Conversaction Newsletter July 2011

BY STEPHEN QUIRKE, ON July 12, 2011

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Perspective – Break the Code

 

In the early days of independence in Namibia, President Nujoma travelled in a cavalcade with guards armed with some serious fire-power.  I am not sure how true they were, but there were stories of people having their tyres shot out at road blocks.  Everyone knew this.  One day on the road North of Swakopmund, the presidential cavalcade, came up behind some fishermen in a Landrover.  The guards motioned them off the road.  Instead of pulling over and stopping, the fishermen continued to drive, in the rough, next to the president’s car.  The guards shot up the Landrover.  The driver was injured but was lucky to escape with his life. These guys just did not “Get It”!!!

There is law in life about understanding the unvarnished truth, learning, planning accordingly and working the plan in your life.  It is about avoiding denial.  It is about, “do you Get It?”

People who don’t get it, stumble through life, reacting to knocks, merely surviving.  Lacking finely tuned skills, they miss nuances and hidden agendas.  Though earnest and hard-working, they repeat the same mistakes.  Never learning, never preparing, they are caught, unawares, by the expected.  Their dreams and hopes drift away.  They don’t stand a chance.  Insensitive, they believe they are impressive, while all around roll their eyes.  Missing clues to their ineffectiveness they step out onto the highway facing the wrong way.

People who get it, take the knock, get up, pay attention and learn. So how do we break the code?  How do you “Get It”?  Here are five approaches to consider:

  • We need the brutal truth.
  • We need a strategy; built on a clear understanding of where we are, the rules of the game and where we want to go.
  • We need reflection; a habit of self awareness.
  • We need a burning desire to learn.
  • Sometimes we need help;  An hour of focussed attention from a coach can help us solve our own blockages and prevent days (or weeks) of frustration.

The illustrations in the posting come from a dreadful book we had in our house when I grew up called “StruwwelPeter”.  This is a depressing collection of trite poems, each about someone who illustrated a particular behavioural aberration, and how they came to a sticky end.

You can read the full post here.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Technique – Business Models

Many people use the terms ‘business model’, ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ interchangeably.  Here is a description of business models, by Casadesus-Masanell and Ricart (HBR Jan/Feb 2011) which brings some clarity.

Business models

Business models describe the logic of your company; the consequences you require and the choices you make to achieve them.  Cause and effect relationships between consequences and choices can be shown in a systems diagram to illustrate how you operate and capture value.

There are three types of choices

  • Policy choices.
  • Asset choices.
  • Governance choices.

Consequences may be of Rigid, built on deep-rooted behaviours or Flexible, responding readily to a change in the underlying choice.

Here is the original Ryanair business model, from the 1980s showing their major choices; offering excellent service and a standardise fleet.

Strategy

Strategy refers to the plan about which business model to use.  Executing a distinctive set of activities to establish a unique and valuable position is what strategy is all about.  Strategy includes contingencies for changes in the market such as competitors’ moves or economic distress or environmental shocks).  A considered strategic plan, documented in a strategy map will integrate with or provide input to your business model.

Facing stiff competition, Ryanair has been forced to redesign their business model which currently rest on the rigid consequences of low fixed costs and a reputation for reasonable fares.

Tactics

Changing strategic choices can be expensive, time-consuming and may require a focussed change management effort.  But you have a range of options to compete, set within the constraints of your strategy and business model, that are comparatively easy and inexpensive to deploy.  These are tactics.  These options can be delegated down to your front line.

This approach is described in more detail here.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Small Adventure – Out and About in Nairobi

A year ago I ran a workshop for a client in Nairobi, Kenya. We had a free day as the Kenyans went to the polls.  I had quite a bit to do to prepare for the next day but took time to wander around the city and do a couple of paintings.  This is a watercolour study of Kipande House which I was told was a place where people were taken for questioning in oppressive times past.

You can read about the creation of the paintings here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are not keen to recieve it please hit this unsubscribe link.

We are not keen to spam anyone.

At StrategyWorks we assist leaders who choose to collaborate, with those crucial conversations for clarity, decisions, action and outcomes.  These conversations can be frustrating when people are not heard, the team cannot make decisions or the way forward remains vague.  Leaders contact us at StrategyWorks when they are ready to do something different.  In the process those involved in the conversations feel understood and challenged.  At the end of the intervention, the leaders and their teams feel focused and released around a clear plan of action.

Find out more from our website at:www.strategyworks.co.za or better still contact us at the email address: stephen@strategyworks.co.za to arrange a meeting with Stephen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© 2011 Stephen Quirke, All rights reserved.  You are free to use material from this Conversaction newsletter in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.  The attribution should read:  ”By Stephen Quirke of StrategyWorks.  Please visit Stephen’s web site at https://www.strategyworks.co.za/ for more resources on how to hold effective conversations in your organisation.” (Please make sure the link is live if placed in an eZine or in a web site.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~