Official Blog of Center10 Consulting

The 3 most important drivers of innovation…. location, location, location?

on Monday, August 18, 2014
There are reflections from my reading of Indian PM Modi's Independence Day Speech delivered August 15, 2014.
See the original article printed in the Atlantic Weekly's online publication, Quartz.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s independence day speech from the Red For set a distinctly modern tone. This was a speech focused on the realities of India, and its modern aspiration: Women’s rights and safety, manufacturing and banking for the poor, ubiquitous broadband and access. He underscored reforms such as the disbanding of the Planning Commission, and its replacement with the National Development Reforms Commission.

Resiliency - Reflections During The Commonwealth Games

on Friday, August 1, 2014

I was asked a series of questions by the Times Of India about my sporting days when the current Commonwealth Games swung around (I was a gold medalist and record holder in rifle shooting for India), including the inevitable "why did you leave?" question. Here is my original response the the questions:

“Don’t dwell on the past, or worry about the future - just take the shot at hand.”
“Maintain your equanimity - no need to celebrate the great shot, or fret about the bad one. Just learn from the last shot and keep going.”

The Art And Science Of Placing Little Bets: A Conversation With Peter Sims

on Saturday, June 14, 2014
Note: This article was published in The Economic Times on June 14, 2014

Image from PeterSims.com
This week, I spent some time shooting the breeze with PeterSims, Venture Capitalist and serious believer in “Little Bets”. In his recently published book “Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries”, Peter examined what Apple CEO Steve Jobs, comedian Chris Rock, and other greats have in common. In essence, he posits that all of them have achieved remarkable results using a surprisingly similar approach: methodically taking small, experimental steps. Rather than believing they have to start with a big idea or plan a whole project out in advance, trying to foresee the final outcome, they make a methodical series of little bets about what might be a good direction, learning critical information from lots of little failures and from small but significant wins that allow them to find unexpected avenues and arrive at extraordinary outcomes.

Retail As Storytelling

on Monday, June 9, 2014
Note: This ran in edited form in Quartz Magazine



When Fantasy Meets Retail Showrooms, Do Your Online Platforms Follow Suite?

The best retail firms have always been great at storytelling. I remember my first weekend in NYC, fifteen years ago, when I stopped dead in front of a Saks 5th Avenue display window and was enveloped by a fantasy woodland tale. Yes, they were selling the evening gown, shoes and clutch, but they were accessories to the story of luxury, confidence and power.

These days, that kind of retail story bleeds into more than a display window.

While less than 10% of US retail purchases are made online, given how many online shoppers use these sites for research and exploration, you can see why creating a compelling and cohesive experience can make financial sense.

There’s also a more porous customer experience emerging. In the increasingly ADHD world, the retail experience means being inspired around the dinner table, a quick inspired search on a mobile phone, deeper research late that evening on the website, and then possibly a visit to the store over the weekend to test it out…oh, and that may not be the end of the line. Sometimes, there’s the urge to research further and do some price comparisons, which takes the customer back online….it’s a dizzying world out there. How’s a retailer supposed to keep up?

How To Build A High Octane Network

on Friday, May 30, 2014
Note: This article was also carried on Rediff.com on June 5th as 5 Rules To Building A Strong Network

Solopreneur. An inelegant word, addressing an elegant and increasingly pertinent value-creating part of our economy. The dictionaries definition is "an entrepreneur who works alone, with contractors, yet is fully responsible for running the business." That rang true to my almost two years running Center10. Globally, a growing number of professionals have taken the path of establishing their own enterprises, often small enterprises that tap into powerful networks and deliver specialized services to those who need that support.

The richest element of my entrepreneurial experience has been the vibrant network of partners who have been part of my journey. They have been my cheering squad, advisors, quasi-employees, and above all, my always dependable partners.
Networks Rule: My Linkedin Contacts Map
Of course, there have been partnership hiccups along the way, but those have been few and far between. I realized, as I reflected, that the network that has swung into effect have been decades in the making. Over 15 years, they have advised me when I was moving into a leadership role with a global team, when I was making the decision to move organizations, and of course, when I was setting up my new firm, and making decisions around structure, logo, firm name, client strategy, offering...everything.

All this to say, whether you are contemplating setting off on your own, or growing within a large organization, invest in building a vibrant network. It will stand you in good stead.

Some rules for building a strong network:

Five Global Trends The Young Entrepreneur Should Harness

on Thursday, March 13, 2014
I was invited to write an opinion piece by The Economic Times, the largest financial daily in Asia. Here is the the article as it ran on March 12, 2014, Below is the unedited version

Reflecting on global trends that could continue the already impressive transformation of India’s culture and business, I had to start by acknowledging all that has already shifted in the country. For example, go onto freelancer sourcing sites Freelancer.com, PeoplePerHour or elance.com and you’ll be inundated by qualified, competitively-priced Indian bids for anything from web and logo development to analytics. These globally aware young Indians will continue to shift India’s future prospects. They should consider the following global trends – all providing opportunities for entrepreneurial ventures and change in India as well.
Image courtesy of Smarnad/FreeDigitalPhotos.net                                            
1.

The Impact Of Coaching

on Thursday, January 30, 2014
In a conversation with a prospective coachee, I landed up looking for a short article I'd written a couple of years ago in trying to introduce executive coaching into a company I had a senior talent role in. Thought I'd share.
In my decades of experience in corporate settings globally, I have found that executives appreciate and buy strategic and functional advice, but often are in deep need of interpersonal, behavioral and executive coaching. I have provided executive and career coaching in formal and informal relationships with my clients, and believe my strong ability to help clients in their planning and goal-setting, raising their awareness through powerful and skillful questioning and building trust by engaging with integrity and candor have helped my clients get to their goals.

Some data points on the Impact of Coaching

The multiplicity of goals that coaching aims to deliver on, in its broadest sense, makes a simple statement of impact difficult to capture. As Alan Levenson of The Center for Organizational Effectiveness pinpoints, statistically valid impact data is complicated. For example, Smither, London, Flautt, Vargas and Kucine (2003) examined the impact of coaching on multi-source feedback ratings (direct reports and supervisors) for 404 senior managers, compared to 957 senior managers who received the same multi-source feedback but no executive coaching. They found that working with an executive coach improved direct report and supervisor ratings, but that the measured change in ratings was small.

If I were Chris Christie's Executive Coach...OR Being The Best Self One Can Be

on Monday, January 13, 2014
On the walk back home from the kids' drop-off, I landed up chatting with an old friend who happens be transitioning to a big new job. He's looking to take over the role vacated by a well-loved leader...who also leaves a slightly less than well-performing team. Our conversation naturally turned to all things leaderly.

As good New Yorkers, our minds veered immediately to the Christie Traffic Incident. You couldn't switch on or pick up any news source last week without an onslaught of New Jersey governor, Chris Christie's team and their seeming interference with the traffic from Fort Lee - apparently as retribution for the Ft.Lee mayor's lack of support of the their boss. The Governor of New Jersey sought to distance himself from the petty, corrupt maneuverings of his underlings, only to come off as unapologetic and unempathetic. Christie prides himself on who he is, and often talks about how what he is, is what you'll get.

On a parallel course, I ran into article as I was clicking through on a yoga website, and saw a quote about a woman who prided herself on reducing her weight by 40 pounds - "I wanted to be the best self I could possibly be."

What is it about the times we live in, that efforts to change how we look are lauded, but efforts to change the one thinks or acts is considered flip-flopping?

We have painted ourselves into a strange little corner, where evolution is a concept that can polarize. But the core of the human condition is the constant learning and growing that's possible, if we are open to it.

My experience working with leaders for the past decade and a half suggests that the best leaders:

  • Recognize that the skills, mindset and capabilities that brought them success and recognition yesterday, won't fully propel them forward tomorrow
  • They are brave enough to listen to insights from colleagues and direct reports without dismissing them, but trying to get to the kernel of truth hidden in those insights
  • They recognize the impact they have on their people and their organizations - their attitudes and foibles provide excuses and encouragement to those around them to behave in ways that can sometimes be appalling (see an analysis of Christie's case here)
  • They respect the friends, partners and collaborators who got them to success, but understand they will need to get to a higher level of capability - new teams, better talent that gets embedded in the existing networks, etc.
  • They work on their own evolution, often with a strong mentor, a sponsor, an executive coach or a trained facilitator (and, not infrequently, all of them!)
    • A mentor...based on Mentor, the character from Greek mythology, who advised and goaded Odysseus and his son to action, a mentor is someone who imparts wisdom and shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague
    • A sponsor, on the other hand, is much more active - they are "dream-enablers" says Sylvia Ann Hewlett, who connect you to people in and beyond your company
    • An executive coach, can perform many services in partnership with an executive. It is often a truly strategic partnership in which a coach empowers the client to clarify goals, develop action plans, get to real self-awareness, move past obstacles and build on strengths. See more here.
    • A facilitator who can help with team issues, including team chartering, strategy and vision-setting.
I'm going to assume Christie has some form of coach - I'd urge that person to help Christie to flex and test new leadership behaviors, and general capabilities that include being respectful of "the other." Time to upgrade, and to bring in folks who will hold the mirror up to him - often.

The Transformative Role of The Honest Outsider

on Sunday, December 29, 2013
I've been thinking about the role of the honest outsider in holding the mirror up to organizations. Two elements got me there - The League of Denial, the PBS documentary on Football that came out earlier this fall and Reza Aslan's book on Jesus, Zealot: The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth.

To start, let's talk about Dr. Bennet Omalu, who first identified the traumatic brain condition that is commonplace among American football players, CTE. The forensic pathologist conducted the autopsy of Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster in 2002 after Webster died of a heart attack at 50. 
Dr. Bennet Omalu from
his twitter page @bennetomalu9168
Omalu is a Nigerian by birth who knew little about American football as a game - he didn't watch it even though he live in a football-crazy city, didn't know anything about the legendary Webster. All he knew was that he was conducting the autopsy of a 50-year old man whose brain showed the wear and tear of a 75-year-old. The game had battered his body, but even more, his brain. In his role as a neuropathologist, he discovered the kind of a trauma he'd never have expected - a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The condition causes depression, memory loss, and sometimes dementia.

Omalu’s lack of reverence for the player meant that he was respectful, caring, persistent, thoughtful and ultimately absolutely the right person to work on Webster. He served Webster and his family in ways no fan ever did – he discovered the truth behind Webster’s tragic last years of pain and suffering and showed that it was the disease, not the man, that was flawed.


Hit Refresh: Address Assumptions and Realities In Your Innovation Workshops

on Friday, December 13, 2013
The more things change, the more they stay the same...and practice makes perfect. Both adages are slightly over-used and possibly tired. They're still worth reflecting on. I conduct workshops that focus on shaking out insights and igniting the imagination.

I work with brilliant people - and sometimes, they need to give themselves permission to "not know all the answers". That's when they can make the leap into the unknown.

This takes practice. When you're with brilliant people, you'll need to go through the process a few times before you can get them beyond their "faves" and the things "they've always said we should do" - those assumptions and prejudices that stand in the way of getting to real innovation. A few sessions in, the real game-changers will start to come out.


Here are some questions to use in a workshop:
  • Review the obvious, and not so obvious trends in consumer life, the world and in your industry - what do they truly mean? 
  • What is a "day in the life"your target consumer? Don't just download the latest research report - have your participants go ask a few carefully thought out question to the folks around them.
  • What "Problem Statements" do you really want to answer, given the possibilities and scenarios that those trends and client journeys suggest?
  • What are your core assumptions about how, when, where your products and services are used - and could the opposite be true with some innovation?
That set of discussions can drive to real ideas...and now PRIORITIZE. It's important to make things happen. Don't fall in love with all your ideas, chose the ones you can/ want to drive and then DO IT!!!

Remember - prototype, and make the organization SEE AND FEEL the change you want to unleash. Make it about more than the words and the numbers, and you'll be doing an end-run around the blockers.  

Do this...or the more you try to make things change, the more they'll stay the same!