Strategic Story Telling

Strategic Storytelling
Summary written by: Chris Reynolds
"I want to read a public speaking book that is about the real speaking situations in which I find myself at work
every day.
- Strategic Storytelling, page vi
Have you ever wondered how to create a persuasive presentation? Is there a smart approach to telling your
story so you have maximum chance of getting your message across? Has anyone ever researched what an
effective presentation should look like? It turns out that there is research and excellent findings laid out in this
book.
Dave McKinsey has taken his years of experience to do a case study, dissecting 3 presentations related to a
public project. Along the way, he talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly of each presentation in order to
demonstrate strategic storytelling best practices through the use of presentations. McKinsey covers everything,
from simple things like page numbering and logo sizing/placement, to rules for content, visuals, data
representation, and several dos and donts.
One of the most useful takeaways from McKinseys book is that there are a few basic, clear formulas for
delivering most categories of professional presentations. This is not about keynote addresses; this is about the
sort of presentations that are given in meeting rooms every day of the week; the sort of presentations many of
us need to make in our professional lives. This book will give you insights into how you can be successful with
your strategic storytelling in the future.
The Golden Egg
There is a Best Way to Tell your Story Effectively
"Use the Approach-Findings-Implications framework for informative presentations."- Strategic Storytelling,

page 84
Stories all follow a basic framework or pattern. The beginning provides context for what is about to happen to
the protagonist. The body of the story is what happens to the protagonist, the journey they take. The finale of
the story is the lesson to be learned and a wrapping up of loose ends.
Every good story starts with an introduction to the situation the protagonist is in as we begin. Every good
presentation should start in a similar way. In the Approach-Findings-Implications framework, the Approach
section of the presentation provides the introduction needed for the story. The Approach is about describing
the situation that will be addressed. The situation is often the problem or opportunity the business faces. The
Approach also includes any methodology applied to research the problem or opportunity, as well as the
solution space explored. It is about providing the background your audience will need to understand the story
you are about to tell.
The middle of a story is about the protagonists journey. The Findings section of your presentation should be
about the journey taken to get to your recommendations. This section shows the results of your research and
your data, which should be formatted in an easily consumable way. The way your research data is presented
should lead your audience inexorably to the implications you are going to ultimately present. Make sure what
you present in this section is aligned with the Approach youve described as well as the implications you will
provide. Failure to do this will cause your audience to question your credibility.
Every story has an ending (even The Never-Ending Story). A good ending has a climactic event: a moment of
epiphany for the protagonist, followed by a tying up of loose threads. Implications of your Findings should
provide your audience with that same level of closure. You need to provide an unambiguous single
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result/answer/solution/way forward, while also showing that alternatives have been investigated and rejected
for valid reasons. Ensure that your Implications directly lead from your Approach and Findings. Your audience
needs to believe in the validity of your Implications even if they cant anticipate it directly from the previous
sections of your presentation.
Gem #1
Explore Variations on the Framework
"Each of the three strategy consulting organizations presented its findings to help the United States Postal
Service find a path toward profitability using a different framework."- Strategic Storytelling, page 114
As mentioned above, every good story has a beginning, middle, and an end; context, journey, and climax. The
Approach-Findings-Implications presentation framework allows you to effectively tell your story in a
presentation. It is not the only effective framework, though.
The Situation-Complication-Resolution is a variation of the framework, useful when trying to show how the
current state will be impacted unless action is taken. The impact may be positive or negative but either way it
will be significant. Either way, the business needs to prepare for it. This type of presentation should show the
business what the appropriate preparation should include.
The Situation-Opportunity-Resolution is useful when the business has an opportunity to potentially take
advantage of if it is prepared to do so. This form of presentation focusses on pros and cons, the projected
Return On Investment (ROI) of taking advantage of the opportunity. The business should be able to make an
informed decision about the opportunity under discussion.
The Pilot-Results-Scale is another useful variation on the strategic storytelling framework. You would use this
version of the framework when a decision to change the business has already been made and now you are
proposing an approach to implement the change and prove its effectiveness. In this case the Pilot section
describes the implementation of the change in the small (a subset of the change, a subset of those impacted,
a subset of expected outcomes). The value of a Pilot is to prove the value of a change before fully committing
to it. The decision to fully commit or not comes from the results achieved during the Pilot. In your presentation
it is important to capture the metrics that should be captured in judging the Pilot, as well as capturing what
would constitute a success for each of the metrics. Finally, your presentation needs to set the proposed scale of
the Pilot. This provides a boundary around what is in the Pilot and what is out. Think of how much of the
change is involved, who will interact with the change. Think also of the justification for the Scale you are
proposing. The Scale will ensure the right things are being tested during the Pilot to make a Go/No Go decision
on completely implementing the change.
Gem #2
Engage your Audience with Intelligent, Authentic Conversation
"In strategic storytelling, you simply need to allow your knowledge and your authentic, confident belief in your
ideas to flow into your conversation."- Strategic Storytelling, page 241
Keep it real! Your story needs to be one that your audience can relate to. Stick to factual data. Ensure your
story flows logically from beginning to end. Ensure your audience are unlikely to be totally shocked by a part of
your story that you thought would not be contentious at all. Lead your audience through the presentation in
such a way that they will validate your credibility.
You want to shape your presentation I such a way that there are controlled points where conversation with the
audience is expected. This keeps them engaged and increases the chance of getting buy-in. This is a good way
to demonstrate your understanding of the topic and your authority. You will need to control the conversation
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so that it does not derail your presentation or take the audience toward a different conclusion than the one
you are going to present.
Many of us are asked to create and/or deliver presentations on a somewhat regular basis. This book provides a
detailed set of Dos and Donts to increase the impact of your presentations and help you get the desired results
every time.
Summaries
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Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Summary written by: Lutfiyya Dhalla
The temptation in the existing business is always to feed yesterday and to starve tomorrow. It is, of course, a
deadly temptation. The enterprise that does not innovate inevitably ages and declines. And in a period of rapid
change, such as the present, an entrepreneur period, the decline will be fast.
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship, page 30
Peter Drucker is renowned as the founder of modern day management. The words innovation and
entrepreneurship are usually associated with chance or luck. Drucker dismisses this notion and makes it
evident that innovation and entrepreneurship are principles that can be measured and learned if effective
strategies and practices are applied.
The Golden Egg
Entrepreneurs Search for, Respond to and Exploit Change as an Opportunity
"Entrepreneurs see change as the norm and as healthy. Usually, they do not bring about the change
themselves. Butand this defines entrepreneur and entrepreneurshipthe entrepreneur always searches for
change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity."- Innovation and Entrepreneurship, page 28
Innovation and Entrepreneurship was originally published in 1985, however the practices and teachings are still
relevant today. This book is split into three distinct sections: the practice of innovation, the practice of
entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial strategies. In the practice of innovation Drucker discusses the
importance of constantly innovating and actively searching for opportunities, as it is necessary for survival in
the marketplace. In the second section, Drucker highlights the notion of entrepreneurial leadership and how it
is necessary for any innovations to be successful in business, service institutions or new ventures. In the third
section Drucker shares the best strategies to introduce innovations to the marketplace.
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The thesis of this book is summarized in the following key themes:
1. Innovation is purposeful and a discipline

2. Entrepreneurship is the institution which carries the innovation
3. Management and entrepreneur strategy is required in order to successfully bring innovation to the
market
Gem #1
The Seven Main Sources of Innovation
"Entrepreneurs innovate. Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. It is the act that endows
resources with a new capacity to create wealth. Innovation, indeed, creates a resource. There is no such thing
as a resource until man finds a use for something in nature and thus endows it with economic value."-
Innovation and Entrepreneurship, page 30
Through Druckers definition of innovation it is clear that the one who innovates is merely taking something
that has already existed previously and positioning it in a way that will create value and therefore, generate
wealth. Systematic innovation is purposeful and is an organized search for change. Wherever an innovation is
introduced it changes the economy from a supply driven to a demand driven economy.
In this section, Drucker explores the seven main sources in which innovative opportunity can be found. It is
possible for the lines between these sources to become blurred as there is a degree of overlap between them.
Drucker describes them as seven windows, each is a different side of the same building. The seven sources are:
1. 1. The unexpected the unexpected success, the unexpected failure, the unexpected outside event
2. The incongruity between reality as it actually is and reality as it is assumed to be or as it ought to
be
3. Innovation based on process need
4. Changes in industry structure or market structure that catch everyone unaware
5. Demographics
6. Changes in perception, mood, or meaning
7. New knowledge, both scientific and nonscientific
The first four of these sources lie within the enterprise, whether it be business, public-service institution or
within an industry or service sector. Which means they are usually only visible to the people within that
industry. They can be thought of as the symptoms, and therefore reliable indicators of changes that either have
happened or could be pursued.
The last three sources of innovative opportunity involve the changes that reside outside the enterprise or
industry.
Drucker goes on to further explain that purposeful innovationone which results from analysis, systems and
hard workis the practice of innovation. The foundational principles of the discipline are:
DOs
1. Start with an analysis of all the opportunities: think through the sources of innovative activity.
2. Innovation is conceptual and perceptual. Go out to look, to ask, to listen.
3. To be effective, be simple and be focused.
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4. Effective innovations start small. Do one specific thing and then be able to adapt.
5. Aim at leadership in an industry or market. If not, you will create an opportunity for the competition.
DONTs
1. Dont try to be clever: aim at ordinary human beings.

2. Dont diversify, dont splinter, dont do too many things at once.
3. Dont innovate for the future: innovate for the present!
Gem #2
Treat Entrepreneurship as a Duty
"Entrepreneurial businesses treat entrepreneurship as a duty. They are disciplined about it they work at it, they
practice it."- Innovation and Entrepreneurship, page 150
Drucker makes it clear that entrepreneurship and innovation can be achieved by any business if it is a priority
and consciously strived for. Both disciplines can be learned through effort and commitment.
When it comes to business operations of any size, there will always be conflicting priorities or a daily crisis that
must be dealt with right away and cannot be postponed. This is why it is pertinent for the disciplines of
innovation and entrepreneurship to be deeply rooted and baked into the organization and set as a priority.
The art of entrepreneurial management requires policies and practices in four major areas:
1. The organization must be receptive to innovation and perceive change as an opportunity rather than a
threat. Policies and practices are necessary to create an entrepreneurial climate in the business.
2. The systematic measurement or appraisal of a companys performance as an entrepreneur and
innovator is mandatory, as well as built-in learning to improve performance.
3. Entrepreneurial management requires specific practices pertaining to organizational structure, to

staffing and managing and to compensation, incentives and rewards.
4. There are some DONTs in entrepreneurial management
The three core fundamental DONTs that Drucker advises are:
Do not mix managerial units and entrepreneurial ones.

Innovative efforts that take the existing business out of its own field are rarely successful.
It is almost always futile to avoid making ones own business entrepreneurial by buying in, that is by
acquiring small entrepreneurial ventures.
Through the principles of innovation, the principles of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial strategies Drucker
has taken the notion of innovation and entrepreneurship and bottled it into a formula.
When it comes to the essentialism of innovation and entrepreneurship, Drucker states In fact if todays
products or services do not generate a continuing and large revenue stream, the enterprise will not be able to
make the substantial invest in tomorrow that innovation requires.
It is essential for the future of the business to focus on the day-to-day business operations but also invest in
their future through consistently innovating and creating a culture of entrepreneurial spirit.
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In todays corporate driven society we view entrepreneurs as risk takers. Drucker however sees it the opposite,
that an entrepreneur is not a risk taker per se, but rather one who has managed the risk that they are going to
be embarking on.
Do you consider an entrepreneur to be a risk taker or one who has managed the risk they will be embarking
on?
Extreme Ownership
Summary written by: Justin Gasbarre
Extreme Ownership is about the principles of leadership that are used within the US Navy Seals. This gem was
written by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, former Navy Seal officers for SEAL Task Unit Bruiser. Both are
decorated combat veterans who now run a leadership training and consulting firm called Echelon Front. The
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book was written with the belief that how Navy SEALs train and prepare their leaders, how they mold and
develop high-performance teams, and how they lead in combat are directly application to success in any
group, organization, corporation, business, and, to a broader degree, life.
The principles that are taught and discussed throughout the book are told through incredible stories and
lessons from Willink and Babins experience leading combat troops in the battle of Ramadi. They then break
down, examine and discuss each leadership principle individually, and, finally, share these principles from client
examples of how they show up in the business world.
Youll not only gain appreciation and respect for what these men did in combat, but youll learn practical and
actionable leadership principles to help you succeed in your leadership role!
The Golden Egg
Extreme Ownership
"The leader must own everything in his or her world."- Extreme Ownership, page 30
Looking at leadership through the paradigm of Extreme Ownership makes a complex subject quite simple. In
any organization, on any team, all responsibility for success and failure rests with the leader. This is one of
those mindsets that say easy but do hard. We all have egos and none of us like to fail or fall below the line,
however, its going to happen. The best leaders check their egos, accept blame, seek out constructive criticism
and take detailed notes to improve individually and as a unit.
Its unfortunate how common and acceptable it is in business and society today to place blame elsewhere and
say thats the reason we failed or its that persons fault, etc. Willink and Babin write, The best leaders
dont just take responsibility for their job. They take Extreme Ownership of everything that impacts their
mission. This concept is the number-one characteristic of any high-performance winning team, in any military
unit, organization, sports team or business team in any industry.
What I found compelling is that, by a leader taking Extreme Ownership of their team and the situations the
team encounters, they will actually increase their trust and credibility with their leadership team and their
subordinates at an accelerated rate. When leaders set this precedent, this mindset of Extreme Ownership
starts to permeate into the culture of the team and the organization. When this starts to happen, look out!
Gem #1
No bad teams, only bad leaders
"Whether a team succeeds or fails is all up to the leader. The leaders attitude sets the tone for the entire team.
The leader drives performance or doesnt."- Extreme Ownership, page 49
The title of this GEM captures the very nature of what Extreme Ownership is all about. This is a difficult and
humbling concept for any leader to accept, the authors write. But it is an essential mind-set to building a high
performance winning team.
As a leader, you must take full ownership of the standards of your team. Any leader knows all too well how
difficult this can be but when it comes to these standards, as the leader, its not what you preach, its what
you tolerate.
No matter what those standards are, no matter if they are written or spoken, if team members are falling
below that line and arent being held accountable to that precedent, then that poor performer/performance
becomes the new standard. To put it bluntly, leaders must enforce their expected standards.
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A leader must find a way to become effective and drive high performance within his or her team in order to
win, the authors advise. Whether in SEAL training, in combat on distant battlefields, in business or life: there
are no bad teams, only bad leaders.
Gem #2
Discipline Equal Freedom The Dichotomy of Leadership
"Although discipline demands control and asceticism, it actually results in freedom"- Extreme Ownership, page
272
Discipline defined is: strict order, regimen, and control. While that sounds like the complete opposite of
freedom, Willink and Babin challenge us to look at discipline past the initial inconvenience of doing the task.
They suggest that discipline is the pathway to freedom and is paramount to success for any leader, team and
organization.
Think about your team and the standard operating procedures that you have in place. Why do you have them?
I would venture to guess its so that things get done in an efficient, effective manner, across the variance of
people that may be responsible to accomplish a task. These standard procedures allows you to not have to
reinvent the wheel every time this situation presents itself. By creating a culture of disciplined execution, it
allows your organization to be more flexible, adaptable and ultimately more efficient. Now there is a balance
between discipline and freedom and as a leader that balance must be identified and maintained but once you
get it right, you open up the opportunity for success within that setting.
Jocko and Leif also share with us a list of leadership dichotomies that must be carefully balanced. A good leader
must be:
Confident but not cocky

Courageous but not foolhardy
Competitive but a gracious loser
Attentive to details but not obsessed by them
Strong but have endurance
A leader and a follower
Humble not passive
Aggressive not overbearing
Quiet not silent
Calm but not robotic, logical but not devoid of emotions
Close with the troops but not so close that one becomes more important than another or more
important than the good of the team; not so close that they forget who is in charge
A good leader has nothing to prove, but everything to prove, they say.
There are thousands of books out there about leadership and while many are great, few Ive read are as
practical, actionable and frankly emotionally moving as Extreme Ownership. Extreme Ownership is a mind-set,
an attitude, and the authors do an incredible job of laying a foundation for both in this book. Ill leave with you
the last paragraph from the book as I feel it is so appropriate
While there is no guarantee for success in leadership, there is one thing that is certain: leading people is the
most challenging, and, therefore, the most gratifying undertaking of all human endeavors. So, with that
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humbling reward in the distance, embrace the burden of command and go forward onto your battlefield, in
whatever arena that may be, with the disciplined resolve to take Extreme Ownership, lead, and win.
Ive Got Your Back
Summary written by: Carolyn B. Thompson
"Leadership is really a particular form of followership."
- Ive Got Your Back, page 1
Biblical leadership starts with being a good follower. James Galvin, author of Ive Got Your Back: Biblical
Principles for Leading and Following Well, does a really interesting job of showing the truly essential
interdependency of following and leading.
He says weve too often met leaders who demean, defraud and disappoint us as followers he calls this
follower abuse
. Were just looking for a leader we can trust! Because of follower abuse, our best young leaders are
discouraged from stepping into leader roles. So he wrote the book to attract the next generation of leaders to
leadership. Originally written in textbook style, the young leaders he had review it gave it a big yawn. What to
do to make it easy for them to want to learn from it? The final book became a leadership parable through
story we learn Biblical principles for leading and following well. Then, in the last chapter, Galvin pulls the how-
tos from the parable to help us develop our leadership methodology. Brilliant!
The Golden Egg
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Leadership is Gods Idea
"If leadership is Gods idea, why doesnt it work better in daily life?"- Ive Got Your Back, page 142
God could have made human leadership to function the way ants and bees do it where everyone
coordinates their own efforts with others for the mutual benefit of the group or to have only one leader.
Instead He chose to have people lead each other in various ways and in various circumstances. This method
worked perfectly in the Garden Eden. But then it was spoiled by sin. The Garden leadership before sin
functioned so smoothly it was difficult to tell who was leading and who was following (like when you see two
exceptional dancers dancing together). Here was the first ever leadership failure Adam was right there with
Eve and did nothing to stop her (Genesis 3:6). And the second leadership failure Eve led the way by first
biting the fruit. Then Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent and forever after people were mistrustful
of each other (you will desire to control your husband but he will rule over you Genesis 3:16).
Even if you arent a Bible student, you know this story. Understanding that we as humans are destined to
struggle to be effective leaders helps put the daily push and pull into perspective. So the short answer is that
sin ruined Gods perfect leadership method. The long answer is that if it hadnt happened in the Garden of
Eden it would have happened eventually because humans lose their heads when it comes to power we
either want it or we shirk it and neither is good for effective leadership.
I am currently in a shirking it part of my life but thats after 50 plus years of wanting it, working to be effective
at it, being summoned by others to do it. Im tired of the work it takes to be an effective leader but realized
while writing this summary that I must not shirk it. At the very least, when I have experience in an area that
others dont I need to step forward and put the work in that it takes to do the perfect dance for the good of the
whole. My ultimate leader, God, has called me to lead in some situations. Therefore I must obey.
Gem #1
Creating a successful leadership model
"Why do we put up with itas if what they are doing is acceptable?"- Ive Got Your Back, page 145
As followers our model of followership is as messed up as our model of leadership. We have to, as good
followers, speak up about poor leadership in a constructive way. Any leader who isnt a sociopath (The
Sociopath Next Door) would be mortified if they learned later that they were leading in a way that made you
not want to follow. We have a responsibility to tell them, a responsibility to help them become a successful
leader.
As we help leaders be successful through constructive feedback, we learn how to be better leaders ourselves.
Ok, you have the skills to tell the leader what he/she is doing that doesnt make you want to follow but where
do you get the specific actions to tell them to do instead? Im a behavioral psychologist so I learn best by seeing
successful behaviors and replicating them. God created perfect leadership before sin and the only person not
ruined by sin was Jesus. Jesus is a great example but He led so effortlessly that we have trouble seeing it and
therefore learning how to lead from it.
The easiest to replicate list of great leadership behaviors I ever saw compiled was in a session 12 years ago
titled, Inspiring Like Jesus. In groups on flip charts we listed behavior after behavior along with a specific
example of each of Jesus inspiring people. Then we posted all the groups lists on a website so each group (and
people who hadnt been at the session) could add more inspirational behaviors to their leadership list. I still
hear from people who are successfully applying these behaviors!
Gem #2
Why care about being a good follower?
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"One cannot become a good leader without first becoming a good follower."- Ive Got Your Back, page 153
How well we follow gives people insight into our character. Galvin says that the best leaders are good followers
and vice versa. In the book he uses the acronym REAL to group a long list of successful follower actions that
sure look like the character behaviors I want associated with my name. A few examples:
Responsible Helps leader lead well, gives feedback to leader and others, does more than asked, takes
initiative.
Ethical Free to follow well and free to leave if cant follow this leader well but not free to follow poorly.
Authentic Genuine, humble, views others as human beings bearing the image of God.
Loving Establishes relationship with leader and others, kind, forgiving, grace-giving.
For every verse in the Bible about leadership there are 10 about followership. Its a wonderful resource for
examples of how to be a good follower. Much like customer service its easier to serve customers if youve
been one. You know what you need and find valuable as a customer. Same with followers we know what we
need from a leader and what behaviors we value and find valuable in being led.
Galvin makes a convincing case that the essence of leadership is helping people follow. The book ends with lots
and lots of ideas on how to spot good follower actions and what to do and how to help those who arent
exhibiting them. And we might as well learn to follow well ourselves because in addition to it making us be a
better leader, we will be in a follower role everyday in some part of our lives for the rest of our lives.
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eam of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World
Summary written by: Bill Stadick
"In the course of this fight, we had to unlearn a great deal of what we thought we knew about how warand
the worldworked. We had to tear down familiar organizational structures and rebuild them along completely
different lines, swapping our sturdy architecture for organic fluidity, because it was the only way to confront a
rising tide of complex threats."
- Team of Teams, page 20
This is a book about unlearning and unleashing.
In Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World, General Stanley McChrystal (U.S. Army
Retired) and his co-authors, Tantum Collins, David Silverman and Chris Fussell, argue that we must unlearn
much of what we know about leadership and organizational structures. Only then can we unleash the power of
new, resilient organisms that can adapt at the speed thats required.
McChrystal argues that most organizationsand the resulting leadership stylesresemble the command-and-
control structure popularized by Frederick Winslow Taylor at the turn of the twentieth century. This sturdy
architecture works well when theres a known and relatively stable set of variables.
But it wasnt working for the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command in the mid-2000s as they fought the war in
Afghanistan and Iraq. To combat the threats there, McChrystal needed a resilient organization that would
respond rapidly to constantly shifting environments. He needed a team of teams and that would require:
Restructuring from the ground up based on extremely transparent information sharinga concept he
calls shared consciousness
Decentralizing decision-making authoritya concept he calls empowered execution
Not exactly an easy task for an organization like the U.S. military, which holds firmly to the concept of
traditional chains of command. And thats what made this particular organizational transformation, and the
book about it, so intriguing.
The Golden Egg
Complex Systems Require Gardeners, Not Chess Masters
"Years later as Task Force commander, I began to view effective leadership in the new environment as more
akin to gardening than chess. The move-by-move control that seemed natural to military operations proved
less effective than nurturing the organizationits structure, processes and cultureto enable the subordinate
components to function with smart autonomy."- Team of Teams, page 225
Last century was a chess match. This century is a garden. At least thats the metaphor McChrystal introduces to
explain how the team of teams concept can transform organizations.
The game of chesswith its multiple pieces that can move in any number of different waysis, without
question, a complicated system. Throughout the game, however, the chess master can choose each move by
scanning the entire field of engagement in a single glance and pondering the many variables.
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A gardener has a lot less control over the tomatoes because the garden is more than just a complicated system.
Its a complex system. The gardener can get things started at planting and reap results at harvest. In between,
though, its all about making those subtle adjustments based on what the weather and other variables dictate.
Many leaders try to be chess masters in organizations that would be better served by someone who has
adopted a gardener mindset. These organizations need to be tended, not controlled. McChrystal goes on to
show us how he did itand how we can.
Gem #1
They Need to Know
"Any aficionado of action movies has heard the line Thats on a need-to-know basis, and you dont need to
know, uttered by a broad-shouldered, square-jawed caricature of a Special Operations commando or serious-
faced intelligence agent. Though we rarely use that phrase in real life, it is an accurate depiction of military and
broader organizational sentiments about the value of informationthe default is not to share."- Team of
Teams, page 138
McChrystal coined the term shared consciousness to describe the need to overhaul the need to know fallacy
described in the quote above.
When dealing with todays complex world, no one chess master can know everything and see the entire field of
engagement. It takes too long to brief a single chess master then wait to hear what moves need to be made
next.
More people than ever simply need to know whats going on.
McChrystal talks about how they created a physical command center that wasnt there to facilitate the
orderly, machinelike flow of paperwork. Instead, they needed a space where each team could interact with
every other team in an environment not designed for separation, but for the merging of worlds.
To accomplish this, they gutted the inside of the main bunker and ran all operations out of the Joint Operations
Centeran expansive space that resembled a bullpen more than the corner office.
It didnt work perfectly (nothing does), but it did serve as one of many steps toward greater interactivity among
all those who needed to know. And it prepared everyone who knew to deal with complex sets of
circumstances.
Gem #2
Eyes On, Hands Off
"Shared consciousness on its own is powerful, but ultimately insufficient. Building holistic awareness and
forcing interaction will align purpose and create a more cohesive force, but will not unleash the full potential of
the organizationjust as empowerment without sharing fails, so does sharing without empowerment."- Team
of Teams, page 245
Making sure everyone knew what they needed to know was only part of the challenge. The other: speed of
response. Paradoxically, McChrystal and his team were discovering that greater interactivity actually slowed
things down because everyone felt the need to relay decisions up and down the chain of command.
And thats where empowered execution came into play.
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Using decision-making philosophies developed by the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain and Nordstrom department
store, the leadership moved further and further toward adopting Nordstroms single company rule: Use good
judgement in all situations. As they continued to push authority further down the chain of command,
eventually self-confident subordinates would make decisions, many far above their pay grade, and simply
inform me.
Time and again, McChrystal makes it clear that the days of Frederick Winslow Taylor are over. This is not about
fine-tuning. Its about the radical transformation of organizations and the way we lead them. He convinced me
and provided actionable steps toward getting there.
he Hidden Leader
Summary written by: Erin Gordon
"Leadership is not about who you are or where you come from. Its about what you do"
- The Hidden Leader, page xi
What sets Scott K. Edinger and Laurie Sains The Hidden Leader: Discover and Develop Greatness Within your
Company apart from many of the other books I have read on leadership is the degree to which the book is
interactive. Whether it is the many worksheets, analytical tools or online resources, everything about the book
meets the description of actionable. Not only does this book seek to describe the hidden leader but it seeks to
advocate on behalf of the hidden leader to the organization, compelling the organization to create an
environment that supports their ongoing success.
From a content perspective, there are two important, overarching ideas that form the basis for this book:
1. Hidden leaders are energy and innovation powerhouses within an organization.

2. Organizations or leaders who recognize the potential of hidden leaders can maximize their value to
create more successful organizations.
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Essentially, hidden leaders are a very compelling, untapped competitive advantage.
The information and tools in the book are organized in a straightforward three step process:
1. Identify hidden leaders and those who have potential.

2. Evaluate their strengths and areas of opportunity.
3. Identify cultural aspects or processes in your organizations to help develop hidden leaders.
One of the perspectives I appreciated most about this book was that it did not divorce leadership from the
culture of the organization. Hidden leaders or leaders of any kind are not magic bullets in isolation. Even the
best leader in the wrong environment will find it challenging to be successful. It is the alignment of leader and
culture that can really alight change and progress.
The Golden Egg
Whats in a Title?
"someones contribution to the value of a business need not be constrained by that persons position on the
organization chart"- The Hidden Leader, page 187
What really defines these internal leaders as hidden rests with the idea that they are only hidden from
management because they may fall outside the traditional definition of a leader. However, if you listen to the
employees who work alongside these individuals, they can easily identify these hidden leaders as smart, crucial
to the business and effective members of a team. These hidden leaders are often frontline employees, who
lack a formal leadership title, but they are also the ones everyone goes to solve tough problems, provide the
realistic perspective or orient a new employee to the cultural ways of the organization. Inherent in displaying
these competencies is accountability. Hidden leaders view themselves as having the authority and even the
responsibility to make decisions, follow actions through to completion and reach goals. As business leaders, it is
important that we look for those without a title, who work more closely with our customers than we do, and
support them in stretching the boundaries of our processes, guidelines and internal structures to make
decisions. Decisions that surpass the expectations of our customers and propel our businesses forward.
Gem #1
Would you like fries with that?
"As Peter Drucker so eloquently said, The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer"- The Hidden
Leader, page 152
This book introduced me to a new concept: customer purposed. It is a not-so-subtle difference, but customer
purposed is definitely not customer service although the two concepts may have some traits in common.
Customer purposed is the epitome of alignment in business. Essentially it is the action of proactively
envisioning how a task affects the value provided to the customer displayed across five characteristics:
Enthusiasm for Work

Balanced skill/Communications proficiency
A sense of urgency
An owners mindset
Being a champion of change
Wow! Any one of the five characteristics above are easily actionable and I would argue also contagious for
those who have the privilege of working alongside these individuals. When I see someone who is working in
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this manner, I find myself saying.I want that! Finding value and meaning in the work you do is a true driver of
engagement. Hidden leaders have a deep understanding of the value promise of an organization and take the
steps required (within the organizational guidelines) to ensure each customer has that experience. What a
fabulous connection to employee engagement and the opportunity to take a second look at those front line
employees that may be a huge talent pool of hidden leaders.
Gem #2
On Your Mark. Get Set. Go!
"Doing something anything achieves results faster than trying to eliminate ambiguity with facts, research or
knowledge"- The Hidden Leader, page 59
I once worked with a leader who told me that the one definite, incorrect action in a situation is the act of not
making a decision. Although the decisions are not always 100% right, it is always better to make a decision than
to forego making a decision and get lost in the world of grey. Action breeds more action whereas standing still
gives someone else the opportunity to step over and make that decision. This GEM builds upon one of the five
characteristics mentioned under the previous GEM an owners mindset. Even small decisions are critical to
the ongoing success of business. Like the authors, I agree that good decision making and integrity and honesty
go hand in hand. Hidden leaders view their decisions in light of the impact they will have on others much like
they view their actions in light of the impact on the customer experience. It is also important to remember that
because hidden leaders display a high level of integrity, they are able to make decisions that build trust instead
of eroding it. Even if the wrong decision is made, as long as it is made with good intentions and a balanced
approach, a hidden leader will be able to bridge the gap.
When I first picked up this book I thought it would provide me tips, tools and resources to become a better
leader. Even though I have the traditional title, I recognize there is always room to improve. When I finally put
this book down, I felt a greater responsibility to go looking for those in my organization that are in a better
position than I am to advance my organization one customer interaction at a time. In one way or another,
almost anyone within an organization has the opportunity to become a hidden leader. And.if this is the case,
whats stopping them? Adopting a very provocative position, do you think it is possible to create a very
successful organization that has a minimum amount of hierarchy, a decent set of guiding principles and one
heck of a large cadre of hidden leaders who are passionate about what they do and are able to align their
actions to driving their business forward faster and better than their competitors? As an HR leader, perhaps my
role is to hire hidden leaders and then step out of the way and let them do great work!
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The Leadership Challenge
Summary written by: Amy Bontrager
"Leadership is not about who you are; its about what you do. "
- The Leadership Challenge, page 15
The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership is the focus of the fifth edition of James Kouzes and Barry Posners
The Leadership Challenge. Since the first edition in 1987, they have compiled 30 years of researching leaders of
both big and small organizations and reviewed what makes these leaders exemplary. Though the leaders
researched have different trades and purpose, Kouzes and Posner found five common practices among them.
1. Model the Way

2. Inspire a Shared Vision
3. Challenge the Process
4. Enable others to Act
5. Encourage the Heart
The behaviors of exemplary leaders are the same today as they were 30 years ago. The context has changed
but not the content. The result of their research also shows successful leaders are not only found in large
organizations but also small companies and all over the world. The Leadership Challenge is filled with stories
touching on each of the five practices and how to apply them in your own organization. For some leaders the
practices may be already part of their daily habits. However, other practices are a fresh reminder of how to
apply best practices to move an organization into the future. With a fast moving culture, The Leadership
Challenge is a great resource to keep those who are already in a leadership position or who strive to be,
motivated to be their best!
The Golden Egg
Challenge the Process
"If you have not endured the most difficult, you cannot become the most successful"- The Leadership
Challenge, page 157
I appreciate the reward, like anyone else when they have been able to develop a solution to a challenge. This
part of the text was a great reminder why leaders should not become complacent. The important take away is,
not to deny challenges and only work towards what comes easy. Taking on challenges can equate to a new
product or process that just might become your best leadership moment. Challenges can take you as a leader
and the organization to places that have not been reached. It can create situations where the organization and
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its leadership are not ordinary but extraordinary. Is that not what we all want, to leave our mark and be viewed
as extraordinary?
Gem #1
Make Something Happen
"Treat today as if it were your first day. Ask yourself, If I were just starting this job, what would I do differently?
Then do those things immediately. This is how youll continuously uncover needed improvements."- The
Leadership Challenge, page 164
Do you get caught up in the daily task that you forget to look around and ask why do I do what I do? Exemplary
leaders are going to ask this routinely, not just every five years when building a marketing plan. A great habit to
get into is to enlist department heads to evaluate processes and policies. Then have them conclude if the
current operation is effective. This creates a team effort as well as opportunities for leader moments to be
made. Encouraging innovative thinking among department heads can create opportunities for not only the
organization to be more effective, but to grow. If outdated policies and procedures continued it could make
your organization stagnate. Exemplary leaders do not find comfort in the status quo. Get in the habit of not
being routine.
Gem #2
Challenge with Purpose
"As long as you believe what youre doing is meaningful you can cut through fear and exhaustion and take the
next step."- The Leadership Challenge, page 171
Strong leaders are not going to challenge just because they want to stress people out. They are going to
challenge with meaning, great passion, and because they want people to work with purpose. Have you ever
worked for a boss that just liked making people nervous? These are not what we would call exemplary leaders.
People are going to be more motivated to complete a project if they believe in it and have a personal buy in.
People will keep going in challenging times because they believe in what they are doing. Its not about the
paycheck. As a leader it should be a priority to ensure your team understands the bigger picture and what
purpose they fulfill. With a feeling of purpose your team can do great things.
Whether you are a CEO of a large company or just starting out with a small team, The Leadership Challenge is
an exceptional text to keep in reach. The book is filled with brilliant insight into leadership development.
Kouzes and Posner have produced a great tool that is applicable to any organization big or small. I think it gives
leaders a message of hope in leading their company into the future. You might also want to check out The
Leadership Challenge apps. The app provides quick references to each of the five practices. The app also
provides exercises to apply the leadership practices to your organization. You can even get inspirational daily
quotes. Overall, its an engaging book and you cant help but feel inspired after reading it.
What are the practices you respect in a leader? What kind of leader are you?
Hacking Leadership
Summary written by: Martina McGowan
What do you want to be when you grow up?
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Mike Myatt, in his newest book, Hacking Leadership, shares with us that this is one of the two questions he
likes to ask new clients. The other is: What do you stand for?
If you were to ask my children, they would say that I will never grow up. Always reading, writing, learning,
investigating new hobbies, examining new ideas and fresh perspectives.
Every one of us can sense the gaps between where we are and where we would like to be in many aspects of
our lives. We all know that big parts of our current systems are broken. There is a yawning chasm between the
way things have always been done and considered, and what we should be doing right now. This is no truer
than in leadership.
Mike Myatt defines hacking for us: to discover an alternate path and skillful tricks, shortcuts and workarounds,
breaking the code, deciphering complexity, influencing outcomes, acquiring access, creating innovative
customizations to existing/outdated methodologies. So, he is not driving at the quick-and-dirty, work-around,
fix-it-for-now, short-cut methods that the word hacking often engenders. He is calling us and charging us to
move away from our stale, dated, and outmoded thinking about the who, what and why of good leadership.
It is always easy to point out the flaws of other organizations, leaders or individuals, but what if we instead
took a deep, honest, introspective look at ourselves and our own brands of leadership?
Myatts goal here is to have us poke around in our own stuff and make some relevant and specific changes.
But, before I press on, let us dispense with everyones nagging question: Are leaders born or made? The real
answer is, Yes! Both.
The Golden Egg
Leadership is NOT About You
"Any individual who holds responsibility for any person, aspect, function, or task within an organization
[including family], is in fact a leader." "- Hacking Leadership, page 63
Every person is a leader in some arena of life. But, not every leader is good at it. Good leadership requires
many things of us. It requires a willingness to continue to learn and explore ourselves, others and
opportunities. It compels us to have and present both stability and a forward-looking vision to lead people and
organizations forward.
Anyone who is a leader has witnessed disconnects in themselves and in others in at least one of the areas that
Myatt highlights:
Leadership: A form of entitlement rather than service.

Purpose: Focusing on self-interest rather than impacting and improving the lives of others.
Future: Resistance or refusal to change.
Mediocrity: Accepting and working to maintain the status quo.
Culture: Letting culture run amok rather than managing.
Talent: Not owning up to responsibility when we do not hire or use the best talent available to us.
Knowledge: Refusing to acquire new knowledge because of ego.
Innovation: Confusing ideas with innovation, which are ideas that are solutions.
Expectation: Managing expectations rather than aligning them with our values, purposes, goals, and mission.
Complexity: Making systems unnecessarily complex for ourselves and our customers/ consumers.
Failure: Focusing on failure as the main thing, rather than learning from it.
Each of these gaps come with some tried and true. and trite expressions that we all take as common wisdom,
like failure is not an option. There are two issues at play here. The first is that they are almost invariably false.
The second issue is that these old ways of thinking keep getting resurrected, and keep us bound to the paths of
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mediocrity and apathy when it comes to making decisions about how we lead ourselves, our colleagues and
our organizations.
It is only by careful scrutiny of these truisms that we all seemingly accept at face value that we can come to
see who we have become and do something concrete about it. And thats where the rubber meets the road,
isnt it? To do something about it!
Making organizational change begins with the ability to make changes in ourselves first and foremost. We must
begin with how we think and what we choose to see. This must be followed by executing well-thought out
processes of advancement. Being able to change is what keep us in the game, in business, and a step ahead of
our competition.
Gem #1
Everything is a teachable moment, or a learning opportunity
"Prior proper planning prevents poor performance."- Hacking Leadership, page 153
This is one of Mike Myatts favorite quotes. He uses it several times in the book. It is succinct and on-point.
Preparation, remaining flexible, yearning to learn, the ability and agility to step into areas of discomfort,
stepping away from the illusion that we know everything helps us reach across and fill in those gaps that this
book shines a spotlight on.
I shared in a previous summary that we are having a software and learning issue going on at work. Looking
closely at Myatts list, I can see that we are languishing in at least half of these leadership gaps, or abysses in
our case, and that is why we have failed to make progress in rectifying the problem. No one has ever taken the
reigns and used a leadership style that has had any teeth in it. So, things the same, we accept mediocre
performances, and we do not align expectations of ourselves, others, or even the software. Leadership is
neither something mystical, nor is it rocket surgery. It is something to be done intentionally!
Gem #2
Who You Are Is Infinitely More Important Than What You Do
"If you're a superstar at work, but a slacker at home, you're not succeeding at anything other than being a
disingenuous, egocentric charlatan."- Hacking Leadership, page 179
In the last few chapters of this book, Myatt takes off his professional mask and gets truly personal. He talks
about himself in the light of his family life. One that would make some of us squirm as well. For many of us, we
have been sold the usual bill of goods that sacrificing your family on the altar of successand calling it taking
care of themsomehow absolves us of our duties and civility at home. It is a lie! This I can tell you from Mikes
book and from personal experience. I speak often to youngsters in my profession as their future self in an
attempt to convey this message. There is no excuse, no benefit, and no getting that squandered time back.
The key to good leadership, personally, organizationally and family-wise, is to look inward. Hopefully that
doesnt sound too New Age for you. But, to look at who you have become and what you have accepted as
unchangeable, and make the decision to make changes. To change yourself, your work environment, and your
leadership style to do better work instead of putting up with stuff, punching the clock, getting by or dialing it in.
Pick your favorite phrase for not doing your best.
Mike Myatts book is densely packed with pearls of leadership wisdom. But each of these gaps comes with
actionable, (mostly) easily executable steps.
The choice, just like the problem, lies within.
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Wake Up or Die
Summary written by: Alyssa Burkus
In the life and death quest for strategic change businesses have much to learn from war. (Click to Tweet!)
Wake Up or Die, page 131
Big data is a hot topic these days, which makes Corrine Sandlers book, Wake Up or Die, very timely. Using
military leadership theories from Sun Tzus The Art of War, Sandler outlines why the use of data as intelligence
in organizations is critical and guides us through the strategies and tactics for embedding analytics deeply into
your organization. You might have already started down the big data path, but knowing how to use data as
business intelligence for making decisions and changes can give you a powerful market advantage. Sandler
tells us what we need to do in the war-like battle for market domination.
The volume of data we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data per day, according to Sandler makes this a
daunting challenge. But it means the answers are there if you know how to find them, what to do with the
information you gain, and you have a willingness to make the change needed to use the data to your
advantage.
According to Sandler, data needs to be incorporated into business processes with great care in order to
properly lead business operations onto the path of achieving their individual strategic objectives.
Lets start by talking about why data gives you the competitive advantage you need.
Golden Egg
Use Data Intelligence For World Domination
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. . . its all about having superior intelligence and the wisdom to use this intelligence in a transformational
way. (Click to Tweet!)
Ok, so maybe your goal isnt world domination and your industry likely isnt a battlefield, but using data and
gathering intelligence is critical, as it allows you to understand the market and your competitors, as well as
make course corrections along the way. Similar to using spies in military intelligence, business intelligence
allows you to get into the minds of your customers and competitors and create what is needed, well ahead
of other players. As Sun Tzu notes in The Art of War, Being prepared for all circumstances is what ensures
certain victory.
. . . insights, defined as penetrating truths that you never knew existed and which through intuitive
understanding and immediate action allow you to gain a superior advantage.
Establishing channels for gathering business intelligence is not just a matter of setting up a few Google Alerts,
although it can start there. It requires a detailed implementation plan, from analyzing your current state to
tracking against specific metrics and outcomes.
Once you have the data, it can allow you to make critical changes if you know how to use it.
GEM #1
Use Data To Rethink Everything
If you want to change the way a company acts, you have to begin with changing how it thinks. (Click to
Tweet!)
Sandler outlines several models for using business intelligence to rethink how you compete successfully, and
provides great examples, from Kimberly-Clark to the US Army, of businesses that have made significant
operational changes through the use of market intelligence. The solution isnt just about pulling data from
various sources, but integrating it into your strategies and project plans effectively.
Sandler also notes that a different form of leadership is also needed, one that allows employees to run with
ideas. It requires being open to new possibilities and allowing employees to change existing approaches in
pursuit of new ones if business intelligence is providing the signals. She encourages leaders to allow
employees to explore opportunities through blue sky sessions and encourage them to rethink the status
quo. Using data intelligence as a springboard for creativity can be a continual source of inspiration.
Once you have the intelligence and ideas you need though, you still need to take action.
GEM #2
Intelligence + Decision-Making = Advantage
Whether its business or whether its war, you have to generate better information than your rivals do, analyze
that information and move quickly to turn strategic choices into decisive action.
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Data, like ideas, is worthless unless change can be created from it. Knowing how to analyze your data is one
thing, but being able to successfully initiate and implement change in your organization goes along with it.
Sandler emphasizes the need to build decision-making processes to allow you to take advantage of new
information and create new solutions ahead of your competitors.
Data can also be used as an early warning system, allowing you to anticipate where issues occur before they
become overwhelming. As Sandler notes, a resilient company anticipates crisis and objectively determines
what the consequences might be. In our world of disruptive change, resilience is a key competency for
survival and success.
I have increased the use of analytics with my clients over the past few years, and while I can safely say I have
never evoked war terminology in my work, I really connected with Sandlers passion for data intelligence, and
the higher-level thinking and outcomes it brings to your work. Wake Up or Die will help you build the strategies
you need to incorporate data intelligence and go boldly forward to conquer the business world. Harnessing
data and using it to solve problems and set new directions will give you a strong competitive advantage over
your enemies on the corporate battlefield.
Share your experience with optimizing data and intelligence in your war to win in the comments below . . .
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Good Strategy Bad Strategy
Summary written by: Jon Mertz
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Strategy is the craft of figuring out which purposes are both worth pursuing and capable of being
accomplished.
Good Strategy Bad Strategy, page 66
Leadership encompasses many elements, but crafting a good strategy may very well be at the top of the list.
And so begins our exploration of Richard P. Rumelts book, Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and
Why It Matters. Strategy gets a bad name, in some respects. Some may think about strategy as just an exercise
people with MBAs undertake. Others may reflect on all the bad strategies (ineffective, lacking clarity, one
dimensional, etc.) that they have been impacted by.
Strategy and leadership, though, are knitted tightly together and as well explore in this summary great
leaders understand that strategy is more than simply some words on paper.
Golden Egg
Good Strategy Needs a Kernel
A good strategy has an essential logical structure that I call the kernel. The kernel of a strategy contains three
elements: a diagnosis, a guiding policy, and coherent action.
The concept of a kernel is important, as it serves as the core of any good strategy. Although the quote makes it
sound easy, it is very challenging to develop a good strategy with a kernel at the center, containing the three
elements of a diagnosis, guiding policy, and coherent action. It is essential, however.
Diagnosis. Situations can be viewed and analyzed in different ways by different people. It is an unavoidable
fact. A good diagnosis tells a story of the critical elements and frames actions to be taken. If a diagnosis is just a
complex analysis or an explanation of the challenges, it has failed in its worth. It needs to lead to an approach
of how the situation can be addressed.
Selecting the right diagnosis, ultimately, is a judgment. There will always be a human element to this process.
Guiding Policy. Given the selected diagnosis, there is an approach of how to address it. Guiding policies are not
action steps, but they are the guardrails on what work needs to be done. Simply stated, a guiding policy
should facilitate focused actions.
Coherent Action. Diagnosis and guiding policy without coherent action is just a non-starter in making changes
or progress forward. Strategy needs action; it is the oxygen to make it come alive. Coherent actions are aligned
ones. Actions need to be coordinated and consistent between departments, flowing from the diagnosis and
operating within the guiding policy.
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This is what makes a strategy crisp and real. This is what makes it good.
GEM #1
Knowing What a Bad Strategy Is Helps Develop a Good One
Not miscalculation, bad strategy is the active avoidance of the hard work of crafting a good strategy. One
common reason for choices avoidance is the pain or difficulty of choice.
As important as it is to know what makes a strategy good, it is essential to understand what makes one bad.
Bad strategy can happen for two general reasons. The first is leadership, and the second is mistaken concepts
of what a strategy is.
Leadership needs to make choices and center the discussions on strategy. Unfortunately, leaders sometimes
work hard to avoid making tough choices. It can be painful, at times, to make these choices. The reality is that
not making the strategic choices can be more painful and harmful later on. Often, this avoidance can result in
leaders pursuing a template or a new thought strategy, sidestepping actually making the tough choices.
Flowery and boilerplate strategies are worthless and show a clear lack of leadership.
The lesson learned: Make the tough, painful choices. It is what leaders do to implement good strategy.
The other element is mistaken strategy. Mr. Rumelt outlines several traits of what constitutes a bad strategy:
Fluff
Failure to face the challenge
Taking goals for strategy
Ignoring critical issues or defining impractical or unfeasible objectives
The lesson learned: Avoid taking the easy road by just outlining platitudes. A good strategy needs a kernel, not
a lot of unnecessary glamour or shallow structure.
GEM #2
Give Up Self-Judgment
To generate a strategy, one must put aside the comfort and security of pure deduction and launch into the
murkier waters of induction, analogy, judgment, and insight.
Mr. Rumelt dedicates a complete section of the book to Sources of Power in developing a good strategy. They
include elements such as leverage, proximate objectives, focus, using design, and several others. Each element
has value in how to empower a strategy.
To select the right power requires us to think like a strategist. It sounds fundamentally simple, but this may
be the real power. Thinking it through can be done by using one or more of the following approaches:
Engage a panel of experts. This can be former leaders we have worked with, past professors, or other
experts. Essentially, we use this panel of experts to challenge our thoughts and the way we are
evaluating the situation and strategy. It is a panel of people, convened in our mind, to challenge us
and to raise the level of our thinking.
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Write it down. You can think about a strategy, think about the diagnosis, think about the guiding
policy, and think about the coherent actions. When we write it down, it becomes more real, and it
enables us to think more deeply about whether or not the strategy makes real sense.
Practice. It is one thing to read a book about strategy; it is a completely different thing to put it into
practice. Take a situation and map the kernel out. It is amazing what it will do for your organization
and leadership capabilities.
Good Strategy Bad Strategy is more than a business book. It is a methodical, realistic way to ensure we are
developing good strategies. We need to be a complete leader by stepping up to the challenge of developing a
good strategy and avoiding bad ones.
As highlighted in the book, take the observation of Harvard professor General Georges F. Doriot to heart:
Without action, the world would still be an idea.
It is now our turn. Lets take action from a good strategy.
reakonomics
Summary written by: Chris Taylor
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What do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers have in common? Why do Drug Dealers still live with their
moms? How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of Real-Estate Agents? Its these questions and others that Steven
Levitt and Stephen Dubner explore and answer in their ground breaking book Freakonomics. Stephen J.
Dubner is a self proclaimed rogue economist; an individual who believes that, since the science of
economics is primarily a set of tools, as opposed to a subject matter, then no subject, no matter how offbeat,
need be beyond its reach. (Freakonomics, page 12)
Armed with his set of analysis tools and aided by the literary skills of Levitt, Dubner challenges popular belief
on topics from crime to parenting. (Pop quiz: What is more deadly a swimming pool or a handgun?)
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While both he and Levitt put up a united front in claiming to have no specific focus to their book, the one
common underlying theme to the book in general can be summed up in two words Question Everything.
Golden Egg
X,Y and Z
Consider the folktale of the czar who learned that the most disease ridden province in his empire was also the
province with the most doctors. His solution? He promptly ordered all the doctors shot dead.
Freakonomics, page 8
One of the great takeaways from Freakonomics is the reminder that we need to question assumptions; those of
others and our own. Take the above statement as an example. If we look at it from an economists
perspective, we have two facts
Fact X: There is a province with a high rate of disease.
Fact Y: That same province has the highest number of doctors in it.
Is it so unreasonable that, without more information, you might assume that the doctors were causing the
disease. Rediculous? Sure it is, but only based on the fact that we know the doctors were probably sent there
to cure the disease. (rather than cause it) What we intuitively know in this case is the cause (x) and the effect
(Y). What about cases where the cause and effect are not so obvious? Or more dangerous yet, cases where we
think we intuitively know the answer.
The crime rate in New York City dropped after Mayor Giuliani and his Chief of Police implemented new,
ingenuous crime fighting tactics. Simple cause and effect? Levitt and Dubner would argue otherwise.
Innovative and modern policing strategies come from increased budgets. With increased budgets, the number
of officers on the force could (and did) increase as well, which is more likely to be part of the reason for the
reduced crime rate. As Levitt and Dubner show us, correlation does not always mean causality. Its important
to look at all the facts and possible reasons for something before jumping to conclusions. More often than not,
the true cause of something wasnt even considered in the initial conversation. For those who havent read
Freakonomics, how shocked would you be to learn that the true reason for the great drop in murder in the US
in the mid-90s had less to do with economy or policing strategies than with the legalization of abortion twenty
years earlier?
GEM #1
The Butterfly Effect
Our ability to affect the people and situations in the world around us wildly exceeds our comprehension.
In the mid 1990s, despite warnings that crime would spike dramatically in the United States, it quickly and
inexplicably dropped. And it dropped a lot. The popular media opinion for the decline varied from source to
source, with some of the top explanations including innovative policing strategies, stronger enforced gun-
control and a strong economy. (page 108-9)
Contrary to what the media may have said at the time, Levitt and Dubner build an irrefutable case that in fact it
was the 1973 Supreme Court Case, Roe vs Wade that had more of an impact on the drop in crime in the 1990s
than all other supposed factors combined. How could such a thing be possible? And, perhaps as importantly,
why did no one in the media pick up on it?
The how is pretty logical, once its explained:
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Decades of study have shown that a child born into an adverse family environment is far more likely than
other children to become a criminal. And the millions of women most likely to have an abortion in the wake of
Roe v. Wade poor, unmarried, and teenage mothers for whom illegal abortions had been too expensive or
hard to get were often models of adversity.
Freakonomics, page 4
In a very crude nutshell, mothers know if their child is going to be raised in a positive environment or not. The
1.6 million abortions in 1980 alone consisted of a high percentage of would-be-at-risk-children that simply
never existed in the mid 90s, when they would have been entering their criminal years.
As an aside, for those who may be offended by the candid conversation of abortions, Levitt reassures us
Freakonomics simply doesnt traffic in morality (page 190). Morality, it could be argued, represents the way
people would like the world to work whereas economics represents how it actually does work. (page 11)
So that may explain how, but that brings us to our next question why is it that not a single media source
throughout the 90s was able to come to the conclusion, or even hazard a guess that abortion could have been
a cause for the decrease in crime? We could hypothesize that no one looked at the situation in the same way
as Levitt. If that is the case, then this acts as a great reminder that a fresh perspective and some distance from
the situation can provide amazing insights even after the experts have reached all the logical conclusions.
Lets consider the very real possibility for a moment though that someone, even just one person over the last
10 + years, did come to the conclusion that the legalization of abortion caused a severe drop in crime 20 years
later. Why might they have chosen not to publish their theories and/or findings?
GEM #2
The Human Condition: Understanding Incentives
Heres something to keep in mind, whether you choose to use it in motivating yourself or those around you
there are three basic flavors of incentive: economic, social, and moral.
(Freakonomics, page 17)
In their most basic form, the incentives work like this:
Economic there may be a financial cost to doing wrong (losing your job, being fined, being sued, etc.)
Social the risk of being judged poorly by their peers is a powerful deterrent.
Moral Guilt, personal code and social upbringing have wired us to understand that some things are wrong.
Any anxiety or distaste you may have felt during the abortion discussion tie nicely into understanding
incentives. If you pretend you are a reporter in 1994 who stumbled upon the same findings as Levitt did in
regards to the effect of abortion on crime rates, you may have withheld the information for either of the latter
two types of incentive. Perhaps its concern for public outrage, or your own personal feelings towards
abortion.
While we wont spend a lot of time on the topic of incentives, its worth remembering that the three basic
flavors, that is economic, social and moral, work in both directions. While many employers still attempt to
motivate their staff through strictly financial gains, its important to realize that social (ie. public recognition)
and moral (ie. Letting them know how much theyve benefitted the company) can also be extremely powerful.
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Freakonomics is so engaging, so enjoyable and refreshing, its been an exhausting and yet rewarding challenge
to capture its essence in this brief discussion. In summary Ill say this Freakonomics is more than interesting
stories, its a breath of fresh air into the stereotypically stale world of economics. Levitt and Dubner show us
that any situation can be re-invigorated through fresh eyes, and that it truly pays to challenge the easy
assumption. In a sense, what they really teach us what its like to be a 5 year old again, albeit a 5 year old with
a Harvard PHD.
0 comments

Presence
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Summary written by: Peter Taylor
"Presence, as I mean it, is the state of being attuned to and being able to comfortably express our true
thoughts, feelings, value and potential. Thats it. It is not a permanent, transcendent mode of being. It comes
and goes."
- Presence, page 24
Presence is confidence without arrogance.
Amy Cuddy has achieved the seemingly difficult task of outlining scientific research in an inspirational and
exquisitely written book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, where her powerful
storytelling and well documented research begin to question many outdated psychological concepts.
We all suffer from insecurities; lacking the power to appear confident during stressful situations, sometimes
after traumatic experiences. Cuddy discusses a new way at looking at mind-body connection that is both
fascinating and inspirational, but also powerful and easily applicable to all of us. Developing presence gives us
the skills to improve our lives profoundly and Cuddy eloquently discusses techniques to enable us to become
more powerful and free of anxiety.
The Golden Egg
Power position and the iHunch
"The self can, presumably be anything you want it to be. It can even be new, but that doesn't make it insincere
or inauthentic. It suggests that you can think of yourself in a certain way and then take steps to bring that self
into existence."- Presence, page 181
Cuddy discusses the effect that powerlessness has on our psyche. It makes us unwilling to face challenges and
retreat into ourselves and, naturally, our bodies, clasping our hands: crossing our arms, crouching and taking up
the least amount of space we possibly can. When we feel powerful, for instance after winning an athletic event,
we tend to raise our arms and extend our bodies, which is referred to as the power position.
Cuddys research has developed this observation by switching this concept on its head and trying to answer
whether feelings and behaviours can be bidirectional. In other words, can we become more powerful by
changing our body postures and vice versa, can we behave less powerfully after assuming weak poses? The
research has demonstrated unequivocally that this is indeed the case. Furthermore, hormones, cortisol and
testosterone levels significantly altered after simple priming experiments. Subjects were asked to adapt body
posture changes in a positive manner (power positions) and negative (low power positions). The New Zealand
rugby team, world cup winners, take power posing to an ultimate level with the pre match haka: a chest
thumping, thigh slapping display of dominance and power building. They have been almost unbeatable for
several decades.
The salient point, I believe, is that we both need not only to consider taking up power positions before and
during stressful events, but more importantly we as a society need to stop assuming low power positions
because we do them constantly. Classic low power poses are now the norm in public places, at least in Western
society, where everyone is huddled over their smartphones or the equivalent, which Cuddy calls the iHunch. If
you want to feel more powerful and connected, put away your phone, straighten yourself out and expand your
stance, at least every hour.
Gem #1
Self-nudging behaviours
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"Self-nudges are minimal modifications to one's own body language and/or mindset that are intended to
produce small psychological and behavioural improvements in the moment. They are tiny tweaks with the
potential to, over time, lead to big changes."- Presence, page 256
As many of us are aware, New Years resolutions nearly always fail, mainly because they are too ambitious or
are based on negative behaviours. Cuddy advocates baby steps, or self-nudges, to improve our presence.
Considering the notion that our behaviour reinforces our behaviour in multiple ways, we initially need to
change and reflect on our previous courageous behaviours when we are faced with stressful situations and
reinforce our internal belief.
Self-nudging is only in its infancy, psychologically speaking, but could include the following:
Adapt power pose behaviours to avoid mind-mind negative self-talk.

Dress to feel comfortable or to achieve a role, e.g. donning a doctors coat.
Make small scale commitment to achieve a bigger goal, such as going for small runs instead of
chastising yourself for not running at all.
Switch from a self-defeating anxiety state where you begin to tell yourself to calm down to one of
belief of being excited. Imagine approaching situations with confidence and excitement instead of
dread and anxiety, imagine feeling free of ridicule and judgement and being satisfied you did your
best.
Self-nudging can also be used in education. Simply reading a passage about personality not being set
in stone as opposed to reading about athletic malleability markedly reduces depression levels in
teenage children.
Imagine yourself in the future and approach investment/financial decisions after viewing an age
enhanced picture of yourself.
Self-nudges work because pleasure builds on pleasure, power upon power and presence upon presence.
Gem #2
Owning your story
"I take a pragmatic view: the authentic self is an experiencea state, not a trait. I think of it as the
experience of knowing and feeling that you're being your most sincere and courageous self."- Presence, page
43
Many people struggle with depression and self-doubt, or even the impostor syndrome. Self-affirmation
theories have been discussed before; when we get to a deeper part of self-affirmation, our core values and
truly understand them and what they mean to us, we have a powerful technique of developing more presence.
Cuddy suggests asking yourself four questions:
What three words describe you as an individual?

What is unique about you that leads to your happiest times?
Reflect on times when you were acting in a way that felt natural and right. How can you repeat that
behaviour today?
What are your signature strengths and how can we use them?
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We must trust and believe our story implicitly. If you dont then who will?
Cuddy discusses research where subjects performed better after spending time reflecting on and or perhaps
writing about who they think they are. Its about clarifying your story to yourself and allowing you to trust that
the real you will come through naturally.
An actionable step for business is to get potential employees to discuss their authentic best selves with other
inductees as well as other employees.
By finding, believing, expressing and engaging our best selvesespecially right before our biggest challenges
we reduce our anxiety about social rejection and increase our capacity to be open to others.
0 comments

Reading the Room
Summary written by: Ronni Hendel-Giller
"The title of this book refers to a priceless leadership skill: the ability to read the room to understand whats
going on as people communicate in small groupswhen the conversation is moving forward, when it may be
just about to leave the rails, and possibly even how to guide it back on course."
- Reading the Room, page 1
Years ago I heard about David Kantors 4-player model and was intrigued. It sounded like a helpful way to get
below the surface of the conversation to the dynamics in the room. Until recently it was hard to learn more
about this model. Reading the Room remedies thatand provides access to the broader body of Kantors work
especially as it applies to leadership. Kantor focuses on the underlying structures at play in personal and
team dynamics. As you read, you craft a behavioral profile based on your typical moves and mindsets.
Throughout the book we get to see how this works within a fictional leadership team. We observe as the CEO
and his team work through both low and high stakes challenges.
Kantors does not shy away from the very personal. He believes that our childhood stories are deeply relevant
to the way we lead and who we are as leadersand, therefore, need to be surfaced. This creates some
unusually explicit reading for a business book. We learn about the relationships that the leadership team has
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with their significant others and about their childhood challenges and traumas. Confronting these stories is, for
Kantor, an important part of growing as leaders in the workplaceand as humans in all aspects of our lives.
The Golden Egg
Intuition Can Be Taught
"structural dynamics asserts that beneath style and content there exist deeper universal structure of how
conversations proceed problems in face-to-face communication are often due to the unseen influence of this
deeper, invisible structure. Once the structure is made visible, individuals can learn to observe and even change
it."- Reading the Room, page 6-7
Each of the levels of Kantors 4-level model adds a different dimension to what we can observe in a room,
under the surface. As we explore these levels, we can actually learn to be intuitiveto become one of those
people who reads the room.
Each of us has a typical way of behaving at each level of the model. By seeing our typical behaviors, we can see
where we can expand our rangeand how our propensity to act in a certain way can bump up against
someone with a very different way of acting. We can adapt our behavior (expand our range) and we can also
make our behavior and theirs explicit if we all share this vocabulary. At worst, we can understand why things
are stuck.
The foundational level is the action stance we adopt. This is all about what our words are doing in the
conversationmoving things forward, pushing back, supporting or observing. The second level is the domains
of communicationwhich reflect more about why we speak upwhats important to us: feeling, meaning or
getting things done. These levels will be covered as the GEMs of this summary.
The third level is our operating systemwhether we tend towards using an open, closed or random system.
Each suggests different expectations around feedback and boundarieswhile we wont explore these here
they further build the model.
Finally, underlying these three levels is our own childhood story which informs how we came to be the people
we are and how we respond in any given situation.
Gem #1
The Basic Moves: The 4-player model
"Whether there are two people or twenty people in a room, each and every speech act they make can be
categorized as either a move, follow, oppose or bystand."- Reading the Room, page 23
I seem to find myself in a particular conversation often. I put an idea forthmy conversation partner pushes
back. I try again, he pushes back again. It gets exhausting. Turns out, I am by nature a strong mover and my
partner is very comfortable opposing. Were stuck in this dynamic. Similarly, when I led an organization, I was
such a strong mover that I left little opportunity for others to move and they were almost always following or
opposing. And, because none of us were great bystanders, there was no one to notice what was happening in
the conversation and help us gain insight, redirect, learn together.
Since learning about this model, Ive noted some of these dynamics and made subtle shifts. Ive been playing
with action stances that dont come so comfortably. Ive realized that as a coach (a piece of what I do when not
writing these summaries,) I need to be more of a bystander and follower than a mover or opposeso I need to
build those moves in my repertoire.
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I hope that these examples give you a sense of how these four action stances work and how they support our
ability to read the room. The Kantor Institute has built a simple app that allows you to do a mini-assessment of
your action stances. Its a cursory introductionand a good place to start.
Gem #2
Why We Speak: The Domains of Communication
"The space in which we each focus our language is connected to a deep inner sense of what matters."- Reading
the Room, page 50
In any conversation, people not only speak using a particular move, that move is rooted in their commitment to
what matter most. These can be boiled down to three domains. If you operate in the affect domain, what
matters most is intimacy, relationship and feelings. In the meaning domain, what matter most is
understanding, new ideas and truth. In the power domain, you are focused on getting things done.
Because I tend towards the meaning domain, I can frustrate people in the power domain who just want to
get it doneand often feel uncomfortable with those who operate from affectit can be a bit too touchy feely.
Combine action stance and affectand you can start seeing how much is happening in the room. And you can
begin to see how adding additional levels makes this even richer!
There is a much more in this book than can be covered in a brief summaryit represents a fifty-year career.
After exploring the structural model, Kantor guides the reader in building their own leadership and
organizational practice models. There are extensive tools supporting those sectionsI intend to use those
related to building your personal and organizational narrative purpose.
At the same time, this is not an easy bookI was more than a bit overwhelmed by how much is here and
struggled to keep the thread as I read and tried to assimilate what I was reading. As mentioned earlier, I found
the explicit stories jarring and at times uncomfortable. And, I appreciated being challengedwhich this book
certainly did.
If you read the bookdo share your thoughts. If you take the assessmentshare your experience with that as
well!
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The Heart of Coaching
Summary written by: Jennifer Fitzgerald Hansen
"The Transformational Coaching process provides a useful framework to guide performance coaching
discussions in ways that open up communications and build trust. It also creates a powerful commitment to
mutual learning and partnership for discovering the next best steps."
- The Heart of Coaching, page 15
At its core, the process in Thomas G. Cranes The Heart of Coaching consists of three parts: the foundation, the
feedback loop and the forwarding-the-action phase. Not too much, right? And yet so much more! Crane takes
each phase and breaks it down into his most basic steps. Each chapter represents a sub-section in the coaching
cycle which at its base is a series of powerful communication tools to help develop individuals as well as
advance organizational change.
The Golden Egg
The Heart of the Process
"It is clear that if we are to shift people's behaviours, we must ultimately shift their underlying beliefs."- The
Heart of Coaching, page 40
Crane has studied at great length the strengths and limitations [especially the limitations] of other coaching
models to come up with the basis for his model. He distinguishes his method of coaching based on nine
principles:
1. It is data driven.
2. It is performance focused.
3. It is relationship focused.
4. It is slower, not faster.
5. It requires dialogue.
6. It requires more heart.
7. It requires humility.
8. It requires balance.
9. It requires self-responsibility.
The Transformational Coaching Paradigm is one in which feedback flows up, down and sideways throughout
an organization. No longer is coaching a top down approach that allows for the boss to coach or, in most cases,
tell a direct report what to do or how to think. This is true empowerment at its core. Cranes method allows
for a working environment of growth and fulfillment, that provides creative choices that allow for a sense of
personal ownership, an opportunity to contribute to significant goals where employees are treated with
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honesty and coaches both challenge and support accomplishments. Wow! I want to work for an organization
that follows these coaching guidelines!
Gem #1
A coach is very different from a boss!
"A coach acts as a guide by challenging and supporting people in achieving their personal and organizational
performance objectives. If this is done as a trusted learning partner, people feel helped by the coach and the
process ... help is only help if it's perceived as help."- The Heart of Coaching, page 31
The idea that a coach [boss/superior] is equal to the subordinate [employee] is truly transformational! The
altering of traditional job descriptions changes the entire process of coaching; both behaviours and
relationships. Built on mutual trust and respect, the end results are more resourceful and creative as well as
being more likely to last. No fast fixes that last a short time when old behaviours become easier to fall back on.
The longevity of new modifications is a result of true change based on working with emotional intelligence and
self responsibility. By [engaging] in candid respectful coaching conversations with one another unrestricted
by reporting relationships they can improve their working relationships and individual and collective work
performance.
Instead of having a boss, Crane suggests what is needed instead is a leader. Crane combines and identifies five
roles that should be the core of business leadership: visionary, servant [to serve others within their
organization], coach, facilitator and role model. These positions have overlapping responsibilities and they can
be trimmed down to training, counseling, confronting, and mentoring. His vision of applied leadership
creates what he describes as a feedback-rich environment to develop and improve staff.
Gem #2
Words really do make a difference!
"Coaches need to heighten their awareness and sensitivity to the words they use, becoming aware of the
emotional energy and the impact they have on people ... a single word can change an attitude."- The Heart of
Coaching, page 97
Crane writes an entire chapter on Coaching Language and another on Coaching Through Dialogue to
demonstrate to the reader how words influence, build up or tear down, the relationships we have with others.
It was a fascinating look at how the listeners expectations change depending on the speakers words, words
which we often think are synonymous and yet are not really and therefore can have potentially disastrous
results.
Using inclusive language, we or I as opposed to you, helps to build a collaborative and trusting relationship and
may go a long way to diminish the defensive mechanism individuals use to resist coaching. Crane uses
examples of should vs. could; but vs. and; try vs. will to demonstrate his point that we as coaches need to
be very conscientious of the words we choose and the effects they have on others. As well, the use of jargon
can potentially confuse and disrupt the coaching cycle by setting up a sense of exclusivity or elitism. Simpler is
better; common language facilitates understanding by more people.
Crane discusses the importance of reframing situations for clients and points to this skill as being key for
successful coaches. Taking common words such as always and never and instead using sometimes, or taking
cant as wont or, my favourite, removing the word mistakes and in its place using the word learning.
These seemingly small changes will potentially have huge windfalls for both the coach and client.
According to Crane, gone are the days when business coaches direct or lecture, know all the answers, trigger
insecurities using fear and/or point to all the errors. Instead, the new coach supports, listens, engages in
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dialogue, stimulates creativity and facilitates by empowering. What a wonderful environment for both personal
as well as organizational growth!
I found this book so chock full of wisdom that it was very difficult to come up with just the few mentioned in
this summary. I believe if you are interested in taking the next step in your coaching role, whether as a full time
coach or as merely to add a line in your job description, this is the book for you. You will come away with many
insights, new tips and techniques to take your coaching skills to the next level.
The following quote from Eddie Robinson, Head Football Coach at Grambling University, opens one of the
chapters and I think speaks to the heart of coaching: Coaching is a profession of love. You cant coach people
unless you love them. So my question to you is do you love your staff and/or clients enough to read and
implement the coaching skills in this book?
0 comments

Flawless Consulting
Summary written by: Amy Bontrager
"When you dont have direct control over people and yet want them to listen to you and heed your advice, you
are face-to-face with the consultants dilemma."
- Flawless Consulting, page 1-2
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The third edition of Peter Blocks Flawless Consulting comes a decade after the second edition. Most will agree
that since then there have been change and new challenges that consultants face. Block addresses what the
new generation of consultants may experience in the field. The book walks the reader through five phases of
consulting and how to apply best practices. Block provides ideas of smarter questions to ask and how to deal
with a difficult client. He also shares insight on how to identify when a contract may not be in the best interest
of a consultant. These are useful tips for newer consultants who are eager to gain clients, as well as season
consultants who apply outdated practices. His ability to use illustrations and exercises helps support the
concepts throughout the text. His approach is twofold, based on authentic relationships and doing the right
work at the right time. In a business world that moves fast, Flawless Consulting is refreshing because it gets
back to the focus of human relationships and providing a product that will benefit and sustain the client. The
book could easily be a go to guide for those in the consulting field.
The Golden Egg
Keep consulting simple and focus on two dimensions
"Consulting can seem vague and overly complicated when in fact it is possible to consult without error and to
do so quite simply."- Flawless Consulting, page 37
The consultant must focus on two dimensions whenever they are interacting with the client. First is to build an
authentic relationship with the customer. Consultants should be honest and articulate their experiences with
the customer. The second dimension is to be knowledgeable about what needs to happen during each phase of
the project and ensuring that the phase is completed before moving on. Block lays out the phases as follows:
Contracting, Discovery and Inquiry, Feedback and the Decision to Act, and Engagement and Implementation. By
keeping this in the forefront as the consultant is interacting with the client, Block believes the consultant can
prevent making mistakes. Block is not saying there may not be struggles, rather by applying these concepts it
will help the consultant keep their integrity as well as provide the best application of their consultant efforts.
Gem #1
The Art of Being Authentic
"The authentic responses focus on the relationship between the consultant and the client and force the client
to give importance to the consultants role and wants for the project."- Flawless Consulting, page 40
I appreciate this concept of being authentic in all facets of life and how great to apply it in consultant
relationships. Instead of trying to impress a customer with clever ways to present ideas, put more energy into
building trust with the customer. At the point a customer seeks support outside their organization, it is most
likely they have tried everything in their knowledge to resolve the issue. Therefore they can be vulnerable and
stressed. They want someone that will have their and the organizations best interests in mind. The more the
trust the client has in their consultant the more leverage that consultant will have within the project. In
addition, the client will be more willing to commit to what the consultant develops for the organization. With
all that said being authentic is a simple behavior. It literally is putting into words what one feels and or has
experienced. Do not get caught up in misleading your customer just to appease them. Its a bad practice and in
the long term will fail. Find your authentic space and use it with customer relationships.
Gem #2
Knowing the right steps at the right time
"By not confronting the tasks of each phase, we are left with accumulating unfinished business that comes back
to haunt us."- Flawless Consulting, page 45
Knowing what to do and when to do it seems simple but can easily be lost. How often during a project a
consultant get distracted by a line managers agendas or be pushed by the customer to move ahead before its
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time. It is an important skill to be mindful of when hiredeven if it goes against what the customer is pushing.
Block stresses throughout the book this very important factor of flawless consulting. For example, if a
consultant and client skip ahead and do not lay out their wants until two months into the contract or not at all,
it could lead to disaster later. It is important at the beginning that expectations are well known by both sides.
When tasks are not completed in the proper phase it will hang around and effect the outcome of the project.
Laying down this foundation at the beginning will set the tone of what to expect from the customer throughout
the project. Consultants should get in the practice of laying out the steps to complete a project successfully and
ensure the client buys in to move forward successfully.
Consultation can be tricky and some in the business are so preoccupied with getting projects that they lose
sight of building a quality workload. They make mistakes and create frustration that is avoidable. Flawless
Consulting lays out the steps and addresses how to work through the issues that arise and how to read the
customer. I believe the text gives a holistic approach of how to be an effective consultant. The concepts can
lead to stronger client-consultant relationships and stronger skill sets in creating solutions for customers. Much
of a consultants work is based on relationships and results. This book gives clarity of how to approach the
customer and create a successful track record for consultants. Its a great book for the growing consulting field
and those that find they use consultants for their organizations.
Summaries
0 comments

Finding Your Element
Summary written by: Jennifer Knighton
Finding your Element is a quest to find yourselfit is a two-way journey: an inward journey to explore what
lies within you and an outward journey to explore opportunities in the world around you.
Finding Your Element, page 5
Finding Your Element is a deeply introspective guide to your talents, passions, preferences and goals. Based
upon his bestselling book, The Element, Ken Robinson outlines an intensive journey that will help each of us
discover our own Element.
Robinson provides a series of guided exercises to evaluate your current life, review what activities and ideas
give you energy, and ultimately to identify your unique contribution to the world. While the bulk of this work is
personal and intimate, the author outlines key behaviors that will help anyone dig deeper into their inner
workings to identify and harness their Element.
Golden Egg
Three Elemental Principals
Being in your Element is where your natural aptitudes meet your passions. (Click to Tweet!)
The process of discovering ones Element is more like a quest than a 10-step program highly individualized,
introspective, and challenging. Robinson reminds us of the unifying factor for this journey: the simple miracle
of our existence. And his three principles set the stage for our quest.
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Principal #1: Your life is unique. Theres no one in the world precisely like you, nor is there anyone else living
your life.
Principal #2: You create your own life. What sets human beings apart from the rest of natureis that human
beings have immense natural powers of imagination and creativity.
Principal #3: Life is organic. [L]ife is a constant process of improvisation between interests and personality on
the one hand and circumstances and opportunities on the other.
GEM #1
Wheres Your Tribe
Connecting with people who share your Element can have tremendous benefits for you and for them
affirmation, guidance, collaboration and inspiration.
The value of finding your tribe(s) cannot be understated. The members of your tribe offer validation and
encouragement, but finding yourself in the wrong tribe sucks the life out of you. Robinson encourages us to
try a tribe on for size. Spend time with other people with differing interests, seek opportunities you may
never have considered, and look for others who are doing what you think might be your passion. Getting to
know the culture of a tribe can help you determine your Element, as well as the ways in which you prefer to
engage your Element.
GEM #2
Whats Your Attitude
Whether you see the cup half empty or half full is often a matter of choice and experience. (Click to Tweet!)
Citing Carol Dwecks research, Robinson reminds us that our mindset, dispositions, and attitudes have a
significant effect on what we achieve in life. In fact, individuals with a growth mindset (versus a fixed mindset)
believe that they can change and grow. The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it even, or
especially, when its not going well is the hallmark of the growth mindset. So too, finding your Element is
frequently the result of your attitude and persistence.
Its important to remember that identifying your Element is an extremely personalized process. Finding your
tribe and having a positive mindset are only a couple of the strategies outlined in Finding Your Element, but
they resonated with me as key to determining if your current state (in work and life) is fulfilling or draining. If
youd like to delve deeper, pick up a copy of Finding Your Element and work through the exercises outlined in
its pages. Youll be glad you did.
Have you found your Element? Is it something you always just knew? or did it take a while to discover? What
activities have helped you to get there?
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Strategic Story Telling

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Strategic Storytelling

Summary written by: Chris Reynolds

- Strategic Storytelling, page vi

The Golden Egg

There is a Best Way to Tell your Story Effectively

"Use the Approach-Findings-Implications framework for informative presentations."- Strategic Storytelling,

Explore Variations on the Framework

Engage your Audience with Intelligent, Authentic Conversation

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Summary written by: Lutfiyya Dhalla

- Innovation and Entrepreneurship, page 30

The Golden Egg

Entrepreneurs Search for, Respond to and Exploit Change as an Opportunity

1. Innovation is purposeful and a discipline

The Seven Main Sources of Innovation

3. Innovation based on process need

4. Changes in industry structure or market structure that catch everyone unaware

6. Changes in perception, mood, or meaning

7. New knowledge, both scientific and nonscientific

3. To be effective, be simple and be focused.

1. Dont try to be clever: aim at ordinary human beings.

3. Dont innovate for the future: innovate for the present!

Treat Entrepreneurship as a Duty

3. Entrepreneurial management requires specific practices pertaining to organizational structure, to

4. There are some DONTs in entrepreneurial management

The three core fundamental DONTs that Drucker advises are:

Do not mix managerial units and entrepreneurial ones.

Summary written by: Justin Gasbarre

The Golden Egg

No bad teams, only bad leaders

Discipline Equal Freedom The Dichotomy of Leadership

Confident but not cocky

Competitive but a gracious loser

Attentive to details but not obsessed by them

Strong but have endurance

A leader and a follower

Humble not passive

Aggressive not overbearing

Quiet not silent

Calm but not robotic, logical but not devoid of emotions

Ive Got Your Back

Summary written by: Carolyn B. Thompson

"Leadership is really a particular form of followership."

- Ive Got Your Back, page 1

The Golden Egg

Creating a successful leadership model

Why care about being a good follower?

Summary written by: Bill Stadick

- Team of Teams, page 20

This is a book about unlearning and unleashing.

The Golden Egg

Complex Systems Require Gardeners, Not Chess Masters

They Need to Know

Eyes On, Hands Off

And thats where empowered execution came into play.

Summary written by: Erin Gordon

- The Hidden Leader, page xi

1. Hidden leaders are energy and innovation powerhouses within an organization.

1. Identify hidden leaders and those who have potential.

The Golden Egg

Would you like fries with that?

Enthusiasm for Work

Being a champion of change

On Your Mark. Get Set. Go!