The Agile Scaleup

Wolfgang Puck’s Brilliance; Vacation Plans; Fun Half-Day; Namaste

 

Hope it’s been a productive and purposeful week. Here are some insights to help you outlearn/outthink the market. 

...while the number of hours worked is soaring, people's capacity to focus and produce quality work is diving.

Sabina Nawaz, HBR

I’m going nowhere fast.

Sabina’s client

Take Time Off –

Do you identify with either of the statements above? Are you getting the time off you need to recover? What about your team?

Six Strategies for Taking Time Off While Working from Home –

Please take 2 minutes to scan through this excellent HBR article by Sabina Nawaz. She highlights research showing the damage done to our companies and economies when people don’t get the breaks they need from work. She outlines six practical strategies you can use for taking time off given the pressures from this crisis and the challenges if you’re working from home. 

Half-day at Least –

Maybe this example from the article, Sabina shares, will be helpful to you:

Many have rediscovered activities within their immediate reach. On his half day off, one of my clients created a bouquet for his wife from his garden, repaired a bicycle, and read a book that had been sitting on his shelf for a decade. On his next half day off, he plans to go for a bike ride and camp on his deck with his daughters. 

Again, please take a moment to scan down through her six ideas.

Wolfgang Puck on Leading His Restaurants Through a Crisis –

Wow, this entrepreneur is impressive. Restaurants have been hit hard – yet Wolfgang Puck has focused not on just how to survive, but how to grow during this crisis. It’s his mindset I admire. One idea drove an additional $2.5 million in revenue in a weekend during this crisis!!! If you have time to read (and be inspired with ideas) just one more article this week, please take 3 minutes to read another excellent HBR article published Wednesday. 

Do What You Can –

This week my 12-year-old son Quinn and I are immensely enjoying our time at a dude ranch in Colorado (Sylvan Dale Ranch). The time to unplug, have a lot of fun, and read some page turning novels (Olson Scott Card’s Empire series) has been refreshing. At the same time, I continue to feel the pressures of this pandemic – to continue to crank hard, be creative, etc. – so even though there’s been an “away from the office” message on my email, I’ve been keeping up by working a couple hours each morning before our 8am breakfast gathering. Do what you can – find moments of enjoyment – namaste. 

Order a box of 20 Scaling Up books –
Want to save 50% over the price on Amazon? Go to this link. 

Write Your Own Book –
Whether you want to make it to the bestseller lists or just sell a lot more of your goods or services, with a profound competitive edge over the competition, Book The Business: How to Make BIG Money With Your Book Without Selling a Single Copy is for you!

Request your free copy of this ground-breaking book at advantagefamily.com/scalingup.

CEO Boot Camp Aug 18 – 21 
We’re re-opening with our next CEO Boot Camp Aug 18 – 21, Estes Park, CO. Limited to 7 CEOs (3 seats taken already), spend 3.5 days with me, including one-on-one sessions, to scale forward your business. www.ceo-bootcamp.com

 

EDUCATION: 

We’re Still in Business Coaching and Training Firms:
Colorado Region – July 1, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Queensland & Brisbane, AUS Region – July 8, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Australia Region – July 13, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Michigan Region – July 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Southern California Region – July 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Texas Region – July 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Western NY & Ontario Region – July 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Ohio Region – July 15, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
United Kingdom - July 16, 2020
Sydney, Australia - Jul 16, 2020
San Francisco, CA – July 29, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Adelaide, AUS  -  August 4, 2020
Australia Region – August 18, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Brisbane, AUS - August 18, 2020
United Kingdom - August 18, 2020
Puebla, Mexico - Aug 18 & 19, 2020
Dallas, TX - Aug 27, 2020
Melbourne, Australia - Sept. 8, 2020
Sydney, AUS - Sep 10, 2020
Sydney, Australia – Sep 14 - 16, 2020
Portland, OR - Sep 15, 2020
Georgia – September 17, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
San Diego, CA - September 18, 2020
United Kingdom – Sep 22, 2020
Brisbane City, Australia - Sep 23, 2020
Los Angeles, CA – Oct 1, 2020
Waltham, MA – Oct 6, 2020
Sydney, Australia - Oct 15, 2020
Lancaster, PA - Oct 27, 2020
Colombia - Oct 27 & 28, 2020
United Kingdom – November 3, 2020
Chicago, IL - November 10, 2020
Costa Mesa, CA - Nov 10, 2020
Melbourne, Australia - November 10, 2020
Mexico City - Nov 10 & 11, 2020
Guadalajara, Mexico - Nov 12 & 13, 2020
Sydney, AUS - Nov 19, 2020
Atlanta, GA - Dec 9, 2020
Sydney, Australia - Dec 10, 2020
San Diego, CA - Dec 16, 2020
Waltham, MA – Jan 14, 2021
United Kingdom - January 14, 2021

COACHING:

Have you ever wondered if working with a coach might accelerate your company's growth, exponentially? Do you have what it takes to move the dial from good to great? The Scaling Up team is prepared to support you. We have helped 40,000 other organizations over the past 30+ years, in scaling up their organizations through coaching, workshops, online training and more.

We would like to offer you a complimentary, personal follow-up from our Scaling Up team to share how we can support you in scaling your organization. 
YES! I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT COACHING & RECEIVE A COMPLIMENTARY FOLLOW-UP (CLICK HERE)

For questions or more information contact us at [email protected]

TECHNOLOGY: 

Scaling Up Scoreboard – Slack and Salesforce Integrations
Get automated real-time updates on your critical number and your most important team metrics directly from your Salesforce reports now. Setup is fast, simple and secure. Learn More here.

And streamline daily communications. Connect your Slack and Scoreboard accounts to update your Scoreboard Huddles and Top Priorities and read Huddle digests (especially helpful if someone misses a huddle) all inside Slack. Learn more here.

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.

Growth Institute Online Executive Education:
Master of Business Dynamics
Scaling Up Master Business Course
Exponential Organizations Master Business Course
Topgrading Master Business Course

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Toughest Question; South Korea’s Concern; WUSH and Bug Out Bags; Cash Class June 17

Hope it’s been a productive and purposeful week. Here are some insights to help you outlearn/outthink our reaction to the virus.

By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.

Benjamin Franklin

Alan Miltz’s Cash Course –
Creator of Cash Flow Story and star of our various virtual summits, Alan Miltz’s critical (and accredited) Cash Flow Master Class (perfect for the CFO/COO?) launches June 17, more info below.  But first…

The Toughest Question – Layoffs?
This week, zooming in to share my new Scaling Forward framework (www.scalingforward.com) with a Harvard OPM reunion group, I was asked “what is the #1 question you’ve been asked by business leaders during this crisis.” No doubt, it’s, “do I lay off my people?” Having responsibility for the livelihoods of your team is a constant weight on your shoulders as a leader. For those of you that have had to make some super tough decisions, my heart goes out to you. And my hope is that you’ll never have to do it again.  

Run Your Business So You’ll Never Need Layoffs –
This HBR article highlights how proper preparation (cash management) is key to never having to resort to layoffs in the future – in addition to trusting your team to innovate. Pls take 3-minutes to read how Southwest Airlines, Gravity Payments (we use their platform), a home-remodeling firm in Boston, and a fine-dining restaurant in Seattle have weathered the storm. Thank you to Scaling Up Certified coach Dominic Monkhouse for pointing me to this insightful article co-written by the open-book management team of John Case and Bill Fotsch. 

The Resilient Leader –
Pls grab a copy of serial entrepreneur Christine Perakis’ book The Resilient Leader: Life Changing Strategies to Overcome Today's Turmoil and Tomorrow's Uncertainty (Kindle under $4). Besides scaling ten businesses, she was a professional rescuer on the mountains and sea. She’s weathered real and professional storms and details:

• The 6 Barometers of Pandemic Preparedness for Small Businesses
• The 3 Things Senior Leaders Must Do During a Crisis
• Creating a "Float Plan" For Dealing with Business Disruption
• Evaluating and Motivating Your Team During (and After) a Disaster
• How to Make Crucial Decisions Before It's Too Late
• Creating a Communication Plan (both corporate and individual)

She’s a wonderful storyteller and grabs you in the introduction – a delightful read this weekend. Congrats Christine.

Anti-fragile vs. Resilient –
My only pushback when Christine first shared info on her book was the title. Resilience implies “weathering the storm.” But those properly prepared/provisioned can actually benefit from the chaos. Next week, during my June 16 presentation for Chief Executive magazine (with Jim Collins, Pat Lencioni, and Ram Charan), I’ll discuss how critical it is to pivot your strategy/organization so you thrive even better during the next crisis. 

South Korea Wants to Be More Anti-Fragile
Politico's Christian Oliver examines the question of whether Europe should be building champions such as South Korea's Samsung or Hyundai—and finds Koreans are sick of their chaebol conglomerates and would prefer to emulate Germany's Mittelstand SME model. He writes: "The chaebols rebuilt a country, but they can’t conjure up another miracle to take it to the next level in the showdown with China. Korea now realizes that it needs to change tack to unleash the country’s bottled-up talent and pump more oxygen into SMEs in areas like gaming, fashion, music, biotech and medical services." In short, scaleups make a country anti-fragile vs. the large conglomerates. Politico

WUSH and Bug Out Bags –
I’m in the middle of reading a thriller (and real world scary) trilogy by William R. Forstchen about the potentially devastating impact of a properly placed electromagnetic pulse. And reading this made me realize that one of the simple things every family can do, to build anti-fragility into their city/country, is to have a 72-hour Bug Out Bag and WUSH bag. It’s the first 72 hours of any crisis (hurricane, earthquake, riot, pandemic) that is critical as society awaits help to arrive (hopefully your government’s are anti-fragile) – and as citizens we need to do our part and be prepared (I know, some will think I’m crazy; others, why it’s taken me so long to wake up). Here’s a link to the few items you should have in a WUSH fanny pack  – and this additional link for a list of items in a Bug Out Bag. I have a special forces friend coming over next week to brief me more fully. 

Back to Cash (which you need in both bags and business) –
Today it's all about cash. We are now operating in different times. As the leader of your business, you are responsible to have the cash flow you need to keep the company operating. However, your leadership team needs to have a deep understanding of the company's financials and make decisions that support increasing that cash flow. 

To help you and your team get control of your business, we partnered with Alan Miltz and Growth Institute to launch the Managing Cash, Profit, & Value Master Business Course.
This program will help you:

• Understand the 7 levers that can make a dramatic impact on your cash flow & profit
• How to integrate your financial story into everyday decisions that your management team can control
• How to make your bank & investors true partners in your business growth
• And much more!

This has been a game-changer for the over 20,000 companies already using it.
The course starts on June 17th. Would love to see you there!

Scaling Up Scoreboard – Slack and Salesforce Integrations
Get automated real-time updates on your critical number and your most important team metrics directly from your Salesforce reports now. Setup is fast, simple and secure. Learn More here.
And streamline daily communications. Connect your Slack and Scoreboard accounts to update your Scoreboard Huddles and Top Priorities and read Huddle digests (especially helpful if someone misses a huddle) all inside Slack. Learn more here.

We’re Still in Business Coaching and Training Firms:

Nashville, TN  – June 16, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Las Vegas, NV – June 16, 2020
United Kingdom – Jun 23, 2020
Nashville, TN – June 23, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Australia Region – June 23, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Western NY & Ontario Region – June 24, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Colorado Region – July 1, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Brisbane City, AUS - July 8, 2020
Australia Region – July 13, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Michigan Region – July 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Southern California Region – July 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Texas Region – July 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Western NY & Ontario Region – July 14, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Ohio Region – July 15, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Sydney, Australia - Jul 16, 2020
Adelaide, AUS  -  August 4, 2020
Australia Region – August 18, 2020 (VIRTUAL)
Puebla, Mexico - Aug 18 & 19, 2020
Dallas, TX - Aug 27, 2020
Melbourne, Australia - Sept. 8, 2020
Sydney, AUS - Sep 10, 2020
Sydney, Australia – Sep 14 - 16, 2020
Portland, OR - Sep 15, 2020
United Kingdom – Sep 16, 2020
San Diego, CA - September 18, 2020
Brisbane City, Australia - Sep 23, 2020
Los Angeles, CA – Oct 1, 2020
Waltham, MA – Oct 6, 2020
Sydney, Australia - Oct 15, 2020
Lancaster, PA - Oct 27, 2020
Colombia - Oct 27 & 28, 2020
Chicago, IL - November 10, 2020
Costa Mesa, CA - Nov 10, 2020
United Kingdom – November 10, 2020
Melbourne, Australia - November 10, 2020
Mexico City - Nov 10 & 11, 2020
Guadalajara, Mexico - Nov 12 & 13, 2020
Sydney, AUS - Nov 19, 2020
Atlanta, GA - Dec 9, 2020
Sydney, Australia - Dec 10, 2020
San Diego, CA - Dec 16, 2020
Waltham, MA – Jan 14, 2021

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Inclusion; Learning; Life, Liberty, Property; Love

The most important decision we will make -- how to remove barriers to people’s unique capabilities.

                                                                 Dr. Frances Frei, Harvard, author of Unleashed

 

Thoughts/Reflections –

Ignorance, in my view, is generally at the root of most tragic situations, including the execution of George Floyd.  This is why a quality education is such a sacred right.  In that spirit, I reached out to several people much smarter in this space than me, to provide some direction, learning, and action. 

 

Inclusion then Diversity --

Diverse teams dramatically eclipse homogeneous teams, but only when there is a feeling of inclusion.  Dr. Frances Frei addressed this timely topic, given the tragic events of this week (and centuries), a couple weeks ago during her 10-minute Summit keynote.  Here’s a link to her insightful presentation. Change starts with learning – then decision and action (LDA).  Please encourage your team members to review her presentation and then read her new book, released this week, titled Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You. Learn, decide, act. 

This from Harvard Business Review –

I didn’t have time to seek permission, so I’m begging forgiveness for sharing, verbatim, this summary of an insightful HBR article titled “US Business Must Take Meaningful Action Against Racism.”

If you’re a business leader in the U.S., no matter your ethnic or political identity, you have an opportunity to speak up and take meaningful action against racism right now. Of course, no one leader’s language can fix the deep-seated, systemic racial injustice in America. But the right words can be a salve for the widespread pain that so many are experiencing — and it can set the conditions for an action-oriented culture. If you are a leader who is not Black, don’t approach statements or conversations about racism with a defensive mindset, don’t make sweeping generalizations about people’s feelings, words, or actions, and, crucially, don’t rely on your Black and brown colleagues to educate you on the news or social justice initiatives. Acknowledge what you don’t know, commit to listening and learning, and pledge to use your position of power to effect change. Do the research to understand current events, using data from reliable sources. Give your Black and brown employees the space to be angry, afraid, disenchanted, or even disengaged from work. Seek out support and reading materials from your human resources team or office of diversity and inclusion. Create space for continued reflection, discussion, and vulnerability by making it clear that you care and are available. Finally, take meaningful action: Make a strong public statement, donate to Black-owned businesses and social justice causes in your community, form a committee on racial justice and reform — there are countless ways to help build a better future. Find a few that align with your organization, and make a commitment to them. Racism isn’t just Black people’s problem, and inaction is a tacit endorsement of the status quo.

Fogbreak Justice –

Shanti Brien has a consulting company that teaches police forces and their admin staff implicit bias and leadership. She has also been an appellate attorney for 20 years and is about to publish her book, Almost Innocent.  Her organization, Fogbreak Justice, has been working on the transformation of the criminal justice system for many years and is looking to connect with people who are interested in the issue.  She wrote a blog post about what actions people can take right now (besides or in addition to protesting).  We must do more than talk, we must act.  Please take 2 minutes to read her post – then decide and act.

Life, Liberty, Property

What we’ve seen this week, and over the centuries, are violations of three sacred human rights – life, liberty, and property.  A citizen’s life was taken at the hands of government forces – without due process of law.  We’ve seen speech censored – and protests prevail.  We’ve seen property destroyed and people rebelling against the feeling they’re still property.  I pray we learn and never lose sight of these fundamental rights.  And that we continue to face these tragedies with love vs. loathe.  Be safe, be free.