Posts Tagged ‘resilience’

Richard Martin’s Morning Brilliant Manoeuvre — 29 April 2013

Posted: April 29, 2013 in Brilliant Manoeuvres, Business, Enterprise Robustness, Leadership, Leadership Principles, Management, Military Lessons, Monday Morning Brilliant Manoeuvres, Personal Development
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Brilliant Manoeuvre
Morale is critical, but we must also acknowledge and understand all of the components that go into forging an effective organization.

Discussion
The subject of morale often comes up in my work with clients. Unfortunately, there is a very superficial understanding of the concept. As I’ve said before, morale is the willingness to fight and persevere, to make sacrifices to achieve victory or one’s corporate aims. People often confuse morale with other the other main components of organizational dynamics, such as mood, cohesion, and unity of purpose. They all go together, but are all different in focus and purpose. When we add the effects of leadership, we can get a much fuller picture of how to build an effective organization that can perform beyond expectations.

Questions
You can assess the morale in your organization through the following questions:

  • Do people have hope of better days or constant improvement? Are they optimistic or pessimistic?
  • Are your people making plans with themselves in the picture, or are they trying to abandon ship?
  • Do they waste a lot of time or do they focus on ways to continually improve the organization and its performance?

Richard Martin is a consultant, speaker, and executive coach. He brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to exploit change, maximize opportunity, and minimize risk.

© 2013 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.

Richard Martin’s Monday Morning Brilliant Manoeuvres – 22 April 2013

Posted: April 22, 2013 in Brilliant Manoeuvres, Business Continuity, Contingency Planning, Crisis Leadership, Enterprise Robustness, Ethics, Exploiting Change, Geopolitics, Leadership, Leadership Principles, Military Lessons, Monday Morning Brilliant Manoeuvres, Never Fight Fair, Personal Development, Strategy
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Brilliant Manoeuvre
No one can predict the future, much to the chagrin of many economists and financial theorists and their media acolytes, who prefer assumptions of perfect knowledge and decision-making in all circumstances.

Discussion
I’m breaking my deliberate policy of not commenting on political issues this week in order to comment on reactions to the Boston Marathon bombings last Monday. My personal opinion is that the response of government and law enforcement agencies at all levels has been brilliant in the circumstances. However, there are already Monday Morning Quarterbacks saying that the government overreacted by shuttingn down Boston on Friday and part of Saturday. The problem is that the ones responsible for making these decisions can only plan and act based on information available at the time and the factors they felt they needed to consider. Just throwing out there that they overreacted without knowing those things is pure speculation based on specious counterfactuals or a personal hobby horse. If there is something I learned from a 26-year military career and my study of military strategy and history, it is that decisions that can look sub-optimal in hindsight may have been the best at the time given the circumstances of friction, uncertainty, and the fog of war. In this particular case, only a full after-action review will permit the systemic learning to occur. Saying it was an overreaction is nothing but pure hindsight bias.

Tip
The more complex and risky the undertaking, the more likely that friction will wreak havoc. We must compensate by building robustness, resiliency and redundancy into our plans and systems.

From the Vault
A Superb Example of Crisis Leadership in Action

By the way…
My ideas were featured in the March 25th Globe and Mail: A military approach to business.

Richard Martin is a consultant, speaker, and executive coach. He brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to exploit change, maximize opportunity, and minimize risk.

© 2013 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.

Richard Martin Video at Rotman on How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles

Posted: January 21, 2013 in Announcements, Brilliant Manoeuvres, Business, Entrepreneurship, Exploiting Change, Leadership, Leadership Principles, Military Lessons, Opportunity, Innovation and Adaptation, Personal Development, Speaking Events, Strategy, Video
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Richard gave a speech on 31 October 2012 at Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto) on How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles. The speech was based on Richard’s book, Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles. In the speech, Richard gives his most detailed explanation yet of the timeless military principle of “following the path of least resistance” and how that applies in competitive strategy, motivation and influence, and organizational leadership.

View the video of the entire speech here.

I spoke to Queen’s University MBA Students on 3 December 2012

Posted: December 6, 2012 in Brilliant Manoeuvres, Enterprise Robustness, Exploiting Change, Leadership, Leadership Principles, Management, Military Lessons, Opportunity, Innovation and Adaptation, Personal Development, Strategy
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I was invited to speak to MBA students last Monday, 3 December. I was invited by Paul Roman, who teaches the course in Operations Management. I enjoyed giving this talk, as it was an opportunity to present to students in the full-time MBA program, to answer their questions, and to interact before and after my speech. One of the noteworthy things about the group of 90 or so students is that at least half seem to be foreign students. This is no doubt an excellent opportunity for these students to open their minds and to network, something that will be of great benefit to them throughout their lives.

Naturally, my topic was related to my book, Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles. I spoke about how critical it is to keep the human factor front and center, especially leadership and decision-making, as we try to manage increasingly complex undertakings. Whether it is global networks of supply chains and logistics, demand forecasting, production management, structuring and organizing companies, we need to take into consideration the facts of fundamental uncertainty, a certain level of unpredictability, and the need for humans in the loop to build in resilience and robustness. I also gave a quick overview of the links between strategy, operations, and tactics, as well as mission command and mission analysis as ways of managing complexity, change, chaotic conditions, etc.

In other words, we strive for predictability, efficiency and effectiveness, but they are only ideals to which we must strive. What is critical is our ability to lead and adapt to change with speed and flexibility, using influence and intuitive decision-making strategies and heuristics to complement the rational, “engineering” based approaches of operations and production management. Nothing wrong with the latter, as long as we realize that both approaches are complementary and not exclusive.

I argued, convincingly I hope, that military wisdom has a key role to play in enabling a transformation toward more flexibility, humanity, and adaptability in decision-making and leadership.

© 2012 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes permitted with full and proper attribution.

Richard Martin’s Monday Morning Brilliant Manoeuvres

Posted: December 3, 2012 in Brilliant Manoeuvres, Business, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Military Lessons, Never Fight Fair, Personal Development, Strategy
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Brilliant Manoeuvre
The military uses the principle of combined arms cooperation to balance the strengths and weaknesses of various arms and elements within a force. This creates synergy and mutual support. A well balanced combined arms force is more adaptable, resilient, and robust, and is also in a better position to create dilemmas for the enemy, forcing him to commit forces in a manner that creates vulnerabilities.

Example
The perfect military example is how a combined arms battle group is organized. There is a balance of tanks, infantry, artillery, antitank, and engineer elements, supported by a mix of logistical and administrative elements. There can also be aviation and other force multipliers. For instance, the tanks provide speed, armour protection, and firepower; they provide the cover and close in fire support to the infantry so they can do their job to close with and destroy the enemy. Conversely, the infantry can protect the tanks from enemy infantry, occupy ground, and fight hand-to-hand with the enemy. Other elements such as engineers provide mobility and additional protection, and the artillery provides powerful fire support. In a business, various elements should be combined to create a powerful synergistic effect. For instance, a supplier that has long lead times and larger lot sizes, but that costs less, can be given the task of supplying components that are needed no matter what the demand is. On the other hand, a supplier that has shorter lead time for orders and needs much smaller order sizes — but that has higher costs — can be given the task of providing top up support to meet unexpected demand or to accomodate short-term design changes.

Tip
Find the strengths, weaknesses, talents, and skills of your key people. Group them into teams and assign them responsibilities in accordance with the combined arms principle. In other words, seek to create diverse teams that have a balance of strengths, talents and skills, and that compensate mutually for weaknesses.

Richard Martin is a consultant, speaker, and executive coach. He brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to exploit change, maximize opportunity, and minimize risk.

© 2012 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.

Richard Martin’s Monday Morning Brilliant Manoeuvres

Posted: November 5, 2012 in Brilliant Manoeuvres, Business, Contingency Planning, Crisis Leadership, Enterprise Robustness, Ethics, Exploiting Change, Geopolitics, Leadership, Military Lessons, Never Fight Fair
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Brilliant Manoeuvre
Active, covert threats will continue to grow, and companies must be on the lookout for attacks not just from direct business competitors, but also from actual and potential opponent groups.

Example
At the end of 2011, the computer networks of Stratfor, a strategic forecasting consultancy, were hacked. Financial and other confidential client records were stolen. A group that was opposed to Stratfor’s activities was presumably at the origin of this breakin. Stratfor’s systems and operations were compromised for over a month, and the company had to invest considerable sums and effort to get back on track.

Tip
Most of the intelligence that can be generated about threats and opportunities is staring us in the face, if we are open to seeing it. We have to keep an open mind and be on the lookout for significant changes. We have to keep employees apprised of the situation and objectives so they can also be on the lookout for threats and opportunities, and communicate these to management.

Richard Martin is a consultant, speaker, and executive coach. He brings his military and business leadership and management experience to bear for executives and organizations seeking to exploit change, maximize opportunity, and minimize risk.

514-453-3993 (toll free 888-453-3993)

richard.martin@alcera.ca

More information about Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles

Richard’s Speaking

Richard’s Blog: Exploiting Change

Richard on Twitter: boldleadership

Richard’s Email: richard.martin@alcera.ca

Richard’s Company Website: www.alcera.ca

© 2012 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes are permitted with proper attribution.

Richard Martin gives video overview of his book, Brilliant Manoeuvres – How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles

Posted: October 20, 2012 in Announcements, Book Reviews, Brilliant Manoeuvres, Business, Enterprise Robustness, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Exploiting Change, Leadership, Leadership Principles, Military Lessons, Never Fight Fair, Opportunity, Innovation and Adaptation, Personal Development, Strategy, Video
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Richard gives a video overview of his new book, Brilliant Manoeuvres – How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles.

© 2012 Richard Martin. Forwarding and quotes permitted with full and proper attribution.

 

How’s the Morale on Your Team?

Posted: October 15, 2012 in Brilliant Manoeuvres, Business, Enterprise Robustness, Leadership, Leadership Principles, Military Lessons, Personal Development
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Two essential skills of highly effective leaders are the ability to assess the morale and mood of their team, and the ability to maintain morale in the face of difficulties and obstacles. This is something I talk about extensively in my new book, Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles.

Morale is the willingness of an individual, team or organization to win and to succeed. Many people confuse true morale with superficialities such as mood. They take good humour and happy, peaceful feelings as signs of good morale when they are nothing but an adjunct to morale, and a peripheral one at that.

In other words, just because people complain, it doesn’t mean that morale isn’t good. Strong morale is built upon unity of purpose and action, determination to succeed and cohesion in the face of opposition, disruptions, uncertainty, friction and obstacles.

How is the morale in your team?

  • Do you sense that people in your team have hope? Is the language they use optimistic and hopeful, or pessimistic and despairing?
  • Are people making plans for the future with themselves in the plans, or are they instead making plans to abandon ship?
  • Do people have a lot of idle time, or are they working on ways to continually improve the organization and its performance?

How is the mood in your organization?

  • Are people happy to be working together? Do they joke around or are they morose?
  • Do people complain a lot in your organization? What do they complain about? Do they complain about superficial things and minor creature comforts, or are they more focused on substantial issues?
  • Do people feel free to approach management with issues, or do they let them fester and lead to grievances?
  • Are people making suggestions to improve things as a whole, so the team can achieve its mission and goals, or are they focused on their own issues to the exclusion of the team’s?
  • Is there a major discrepancy in perks and privileges between management and the rank and file of the organization? Large differences in this regard can breed resentment and anger in employees and lower level managers.

© 2012 Richard Martin

My New Book Is Available – Mon nouveau livre est maintenant disponible

Posted: September 30, 2012 in Announcements, Book Reviews, Brilliant Manoeuvres, Business, Economics and Finance, Enterprise Robustness, Entrepreneurship, Exploiting Change, Leadership, Management, Marketing and Business Development, Military Lessons, Never Fight Fair, Opportunity, Innovation and Adaptation, Personal Development, Risk Management, Speaking Events, Strategy
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My new book, Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles, is now available for purchase through my website. It will also be available through all the major online retailers around the world.

It’s a bit more expensive if you order the book through me, but I will ship you a signed copy. If you’re in Canada, the shipping is included in the price. For bulk orders, just drop me a line at 514-453-3993 and we can discuss special pricing.

About the book

“There are quite a few books about parallels between military strategy and corporate strategy. Richard Martin’s Brilliant Manoeuvres makes a difference by not only focusing on the conceptual but also on the operational side of the equation. This book is a hands-on guide to a brilliant corporate strategy.”
Prof. Dr. Guido Quelle, Managing Partner, Mandat Consulting Group, Dortmund, Germany

“Brilliant Maneuvers is Sun Tzu’s Art of War combined with Drucker’s The Effective Executive.”
Alan Weiss, PhD, Author of the bestselling Million Dollar Consulting and The Consulting Bible

“Richard explains the reasons behind the military concepts, backing them up with diagrams and historical and personal examples. He then shows how to apply them in a business context. I highly recommend Brilliant Manoeuvres to beginners and advanced users alike.”
Pierre Bergevin, President & CEO, Cushman & Wakefield Canada

Business executives and entrepreneurs see themselves as modern day warriors and generals, fighting off competitors and conquering new markets. They talk about attacking competitors, defending turf, firing warning shots, establishing beachheads, bypassing the competition, digging a protective moat, and so on. Brilliant Manoeuvres – How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles is for those executives and entrepreneurs who are looking to create and sustain competitive advantage and to lead their teams in the face of determined competition and rivalry. Based on the author’s experience as a soldier, a business consultant and an entrepreneur, the book explains how and why military leaders and planners actually think and operate. It then translates this into terms that business people can readily apply to their own reality so they can survive and thrive. In other words, this book is a practical guidebook, and not just another set of exhortations to “lead from the front” or to “win without fighting”. In particular it demonstrates how some military methods cannot be applied in management.

“With Brilliant Manoeuvres, Richard Martin has produced a guidebook that gets back to the basics of strategy, management, and leadership. We tend to forget the fundamentals because we think they’re too simple or that we’ve outgrown them. Richard demonstrates the linkages between military and business wisdom and shows that these concepts are fundamental and essential. In the process they gain a new relevance and freshness to help in meeting today’s business challenges.”
Louis Gabanna, President, Colas Canada

About the author

Richard Martin is founder and president of Alcera Consulting Inc. Prior to launching his consulting business, Richard attended the prestigious Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean as an officer cadet and then served for 21 years as an infantry officer in the Canadian Army. Richard is the only member of Alan Weiss’s Million Dollar Consulting Mentoring Hall of Fame with extensive military experience. He brings his business and military leadership experience to bear for organizations and executives in both the private and public sectors seeking to exploit change, maximize opportunity, and minimize risk.

Regards,

Rich

Richard MartinPresident/Président
Alcera Consulting Inc./Alcera Conseil de gestion inc.
Author of the forthcoming book

Brilliant Manoeuvres: How to Use Military Wisdom to Win Business Battles
Published September 2012 by Global Professional Publishing.

“Brilliant Maneuvers is Sun Tzu’s Art of War combined with Drucker’s The Effective Executive.” — Alan Weiss, PhD, Author of the bestselling Million Dollar Consulting

1324 Perrot, Notre-Dame-de-l’Ile-Perrot, QC, J7V 7P2
T: 514-453-3993
Toll free/sans frais: 888-453-3993

See my Blog on Exploiting Change: www.exploitingchange.com
Visit my Website: www.alcera.ca
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/boldleadership
Linked In Profile: Richard Martin

Who’s Got Your Back?

Posted: September 19, 2012 in Business, Entrepreneurship, Management, Personal Development, Risk Management, Small Business
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Yesterday I posted a number of financial and investment principles that new entrepreneurs and business owners (including self-employed people) need to consider to be successful over the long run. I’d like to elaborate a bit more on the aspect of professional advisors.

I once met a self-employed consultant who did his own bookkeeping, accounting, tax returns, and GST returns. Needless to say, he was not maximizing his time and value, but also made basic mistakes that ended up costing him dearly.

I’ll start with my own example. I’m an independent strategy and management consultant. I have no employees, but I do occasionally collaborate with other consultants on joint projects. I have:

  • a bookkeeper/accountant who does my company books and assists with company returns, GST and provincial sales tax, and other matters – these can be two different people but in my case I’ve opted for one person
  • another accountant who does our personal income tax returns and advises us on these matters
  • an insurance broker for life and disability insurance (this includes catastrophic illness insurance)
  • another insurance broker for commercial insurance, including commercial and general liability, and errors and ommissions insurance, also known as professional liability insurance
  • a lawyer to keep our corporate records in order and to assist with any legal advice on an as required basis
  • a web developer and web hosting company – these can often be different companies/people, but in my case they are the same
  • my literary agent to represent me in my publishing goals – this person is also acting as my agent to help me secure speaking engagements to go with my book
  • other areas: translator, graphic designer, and I’m sure there are a few others that I can’t think of at this time.

Depending on one’s business activities, this list could easily be amplified: legal advice for export-import, or to work outside the country; PR advice; business coaching or mentoring; copy writing and editing; videographer; IT expertise; etc.

The critical point is this. You’re always better to get sound professional advice for business than to try to improvise or wing it. Business is too important to be flying by the seat of your pants, and your time is too important and valuable to be wasted on low value (for you) activities that are better done by experts.

© 2012 Richard Martin. Reproduction and quotes permitted with full and proper attribution.

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