6 Blunders; Global 500; #1 Skill; 1st Scaling Up User Conference

"...insights for scaleups"

HEADLINES:

Global 500 -- the latest Fortune list of the top companies around the world is out today. Fun facts below (I think it's important for biz leaders to know stuff about the world of biz), but first...

First Scaling Up User Conference -- Oct 22, the day following the Growth Summit in Dallas, will be the first Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) user conference. Join 240 Rockefeller Habits 2.0 users in a day-long spirit of "how to" interaction and collaboration. Learn from some of the best companies utilizing our various one-page tools, techniques, and technologies to scale-up their businesses. Our promise? More practical ideas per minute than any other executive education event you'll attend (or your money back!). Limited to 240 attendees (room size limitations) -- for more info click here.

Six Leadership Blunders (2 minute video) -- Adam Grant (author of Give and Take), in his interview with Jack and Susy Welch, uncovers six big mistakes leaders make - and backs up each with research, which is what I love about Adam's work at Wharton. More importantly, there is a 2 minute video where Adam asks Neutron Jack about the "generosity gene" and Jack's response is brilliant - I think he nails what makes a successful leader. Here are the six blunders:

1. They don't invest in developing their people.
2. They reward people who have great results but bad behavior.
3. They don't provide meaning.
4. They don't let people know where they stand.
5. They only hire from elite schools.
6. They don't give people the confidence to try new things.

Take 1 minute to scan through the details and research, especially for #5 (probably because I'm not from an elite school ?), then take 2 minutes to watch the video embedded in the interview - really worth the time.

How Can Humans Compete with Robots? -- in short, in "interaction jobs." This detailed Fortune cover story (adapted from Humans Are Underrated by Geoff Colvin, to be published on Aug. 4) confronts the challenge that technology is taking away a lot of jobs. Yet, while there are 3.4 million less transaction and production jobs; there are 4.8 million more "interaction jobs" - doctors, teachers, etc. Notes Fortune:

Ask employers which skills they'll need most in the next five to 10 years, as the Oxford Economics research firm did, and the answers that come back do not include business acumen, analysis, or P&L management--left-brain thinking skills that computers handle well. Instead, employers' top priorities include relationship building, teaming, co-creativity, brainstorming, cultural sensitivity, and ability to manage diverse employees--right-brain skills of social interaction...That's why Oracle group vice president Meg Bear says, "Empathy is the critical 21st-century skill."

What this means is that the skills you (and your children) need to succeed have changed dramatically - and calls into contention all this focus on STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering, and math. Instead:

It used to be that you had to be good at being machine-like. Now, increasingly, you have to be good at being a person. Great performance requires us to be intensely human beings. To put it another way: Being a great performer is becoming less about what you know and more about what you're like.

FYI, women are much better at these skill sets! This is a serious article that's going to take 7 minutes to scan - the Southwest Airlines and Cleveland Clinic stories toward the end are worth the read -- so one for the weekend, but important to you and your family.

Gazelles Case Study -- Paul Fraynd and Hugh Morton have been using the Rockefeller Habits and the One-Page Strategic Plan to both merge their firms and drive an expected doubling of revenue by 2018. Leaders of Omaha-based Sun Valley Landscaping, this Landscape Management magazine articledetails how they independently launched their separate businesses and then merged them into something providing more of a 100% solution (important move!) for clients needing landscaping services. To make sure the merger didn't destroy either company, the article notes:

To ensure they were on the same page as they rebranded, Morton and Fraynd turned to the one-page strategic plan concept from the book "Mastering the Rockefeller Habits" by Verne Harnish. Fraynd got the idea to use this tool from his brother, who had success with it in his job turning around public schools. "Most business books are theory or an idea to use, but this one, you can take it and boom," Fraynd says. "There's your strategic plan."

The article goes on to detail "The Sun Valley Way" and how they use core values and purpose (yes, landscaping firms can have a meaningful purpose which they share) to drive culture and performance. Quarterly themes also play an important role. And to celebrate 20 years in business, they launched Commit20 - encouraging their employees (and those of clients, suppliers, etc.) to donate 20 hours to a charity of their choice in 2015. Notes Director of Business Development Ashly Neneman:

I think the fact that when we meet people at networking events and tell them about Commit20, they're just blown away that a little landscaping company has come up with this idea and is getting its employees involved. So that's already a success to me.

Gathering of Games -- I'll be keynoting Jack Stack's 23rd annual "Gathering of Games" conference in St. Louis Sept 9 - 11. As many of you have noticed, I've been pushing Jack's frameworks a lot more as THE way to structure work in the 21st Century - like a game! What if people were as motivated to work as they are playing Candy Crush (ouch, that hurts) - but it's possible when you have the same four things that make games engaging present in your work environment. Their "early bird discount" has passed, but they are offering to insight readers a special code 'hurry!' Use in the Promotion Code box on the first page of the registration form, at www.openbookconference.com. Hope to see many of you there.

Global 500 -- Fortune released their annual list of the largest 500 firms on earth. Notes Alan Murray, editor of Fortune:

• While a U.S. company - Walmart ($486 billion; 2.2 million employees) - still tops the list, for the first time a Chinese company - Industrial & Commercial Bank of China - had the highest profits (Apple #2). There were a total of 98 Chinese companies on the list - up from only 19 ten years ago.
   
• Global 500 revenues totaled $31.2 trillion last year - triple the levels of two decades ago, when we started the list. And the companies employed 65.2 million people, up from 34.5 million two decades ago. Global 500 revenues as a share of the total world economy remain roughly unchanged at 40% compared to 37% two decades ago.
   
• Japan's presence continues to shrink on the Global 500, with only 54 companies. In 1995, Japan had 149 companies on the list.
   
• The U.S. had 128 companies on the list this year, down from a peak of 197 companies in 2002.
   
• Banks (55), petroleum refiners (38) and automakers/parts suppliers (34) are the three industries with the most companies on the list.

The Global 500 set a new record for revenues; but profits were down 15%, mainly due to crude oil prices. Here's a link to the list - worth 10 seconds to scan down through the Top 10 - fun facts for your next biz meeting.

EDUCATION:

Growth Summit Presented by FORTUNE
Dallas, TX - Oct 20-21, 2015

Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0) User Conference
Dallas, TX - Oct 22, 2015

Scaling Up Business Growth Workshops 2015

Have Big Plans to Execute in 2015? Learn how to use the proven Rockefeller Habits 2.0 tools and strategies to scale up smarter.

Auckland - Sept 2, 2015
Brisbane - Sept 1, 2015
Melbourne - Sept 3, 2015
Sydney - Sept 4, 2015 
Los Angeles, CA - September 29, 2015
Toronto, ON - September 29, 2015
Calgary, AB - September 29, 2015
Paramaribo, Suriname - September 29, 2015
Oklahoma City, OK - October 1, 2015
Nashville, TN - October 6, 2015
Seattle, WA - October 8, 2015
Richmond, VA - October 29, 2015
Las Vegas, NV - November 3, 2015
Waukesha, WI - November 3, 2015
Surrey, BC - November 3, 2015
Portland, OR - November 5, 2015
Washington, DC - November 4, 2015
Montreal, QB - November 4, 2015
Philadelphia, PA - November 10, 2015
Cedar Rapids, IA - November 11, 2015
Norton, MA - November 11, 2015
Austin, TX - November 12, 2015
Memphis, TN - November 12, 2015
Indianapolis, IN - November 19, 2015
Dallas, TX - December 2, 2015
San Diego, CA - December 15, 2015

COACHING:

Interested in selecting a coach to help your company Scale Up? Check out this video explaining the "4+1 Rule of Thumb" for choosing the right coach.

TECHNOLOGY:

Align Software puts everyone on the Same Page - Literally! See, in real time every person in your organization and how they are progress on their priorities - alongside how these Align to the Company Priorities! Scale Up your Rockefeller Habits implementation with www.alignwithgazelles.com - on your computer and on your phone.

Better Book Club -- What's your team reading? Increase your books read per team member. Easy, Proven, and in the Cloud at http://www.BetterBookClub.com.