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David Schwartz in his book “The Magic of Thinking Big” says, “We must be willing to make an intelligent compromise with perfection lest we wait forever before taking action.” No other time has this been more relevant than in the business world of the 21st Century.  The entrepreneur of today must seek perfection – a perfect product, perfect service for their customers, perfect working relationships with their employees and coworkers, and a perfect model for production, sales, and delivery.

This is a worthy goal, as Vince Lombardi says, “Perfection is unattainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” Schwartz’s phrase, “an intelligent compromise with perfection” is something that we should use to stay out of the pit of frustration that so many business owners can fall into. In this article, we will share some principles that anyone can apply in our search of perfection, so that we can “catch excellence.”

1.) A “fair” idea acted upon, and developed, is 100% better than a terrific idea that dies because it isn’t followed up on.

Action is what sets performers ahead of “idea people.”  While thought-time is vitally important to an entrepreneur, we must get in the action habit. It’s been said that the largest square-foot area that contains the most talent is the graveyard, because so many people go to the grave with great ideas still inside of them.  If we want to set our company apart from the others, we must be known as people of action.

2.) The test of a successful entrepreneur is not an ability to eliminate all problems before they arise, but to meet and work out difficulties when they do arise.

There will always – always – be rain.  There will always be unforeseen circumstances, people problems, product crashes, environmental shifts in the business world, and personal issues that will come up. As this principle states, your goal should not be to eliminate these things from occurring – you don’t have that much power, to create perfection that way. Instead, as Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward talk about in one of their podcasts, you must control the controllable.  When – not if – things get in your way, how long will you stay stirring and steaming “under the circumstances,” and how quickly will you push on and push over?

3.) If someone can do something 80% as well as you can, allow them to do it.

Delegation – every perfectionist’s biggest fear.  Even managers who say that they don’t micro-manage people have an issue delegating important tasks.  The 80% principle allows for something to be done well, but also allows margin for the action-taker that they’re not being held to unreasonably high standards. Margin for error is necessary in this compromise with perfection.

4.) Remember that Failure is an event, not a person.

Whether it is you or the people that are on your team, it’s easy to shift blame to a person when something goes wrong.  Making an intelligent compromise with perfection necessitates that we allow small failures to be part of the success process.  When we see ourselves (or those working for us) as failures instead of people who have failure events, it handicaps progress.  Progress can only occur once the search for perfection fails.

5.) “A company’s only competitive advantage is their ability (willingness) to learn faster than the competition.” – Peter Senge

Continuous learning has become a buzzword in corporate America, but it has always been a requirement for success.  Thomas Jefferson was quoted as saying, “When I receive money, I buy books; if there is anything left, I buy food.”  Reading books and articles, listening to audios and podcasts, attending seminars and conventions – these activities will keep you and your staff at the front of the line because there will be constant growth.  A stagnant pond doesn’t usually draw a crowd, and a stagnant company will not draw new customers.

In conclusion, I encourage you to make this intelligent compromise with perfection in every area of your life – in your family, your thinking, your business, your team, your friends, and even in your golf game.  Chase perfection, settle with excellence, and reap the rewards of this fulfilled and satisfied compromise.

iSeek Solutions’ pursuit for excellence is evident in every client engagement, partner and colleague relationship, and peer-to-peer interaction. We are driven by our passion to equip every client with the tools and know-how to align, optimize, empower, and succeed. Learn more about iSeek’s services and resources by contacting us directly at [email protected], visiting our website, subscribing to our blog, or following us on LinkedIn.

“The road to the hardware store is paved with good intentions,” says David Pekel, president of Pekel Construction in Milwaukee and a master certified remodeler. He is often greeted at his office on Monday by frantic calls from homeowners needing help to remedy the weekend’s DIY home repair fails.

Many repair projects can be accomplished by virtually any homeowner, but others should be left to those with experience.

Plumbing repairs are especially tricky.  Andy Prescott, who publishes the blog Art of Being Cheap, does whatever repairs he can on his rental house and his own house. Doing his own plumbing does not save money, and he learned this the hard way.

When considering a DIY project, whether at home or on the job, –

–   Know what you can and can’t do yourself

–   Consider what your time is worth

–   Anticipate scope creep

–   Be prepared to live with the results

Business challenges, particularly those involving growth and change, can cripple even the most successful enterprise. In an effort to make smart decisions, many CEOs and boards of directors grapple with how to navigate complex situations. One approach is partnering with a management consulting firm – to bridge existing gaps in knowledge, skills, and leadership or to augment staff.

In her blog, Good to Know: Why Companies Really Hire Consultants, Alex Nuth highlights a few of the main reasons companies turn to management consultants for support.

They Want an Outside Eye

You know how sometimes when you’re dealing with an issue in your life, you turn to friends and family for their opinions? Companies often need this, too, especially when making tough decisions. Oftentimes, clients have a perspective on how to solve the problem they are facing but want to make sure that what they’re thinking is correct (or that they aren’t so close to the challenge that they’re missing the obvious answer). So, they turn to consultants to come in and provide their opinion.

But this isn’t just any opinion: Because consultants often work with many different companies and may have worked through this problem in the past with someone else, they can really provide a perspective based on what they’ve seen work (or not) before.

They Need Extra Horsepower

Sometimes the problems companies need solving are really important, but they don’t necessarily have the manpower to focus on them. Companies still have to focus on their day-to-day operations, after all, and new projects typically require reprioritizing employees’ core job responsibilities. But hiring new employees to fill these gaps doesn’t always make sense either, seeing as many of these projects are one-offs. Whether it’s a cost reduction program requiring a dedicated team of six for a year or even a post-merger integration that requires a team of 100 for a month, clients might struggle to get teams in place to do this critical work.

They Want Specialized Skills

Another, and perhaps the most common, reason that companies hire consultants is to gain access to a specialized skill set that might not exist in-house. By engaging a consulting firm, you get access to a group of professionals that has skills ranging from Lean Six Sigma process design to finance organization structures. These highly specialized people would not only be expensive to hire, but the company might not have enough work to keep said employees busy year-round. But, thanks to consultants, companies can bring in that skill set on demand when they need it.

iSeek Solutions is a team of highly-skilled management consultants with a broad range of industry knowledge and expertise. Our guidance, methodologies, tools, and know-how empower our clients to align, optimize, empower, and succeed in achieving their goals and objectives. To learn more about how iSeek can help your company overcome difficult challenges, visit our website, subscribe to our blog or follow us on LinkedIn. Contact us directly at [email protected]!

During the COVID-19 pandemic, cities have suffered to a great degree. Some have furloughed employees and held back crucial services that their residents relied on.  For example, the city of Durham, North Carolina suspended or reduced such services as public transportation, waste pick-up and public garage facilities.  All but a few cities completely shut down public access to City Hall facilities halting the normal board, council, and committee meetings previously open to the public.  While emergency services such as 911 continued to operate at normal levels, other vital services including fire and police closed major portions of their facilities to prevent the spread of the virus.

Recently, there has been a significant drop in the spread of COVID-19. Most states are lifting their mask-wearing orders and relaxing public mandates.  As of the first week in April, the state of Alabama reported that COVID-19 cases were down 94% and hospitalizations were down 90%. This means that businesses are reopening and going back into full service.  As private and public entities return to normalcy, revenue is urgently needed to make up for more than a year of stagnation.

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds that have been released to every city, county, and state have come at the right time.  Cities are restarting the operation of public services and making plans to repair old infrastructure that have been waiting a long time to be addressed.  For many of the cities, the funding is a financial lift that most areas of the US may never see again.  Because of the drain on general fund expenditures and revenue in each state, the ARP is more than a stop-gap measure provided by the federal government, but it is a significant catalyst towards moving these cities out of a longstanding slump.

According to Brookings Institute, cities should utilize their ARP funds by taking a “three-pronged approach to stabilize, strategize, and organize”:

Stabilize: Since many municipalities operated at a deficit, ARP funding should first plug the hole in general fund budgets returning public services and essential city departments back to full operation. Those cities which have not balanced their budgets prior to COVID-19 will have the opportunity to chart a new fiscal course.

Strategize: With a balanced budget, cities can look to their strategic needs which often include dilapidated infrastructure and property repair. Beyond capital projects, there are also social and cultural inequities which can receive an infusion of investment with the new funds. Historically, minority communities are underserved in affordable public housing, access to good healthcare, and pathways to decent paying jobs.  ARP funds can strategically address the equity gap in a considerable way.

Organize: Establishing a council to identify investments, qualify needs, and execute the plan will be crucial. The Brookings Institute suggests that “Regional Recovery Coordinating Councils” should be made up of public/private partnerships including small businesses, neighborhood leaders, social service agencies, philanthropic leaders, and corporate heads.  For example, the city of Birmingham, Alabama will receive $149 million in ARP funds while Jefferson County, where the city resides, will receive $128 million.  The council would be tasked with ensuring that the release of ARP funds to the state, city, and county are equitably coordinated.

Contact iSeek to discuss how your municipality can stabilize, strategize, and organize to ensure ARP funds are delivered effectively across shared domains of government, non-profit and private entities.  iSeek consultants utilize their local government experience to provide advisory services on assembling councils, managing investment projects, and monitoring the results.  To learn more about iSeek’s services and resources, visit our website. Subscribe to our blog or follow us on LinkedIn. Contact us directly at [email protected].

Source: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2021/03/23/how-should-local-leaders-use-their-american-rescue-plan-funding/#cancel

At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, the owner of a small Indian restaurant was forced to move to an all-takeout model of providing delicious curries, tandoori and vegetarian dishes to his customers.  When restrictions were lifted, customers were invited to sit in his dining room at tables spaced apart to satisfy the COVID-19 restrictions.  A month later, returning customers noticed that the dining room was closed again.  Instead of dining inside the restaurant, they were asked to sit at tables and chairs that had been placed in the outdoor area between the front door and the parking lot. 

When the owner was asked if he had stopped serving in the dining room because a staff member had contracted Coronavirus, he responded that everyone was healthy.  He had come to the realization that his chef, a native of India with a vast knowledge of India’s spices and diverse cuisines, was at the heart of the restaurant’s success.  If the chef became ill, the restaurant would have to close immediately as there was no one who could take his place.  No chef, no restaurant.  That’s why he closed the dining room – to place a barrier between his chef and others.

To clarify what is at the heart of your business, what REALLY makes it tick, and create a plan for minimizing downtime before disaster strikes, consider a Business Impact Assessment (BIA). Unlike a Disaster Recovery Plan, which documents a strategy for dealing with disasters after they happen, a BIA uncovers potential areas of weakness in your organization before disaster occurs. These may include areas you have never previously considered.  For example, have you thought beyond the obvious technology-related issues?  Have you considered how you would maintain your business functions if one of the following risks was realized?

• Loss of a key employee or company leader
• Human error
• Major equipment malfunctions
• Insider threats
• Cyber attacks
• Natural disasters
• Negative publicity/negative impact of social media
• Economic downturn

A BIA is a methodical process by which your organization can 1) identify critical business functions/resources, 2) predict the consequences of a disruption on those functions, and 3) gather information needed to develop strategies that minimize or eliminate downtime during the disruption.  These strategies will enable you to quickly establish order during a disaster.

Be proactive! Contact iSeek Solutions today to assist your business with an impact assessment. Let us help you draft a proactive plan to minimize the impact of negative events on the people, processes and products that make your business tick.

It is OK to change the plan! As businesses we are all trying to find ways to earn revenue and meet our strategic goals as we adapt to the “new normal” of the virtual business market and world. With social distancing, work-from-home orders still in place for some, and the novel Coronavirus pandemic still not completely controlled, businesses are pivoting to survive during this unforeseen health and economic crisis.

“A pivot is a change in strategy without a change in vision.” Eric Ries, Author and Entrepreneur

A business pivot is a restatement of your business model. It is typically intended to help entrepreneurs recover from a difficult period or persevere after facing new competition, loss in revenue, or other factors that make the original business model unsustainable. Consequently, owners know that their business cannot survive in the unsustainable state, therefore, a pivot is sometimes the only plausible option for survival, according to the article “Is Pivoting a Last-Ditch Effort or a Sound Business Strategy?”.

There are some businesses that are currently thriving during this pandemic. Perhaps they offered a product or service designed for “such a time as this” or they were able to pivot and capitalize on market demands. Winery and distillery companies across the country were able to successfully shift into making hand sanitizer, filling the void and capitalizing using their alcohol products.

At some point all businesses will need to pivot in one area or another and this is where iSeek Solutions comes in. At iSeek, we subscribe to the notion that standardized, highly-repeatable processes produce predictable outcomes. iSeek Solutions equips organizations to create value and maximize growth through alignment of business and technology transformation and innovation. Over the years we have developed resources that assist us and our clients in successfully navigating the complexities of alignment.

In our consulting engagements, we utilize our internal resources to facilitate the engagement. Traditionally, our resources have only been available to our clients as part of a consulting contract. However, iSeek Solutions has pivoted by going digital, making our products and resources available to you without a formal contract, along with advisory assistance on how to maximize use of the resources in your organization.

To assist our clients in achieving alignment, which positions them to reach their strategic and tactical goals, we have developed a set of resources listed below that are available for use out-of-the-box or through collaboration with iSeek for client-specific customization.

iDMX© – Project Decision Matrix

A strategic, factor-based measurement tool that utilizes scientific practices to assess the benefits and constraints of an organization’s strategic factors and removes subjectivity from project decisioning and prioritization.

iPMM© – Project Management Methodology

A guide consisting of industry standard steps, processes & procedures for managing strategic projects through the project management lifecycle (PMLC) from ideation to implementation

iPMPlaybook© – Project Management Playbook

A suite of best practice, standardized tools & templates integral to managing projects through the project management lifecycle (PMLC) from ideation to implementation.

iBAPP

A framework that defines processes, tools & deliverables expected during each phase of the business analysis lifecycle (BALC) and can be referred to as a sub-methodology of the iPMM© specifically addressing the process & procedures of the Business Analyst (BA) role.

There are numerous factors that must be considered before embarking on a successful pivot and iSeek professionals possess the expertise and tools to assist your business in proactively developing future-facing strategies that mitigate the impact of COVID 19 and capitalize on growth opportunities.

To help your business adapt, change, and pivot for long term success, take a look at iSeek’s suite of resources to learn more about how you can access and obtain them.

Visit our website, subscribe to our blog or follow us on LinkedIn to be one of the first to know when new Resources and Insights are available. Contact us directly at [email protected].

How do we define Organizational Shared Governance?

Organizational shared governance is an enterprise framework that aligns people, process and technology in order to ensure that there is accountability, equity, and ownership in the process of organizational decision-making. Organizational shared governance enables the engagement of the appropriate stakeholders who would otherwise be disengaged in business decisions that greatly affect them.

In an organizational shared governance process, there is a streamlined method performed to make and operationalize decisions and carry out the resulting strategic initiative(s) with ongoing oversight and valuation.  A streamlined shared governance process typically consists of oversight teams with the authority to evaluate and approve business needs based on the organization’s shared goals and objectives.

Why should Organizational Shared Governance be important in your organization?

The shared needs between business units and/or technology are often unrecognized; therefore, co-authorship does not happen frequently. In organizational shared governance, co-authorship of solutions between stakeholders is vital to expense control and risk reduction. This approach prevents individual stakeholders and groups from entering into solutions discovered and implemented independently without collective consultation from all dependent areas within the organization.

The Organizational Shared Governance framework illustrates the central role of stakeholders who must be accountable, equitable, engaged and owners in this process. The key deliverables of organizational stakeholders include oversight, collaboration, valuation and decisioning.

To learn more about Organizational Shared Governance and how iSeek Solutions can help develop or enhance shared governance in your organization, contact us today. Subscribe to our blog and follow us on LinkedIn for future insights.

Our blogs endeavour to inform and educate our audience on the principles of Organizational Alignment (OA). At iSeek, we meet our clients where they are, elicit their goals and objectives, then deliver frameworks, methodologies, or other approaches that deliver transformational results.

Today, our focus is Shared Governance and Stakeholder Engagement. Together, these OA principles create structure, engagement, teamwork, trust, and accountability that organizations require to achieve collaborative and transformational business goals.

Let’s examine what industry colleagues are saying about Shared Governance and Stakeholder Engagement.

Gen Guanci, consultant at Creative Health Care Management, addresses a key question in her post, Shared Governance:  What it Is and Is Not. 

She writes, “I often hear people say they have shared governance. They then go on to share an example, that for me, is clearly participatory leadership. There is no doubt that clarity about the difference between participatory management and shared governance is needed as organizations implement or strengthen their shared governance culture. Let’s take a closer look at the difference through the following example.

 Scenario: A group of staff is asked to trial several versions of the same product. The group completes this trial by comparing the various products, and then they forward their feedback to leadership. Leadership reviews the staff feedback and makes the final decision on what will be purchased. Leadership may or may not take into account staff feedback, yet, the staff did have the opportunity to participate in the product decision. This is clearly participatory management. 

Using a shared governance approach, let’s re-run the same scenario. A group of staff is asked to trial several versions of the same product and identify the product to be purchased. Leadership articulates the parameters or criteria that must be met by the product for it to be purchased. These parameters often include things such as budget amount, vendors in the organization’s buying group, quantity needed, etc. Upon completion of the trial, staff forwards their feedback to leadership. In addition to this feedback, staff informs leadership that the product they have chosen meets all the articulated parameters/criteria.

Upon receiving this information, leadership thanks the group and proceeds to order the product identified by the shared decision-making staff group. Because of the articulated parameters/criteria, the response from leadership in a shared governance culture would be “thank you,” and the purchase is processed through the system. This is true shared governance… leadership shared the parameters/criteria, and staff made the decision.”

In the article, Exactly What Is ‘Shared Governance’, author Gary A. Olson, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Idaho State University, explains that “shared” doesn’t mean that every constituency gets to participate at every stage. It also does not mean that any constituency exercises complete control over the process.

Continuing the discussion on shared governance in higher education, AGB President Rick Legon answers the question, What is shared governance? He states that, although governing boards hold the ultimate responsibility, they must share governance duties while respecting academic freedom and soliciting input from a broad campus constituency. Shared Governance is not a process of giving away their ultimate authority, but rather it is a demonstration of respect for the professionalism and the leadership of the other critical stakeholders inside the academy and even for some eternal stakeholders.

The key to genuine shared governance is broad and unending communication. When various groups of people are kept in the loop and understand what developments are occurring within the university, and when they are invited to participate as true partners, the institution prospers, according to Olson.

The end goal of true shared governance and stakeholder engagement is to balance maximum participation in decision making with clear accountability.

To learn more about Shared Governance and Stakeholder Engagement, contact us  today, and allow iSeek Solutions to better align your organization to achieve its desired outcomes. Subscribe to our blog and follow us on LinkedIn for future insights.

Are you acting as a “trusted partner” by viewing your customer holistically?

Within your existing customer base, are you maximizing business opportunities?

In her book, Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate, and Compete in the Knowledge Economy, Harvard Business School Professor Amy C. Edmondson says, “In today’s complex and volatile business environment, corporations and organizations also win or lose by creating wholes that are greater than the sum of their parts. Intense competition, rampant unpredictability, and a constant need for innovation are giving rise to even greater interdependence and thus demand even greater levels of collaboration and communication than ever before. Teaming is essential to an organization’s ability to respond to opportunities…”.

The phrase from Edmondson’s book that so clearly resonates with me is “corporations and organizations also win or lose by creating wholes that are greater than the sum of their parts…”

Most businesses specialize in certain spaces. Affording us the opportunity to perfect our craft and be leaders in that space. However, none of us are “all things to all clients”.  Most of us, however, have former colleagues or reputable network acquaintances or service providers that also specialize in certain spaces, different than our own. A teaming agreement or partnership with a reputable colleague or small business entity broadens your reach, increases opportunities within your existing customer base and “creates wholes that are greater than the sum of your parts”.

Embrace the Holistic Approach. It’s a WIN-WIN-WIN proposition for you, your client and your colleague(s). iSeek has had very effective partnerships that broaden our reach, yet remain consistent with our guiding principal of customer-focused solutions. To find out more about our holistic approach, subscribe to our blog, follow us on LinkedIn or contact us today [email protected]!