I want the Thick and Juicy Steak Burger

February 7, 2012 By

Today student Kristen Gilbert writes a blog post exploring her thoughts on comments from a guest speaker, Chip Neidigh of Catalyst OC.  Kristen’s home base is in Dallas, TX, is in the school of Health Sciences and is a member of the Purdue swim team.

Okay, well maybe not (I’m not really a fan of red meat), but something raw, tasty, solid, and specific would be just fine.

While all of our guest speakers were beneficial in further explicating certain change topics, Chip Neidigh definitely stood out in my mind because of his methodology in explaining things and engaging us (which was actually his key point of that night). I thought his metaphor of food was particularly effective (especially for me since I thoroughly enjoy eating) because it was sticky and memorable. He talked about how to properly speak with your employees about upcoming changes in a way that allowed them to be a part of the change, and put
their “fingerprints” on it. He stressed the importance of moving from general (mushy) ideas to the specifics (solid), and from safe (bland) statements to riskier (tastier) ones. And then what do you get? STEAK.  Omnomnom. When people are given the hard facts about what types of changes will be taking place, and are presented with the opportunity to discuss them, they can be confident in what lies before them. This can help to eliminate any insecurities or doubts that they may have, and create a more effective workplace.

Furthermore, he used tactics like the “5-finger method,” that proved to be a quick and easy way to see how involved each of us were in the discussion. This technique also ended up being implemented in other group presentations later on in the class, along with the concept of “fingerprints.”

So, all in all, you could definitely say Chip was engaging, and what he said did stick with us. Thanks for the food metaphors, Chip! :)

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The Wisdom of the Primes

February 3, 2012 By

This post is written by Anna Nixon, a Purdue student who is also an avid Purdue fan that is pursuing a career in sales.

Oh yeah, you better believe that I went there. ‘Transformers’ is probably my favorite series of all time. The cartoon was amazing and the movies are epic. What more can you ask for?

There are so many reasons that the series is great. But my favorite part is the great quotes that they give Optimus Prime. They always have some great motivational quality and often make you think about how you can be a better leader and person in general. However in the second movie, the Predecessors of Optimus provide my favorite quote about leadership from the series. (Spoiler Alert! But really, who hasn’t seen these movies? If you haven’t.. quit reading this and go rent it. Please!)

“We have been watching you for a very long time. You have fought for Optimus, our last decedent with courage and with sacrifice; the virtues of a leader. A leader worthy of our secret, the Matrix of leadership is not found, it is earned. Return now to Optimus, merge the matrix with his spark. It is and always has been, your destiny.”

The search for the Matrix of Leadership is not an easy task and it is a time in which a leader must prove that they have the qualities necessary to wield its power. Sam had to demonstrate courage and sacrifice in order to earn the right to use the Matrix for good to revive Optimus.

The virtues of leadership mentioned by the Primes are applicable to real life situations. Though it’s not likely that as a manager you will find yourself in a situation where you need to risk your life to revive a giant robot, there may come a time when you have to sacrifice your personal gain in order to assure that your team survives and can adequately navigate a change. Courage is something that all leaders must have in order to help their team through a difficult period of change. The leader must be courageous enough to face the change head on and speak up. Ultimately, that courage will be perceived by employees and they will follow the example and try to get on board with the change and make it their own.

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Following the Yellow Brick Road

February 1, 2012 By

This post is written by Bradley Starkey, a senior from Rushville, IN. Bradley has graduated and is beginning his career in selling and sales management.

For my entire life I’ve wanted to grow up. Now that I’m 23 I want my youth back. It’s amazing how your life can fly by so quickly, and the whole time you here all those voices saying “enjoy it while you still can.” Graduating in December will be bittersweet, but I will be able to make it out in the real world. When I think about moving out on my own I often think of The Wizard of Oz movie and the lessons it can teach me. For instance:

The Scarecrow- The very first thing I need to do when entering the real world is use my BRAIN. I have to be smart at work, smart with my money, and smart with my time. If I can do these things, that should be a good start.

The Tinman- When looking at jobs, and ultimately accepting a postion, I had to use my HEART. I had to make sure that my decision would make me happy, otherwise I know I would be miserable. I also had a lot of people that I love that will ultimately be affected by my decision.

The Lion- When I leave school I am moving out on my own, away from all family and friends. I need to build up the COURAGE to meet new people, live by myself, and make my career a success.

Dorothy- Most of all I need to make sure I never forget HOME. My family, friends, and community have shaped me as a person. Without them, I would not be where I am today, so for that I thank them.

Now all that is left to do is follow the yellow brick road!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THbY7EL8k5w

 

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Changephobia

January 26, 2012 By

Today’s post is by Angela Schwarz and was an editor’s choice in our blog competition. Angela is from West Chicago, IL and is studying Food and Nutrition in Business in the School of Health and Human Services.

“Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what  they may gain by giving that up.”    — James Belasco and Ralph Stayer

Changeaphobia ; [chenj-a- foh- bee- uh] noun : To be scared of change and believe it only can lead to bad, awful, depressing things.

Of course if you look up “Changeaphobia” in the dictionary, you won’t find it. However do not let that make you think it does not exist. Changeaphobia, does exist, and I believe affects a lot more people than you think, luckily it is completely cureable. I am happy to write to you today as a survivor of the disease Changeaphobia.

For as long as I can remember I have been cursed with Changeaphobia. From the  time I had to change my Beauty and the Beast bed sheets, and purple walls in my  bedroom, to having to go to college and change the way I act, think, and live,  changeaphobia has been present and made these changes almost unbearable.

To me change stripped me of my comfort zones. Every time something was changed  I felt different, I felt stressed, I felt angry. I thought why I am losing  something my life agrees with, nothing I “change” will be better than what I am  giving up. Of course this goes beyond my Beauty and the Beast bed sheets, I’m  not that crazy!

The quote above by James Belasco and Ralph Stayer, is a nice insight to change,  and a healthy start to ridding someone of their changaphobia. We do not realize  that what we are giving up is outdated, immature, over with, not necessary, and  below par. We are just so stubborn and stuck in our diseased ways. Focusing on  the good new changes in our life brings, or what opportunities can arise from  these changes, really allow us to appreciate change, and accept it.

Change brings new beginnings, new ideas, new successes, and new bed sheets  (jk), it brings a new sense of importance and belonging. The changes I had a  hard time dealing with when I began college are the changes that lead me to  great grades, amazing job

Are you afraid of change?

opportunities, unique experiences, and skills. All of  those results are what are bringing new changes now that make me happier than I  ever thought I could be. Recognizing that giving up things is done because  there are better things to come, will help to lead you to a successful future  filled with more excitement and variety, than the- boring- outdated old ways we  were mistaking as the best.

 

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Being a Leader vs. a Manager

January 24, 2012 By

Today’s Post is by Alexandra Kieta

Alexandra is studying in the Department of Aviation Technology. Her home town is Indianapolis.

 

Leadership and Management are so vastly different. Many people who
call themselves leaders are merely managers. Many people who are labeled
supervisor are true leaders. Your official label doesn’t make you who you are
and automatically give you respect….your actions and attitude do.

Here’s a short list of some things I believe are the more important varying
aspects between the two:

Leadership (L) and Management (M)

L: Walk beside and/or behind your followers.

M: Walk in front of your followers like they’re in elementary school.

L: Be open to their thoughts, ideas, concerns, feelings, etc.

M: Not listening to feedback that might change what you have established.

L: You work for your subordinates. You help them grow.

M: Tyranny.

L: Influence.

M: Authority.

L: Respect.

M: Fear.

L: Going through learning experiences to get your company where it needs to go.

M: Making your employees go through the motions to achieve another step in the
plan.

L: Produce more leaders.

M: Produce more conforming followers.

By being a leader, you build relationships and people and a positive culture.
By only being a manager, you build an environment where people don’t enjoy
their work. (And since we all work for a living, who wants that?!)

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Leadership with Silent Accolades? Steve Jobs vs Dennis Ritchie

January 23, 2012 By
Steve Jobs

A post by Purdue Student: Abishek Roy (AB)

Steve Jobs was the Chairman and CEO of Apple Computers Inc. and
arguably one of the world’s most successful businessmen. Jobs saw the power of
innovation in building his company. Till today, we can see the innovating power
of Apple Computers Inc as it continues to take market leadership in the
industry. If you want to maintain your leadership, you have to be the one who’s
constantly up with new ideas, new initiatives, all in the spirit of moving your
organizational mission forward. In whatever industry you’re in, your constant
innovation in alignment with your mission will keep you ahead of the pack.

On the other hand Dennis Ritchie was an American computer scientist who helped
shape the digital era by giving the world the computational language C. He also
got the National Medal of Technology from President Clinton in 1999. Ritchie
was the head of Lucent Technologies System Software Research Department when he
retired in 2007. Very few people will have any grasp of how much the technology
Dennis Ritchie developed impacts their daily lives. Without exaggeration, every
single computing device that you are likely to interact with on any given day
can in some way be traced back to work done by Dennis Ritchie. It doesn’t
matter if you use Microsoft Windows, or an Apple iPhone, they all rely in some
way or another on the programming language “C”, which Dennis help write back in
the 70s.

Now comes the interesting part, Steve Jobs died on October 5th and the whole
world knew about it while on the other hand Dennis Ritchie died exactly seven
days later on October 12th. Now if I were to guess, 95% of the people would
have never heard about Dennis Ritchie before reading this.

I personally have nothing against both of them, but believe both lead some
change that impacted everyone’s common life at some point. But the question
still remains, why media did chose Jobs death as more relevant. The answer
still requires perspective. Well perhaps one way to look at it is very simple.
The job of invention does not complete the cycle of disruption that advances
our world. How frustrating it must be to know of important breakthroughs; the
long history of e-paper is an excellent example ; that cannot find their way
into our everyday lives because our collective imagination is lacking or slow.
Why do we still use printers? Maybe because a false concept about the
permanence and credibility of tree pulp persists.

Jobs’ role was that of translator. His ability to understand the change that
technology made possible, to package it in ways that attracted the broader
world, and, yes, to sell that new vision was not important to progress. It was
essential.

Abishek Roy (also known as AB) is a student at Purdue. You can find his Linked In profile at http://www.linkedin.com/pub/abhishek-roy/2b/74b/817

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Blog Competition

January 23, 2012 By

Those of you that follow this blog have noticed a lack of activity since last September. That is due to the fact that I took on teaching three undergraduate classes at Purdue University in West Lafayette, two sections of Introduction to Entrepreneurship and one section of Leading Change. In addition to my client work and coaching – life was full last fall.

Well – I am back – so look for some great posts in 2012. I am starting the year with selected posts written by students in my Leading Change course. So, over the next two weeks – enjoy insights on change and leadership from our leaders of the future.

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The challenge Steve Jobs leaves us

October 7, 2011 By

I was a bit unprepared for how hard the death of Steve Jobs would hit me. After all, we’ve known he’s been terribly ill. And most of all, I don’t know the gentleman, just admire him greatly – for so many reasons.

Yet on Thursday, as I did my final preparation for my Introduction to Entrepreneurship class at Purdue, I realized that we had to mark the occasion of the death of the centuries preeminent entrepreneur, futurist and transformational leader.

I immediately found the perfect finale to class that day. I told the class we had a surprise guest speaker coming via video. I then played the commencement speech Steve gave at Stanford in 2005 entitled How to Live before you Die.  And as I set with the next generation of entrepreneurs learning from a great one – I cried.

I challenged them. I challenge myself. I challenge you. How can each of us bring our gifts to the world? What can each of us do to create something beautiful? Useful? Wonderful?

Here is an excerpt from Steve’s address:

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

And some final wisdom from him…

 “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

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5 Tips for Virtual Teams

September 15, 2011 By

Two definitions of virtual from Wikipedia:

  1. 1. Almost or nearly as described, but not completely or according to strict definition: “the virtual absence of border controls”.

2. Not physically existing as such but made by software to appear to do so: “virtual images”.

When on a virtual team, the first definition begins to take shape. The team is still a team – with human people working together to accomplish a real goal or deliverable. It’s the “not completely” that makes virtual teams such interesting territory.

Virtual teams are ’not completely’ in the same physical space. Often they are also “not completely” in the same frame of mind – be it country, culture or primary language. Sometimes there are more ways in which teams are “not completely” homogenous than way in which they are.

This is both the opportunity and the challenge of virtual teams.

Opportunities abound. Virtual teams allow for broad participation – no longer are we bound by only the people who are geographically proximate. With that broad participation – we can have teams that are talent rich. The diversity of global teams can be a big plus, resulting in broader thinking, multiple perspectives and viewpoints. And of course the obvious, there is less cost, hassle and wear and tear – as team members can work from where they are – rather than traveling to where “we” are.

Challenges also abound. Diversity can also be a hindrance if team members don’t appreciate, take the time to understand or utilize the wider perspectives. Anyone who has been on a virtual team knows the pain of inadequate technology (although it is improving) and the narrow window of time that accommodates meetings due to differing time zones.  Due to the virtual nature, it is easy to feel disconnected and to miss important visual cues that build rapport, understanding and also provide important visual signals as to state of mind.

Here are a few hints that can help bridge the “virtual” aspects of these teams:

  1. If possible, find a way to get people together face to face. Yes it is expensive and time consuming – but the rewards will come.
  2. Find ways to enable the team to know each other on a deeper level that just a voice on the conference call. Begin meetings with an informal question that allows members to share a bit of personal information. Of use common “virtual” space to allow folks to post pictures of friends, family and interests.
  3. Use tools that promote knowledge sharing and collaboration. There are many – including ones that allow for video conference calls, shared white boards, and real time chat.
  4. Encourage people to “name” their feelings in meeting discussions. If face to face, we could see that someone was surprised, delighted, confused, or frustrated.  This goes away with calls – so naming the feeling helps the entire team know how to best respond.
  5. Take some time at the end of each meeting to do a quick recap of the meeting. What worked well? What could we improve to have a better meeting the next time? This exercise takes no more than 5 minutes and yields great dividends over time.

Share what you’ve found that works with virtual teams! It’s a business skill we all need to master.

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Who is a Transformational Leader?

August 11, 2011 By

A transformational leader takes you to someplace you’ve never been, without a pre-defined roadmap on how to get there. A transactional leader helps you implement a proven solution for a known situation. Martin Luther King transformed the way we looked at race and inclusion (transformational leadership). A CEO implements Six Sigma as a quality system to improve customer satisfaction and operating efficiency (transactional leadership).

Here is a short list of transformational leaders.

Martin Luther King

John Kennedy

Gandhi

Andrew Carnegie

Winston Churchill

Walt Disney

Benjamin Franklin

Steve Jobs

Eleanor Roosevelt

Margaret Thatcher

Abraham Lincoln

Florence Nightingale

Who would you add?

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