StrategyDriven

“True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information.”

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,
winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
and
the first Honorary Citizen of the United States

Popularity: 55% [?]

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StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve better results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag posts on the StrategyDriven website.

Episode 20 - Identify the Hidden Drivers, part 1 of 3 elaborates on Strategic Analysis Best Practice 3 - Identify the Hidden Drivers and Strategic Analysis Best Practice 3 - Identify the Hidden Drivers (Continued). This discussion…

• identifies what hidden performance drivers are
• examines the often unintended impact of hidden drivers on an organization
• explores examples of documented hidden drivers

Final Request…

The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider voting for us on Podcast Alley by clicking here. Casting your vote for the StrategyDriven Podcast improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast !

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Nathan A. Ives is a Strategy & Operations Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLP, a StrategyDriven contributor, and co-Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over fifteen years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at numerous Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Lucas D. Ives is a training consultant at Verizon Wireless, a StrategyDriven contributor, and guest co-Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. A dynamic facilitator, he excels at creating and delivering captivating training focused on the business professional. To read Lucas’s complete biography, click here.

Popularity: 68% [?]

“One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results”

Milton Friedman

Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics,
the Presidential Medal of Freedom,
and
the National Medal of Science

Popularity: 55% [?]

“A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.”

Project Management Body of Knowledge
Third Edition
Project Management Institute

To many, project management represents their worst nightmare. The mere mention of the term conjures images of bloated bureaucracies, large consultant-laden teams, and endless meetings where decisions are seldom made and status is often reported as being behind. Executed properly, project management can be an effective tool for aligning the organization to the successful implementation of simple and complex initiatives.

An art and a science, project management is most effective when implemented with a rigor correlated to the scope and complexity of the work to be performed. Regardless of intensity, the management of projects consists of five phases:

• Initiate - initial, high-level project definition and authorization
• Plan - project scope refinement and approval; task identification and sequencing; resource to task allocation; schedule development; project cost estimation and budget development; project plan creation and baselining
• Execute - project plan execution
• Evaluate and Control - project plan execution performance monitoring and reporting; project scope and plan change control; project risk management
• Close - final project activity documentation; financial closeout; overall project performance assessment and lessons learned development; product evaluation; project administrative closure

Posts in this category are dedicated to discussing the leading practices of companies effectively managing projects for the efficient achievement of mission goals. Additionally, all project management information presented will be aligned with, compliment, and expound on the project management processes described by the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge.

Additional Resources

To supplement the project management information found on the StrategyDriven website, our contributors recommend the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (PMBOK Guides). This book is a complete process reference covering all aspects of project management including:

• Project Integration Management
• Project Scope Management
• Project Time Management
• Project Cost Management
• Project Quality Management
• Project Human Resource Management
• Project Communications Management
• Project Risk Management
• Project Procurement management

Popularity: 51% [?]

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.”

Author Unknown

Teaching via the Socratic Method

The best way for someone to learn something and to retain it, is for the individual to figure it out on their own. This is the concept behind the Socratic Method. As the teacher leads the conversation, the student observes, participates, and eventually understands. This method is most often used in law school, to the dismay and embarrassment of many law school students. Often the legal professor is ruthless when cutting down student ideas, asking what universe they live in because their version of the law certainly does not exist in this one. This tactic has the effect of ensuring students study.

While the insults and embarrassment law students live with would certainly not be acceptable in the business world, the constructive application of the Socratic Method can provide a great deal of benefit to businesses and employees alike.

The idea behind this method is to guide a conversation using questions and accepted facts; keeping the conversation on its proper course. As participants discuss their views and essentially think out loud, others will learn from what is being said. A good teacher will ask a participant to justify their response and the audience learns as a unit why the response is correct or incorrect.

It may sound simple but remember, a discussion is, at a minimum, a two-way event. You need to get a point across, and because others will be speaking as well, you will essentially be using their voice. In other words, you must direct the conversation to your desired conclusion.

Choose Your Setting

The best way to lead a discussion is to be at eye level with your audience. By standing behind a podium or in front of a classroom you are portraying the image of an orator or teacher. Your goal should be to draw ideas and information out of your audience. While you may be teaching or training this group, you want them to feel comfortable voicing their ideas. Most law school classrooms are designed with this concept in mind. The class is usually arranged in a horseshoe with the professor at or below eye level of the class. If necessary, you may choose to sit down on the edge of the stage or the table and look your audience in the eye. This body language will encourage participation.

Be a Director

Direct your conversation. Because others are involved, there is the potential for the discussion to get off track. When this happens, ask a question that will redirect the focus back to the desired topic. Ask, why will this move be good for the company? How can this policy change spur growth and increase revenue? If you get the correct response right away, ask the audience member to prove it. What was wrong with the old way? You are not just looking for what is correct, but also why it is correct.

To effectively lead a discussion you must learn how to ask a different kind of question. Determine what questions you will ask prior to giving your class or presentation. Make sure to use a variety of question types such as open-ended and close-ended questions.

Open-ended questions are used when you are looking for a more detailed response. These can be used to determine if the participant or audience truly understands the information you are delivering. They can also be used to encourage discussion or to let the audience talk their way through a problem.

• Why do you think this policy benefits us in the long term?
• What results can we expect to see after implementing this change? Why?

What, Why and How are great question words to use when seeking a more detailed response. If you are looking for more detail or clarification of a response, ask a follow up question:

• Can you tell me more?
• Would you elaborate on that for us, please?
• Can anyone explain that in a different way?

And ask for examples:

• Can you describe a time when you had to deal with a hostel client?
• Give me an example of when you could apply these steps to your job.

Close-ended questions elicit a one-word, often a yes or no, response. These can be used to quickly check for understanding or as a way to respectfully stop the conversation when it strays off course.

• So you think this new process will show long-term results?

When the participant answers, “Yes,” affirm their response and move on to the next point in the discussion.

• You’re absolutely right, this will be a great move in the long run. Now, let’s move on.

As mentioned earlier, you should formulate your questions in advance and have a clear idea of the response you are looking for as well as what incorrect responses you may receive. Also, think in advance of how you will respond to your audience’s potential answers to your questions. Should you say, “Tell me more,” or should you elicit others’ feedback?

Remember, you are teaching your audience “to fish.” Simply telling them of a new process may be easier, but guiding them to a thorough understanding of the process and why it is better for the company will yield better results. You will promote critical thinking and leave your audience knowing not just what, but why and how.

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Lucas D. Ives is a training consultant at Verizon Wireless and a StrategyDriven contributor. A dynamic facilitator, he excels at creating and delivering captivating training focused on the business professional. To read Lucas’s complete biography, click here.

Popularity: 56% [?]