The role of the Chaplain at a Marriott Hotel

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There's a raft of confusion about the role and work of chaplains in 'corporate' settings. In reality, while there are some common threads, every situation is different. The North Texas Star Telegram newspaper this weekend, carried an article about the work of Baptist minister, Roland Barlowe, as workplace chaplain to the Courtyard Marriott hotel in Tampa FL.

While his role and approach are different from my own at QinetiQ, I think you'll find the article an interesting read especially if you've not come across this kind of work before.

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Hillary Clinton urged to model herself on Margaret Thatcher

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I've written before about the confusion of male and female personality stereotypes and how they don't necessarily help us to understand emotional intelligence. While no-one would dispute that there are harder, analytical aspects to personality and there are softer, more intuititive ones, assigning them to male and female personalities is not very helpful.

The distinction was felt strongly by Carl Jung, who proposed the words anima and animus to be used with these characteristics. In his school of analytical psychology, anima and animus refer to:

1. The unconscious or true inner self of an individual, as opposed to the persona, or outer aspect of the personality.

2. The feminine inner personality, as present in the unconscious of the male, is anima. It is in contrast to the animus, which represents masculine characteristics in the female. It can be identified as all of the unconscious feminine psychological qualities that a male possesses.

Speaking of male emotional growth, Jung said that confronting one's shadow self is an "apprentice-piece", while confronting one's anima is the masterpiece. To males, he saw the anima process as being one of the sources of creative ability.

The reverse could easily be applied too. In terms of female emotional growth, it might be argued that the masterpiece involves confronting one's animus and as a result being more independent minded, less socially subjugated, more internally aware of what she believes and feels, and more capable of expressing these beliefs and feelings.

Interestingly, in Italian and Spanish, anima is most closely translated as "soul", while in Latin , animus and anima may both be translated as "soul" or "mind", depending on context.

These distinctions have been a source of inspiration to psychologists for a hundred years. However, this significant distancing from male and female stereotyping, and the more profound aspect of self-growth, hasn't reached the US electoral lobbyists yet. As America gears itself up to an election from which their first-ever female president could emerge, her critics and advisers alike are urging her to adopt more feminine character traits. Fairly typical of this advice is this piece, written by Roxanne Rivera, that appeared in one of the US media columns a day or so ago:

"Acting like a lady will take you far. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was known as a "lady" even while she met the challenges of her office head on. And being a lady didn't mean backing down from a fight. (One Soviet newspaper of the time even called her "Iron Lady.") Believing in yourself and in your inner strengths will set you apart as a lady. A lady knows and keeps her boundaries, has infinite grace under pressure, and takes care of herself. A lady never ridicules or bashes other women or men. A lady makes people feel at ease in her presence.

"I think these are rules to live by for any woman and especially for the one running for president," says Rivera. "Those aspects that define a lady are what will set Hillary apart from her competition. Jacqueline Ingrassia, the first female to win the Triple Crown, said of her career in the male-dominated world of horse racing, 'It has been a delicate balance of standing up for one's rights while maintaining dignity and class.' Those two things-dignity and class-are what can take Hillary to the top."

I'm not sure that I would agree that these characteristics are necessarily all enviable in world leaders nor, for that matter, would I suggest that Hillary Clinton should model herself on Margaret Thatcher!

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Investment Analysts need Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

According to Jonathan Clements, of the Wall Street Journal, writing in this Saturday's Kansas City Star, stock market professionals need to develop their EQ if they are going to be effective in their work.

He cites a study in the journal Psychological Science, in June 2005, which found that people with impaired emotional responses made more-sensible financial decisions. These individuals, who had brain lesions that limited their emotional reactions, were more willing to take gambles in which the potential payoff easily outweighed the potential loss. People with normal emotional reactions get discouraged when they lose and so stop gambling.

Similarly, investors with a strong emotional reaction to market swings often buy and sell at the wrong time and may trade more, thus building up substantial trading costs.

But, emotions can also help, because they provide the motivation to focus on our finances, plan for retirement, save diligently, and avoid excessive risk. While intense emotions can make us more engaged in what we are doing, we also need to understand what's going on with our feelings, and then limit the impact. It is this need to pinpoint our emotions and manage our responses accordingly, that leads Clements to the conclusion that EQ needs to be honed among the investment set.

John Ameriks, an investment analyst, speculates that it is the greater EQ associated with women that makes them less likely to be involved in the investment field. For example, in a market decline, women may be less likely to act rashly, because they have a better appreciation of why they are uncomfortable with their investments.

Are you in the investment business or were you? Does this make sense? Are you an HR professional in the investment sectors? How do you go about developing EQ among your staff?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Emotional Intelligence (EQ) - is it a teenage thing?

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There's an interesting article in today's "Kauai Garden Island News". They've been running a series of columns where adults try to answer questions posed by the Hawaiian island's youths. The question today followed up an earlier article in which it was said; "...that humans have physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual bodies." the reply has been prepared by Annaleah Atkinson, the manager of the 'teen' court on one of the islands. It's a really nicely written article with plenty of down-to-earth information and advice for anyone baffled by other peoples' behaviour and emotional state.

One thing that she said though made me stop for a moment: "Adolescence is the time it takes for a child to become an adult emotionally and mentally. A 16-year-old may have reached his/her full growth, look like an adult and be able to reproduce, but may still not be able to understand what they or others are feeling. In some families, emotions aren't talked about. Hopefully, these children will be able to learn about their feelings from their friends' families, teachers or counselors. Feelings are natural."

She seems to be saying that children get to put the emotional parts of the jigsaw into place as a part of their adolescent phase. She is also implying that people with low EQ come from families where emotions aren't talked about. And finally, that an adolescent who is struggling in this way, may be put on the right track through interventions by friends' families, teachers and counsellors.

I'm not entirely sure that I agree and I wonder what you think?

Firstly, I know it is an extreme state but children are diagnosed with Asperger's (which she mentions elsewhere in the article) as young as 5 years of age. If this was an adolescent thing, why would we make the diagnosis at that early stage?

Secondly, I've come across folks with low EQ from at least two different home scenarios. One of these is where there is little emotional contact among the family. This doesn't mean emotions aren't talked about, the parents assume tha the child is as precocious in its emotional development as it will be intellectually. There is therefore little immediate opportunity for the child therefore to test out their feelings and their interpretation of them in 'real time'. Simple examples are the "latch-key" children of working professional couples. The parents expect the child to be mature beyond their age, reward academic and past-time achievements, but are not immediately there when the children need help validating their emotions. These children become isolated, retreat from friendships, and find it hard to relate to others. Their emotional radar may be highly developed but they find it hard to know how to respond to other people.

The other scenario is where the emotional contact is distorted - for example, a single parent treating the child as if they were an adult and trying to engage them in satisfying the parent's emotional needs before the child is equipped to do so.

It seems to me that the linking concept is that the children in both cases are expected to have developed emotionally far earlier than is reasonable, rather than the lack of dialogue per se.

If this is the case, then it seems a little unlikely to me that such programming will be restructured and a different set of pathways created by a few interventions by friends' families, teachers and counsellors. So far, my experience has been that it takes many iterative sessions with a psychotherapist before such adults, as they have usually become by then, can begin to reshape their thinking and behaviour by drawing on a repertoire of emotional states and the symptoms they use to detect them by.

Have you had different experiences? Have you been defined as low EQ? If so, does any of this make sense or have you a different view? Are you a professional in the field? What do you believe about the origins of low EQ and its effective treatment?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Mayor's Office receives accolades for Six Sigma efforts

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Hot on the heals of the announcement, yesterday, that Ken Livinstone's equivalent in Erie NY, was appointing a Director of Six Sigma, we hear the results of the improvement efforts of Mayor Graham Richard in the Fort Wayne (IN) Journal Gazette. He retires next week after eight years in office and did not stand again for election. It seems he will be a tough act to follow. Colleagues from both sides of the political scene have been complimenting him for his efforts, which range from the major (he negotiated a major improvement project for the sewage system and other utilities) to the minor (a planting programme in civic sites). His proudest achievement is restoring public confidence in the Mayor's office, but it is perhaps the myriad of small scale initiatives that he will be remembered for - apart from the planting programme, he dramatically reduced the time it took for roads to be repaired, tangibly improved the delivery of public safety through the police, and virtually eliminated council worker accidents.

How did he achieve all this? You've guessed! When he took office in 2000 he launched a Six Sigma programme that has lasted throughout and has delivered all these improvements as well as saving tax payers $2M this year alone.

He turns 61 on January 1st and hands over the reins to his successor, but he won't be retiring entirely from the scene as his first book "Performance Is the Best Politics: How to Create High-Performance Government Using Lean Six Sigma" will be appearing soon and he has a series of videos planned for public release via YouTube!

Back in London, perhaps Ken Livingstone will be ordering a copy of the best seller?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Ken Livingstone appoints Director of Six Sigma

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Alright, I humbly apologise for that tacky attempt to get your attention, but get this...

According to the Buffalo Times, this morning, Erie County Executive-elect, Chris Collins, today named Alfred Hammonds Jr. as his director of Six Sigma, the efficiency discipline that Collins wants deployed through the county bureaucracy. Erie County is an administrative area within the Buffalo district of New York State. Erie has had some pretty difficult financial affairs of late, and as a result a state-appointed control board took over scrutiny and management of the county finances. It is hoped that Collins plans to implement Six Sigma and Performance Based Budgeting will persuade the State to relax its control over the County.

Now, Six Sigma aims to ensure that key quality criteria are properly designed, implemented, and under sufficient control as to achieve less than 3.4 defects per million opportunities. So, I wonder for which quality criteria the Director of Six Sigma for a county council would strive to achieve this tough standard?

Perhaps we could draw up a list and propose it to Ken Livingstone.

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Preaching the Human Sigma Gospel

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A few years ago, the BBC ran a series of programmes looking at the real world of customer experience. They used a concealed camera to record a journalist's encounter with a variety of staff in different organisations. You may remember the frustrated steward in the Virgin Atlantic "Upper Class" Lounge who got pretty fed up with having to keep on restoring the executive toy train set back on its rails, and the young girl, who aspired to be an air hostess, who was sent by the cabin crew to offer our journalist friend an aspirin mid-flight! At least Richard Branson was candid enough to accept the issues and promised to do something about them (he went on to walk through economy and 'palm' a backpacker's watch off him (all in good spirit, of course)).

One of the other interesting examples was the pub chain (I seem to recall it was Whitbread but I could be wrong) who had developed an elaborate range of measures of the customer experience for punters going into their pubs. One that I remember was the time it took from entering the pub to getting eye contact and an acknowledgment from a member of staff. They had some pretty tough standards and the training to back it up.

Well, times move on, and these days many of our experiences as customers are online or, at least, on the phone. As we all know, many of these services have been outsourced to other countries where labour rates are lower. Even though I am well used to this phenomenon, I was taken a little by surprise the other morning when a call on my home phone turned out to be from an Indian gentleman speaking very poor English (obviously from a script) and asking for a range of information about my company. After several refusals until he told me why, he said that he was calling on behalf of Dun and Bradstreet verifying this information. Now I have no way of knowing whether this was true or not. I used to hold D&B in high regard, but this encounter has certainly dented their reputation as far as I am concerned. In just the same way as it is easy to build a presence on the internet, it is also very easy to damage your brand through cheapskate outsourcing.

But these online and phone based customer contacts are here to stay and it's time someone specifically addressed the impact on business of poor ones. So, the article in yesterday's Business Week, entitled "Preaching the Human Sigma Gospel" was fascinating.

John Fleming and Jim Asplund are the co-authors of Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter. They believe that when it comes to the human experience - a company's employees and their relationships with customers - businesses have really lost the plot. Their view is that by moving the customer experience away from face-to-face, bricks-and-mortar channels and into call centres and Internet sites, companies have ripped the soul out of business. John and Jim contend that companies can put people back in business while simultaneously increasing value and profit provided that they do so swiftly and in a planned manner. They claim that by introducing a systematic approach to customer employee encounters, backed by clear and simple measurements, and a supportive improvement programme, companies are achieving growth rates of 26% in gross margin and 85% in sales value, above those of competitors who do not invest in such a programme. As they say, this isn't exactly Six Sigma, but it is informed by the same rationale and ethos.

So, what has your experience been? Do you know of any companies that have invested in these interfaces in recent years? If so, what kinds of improvement did they achieve?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Executive Coaching is a maturing market

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Hard facts about the coaching market are difficult to come by. The following are not exactly surprises, but it's nice to know there's some evidence one way or another.

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From the Cincinnati Enquirer

Co-sponsored by the Tandy Center for Executive Leadership, at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and conducted by US company, Sherpa Coaching, which teaches executive coaching as a profession to students at three universities, the third annual survey was of executive coaches from 35 countries, though the majority centred on the US. The survey has grown from 550 respondents in 2005 to about 1,300 in 2007, has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

The survey found:

90% of HR professionals and clients see the value of coaching as "very high" or "somewhat high"

74% of business people (ie prospective clients) rate the credibility of coaching as "very high" or "somewhat high", up 7% from last year.

The number of people reporting employers as paying for executive coaching increased from 71 percent in 2006 to 78 percent in 2007.

More than half of practicing executive coaches believe that a standardized approach to coaching - similar to the standards created for the accounting and financial planning professions - is essential if the discipline is to grow in importance.

Companies that pay for coaching for senior executives expect results to focus on leadership development.

The industry is placing increasing emphasis on certification.

There's less 'as-needed' coaching with clients going to regular meetings.

Clients also want a more limited scope - six months or less.

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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It's all in the name, but which one?

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Some time ago, I did a Google search on "Executive Coach" only to discover that most have 52 seats and are owned by Wallace Arnold! So, I decided to describe myself as a leadership development specialist. But quite a few of my peers describe themselves as being involved in "Executive Development" so I scan the media for anything I can that will illuminate my own (and their) practices. Well, today, I have discovered that, to some folks, "Executive Development" is a term for a posh housing estate, ringed by a wall and with security gated access!

Ah well, the important thing is that people know me for who I am not what, I suppose!?

I run networking courses and one of the exercises is for folks to prepare TWO introductions for themselves - one a quick phrase ("Hello, I'm Graham Wilson - I help people achieve things they never dreamt they could.") and another longer one lasting about 30-45 seconds for more formal occasions.

So what about yourself? How do you describe what you do? Do folks get it straight away or does it need more in depth explanation?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Is emotional intelligence an infantile approach to life?

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You can tell it's the silly season when journalists have to take pot shots at the world around them. This kind of thing is most common during the summer recess, but these days it seems the Season of Goodwill is a good time to slag off the folks you depend on the rest of the year.

Writing in, what used to be, the respected Australian newspaper, The Age, David James, today offers the following definitions among others:

Emotional Intelligence. An illuminating way of looking at the world. If you are three years old.

Feelings. Something people have a right to inflict on others.

Leaders. Visionaries who sort the good strategies from the bad strategies and then do whatever they like.

But, as any psychoanalyst will tell you, within the words of satirists are hidden two things - their own and others' fears, and the truth that others dare not speak.

So, do you think most people believe that emotional intelligence is a naive approach to life, akin to that of a three-year old, or that it is something they know to be important and yet are secretly frightened of because they don't get it?

Are feelings, things that most people are terrified of because of the effect they have on them, and could have on others if they expressed their own?

And, are leaders machiavellian manipulators pursuing their own ends regardless of what they know is good?

Nothing like a little dark reflection on a cold day to bring out the gloom!

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Do company-wide development programmes work?

From time-to-time you hear of, what are generally bespoke, training companies, delivering a company-wide leadership development programme. The firm, BTS from Sweden, is fairly typical, having just delivered a programme to 600 of Unilever's managers, aimed at identifying and developing, the next generation of senior management.

The result of these programmes varies enormously, both to the company and to the individual. Some are heavily focused around psychometrics and helping individuals find the right hole for their peg to fit, others are more dynamic and try to equip the participants for a variety of new 'initiatives', developing and validating skills that have previously not been given the same profile. Some firms really do align the outcomes of the programme with their strategy, while others lose touch early on and never deliver what the company wants.

Almost anyone who has worked at the medium to senior level in organisations will have experienced a programme of this kind at some stage in their career. What was YOUR experience? Did it help or hinder you?

Do you develop programmes of this kind? What do you feel sets your approach apart from others?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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What makes an ethical leader?

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The Ethical Corporation, publishers of EC Magazine, have just released their annual list of "ethical leaders". It features:
1) Stuart Rose - Chief executive, iconic UK retailer Marks & Spencer.
2) Lee Scott - Chief executive, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer.
3) Patrick Cescau - Chief executive, Unilever, the consumer goods giant.
4) Anne Lauvergeon - Chairman of Areva, the French nuclear group.
5) Chris Harrop - Marketing director of Marshalls, the UK stone company.
6) Richard Ellis - Head of corporate social responsibility at Alliance-Boots, the UK-based wholesale and retail pharmacies group.
7) Noel Purcell - General manager of stakeholder communications at Westpac, the Australian bank.
8) Mike Clasper - Former chief executive of BAA, the UK airports operator.
9) Chris Avery - Founder of Business-humanrights.org.
10) Fiona Harvey - Environment correspondent, the Financial Times.
11) Lala Rimando - Business editor, Newsbreak Magazine in Manila, Philippines
12) Christine Loh - Founder and chief executive of Civic Exchange, an independent, non-profit public policy think-tank in Hong Kong
13) Neelie Kroes - European Union competition commissioner
14) Penny Wong - Australian senator and new climate change minister.
15) Bill Clinton - Former US president.

It's an interesting list and reflects more research than many of this kind of thing. A few questions spring to my mind;
Have you ever worked for one of these folks? What was it like and what did you learn from the experience? If you had to create a similar list, who would feature on it and what would your criteria be?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Make Sense of Unstructured Data

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An interesting article appeared in Computer Weekly earlier this week, that you might find worth reading. It looks in some detail at the problem facing organisations of handling unstructured data. The author is a senior analyst at the well-know technology commentators, Ovum.

A while back, I wrote a chapter for a book on unstructured problem solving. It provoked a certain amount of interest - essentially focused on the use of intuition.

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Do some professions demand a portfolio career?

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An interesting article appeared in the Newcastle Journal this week, describing a forthcoming Candlelit Christmas Concert. In it one of the musicians, who trained at the Royal Northern College of Music, points out that these days it is almost impossible for a professional musician to make their living solely through music, and so most are forced to develop portfolio careers.

It's made me wonder whether there are any other 'callings' that fall into the same trap?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Damning criticism of Six Sigma by US Quality Professional

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In an article this week in one of the US' leading manufacturing journals, Industry Week, David Cochran, Vice President of Operations, QualPro, launches a damning attack on Six Sigma, claiming it is expensive, slow, not hands-on, complicated, disruptive, inflexible, demanding, and not suited for performance breakthroughs.

He makes the point that with the current state of the US$ in international exchanges, US-based global companies are doing very well, and can afford to allow their quality improvement processes to slip.

Well, what do you think?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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USAF saves nearly 50000 walking miles, 16000 man-hours and $8M

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There's nothing like a good case study to get people's imagination going, so the following may be of interest to anyone involved in Process Improvement. Have a read. What do you make of their achievements? How do they compare with others you have been involved in? What lessons are there to be learnt?

USAFE hosts AFSO 21 Process Council

by Tech Sgt Corey Clements - US Air Forces in Europe Public Affairs

12/13/2007 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFPN) -- The Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century Process Council was hosted by U.S. Air Forces in Europe officials Dec. 10 and 11 at Ramstein Air Base.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley kicked off the council with a round-table discussion among commanders and general officers of each major command, Air Force smart operations experts and other Air Staff officials.

The process council's goal is to integrate and guide the transformation of governing, core and enabling processes in order to improve combat capability. In addition, the council ensures the culture, organizational structures, investments, and other resources are aligned to institutionalize continuous process improvement as a way of life for all Airmen.

"Our next big move for AFSO 21 is to more quickly see and act upon improvement opportunities across the Air Force," General Moseley said. "In many cases, we don't know what we know regarding opportunities for improvement. There are hundreds of millions of dollars worth of savings we could capitalize on from ideas already identified."

This is one important reason for the quarterly performance review meetings of the Air Force Process Council.

"One of AFSO 21's great successes is the determined engagement of our most senior leaders, as exemplified in their regular discussions on progress through the process council to share results," General Moseley said.

Other discussions included the progress of Air Force senior leaders' training and infusing AFSO 21 problem-solving tools and methods into professional military education, and most importantly, integrating those successful results in like processes throughout the Air Force.

"2008 is the year of integration," said Lt. Col. Brou Gautier, the Air Force Smart Operations Integration and Communications Division chief. "Integration is concerned with piecing together all the different AFSO 21 work across the Air Force. A great integration program allows Airmen, before they start a project, to look at our database of knowledge to determine if they have to start from scratch or see if someone has been down that path before and start at a 40 percent to 60 percent or better solution."

The database can be found on the Air Force Portal AFSO 21 Community of Practice knowledge area.

Hosting the quarterly performance review at Ramstein afforded the Air Force's most senior leaders the opportunity to "go and see" the progress USAFE leaders made and the challenges they have encountered so far along their continuous process improvement journey. Several USAFE wing commanders briefed their AFSO 21 initiatives to the process council.

"The reason we came to USAFE first (to do the quarterly process council meeting outside of Washington, D.C.) is because you guys are leading the way," said Dr. Ronald C. "Ron" Ritter, the special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force for Smart Operations. "Other places in the Air Force are doing absolutely fantastic work, but this is one of the very important 'beachheads' for us. You've stepped out, paved the way, and made an example."

Secretary Wynne and the MAJCOM generals had a chance to see some of the AFSO 21 initiatives firsthand by visiting three sites in the Kaiserslautern military community.

The 435th Air Base Wing's vehicle maintenance process applied lean initiatives to their work center and vehicle repair and preventive maintenance processes. Over the last year, the team saved 49,398 walking miles between work centers, 15,900 man-hours and eliminated the need for a new vehicle maintenance facility, avoiding $8 million in construction costs.

The 596th U.S. Forces Police Squadron vehicle registration team applied transactional AFSO 21 principles to their operation and cut customer processing time from an average of 51 minutes, with many waiting several hours, down to just 18 minutes. That savings saves members of the Kaiserslautern Military Community approximately 21,600 hours of time waiting in line, a huge win.

Not to be outdone, the 86th Maintenance Group propeller repair shop reduced C-130 Hercules propeller repair time from 35 days to 5 days, eliminating $11.9 million worth of asset backlog and saved $1.3 million in shipping costs to stateside repair shops. Consequently, the shop earned the Air Force Best Practice Award at the 2006 Chief of Staff Excellence Awards. In addition, the group also created a mobile debrief truck that reduced aircrew debrief time 66 percent, from 90 minutes to 30 minutes.

Including several other AFSO 21 initiatives throughout USAFE, the command has saved more than $4 million and racked up $35 million in cost avoidance. Most importantly, the program expects similar savings each year for the next five years, USAFE officials said.

"What you brought is innovation and you've shown the process council that it can be done in a very disciplined and regular manner," Secretary Wynne said. "You've shown that the innovation of Airmen should be appreciated across our Air Force and there's no better way than to go and see what has been happening both here at Ramstein and throughout the U.S. Air Forces in Europe command."

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Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Some Six Sigma videos on YouTube

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You might be interested to have a quick look at some videos that have appeared on YouTube in the last 24hrs, about Six Sigma, the Balanced Scorecard, Strategic Planning and the Management of Change.

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Leading the Lean Enterprise

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Leading the Lean Enterprise: from managing by results to managing processes
presented by Daniel T Jones, Chairman of the Lean Enterprise Academy

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Central & Westminster Branch is delighted to invite you to this event being held at the Westminster Business School, University of Westminster, 35 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5LS.

Date: Thursday 24th January 2008
Time: 6.00pm for 6.30pm
Cost to non-members: £20
Cost to members: £10

Lean thinking is the foundation of a new business model, not just a box of tools for improving production. Using case studies from the manufacturing and service industries, the speaker will show how the application of lean management has transformed companies such as; Toyota, Tesco, etc.

This event is a must for all managers, leaders and entrepreneurs involved in transforming their business. You will gain a novel and very powerful perspective on how to create lasting success for your business.

Click here for a flyer and booking form in word format.

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Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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When people ask me if Leadership Development works...

I always try to give examples, and here's one that ought to inspire a few of us to go that little bit further.

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From the Nova Scotia News: Sunday 9th December 2007.
By Cathy von Kintzel

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ANTIGONISH — Mary Wambui Gatama will board an airplane Dec. 15 destined for her home in Kenya, where she helps child sex-trade workers in the coastal city of Mombasa.

She's going back with new insights, having spent the past six months studying for a diploma in leadership development at the Coady Institute at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish.

Ms. Gatama was one of 40 Coady International students representing 19 countries who received diplomas in leadership development, a postgraduate program, during Saturday's fall convocation at St. Francis Xavier University. She also has a bachelor's degree in community development.

Ms. Gatama, 26, said she'll be a better communicator and advocate for children caught up in the sex trade, which is fuelled by tourists who flock to her city. She'll also approach some of her clients a bit differently.

"I'm seeing the glass half full now," she said of her clients' potentials.

Ms. Gatama said she could get bogged down in seeing the glass half empty, given all of the hardships and challenges her clients — girls aged 12 to 18 — endured on the streets.

"These people have so much potential, so we just need to tap that. I'm seeing that potential, the energy they have, and what they can utilize for their benefit and the benefit of the community as a whole."

She'll be beside them along the way through her work as a field co-ordinator with the Mombasa Beach Girls organization, which offers a drop-in centre, support, vocational and life skills training, education, counselling and more to the girls.

Kenya has an estimated 250,000 children living in the streets.

"This makes them vulnerable to sexual exploitation," Ms. Gatama said.

Homelessness, poverty, loss of parents to AIDS, expensive drug addictions and peer pressure are just some of the reasons children turn to the sex trade or crime for money.

For some girls, the trade can seem glamorous as they see other girls drive around in cars and meet well-dressed men.

"There's a feeling that there's so much money involved," she said.

But it's a dangerous lifestyle, she said, and it's fortunate that many girls have successfully turned their lives around.

Ms. Gatama readily shared a story about a girl who started working in the sex trade at 13 because she was pregnant and her impoverished family could not afford to support them.

Staff recognized her interest and skills in cooking and catering. She trained and is now working in a large Mombasa hotel, supporting her child.

Ms. Gatama said reaching the youngsters is a challenge, but more non-government organizations are getting involved and have formed "a very strong network."

The university also graduated 225 students during the afternoon ceremony and conferred doctor of laws honoris causa degrees upon Jesus Tecu Osorio, a human rights and development leader from Guatemala, and Alice Hoskins, an artist, author, teacher and philanthropist from Antigonish.

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© 2007 The Halifax Herald Limited

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Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Sometimes a few gray hairs work...

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Is there a trend emerging for coaches to be a little older, a little more practically experienced, have held a senior position themselves, and to have taken training before they start coaching their colleagues? If this example is to be believed, then the answer's YES. What do you think? Some schools of thought say that you shouldn't need to know anything about an individual's situation in order to coach them.

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NEW DELHI: In the last one year, a bunch of industry leaders in the country have turned certified mentors and coaches.

Take the case of RPG Group's technology businesses president & CEO Pradipta Mahapatra. He is now a certified master coach from the Behavioural Coaching Institute, UK. Similarly, Totus Consulting MD Ganesh Chella has trained in Australia, Elgi Equipments MD Jairam Varadaraj, and HP's G Inbavanan have become trained business coaches. So did former Sify chairman and the current president of TIE's Chennai chapter R Ramaraj, who became a coach six months back. There are many others following suit.

So much so, the rising demand for good coaches led Mahapatra and Chella to set up an institute — Executive & Business Coaching Foundation — to train and produce coaches. The institute is now into its second batch, the first programme having already trained and certified 12 coaches including CEOs, MDs and other business leaders. "There's a clear paucity of good coaches in India," says Mahapatra. "And we have a programme for business leaders who love sharing their knowledge and experiences."

Though a new trend in India, business coaching as a profession is fast catching on for several reasons. Youngsters today take on higher responsibilities early on in their career and require the support and mentoring from people who are experienced and understand their needs at that level. Private equity funds, which are increasingly investing in big ventures, also want young entrepreneurs to get the much-needed support. More than that, the need for senior guys to discuss their problems and challenges has given rise to the demand for coaches who are at par with them and are better placed to understand their dilemmas.

In the West, US for instance, coaching is one of most sought after and lucrative profession fetching a fee of anything between $200-500 per hour. Ramaraj of TiE, who became a certified coach six months back and is a senior advisor for Sequoia Capital India, feels that only those individuals who have the zeal and aptitude to coach could justify this kind of a job. "I interact with youngsters a lot and get to hear about a lot of ideas. If I am able to help them even a bit with my experience, I will be happy," he says.

Though mentoring and coaching has always been a part of a leaders' job, in a changed paradigm, it has taken on a whole new meaning. While there's a crucial need for businesses to coach people and bosses, they are constrained on resources and time. This has opened up a great deal of scope for an external coach or someone who can provide time and has the expertise to deal with various issues.

"Today, a boss has less time to listen to his or her subordinates and to take it to a personal level is like asking for too much of the person," says Mahapatra. "Hence, it helps to get people who have the interest as well as expertise to be a coach and mentor. And who could be better for that role than business leaders themselves, who have seen the ups and downs of businesses."

Besides, an increasingly global work environment and lack of people for senior executives to talk to, about their problem, too makes room for individuals who have the interest to take on the task. "Expat leaders are coming to India in hordes and taking up the challenge to understand a new work environment and a diverse culture," says G Inbavanan of HP.

"They need the support and a coach, who has seen the business closely, would be a better option for him. Same for the senior leaders who need people to confide in, but can only trust those who are at par."

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From: The Economic Times (of India)
By: Shreya Biswas
Date: 10/12/2007
© 2007 Times Internet Limited

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Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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In a downturn, what do Executive Coaches do?

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In a rather remarkable piece in yesterday's Telegraph, clearly taken straight from a PR person's outpouring, the Chief Executive of Penna tries touting for investors in his firm by claiming that in good times, a coach coaches, whereas in bad times, they become outplacement consultants.

It's worth a read simply for the naivety of the argument and its blatant cry for help - CLICK HERE.

But there's two serious questions that would be worth us all asking ourselves here. If and when this much bandied 'downturn' does happen:

what will happen to the executive coaching and leadership development market, and...

what will those of us who are practitioners within it find to do?

Best wishes

PS Joking aside, I'm going to be running career coaching workshops from the Wren in EC3 in the New Year, entitled "Finding Your Passion" - if you're interested let me know and I'll send you details.

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Do coaches pick up the ball missed by managers?

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According to Stefan Stern, writing in this Tuesday's FT, Britain's managers are woefully inadequate and it is this that has fuelled the substantial market in Business Coaching in recent years.

You can read the full article by {clicking here}.

The article has some very interesting information in it (for those who care to glean more) about the nature of business coaching in this country, the pitfalls and perceptions, and the issues being faced by those who offer it as a corporate package.

See what you think. What do you read into it? What do you think of his criticisms and interpretation?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Youth and Leadership Development

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We often hear the idea that young people can benefit from Leadership Development, and it makes a lot of sense logically, but I sometimes wonder what EXACTLY they learn, and whether they apply it in ways that they wouldn't have done anyway. A typical example is the following scheme from Alaska.

I have similar reservations about the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, which has virtually become another A-level.. Undoubtedly, SOME kids get something out of it, but wouldn't the emergent leaders have emerged anyway, without the pressure and structure of such an award?

What kinds of things do YOU think they get from programmes like these? Do they REALLY make a difference?

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Affordable housing program provides job training for young adults

SITKA - Young Alaskans Building Affordable Housing is a comprehensive job training, education and leadership development program for young adults of Alaska, ages 16 to 24. The program includes job training, classroom and vocational education, leadership development, counseling and job placement assistance. Participants learn construction skills while building low-income housing in the Sitka community.

The program is part of the private nonprofit organization Southeast Alaska Guidance Association in partnership with SouthEast Alaska Career Center and Baranof Island Housing Authority in Sitka. All program components will be conducted in Sitka. The affordable housing program provides guidance counseling, peer support groups, cultural and recreational events and activities, and job placement assistance for up to 16 eligible young adults per year. The program promotes youth leadership development, program decision-making, and community involvement. Successful program graduates will receive construction skills training coupled with academic education leading to a high school diploma or GED or further education.

The affordable housing program provides an opportunity for young Alaskans to gain work experience and acquire skills in the construction industry by building a residential home and/or other construction projects, developing leadership, and continuing education towards a GED. Participants will earn a training allowance of $1,200 per month and upon successful completion of the program, an AmeriCorps education award of $1,250.

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Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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Do sporting analogues work in the world of business?

Another invitation to a Sporting Dinner arrived in my post this week. The speakers were once eminent sportsmen who, the organisers assure me, are going to impart their wisdom on how to build a better team to the business leaders assembled at their feet.

OK, you can tell I'm a tad cynical! Of course, I'm a hypocrite too because somewhere on my leadership development website I mention that I am also a sports coach and that this "informs" my work with executives.

But, seriously... What do you feel about the previous generations of sporting celebrities being put forward as exemplars for us all to learn from in the world of management?

I've been at three talks by top class athletes in the past, and in each case the organisers were promoting them as having something significant to teach me about managing people and succeeding in business. All three had quite "interesting" childhoods - one had been orphaned, another abused, and the third described the relationship with his stepfather as "characterised by violence". They all had poor academic attainment, leaving school at 16, but showed focus when involved in individually oriented (ie not team) athletics competitions. Also interesting, all three were "adopted", "mentored", "spotted" by someone who then moulded them, and their performance, for a decade or so. They each described their mental preparation for events - isolating themselves, envisioning their own sense of elation when they finished ahead of the rest. They are understandably proud of their personal performance and like people to know how much personal sacrifice was necessary to achieve it. All three described the isolation they felt as adolescents when they had to train from 6:00am, were bullied as a result of falling asleep in class, were consequently mocked by their teachers, and were too tired to take part in after-school activities or just hanging around making friends.

The leaders in organisations that I come across, are certainly not all exemplary team players nor are they shrinking violets, but generally they could teach these athletes a thing or two about inspiring others to perform, about the power of a group, and about the importance of humility. They could demonstrate how a grasp of mathematics is essential to understand accounts, that business depends on written communication and the ability to read (and understand) complex documents quickly, that clear enunciation gets messages across, and that sales are made through empathy with others.

The latest example, an international swimmer, began his talk by inviting two people from the audience up on stage. He gave them his Gold and Silver medals and some cleaning materials and told them to clean them. He then spoke for 30 minutes while these two guys, rather bemused, rubbed and polished away. At the end of his talk, he took the medals back, said thanks and pointed them to their seats. Quite what this was meant to achieve I don't know. The folks around me all seemed to feel it was an exercise in public humiliation and were very unhappy with it. Later that day, I found myself next to this paragon of success and achievement, so I tried to strike up a conversation with him. You know how, at some networking events, there are a few folks who stand out painfully from the crowd? They rarely appear animated, demonstrate no interest in other people around them, and respond to questions either monosyllabically or conversely with the verbal diarrhoea that leaves you snoring before the first sentence is over. Well, let's just say he was one of those. I was relieved when the organisers' PR person came over to rescue me (or was she there to protect him)!?

So, do sporting analogues work when developing leaders? If so, what are the lessons we should be learning from them? If not, who do YOU turn to for inspiration and what lessons do they teach?

Best wishes

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GRAHAM WILSON
London + Oxford - 07785 222380
Helping Organisations & People Achieve Things They Never Dreamt Were Possible
grahamwilson.org; inter-faith.net

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