NEW BOOK
– “The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable,” by The Group of 33; edited by Seth Godin, Portfolio, $19.95
The group of 33 business thinkers who collaborated on this book discuss remarkability in numerous ways–none of which touch on perfection. Here’s a sampling:
“The job of the leader isn’t just to make decisions; it’s to make sense. Making sense is everybody’s job.” Do others understand what makes you tick? Can you communicate effectively? Are you on information overdose; can you separate signal from static? “Making sense” deals with clarity in a variety of forms: perceptions of others, managing the flow of the right information and managing you. To see if you make sense, you have to look inward and become the experiment–you are your lab rat.
“Never cut corners or do a hurry-up job.” Remarkable work isn’t done down and dirty. It isn’t necessarily cutting-edge or glitzy (i.e. plain vanilla works). It’s always first rate and on time. It delivers value, not mediocrity.
Remarkability is tied to an ever-broadening frame of reference. It’s not only new experiences they seek; it’s perspectives. By seeing as others see, they see what they might otherwise have missed. A broad frame of reference creates a broad network, which broadens the frame of reference.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
NEW BOOK
– “Rapid Results: How 100-Day Projects Build the Capacity for Large-Scale Change,” by Robert Schaffer and Ronald Ashkenas, Jossey-Bass, $27.95
The problem: Implementing large-scale change takes quite long because of the time involved in getting the initiative’s message from the top to the bottom and back to the top of an organization. The solution: rapid-cycle projects that put the decisions in the hands of those closest to the situation. They complement, not replace, long-term efforts.
In a way, they are short-term, “let’s get it launched” projects within long-term projects. As such, they don’t take focus, time or resources away from strategic initiatives.
The book is built around examples of companies whose rapid-cycle projects have increased their productivity and bottom lines.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
