PrimeGenesis Blog
Survival Guide for Avon CEO Sherilyn McCoy and Other Change Agents
There’s no doubt that Avon Products must embrace change. Sherilyn McCoy was just named company CEO (see “Avon Names Sherilyn McCoy As New CEO”) and will need to be the change agent. Her experience at Johnson & Johnson equips her to lead those changes, but the question is what she must do to survive.
Here’s the dirty little secret about heroes and change agents: most don’t survive to enjoy the changes they create. This goes all the way back to Hercules, who was poisoned on the way home. It continues today, epitomized by Steve Jobs’ first stint at Apple , kicked out of the very company he started.
The answer lies in how McCoy converges and evolves into the organization. She will fail if she tries to lead the changes all by herself. If she truly partners with others to achieve change, they can succeed together.
Perspective on The Importance of Non-Monetary Ways of Value Capture
Some perspective on value capture as a euphemism for price. It’s incomplete. Value can be exchanged in non-monetary ways as well. This is particularly important as leaders think about compensating their team members as individuals value non-monetary things as well as monetary rewards.
Evolutionary, Revolutionary or Blended Innovation: Which is Right for Your Organization?
Evolutionary, revolutionary and blended innovation all work. Each is right – for different organizations and different contexts.
If you are a start up on the cutting edge with not much ranch to bet, go for it. Revolutionize the world. If you don’t, you won’t get noticed.
If you are Apple and your ranch is built on revolutionary innovations, keep going. Stick with the attitude that made you successful in the first place.
If you are a large, successful company with a big ranch and a culture not prone to revolutionary innovation, stick with evolutionary innovation – especially if you’re in commodity category where you have to manage costs.
If you can blend evolution and revolution, and are prepared to invest to do so at a level comparable to P&G, the blended approach may work for you.
They all work, but not at the same time. Pick the one that’s right for your situation, business model and organization.
Warning: Early Wins for New Leaders Can be Counterproductive
Team wins beat individual wins because teams beat individuals. Individual wins by leaders in the process of converging into a culture can be counterproductive because they can make other team members feel inadequate or threatened.
Team wins later on, while the team is evolving and the leader is building support, build team confidence.
This is a good example of step 8 of The New Leader’s Playbook: Over-invest in Early Wins to Build Team Confidence
Early wins are all about credibility and confidence. People have more faith in people who have delivered. You want your boss to have confidence in you. You want team members to have confidence in you, in themselves, and in the plan for change that has emerged. Early wins fuel that confidence.
“Freemium” is the New Sampling
Central Park foliage photo-walk, Nov 2009 - 46 (Photo credit: Ed Yourdon) Even if you’re not familiar with the word “freemium”, you know what it is. Freemium - Get part free. Pay for enhancements. Freemium gets you started with a product...
Want Cultural Change to Stick? Change The Way You Operate
You can start a cultural change with organizational changes or strategic changes. But until the operations change, nothing will stick. This is often the most difficult part of the change process because operations involve ingrained habits, practices, and systems. This is where the sacred cows hang out. This is the domain of long-tenured employees – who have seen change agents come and go.
But fear not; it can be done. Don’t give up. Find the chinks in the armor. Find the ambiguities and drive your cultural change right through them. It’s worth the effort because corporate culture is the only truly sustainable competitive advantage.
Equifax’s Andy Bodea provides a great example of how to do this. He leveraged the revolution in the technological environment as his platform for change, worked with his team to envision a more effective and efficient reality, and drove the steps in his call to action relentlessly over time.
The results have been terrific: a world-class integrated data platform, expanded consumer and customer databases, online, self-service systems, strengthened product fulfillment, new ways of onboarding customers more quickly, and cultural acceptance of a shared services model leading to 13 consecutive quarters of double-digit million dollar annual operating margins. Equifax’s credit score is strong!
The Only Three Interview Questions You’ll Ever Need?
Early wins too early in onboarding can be counter-productive
Image by Getty Images via @daylife What do Kansas basketball player Tyshawn Taylor, Giants football player Ahmad Bradshaw, and executives onboarding into new roles have in common? The need to overcome their instincts and training to score whenever they can....
How Leaders Can Inspire Action through Compelling Storytelling
Great communication changes people. It changes the way they feel. It changes what they do. The secret to inspiring others is connecting an idea or a vision with a hope or a need. Great communicators leverage their message and story in one way or another to make a connection and compel change.
HOPEHIV’s Phil Wall inspired the audience at QlikTech’s annual meeting in January (which I attended). Phil told his story. But his story wasn’t about him. It was about the orphans and vulnerable young people that his charity helps in Africa. It was about the people that do the helping and about the people that raise the money to help. The 1,100 attendees at that meeting were compelled to action.
Phil’s story had the three essential elements of compelling communication:
A platform for change that resonated with the crowd
A vision of a brighter future to which everyone related
A call to action that people accepted
Three Steps to a Compelling Message
Compelling messages rarely appear out of thin air. Messages that make a real impact are the result of a lot of hard work, even though some business leaders and politicians seem to be able to create messages like magic. For the rest of us:
1. Depict the platform for change
2. Create a vision of a brighter future for your audience
3. Lay out a call to action
No one is going to change their attitudes or behaviors until they a) believe they can not keep doing what they were doing (inertia and fear of the unknown are powerful forces), b) see themselves in a better future, and c) know how they can be part of the solution. All three pieces must be in place for them to change and you must connect with your audience before they will even hear what you say. In particular, proactively converge and evolve when onboarding into a new role.