Here’s a rule of thumb: during a downturn, executives are much more likely to think change is necessary. In a similar fashion, during times of great growth, we assume that what we’re doing is causing the desired results so staying the course makes sense. Neither point of view is necessarily true. It could be that a rising or falling tide lifts or lowers all boats, and what our strategy needs to do is propel our organizations to better than general market outcomes!

There’s a way to bringing teams together to look at organizational trade-offs—decisions across all areas of their business or department. Remember “White Boarding” — the tool we use to envision new horizons, new products, new opportunities, new growth? Well here’s a tool to help make tough decisions — MurderBoarding™

The opposite of white boarding, is MurderBoarding, we select from among the many initiatives to choose only the best. The desire is to cull and eliminate. Many times resources are wasted because we try to do too much. MurderBoarding is a process that helps narrow opportunities so that decisions can be made. This methodology invites us to narrow our focus to what is critical, what is crucial.

MurderBoarding is the opportunity to let some things really flourish by trimming off the excess that can distract you and your staff. By killing those time and resource draining activities, the company or department gets “pruned” so it can come back better, stronger for it. And in reality, it’s less about “killing ideas” than putting them into purgatory so they can be resurrected when the time is right

1535 Broadway
New York, NY

Book signings during the morning and evening receptions.

Too many companies have their execs or planners decide the strategy for the company and then tell others what to do. This is an artifact of the past. It’s what we did when we didn’t have a highly educated, creative workforce. It’s what we did when information didn’t flow freely and we needed to tell people what to do. It is a relic of the time when markets and competitors moved more slowly. Organizations that win need to engage people everywhere within their organization — be transparent about the problem, have the necessary debates, pick well, and ultimately take responsibility for creating (or rather, co-creating) the new future.

While all of this sounds “motherhood and apple pie”, experience suggests it’s not at all easy because of the humans involved. So we need some tools and approaches — a New How — to actually make this idea more than a Utopian idea but a way in which we create better results together. The session will share 3 key tools to make insights — your insights — from anywhere get heard at the table, get built into strategy, and ultimately into a new marketplace reality.

February 25, 2010
8:30 - 10:00 AM

$15 BMA members / $30 non-members. Includes breakfast.

Once in a generation, a book comes along that transforms the business landscape. The New How is that book!

In The New How, Nilofer Merchant shows us that by including employees at all levels we can create the best business strategy. Typically company strategies have been planned by corporate chiefs in annual meetings, and then dictated to managers to carry out. But when employees help to create the strategy, they believe in and are equipped to implement, it is the best way to create a winning strategy.

To register online, go to: www.scu.edu/business/gidrsvp/

Keynote address

Without wanting to, companies large and small, government institutions, and non-profits create “bottlenecks of growth” that limit innovation, personal ownership, and productivity.

This lecture introduces five practices that unleash innovation by removing boundaries, mobilizing teams, and collaborating regardless of formal roles. The key is to be comfortable with calling our, being fully present, demanding transparency, living is a state of discovery, and embracing the contradiction inherent in complex decisions.

When individuals and teams use these practives, ideas start flowing. But in order to drive new products and services to scale, organizations must focus their resources on the best, and only the best, ideas. The real challenge is agreeing on which ones to pursue.

So how do you choose? One of the tools introduced in this lecture this presentation is MurderBoarding. The opposite of whiteboarding, this process enables teams to navigate through ideas before “killing off” options one by one until the best solutions emerge. By working through the process, teams align to a common goal and produce clear, achievable, and measurable results.

This session will get you in the innovation mindset and provide you with a framework for downright getting things done.

A discussion on how organizations that win need to engage people everywhere within their organization - be transparent about the problem, have the necessary debates, pick well, and ultimately take responsibility for creating (or rather, co-creating) the new future.

January 19, 2010
6:00 - 8:30 PM

Making the right choices leads us, and our organizations to thrive. Many books and speakers wax poetic that the best ideas come from “blue-sky ideation,” but generating ideas is only part of the challenge of winning. While brainstorming generates lots of ideas, but you still have to discern the right choices to win.

The current economic situation means identifying, winnowing and making the tough choices to choose ideas that deliver immediate results. Organizations often avoid tough choices because they want consensus, immediate results, and to avoid political fights.

The opposite of whiteboarding, the MurderBoarding™ decision process ensures teams creatively generate many potential options before “killing off” options one-by-one until there is single best solution for a specific organization and situation. The result is the organization aligns to a common goal and takes on clear, achievable, and measurable goals. This session provides you with a framework for nailing the tough choices you need to make to win.

January 14, 2010
6:30 - 9:00 pm
map

Making the right choices leads us and our teams to thrive. While brainstorming generates lots of ideas, you still have to discern the right choices to win. AND you have to get a group of people to believe that IT is the right solution

That means we need to have a way to build a vision and envision options, but then make the tough choices to choose ideas that match the goal. Teams often avoid tough choices because they want consensus, immediate results, and avoid political fights.

The opposite of white-boarding, the MurderBoarding™ decision process, ensures teams creatively generate many potential options before “killing off” options one-by-one until there is single best solution for a specific organization and situation. This session provides you with a framework for nailing the tough choices you need to make to win while dealing with the human beings involved!