Purposeful Living
September 2012Issue No. 1
Greetings!

The joys of summer are now all behind us. During the summer months many of us spent time vacationing, barbecuing, swimming and spending quality time with our families, reenergizing and revitalizing. As we approach the fall, a season of new beginnings, it's time to refocus our efforts on closing out 2012 and formulating business plans for growth in 2013. Your own Personal Development and/or the development of the people, who may work for you, should also be included in the business plan. This is an important step that is often overlooked, but will help lay the foundation for many of the other goals that are established in the Business Plan. So don't forget to take time for self-improvement opportunities for you and your employees because we are all a "work in progress."

Sincerely,

Tracy D. Holloman and Kevin A. Key
Managing Partners

Change
Change Ahead Realizing a compelling vision often means change, accepting new perspectives, and abandoning old habits and techniques. Many times the necessary changes require doing things differently. Lofty aspirations may involve outsourcing, merging, building strategic alliances, partnering, or acquiring other resources or organizations. It could mean selling off pieces of existing business that no longer fit strategically. It could involve restructuring your organization. What does it mean to you? There are tremendous risks in maintaining the status quo and doing it because "we have always done it that way." It means that there is no longer validity in the expression, "If it isn't broke, don't fix it." The operative phrase today is, "How can we make it better?"

As Margaret Wheatly observed, "I believe that we have only just begun the process of inventing the new organizational forms that will inhabit the 21st century. To be responsible inventors and discoverers, we need the courage to let go of the old world, to relinquish most of what we have cherished, and to abandon our interpretations about what does and doesn't work. We must learn to see the world anew."

It is important to erase boundaries between different parts of the organization so that processes, production, and communication flow seamlessly and swiftly. People who are involved in the processes should also be involved in examining how they and the organization can get better and quicker. Improving quality and speed while reducing cost and complexities can create a significant competitive advantage. The objective is to eliminate as many non-value-added, time consuming steps in a process as possible through simplification, elimination, and concurrence. People must be focused on taking the frills out of core business processes in order to focus on the results rather than activities. "Most companies squander 10 to 20 percent of revenue in support of wasteful products or procedures ... at Kodak, waste drained an estimated 1.6 billion to 3.2 billion ... sharpen their pencils. Cut costs and shorten organizational cycles in everything." ~ George Fisher, former Chairman and CEO of Eastman Kodak.

This process will quicken responsiveness, show major improvement to the bottom line, and it can be done fast. Competition leaves little choice. An organization must continuously do things better and faster or it will die. If you do the things that you've always done and expect different results, you are engaging in institutional insanity. If you want different results, you must do things differently, or you must do different things.

Far too many people make the mistake of believing that you just have to work harder. Remember the first rule of holes: "When you are in one-quit digging." Sometimes success requires doing things in a dramatically different way or making radical changes.

There may be people who will resist change because it is different or new. Resistance to change is a common and universal malady. Therefore, understanding some of the barriers to change may help in creating and implementing successful growth strategies. Some common barriers to change and innovation are:
  • Lack of data makes decision making difficult
  • Personal goals conflict with professional goals
  • Management behavior discourages implementation
  • Employees don't understand or really want to make the change
  • Poor communication of vision, values, and mission
  • Recognition and appraisals are inconsistent with attaining goals
  • Unwillingness to develop new goals
  • Lack of process or structure
Addressing resistance to change becomes a major focus and an integral part of a unified implementation strategy.

Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching and youth leadership.

 

The Real Leadership Challenge: Getting & Maintaining Peak Performance
Purposeful Leadership Solutions' Leadership Academy

Inherent leadership skills can only get you so far. It requires that you take time to continually build your leadership skills so you have a positive impact on the people, processes, mission, and vision of your organization. The PLS Leadership Academy provides a targeted leadership learning experience that helps leaders advance to the next level in their leadership careers. By participating in a targeted process just 2 hours per week, you can develop your leadership skills for long-term success; skills that you can apply immediately.

 

The program begins October 2nd,
8:00am to 10:00 am
535 Broad Hollow Rd.
Melville, NY

For more information and to register visit to our website, send us email, or call Kevin Key at 516.420.3292.

 

We would love to hear your response to the articles in this month's newsletter.  Please join us on Facebook and offer up your feedback there.

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Sincerely,

Purposeful Leadership Solutions
In This Issue
Change
The Real Leadership Challenge
Upcoming Seminar Series

Purposeful Leadership Solutions
 P.O. Box 1518
Melville, NY 11747

Phone: 347-869-6296
Phone: 516-420-3292
Email: info@PLS-NY.com

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Purposeful Leadership Seminar Series

Mark your calendar! Join us for these upcoming seminars. They will be held every other Wednesday starting from 8:30am to 10:30am at Brandywine Senior Living at Huntington Terrace.
Upcoming Events

October 10 -

"How Organizations use Assessments to Grow their Businesses"
Eventbrite - How Organizations use Assessments to Grow their Business

October 24 -

"The Sustainable Leader: Transforming Your Organization to Compete in Today's Economic Climate"
Eventbrite - The Sustainable Leader - Transform Your Company in Today's Economic Climate

November 14 -

"Managing Organizational Change"
Eventbrite - Managing Organizational Change

November 28 -
 
"How to Retain and Grow Your Customer Base"
Eventbrite - How to Retain & Grow Your Customer Base

December 5 - 

"Where will your business be in 2015? ... Developing A Strategic Plan."
Eventbrite - Where will your Business Be in 2015?...Developing a Strategic Plan?

December 19 -

"Telling Ain't Selling: A Strategic Approach to the Sales Process"
Eventbrite - "Telling Aint't Selling" - A Strategic Approach to the Sales Process

 

For more information and to register visit to our website, send us email, or call Kevin Key at 516.420.3292.