By: Michael Kanazawa 

One of the biggest challenges in driving strategic change is in following through on execution. On March 31, 2008, Lindsay Edmonds Wickman, associate editor for Chief Learning Officer Magazine, wrote an article titled Making Change Meaningful. In it, she cites BIG Ideas to BIG Results and points out one of the biggest problems in running a failed change program is not the just the missed opportunities for business improvement, but creating a jaded and cynical workforce that won’t respond over time. There is a strategic role that CLOs are well positioned to play in integrating business strategy and leadership to accomplish breakthrough resutls and avoid the common pitfalls of in strategy execution. There has long been a gap between business operations and leadership development, so as Scott Adams’ book title aptly points out, be cautious of where and how you step forward in exapanding the CLO role to be more strategic. (more…)

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By Michael Kanazawa 

When things get stressful, we often throw out phrases automatically to try and get beyond the issues for the moment without really doing what is right. But often these phrases don’t do much to help in the moment and don’t’ solve the true issues either. There are a few sayings that we hear in business all of the time that are about as ineffective as parents yelling at their children, “do it because I said so.” Even worse, these sayings in business cause people to make poor decisions and undermine their own leadership potential by repeating these phrases without really thinking about what they mean.

One of the most popular and most damaging of these sayings is demanding that people need to do “more with less.” (more…)

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BNET is featuring a podcast on BIG Ideas to BIG Results on it’s home page. In the podcast I explain to BNET host Carmine Gallo the most important things to getting started right with change or transformation efforts, why speed is important, and specifically how to engage hundreds or thousands of employees quickly and effectively with a very simple technique described in our book as “table work.”

To listen, download and share the podcast, please click through on the link below.

BNET’s Useful Commute
Guest: Michael Kanazawa - coauthor BIG Ideas to BIG Results
Host: Carmine Gallo
http://blogs.bnet.com/intercom/?p=1686

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By: Michael Kanazawa

In the March 17th edition of BusinessWeek, on page 20, there is a picture of our book with Good to Great. And in that article you can see Jim Collins’ name appear with just two other authors being mentioned, Michael Kanazawa and Robert Miles. Not bad company for a book that has sold 3.6 million copies. It was truly exciting to be in such good company.

The article is based on the idea that top selling business books have something specific in common. They have red covers. But beyond the covers, the two books also drive for the same type of greatness in organizations. Jim Collins’ Good to Great identified the key ideas and principles through historical research. BIG Ideas to BIG Results shows exactly how to put a process in place and how to lead a great company. (more…)

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By Michael Kanazawa

Just yesterday I received an email from our publisher that our first book review on BIG Ideas to BIG Results had come in. As I clicked the email link to read the review I felt like Charlie as he unwrapped that last chocolate bar, hoping so much to see the golden ticket enclosed. But for me the golden ticket would be positive words, encouragements, and appreciation for the book. We got it!

Now I know it is just the first one and there may be others that aren’t so golden. But it’s great to start with a check in the win column for sure and coming from the main source that people in the publishing world read, that means a lot to me. Here is the review…

Publisher’s Weekly: January 28, 2008

Big Ideas to Big Results: Remake and Recharge Your Company, Fast
Michael T Kanazawa and Robert H. Miles. Pearson/FTPress, $27.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-13-234478-4.

“It takes more than a vision to launch a successful corporate strategy. It takes engagement on the part of employees at all levels. Establishing such engagement is at the heart of this punchy, dynamic book by Kanazawa and Miles—the CEO and chairman, respectively, of DisseroPartners, a strategic advisory firm. Fewer than half of employees, according to a quoted poll, understand their company’s strategic goals and only 43% think there is ever any follow-through on planned strategy shifts. This is why, the authors assert, so many corporate initiatives fail. After seeing the process break down countless times, Kanazawa and Miles developed a step-by-step guide to harnessing the energy that companies usually waste when introducing initiatives. By creating more of a “buy-in” throughout the organization and ensuring execution through accountability, employees become committed to company goals, they claim. Their clear and hands-on approach is useful for anyone whose livelihood is tied to the successful execution of business initiatives. (Mar.)”

As a second set of wins for us, I think we also may have the only book that has received advance praise from CEO’s of F500 companies, CFOs, executives of operations, HR, marketing, IT, and strategy, Harvard Business School professors, and private equity investors, including a partner at Kleiner Perkins Kaufiled and Byers. It demonstrates that we have a book that will help you make money, grow your business, is academically sound, operationally practical, and good for start ups and large companies alike.

Bob and I are very excited about the launch of the new book and hope you can share in that with us by following along and contributing to this blog and of course…here comes the shameless plug… buy the book. It is available now for pre-purchase on Amazon and B&N and will be shipping in February. Also, if you would like a signed book with an additional video, still at a discounted price, we have an exclusive special with 800CEORead (ask for Jon Mueller at 800-CEO-READ), and orders must be for multiple books and completed before Feb 19, 2008.

Michael Kanazawa: chief executive of Dissero Partners, co-author of BIG Ideas to BIG Results
If you would like me to speak at your company or association, please contact the BrightSight Group

Note: Image from CNN.com

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By Michael Kanazawa

Remember when you used to dream about what wishes you would make if a genie showed up? Wasn’t the first one always, “I wish I had 1,000 more wishes.” That is absolutely the best one you could ever make, right?

On top of all New Year’s resolutions lists is there an equivalent must-have item? No, it’s not to get yourself a Wii. Here is our suggestion…

#1  Turn my Big Ideas into Big Results

New Year’s resolutions, company priorities, strategic imperatives and operating goals are all just lists of things to get done. But even as we create those lists at the beginning of each year, are we really committed to seeing them through? Promise to make your big ideas into big results first, then whatever you put on your list after that will get done. You will produce results, which is really the only reason for making a list in the first place.

Go ahead and put that resuloution on your list, but now how will you follow through? This year we have just the thing to help. As you work through setting goals and direction for yourself, your team, your division or your company, the new book BIG Ideas to BIG Results (FT Press/Pearson Hall) is just what you need to ensure you have the streamlined process, tools and knowledge to follow through and drive results.

Bob and I wrote this book based on our years of experience in helping leaders through the challenges of taking charge, focusing companies for dramatic growth, and engaging their organizations for breakthrough results. Our desire in writing the book was to bring valuable solutions, that were once only available through the Harvard Business School MOE program and then only to top executives at global companies, into the hands of leaders at all levels in all types of companies.  

We’re looking forward to having a great 2008 with you! No matter what your aspirations for 2008, if you make turning your Big Ideas into Big Results your number one commitment, you’ll be sure to see success on all your other commitments throughout the year.

Photo source: www.timessquarenyc.org

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By: Robert H. Miles  

Two of my colleagues, Noel M. Tichy and Warren G. Bennis, have just released a new book called “Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls” (New York: Portfolio, 2007). I’ve reviewed the book and wanted to share some perspectives on the book.

Hurrah for Noel and Warren. At the very prime of their careers, these distinguished scholars have pooled their knowledge and research to wade in to the deep end of the pool on the murky but critical subject of management judgment. This has been a domain in which many others have feared to swim because of the inherent ambiguity and almost certain exposure to criticism associated with such an interdisciplinary construct.

Both authors have worked in tight with some of the most powerful transformational leaders on the planet. The sheer access these scholars were able to create to high-profile leaders embroiled in some of the major business crises of recent times is quite impressive. Less established scholars would have had to sit on the sidelines as distant observers or head for the basement to run yet another round of experiments on college sophomores. Yet, despite their clear association with these industry titans, Tichy and Bennis make a strong fact-based case against the “superman” idea, focusing instead on the critical information and influence that resides in the members of the team and among the stakeholders surrounding a great leader during times requiring major judgment calls.

Here are some their more important insights into the phenomenon of judgment: (more…)

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By Michael Kanazawa

There are numbers everywhere today in business advice. And I don’t mean financial analysis. We have The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders, the top 10 traits of Silicon Valley Dynamos, Know How: The top 8 skills that separate people who perform from those who don’t, and, to top off this representative list, even a book of the “Top 10 Business Books.”

If I add up all of the business book top lists together that gives me about the top 12,875 essential tips for being a better leader and for business success! No problem, I can do them all if I could just find the time to master and learn all the advice from the book “500 Tips for Developing a Learning Organization.”

There is definitely a better way to advance towards your full potential than getting buried by the massive number of top tips you see.

(more…)

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By Michael Kanazawa

This post is based on a question by a reader looking for specific recommendations on how to inspire and engage people for maximum performance. The question is worded quite well because inspiration and engagement are more linked that people think.

All of the following tips are based on the principle that if employees are truly engaged in the business they will be inspired to drive for excellence. So, how does engagement happen? Here are five specific tips that you can implement immediately.

#1: Create a vision that is a “cause” (more…)

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By Michael Kanazawa

There is no better opportunity to lay the ground work for turning big ideas into big results than in the first 100 days as a new leader. By the end of 100 days everyone will be done sizing you up as a leader, the organization will either be on a new trajectory or settle back down into the current track, and you will have set the stage for your next 2-3 years as a leader. You have a huge opportunity when taking over as a new leader.

First is the chance to change the strategic direction of the organization. People are actually expecting it, so the shift will be much easier than at any other time. Political structures will be in flux, so long-standing tough decisions that have been avoided will be easier to drive through to closure. And, even as tough decisions are made, everyone will be looking at you as the new hope for growth and improvement. People want you to be successful because it means better things for them as well. So, they will be ready to follow your lead. With so much opportunity (and risk of missed opportunities) at hand, it is worth carefully planning your first 100 days to get everything out of it that you possibly can. Korn Ferry published research on the pitfalls and tips for success in leading through the first 100 days based on views about leaders in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Below are statics from two questions they asked.

What is the most common mistake that senior executives make during their first 100 days? (more…)

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