McChrystal - The Rules…Have Changed

Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World – General Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman and Chris Fussell – (Portfolio Books)

History tells us of the mighty Soviet military invading Afghanistan; they are met by a rugged terrain on the order of the surface of the Moon and a collection of grizzled fighters that are relentless in their efforts to hold off and defeat the invading horde. With the help of tens of millions of dollars of U.S. military aide funneled through the CIA and the Soviets stubbornness or inability to adapt to a different fighting paradigm, the seemingly rag tag Mujahedeen tribes send them packing.

Flash forward to the War on Terror and the U.S. Military launching a traditional military campaign of “shock and awe” based on expending massive amounts of military ordinance in an effort to overwhelm the enemy. It doesn’t take the leadership on the ground in both Afghanistan and Iraq to figure out, that there has been a shift in strategy and they need to respond accordingly with a new set of rules for engaging the enemy.

One of those leaders that came to the battlefield realization was General Stanley McChrystal. Now retired from the military and engaged in the battle ground of business, McChrystal and his co-authors, a pair of fellow special forces combatants and a student from the General’s leadership class at Yale, set out to see how the lessons learned in that battlefield shift could be applied in the business world. The result is Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World.

McChrystal and company make the case that even with the seeming fire hose of data and information available to leadership types; leaders can’t be “all knowing and all seeing”. It is that loosening of the stranglehold grip on control that will speed the transition from “puppet master” to the “crafter of culture”.

McChrystal’s thoughts on the value of a leaders words vs. their actions brought to mind one of the best leaders I ever worked for who impressed upon me the first week he was in the job of CEO that he didn’t “know everything about what you do…that’s why I pay you to do the job and make the decisions.” He went on to say “I want to move the decision making out of here (as he hooked a thumb toward his office) and over to you.” That was a major shift in thinking from his micromanaging predecessor and it took all of 10 seconds for me to embrace the change and take charge of my role within the organization.

One of the major steps that worked for McChrystal in battle and will transition well to business is “normalizing sharing”. Again it raises the importance of a leaders talk vs. their action; talk of transparency is meaningless without the sharing of detailed information. Technology offered the military a wide range of tools to implement the sharing strategy and the same holds true for business. This information sharing will help leaders avoid a top down management style, defeat business silos and bring people into the process.

Team of Teams is densely layered with real world examples of how the principles can be applied and will have you scrapping the standard org chart because the old rules have changed.

Business Focused…hold the B.S.

The Real Life MBA – Jack Welch and Suzy Welch – (Harper Business)

Quick…Over the past couple of decades who has been the most respected CEO business leader when it comes to offering advice and insight? While some may point to members of the high profile members of the big bucks fast, hoodie generation CEOs. In reality, when it comes to business leadership and leadership development the go to person, respected for not only his personal business success, but also his ability to adapt to the times and deliver fresh insights and ideas is former GE CEO, Jack Welch.

Welch is literally the guy who wrote the book of business leadership. Winning was an international best seller that became the within reach guide for a generation of new and experienced leaders. Welch and his wife, co-author and co-conspirator Suzy, have gone on the road to work directly with and guide businesses and executives at all levels, in a wide variety of industries, through the practices that the book spelled out.

 

Now the dynamic duo are back The Real Life MBA which walks readers through the whole spectrum of business topics. The book distills the basics of business in a manner that you can put to work today across your business or organization. Does it replace pursuing and MBA? No but it does offer a 30,000 foot overview of useful knowledge gleaned over decades of hands on experience.

The practical advice falls into three basic categories; career management, operations and organizational management, and leadership and building teams. If your career path is in one of these areas, the other to section will prove useful in building your knowledge in other company sectors. The Real Life MBA is a wonderful building block for those seeking next level advice.

How to Standout in the Fire Hose of Information

Captivology – The Science of Capturing People’s Attention – Ben Parr (Harper One Books)

Think about those events, news stories, products, celebrities and phenomenon that we latch onto and just can’t get enough of. What is it that captures our attention and no matter how hard we try we can’t seem to get enough or shake free from their grip.

Marketers, producers, both established and wannabe stars and professorial types have all wondered, researched, explored and delved into the mysterious world of trying to figure out exactly what it is, what the magic quicksilver is that can grab us by the throats and not let go. With the fire hose of options we are confronted with on a daily basis, what is it that makes some things standout?

 

Enter writer, investor, and tech maven Ben Parr and science to explain it all. In Parr’s new book, Captivology – The Science of Capturing People’s Attention, he utilizes a pile of research to delve into the three types of attention; immediate, short and long and what it takes to not only elicit a response, but to engage the participant and then transition into building long term value, that sticky magic that has folks hanging around.

Along the way Parr identifies seven triggers, or tools that are part of the equation. Those triggers are:

·         Automaticity - or using sensory cues

·         Framing - adapting to someone’s view

·         Disruption - which challenges people’s expectations

·         Reward - the motivating of people either intrinsically or extrinsically

·         Reputation - which draws on experts to build a level of trust

·         Mystery - creating suspense to create intrigue

·         Acknowledgment - fostering a deep connection as people tend to pay attention to those who provide them with validation

Is this a business strategy book that will offer up actionable steps? No, not really; but what it lacks in strategy and tactics it does provide a level of deeper understanding of how the variety of tools that are available to businesses and individuals can put into play to capture audience and retain market share.

Zombies Done Right

Zombie Loyalists- Using Great Customer Service to Create Rabid Fans – Peter Shankman (Palgrave Macmillan)

You have created the perfect marketing strategy; the ad campaign is clicking, the content marketing plan is driving customers to your business, reporters have bit on your PR plan hook, line, and sinker. You’ve spent the time and resources to build a monster plan that is working. Then the customer arrives and proceeds to get what they have almost come to expect from business today; they have a TERRIBLE customer service experience and all of the time, energy and money goes straight out the window.

And all those folks won’t sit there quietly, stewing about that awful experience; nope, they will tell people, lots of people! They will take to Facebook, Twitter and Yelp! and let people know exactly what they think about you and your business. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Enter marketing guru, social media dynamo and author Peter Shankman who makes the case that businesses should scrap what they currently do in the name of “customer service” and rebuild from the ground up. In the process Shankman details the processes that you can put in place to not only improve customer service and satisfaction, but also convert your customers into an army of acolytes who will not only improve your bottom line, but expand your customer base to grow your business.

The bottom line is that Shankman isn’t really plowing new territory here; he delivers a dose of some common sense things that you can do today that will set you apart from the pack. Just imagine the initial shock that your customer will feel when she experiences actual, good customer service. The follow up visit will be the clincher and you’ll be on your way to building your Zombie Army.

The great thing is Shankman delivers this dose of good business advice in an easygoing, straight forward manner and offers of real actionable steps you can take.

On Writing Well...Today

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content – Ann Handley (Wiley)

I remember very vividly the looks I received from a classroom of eighth graders as a spoke at a career day gathering back when I was working as a disc jockey at a local radio station. My cousin, the assistant principal at the school had asked me to come a speak and it was as if I had grown a second head when I advised the collected students that they should first and foremost learn how to write well, because it would serve them no matter what they chose to pursue for a career.

Guess they were hoping to hear how cool it was to get free CDs and concert tickets. Now many years later, I know my comment to be more true than ever; the ability to write will set you apart from the others in the work place, no matter what your chosen field. With the ongoing evolution of marketing, content and a growing range of platforms the ability to write and write well is more important than ever.

Ann Handley, the Chief Content Officer for MarketingProfs and one of the most influential players in the world of content marketing offers up equal doses of gentle guidance, prodding inspiration and thoughtful stimulation on the subject of writing in her latest outing, Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content.

Handley does offer up straight up thoughts on grammar and usage, but without turning into the nasty grammar scold. There is an amazing level of first hand, been there, don that knowledge that Handley brings to chapters covers content, blogs, and the creative side of the content equation.

Having left the world of free CDs and concert tickets behind and moving into the world of marketing to earn my keep, I have found myself turning with some regularity to the pages of Everybody Writes when I seek clarification and advice on my next action steps for a wide range of projects. It is that utility that separates those books that are great from those the just merely good; Everybody Writes is clearly one of those that will find a prominent place, within easy reach, on my credenza.

Business Motivation on Steroids

ME, Inc. – Build and Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business – Gene Simmons – (Dey Street Books)

Like most kids who came of age in the 1970s, I was became a fan of the band Kiss…granted not a Kiss Army level fan, but did wear out a vinyl copy of Kiss Alive. Later a became a fan of the band’s bassist, Gene Simmons; he of the un-naturally long tongue and fire breathing fame. It wasn’t Simmons musical ability that drew me to him, but line from and interview where he spoke about all the musicians that came along when he did wanting to be “like the Beatles” while he wanted to be like McDonalds…billions served.

As far as business side of things here was a guy who clearly got it. So I was surprised to see Simmons finally after decades of success land in the business section of the book store. In ME, Inc. – Build and Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business, Simmons espouse his thoughts on business and entrepreneurialism in a wide range of ventures.

I had to remind myself that the book is broken down into two distinct sections; the ME Section in which Simmons piles on the tales of his life, his successes and his multitude of business ventures. Clearly no one could accuse this guy of not having a high opinion of himself; some might say he’s cocky, but as he points out later in the book, self-confidence can go along way when you’re starting a business venture.

It is in the second half of the book, the YOU section that this book really hits its stride. While Simmons certainly doesn’t offer up any earth shattering, new secrets to business success; what he does do is offer a clear headed approach to both life and business with a palpable sense of urgency.

It’s easy to see why Simmons has become a favorite with the cable business and conservative news networks. Don’t expect a Harvard Business Review white paper; this is common sense based, pretty straight forward and at times hard hitting advice on business and success.

Simmons isn’t shy about stirring the pot when offers up his take on success and the impact of marriage and children. He dovetails a chapter on honing the ability to tell your own story and the impact that can have on your business success with a chapter on the importance of speaking English. I doubt Simmons would sit still very long a phone menu that includes; “Press one for English.” The case he makes is absolutely on target; English is the language of success.

While the ME section can wear a little thin as it runs on; I found the YOU section to be a real shot in the arm, its business and life motivation on steroids.   

Works for Google, but…

How Google Works – Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg (Grand Central Publishing)

Google Executive Chairman and ex-CEO Eric Schmidt and former Senior Vice President of Products Jonathan Rosenberg offer up an insider’s view of what is not only one of the world’s most successful tech companies, but clearly one of the world’s most successful companies, period; in their new book How Google Works.

While Schmidt and Rosenberg offer up a veritable gold mine of Google’s often different world view on business topics ranging from culture to strategy and innovation to talent hiring, the question I am left with is while clearly this is a “business” book, are these insights and strategies transferable to the “real world.”

Start ups and the tech sector can clearly learn from principles espoused by these Google leaders, but in long established businesses were change, if it comes, it occurs at glacial pace and is often accompanied with a heavy dose of pain; I’m not so sure these principles are transferable.

Certainly this isn’t to say that more traditional business models can’t learn from How Google Works. The sections on problems being information related and communications can teach even the stodgiest of businesses how to operate in a more open and inclusive manner when it comes to sharing information both internally and externally.