to see the bigger picture?
• How do we know when to fight for an idea and when to wait for another day?
• I am not the CEO, heck I am not even the leader of the team I am on… What does opportunity minded mean to me?
• How do I push vision to my team?  How do I include them?

How do you become an Opportunity Minded leader and build and Opportunity Minded team?

1. Ask more questions – especially when you start to feel comfortable
2. Break from monotony or the rote and invest time in reflection
3. Change your environment
4. Don’t rush to solutions,  Allow your thoughts and solutions time to bake
5. Don’t be afraid to vet or further validate your ideas with others.

Close

www.championseccho.com
www.organizationalchampions.com

Organizational Champion Webcast – Ep. 08 – The Change Maker

 

 Organizational Champion Webcast - Ep. 08 - The Change Maker [42:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In today’s episode, we discuss our next stop on the Champion’s ECChO model, the Change-Maker. It also brings us to an interesting chicken & egg dilemma that every leader faces.  That and much more in today’s episode of The Organizational Champion Webcast.

Show Notes:

In The News:
CNN and Career Builder’s Top Ten cities for College Graduates.

Why is Change So Important to Companies?

Three Characteristics or Outcomes of the Connected Leader:

• Action-Oriented
• Resilient
• Agile

Discussion about Change Maker:

What are the steps I can take this week to transform my company/team into a Change-making Team?

1. Connect Culture to Mission
2. Open Enterprise Collaboration
3. Find the Right Measures/Measure the Right Things
   - Focus on Outcomes Rather than Outputs
4. Push Decision Making Down
5. Establish Accountability
6. Get Executive Involvement

Links:

www.championseccho.com
www.twitter.com/ThompsonOC

Tags: agile, agility, amazon, book, champion, change, help, Hill, Leadership, leading, maker, McGraw, organizational, Podcast, webcast

The Organizational Champion – Sneak Peak #2 (The Contents)

As the official June 5th launch date approaches, find the next sneak peak inside the book – the Contents with a brief explanation (available only for the readers of this blog) for each section. The Contents are split into three parts:

Part I: The Premise for the Organizational Champion

Chapter 1 – What Distinguishes Extraordinary Leadership? (pages 13-32): This was somewhat of a struggle for me because I was emotionally dissatisfied with what the leadership term had to offer during these complex times. The leadership term was like a blanket describing anyone behind any progress – and everyone qualified. I felt like the word “leadership” and all its derivatives had been overused and were unable to distinguish anymore. This is why I introduced the word champion. Champions don’t compete, they win regardless of circumstance. Champion is also a verb (i.e. to champion something or someone). Today, we need our champions – those who win and those who champion bold ideas and the people behind them.

Chapter 2 – You Need champions to Win Championships (pages 33-54): Though I liked the term “champion” and what it stood for, it was important to identify people who exuded champion characteristics. Not all of these champions were in the most successful companies. Some of these champions have been involved in corporate turnaround efforts as well. But every one of the champions featured in the book is in pursuit of championships for their organization.

Part II: Becoming an Organizational Champion

Chapter 3 – Discover Yourself (pages 55-78): In Part II of the book, I emphasize application – what it takes, specifically, to become an organizational champion. The first part of the champion process is to become enlightened. Chapter 3 provides a step-by-step process toward becoming an enlightened individual.

Chapter 4 – Be an Energizer of the Culture (pages 79-104): Chapter 4 presents how to move from enlightenment, an inward focused process, to becoming inspirational, the emotional expression of your true self. Through their authenticity and passion, champions inspire a healthy culture.

Chapter 5 – Connect through Mutually Beneficial Relationships (pages 105-126): Champions don’t go it alone, but rather, they have an amazing ability to connect. They are in constant pursuit of reliable and trusted relationships, and they invest deeply into them. These trusted relationships give them the edge of others.

Chapter 6 – Create Organizational Agility (pages 127-146): Champions are change agents. Because they build trusted relationships, they can leverage these relationships to successfully execute transformational change initiatives.

Chapter 7 – Ignite the Possibilities (pages 147-164): If chapter 6 is about operational execution, then chapter 7 is about the pursuit of bold visions. Champions do both – dream big and execute well. Champions are curious and rarely comfortable. This chapter gives tips toward becoming more curious and imaginative behind possibilities.

Chapter 8 – What You Can Do to Become an Organizational Champion (pages 165-192): This chapter acknowledges that the champion pursuit isn’t an easy one. Presented are four specific lifestyle recommendations that will help you in your pursuit. These lifestyle recommendations might be counter-intuitive to a degree, but very effective, nonetheless.

Part III: The Promise of The Organizational Champion

Chapter 9 – Unleashing the Organizational Champion (pages 193-216): Much like chapter 8 highlighted four specific lifestyle recommendations for you as an individual in the champion pursuit, Chapter 9 presents recommendations to organizations who want to seed their culture with such champions. This chapter also provides tips for champions who might be suppressed in stagnant companies.

Chapter 10 – What Organizational Champions Do for Your Company (pages 217-234): Chapter 10 helps summarize what company’s can expect from such champions. I guess you might call this chapter, the “reason to buy” chapter. It explains why organizations should embrace the core principles of organizational champions and how these champions will help position these companies for success well into the future.

Onward!

Tags: book, champion, chapters, description, organizational, peak, sneak

The Organizational Champion Sneak Peek #1

My new book, The Organizational Champion is set to be released on June 5th.  Prior to release, I thought I would give you, the readers of this blog, some sneak peeks into the new book.

Below is an excerpt from the Acknowledgments:

My social media friends on Facebook, Twitter, Champ’em, and The Organizational Champions blog—you have been a source of energy through this endeavor because your constant ideas and passions have helped ignite mine.

There are so many people who helped me write this book, not the least of whom is you, the Internet audience.  People who read and participate on this blog as well as people who follow me on Twitter.

I am excited for the book to be released and for the conversation to continue.  I have said before that my hope for this book is to ignite a movement, and you have an important role in that so I would be remiss to not recognize the contribution of you, the Internet audience.

Onward.

Tags: book, mike, release, theorganizationalchampion, thompson