NOW to HOW! Efficiency to Effectiveness
The DNA of Business Success, Part 3
(Parts 1 and 2 of this series are included in the links at the end of this post)

© Irene Becker, Just Coach It-The 3Q Edge™ | (IQ-EQ-SQ) Reach-Resonance-Results 3Q Leadership™ Blog- 42,000+ Social Media Followers & Growing!  

“There’s a new world struggling to be born. It’s a world of greater creativity, higher purpose, and deeper fulfillment.” Marty Neumeier, Metaskills

Struggle is necessary to make us aware of what no longer works, but it is the determination, the conviction to build, evolve, grow and create that transforms struggle into empowerment, disengagement into motivation, challenges into solutions, failures into a new way to learn and lead forward while improving cognitive, emotional and social adaptability.  Smart and fast are no longer enough. Surviving and thriving means embracing our ability to use/transform changes, challenges, stressors (even failures) into the enhancement of three strengths that GROW at the speed of change; 3Q strengths that build cognitive, emotional, social adaptability while preserving the timeless anchor of  sustainability (Q3):

Will you champion a better way forward or remain transfixed by the ambiguity, changes, challenges, chaos and opportunities that punctuate our lives, work and world?  Will you be fearful or fearless?  I believe the imperative to be fearless in the face of change is not simply the mark of leadership, but critical to those who recognize that the only way we can move past struggle is by using it as a guide post that takes us forward; a guidepost that speaks to the unbridled power of human ingenuity, humanity, courage and leadership at the speed of change.  “Whenever you “see” an issue or “understand” a concept, be conscious of the lens through which you’re viewing the subject. You should assume you’re introducing bias. The challenge remains to identify and let go of that bias or the assumptions you bring, and actively work to see and understand the subject anew.” Edward B. Burger, Michael Starbird, The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, Princeton University Press, 2012.

How can you get past your own bias, your own filters, so that you can see the problem or challenge anew?  Start by recognizing that any habit of thinking, communicating and doing that leaves you entrenched and boxed in will not take you forward.  The power to move from now to HOW will not be found in bastions of great thought, because until we unpack the knowledge we have and make it real it remains shrouded and un-lived.  The power to move from now to HOW will not be found in struggling against change, because the way forward starts with seeing the changes, challenges, stressors and failures with new eyes that take us forward faster and better.

Start by making Now To HOW your mantra and use it to break down habits of thinking and communicating that no longer work. Many of us are working with a mindset that cannot help us move from Now to HOW. The Age of Industrialization and the Age of Information became a fulcrum for process driven systems, increased bureaucracy and adherence to one size fits all models of thinking and doing.  Quantitative results became our focus forward.  Meanwhile,a new Consumer Age an age where the more informed consumer, the realities of hyper competition and the David and Goliath Syndrome (small agile start-ups threatening established brands) is here and it is NOW. Embrace your ability to develop pragmatic optimism while fueling an avid curiosity for transforming challenges into solutions. The imperative to nurture ideas before you kill them, the ability to train our minds to be solution focused is the quickest way to a better way forward.

There is a new world being born.  You can struggle with it, or you can help to build it. The imperative to focus on effectiveness; to champion human ingenuity and collaboration is before us.  Will you see the challenges you face with new eyes?  In an era of massive change and challenges, we need to focus on human effectiveness as it relates to creativity, innovation, communication, collaboration and the purpose driven anchors that will help us negotiate ambiguity with vigor and confidence.   Is it time to recognize and embrace your strengths while transforming changes, challenges, stressors and failures into your 3Q Edge™? Carpe diem!

More on moving from Now to HOW?  You Betcha Stay tuned for the next Installment (The DNA of Business Success in Disruptive Times Part 4):  Competitive Differentiation

More Yes!

The DNA of Business Success, Part 1

The DNA of Business Success, Part 2

Over 300 Articles on Great Leadership and 3Q Leadership in Disruptive Times

The Collaboration Imperative by Carl Wiese and Ron Ricci

Are YOU Ready to…

Get re-inspired by what you can achieve at the speed of change/challenges? Recharge, refocus, repurpose, repower?  

Empowering and Actualizing Great Leadership NOW
The DNA of Business Success in Disruptive Times, Part II  (Part I)

© Irene Becker, Just Coach It-The 3Q Edge™ | (IQ-EQ-SQ) Reach-Resonance-Results 3Q Leadership™ Blog- 42,000+ Social Media Followers & Growing!  

Good bosses, bad bosses, productive bosses can all learn to be better leaders, but the litmus test of 21st century leadership is not about learning to  lead better, it is about learning to think, communicate, collaborate and LEAD differently.

Best practices are made in the now. Leadership development that rests upon what worked in the past may be impotent tomorrow. The imperative to create NEW leaders and to champion new and better ways of developing leadership, learning and life skills that grow, expand in disruptive times is real and critical.  GREAT leadership is about using what is to create what can be in ourselves and in those we lead and serve.

Let’s take a brief look at where we have been and where we are heading, a quick review of what makes 2014 different, and what speaks to the need for the development of 3Q Leadership skills that grow at the speed of change, challenges and ambiguity. Leadership skills whose seeds are planted and harvested in our schools, colleges, universities and workplaces because the new reality is a reality where every individual must develop greater autonomy, resiliency and improved thinking, communicating and collaborating skills.

Age of Industrialization    Production drives success (process).  Mastering the mode of production becomes the success engine. Taylorism. Beginning of 9-5 workday/structured hours.

Age of Information            Organizational effectiveness and size drive success (people and process-emphasis on process, production. Growth of big enterprise, silos, bureaucracy).

Age of the Consumer        Bigger, more inclusive and competitive marketplace, outsourcing, cheaper access to products.  Client experience drives success–people, process &
perception of value.  Growing impact of women in the workplace and taking a larger role globally contributes to a purpose-centric viewpoint focused on creating value for all stakeholders and communities

20,000 human years to build first billion consumers
The past 20 years have created 2 billion consumers
The next 5 years will create 1 billion consumers (emerging nations leading the way)
Where we are now>>>    In transition between the age of the consumer and the age of innovation. A disruptive, uncomfortable place for many because ambiguity,
changes, challenges as well as opportunities fuzzy our focus and test our ability to be possibility thinkers and doers.

Age of Innovation             Human potential: Creativity, collaboration, innovation, adaptability and the ability to create value for shareholders, stakeholders, employees, communities (all constituents) determines success.  Project based teams become the quid pro quo in most organizations.  Traditional bricks and mortar schools are reinvented, as is the large enterprise as we know it is transformed from inside out.  Systems of thinking, doing and executing that expand creativity and innovation grow and evolve.

The human, social and business imperative to develop a new and different balance between process, production, people and value creation that drives possibility thinking and establishes new benchmarks for our best thoughts, communication and actions is critical. 21st century success rests in the thoughts, communication and actions of pioneers and trailblazers; real people, thoughtful, purpose driven people, great leaders who have the courage to challenge the status quo; people who recognize that what created success in the past will not and cannot take us forward smarter, faster and happier in a whole new world, workplace and marketplace where changes, challenges, opportunities and ambiguity will continue to grow and stretch us.   Will you embrace the changes and challenges you face as levers for your greatest potential build YOUR 3Q Edge™ (IQ-EQ-SQ)? Is it time to re-set the internal GPS in ways that empower possibility thinking and success in disruptive times of change, challenges & ambiguity?  Stay tuned for Part Three in this Series: From Now to HOW-It’s All in Your Mind

More on Leadership and Success in Disruptive Times?  YOU Betcha
First post in this series:  The DNA of Business Success in Disruptive Times
Building Ten Essential 3Q Skills that GROW in the Face of Change/Challenges
Over 300 posts on Great Leadership and 3Q Leadership at the Speed of Change
Failure:  The Secret to Success-7 Powerful, Practical Tips
The Thriving Organization:  Ten Power Steps Out of Jurassic Park
A Collection of Interesting Posts on Business at the Speed of Change
Women and Leadership:  Championing the Power of Women Leading Forward (229 posts and interviews)

Podcasts & Interviews
Podcast:  HR Leadership 3.0 Series-My interview with JoAnn Corley
The Linchpin to Your Company’s Success:  WEBTV interview by Ted Coine, Switch and Shift TV

Are YOU Ready to…

Get re-inspired by what you can achieve at the speed of change/challenges? Recharge, refocus, repurpose, repower?

 Build YOUR 3Q Leadership, Career or Talent Optimization Edge?

The Call to Serve, Lead and Live Greatly Reflections on Optimizing Our Greatest Potential in Disruptive Times (Including 10 bonus links)

© Irene Becker, Just Coach It-The 3Q Edge™ | (IQ-EQ-SQ) Reach-Resonance-Results 3Q Leadership™ Blog- 41,000+ Social Media Followers & Growing!  

I used to sign all my emails, yours in service, because we are each our brother’s keeper; we are part of a greater soul, a greater whole. My decision to use a more conventional  salutation was the result of people not understanding what I meant.  Service is not servitude, service is the linchpin of growth, the fire of evolution, the foundation for great leadership.  Service is something that we can embrace and use every day to make a greater impact in our world, our work, our relationships.  It is the call to live greatly.

You count, your words and actions count.  How will you use them?  How will you change them to face a better day, to build a better future? How will you decide to serve today? We can talk about collaboration, we can speak about ethics, values and building flatter, better organizations.  We can talk about community, we can talk about sharing and caring. Speaking helps.  Speaking is important, but doing is better.

In “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team:  A Leadership Fable”, author Patrick M. Lencioni, speaks to five problems I believe deride not only teams but our individual power and ability to rise to the challenges before us. If you are not suffering from one of the following dysfunctions, someone you lead, work for, know or love is.

• Absence of trust.
• Fear of conflict
• Lack of commitment
• Avoidance of accountability
• Inattention to objectives

The greatest hope before us lies not in burying our heads in the sand, but rather in facing these five dysfunctions with the knowledge that we can transform them, the conviction that we can rise to the challenges before us with courage, integrity and humanity.

What do I know about courage, integrity and humanity? I know that they are the building blocks, the foundation of all that is good, meaningful and sustainable.  I know that we each have the ability to cleave to our courage, embrace our integrity and push forward each day with humanity if we so choose.  I know that I have held on to my courage, integrity and humanity when there was nothing else before me and when the temptation to close my eyes to that which matters most would have been the most expedient course of action.

Great leadership starts with the fire of courage, integrity and humanity that is timeless because the call to serve is the call to lead.  If you listen, if you are still you will hear it. Great leadership is a 3Q equation that starts with courage.  Courage to optimize our intelligence/ideation (IQ), build our emotional capacity/strength/communication (EQ) and cleave to the purpose, integrity, humanity (SQ)  that can and will take us forward better and faster.

Some of us will use our courage  to build new organizations and discover solutions that serve constituents, stakeholders and communities in new and better ways.  Others will use their  courage to stand tall and stand strong in their lives, in their relationships, in their families when times are tough and the five dysfunctions of a hyper competitive, volatile world and workplace are before them.  All of us can use our courage, integrity and humanity to make a positive difference in whatever way we choose.

The secret to peace and prosperity is within our hearts, it is the echo of our deepest wisdom and it calls to us all.  Take a moment this day to harness your courage and use it to make one positive change in thought, action or communication that will help you serve more, serve better and lead forward!  Savor your power to make a difference and be the difference in whatever way you choose because the call to serve, the call to lead is also the call to live greatly.

Yours in service, Irene   More on building a better path forward?  More on embracing and optimizing our greatest potential?  YOU betcha The Secret to Peace and Prosperity:  A Short, Passionate, Purposeful Allegory What Does Leadership Really Mean? 3Q Leadership Benefits and Why I Have Dedicated My LIfe to This Work Our Greatest Hope Rising to the Challenges Before Us Against All Odds I Will NOT Be Broken-The Call to Build a Better Future Leaders-Be the Miracle or Miss the Miracle Podcasts/Interviews Extraordinary Women: Conquering Formidable Life and Leadership Challenges Webtv Interview by Shannon Skinner From Pain to Gain in Life and Career Radio Interview by Deborah Scott A Great Read-Great Book:  Serve to Lead by James Strock

 Are YOU Ready to…

Get re-inspired by what you can achieve at the speed of change/challenges? Recharge, refocus, repurpose, repower? Build YOUR 3Q Leadership, Career, Business Development or Talent Optimization Edge?