Horsepower

To finish first, you must first finish. – Juan Manuel Fangio

As we all ramp up and get ready to tackle 2014 many are thinking about renewing their focus or reviewing priorities. But me, I am thinking about one word – Horsepower. Now it’s not a new car, but the idea of personal or organizational horsepower. Think about it. Just like a car our available “horsepower” is critical to getting things done. At its core it is based on our abilities and capacities. So here is how I see it when applied to individuals and organizations.

Personal Horsepower – as individuals we only have so much horsepower. How will we choose to use it? Will we strip away all the extras so we can get from point A to point B as quickly as possible? A narrow focus? Or will we strap lots of things on which means we have lots of features, but don’t move quite as fast and sacrifice some base mileage? Just as a car is capable of delivering a certain amount of horsepower, so are we. We can improve to some extent, but we have limitations. We must make choices. Take on another project? Agree to serve on another committee? Set a new goal? Resign from a responsibility? Each of these decisions has an impact on our horsepower. They will either tax or free up our resources. Our outcomes will all depend on our available horsepower.

Organizational Horsepower – just as people have limitations to their abilities and capabilities, so do organizations. For organizations it’s how all the pieces fit together. Sometimes the pieces work together to produce more horsepower and other times they work against each other. We can’t simply take the individual horsepower of each team member and add them up. They need to be working together. Pulling in the same direction. So, for organizations we need to be asking the same questions. Add a new project? Choose to not do something? Each has and impact on horsepower and our ability to get things done.

Obviously the analogy can be extended a bit more. Do we have enough fuel? What’s the terrain like? You get the idea. But the point is in 2014 I will be thinking about horsepower. Am I using my personal horsepower properly? Am I putting my teammates in a position to use theirs properly? Deployed properly it will means more blog posts in 2014 and a great year of more Progress, but not necessarily Perfection.

All the best!

Oz Principle

See it. Own it. Solve it. Do it.

Simple words, but powerful implications. I just finished reading the Oz Principle and found it thought provoking. I’ll probably be processing it for the next few days; probably longer. It deals primarily with the A in my CARE model, but also addresses the C, R, and E nicely. Accountability can be such a challenge and at the organizational/cultural level it can be so inconsistent. Add to that a large organization and the higher education environment and watch out. Some days I am amazed that things actually manage to get done. But I digress.

The Oz Principle walks us through the primary characters in the Wizard of Oz as they go about their journey to the Emerald City only to find out that what they really needed was inside them all along. Isn’t that true of us? If we would just do what we already know how much better off would we be. But we avoid seeing it (the first step). Instead we go “below the line” and stay in the victim cycle. We point fingers, cover our tails etc. to make it seem like we have no control. “Above the line” is where we want to be. In the place that assumes personal accountability to do what we can to make things better. Below the line is were we make excuses and deflect the personal accountability.

The book is filled with a lot of stories, but the one that sticks with me is the couple that found their two homes destroyed by storms. Certainly they have a valid excuse. What are the chances of two homes in two different parts of the country being destroyed by storms? But as they reflected they realized it was their choice to purchase homes in these areas. Sure that might seem a bit extreme, but how many things in our lives are that way?

The concepts remind me a lot of what I read years ago about about quantum change. Gareth Morgan proposed that we control about 15% of what happens to us (as I recall). We can’t control 85%. But if we leverage the 15% we can impact the other 85%.

This post is actually a result of reading the book. Months ago I saw that I wanted to blog more. I’ve had lots of reasons below the line as to why I have not, but after reading The Oz Principle, I owned up it, I solved it, and hear I am doing it. I suspect this will not be my last post on the topic as the C and A are critical components to making CARE work.

I would highly recommend this book. While it might not present anything you have not read before elsewhere, it will make you think and do something about it.

Merlin: Power & Influence

The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret. ~Salvador Dali

Over the weekend I finished watching Merlin. It is probably one of my all-time favorites and I would recommend checking it out if you have time (Netflix). While I am disappointed that there will not be a 6th season, the final episode presented an interesting view of power and influence.

A big part of the final episode is Merlin’s ongoing dialogue with King Arthur. Merlin has revealed that he is a warlock and Gaius tells Arthur that Merlin might be the most powerful that ever existed. The dynamic is quite interesting. We watch Arthur struggle with the Merlin he has known all these years as his servant and the Merlin he has just witnessed vanquish Morgana and her army. How can this be? Why would Merlin choose to be Arthur’s manservant when he has this incredible power? How has Merlin been impacting things over the years? How has Merlin influenced Arthur without him even knowing it?

Contrast this with Morgana, a High Priestess of the Old Religion, and we really get some insights into the relationship between power and influence. Merlin is all about what is best for Camelot and he believes Arthur, as their leader, is the best choice. So Merlin chooses to use his power sparingly and instead influences Arthur when he can.  Only as a last resort does Merlin use power. Morgana, on the other hand, is all about power. She wants revenge. She wants to make Camelot submit to her will. Forget influence. She wants results.

Merlin and Morgana used both power and influence, but in different proportions. It produced different results. In the series, as in real-life, even the best mix can still yield unfavorable results as nothing happens in a vacuum. But Merlin’s balance made Camelot and Arthur better. Morgana’s balance was destructive, self serving, and negatively impacted many.

So how does this apply to real-life? Each day we have a choice. Do we seek to influence others? Do we use power to get our way? Reflecting, I have found influence to produce better results. In my opinion this is particularly important in academia. Having everyone on the same page, pulling in the same direction makes a world of difference. Influence requires listening, discussion, and negotiation to work.

In the end leadership, for me, is more about influence than power.

Progress Not Perfection

“I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.  Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.”  Michael J. Fox

At one point, the title of my blog was “Progress Not Perfection.”  It describes one of my philosophies, but was not comprehensive enough. It is a phrase I say almost daily and use in multiple contexts. Some take issue with it as they think it implies settling instead of striving. But for me it is all about striving. It’s about doing better today than we did yesterday. No one and no organization is perfect. Harvard and Stanford are held in high esteem as outstanding business schools. But are they perfect? If one was perfect then individuals would always choose that school over the other. The truth is they are very different and they both have cultures where students, faculty, and staff are always striving to be the best they can be.

Daily we are faced with challenges that seem to slow us down. We are in the proverbial swamp up to our neck in alligators and lose perspective. The challenges keep coming and we are overwhelmed. Remembering that our goal is progress helps to regain some perspective. Building on the daily perspective, it is also helpful in a broader context.

A few weeks ago as I prepared for my annual review with the dean, I reflected on all that I had done in the last year. It’s a long list. I was involved with over 25 committees and finally saw some progress on several strategic initiatives that had been lingering for too long. Yet I saw all the gaps. All the places where I could have done better or missed an opportunity. My teaching was good and I certainly should have focused a bit more on some research projects. See, I saw all the shortcomings and things I could have done better. Other things I could have/should have focused on. Many things still remain too be done. I still have lots of room for improvement. That bothered me.

After being frustrated with it for a bit, I thought, “Progress not Perfection.” Why am I missing the point when looking at my own progress? Could I have done some things better? Certainly. Could I have made different choices? Certainly. So the question became, how can I take the progress and learning from the past year and make the next year better? How can last year’s progress inform next year’s progress?  I’ve got some good ideas and plans for the coming year. But do you know what? I suspect that this time next year I will have made progress, but will not have achieved perfection. That is perfectly fine with me. Are you focusing on progress and not getting hung up on perfection? Perhaps I am the only one 🙂

Patience & Procrastination

If patience is a virtue, how does procrastination fit in the picture? I found myself asking that question on the way to the office this morning. Yes, it’s the 5th and I will be one of the few people on campus. So it’s a good time to reflect on the relationship between the two, if there is onr. Truthfully and unfortunately, I am very good at both of these. With a mantra of “progress not perfection” patience just sort of fits. But, if I am not careful, procrastination can also fit. As I walked in I observed nature and ongoing construction. Each of these provide some insights on how the two fit.

First, as I thought about nature and these two words I saw grass that is growing quickly. Unlike a lot of the country, eastern NC has had a lot of rain with a fair amount of sunshine. We need to be patient and let grass grow. With the right combination it grows well. So patience can pay off. But if one of the ingredients is missing and we wait too long, it’s not patience, but procrastination and we can quickly kill our lawn.

Then I passed two classrooms that we are turning into collaborative classrooms with collaboration technologies and workspaces. Very cool. But they were supposed to be done already and they are no where close (nothing like a state contract ;-). Again, everything has to be in its time. We can’t put the desks and technology in before the infrastructure is in place. It takes time to do it right and if it is rushed important pieces can be missed (which is one of the reasons the project is behind). But if we continue to move along slowly and patience becomes procrastination we will find ourselves at the start of the semester with non-functional classrooms. Not a good thing.

So how does all this fit for us? While both imply waiting the difference is patience moves us forward and procrastination holds us back. Patience tends to be active while procrastination tends to be passive. When we are patient we are actively involved in the process. When we procrastinate we are avoiding the process. Reflection reveals that when I have procrastinated I have often paid the price. But when I have been patient I have reaped a reward.

My goal is more patience less procrastination. The key will be identifying each early in the process. Sprinkle patience at the appropriate times while pulling procrastination early before it gets out of control.

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Collective Rhythm

Two articles caught my attention last week. While they may seem unrelated, because one if from the Chronicle of Higher Education and the other Booz & Company’s Strategy+Business, they really do fit together nicely. At least for me. The first, from the Chronicle, addresses a challenge we’ve been talking about in the ECU COB for the last few years. Changes in how higher education have had a negative impact on faculty connections on campus. As we offer larger programs in more formats at different times, it’s not unusual to hear a faculty member say they have not seen their office neighbor in quite some time. One teaches on T-Th, the other on M-W-F, or morning and afternoon. Then add in online and you get the idea. It’s harder to connect with colleagues. But it is in these connections that we find our sense of being. It is the informal interactions that can make our research and teaching better. Online and internet technologies have made many parts of what we do more efficient, but, have they made them more effective?

The other article, from Booz & Co., examines how one of the chief challenges a good CEO addresses is the culture. Ginni Romney , CEO of IBM says it best, “Culture is your company’s number one asset.” While this is important for a company, I would argue, it is even more important for higher education. The article is full of insights on how to manage a culture by focusing on “The Power of Positive Urgency,” “The Right Behaviors”, and “Rational and Emotional Impact.” But where I saw the two pieces fitting together is the idea of a collective rhythm.

There are plenty of challenges in every industry. But higher education in particular is challenged on all sides. Sometimes I have to remind my colleagues why we are here as the challenges can cause us to take our eyes off of why we chose higher ed in the first place. To me it seems that finding a “collective rhythm” would help keep us moving in the same direction. Help us to pull together. It’s always easier when others are working with you. Obviously, that’s easier said than done. But many of the things I will be writing about on this blog can help bring us closer.
Collective Rhythm. All of us working together to achieve results….something to ponder.

http://chronicle.com/article/Faculty-Culture-Is-Fractured/139829/
http://www.strategy-business.com/article/00179

IT Depts. Have Become Completely Useless

The role of the CIO, the Chief Information Officer, has been debated about as long as the term in itself exists. Rarely before has there been such a misleading description, because in many companies the person assuming the position of CIO was rarely seen as the chief ‘Information’ Officer. People mostly perceived him as “Top Dog of the Nerd Herd and Boss of all things Bits and Bytes”.

A friend sent me this article and asked me my thoughts. As an MIS professor one might think this would bother me. But it actually reinforces something I have been saying for years. At ECU we say “Business + Computers = MIS” or + Technology. The idea here is that the value is how we use technology to meet business needs. My students know that I approach each issue as a business issue, not a technology issue. The value we can bring to any organization is via. information, not the technology. Sure we enable organizations to use technology to get the information, but the technology without the information is of little value.

Often I will ask my students, “if you own a business should you spend $50k on a new Information System or a boat?” They also look at me like it’s a trick question and say “Information System”. I then ask why? If you can improve the business by investing in the Information System then it will enable you to buy a bigger boat. But if it can’t do that, buy the boat 😉

via Business Insider.

Importance of a Priorities Compass

I don’t know about you, but there are times when life gets pretty busy for me. Lots of things to do and it seems like I just go from one thing to another.

It’s at these times when I find the idea I picked up from Stephen Covey of huge importance. It’s the idea of a compass. He calls it a weekly compass, but I call it my priorities compass. I don’t do it weekly, but regularly, and it’s pretty simple. Here’s how it works. Simply write out all your “roles”, the areas that you are working on and reflect what needs to happen with each. What are you trying to accomplish? Why is it  important? Why did you agree to do it in the first place? Often the list is larger than one would hope, but all of a sudden things start to line up, your bearings become straight. You can see the forest from the tree. You get back to why you are doing these things in the first place. A sense of direction emerges and you can make positive progress on the things that are most important to you.

Nothing life changing here, but it sure does make the day go better.

Progress not perfection 🙂

 
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Becoming a Leader

You may be the boss, but are you a leader? Bosses order, leaders persuade. People obey bosses. People follow leaders. Being bossed brings drudgery. Being led brings fulfillment.

I read this article by my friend Craig VanSlyke at the start of the new year and have been reflecting on it since. He really does a nice job of outlining the differences between a boss and leader. The one area where I would slightly disagree, only slightly, is that a good leader can create an organizational vision. By creating a vision that is the organization’s people move from doing things that they don’t want to do, to actually wanting to do it. Now, I guess we could debate what it really means to not want to do things. I do things every day that I would really prefer not, but overall I do them because I believe in where we are heading.

Great article that is well worth the 5 minutes to read….and great things happening in the W.A. Franke College of Business. I look forward to learning more.

via Flagstaff Business & Online News

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The Journey Begins…Again

I’ve had this site since the mid-90s and it has seen several iterations. Recently it was hacked and it has provided me with an opportunity to reconsider. Over this is time, I’ve also had almost a dozen other sites that I have started with much more focus. Each was devoted to a topic and I had big hopes. I had/have a strong interest in the topics, so it should have been easy. But because I focus intently on what I do daily (I like my job and love my family)  the sites quickly floundered. As I told my students years ago at Auburn, if I ever require my students to call me Dr. Schwager they had my permission to kick  me. I was then and will always be Paul. Realizing this is quite freeing and that’s what the new iteration of this site will be about. Things that interest me. You can expect fairly regular posts that are of interest to me. My interests are pretty well-defined and I think some might find them interesting as well. They primarily focus on three topics: Leadership, Technology, &  Higher Education. But I think you will find a common thread in all three, it’s how each can help make us better.

My goal is to post a couple of times a week on these topics. I am looking forward to an engaged 2013.

Progress not Perfection.

Paul

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