Pearl Zhu's Blog, page 1459
January 26, 2015
Digital Master Tuning XXIII: Digital Transformation - Where Do you Start?
The "Problem Framer" begins with an end in mind.
Today’s business is dynamic and complex, many organizations are on the way for radical digital transformation, what’s the setting point, where will you start with, and how to manage change and transformation in more radical way in order to become a Digital Master ultimately?
Vision -"Begin with an End in Mind": Transformation requires first shifting mindset, starts with the realization that where you currently no longer can deliver the business objective and vision of success for your company and your shareholders. Determining what the future needs to look like (what the transformation must look like), and then, intrapersonal transformation and interpersonal transformation is needed to achieve organizational transformation.
The transformational leadership: A leader would have difficulty transforming an organization until she/he had her/his own transformational experience. Sharing experience seems to be better received than just, "Here's how we do it." Having the most senior champion is critical - someone who will not only communicate what the transformation looks like and where people will fit in the new vision, but also be observed as the leader who is "marching towards" that transformational vision.
The 'Golden Circle: As every successful change program, business transformation should follow the 'Golden Circle' starting with the WHY? (vision & motivation), then addressing the HOW? (process) and the WHAT? (results) at the end. Do not turn it around if you want to set up for success. With a focus on the arrival point, success will be contingent upon culture, state of the business, leadership (senior and positional influencers within the business), communication, team membership (internal and external) and the overall commitment to the goal. Celebrate successes often and don't lose site of the "pulse" of the organization.
The "Problem Framer". A solution is nothing if the problem is not perceived, therefore, creating the awareness of the problem is the first step to making a solution be understood and accepted. The realization only comes when the problem is perceived. Easy to say that you start with the process and/or capability that is most critical (customer impacting) with the largest potential impact to the success of your firm. How to identify where? - through internal (SWOT) and external assessments (benchmarks/consultations/ customer feedback) of your baseline position and a joint position as to where you want to arrive (interim state/end state). Audacious goals are absolutely important, but "boil the ocean" approaches seldom deliver expected results.
Minding the Gap. First clarify change vs. transformation -- "change" can be a somewhat mechanical implementation of new or different ways to doing something, while transformation is more likely to be a sweeping approach to altering a culture, or parts of it, possibly even to parts of its value system, to embrace such as change and help it become self-perpetuating. When the need for significant change is identified, it's generally naive to think it will succeed without transformation as well. So it is important in helping leaders discover, then consciously manage the communication gap between self-perception and the perception of others. Transforming, generating, ascending and core-shifting individuals, teams, even whole organisations!That's the starting point.
The process management: The business transformation is enabled by the internal business process management. One concept always is present in any process designed to successfully produce positive change. This is why it is critical that a solid maturity model should help define ambition along with the as-is. 1) Involve, 2) Engage, 3) Emerge & Evolve 4) Evaluate and 5) Embrace the change. The vision and Idea of transformation should come from the highest chair with a timeline. Each department should have defined & definite goals. It is not a one time activity. It should be an ongoing process....The process, change assessment, etc. are all tactics to get the organization there.
Still, back to the three fundamental elements of business: people, process and technology. A good transformation initiative will well orchestrate them seamlessly. in addition to the set point changing, then building new skills, reinforcing and embedding new practices/reflexes, and finally measure the right thing and measure them right.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Today’s business is dynamic and complex, many organizations are on the way for radical digital transformation, what’s the setting point, where will you start with, and how to manage change and transformation in more radical way in order to become a Digital Master ultimately?
Vision -"Begin with an End in Mind": Transformation requires first shifting mindset, starts with the realization that where you currently no longer can deliver the business objective and vision of success for your company and your shareholders. Determining what the future needs to look like (what the transformation must look like), and then, intrapersonal transformation and interpersonal transformation is needed to achieve organizational transformation.
The transformational leadership: A leader would have difficulty transforming an organization until she/he had her/his own transformational experience. Sharing experience seems to be better received than just, "Here's how we do it." Having the most senior champion is critical - someone who will not only communicate what the transformation looks like and where people will fit in the new vision, but also be observed as the leader who is "marching towards" that transformational vision.
The 'Golden Circle: As every successful change program, business transformation should follow the 'Golden Circle' starting with the WHY? (vision & motivation), then addressing the HOW? (process) and the WHAT? (results) at the end. Do not turn it around if you want to set up for success. With a focus on the arrival point, success will be contingent upon culture, state of the business, leadership (senior and positional influencers within the business), communication, team membership (internal and external) and the overall commitment to the goal. Celebrate successes often and don't lose site of the "pulse" of the organization.
The "Problem Framer". A solution is nothing if the problem is not perceived, therefore, creating the awareness of the problem is the first step to making a solution be understood and accepted. The realization only comes when the problem is perceived. Easy to say that you start with the process and/or capability that is most critical (customer impacting) with the largest potential impact to the success of your firm. How to identify where? - through internal (SWOT) and external assessments (benchmarks/consultations/ customer feedback) of your baseline position and a joint position as to where you want to arrive (interim state/end state). Audacious goals are absolutely important, but "boil the ocean" approaches seldom deliver expected results.
Minding the Gap. First clarify change vs. transformation -- "change" can be a somewhat mechanical implementation of new or different ways to doing something, while transformation is more likely to be a sweeping approach to altering a culture, or parts of it, possibly even to parts of its value system, to embrace such as change and help it become self-perpetuating. When the need for significant change is identified, it's generally naive to think it will succeed without transformation as well. So it is important in helping leaders discover, then consciously manage the communication gap between self-perception and the perception of others. Transforming, generating, ascending and core-shifting individuals, teams, even whole organisations!That's the starting point.
The process management: The business transformation is enabled by the internal business process management. One concept always is present in any process designed to successfully produce positive change. This is why it is critical that a solid maturity model should help define ambition along with the as-is. 1) Involve, 2) Engage, 3) Emerge & Evolve 4) Evaluate and 5) Embrace the change. The vision and Idea of transformation should come from the highest chair with a timeline. Each department should have defined & definite goals. It is not a one time activity. It should be an ongoing process....The process, change assessment, etc. are all tactics to get the organization there.
Still, back to the three fundamental elements of business: people, process and technology. A good transformation initiative will well orchestrate them seamlessly. in addition to the set point changing, then building new skills, reinforcing and embedding new practices/reflexes, and finally measure the right thing and measure them right.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun Quiz
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Digital Leadership Manifesto
Digital leadership transcends from mind set to MIND FLOW!
Digital leadership is the capability and capacity to manage volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous digital dynamic in order to create commons to address challenges during digital transformation.
Digital leadership goes Deeper over louder; Global over local; from Apathy to Sympathy to Empathy;
from Diversity to Inclusiveness to "Inclusiversity;"
Digital leadership requires multi-dimensional vision and creative communication: Positive influence over status quo; Continuous delivery over static credential; Problems Solving over bureaucracy; Creativity over Hierarchy;
Digital leadership achieves high maturity in pursuit of mastery: Character over Charisma; Authenticity over Perfection; Collaboration over Command & Control; Wisdom over single dimensional smartness.
Digital leadership makes the world round - as it is always to be. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Digital leadership is the capability and capacity to manage volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous digital dynamic in order to create commons to address challenges during digital transformation.
Digital leadership goes Deeper over louder; Global over local; from Apathy to Sympathy to Empathy;
from Diversity to Inclusiveness to "Inclusiversity;"
Digital leadership requires multi-dimensional vision and creative communication: Positive influence over status quo; Continuous delivery over static credential; Problems Solving over bureaucracy; Creativity over Hierarchy;
Digital leadership achieves high maturity in pursuit of mastery: Character over Charisma; Authenticity over Perfection; Collaboration over Command & Control; Wisdom over single dimensional smartness.
Digital leadership makes the world round - as it is always to be. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
What are the Critical Barriers to Performance Excellence (PE)
The emphasis needs to shift from number crunches in corporate towers to the people delivering performance.
Success stories are more often the same, but the causes of failure vary: Most of the organizations have issues with effectiveness of execution or achievement of set goals. Some blame it to external market environment (lack of demand) and others blame it to internal barriers (lack of resources, lack of strategic clarity, lack of capable committed people, lack of effective leadership to name a few). General speaking, what are the most critical barriers which, if addressed properly, usually have an amplifying impact on performance?
Culture of change inertia: It is important to develop the organizational culture continuously to reduce the risks associated with the firm's goal achievement. The human aspects of performance barriers and effectiveness of execution may be addressed with the creation of associate buy-in. Maintaining awareness in the people of an organization keeps them connected to the ongoing challenges that must be met for achievement of the firm's goals. Extracting feedback from the associate workforce may increase effectiveness as this workforce is the organization's pool of subject matter experts. Developing organizational culture may require little resources. However, this type of activity can produce great returns.
Lack of organizational alignment: Organizational alignment is what is key to fully achieve corporate performance goals. Culture is fantastic, however, that makes little difference if the goals and direction of the company are not properly and continually communicated throughout the rest of the organization. It is like planning a trip. You can't plan a trip if you don't know where you're going, meaning the goals of an organization. The strategic/tactical plans lay out the map of how you're going to get to your destination/goals. Communication is how you make sure everyone on the trip is aware of where you're going, when, etc., particularly to the navigator to help keep you on the right track. Lastly, you need infrastructure to support the trip; gas, food, lodging, and keeping your vehicle in good working order. The trip cannot happen efficiently without all parts working together, that is organizational alignment.
Lack of employee engagement and reward structure, etc. Performance; good, bad; fantastic or indifferent is only ever delivered by people - the task as managers, leaders, performance managers; coaches, mentors etc is to monitor that performance and create an environment where people understand the opportunity; the reasons for the opportunity and want themselves to "pull" high performance and personal achievement in from within themselves and their colleagues. The structural barriers to performance excellence include:
a. Unclear goal / too many variables attached to it to make it more confusing.
b.Mismatch in requirement from a role and expertise of the candidate
c. Lack of effective reward structure to encourage innovation/low or no motivation for mediocre.
d. Non – involvement of ground team during target setting – If you want to achieve is x% of growth. How is it going to achieve.
e. Management ignoring the external environment or business ecosystem affecting the business.
f. And the lack of support from immediate manager or management – it can be in terms of proper guidance, providing adequate resources which would help employee focus on the job etc.
Culture, organizational alignment and communication, employee involvement and buy-in in the process are all critical element in leading performance excellence- from performance management perspective, perhaps the emphasis needs to shift from number crunchers in corporate towers to the people delivering performance. And performance excellence is not only measure through efficiency and effectiveness, but also drive agility and maturity.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Success stories are more often the same, but the causes of failure vary: Most of the organizations have issues with effectiveness of execution or achievement of set goals. Some blame it to external market environment (lack of demand) and others blame it to internal barriers (lack of resources, lack of strategic clarity, lack of capable committed people, lack of effective leadership to name a few). General speaking, what are the most critical barriers which, if addressed properly, usually have an amplifying impact on performance?
Culture of change inertia: It is important to develop the organizational culture continuously to reduce the risks associated with the firm's goal achievement. The human aspects of performance barriers and effectiveness of execution may be addressed with the creation of associate buy-in. Maintaining awareness in the people of an organization keeps them connected to the ongoing challenges that must be met for achievement of the firm's goals. Extracting feedback from the associate workforce may increase effectiveness as this workforce is the organization's pool of subject matter experts. Developing organizational culture may require little resources. However, this type of activity can produce great returns.
Lack of organizational alignment: Organizational alignment is what is key to fully achieve corporate performance goals. Culture is fantastic, however, that makes little difference if the goals and direction of the company are not properly and continually communicated throughout the rest of the organization. It is like planning a trip. You can't plan a trip if you don't know where you're going, meaning the goals of an organization. The strategic/tactical plans lay out the map of how you're going to get to your destination/goals. Communication is how you make sure everyone on the trip is aware of where you're going, when, etc., particularly to the navigator to help keep you on the right track. Lastly, you need infrastructure to support the trip; gas, food, lodging, and keeping your vehicle in good working order. The trip cannot happen efficiently without all parts working together, that is organizational alignment.
Lack of employee engagement and reward structure, etc. Performance; good, bad; fantastic or indifferent is only ever delivered by people - the task as managers, leaders, performance managers; coaches, mentors etc is to monitor that performance and create an environment where people understand the opportunity; the reasons for the opportunity and want themselves to "pull" high performance and personal achievement in from within themselves and their colleagues. The structural barriers to performance excellence include: a. Unclear goal / too many variables attached to it to make it more confusing.
b.Mismatch in requirement from a role and expertise of the candidate
c. Lack of effective reward structure to encourage innovation/low or no motivation for mediocre.
d. Non – involvement of ground team during target setting – If you want to achieve is x% of growth. How is it going to achieve.
e. Management ignoring the external environment or business ecosystem affecting the business.
f. And the lack of support from immediate manager or management – it can be in terms of proper guidance, providing adequate resources which would help employee focus on the job etc.
Culture, organizational alignment and communication, employee involvement and buy-in in the process are all critical element in leading performance excellence- from performance management perspective, perhaps the emphasis needs to shift from number crunchers in corporate towers to the people delivering performance. And performance excellence is not only measure through efficiency and effectiveness, but also drive agility and maturity.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
January 25, 2015
Data Savvy Mind: How Does it Influence Business Culture and Performance
Digital is the age of Big Data. from doing data analytics project to shape a data-savvy mind is also a leapfrog, because it will fundamentally change the business culture and leadership communication style, also the way to serve customers and engage employees.
A data-savvy mind can lead more persuasive and evidence-based communication. How to make effective communication much depends on the individual, the enterprise, and the corporate culture. That said, the keys to communicating data to the board aren't that different than the keys to any strong communication. It's critical to listen to what stakeholders need from data - that makes it far more likely that they'll be truly engaged, and eager in what data can deliver. Also, it's important to use data to tell a story. That can be a different way to look at the process of data. But it's not "just the facts" - it's the business impact of those facts that ensures engagement.
A data-savvy mind doesn’t ignore the experiences or intuition. It's critical for leaders to communicate the real value of data in clear, actionable business terms. But, of course, that's a big part of what data has to do - be transformed into actionable insight. Also, a strong point for promoting a savvy mindset, especially among c-level executives, is stressing the fact that being data-driven does not mean experience and intuition are obsolete. Data is a simple way to supplement reason when making decisions and can even help reduce risk. Another common challenge to executives seems to be that it's too complex to practically implement. To the very least, executives should at least explore their options and possibilities, since being savvy is becoming a norm in most companies today.
A data-savvy mind can drive data driven behaviors which vary from functional level to a large-scale organizational level. One common example, companies can improve customer experience or make marketing campaigns based on all kinds of data. This would likely involve business intelligence software to analyze your existing customers to come up with a customer profile of the age, gender, lifestyle, etc. of the people who are likely to buy from you. Then, you can even get more specific. The data may show you that you have multiple audiences that are likely to buy your products. You can analyze the data even more to find out which audiences are likely to buy certain products and which audiences are not likely to purchase other products, so that you can maximize your marketing dollars by targeting people who are more likely to purchase.Both corporate executives and front line customer representatives need to equip with such data savvy mindset. For business leaders, such thinking drives good habits to always make effective decisions well mixing the data and intuition at strategic level; and the front line employees can also make data driven decision at transactional level to either delight customers or improving business processes. It is the very foundation to shift from doing analytics projects to running an intelligent organization.Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Digital Master Tuning XXII: The Cause & Effect of Talent Gaps
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” -Einstein
We live in a time of rapidly changing technology and business dynamic, some new skills, or digital capabilities are needed every day. From talent management perspective, more specifically, what are the cause and effect of skill gap issues (some are real, some are “artificial,”) and how to handle them effectively in shaping both individual and corporate Digital Master?
The gap is caused by traditional HR perception -thinking people as cost or resource; not capital to invest with. Businesses, can only blame themselves because they didn't invest in the people asset so that the skill they need now and into the future are there. It would be great to see more corporations doing the same kind of long-term solution thinking. As soon as there's a new innovation (tool, process, platform, software language...), there's a shortage of skills to use it. Unfortunately upskilling and training is too often seen as a cost and not an investment in the business and industries future. It is also strategic in producing as much "home grown" talent as practical. The advantages are clear developing current employees, good succession planning, mentoring and robust career focused training will not only motivate recipients but also those around them.
There exist a stereotype about the skills set an individual is perceived to possess. But in the reality there can be more or even less than expected. There are talent arenas such as synthetic capability, not very specific skills, can't be easily analyzed and hence, a recruiter fails in fitting right person to the job. They might even sometimes reject the correct person for the job based on the same stereotyped perception. If these organizations are not finding qualified talent for their roles in a variety of verticals, you then need to start looking at the recruiting process. Hire talented, intelligent people who are ready and able to continuously learn without needing hand-holding. Understanding the talent and skills availability helps business make more strategic HR decisions and look at longer term talent pipelining, so they are ready to access to labour pools full of well-educated and life-long-learning employees.
There is a shortage of effective management which could be translated to a skills shortage.... You can give most people skills easily when compared to trying to give/develop ability, attitude, flexibility, intelligence, practicality, pragmatism etc. Managers who complain rather than solve the problem, managers who complain about the cost but fail to understand the lost opportunity costs. The list goes on. There needs to be a better appreciation for problem solving abilities; to examine a situation from multiple angles and develop new approaches, because once you could identify the right fit, you had one less task to handle. At societal level, there are needs to change so that the independent and critical thinking is encouraged and problem solving minds are engaged. They need to be pragmatic and practical, analytical and empathetic, have an eye on solving the problems and continually striving to make things better and the society better.
It helps mind the gap by analyzing the causes; Obviously individual companies will see different things depending on how they recruit, hire, pay, etc, there are some common causes of talent shortage 1). Globalization & liberalization 2). Retirement or Superannuation 3). Lack of Knowledge or experience to the freshers 4). Resignations. There are set of questions can help you check the status: 1) Peel back the layers of the position. What are the necessary skill sets for a person to be successful in this role? . 2) What tools and networks are you using to identify talent? Building a strong network in niche fields allows you to utilize other subject matter experts and their professional network. 3) What are you offering in comparison to your competitors?
Learning agility is the key! Research shows that people are much better at remembering where to find a piece of information than the information itself. It no longer makes sense to hire someone just because they already have the pieces of information or certain linear skills, as clearly it is not necessary. What is necessary is to have the information organized so workers can access it whenever and wherever they need it, and build the “recombinating” capability to solve more complex problems and spark the next level of innovation.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun QuizFollow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
We live in a time of rapidly changing technology and business dynamic, some new skills, or digital capabilities are needed every day. From talent management perspective, more specifically, what are the cause and effect of skill gap issues (some are real, some are “artificial,”) and how to handle them effectively in shaping both individual and corporate Digital Master?
The gap is caused by traditional HR perception -thinking people as cost or resource; not capital to invest with. Businesses, can only blame themselves because they didn't invest in the people asset so that the skill they need now and into the future are there. It would be great to see more corporations doing the same kind of long-term solution thinking. As soon as there's a new innovation (tool, process, platform, software language...), there's a shortage of skills to use it. Unfortunately upskilling and training is too often seen as a cost and not an investment in the business and industries future. It is also strategic in producing as much "home grown" talent as practical. The advantages are clear developing current employees, good succession planning, mentoring and robust career focused training will not only motivate recipients but also those around them.
There exist a stereotype about the skills set an individual is perceived to possess. But in the reality there can be more or even less than expected. There are talent arenas such as synthetic capability, not very specific skills, can't be easily analyzed and hence, a recruiter fails in fitting right person to the job. They might even sometimes reject the correct person for the job based on the same stereotyped perception. If these organizations are not finding qualified talent for their roles in a variety of verticals, you then need to start looking at the recruiting process. Hire talented, intelligent people who are ready and able to continuously learn without needing hand-holding. Understanding the talent and skills availability helps business make more strategic HR decisions and look at longer term talent pipelining, so they are ready to access to labour pools full of well-educated and life-long-learning employees.
There is a shortage of effective management which could be translated to a skills shortage.... You can give most people skills easily when compared to trying to give/develop ability, attitude, flexibility, intelligence, practicality, pragmatism etc. Managers who complain rather than solve the problem, managers who complain about the cost but fail to understand the lost opportunity costs. The list goes on. There needs to be a better appreciation for problem solving abilities; to examine a situation from multiple angles and develop new approaches, because once you could identify the right fit, you had one less task to handle. At societal level, there are needs to change so that the independent and critical thinking is encouraged and problem solving minds are engaged. They need to be pragmatic and practical, analytical and empathetic, have an eye on solving the problems and continually striving to make things better and the society better.
It helps mind the gap by analyzing the causes; Obviously individual companies will see different things depending on how they recruit, hire, pay, etc, there are some common causes of talent shortage 1). Globalization & liberalization 2). Retirement or Superannuation 3). Lack of Knowledge or experience to the freshers 4). Resignations. There are set of questions can help you check the status: 1) Peel back the layers of the position. What are the necessary skill sets for a person to be successful in this role? . 2) What tools and networks are you using to identify talent? Building a strong network in niche fields allows you to utilize other subject matter experts and their professional network. 3) What are you offering in comparison to your competitors?
Learning agility is the key! Research shows that people are much better at remembering where to find a piece of information than the information itself. It no longer makes sense to hire someone just because they already have the pieces of information or certain linear skills, as clearly it is not necessary. What is necessary is to have the information organized so workers can access it whenever and wherever they need it, and build the “recombinating” capability to solve more complex problems and spark the next level of innovation.
Digitalization is like a flywheel, and Digital Masters are the one riding above it. Surf more Information about Digital Master:
Digital Master Kindle Version Book Order URL
Digital Master Introduction URL
Digital Master Author URL
Digital Master Video Clip on YouTube
Digital Master Fun QuizFollow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
The Cause & Effect of Talent Gaps
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” -Einstein
We live in a time of rapidly changing technology and business dynamic, so some new skills, or digital capabilities are needed every day. From talent management perspective, more specifically, what are the cause and effect of skill gap issues (some are real, some are “artificial,”) and how to handle them effectively.
The gap is caused by traditional HR perception -thinking people as cost or resource; not capital to invest with. Businesses, can only blame themselves because they didn't invest in the people asset so that the skill they need now and into the future are there. It would be great to see more corporations doing the same kind of long-term solution thinking. As soon as there's a new innovation (tool, process, platform, software language...), there's a shortage of skills to use it. Unfortunately upskilling and training is too often seen as a cost and not an investment in the business and industries future. It is also strategic in producing as much "home grown" talent as practical. The advantages are clear developing current employees, good succession planning, mentoring and robust career focused training will not only motivate recipients but also those around them.
There exist a stereotype about the skills set an individual is perceived to possess. But in the reality there can be more or even less than expected. There are talent arenas such as synthetic capability, not very specific skills, can't be easily analyzed and hence, a recruiter fails in fitting right person to the job. They might even sometimes reject the correct person for the job based on the same stereotyped perception. If these organizations are not finding qualified talent for their roles in a variety of verticals, you then need to start looking at the recruiting process. Hire talented, intelligent people who are ready and able to continuously learn without needing hand-holding. Understanding the talent and skills availability helps business make more strategic HR decisions and look at longer term talent pipelining, so they are ready to access to labour pools full of well-educated and life-long-learning employees.
There is a shortage of effective management which could be translated to a skills shortage.... You can give most people skills easily when compared to trying to give/develop ability, attitude, flexibility, intelligence, practicality, pragmatism etc. Managers who complain rather than solve the problem, managers who complain about the cost but fail to understand the lost opportunity costs. The list goes on. There needs to be a better appreciation for problem solving abilities; to examine a situation from multiple angles and develop new approaches, because once you could identify the right fit, you had one less task to handle. At societal level, there are needs to change so that the independent and critical thinking is encouraged and problem solving minds are engaged. They need to be pragmatic and practical, analytical and empathetic, have an eye on solving the problems and continually striving to make things better and the society better.
It helps mind the gap for analyzing the causes; and doing the talent check by questioning: Obviously individual companies will see different things depending on how they recruit, hire, pay, etc, there are some common causes of talent shortage 1). Globalization & liberalization 2). Retirement or Superannuation 3). Lack of Knowledge or experience to the freshers 4). Resignations. There are set of questions can help you check the status: 1) Peel back the layers of the position. What are the necessary skill sets for a person to be successful in this role? . 2) What tools and networks are you using to identify talent? Building a strong network in niche fields allows you to utilize other subject matter experts and their professional network. 3) What are you offering in comparison to your competitors?
Learning agility is the key! Research shows that people are much better at remembering where to find a piece of information than the information itself. It no longer makes sense to hire someone just because they already have the pieces of information or skills, as clearly it is not necessary. What is necessary is to have the information organized so workers can access it whenever and wherever they need it, and build the “recombinate” capability to solve more complex problems and spark the new level of innovation.
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” -Einstein
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
We live in a time of rapidly changing technology and business dynamic, so some new skills, or digital capabilities are needed every day. From talent management perspective, more specifically, what are the cause and effect of skill gap issues (some are real, some are “artificial,”) and how to handle them effectively.
The gap is caused by traditional HR perception -thinking people as cost or resource; not capital to invest with. Businesses, can only blame themselves because they didn't invest in the people asset so that the skill they need now and into the future are there. It would be great to see more corporations doing the same kind of long-term solution thinking. As soon as there's a new innovation (tool, process, platform, software language...), there's a shortage of skills to use it. Unfortunately upskilling and training is too often seen as a cost and not an investment in the business and industries future. It is also strategic in producing as much "home grown" talent as practical. The advantages are clear developing current employees, good succession planning, mentoring and robust career focused training will not only motivate recipients but also those around them.
There exist a stereotype about the skills set an individual is perceived to possess. But in the reality there can be more or even less than expected. There are talent arenas such as synthetic capability, not very specific skills, can't be easily analyzed and hence, a recruiter fails in fitting right person to the job. They might even sometimes reject the correct person for the job based on the same stereotyped perception. If these organizations are not finding qualified talent for their roles in a variety of verticals, you then need to start looking at the recruiting process. Hire talented, intelligent people who are ready and able to continuously learn without needing hand-holding. Understanding the talent and skills availability helps business make more strategic HR decisions and look at longer term talent pipelining, so they are ready to access to labour pools full of well-educated and life-long-learning employees.
There is a shortage of effective management which could be translated to a skills shortage.... You can give most people skills easily when compared to trying to give/develop ability, attitude, flexibility, intelligence, practicality, pragmatism etc. Managers who complain rather than solve the problem, managers who complain about the cost but fail to understand the lost opportunity costs. The list goes on. There needs to be a better appreciation for problem solving abilities; to examine a situation from multiple angles and develop new approaches, because once you could identify the right fit, you had one less task to handle. At societal level, there are needs to change so that the independent and critical thinking is encouraged and problem solving minds are engaged. They need to be pragmatic and practical, analytical and empathetic, have an eye on solving the problems and continually striving to make things better and the society better.
It helps mind the gap for analyzing the causes; and doing the talent check by questioning: Obviously individual companies will see different things depending on how they recruit, hire, pay, etc, there are some common causes of talent shortage 1). Globalization & liberalization 2). Retirement or Superannuation 3). Lack of Knowledge or experience to the freshers 4). Resignations. There are set of questions can help you check the status: 1) Peel back the layers of the position. What are the necessary skill sets for a person to be successful in this role? . 2) What tools and networks are you using to identify talent? Building a strong network in niche fields allows you to utilize other subject matter experts and their professional network. 3) What are you offering in comparison to your competitors?
Learning agility is the key! Research shows that people are much better at remembering where to find a piece of information than the information itself. It no longer makes sense to hire someone just because they already have the pieces of information or skills, as clearly it is not necessary. What is necessary is to have the information organized so workers can access it whenever and wherever they need it, and build the “recombinate” capability to solve more complex problems and spark the new level of innovation.
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” -Einstein
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
January 24, 2015
What’s the Digital Theme to Run a Global Board
The world has become hyper-connected and interdependent, there are many common management practices in building a multi-national organization, however, there are still very few truly global companies or empathetic global leaders or boards. From corporate governance perspective, What’s the digital theme to build and run a global board?
The basis of differences can be harmonized on the global scale. The criteria being used by differing countries or continent such as Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America are bound to vary, relative to their respective economic status regulations. The criteria themselves, regardless of the aforementioned disparities, are founded purely on the Principles of Corporate Governance. So the basis of difference can be harmonized on the global scale. And such principles are themselves evolutionary in nature. This would imply, in general, any form of innovation will be inspired by the circumstances of the particular time...hence will invariably be reactionary in nature rather than proactive. So the best you can master in inspiring innovative approach in evolving the corporate governance, could just be, becoming competitively adaptive to the ever fast changing world.
Accountability should be a common thread throughout all global boards, regardless of nation diversity. Global boards will, for the most part, go through a learning process, relationship building and understanding of what it takes to get cross-cultural agreements. It starts with agenda agreements before moving forward, but takes patience and understanding of potential obstacles, differences, and language that translates common meaning. Careful thought to where boards meet, venue and time to get to know each other is important as well, while at the same time keeping focus of process and desired outcomes.
Corporate Governance Framework should promote transparent & efficient markets. If organizations were, for instance, to consider just how evolutionary the corporate governance should be, with specific reference to the overriding principle, which states that corporate governance framework should promote transparent & efficient markets, and be consistent with the rule of law and clearly articulate the division of responsibilities among different supervisory, regulatory and enforcement authorities, there is a huge challenge that businesses are faced with just only on this one Principle amongst many others. There appears to be merit in having a geographically diversified board for a company nurturing the idea of going global. Notwithstanding the advances in information technology, organizations will continue to depend on individuals to give an informed appraisal of the local environment. There is little wonder therefore why those companies that recruit their board members more globally, tend to find it easier to scale up and gain global business empathy.
There is still long way to achieve corporate governance maturity. Corporate governance in many nations has either evolved leading massive corporate failures or some economic crisis. However, under such conditions holistic view of improving corporate governance is unforeseen. In this neo-liberal global economy, any particular system of governance cannot work for a country. There needs to be a balanced approach for developing a corporate governance system keeping in view the country's intrinsic requirements while supporting global exigencies. The latest digital technologies shall open the new possibilities to communicate and collaborate across-border, but more critically, the highly talented, and highly professional global leaders & BoDs will bridge the cognitive difference and bring the new insight of corporate governance and digital agility.
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A “Grit” Mind
Grit is the “raw endurance, perseverance and passion that keeps you going despite obstacles.” GRIT boils down to resilience and single-mindedness, your mind is connected with your vision, your vision motivates you to keep focused to discover the sense of purpose and achieve the ultimate vision.
Having grit by itself does not guarantee success but its hard to have success without it. We need smarts but we need the motivation and grit to push us through to success. Most of the time we call goals unattainable because they have not yet been reached - calling them unattainable is unimaginative, non-creative, and small thinking.
A grit mind involves persistence; there is delayed gratification, being able to handle adverse and negative feedback, push through, and focus on a purpose and probably some other things. Some can have enough grit for a long time, some can do it in bursts. the inclusion of "delayed gratification". Achievements that require GRIT are not easy one hit achievements. They require dogged persistence over time which inextricably involves a projected / longer term goal / outcome.
Grit and emotional intelligence as similar characteristics. In breaking down GRIT to its components, it becomes apparent that they cannot be taught completely. Yes, lessons can have activities built in that require aspects of GRIT which likewise require multiple opportunities to practice GRIT but that is not the same as teaching it. If you can't learn grit or the components that make it up, then you either have it or don't - and if that is so, then only certain people can succeed and others cannot if you accept the premise that grit is an very important at the heart of success. How can you practice what you don't know or can't learn?
Grit strengthen the strength; align with one’s purpose beyond thyself. It could be the very reason that we have grit for some things but not others, it comes circumstances or for a season and not others or not when the season is over. There is underlying traits-- persistence, delaying gratification, ability to accept and use criticism, and a sense of purpose--cannot be developed.No one learns the value of persistence unless there is an opportunity for persistence to pay off. Underlying grit is the opportunity to try and fail and try again. Delayed gratification works only if the delay is long enough to be meaningful. Having a sense of purpose requires believing in something bigger than oneself. Either being single-minded or persistent, grit is the very quality to keep you focused and discover a sense of purpose, be passionate to pursue the vision; be consistent with who you are; be persistent to overcome the obstacles; and be resilient to fail over. Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
January 23, 2015
GRC Methodology vs. Technology
Go back to the old chestnut of "people, process, and technology" to address business issues and it works in the GRC as well.
Digital technologies bring significant opportunities and risks in today’s businesses, hence, GRC (governance, risk management and compliance) plays more important role in running an effective organization. GRC methodology vs. technology, how to balance them right in improving organizational agility and maturity?
Technology is merely a tool, not the driver. Technology is a means to work smarter and not harder and that should be one of the many factors when considering a GRC solution. For an organization embarking on a GRC journey - the GRC program, always remember it's a journey - and it might be good to start at the top with risk culture (awareness, environment, oversight, etc.) as a key consideration as well. You cannot automate all aspects of GRC, however, you can and should automate all areas that don't require human intervention. Just manually keeping records of risks, treatment plans, findings etc. would be completely untenable for the majority of organizations. Identifying which control activities related to which compliance requirements.
You must know what's available and what you need before you can possibly manage GRC effectively. If you've been put in a situation where technology is in place, take a step back and make sure it's the right solution. The folks using the technology will be able to tell you what works and what doesn't. One major complaint about GRC solutions is that most of them can't keep up with the new regulations - they may have the data but can't update their software fast enough. Keep that in mind as you choose a solution. Delivering information about the status of risks to all risk owners at all levels in an organization would be equally challenging. So you can't automate human judgement or decision making, but you can certainly automate a lot of the mechanical activities in GRC.
GRC are actually a collection of processes. Indeed, many of the elements of those various processes could be automated. Compliance is a consequence of applying governance and risk management towards a selection of suitable (internal & external) mandates and standards; nobody gets it all right all the time. It is a question of balance. There are situations where technology was not properly utilized and, conversely, technology was not utilized. Both had results that were not optimal for the situation at hand. The judgement is required to consider, install, operate, and utilize any GRC function, whatever its technological capability is. That judgement requires a human brain at present.
There is no such thing as "technology alone" - the human factor is crucial. But technology can automate mundane business processes and allow you to maximize the efficiency in areas where technology can not replace the human touch. Can you achieve any level of GRC without automation? Can you achieve any level of GRC without people? Culture and awareness are the most critical aspects of GRC, and can only be implemented in humans. You cannot have effective GRC without them. Technology is an enabler and makes things possible that would not otherwise be possible, but you can implement GRC without it.
So, go back to that old chestnut of "people, process, and technology" to address business issues and it works in the GRC world as well. Organizations become over-complex than ever, so applying some very robust tools well is essential to GRC implementation. However, it is critical to look at leadership, culture, staff training, existing processes, and existing technology first, make improvements if necessary, then determine whether new tools would be a good addition to the mix.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Digital technologies bring significant opportunities and risks in today’s businesses, hence, GRC (governance, risk management and compliance) plays more important role in running an effective organization. GRC methodology vs. technology, how to balance them right in improving organizational agility and maturity?
Technology is merely a tool, not the driver. Technology is a means to work smarter and not harder and that should be one of the many factors when considering a GRC solution. For an organization embarking on a GRC journey - the GRC program, always remember it's a journey - and it might be good to start at the top with risk culture (awareness, environment, oversight, etc.) as a key consideration as well. You cannot automate all aspects of GRC, however, you can and should automate all areas that don't require human intervention. Just manually keeping records of risks, treatment plans, findings etc. would be completely untenable for the majority of organizations. Identifying which control activities related to which compliance requirements.
You must know what's available and what you need before you can possibly manage GRC effectively. If you've been put in a situation where technology is in place, take a step back and make sure it's the right solution. The folks using the technology will be able to tell you what works and what doesn't. One major complaint about GRC solutions is that most of them can't keep up with the new regulations - they may have the data but can't update their software fast enough. Keep that in mind as you choose a solution. Delivering information about the status of risks to all risk owners at all levels in an organization would be equally challenging. So you can't automate human judgement or decision making, but you can certainly automate a lot of the mechanical activities in GRC.
GRC are actually a collection of processes. Indeed, many of the elements of those various processes could be automated. Compliance is a consequence of applying governance and risk management towards a selection of suitable (internal & external) mandates and standards; nobody gets it all right all the time. It is a question of balance. There are situations where technology was not properly utilized and, conversely, technology was not utilized. Both had results that were not optimal for the situation at hand. The judgement is required to consider, install, operate, and utilize any GRC function, whatever its technological capability is. That judgement requires a human brain at present.
There is no such thing as "technology alone" - the human factor is crucial. But technology can automate mundane business processes and allow you to maximize the efficiency in areas where technology can not replace the human touch. Can you achieve any level of GRC without automation? Can you achieve any level of GRC without people? Culture and awareness are the most critical aspects of GRC, and can only be implemented in humans. You cannot have effective GRC without them. Technology is an enabler and makes things possible that would not otherwise be possible, but you can implement GRC without it.
So, go back to that old chestnut of "people, process, and technology" to address business issues and it works in the GRC world as well. Organizations become over-complex than ever, so applying some very robust tools well is essential to GRC implementation. However, it is critical to look at leadership, culture, staff training, existing processes, and existing technology first, make improvements if necessary, then determine whether new tools would be a good addition to the mix.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
A Witty Mind
An effective leader with witty mind can create positive energy to lighten up surrounding.
Being today’s digital leader is a tough challenge; some say, because the world becomes more open and transparent, people also turn to be more “picky.” On one hand, a good leader always needs to be authentic, unique and “imperfect” (nobody is perfect though); on the other hand, how shall you handle “subconscious” judgement, stereotypical thinking or over-analyzing cognition. Besides leadership substance, what’s your nature style of leadership? Are you witty, humorous, loud or flashy? And how to shape such a “witty mind”?
Be wit, not mockery; be humorous, not sarcastic: Dictionaries defined the humor as "a comic, absurd, or incongruous quality causing amusement, an instance of being or attempting to be comical or amusing; something humorous." Dictionary definition of "sarcasm" is "a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance or cutting expression or remark.” Witty is “amusingly or ingeniously clever in conception or expression.” Mockery is “teasing and contemptuous language or behavior directed at a particular person or thing.”
A Witting mind generate positive energy. Wit is "intelligent" humor... Humor makes everyone around feel good and enhanced..generates laughter..and therefore positive energy.. there are some overlapping elements and certain things that set the two apart. Wit involves a very quick and clever mental sharpness; being able to see a situation in a unique way and instinctively being able to respond with a relevant comment or comeback. Sometimes wit can be funny, other times, just clever. Humor, always involves amusement outwardly manifested by a smile, chuckle or laughter. There are different types of humor, including the type involving cleverness.
Leaders in how to practice their leadership effectiveness reflect their “taste”: It reflects their positive & negative attitude through their personal styles..the kind of humor they bring out at work place is like breeze, light and nature ....Good leaders utilize their clean humor & spread positive energy, through communications, to lighten the situations; it’s really a very good asset for them…
Wit in good taste brings humor and is a welcome one. Humor in good taste is a booster of morale. Wit is used to help a person you like avoid embarrassment by making a molehill out of a mountain of a mistake.. Humor when it hurts, becomes sarcasm. Wit when it belittles somebody, is mockery. it means a witty mind is intelligent, and comedy requires lot of wisdom and intelligence..it is lot more difficult than making emotional stories..
Wit is an ornament of mind designed and moulded by self-awareness & intuition. Humor and sarcasm are two components, that help human beings grow up. Ability to be humorous is indeed great. Ability to handle the sarcasm is even greater. Wit has often helped one handle sarcasm and mockery effectively..
Wit is presence of mind...It is all about timing. "Wit" is essentially "the capacity for inventive thought and quick understanding; keen intelligence." It does not relate to humor only. Any expression indicative of quick thinking and deep understanding is an instance of wit. You can't be witty or humorous without having a good sense of humor, and those who have good sense of humor know well that they need not appear humorous all the time.
No matter which leadership style do you have, either being witty or humorous; being inspirational or aspirational, the effective leadership shall create positive energy to influence surrounding. Take leadership seriously, but also delightful.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
Being today’s digital leader is a tough challenge; some say, because the world becomes more open and transparent, people also turn to be more “picky.” On one hand, a good leader always needs to be authentic, unique and “imperfect” (nobody is perfect though); on the other hand, how shall you handle “subconscious” judgement, stereotypical thinking or over-analyzing cognition. Besides leadership substance, what’s your nature style of leadership? Are you witty, humorous, loud or flashy? And how to shape such a “witty mind”?
Be wit, not mockery; be humorous, not sarcastic: Dictionaries defined the humor as "a comic, absurd, or incongruous quality causing amusement, an instance of being or attempting to be comical or amusing; something humorous." Dictionary definition of "sarcasm" is "a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance or cutting expression or remark.” Witty is “amusingly or ingeniously clever in conception or expression.” Mockery is “teasing and contemptuous language or behavior directed at a particular person or thing.”
A Witting mind generate positive energy. Wit is "intelligent" humor... Humor makes everyone around feel good and enhanced..generates laughter..and therefore positive energy.. there are some overlapping elements and certain things that set the two apart. Wit involves a very quick and clever mental sharpness; being able to see a situation in a unique way and instinctively being able to respond with a relevant comment or comeback. Sometimes wit can be funny, other times, just clever. Humor, always involves amusement outwardly manifested by a smile, chuckle or laughter. There are different types of humor, including the type involving cleverness.
Leaders in how to practice their leadership effectiveness reflect their “taste”: It reflects their positive & negative attitude through their personal styles..the kind of humor they bring out at work place is like breeze, light and nature ....Good leaders utilize their clean humor & spread positive energy, through communications, to lighten the situations; it’s really a very good asset for them…
Wit in good taste brings humor and is a welcome one. Humor in good taste is a booster of morale. Wit is used to help a person you like avoid embarrassment by making a molehill out of a mountain of a mistake.. Humor when it hurts, becomes sarcasm. Wit when it belittles somebody, is mockery. it means a witty mind is intelligent, and comedy requires lot of wisdom and intelligence..it is lot more difficult than making emotional stories..
Wit is an ornament of mind designed and moulded by self-awareness & intuition. Humor and sarcasm are two components, that help human beings grow up. Ability to be humorous is indeed great. Ability to handle the sarcasm is even greater. Wit has often helped one handle sarcasm and mockery effectively..
Wit is presence of mind...It is all about timing. "Wit" is essentially "the capacity for inventive thought and quick understanding; keen intelligence." It does not relate to humor only. Any expression indicative of quick thinking and deep understanding is an instance of wit. You can't be witty or humorous without having a good sense of humor, and those who have good sense of humor know well that they need not appear humorous all the time.
No matter which leadership style do you have, either being witty or humorous; being inspirational or aspirational, the effective leadership shall create positive energy to influence surrounding. Take leadership seriously, but also delightful.
Follow us at: @Pearl_Zhu
