Still Here

Looks like we've made it through Rapture. Turns out, sadly, that May 21 wasn't The Day after all. Reverend Camping, flabbergasted as he says he was, tells us that we now have until October 21. This means, of course, that some of us won't see the World Series.

Is it just me, or do you think by now that the math would be a bit more accurate? Camping had 7,000 years to get this right and he's whiffed twice. (His original prediction: October 21, 1994.) Regardless, you've got to hand it to the good Reverend. When he blows it he blows it big, for the entire world to see.

Let's hope that the third time is the charm.

We could use a good cleansing, especially since we're talking about the religious right. The impending Rapture will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the upcoming race for President as Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, both about to announce their candidacy, will certainly be among those saved. We'll miss their intelligence, compassion and open-mindedness, their grasp of complex issues, their global views, and their deep concern for the rights of others.

If we're lucky, Rapture will also effect those who nearly single-handedly caused the economic climate we're living through. We're talking about a few from Goldman Sachs who created toxic investment products and sold them to their customers while, simultaneously, betting heavily against them. We're also talking about everyone who helped deregulate the banking industry. You know who you are. Millions lost their job, hundreds of thousands lost their home, municipalities and schools struggle everywhere, and we're not out of the woods yet. Did you make enough money? Just askin'.

Judgment Day awaits. Please let it happen this time.

But there's still time, people. October 21 is a ways off. Plenty of time to get your affairs in order, flip off that evil boss, say your good-byes, and prepare for eternity. For those of you who are sure you'll be leaving us, please forward the keys to your house and car, as well as bank account information. Passwords too, please. You won't be needing them where you'll be going. We have it on very good authority that transportation is free and that you'll be given everything you could possibly need. Including what's referred to by people in the know as Heaven Whites. (Note that the shoes are comfortable but lack style. Also, no accessories. Plan accordingly.) By the way, Apple just released a white iPhone. Coincidence? You be the judge.

Speaking of mysteries of the universe, here's one we find perplexing:

• People perform better at work -- and are significantly more engaged -- when given a chance to compete

• Most of us love to win and want our company to be a winner, to be among the very best

• The vast majority of companies claim to be in a competitive business and could certainly use a measurable boost in performance, yet -- and here's the kicker

• Remarkably few companies create a culture of winning, where people are inspired to outperform the competition.

When was the last time the workforce in this country was given the opportunity to go for the brass ring? Do we even know what winning looks like at work?

Sales organizations are, of course, the exception, as often are Marketing functions. But when was the last time anyone in IT, Finance, HR, Manufacturing, R&D, Customer Service, or any other segment of a company was driven to win -- even encouraged to win? With purpose, in a planned fashion? With knowledge of the competition, with systems and processes to allow for on-going performance improvement, with support of leadership to change on the fly to increase their ability to compete? With metrics to define success?

The answer: Competing is rarely encouraged. Winning isn't even discussed.

Curious, don't you think? More importantly, might this explain why mediocre performance plagues so many organizations?

Why the conundrum? Are companies missing a terrific opportunity to engage their people in a truly meaningful way to increase performance? Is there a fix, one that produces significant, sustained gains?

Can you spell The Schnur Consulting Group? Transforming a culture to one where winning is essential is one of our passions and one of our specialties.

Come back next week. We'll talk.

Rapture or Just Bad Weather

I'm just not sure how much time and energy I should put into this week's blog. I mean, after all, no one might be around during the week to read it. Not with this Rapture thing hanging over our heads.

According to 'brother' Harold Camping, the leader of Family Radio Worldwide, the independent Christian broadcast ministry, the end of the world as we know it begins on May 21. The Rapture. Five months of hell on earth. Beginning by time zone on the 21st until the entire world is encompassed, the few saved by God will ascend to heaven while the rest of us will be left to suffer and die. Judgment Day.

[Question 1: Will it be like when we change the clocks? But, instead, do we forget the Spring forward and Fall back stuff and go straight to Apocalypse Now Global Standard Time (ANGST)?]

It's a fair assumption that I won't be among those saved. And not just because Jews aren't 'saved'. It's likely due to that thing that happened in college. Or any number of other things that make me unworthy in the eyes of Family Radio Worldwide. Like writing about them. So, I'm pretty sure I'll be around. I just don't know how many of you will be here with me.

Why is this happening now, you ask? Because it's the 7,000th anniversary of Noah's flood. (Not on your calendar? Probably way past time for you to sync.) According to brother Harold, God has been angered by our sins, like, among many others, the growing acceptance of homosexuality. And same-sex marriage. Fundamentalist Christians seem to have a great number of ways to sin. And, sadly, 'interfering in the lives of others' is not one of them.

So after 7,000 blissful years, here we are. Their website says it all, ominously: 00 days left. The Bible guarantees it.

[Question 2: Whose Bible guarantees it? Mine says nothing about Judgment Day. But since I don't speak Biblical Hebrew, I have to rely on the translation so I don't know for sure. I guess I should have paid more attention in Hebrew School and less attention to Debbie K.]

What do we, the unworthy, those who will be left behind, have to look forward to? Aside from less traffic, those not ascending to Heaven (that's probably you, pal) will face devastating earthquakes that unearth bodies of previously dead sinners, followed by a series of monumental calamities. Until October 21 when, wait for it, the Earth will be obliterated.

Didn't we already see that movie?

You've undoubtedly driven past the billboards. They're hard to miss, given that there are 5,500 of them worldwide. You also might have received one of the 100 million pamphlets printed in 61 languages warning us of The End.

Brother Harold, a spry 89, clearly doesn't mess around. Indeed, his ministry had an annual budget of $36.7 million in 2009 (the most recent IRS figures). That's an awful lot of people who are looking for a stairway to Heaven. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself. You'll stop hearing the song in your head in a day or so.) His brilliant fundraising skills aside, brother Harold did err by predicting this wrongly once before, claiming his September 1994 prediction to have been 'flawed'. (A pre-Senior moment, no doubt.)

And, get this, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, my alma mater, and broadcasts from Oakland, California. I have got to move.

[Question 3: Did you got the e-mail from the ministry? The one with packing instructions? I didn't. Must be a problem with my server.]

Please note: According to Family Radio Worldwide, readers of this blog are not automatically disqualified from being saved, but rest assured that you're definitely not helping your chances any. But there may still be time. Check their website for ways to donate.

[Question 4: Is there a dress code for Heaven? And, if so, can one wear white shoes after Labor Day?]

Some are afraid (apparently this includes many children). Some scoff. Some wonder if they'll be among those who leave this planet for a far, far better place. Some, like my friend Jean-Paul, look forward to having more available parking.

And while others fear the end, I say: Bring it on! It's about time!

It's long overdue that the 'pure', the fundamentalists, the 'true believers' found their way to Heaven -- or, for that matter, anywhere else. All things considered, I don't care where you go, just leave us! Or, at the very least, leave us to live our lives as we choose. Don't like homosexuality or same-sex marriage? Fine. You're entitled to your own beliefs, homophobic as they may be. But don't foist your ideology on us. Or your fear. In other words: Stay out of our face. Find your Heaven and let us enjoy ours.

Assuming, of course, you're still around this week. In which case we'll still be hunting for parking.

One Hundred

They said it couldn't be done.

Many said it shouldn't be done.

Most said it wouldn't last.

We've heard a lot of things, but no one on this lovely planet of ours said The Job of Work would see its 100th edition.

Yet, after 99 straight weeks of blogs (yes, we've counted) -- ranging from the banal (probably more often than not) to the sublime (or so we're told) -- here we are.

Our 100th consecutive post.

Makes one pause. One hundred blog posts. We've written them. You've read them. My, how we hope it's been worth it.

And the places we've been!

From our first blog, our first rant:

Generations only differ in age. Enough with the Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial differences already! This thing about generational differences in the workplace just doesn’t fly, no matter how hard the researchers work at it. The experiences of the different age groups varies – my grandparents, for example, would never have considered traveling by air, especially if snacks were an added cost – but our basic desires about work are largely the same. Who among us, regardless of age, doesn’t want meaningful work, a chance to do our job in our own style, have opportunities to grow, receive recognition for performance, get paid commensurate with our contributions, have the ability to help our company win, and, critically, to be treated with dignity and respect? Maybe we should focus on creating workplaces where our basic needs can be met, rather than debating the differences between the age groups. Maybe then more people would stop counting the days to retirement and companies could flourish.

From November 16, 2009, in which we proposed new iPhone apps:

Corporate-speak (Icon: Man laughing hard) App translates memos and other corporate communication pieces into English. An initiative is underway to explore the potential efficiency gains of a shared services model. becomes You and your job are toast. (Non-English versions soon to be available.)

From December 26, 2010, one of a series of predictions for 2011:

9. Unemployment will subside. 2011 will be the year of job creation. As confidence returns to the business world, companies will begin to hire in earnest. Look for solid growth in the tech, manufacturing, health care and financial services sectors. As a result, consumer spending will increase and despite some bumps in the road, the light at the end of this economic tunnel we've been in will be in full view.

From July 11, 2010, in the third of a 4-part discussion about the 21 century organization, we define a new way to structure companies, this being a sampling:

We humbly submit, then, that the successful, highly-profitable 21st century organization will be one characterized by:

The key operating unit: The team. Humans want to belong and a team is a great thing to be a part of. Teams imply unity and, importantly, competition. Teams are also dynamic and, dare we say it?, fun. 'Departments' and 'functions' are far less appealing and, truth be told, are boring. Organize teams and give each the authority to govern themselves as they see fit. This will have an important effect of allowing far more people to have a significant role in the quest for the vision. Which is good, because we all want to have a meaningful role at work.

On August 8, 2010, we proposed a $50 billion plan to President Obama to put 5 million people back to work updating schools and serving as classroom teachers and aides. No reply.

Later that month, on August 29, 2010, we proposed another plan to the President to upgrade 100,000 playgrounds and sports field while introducing a fitness program for youth. Again, no reply.

On August 22, 2010, we posted your responses to our blog about tolerance:

As a public service and to champion the concept of tolerance, here, then, is your list of uncivilized, uncouth, boorish people and behaviors that require active, aggressive intolerance. These include:

• Those drivers who wait until the very last opportunity to merge into slow traffic, thus causing an even longer back-up

• Anyone who refers to him or herself in the 3rd person

• Cigarette smokers who consider Earth their ashtray

• Anyone who uses 'moral imperative' or 'moral majority' to prevent others from enjoying rights these people already have

• Racists

• Rude people

• Stupid people ("Or at least anyone less intelligent than me." someone wrote.)

• People who don't return phone calls or e-mails -- but expect you to and complain when you don't

• Anyone talking on their mobile phone in a theater, bathroom, or airplane

• Anyone who is unable to drive the #*%#*@ speed limit while on their phone or in a Prius, and, of course,

• Intolerant people.

We've written about the soundtrack of our life and things that warm our hearts. We've urged you to sing in public, to spread joy.

We provided a defining list of 10 warnings signs of an organization's inability or unwillingness to improve. Here's the first:

• "We've always done it this way." Possibly the #1 excuse for not seeking new possibilities, new solutions. Suggests that our way is the best way or, worse, the only way. Probably heard often in typewriter manufacturers and other companies which preferred death to change.

Check out the other nine.

We've written about the job of work. We've proposed deliberate acts of kindness. We've urged companies to consider an entirely new way to assess performance.

We said good-bye to Ted Kennedy, Walter Cronkite and Robert Mondavi.

And, among many other posts, we've bucked Fortune in our December 7, 2009 blog about leadership and again on April 17, 2011, Getting Your Strategy Right: A Rebuttal.

At The Job of Work, no one is too big or too powerful to be taken on. Just ask Glenn Beck.

You've been there every step of the way. We thank you for joining us on this strange, strange trip.

To the next 100.

The Pursuit of Dreams

In the midst of an eventful week, dominated by news of events in Pakistan, the results of a remarkable science experiment were released. The findings, the product of an amazing experiment, 52 years in the making, confirm the validity of two key elements of Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

No, this week's blog is not about the nature of revenge, the manner in which to react to the death of an adversary, or the contributions of mothers. (Happy Mother's Day, Mom!) No politics this week. Instead, we'll consider something more ethereal: The pursuit of dreams.

But before we do, a little context. In 1916, Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity, which described how light, gravity, space and time are governed by the movement of planets and the universe. Since then, scientists have attempted to evaluate the many applications of his theory. One aspect of relativity theory states that the revolving mass of something large like, say, Earth, imperceptibly bends and twists the very fabric of space and time in two ways. Earth distorts space-time much like a heavy person sitting on a couch. And, as the Earth revolves, it literally drags space-time around with it. (The grid in the illustration represents space-time.)

Hard to get your head around that? Too Star Trek for you? Try this: Think of an apple on a stick. Put it in a bowl of caramel and the shape of the caramel changes. Then, as you turn the apple, the caramel begins to turn too. The longer you turn the apple, more of the caramel comes along for the ride, so to speak. Now, replace the apple with Earth and the caramel with space-time and you're there. In a stickier and sweeter universe.

(One of the most complex aspects in all of astrophysics equated with an apple being dipped and rotated in caramel. That's what we do here at The Job of Work: Make the most difficult concepts approachable. Delicious, even. It's just our way of giving back.)

To test this wild notion (who was Einstein anyway and what was he smoking?), scientists were required to create breakthrough ideas and overcome technological challenges at nearly every turn along the 52-year path of this work. The researchers -- Leonard Schiff, William Fairbank and Robert Cannon of Stanford University -- elected to use four incredibly exacting gyroscopes to measure how the Earth's mass distorts space-time and pulls at objectives orbiting the planet (the 'dragging' part). At the core of the research was a set of spinning crystal balls -- part of the most precise gyroscopes ever made. One million times more sensitive than any others at the time, each one was a super-chilled orb of quartz crystal the size of a ping-pong ball polished to within 40 atomic layers of a perfect sphere. (Don't try that at home, kids.) The Guinness Book of World Records cites them as the most perfectly round objects ever made. Yes, even more round than a baseball.

Once put in orbit, the gyroscopes were first aligned perfectly with a distant 'guide' star in the constellation Pegasus. If Einstein's theory was correct, the spinning gyroscopes would tilt and wobble ever so slightly as they were dragged by the vortex of space-time stirred by Earth.

You with me so far? Good. My faith in you remains unbounded.

So, what did they find? After 52 years, budget fights, seven federal investigations, launch delays, engineering failures, and solar flares on the guide star, the researchers found that the Earth, all of its 24,900-mile circumference, indeed distorts and drags space-time. By 1.1 inches. An absolutely remarkable outcome, when it's space and time we're talking about being distorted and dragged. Einstein was proven correct and three researchers, who spent the better part of their lives in pursuit of truth, could finally rest knowing that they had done something others could only dream of doing -- and one rather important person actually thought to be impossible.

And therein lies a wonderful teaching moment. What began 52 years ago -- and experienced more twists and turns than space-time itself -- ended this past week in success. Talk about persistence and ingenuity. Talk about passion, about the drive to realize a dream. And the person who thought it was impossible to assess? Einstein himself. In 1953, Einstein, shown here at Cal Tech in Pasadena, wrote that the magnitude of the distortion and dragging was so small as to render the concept "impossible to measure". He got the theory right -- we'll give him credit for that -- but was wrong about the ability to measure the effect. Three scientists from Stanford proved that nothing is impossible -- even the measurement of Earth's impact on space-time.

Sufficient passion fuels determination which drives breakthrough thinking which, in turn, can result in the overcoming of the most impossible of odds. Even by Einstein's standards.

What this means, of course, is that you can, indeed, do it. Whatever it is, whatever you're dreaming of, you can do it. If you're passionate enough -- and you have a dream to pursue -- you can do it. Tell us we're wrong.

Way to go, Albert. Very nicely done, Leonard, William and Robert. May you serve as an inspiration to us all.

One last thing before you go: A huge shout-out to our favorite horn player, Mic Gillette (shown here with his lovely daughter, Megan), who turned 60 over the weekend. Keep blowin', Mic. Loud.

Now go find that caramel apple. You know you want one.

See you next week for our 100th edition of TJOW.

FUSION: Unleashing the Power and Passion to Change

A couple of weeks ago (Getting Your Strategy Right: A Rebuttal, April 17), we outlined the Schnur Consulting Group's approach to executing a strategic plan in an effective, sustainable way. If you recall -- and we certainly hope you do -- SCG's five recommendations include:

1. Play to win it all. Aim for the stars; your people want to be part of a winner.

2. Engage your people. Challenge them to develop recommendations to improve speed, efficiency, service, decision-making, quality.

3. Let others execute. Significant and sustained performance improvement comes from within -- not from the top. (You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise.)

4. Solicit input. Create an on-going dialogue with key stakeholders and never stop talking and listening.

5. Measure, measure, measure. Track statistically, because that which is measured has a chance of being achieved.

For most organizations, the SCG approach is a radical departure from the top-down, hierarchy-driven, inefficient and largely ineffective method used by most to execute a strategic plan. No surprise, then, that the vast majority of strategic plans fail to achieve the short- and longer-term gains they seek. And, of course, it's absolutely no wonder that most strategic plans end up gathering dust on someone's shelf. Too bad, too, because they likely hold such promise.

The key to our success in helping organizations implement strategic plans? A controlled, skillfully-facilitated, employee-driven process that unleashes ideas, passion and creative energy, a process that develops bold recommendations to achieve dramatic and sustainable bottom-line gains.

A process we call FUSION.

FUSION taps the knowledge, insight and expertise that exist within every organization. It is a contained, step-wise reaction requiring an exacting process and expert facilitation. A quantum leap from typical OD processes, FUSION demands unparalleled objectivity, authenticity and integrity only highly skilled facilitators can bring.

Here's how FUSION works at a high level:

• A specific challenge -- grow revenue by 20% in the next two years, say -- is put forward to the entire company by executive management.
• Individuals from throughout the organization -- from mid-managers to front-line employees -- have an opportunity to apply to become part of a special team to achieve that challenge. Required traits: Passion for the business, a creative/innovative bent, a bias for action, and expertise of the subject.
  
• A cross-function team is selected by company leadership with SCG guidance.
• The FUSION team is given its charge and an aggressive timeline by executive management and begins its work with SCG's facilitators.
• Within the allotted time -- typically 2-3 months -- the FUSION team develops a set of recommendations and a business plan to achieve the challenge established by executive management.
  
• The FUSION team presents its recommendations and business plan, complete with performance metrics, to executive management, who provide feedback to the team within a week.
• The FUSION team refines its plan, as necessary, gains final approval and begins execution of the plan.

And the challenges our clients' FUSION teams have tackled -- and achieved? Amazing ones:

• Growing revenue to $1.0 billion within 2 years (20% growth) while reducing costs by $2.5 million
• Reducing time to market by 25%
• Improving customer service ratings by 20%
• Eliminating two weeks from the year-end books closing process
• Reducing voluntary turnover among top performers and high potentials by 25%
• Increasing market share by 15% in 2 years
• Decreasing the time required to fill job vacancies successfully by 50%
• Decreasing the learning curve among new hires by 50%
• Reducing 'administrivia' by 25%
• Becoming a Fortune Top 100 Places to Work company within 2 years

As some might say, not too shabby.

But, there's more. FUSION not only has the power to improve performance substantially, it also has the power -- by design -- to change an organization's culture, its very fabric, in profound and sustainable ways. For FUSION creates a climate where on-going performance enhancement is expected, participative, and transparent. A continual search for new ideas and new ways to do things to help the organization win becomes what we do here, how we operate.

Why?, you ask. Because FUSION:

• Creates an ideal climate for idea generation and big-time problem-solving
  
• Encourages, motivates and teaches truly talented individuals to produce breakthrough ideas -- regardless of corporate culture, politics, and/or history -- in a short period of time
  
• Enables creativity -- and involves, in a highly meaningful way, those who most want to create a winning organization
• Teaches participants to master a new, innovative approach to addressing business issues successfully, and
• Seeks bold and aggressive solutions -- not perfect solutions (which tend to be elusive, time-consuming, nearly impossible to develop, and in many organizations, an excuse not to act).

Ask a FUSION participant about the experience and you're bound to hear that it was the most exciting, challenging, meaningful thing they've ever done at work. Helping your organization perform better has that effect.

But while FUSION has enormous power, it's not for everyone. It's only for those who want to improve dramatically by involving their people in the solution. The hierarchical, traditional also-rans need not apply.

Does your organization need to improve? Have a strategic plan that's going nowhere? Think your people might have the answers? Believe you can benefit from the excitement of unleashing the creativity and passion of your people?

Good. Get in touch.