Synopses & Reviews
Praise for
Business at the Speed of Now"Practical. Useful. Inspiring. Managers and leaders who want to engage the hearts and minds of every employee will find all the tools they need in the pages of Business at the Speed of Now."
—Marshall Goldsmith, author of the New York Times bestsellers Mojo and What Got You Here Won't Get You There
"Mr. Bernard's book achieves a critical first by showing how social media and cloud computing are resetting customer expectations. Then he makes clear why competitive pressures demand that management apply process thinking to management itself in order to ensure everything is in place for employees to meet customer needs in real time."
—Richard Walje, President and CEO, Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp
"Our citizens demand transparency and accountability. Government must achieve outcomes that matter. Business at the Speed of Now is more than thought provoking, it provides answers every leader needs to understand."
—Michael J. Jordan, Chief Operating Officer, State of Oregon
"This book connects dots from the past, present, and future, simplifying complex issues that can appear daunting to today's leaders. Bernard's GPS for navigating today's fast-changing business environment reveals the principles and practices leaders should keep and those they should leave behind to create highly competitive organizations where people fully engage their hearts and minds. Compelling stories and pragmatic tools in every chapter help readers apply those insights immediately."
—Teresa Roche, Chief Learning Officer, Agilent Technologies
"Bernard brilliantly tackles the issues of speed and turnaround that everyone struggles with today. Using engaging stories, new thinking about creating a responsive organization, and case studies that drive the point home, Bernard lays out a game plan for success. If you want to discover the keys to creating a responsive organization that provides customer solutions in 'real time,' you need to read this book."
—Roger Connors and Tom Smith, authors of the New York Times bestsellers The Oz Principle, Change the Culture, Change the Game, and How Did That Happen?
"Required reading for any business owner or manager who wants to grow and profit in the now!"
—Gene Marks, President, The Marks Group, and New York Times columnist
Synopsis
A technology-enabled management philosophy to accelerate your organizationBusiness at the Speed of Now delivers a new real-time management philosophy and system to leaders looking for better results in today's constantly changing market. Companies that inspire and equip employees and expect them to seize opportunities and solve problems in the now will enjoy a distinct competitive advantage in a world where speed matters most. Get systematic advice on how to build an integrated and transparent management system, enabled by cloud computing and internal social networks. Use this comprehensive guide to create a NOW organization where everyone boldly pursues every opportunity every time.
The vast majority of businesses cling to a THEN management model and philosophy designed to prevent immediate action. In this practical handbook, you'll learn how to apply technology to the three essential types of work: Fundamentals (routine work that consumes 95 percent of all resources), Breakthroughs (initiatives that can change the game), and Problems (daily challenges and crises that occur in all organizations).
- Provides a wealth of real-world examples, assessments, tools, guidelines, and checklists that enable readers to apply the concepts immediately
- Offers practical tools for building accountability and transparency into every position, thereby eliminating the loose ends that so often cause business execution to stumble
- Presents the groundbreaking insights of John Bernard, an expert on management theory and practice, the use of social media inside the organization, and the modern workforce, whose company, Mass Ingenuity, consults around the world and develops Web-based tools to support real-time management
Set your organization free from the old THEN management ways that no longer get the results you need. Adopt the new NOW management thinking and the state-of-the-art tools that will get your organization doing business at the speed of now.
Synopsis
At the start of the twenty-first century, we've witnessed a shift to a mass customization-driven economy, leaving behind a century focused on mass production. Customers have come to expect immediate and tailor-made responses to their needs, and the businesses that fail to deliver quickly fall behind. How fast does your business move? Are you doing business at the speed of NOW or trailing the pack at the speed of THEN?
Business at the Speed of Now outlines principles and practices that forward-thinking managers can use to enhance customer experience, reduce costs, and drive growth. Three major game changers have accelerated business today. Social media creates vast powerful communities by instantly connecting people inside and outside an organization. Cloud computing provides workers access to the resources they need to resolve issues the moment they arise. And the Millennial mindset demands that it all happens now. Business at the Speed of Now presents systematic advice on how to build an integrated, engaging, and transparent management system, enabled by cloud computing and internal social networks.
Use this comprehensive guide to create a NOW organization where everyone boldly pursues every opportunity every time. Through more than sixty real-world stories of success and failure, this book:
- Demonstrates how to achieve the three goals of the NOW management system: eliminate fear, reduce variation in everything you do, and rapidly overcome constraints that inhibit progress
- Applies speed-enabling technology to the three essential types of work: Fundamentals (routine work that consumes 95 percent of all resources), Breakthroughs (initiatives that can change the game), and Problems (daily challenges and crises that occur in all organizations)
- Provides a wealth of real-world examples, assessments, tools, guidelines, and checklists that enable readers to apply the concepts immediately
- Offers practical tools for building account ability and transparency into every position, thereby eliminating the loose ends that so often cause business execution to stumble
Set your organization free from the old THEN management ways that no longer get the results you need. Adopt the new NOW management thinking and the state-of-the-art tools that will get your organization doing business at the speed of now.
About the Author
JOHN M. BERNARD is the founder and chairman of Mass Ingenuity, a company that consults and teaches around the world and develops Web-based tools to support real-time management. His consulting work involves high-tech, service, distribution, utilities, banking, insurance, manufacturing, health care, education, and government. John is an expert on the subjects of best-practice management, social media inside the organization, and the modern workforce. His expertise has been featured in the global business media and he is a top-rated speaker for The Conference Board.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction xvii
Chapter 1 Thriving in the Now: Prepare for Yes 1
Our Love of Speed 3
The Power of Yes 4
I Want My Yes Now! 7
Social Media, Cloud Computing, and the Millennial Mind-Set 9
Mass-Customize Me, Please! 12
Enabling Your Organization’s YESability 14
The NOW Speedometer 17
Chapter 2 Making the Shift to Now: Put an End to Then 21
Shifting from Then to Now 22
That Was Then, This Is Now 25
The Seven Deadly Sins of Management 28
From Declining to Improving Results 29
The Right Tools in the Right Place at the Right Time 32
From Disengaged to Engaged 33
Chapter 3 Seizing the NOW Opportunity: Drive Growth with Yes 41
When You Operate in the Now 43
To Try or to Do, That Is the Question 48
The 9 Rules of Then, the 11 Rules of Now 50
Simon Says and Mother, May I? 52
Shifting Gears to the Now 54
Chapter 4 Leveraging the NOW Game Changers: Gain the Speed You Need 61
Satisfying the Hunger for Instant Information 62
A Cloud That Refreshes 66
The Power of Millennial Thinking 70
If You Can’t Beat ’Em, Join ’Em 74
Chapter 5 Working in the NOW Business: Create the Context for Speed 79
Thinking in the Now 80
Management Is a System 86
Mapping the Fundamentals 92
Laying the Foundation 92
Connecting Every Employee 96
Chapter 6 Working on the NOW Business: Achieve Critical Breakthroughs 99
The Source of Breakthroughs 100
Creating the Skill to Plan at All Levels 103
Performance Breakthroughs in Action 106
Breakthroughs in Capability 109
Sequencing, Coordinating, and Seeing 113
Chapter 7 Creating NOW Transparency: Close the Execution Gap 119
Getting the Transparency Train on Track 121
Initiating Transparency with Business Reviews 127
Preparing for Target Reviews 130
Real-Time Transparency and Corrective Action 132
Chapter 8 Solving Problems Now: Equip Everyone with the Core Skill 137
Creating the Charter 139
Step 1: Agree on the Problem 141
Step 2: Map the Process 143
Step 3: Find the Root Cause 145
Step 4: Develop Solutions 153
Step 5: Implement the Fix 154
Step 6: Hold the Gain 154
Step 7: Reflect and Learn 155
Chapter 9 Enabling the NOW Workforce: Banish Fear, Build Trust 159
People Want to Do the Right Thing 160
Fear Blocks Initiative 162
Building a Foundation for Trust 165
Helping People Cross the Divide 167
Shifting from Permit to Expect 171
Chapter 10 Becoming a NOW Leader: Stop Bossing, Start Teaching 175
From No to Yes 177
From Disconnection to Full Engagement 179
From Know-It-All to Fellow Learner 180
From Frozen Layer to Fear Defroster 182
From Commander to Inspirational Guide 184
Creating New, Observable Behaviors 186
Tell Me a Story 191
Chapter 11 Embracing Change Now: Accelerate the Shift 193
Working for the Social Good 196
Sharing a Vision of the Future 198
Engaging the Most Respected Change Leaders 201
Encouraging Personal Change 204
Reinforcing the Right Actions 207
The End of the Beginning 209
Conclusion Do It Now! 211
Guidelines for an Effective Plan 213
Appendix 215
The NOW Speedometer: Doing Business at the Speed of Now 215
About the Author 217
Index 219