Jean Fahmy

I've read some interesting quotes about strategy in the last months, prepping for the current strategy-focused position I have. The one that stuck with me was from Verne Harnish, CEO of Gazelles - a growth consulting company. It give an interesting view as to why we need solid strategy in a company.

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed...

every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle...when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

Strategy tells you where to run to either eat or to not get eaten.

Strategy.

A word that means everything and nothing at the same time. It is overused so much, I feel it's lost all meaning.

Since my current role at Transcontinental is one of 'Digital Strategies', it was was in my interest to come up with an easy, vulgarized, descriptive and rallying definition of the word.

So, true to form, I read over 30 books, countless blogs and even more web pages on 'Strategy'. I was searching for that common thread that would help cement what the word 'strategy' could mean in an organization like the one I'm in.

And finally I found it. Nothing groundbreaking, but the definition I formulated out of this process was one I could happily start promoting.

Strategy answers two important questions :

- What CAN you do ?

- What SHOULD you do ?

Now the key are the tools you will develop to answer those crucial questions. But that is for another blog...

One leadership book which has had a profound influence on me was 'The Way of the Shepherd' by Kevin Leman. It describes how to be a leader by drawing parallels to keeping a flock of sheep. I know, it doesn't sound like there are parallels to make... but read on. Here are the principles from the book and the studied lives of shepherds. I think what really gets to me is that Shepherd Leadership promotes the notion that leaders are actually servants to their constituents. Now that's counter-intuitive....

Enjoy, and may it bring out the shepherd leader in you.

Know the condition of your flock
- Follow the status of your people as well as the status of the work
- Get to know your flock, one sheep at a time
- Engage your people on a regular basis
- Keep your eyes and ears open, question and follow through

Discover the shape of your sheep
- Your choice of sheep can make flock management easier of harder
- Start with healthy sheep, or you'll inherit someone else's problem
- Know the SHAPE of your sheep to make sure they're in the right fold
-- Strengths
-- Heart
-- Attitude
-- Personality
-- Experiences

Help your sheep identify with you
- Build trust with your followers by modeling authenticity, integrity, and compassion
- Set higher standards of performance
- Relentlessly communicate your values and sense of mission
- Define the cause for your people and tell them where they fit in
- Remember that great leadership isn't just professional; it's personal

Make your pasture a safe place
- Keep your people well informed
- Infuse every position with importance
- Cull chronic instigators from the flock
- Regularly rotate the sheep to fresh pasture
- Reassure the sheep by staying visible
- Don't give problems time to fester

The staff of direction
- Know where you're going, get out in front, and keep your flock on the move
- When directing, use persuasion rather than coercion
- Give your people freedom of movement, but make sure they know where the fence is. Don't confuse boundaries with bridles
When your people get in trouble, go and get them out
- Remind your people that failure isn't fatal

The rod of correction
- Protect: stand in the gap and fight for your sheep
- Correct: approach discipline as a teaching opportunity
- Inspect: regularly inquire about your people's progress

The heart of the shepherd
- Great leadership is a lifestyle, not a technique
- Every day you have to decide who's going to pay for your leadership - you or your people
- Most of all, have a heart for your sheep

Ahhh Internal politics.

I had very little notion of what that was until I joined a big corporation. I had heard about it, but it sounded more like a rumour to me in my small-company-cocoon. For 11 years, the only politics I knew about were the ones I created in my businesses. All the behind-the-scenes action was either non-existent or well hidden from me. (I prefer to think there weren't any, but I'm not that naïve...)

And then I got a bit of a baptism by fire and I was getting quite discouraged.

Everything changed for me when Francois Olivier, the CEO of our company gave me his definition of what company politics are. He said: ‘Jean, politics is a good thing if that means you are being polite and if you are delicately getting your point across on a sensitive subject. But, if a person is putting his own personal interests ahead of the company’s interest, well, that is bad politics.’

So here are my take-aways from my experience so-far.

1. Think of the company first
I now often ask myself: who do I really work for? When I drive down the value chain, I realise I work for the Marcoux family and the TCL shareholders. So the decisions I take are now focused towards these stakeholders. You may say ‘duh’ to the previous statement, but when you’ve always worked as the entrepreneur, it’s a revelation.

2. Get buy-in, get buy-in, get buy-in
Major projects require many experts within the organization. Even if I am a project lead, I am still working with a team of significantly qualified individuals. Their continued involvement and buy-in ensures that the project will be successful… and it valorizes everyone’s expertise.

3. Watch out for the big 3
This three-headed monster kills projects, demotivates people, ruins internal processes, increases churn, increases useless expenses and decreases profits…

- Personal egos
- Hidden agendas
- Keeping information for oneself

4. Titles don't equal real influence
Nuff said.

‘Is the project finished?’
‘Almost’

This back and forth happens all too often in corporations today with horrendous results. 80 % of projects today never get completed adequately because we have too many ‘almosts’.

From FGT, a boutique expert project management firm, comes a list of 8 Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for Project Management. These 8 answer the age-old question ‘Is the project finished?’ If you are able to say yes (objectively) to these 8, then pat yourself on the back, you’ve delivered your project. These 8 also kill the all-too-often-mentioned answer ‘I’m almost finished the project’ - which still give me shivers.

I’ve used these 8 CSF everywhere, they’re simple and they work.

Has your project been delivered:
-    on time
-    on budget
-    with the required specifications
-    to the satisfaction of the team
-    to the satisfaction of the leadership
-    to the satisfaction of the client
-    with an initial project justification
-    with an ending project evaluation

Now go and deliver.

Disclaimer: FGT is my dad’s project management company and can be found at www.fgt.com.

At my current employer, I have the lovely task of helping others innovate with their brands and their media mix. So I got to researching how big companies innovate. I knew of the '20% do-whatever-you-like' rule that 3M and Google use, but that didn't cut it here.

And then I found W.L. Gore.

"Pound for pound, the most innovative company in America is W.L. Gore and Associates," according to Fast Company. They are known for its premier brand Gore-Tex. They also innovate in the electronics, fabric and medical industries.

How do they do it ? 5 key philosophies that dictate how the company is run:

1. Small teams
With small groups, the company is able to respond and innovate quickly.

2. No rank
Instead of a rigid chain of command, which can delay decision making, the company eliminated rank. All employees are equal.

3. Everyone can lead
Without rank, it gives every employee the opportunity to be a leader.

4. Take the long view
Great innovations can sometimes take years, not months. By recognizing this, the company does not demand immediate results for quarterly shareholder reports.

5. Celebrate failures
Success requires failure. By celebrating failure, the company encourages employees to test every new idea because you never know which one will be a runaway success.

Lots of food for thought. And don't worry, I understand the need to frame these five chaotic suggestions in a controlled environment...