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Leadership

How Does Capital Impact Innovation?

I am usually an optimistic person and I truly believe everything will work out okay in the end.   Deadlines are always met, even if the team leader has to exert herculean effort.  What we worry about today rarely matters in a year’s time. 

Yet, I have to admit that I’m often pessimistic when I hear that the economy is different.  To me, economic forces (without government intervention) are natural laws, just as are physical laws and the rules of thermodynamics.  People “in-the-know” are telling us that the economy is different now, though, so let’s look at how that impacts innovation. 

Loose Capital

Interest rates remain very low, so capital is easy to come by.  What’s puzzling – and perhaps different – is that many large corporations are choosing to spend their capital on stock buybacks instead of investing in future growth.

From an innovation standpoint, these companies are signaling that they don’t have any good ideas.  That is a really troubling thought.  But I bet if the executives at these firms asked their R&D, operations, and marketing folks for ideas, they would learn about some great investment opportunities in new product development. 

Production vs. Development

When capital is tight, companies focus – as they should – on productivity and efficiency.  Investments during economic downturns keep the factories running and will improve bottom-line growth on their income statements.

Yet, it’s not bottom-line growth that gives a company longevity.  Top-line growth – which means finding new sources of revenue – is what sustains a firm through both good and bad times.  Investing in new product development (NPD) on a disciplined basis allows a firm to access top-line growth and to sustain a business over the long term.

Learning

At the heart of the matter, innovation is about learning:  learning customer needs, learning new technologies, learning about relationships.  Many executives forego innovation projects, especially in economic downturns, that are inherently risky.  Yet, risk and failure support learning. 

In a period of loose capital, investments in learning and innovation are tremendously valuable.  Many studies have shown that firms with continuous R&D outperform their competitors.  Moreover, companies that work on next generation products during an economic downturn are the best positioned for success when the stock markets recover.  An investment in innovation will create an environment of long-term learning that contributes to top line growth period

Capital Investment for Innovation

As firms plan for a predicted, cyclical downturn in the next few years, senior leaders should consider their approach to capital investment in R&D.  Stock buybacks signal you have run out of ideas for new products and services.  Instead of propping up the stock price by shrinking the number of shares, invest in innovation to grow revenues.  New customers in new markets create new opportunities.  Your stakeholders will embrace the learning and growth that arises from innovative thinking! 

Are you struggling with innovation investment decisions?  Call me now at area code 281 phone 280-8717 to schedule a free, 30-minute innovation coaching session through Gold Level Leadership Coaching program.  Chief Innovation Officers (CIO) and New Product Development Professionals (NPDP) can learn strategic innovation practices in the Innovation Master Mind (IMM) group.  Click here to register for the next innovation Q&A webinar and Join the IMM Now! 

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Design Thinking Tools

Last week, I had the pleasure of presenting to the South Texas Section of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (STS AIChE) for the professional development hour.  I love to help people learn how to solve problems more creatively, so we discussed and practiced several different design thinking tools for innovation.  My thanks to Babak Rafienia (pictured here with me) for his high-level organizational skills, despite torrential rains and flooding in Houston on the night of the event.

Design Thinking Model

Design thinking is a collaborative and creative problem-solving methodology that helps individuals and teams find the best solutions by focusing on customer empathy.  The model is simple – two steps – identify the problem and solve the problem. 

However, we do iterate between a Discovery Stage and Define Stage to correctly identify the problem, and we cycle between creating multiple solution alternatives and evaluating them in the solving phase.  No new product development (NPD) team should ever go to the lab without clarifying a customer’s problem.  It is fun to invent new things, yet unless there is a market need for the technical solution, developers are just playing. 

Discovery

In the discovery stage we use tools like a customer journey map and a customer empathy map.  These design thinking tools help us to understand how consumers know that they have a problem, what they think and feel about the problem, and how they identify product and service solutions.  The customer journey map also involves following end-users past the point of purchase to understand how they feel about the product during use and at the end of its life cycle. 

Define

The define stage of design thinking clarifies the customer’s needs into a simple statement.  At the STS AIChE meeting, we practiced defining problems using noun/verb matching.  This tool increases collaboration and also encourages creative solutions.  It’s important to differentiate between complaints and problem statements.  You may never make a whiner happy, but you can design product solutions that address clear and simple problem statements. 

Example Affinity Diagram

Create

A fun and useful design thinking activity for an NPD team is to collect the problem statements from the define phase and categorize them using a mind map or affinity diagram.  In our practice exercise at STS AIChE, we used the example of disrupting airline travel by employing a variety of design thinking tools, including customer journey maps and noun/verb matching.  Our affinity diagram showed some key categories of improving the waiting areas before boarding a flight and enhancing seating on the airplane itself.  The next step (Evaluate Phase) would be to generate and test simple prototypes of say, larger and lighter standing seats (one idea from our session). 

Design Thinking Tools

You can use design thinking tools to address a lot of different situations and problems.  The benefit of design thinking tools is that they are fast and easy to use, they build collaboration, and enhance creativity.  You focus on the end-user’s needs from a qualitative perspective ensuring that you build empathy for the customer. 

Act now

Our discount rate for Life Design Master Mind ends on 17 May 2019.  In Life Design Master Mind, you will learn how to apply design thinking tools to your own situation – whether that is growing the skills of your NPD team or to making a decision to go back to school or change jobs.  Give me a call at area code 281 phone 280-8717 if you want to review the Life Design Master Mind Q&A webinar recording from April.  Sign up here for Life Design Master Mind 17 May 2019 to get the upfront discount! 

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Continuous Learning for Innovation Leadership

Learning today takes very different forms than it did 10 or 20 years ago.  In the past, learning was primarily delivered in a classroom and was delivered based on a schedule given an employee’s tenure with the firm.  Skills transfer occurred from an expert teaching novices. 

Today, learning materials are delivered in short cell phone video clips, on-line, via webinar, and yes, even in a classroom.  Skills transfer occurs both vertically and horizontally, and training can be driven from an expert teaching a novice technical skills or from a new employee to experienced staff teaching market approaches.  Importantly, training is delivered more on-demand, when the learning is needed and job skills need performance enhancement. 

On-Line Training

There are a lot of benefits to on-line training period participants can access courses anytime and anywhere using practically any device.  (iPhones still have some format limitations to deliver video learning content.)  This means a person can access training during regular work hours or choose to learn new skills at home in evenings for weekends.  On-line training is very flexible. 

Of course, with the prevalence of on-line training, many organizations have observed the disadvantages, too.  A lot of on-line courses for leadership and innovation performance enhancement go unfinished.  Mandatory on-line training courses (e.g. for safety or regulatory requirements) must include constraints on screen advancing because participants tend to skip to the test in order to avoid dry, boring content but the training hours can be audited.  And while people have the best intention to do an on-line training class at night or on the weekend, there are lots of things that can get in the way such as sports, family, friends, yard chores, and so on. 

Classroom Training

A recent Harvard Business Review article (Mar/Apr 2019) notes the classroom training is essentially a thing of the past.  For all the benefits and flexibility of on-line training, classroom learning is not competitive.  And so goes the case against facilitated courses.  The argument is that classroom training is expensive, not only for the instructor and facilities but also because people are pulled away from their “regular” jobs.  Some employees will need to travel to the training center, resulting in added costs due to airfare, hotel, and rental cars. 

Yet, with all the expenses of classroom training, many organizations are missing the key benefit of face-to-face learning.  Networking.  Especially as employees climb career ladders, internal and external networks become a crucial resource for learning as well.  Leadership development and soft skills growth are best delivered in face-to-face format to allow a diverse cohort of young leaders opportunities to network. 

Kenny Smith, former Houston Rocket and ESPN basketball commentator, noted that the team was laser-focused on the game, especially during playoffs, when they traveled.  The team ate meals together, practiced together, and spent their free time together.  Home games always had distractions.  Classroom learning built this same camaraderie for an up-and-coming leadership cohort. 

Master Mind Groups

in the best of both worlds, people will get the training they need when they need it and are given a chance to build a reliance network for learning later on.  A master mind group offers a hybrid for learning and practicing leadership development skills.  Advantages of both on-line learning and the networking effects of classroom training are enhanced.  And because master mind groups are largely self-directed by the cohort, learning is on-demand and delivered just-in-time.  Training is delivered via live webinars, on-line video modules, podcasts, and through collaboration with your cohort advisory board.  In between live webinars, master mind members communicate on private discussion boards and complete required activities to develop and practice their leadership skills. 

Continuous Learning

As the March/April 2019 issue of Harvard Business Review emphasizes, leaders need continuous learning.  Successful innovation leaders don’t limit themselves to required corporate training courses or wait for nomination to an executive training session.  Smart, growing leaders are passionate about trying new skills how to improve their current situation.  They are as excited and proud to place a new certification on their Linked In profile as they are to share the development opportunity with their teams.  This is continuous learning. 

Contact Me

I am passionate about learning, especially for innovation and leadership.  I want to help you and I’m sure I can learn from you, too.  A great opportunity to engage in continuous learning is the Life Design Master Mind group where we apply tools of Design Thinking to career, professional, or personal challenges.  The next open cohort meeting is 21 May 2019.  Click here to register for your six-month transformation and learning journey.  Based on your feedback, this master mind group is extremely affordable.  You’ll also be interested to learn about the Flagship Innovation Leader program.  Join us for a free webinar in June.  Contact me at area code (281) plus 280-8717 or at info@simple-pdh.com for more information. 

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What Dogs Teach Us About Leadership

A sled dog at rest

Joey is a dog.  Not just any dog, but an elite sled dog who participates in the famous Iditarod race across Alaska.  The race covers 1,000 miles and commemorates an historic sled dog run to bring medicine to the people of Alaska.  Mushers, the humans who drive the sled, win both fame and fortune at the Iditarod.

Nicolas Petit is one of the world’s top mushers.  Unfortunately, he got stuck in a blizzard last year and came in second.  This year, he was several miles ahead of all other competitors – a huge lead in this sport with legendary and vigorous competition to win.  But, then, something happened and Petit watched his 5-hour lead evaporate.

Teamwork

Sled dogs are trained to work as part of an integrated team.  Each dog has an assigned role whether it is in the lead or it is a power role to pull.  The dogs are trained to work in pairs and with the dogs ahead and behind them as well.  When you witness a dog sled race or demonstration, you see cooperation and companionship.

High-performing teams also demonstrate cooperation and companionship.  In the business world, we call this “collaboration”.  Collaboration allows a team to produce more than the sum of its individual parts.  Creativity and innovation accelerate in collaborative environments because each idea builds and expands on those concepts that came before it.  Most people report increased job satisfaction when working in a collaborative team setting.

Collaboration for Virtual Teams

Virtual teams are a special subset of working teams.  In a dispersed team, most group members are located at different places, sometimes in different countries and often in different time zones.  Virtual team members communicate primarily through electronic means and have little, if any, contact.

Innovation is believed to be enhanced by face-to-face collaboration.  The speed of new ideas coming to the table can be accelerated in a F2F environment, and co-located team members have an easier time building trust among themselves.  Yet, dispersed teams can outperform co-located teams when they are structured appropriately.

In the virtual team model (VTM, PDMA Essentials Volume 3), we present six elements of team structure that are critically important for innovation success with dispersed team members.  Of these elements, setting and reinforcing the common purpose is a priority for team leaders.  The common purpose unites team members with different individual personalities, work styles, and cultural norms.  Purpose explains the mission, vision, and values of the team and leads to improved cohesion.

With new product development (NPD), the purpose to improve customer’s lives and increase the quality of products is a unifying message.  Virtual teams bring an advantage to NPD in that local representation on the team yields a globally-attractive product.  Moreover, because team members bring varied cultural perspectives to the innovation work, creativity can be higher than in a F2F team.  You can learn more about the virtual team model here (training tools) or you can download a paper on the VTM here.

Leadership

Sled dog teams have more than one leader.  And of course, this complicates matters significantly.  We all know that working in a matrix organization introduces challenges that are not present in functional or project-oriented structures.  A matrix organization is defined by staff members of having more than one boss; typically, a functional supervisor and a project director.  A sled dog follows the musher’s direction and also follows the lead dog, for example.

Leaders motivate and inspire team members.  I love to help leaders become more effective so that their teams can innovate at a higher level.  It is important for leaders to recognize the varied working styles of each individual team member, and to match responsibilities and roles with people’s capacities and performance.  Situational Team Leadership model is a tool that managers can use to improve teamwork and output for NPD teams.  Contact me at teresa@globalnpsolutions.com if you want to learn more about adapting teams and leadership styles with a Situational Team Leadership activity.

Situational Team Leadership(TM) Model

Situational team leadership focuses on an individual’s demonstrated skills and pairs these competencies with motivation and willingness to learn.  Early in a team member’s assignment, s/he may be new to the task and lack confidence in an ability to complete certain activities.  The team leader offers a directive style to manage this team member’s work, to support and encourage learning and growth.

As people’s skill sets grow and their confidence in task completion increases, the leader will offer different styles to encourage continued learning.  These include coaching, supporting, and delegating.  It is important for leaders to accurately assess – through conversation and observation – how well an individual is adopting new practices to build higher performance skills.  Above all, a leader must be encouraging and tolerant, especially in innovation where failure often leads directly to knowledge creation.

Back to Joey

So, you’re probably still wondering about Joey and his musher, Nicolas Petit.  In this story, we observe a demonstration of poor leadership and in act of solidarity or team cohesion.  Petit yelled at Joey.  And then, the whole team stopped.  The dogs were well-fed and healthy but refused to go on after Petit yelled at Joey.  I don’t know the entire set of circumstances that led to the musher scolding his dog, but I do understand the consequences.

When leaders scold team members with negative verbiage in public or in private, the employee loses trust and confidence.  This is even worse in a virtual team were cultures and norms of communication vary widely.  Broken trust is extremely difficult to repair, even more so for complex human team members.

A better approach (as compared to public shouting) is to offer private coaching to the team member whose performance is suffering.  A leader can offer a Performance Improvement Plan that focuses on short-term goals, commitment to the team’s purpose, and shared responsibility to change behaviors and learning patterns.  A leader cannot impose these objectives on another team member because self-awareness is key to lasting transformation.

People cannot be bought with a handful of tasty biscuits or raw meat.  Hard work is required for a lagging team member to get back up and race again.  But, when one team member shows his commitment to improving team performance, the others will also come along, just like sled dogs at the Iditarod.

Learn More

If you want to learn more about developing a strong virtual team, you need to register for one of the Virtual Team Model courses right away!  Some other tools for leaders of innovation teams include the Situational Team Leadership group activity and assessing the creativity of your team with a Team Dimensions Profile.  Contact me at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717 for more information on innovation, project management, and leadership training or coaching.  I love helping individuals, teams, and organizations achieve their highest innovation goals!

Stop by and Say “Hi”

Are you attending the Texas Open Innovation Conference in Houston on 28 March?  I’d love to chat with you.  Also, I am speaking on open innovation and design thinking at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Spring Meeting in New Orleans on 1 April (Management Division).  And, I’ll be at the Bay Area SHRM Conference on 4 April 2019 in Friendswood, Texas.

Stop by and say “hi”

Finally, successful leadership depends on a variety of perspectives for the team, the product, and the customer.  We are holding a special workshop on Agile NPD on 23 & 24 April 2019 in Houston, Texas, USA.  Register here for the 2-day Agile NPD workshop and save on a full 3-day experience including a one-day pre-workshop course on Design Thinking.  Use code “bundle” at checkout and save 15% on both courses (standard registration). 

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Study.  Learn.  Earn.  Simple.

Innovation Ecosystem

Innovation is hard work.  While we often imagine a really clever guy in his garage creating the next big thing, reality teaches us that discipline is a far more important trait to successful innovation than is imagination.  Discipline supports creativity and frames the context of an innovation ecosystem.

Key Components of Innovation

Innovation certainly requires discipline and creativity – as well as flexibility – for new product development (NPD) team members and leaders.  An innovation ecosystem requires pertinent processes, tools, and metrics to lead to repeatable success.  Some of these elements are:

  • A well-considered innovation strategy,
  • Product portfolio management and knowledge management,
  • An NPD process, and
  • Ongoing team and leadership training.

Let’s take a look at each element in turn.

Innovation Strategy

Every company, large or small, has a strategy.  Usually, the strategy is documented and reviewed annually.  A corporate strategy describes why the business exists and how it expects to accomplish its mission.  An innovation strategy is a subset of the organizational mission and specifically describes the details of the new product development programs.

For instance, I worked with a company that wanted to be viewed as “Number One” in an organic food category.  Their vision included customers choosing their brand over all other competitors because the food was healthy.  The innovation strategy, therefore, built on the vision of delivering healthy products to the marketplace, yet also had to strike a balance between customer tastes, product features, and the labels of “healthy” and “organic”.

Thus, the innovation strategy breaks down the corporate strategy into specific goals and objectives for a new product development program.  Healthy foods must be tasty and have textures and flavors that consumers enjoy.  The innovation strategy includes, then, a focus on customer needs and definitions (what does “healthy” really mean?) and on technology development (can we manufacture a low-fat, high fiber product?).

Product Portfolio Management (PPM)

Product portfolio management (PPM) is the system to identify in which projects to invest.  Knowledge management (KM) captures technical, product, and market data for future use.  Both PPM and KM are critical to long-term success of an innovation ecosystem.  Yet, historically, both PPM and KM fail in implementation.

PDMA studies show that only about half of companies have a well-functioning PPM process.  This is a disappointing statistic since PPM is how we make decisions regarding which NPD projects to advance and which to halt.  PPM provides an evaluation and comparison of all innovation projects based on competitive advantage, market attractiveness, technical feasibility, and profit potential.  An effective innovation ecosystem uses PPM to guide data-driven project decisions.

Likewise, an effective knowledge management system captures the tacit knowledge of customers, subject matter experts, and key stakeholders and translates these disparate bits of information into explicit knowledge.  It is inherently difficult to ask a customer what features they want in a new product, but KM allows us to save and share customer challenges, desires, and feelings about product usage.  KM goes hand-in-hand with PPM by supporting clear definitions of customer needs.

NPD Process

Established NPD processes are also critical to an organization’s long-term success with repeatable innovation.  An NPD process needs to be formal and structured with key steps, roles, and responsibilities determined in advance for all innovation projects.  However, the specific NPD process deployed by a company should fit its culture, scale of operations, and degree of innovativeness sought.  The standard NPD processes that my clients use include traditional staged-and-gated processes, Scrum, and hybrid processes.

A traditional staged-and-gated NPD process follows a linear pathway through a project.  Designed by Robert G. Cooper in the late 20th century, the NPD team will set project requirements early in the process and will build the product according to this pre-determined feature set.  Cooper recommends – as do I – to continually test the product assumptions with a wide range of users throughout each stage of the NPD process. 

A Scrum process follows the Agile philosophy by adapting the work in a short sprint (e.g. two to four weeks) to the highest priority feature or feature set.  Customer involvement is intimate in a Scrum NPD process as the customer both sets sprint priorities and approves the incremental product output from each sprint. 

Finally, hybrid NPD processes are becoming the norm in innovation as neither a traditional staged-and-gated process nor an agile/Scrum approach is ideal.  Hybrid NPD processes support the innovation ecosystem through continuous communication with the customer while utilizing a formal requirements design and development methodology.  Keep in mind that no NPD process is perfect, and an NPD process should be updated regularly to reflect organizational, market, and technology needs.

Team and Leadership Training

A successful ecosystem relies on a clear strategy and established practices and procedures (PPM, KM, and NPD processes).  To make the cogs turn, however, people must be motivated and inspired to do creative work while at the same time understanding organizational boundaries and limits.  Team and leadership training is the last, but perhaps most critical piece, of the innovation ecosystem puzzle.

NPD teams and innovation leaders benefit from New Product Development Professional (NPDP) and Best Practice Training.  In these public or customized workshops, team members safely learn how to clearly identify the innovation strategy, implement PPM and KM, and streamline the NPD process.  Moreover, teams learn the tools in market research to understand, test, and validate customer needs with concept tests, prototypes, and post-launch reviews.

Likewise, teams need to develop cross-functional and conflict management skills.  These are learned and practiced through Situational Team Leadershipand Virtual Team Training.  Virtual teams offer a huge advantage for innovators to tap into local market information while designing a product for global reach.

Finally, leaders need to approach innovation with flexibility, adaptability, and patience.  Leaders should be trained in situational leadership, virtual team management, and change management in addition to understanding the overall NPDP best practices.  Innovation leaders also need ongoing support since other the NPD function is often isolated from other business functions and requires special skills and business frameworks. 

I recommend an ongoing sharing and exchange for innovation leaders with a trusted group of like-minded product management professionals.  Having your own personal advisory board facilitated by an innovation expert can help you advance and accelerate your innovation ecosystem.  Check out the Innovation Master Mind as a way to rapidly improve your innovation programs through industry collaboration and problem-solving.  (Register here for a FREE pilot session of the Innovation Master Mind on 23 January 2019.) 

A Successful Innovation Ecosystem

I am constantly reminded of the delicate balance in nature’s ecosystem.  Rain, sunshine, and fertilizer allow plants to grow and thrive.  An innovation ecosystem requires feeding and nourishment to also grow and thrive.  Key elements of an innovation ecosystem are the innovation strategy, product portfolio and knowledge management, an established NPD process, and team and leadership skills development. 

Innovation is fun and exciting!  When we apply and formalize these elements in an innovation ecosystem, we realize both personal and professional success while delighting our customers. 

Learn More

Feel free to contact me more information on customized NPDP training.  I can be reached at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717.  I love helping individuals, teams, and organizations achieve their highest innovation goals!

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A Division of Global NP Solutions, LLC  

Study.  Learn.  Earn.  Simple.

Brand Messages

I’ve been travelling quite a bit lately.  Some for business and some for pleasure.  I have been through several airports and stayed in a bunch of different hotels.  I’ve rented cars and taken shuttle buses, trains, and mass transit.  All of these places are plastered with advertisements for products and services.

We are often exposed to products and services through these advertisements, especially when we initially become aware of a new offering.  But we are also exposed to products and services through our use of them – the airline, the hotel, the rental car.  As an overall picture of the quality and detail of service, the company’s reputation, and our use of the prime offering, we get to know the company’s brand.

People, too, have a brand.  Of the many people I met in my travels, I gained a first impression of strangers or I furthered a relationship with old friends and colleagues.  Like a product or service, each interaction with a person reflects his or her brand and enforces my desire (or not) for continued interaction.

In innovation and new product development (NPD) leadership, we generally consider a brand as a three-pronged approach to identifying the offering.  The three elements of a brand are:

  1. Clarity – the brand message must be clear and concise,
  2. Consistent – each exposure to the product or person should maintain an expected range of performance, and
  3. Compelling – successful brands tell us why they are unique and draw us toward them with an interesting story.

Let’s look at each of these elements in depth from both an innovation and leadership perspective.

Clarity

It is no great wonder that most conflicts begin because of a lack of clarity.  Occasionally, clear messages are disrupted by noise or a poor signal – like trying to talk to someone over loud music or when they have only one bar on their cell phone.  More often, brand clarity is disrupted because of our own assumptions as senders or receivers of messages.

Consider Apple’s famous advertising slogan “Think Differently.”  The product message was clear.  In a crowded personal computer market, Apple told their customers and potential customers that their product stood out; it was unique.  The product brand message appealed to users who value product novelty and view themselves as different from the average person.  And, at just two words, we cannot argue against the concise message!

Contrast Apples’ brand clarity with a leadership brand message.  Sometimes we encounter individuals who are told to focus on “leadership presence”.  There is no clarity in this message since we each can interpret “leadership presence” differently.  Does it mean making a quick decision and sticking with it?  Does it mean working long hours or having a corner office?

Before we can coach an individual to improve his or her performance, we need to clearly identify the behavior to enhance or modify.  I believe asking questions to clarify goals and objectives, and to agree on fundamental definitions, is important to improve our innovation leadership skills.  Asking powerful questions is one tool we address in both Virtual Team Leadership Training and in the Innovation Master Mind group.

Consistency

Product brands need to provide a consistent message.  We have to recognize the product and be reminded of what it does for us.  The product benefit message needs to be consistent so that we know we will get the same level of quality each time we engage a product or service to solve a problem for us.

While Coca-Cola has generally been a consistent brand for over 100 years, the company has had some high-profile stumbles with inconsistent brand messaging.  The classic example of New Coke in the 1980s almost destroyed the brand.  And again, in the 2000s, an honest attempt to promote their holiday theme led to inconsistent branding interpretations among diet soda drinkers.  Of course, brand consistency is more than colors and logos, but these tangible perceptions of a brand help consumers consistently identify products and services with which they are familiar.

As an innovation leader, you also need to present a consistent brand.  You cannot expect to be clam and reserved in a meeting with executives at the same time you shout and pound the table with direct reports.  Our expectations of successful project leaders include consistent behavior that is honest, open, and forthright.  When you are true to yourself, you will be true to others.

Compelling

Brand messages must be compelling and engage the appropriate audience to want to learn more.  Again, Apple’s “Think Different” campaign featured famous and admired people so that consumers would be interested in how they could also be “different”.

Product and service brands engage us with their (consistent) colors and logos but also with a message of how we will be better because of their offering.  Swiffer™ promises us that we can save time in our housekeeping chores – definitely a compelling message.  Scott’s Brand Fertilizer promises us a greener lawn and to be the envy of our neighbors – another compelling message.  And Maybelline promises us the secrets to beauty – a compelling desire of every woman!

Leaders also must deliver a compelling message to inspire and motivate their teams.  It is not enough to simple state project goals, schedules, and budgets.  Effective leaders create a shared purpose for the project team and draw the team together to accomplish these objectives.

In Chapter 6 of PDMA’s Essentials 3:  Leveraging Constraints for Innovation and in the Virtual Team Leadership Training, we discuss building shared purpose within a team.  The compelling message starts before the project, in initiating and structuring the team.  Team members who believe in the organization’s mission and values are readily inspired and motivated to complete tasks and activities leading to a shared goal.  Successful innovation leaders keep the objectives and unified purpose front and center throughout the project execution stages.

How to Apply a Brand Message

With products and services, New Product Development Professionals (NPDP) are trained to analyze customer needs, benefits, and value propositions.  We can compose brand messages that are clear, consistent, and compelling that reflect our customers’ values.  The goal is to create engaging products that meet customer needs and delightfully serve and satisfy their expectations.

Every leader also needs to consider his or her brand.  We need to clearly express our potential as leaders through consistent behavior and in motivating team members.  Clarity and consistency in leaders is expressed by asking powerful questions and in the following the golden rule – treat every as you would want to be treated.  Our compelling message as leaders drives and supports a shared purpose and a mission to improve all circumstances in which we are privileged to serve.

What is Your Product Brand?  What is Your Leadership Brand?

Contact me at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717 to learn more about the Virtual Team Model Leadership series or Situational Team Leadership.  If you are in the position of leading a virtual team, please check out our courses and coaching at  Simple-PDH.com as well as Chapter 6 in PDMA Essentials Volume 3.  Finally, if you are a CIO (chief innovation officer) or NPD (new product development) manager, you will be interested in the Innovation Master Mind (IMM) group.  IMM is a 6-month peer coaching group that allows you to extend your NPD knowledge beyond NPDP certification and to collaborate with other CIOs and innovation managers.

 

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

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A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC  

Overuse of Teams and Leadership?

My main business focus is on innovation and project management.  Over the years, I have noted that the word “innovation” is often over-used.  Unfortunately, the words “team” and “leadership” are also often mis-used or abused.

What is a Team?

Teams are groups of people, bound together by a common purpose to create a specific outcome or result.  Each member of the team has unique characteristics and skills.  The team could not accomplish its results without the varied inputs of the members.  In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of the individuals.

Sports teams are natural examples.  A football team has a shared purpose to win games or a championship.  The members have unique skills – some play defense and some play offense.  Some individuals are big and muscular, serving as linemen, while others are lean and fast, playing the position of a receiver.  A football team cannot exist without the unique roles that each individual plays and they synchronously to achieve their goals (literally).

What is Not a Team?

Teams are not random groups of people put together to do a task.  This is where I believe the word “team” gets abused.  A group of people that get together, even with a common thread of interest, is not a team.

One typical example of the mis-use of the work “team” is when we really mean a “work group.”  Here a group of people share a common skill set, say sales engineering, and we call them a “team”.  Each person in the group might work with different clients and on different projects with different target due dates and objectives.  The group shares a common professional title but is not united to tackle a singular challenge.

What is Leadership?

Leaders need followers.  Remember the game follow-the-leader from childhood?  Often one kid really stood out as a good “leader” because he balanced adventure with skill.  Business and engineering leaders also balance development of their team members with learning and application.

A good leader can manage schedules, budgets, and administrative tasks.  But that view is limiting.  A great leader adapts her management style to the situation that each team member faces.  Successful leaders motivate, encourage, and drive learning and growth.

I have always loved Ken Blanchard’s model of Situational Leadership for this reason.  Each person on a team is unique!  They are at different places in their professional journeys, so we need to inspire them to achieve their best with different motivators and encouragements.  For instance, a new hire just graduated from college will need mentoring and technical skills development while a 20-year employee needs confidence to take on leadership roles himself.

What is Not Leadership?

Leadership in not management.  Though a good leader can manage administrative tasks well, a leader’s role is much broader and more compassionate.  Many organizations today mis-use the word “leadership” when they really mean “management”.

For example, I am familiar with a large corporation that has established “leadership teams”.  Ugh!  The groups are comprised of senior managers and executives that make project, budget, and hiring decisions.  The group does not have natural followers and serves a purely management function.  I would argue they are neither “leaders” nor a “team” since each participating manager has independent goals for his or her functional area (marketing, operations, and R&D).

Teams and Leadership:  The Take-Aways

Words matter, as we are told, and our actions must align with the speed we employ.  Employees and staff in our organizations recognize a false effort to energize workers or to whitewash hierarchy by calling a directive management group a “leadership team”.

However, an honest and authentic leader can motivate and encourage a team by helping each individual grow his or her skills, learn to build on their strengths, and work toward a common purpose.

Leaders help teams become better by balancing skills and characteristics so that the output is greater than what each person could produce individually.  Leaders demonstrate good administrate skills but also encourage growth and learning for the whole team as it strives for a common purpose.  Moreover, leaders recognize setbacks as opportunities for improvement and not as failures.

Your Next Steps to Build Real Leadership Teams

Contact me at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717 to learn more about Situational Team Leadership.  If you are in the position of leading a virtual team, please check out our courses and coaching at  Simple-PDH.com as well as Chapter 6 in PDMA Essentials Volume 3.  Finally, if you are a CIO (chief innovation officer) or NPD (new product development) manager, you will be interested in the Innovation Master Mind (IMM) group.  IMM is a 6-month peer coaching group that allows you to extend your NPD knowledge beyond NPDP certification and to collaborate with other CIOs and innovation managers.

 

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

© Simple-PDH.com

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC  

Managing Team Skills

Every team leader is challenged to balance productivity and growth.  We can increase a team’s output by increasing the skills of each team member and we can ensure growth through learning.  Many believe that a team composed of workers with only the highest capabilities will be able to produce at the highest levels.

In reality, teams need to have a diverse set of experiences and competencies to achieve the highest levels of growth.  When some team members are learning the basics and others are sharing their mastery of skills, both growth and productivity accelerate.

Learning S-Curves

In her book, Build an A-Team, Whitney Johnson describes the learning curves as “S-Curves” in which a person’s competency is low as they first begin learning something new.  Over time, s/he accumulates knowledge and practice so that capabilities are enhanced.  After a few months on the job, rapid growth and learning take place so that the individual builds expertise.

This building of knowledge and expertise occurs in the steep part of the S-curve.  Johnson indicates the learning and growth period lasts about 3-4 years in a typical job.  When a person has mastered the tasks and developed deep, instinctional insight about the job, s/he has mastered the task set.  Learning slows as shown by the flat part of the S-curve.

Challenging and Individual

Individuals need constant challenges to grow and learn.  New challenges create opportunities for people to build new capabilities and competencies.  Depending on how near or far the news skills are from their currently assigned tasks, a person may climb a new S-curve every few years.

It is incumbent upon managers and team leaders to ensure that each direct report is being adequately challenged to learn and grow.  For individuals new to the team, a leader will work with them to ensure fundamental concepts are developed at the low end of the S-curve.  For people that have served an intermediate term on the team, a leader will continue to offer new skills and learning opportunities.  These individuals, on the steep parts of the S-curve, are hungry for more information and they energetically tackle task and activities that give them the chance to learn and demonstrate new skills and capabilities.

Leaders also must recognize the team members who have achieved mastery and expertise.  These folks at the upper end of the learning curve are ready to transfer job tasks to others because they are getting bored with their routine assignments.  The predictability of tasks and lack of new challenges can actually affect productivity in a negative way.  Leaders must be careful to encourage new learning for the experts on the team so that these people don’t’ get “burned out” by doing the same thing over and over again.

Team Composition

Regardless of whether you team is co-located, virtual, or dispersed, you want to maximize productivity and growth.  Growth of the team often depends on the growth of the individuals.  Productivity of the team depends on the interactions of the whole team.

In her book, Whitney Johnson recommends composing the team of 15% or less newbies, 5-15% experts, and the balance in the growth stage.  You should be able to assess and plot the skills development stage and competencies of your team members to show a composite S-curve for the team.

The benefits of this team structure are numerous, especially for innovation.  First, creativity is often stifled by expertise.  The jaded, old players think they’ve seen every problem and know every answer.  The new team members bring a fresh perspective to problem-solving whether this is a youthful viewpoint or from experiences in other industries and companies.  Balancing the newbies at the low end of the S-curve with the experts at the high end of the curve can increase and speed creativity.

Second, having a balance of experts and capable team members can increase productivity.  Successful new product development (NPD) requires a lot of concept testing and validation with customers.  When the bulk of the team members are on the growth part of the S-curve, they are anxious to learn and incorporate real-world feedback.  Unlike the newbies, these individuals only need coaching form the experts and can handle task implementation independently.

Next, many experts view their legacy as teaching the next generation. This is a perfect fit for the masters on a team who are few in number but can spread and share their talents to hep both the novices and intermediates learn.  Storytelling helps to transform the organization’s tacit knowledge through the experts, further spurring growth on the team.

Finally, team leaders can fully delegate portions of the NPD project to the experts.  This frees the team leader from administrative tasks and offers new challenges to the masters.  Such new opportunities in management and leadership can put the expert on a new learning curve so that s/he remains engaged and productive.

Applying Team Learning Curves

My husband is a really smart electrical engineer.  He ahs just wrapped dup his second major project in 10 years, designing, installing, testing, and commissioning high voltage substations for petrochemical plants.  Doing these types of projects has led to recognition of his expertise and skills at his company.  Sometimes, though he shows signs of being bored, telling me that he has to explain all the project steps to his manager who is less technically skilled.

Luckily, some of his mentors have also recognized his position on the learning S-curve as a master.  They have assigned him to a new project with many of the same tasks but with different players and different project constraints in a new environment (greenfield construction vs. existing plant facilities).  This gives him an opportunity to start a new learning S-curve, transfer tacit knowledge to newer engineers, and remain a productive growing team member.

Moreover, the team has some novices and some individuals with intermediate skills.  Those with intermediate skills have competencies and capabilities in tangential areas (medium voltage) so are highly product as they aspire toward new learning too.

Team Productivity and Growth

All teams need to balance productivity and growth.  Deadlines always are looming, so the team’s output is important, especially for innovation and NPD work.  Individual growth is also crucial, so people can learn and acquire new skills.  Yet, individual growth is close-coupled with the team’s maturity and growth on a learning S-curve.

To learn more, we discuss and diagnose your team’s capabilities and professional growth along the learning S-curve in Virtual Team Training.  This training is built on the Virtual Team Model as featured in PDMA Essentials Volume 3 (published October 2018).  We also incorporate elements of Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership model to help you accelerate your team’s productivity and growth.  Contact me at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717.  At Simple-PDH.com where we want to help you gain and maintain your professional certifications.  You can study, learn, and earn – it’s simple!

Note that VTM self-study is included in the Innovation Master Mind (IMM) membership.  IMM is a 6-month peer coaching group that allows you to extend your NPD knowledge beyond NPDP certification and to collaborate with other CIOs and innovation managers.  We also offer independent coaching and consulting to new leaders or teams anywhere on the S-curve!

 

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

© Simple-PDH.com

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC  

Motivation – A Leadership Skill

Dictionary.com defines motivation as “the act of providing a reason to act in a certain way.”  Motivation can be internal or external. We often discuss motivation for successful leaders to guide teams.  Today, we’ll review the differences between internal and external motivation and how leaders can use this tool to improve project team performance.

Internal Motivation

All of us are motivated to do or act in certain ways.  We do certain things and follow certain behaviors whether others observe us or not.  We take pride in activities that we enjoy and share our success when we accomplish our goals.

This is a description of internally-inspired motivation.  The individual is driven to meet objectives whether an external party offers rewards or recognition.  Internal motivation can be a strong force powering a person to improve behaviors or performance.

Take Linda, for example.  Linda was rifling through photos on her phone and landed on vacation photos from 2014.  With a jolt, she realized how thin she looked in them.  She compared the vacation photos to recent photos at a park last month.  “Wow,” she thought, “I need to lose weight.”

Next, Linda engaged in a more rigorous fitness routine.  She began bicycling every morning and going to the gym after work.  She monitored her snacks and kept looking at the 2014 vacation photos to remind herself why she was working out.  Within two months, Linda lost 10 pounds.  She was internally motivated to accomplish her goal.  No one told her to lose weight or forced her to go to the gym.  She was driven by an internal desire to improve herself, her behaviors, and her performance.

External Motivation

In contrast, externally-inspired motivation provides us with goals and objectives that are determined by others.  The rewards and recognition tend to be more material in nature yet can be as satisfying as those gained via internal motivation.

I’ll use myself as an example.  I am motivated to participate in 5k fun runs by the t-shirts.  Yes, it’s dumb, but I want to other people to see me wearing a t-shirt for a fun run to know that I finished the event.  And while it seems a bit arrogant, I am really proud of sharing that I could run a 5k and that I’ve been recognized for the activity with a (token) t-shirt.  The t-shirt is a tangible reward for my efforts to train and complete the race.  Just being able to run 5k is not enough to get me out of ben on a cold morning.  But, knowing that I will be part of a group with matching t-shirts demonstrating an accomplishment (and a donation to a cool charity) does indeed drive me to lace up my running shoes!

Team Motivation

Project managers need to balance both internal and external motivations among their team members.  Some team members will be internally motivated to do the work of the project just because it is interesting or challenges them.

In other cases, individuals need to be given an external motivator to complete project tasks.  There are many reasons people need externally-inspired motivation on a project.  They may have done similar tasks on several projects in the past and are bored with work that seems routine.  They may feel like their skills are not matched to the tasks with either too low or too high of an effort required to accomplish project goals.  Finally, they may simply be distracted by other things in “life” such that work is not their top priority.

Team leaders can use external motivators to enhance team performance.  Obvious rewards and recognition include bonus pay, promotional opportunities, and public celebrations (e.g. recognition dinners, plaques, and awards).  However, other external motivators are also appropriate for project teams as well.  It is important for the project leader to recognize those team members that are inspired by external factors and to match recognition and rewards to their needs.

Scrum projects utilize effective externally-inspired motivators.  First, the Scrumboard is a tool that indicates task progress.  The Scrumboard is placed in a public space so that all team members and project stakeholders are aware of the current status of each task or activity – not started, in progress, testing, or complete.  Scrum team members re generally driven to move tasks to the complete status in order to deliver on the promised activities for each sprint.

Next, the daily stand-up meeting also serves as external motivation for the team.  During each stand-up meeting, three questions are addressed.

  1. What did you do/complete yesterday?
  2. What do you plan to do today?
  3. What hurdles or obstacles do you face?

The daily stand-up meeting is short – about 15 minutes.  Yet, it provides each team member a chance to share his/her accomplishments (what did you do yesterday?).  If tasks had not been previously moved from the “in progress” or “testing” column of the Scrumboard to “complete,” the daily stand-up meeting gives this opportunity.  A public recognition of completed tasks can be motivating for many team members.

Driving Internal Motivation

Project leaders also need to support and drive internal motivations.  Of course, this takes more work on the part of the manager.  S/he must identify what motivates and inspires each individual team member.  And there are as many motivators as there are team members!

For instance, Julie worked very hard on the project.  She put in steady hours and produced above-average results.  She didn’t complain about the workload and had no apparent conflicts with other team members.  Julie’s manager recognized that she was self-motivated, but also knew that he had to continue to drive and support her internal goals.  So, Julie’s manager offered her more responsibility on the project.  He also established a route of external motivation by announcing Julie’s expanded role on the project at a daily stand-up meeting.

Leaders and Motivation

As product, project, and engineering leaders, we are called to motivate and inspire our project team members.  We need to recognize and understand the differences between those that are internally or externally motivated.  In any situation, however, effective leaders use tools such as expanded job responsibilities, Scrumboards, and team meetings to energize the team to accomplish its goals.

If you’d like to learn more about Scrum or agile product development, please join us in an ANPD (Agile New Product Development) Workshop.  You may also enjoy learning more about product development in an NPDP Workshop.  Feel free to contact me at info@simple-pdh.com or 281-280-8717.  At Simple-PDH.com where we want to help you gain and maintain your professional certifications.  You can study, learn, and earn – it’s simple!

 

Study. Learn. Earn. Simple.

© Simple-PDH.com

A division of Global NP Solutions, LLC