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Meet the MasterMinds: Get Unstuck with Keith Yamashita
 You
haven't truly lived the life of a consultant until you
experience the sheer terror of being hopelessly stuck.
After all, we're the ones with all the solutions, right?
Now when you're stuck in the muck and are not sure
how to get out, there's help. Get your hands on a copy
of UNSTUCK
by consultants Keith Yamashita and Sandra Spataro.
The book is a practical, accessible toolkit that will
help your project team break through mental gridlock.
In this interview, Yamashita shares some of his best
thinking on why teams get stuck and what to do about
it.
MCNews: What led you to write a book about getting
'unstuck'?
Yamashita: I think the economic downturn over
the past three years has caused a strange phenomenon
in business: I'm seeing more stuck leaders, stuck
teams, and stuck businesses than ever before. In
an era of tighter budgets, riskier ventures, and changing
market dynamics, more and more people seem unable to
move forward to achieve their goals.
I've noticed that upper management looks down through
the organization, saying, I could do something if my
people were more capable. Middle managers look upward,
blaming senior management for not being decisive enough.
And individual contributors throughout the company
blame their colleagues for the poor performance of their
teams.
The point being, virtually no one in organizations
wants to take accountability for the lack of progress.
Professor Sandra Spataro and I wrote UNSTUCK
because we felt an in-the-moment tool for leaders might
inspire them to take more accountability for the health
of their organizations.
By no means do we think that UNSTUCK
is a be-all-end-all guide, but rather, it's an easy
way to get back on the road to success.
MCNews: How do you know whether you're really stuck
or just on the verge of a breakthrough?
Yamashita: While there are lots of analytic
ways to determine whether you're stuck, I think the
most telling come from trusting your gut. What thoughts
come to mind when you answer the question, "How
are you doing--really?"
Through work with large, complex client organizations
such as HP, Nike, PBS, IBM, Gap Inc, and others, I've
found powerful insights within the answer to that question.
Do you feel overwhelmed? Exhausted? Directionless? Hopeless?
Battle-torn? Worthless? Alone?
These symptoms are what I call The Serious Seven--the
seven most common indicators that you're stuck.
If you're feeling one of these emotions, it's likely
you--or your organization--is stuck. I think one of
the most interesting observations we gleaned from studying
stuck teams is that successful teams are often the
ones that get stuck most often.
And ambitious teams get stuck all the time. The difference
between failure and breakthrough is perseverance.
MCNews: As an outside observer, what do you see
that immediately lets you know a person or a project
is stuck?
Yamashita: I try to examine the condition of
their system: Do they have a strong and vibrant purpose?
Do they have a clear strategy on how to deliver on that
purpose--every day? Do they have a clear structure and
clear processes to deliver on that strategy? How are
their people and interaction skills? Does their culture
knit all of these other elements of the system together?
Organizations get stuck when one or more elements
of their system is out of alignment--if they have
a clear purpose, but no structure and process, people
spend all their time feeling directionless. If they
have a clear structure and process, but no purpose,
people often end up feeling alone.
The same is true for individuals: when the elements
of your personal system are out of alignment, that's
when you're most susceptible to getting stuck. Of course,
the point here is not just what causes people to get
stuck, but what you can do about getting unstuck. Leadership
is about getting your team unstuck--through the work
you do every day.
MCNews: It's often difficult for a team, in a collective
sense, to agree that it is stuck. What works best to
help a team face and acknowledge that?
Yamashita: Actually, I find that most individuals
know they're stuck. The problem is more that the term
"stuck" is pejorative, and people won't admit
that out loud. We try to get teams to see that being
stuck is merely a stop on the path to success. It's
not a bad thing; it is a condition.
So the key is to give people a way to say that they're
stuck. In our book, we suggest many ideas on how to
do that.
One that I use in my practice is an exercise I call
give/get. You gather the key members of a team that
is working together on a process and you give them each
3 by 5 cards. You start by asking, in order for you
to "give" your best performance, what must
you "get" from others around this table?
The first team member starts, recording his "give"
(what he will produce) and asking for a "get"
from those who owe him something (they, in turn, write
down what they will give him)...and then those team
members, ask for their "get" from others...and
so on. It's a very quick and easy way to map what's
not functioning in the group, and why they are stuck.
MCNews: For many projects, the career success of
the team members and the project sponsor can be on the
line, making it difficult to communicate honestly about
being stuck. Any advice for helping teams communicate
with others in the organization about the problems they
face?
Yamashita: The first thing we help teams realize
is that it's because career success is on the
line that you have to communicate honestly and
openly about being stuck. We get people to see that
being open and honest is really the first step in truly
connecting with their colleagues.
Openness and honesty in American business is often
thought of as a method of criticism or critique. I see
it differently. Done right, it should really be about
sharing the same experience--in pursuing a worthy goal,
or in the case of your question, confronting a common
fear. It's this ability to share the same experience
that makes groups strong and capable.
MCNews: Many times, consultants begin projects
in the "stuck" position. They may lack company
knowledge, client relationships and an understanding
of the culture. How do you get a project in gear when
faced with that situation?
Yamashita: I think it's less about method and
more about mindset. I find that the best consultants
are systems-thinkers--that is, they see their projects
in relationship to the entire systems of the organizations
they are trying to help. It's not just about solving
a pricing issue, when the entire product-development
cycle is off-kilter. Or, it's not just a marketing problem,
when a misaligned corporate culture is causing poor
customer satisfaction.
It takes a special kind of mind to be willing to explore
challenges in the system far outside of the given assignment.
And, obviously, as a consultant, you're not really getting
paid to examine the issues more widely.
But I find that consultants who see the whole system--purpose,
strategy, structure + process, metrics + rewards, people
+ interactions, culture (at least, this is how we define
the whole system)--seem to make better progress in the
long run.
MCNews: Company politics contribute to some projects
getting stuck. Is some amount of organization politics
good for a project?
Yamashita: I don't know about "good" versus
"bad," but I can say that when you have more
than one person on a project, you're going to get politics.
Often politics is caused by a difference in background
or point of view.
And both, I'd say, can be harnessed for the good of
projects. So in that sense, politics isn't necessarily
a sign that you're doomed.
MCNews: What's your favored method for generating
ideas to get a project unstuck?
Yamashita: I have so many favorites, it's hard
to say. One thing I encourage leaders to do is make
the process of getting unstuck an integral part of daily
business, rather than let all the turmoil pile up.
There are lots of preemptive measures leaders can take
to avoid getting stuck, and perhaps, more important,
recover more quickly when they do get stuck.
One idea: Open every meeting with an exercise that
helps your team align with the system in which you do
your work. Write a headline from the future to ensure
you're on track with your purpose.
Repeat the tenets of your strategy. Take on just one
aspect of making your team's structure or processes
more effective. We give dozens of examples of exercises
in our book. We find that getting unstuck doesn't have
to be some big, bold act; it can also be something that
leaders do every single day.
MCNews: And, how do you know when you've reached
the state of being unstuck?
Yamashita: This answer is easy: You are unstuck
when you're able to move forward to achieve your goal.
MCNews: What's on your reading list these days?
Yamashita: It's interesting--I've been obsessing
about the classics recently: Jim Collins' earlier works
and Jerry Porras' articles. Two recent discoveries worth
mentioning: Professor Edward Tufte's work on information
design (the visualization of complex issues) and Christopher
Alexander's writings on systems thinking. He's an architect
who finds patterns in virtually everything.
MCNews: Thanks for your time.
You can find out more about Yamashita, his book and
services at www.unstuck.com
and http://www.stoneyamashita.com.
You'll find an excerpt of the book here.
Send me an email
with your thoughts on this interview.
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Neither
Snow nor Rain…But What Stops the Email?
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat
nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift
completion of their appointed rounds." - Herodotus
Though the US Postal Service has no official motto,
the above quote has often been used to depict the determination
of the USPS to get the mail through. People grumble
about the service, but the odds are good that your postal
mail will get there. Does your email have as good a
chance of getting to its intended recipients?
And, what's the "best" time and day to send
clients and others your permission-based email? If you
use email as a marketing tool, you're probably wondering
about these questions. According to recent research
by Return Path, Inc., there's an answer--at least a
partial one.
It seems that email delivery rates (that is, email
that gets through) swing wildly during the week in the
U.S. The highest rates of delivery occur between 6:00am
and 10:00am Eastern Time (EDT). The worst delivery rates
are between 10:00am and 2:00pm EDT, when email filters
are particularly busy dumping even legitimate email
into spam folders.
Research also shows that sending email on Mondays is
your best bet. All of the remaining weekdays yield better
results than either Saturday or Sunday.
So, your best chance of getting your email delivered
is Monday morning between 6:00am and 10:00am EDT. You
could improve delivery rates by 5% or more using this
strategy.
A burning question remains that the study didn't address:
Is there a "best" time to send email to increase
the likelihood it will be opened and read? It
might be simpler to end world hunger than to solve that
problem.
Source: Return
Path, Inc. Research Brief 2004
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The
Real Crisis in IT
According to META
Group analysts, CIOs are facing an impending workforce
crisis: IT salaries are expected to increase 10% to
15% over the next three years, swelling payroll costs
to 55% of an organization's IT budget.
There's no doubt that IT salaries, which have been
held in check for the past few years, will rise as businesses
make new IT investments. Consultants can help their
client CIOs minimize the financial impact of this trend,
while delivering better systems, support, and ideas
to each client's business.
This is a great time for clients to take a hard look
at IT. Here are eight questions to guide your clients'
thinking.
1. What's the state of IT business processes? Do projects
move from approval to staffing to execution in a smooth
manner, using executive time for activities like business
case development in an efficient way?
2. How effective is the IT investment decision-making
process? Are projects and investments aligned with the
strategy of the business? Can current projects be reduced
or consolidated without a negative impact on the business?
3. Are projects staffed with the best mix of managers,
team members and representatives from the right areas?
Too many projects these days are overstaffed, more costly
and slower to finish than they should be.
4. Does the IT support organization have the appropriate
size, scale and effectiveness? Are your clients getting
the right people, answers, and ROI from their support
organizations?
5. Is the CIO taking advantage of low-cost opportunities
to complete some work using offshore resources? Notice,
this is not about outsourcing, but about using low-cost
offshore resources to supplement skills.
6. Is the CIO truly part of the company's inner circle,
advising executives on the strategic implications of
IT?
7. What Key Performance Indicators are in place to
measure the performance of IT? Is overall IT performance
measured, or is it measured only on a project-by-project
basis?
8. Is there a career succession program in place that
provides opportunities for star performers to shine,
while pruning the ranks of the less productive?
These questions will help CIOs tackle the macro issues
facing IT, and will generate ideas your clients can
use when addressing the very real problem of escalating
salaries.
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Twelve
Competencies to Boost Sales
Recently, Jay Levinson, my co-author on Guerrilla
Marketing for Consultants, introduced me
to Chet Holmes, who developed a learning program focused
on strategies and tactics to dramatically grow any business.
Levinson said Holmes' program is, "The finest
2.5 hour education anyone can take on becoming a world
class CEO."
Holmes believes that building great companies comes
down to excelling in twelve competencies, such as strategy
and tactics, skill development, goal setting, understanding
the sales process and effective presentation. These
ideas don't sound complex and are, in fact, very straight-forward.
What's different is Holmes' emphasis on consistent
execution. His formula for creating fast growth is to
apply a laser-like effort on "impact areas"
of the business. The idea is this: focus on an area
and make constant, small improvements every single week.
In six months, you'll see a major impact on growth and
business performance.
For example, Holmes suggests that executives build
specific, regular time into their schedules to review
and improve operational tactics like how employees interact
with customers, how marketing materials are used and
how the sales process is working. By focusing on specific
areas, on a consistent basis, a business can quickly
grow more profitable.
Holmes offers a no-cost Webinar covering the twelve
competencies. It's a multi-media learning experience
that may be beneficial for you or for your clients.
Holmes' group uses hundreds of graphics, illustrations
and other techniques to convey their proprietary concepts.
Of course, their motives aren't completely altruistic.
At the end of the seminar, they offer "ways to
help you even more." But don't let that stop you
from attending. The great thing about Webinars is if
you don't find the content valuable, you can drop out
at any time during the session and you're already back
at your home base.
So, check it out before they change their minds and
start charging for the Webinar. Go to www.chetholmes.com
for a two minute overview of the program and more details.
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Consulting Standards: Tilting
at Windmills?
Jack Chapin is a Certified Management
Consultant (CMC), the past National Chair of the Institute
of Management Consultants USA, and past National Co-chair
of the Council of Consulting Organizations.
He chaired the 2001 joint committee of the Association
of Management Consulting Firms and the Institute of
Management Consultants USA on Standards for Management
Consultants.
So when Chapin suggests that regulation of our industry
is inevitable, we should listen.
Read
the Interview
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Negotiating: The Power of
Deadlines
Whether it's over fees, project scope,
or your recommendations, negotiating is part of the
consultant's life. Don A. Moore, assistant professor
of business at Carnegie Mellon University, tells us
that deadlines are among the most misunderstood of negotiation
strategies.
Despite the effectiveness of deadlines in jump-starting
stalled negotiations, most people don't use them effectively.
In this article, Moore shows you how to make the most
of the power of time when you are negotiating. Read
the article.
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This Month in History
On November 5, 1992, the journal Nature
reported that evidence of 5000-year-old beer
had been found at Godin Tepe in the Zagros Mountains
of Iran. Beer was the preferred fermented beverage of
the ancient Sumerians who inhabited that region.
On November 13, 1878, telephones were first
installed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Imagine traders without telephones.
On November 20, 1923, Garrett Morgan patented
the automatic traffic signal. He later sold the
technology for the Morgan traffic signal to General
Electric Corporation for $40,000.
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Coming
Attractions
Consultants are always starting something, whether
it's a new project, a new line of business or a new
relationship with a client. To help you start whatever,
we asked Guy Kawasaki, a true original and irreverent
business thinker, to shares his ideas on getting just
about anything going.
Look for the next issue of MCNews on December 7, 2004.
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The
End Page
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the
beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of
the beginning." - Winston
Churchill
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Management Consulting News ISSN 1539-2481,
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Copyright © 2004 Management Consulting
News All rights reserved
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