E9 – Lisa Carlin – Practical strategies and case studies to help you turbo charge your transformation

E9 – Lisa Carlin – Practical strategies and case studies to help you turbo charge your transformation

by | PODCASTS

Cutting Through

Helping experts
engage ‘outsiders'
in complex ideas

Seventy plus percent of transformations fail says McKinsey and Harvard Business School and yet Lisa Carlin has a 96 percent strike rate.

What’s her secret?

Lisa shares her top three ingredients for making transformations work:

  1. Get out of the Dark Room
  2. Understand and align closely with the organisation’s very specific culture
  3. Use the right blend of program leadership, business acumen and change management

Lisa shares some terrific stories that bring these to life.

 

Timestamps 

00:41 – Get to know Lisa 

05:39 – Discussing the three ways of turbocharging transformation in a sustainable way  

15:54 – 1. Getting out of the ‘dark room’ – who to include in a transformation and why 

24:53 – Case Study in a transformation around travel expenses (and getting people onboard with something they initially disagree with) 

30:48 – 2. Aligning with the culture during a transformation 

38:26 – 3. Employing a multidisciplinary approach to transformation 

56:19 – Ways Lisa can help including 17 top tips, a fantastic thought-provoking survey and the new Turbocharged Transformation Academy 

 RESOURCES

  1. Download the shownotes below
  2. Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn

 

E11 – New Board Paper Writing books: Elevate and Engage

Cutting ThroughHelping experts engage 'outsiders' in complex ideasBoard Paper Writing episode In this board paper writing podcast, Dan and I talk about my new books, Elevate and Engage. Together, we unpack our deep understanding of the paper-writing process for both...
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E10 – Alexa Chilcutt – How to make your presentation butterflies fly in formation

Cutting ThroughHelping experts engage 'outsiders' in complex ideas
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E9 – Lisa Carlin – Practical strategies and case studies to help you turbo charge your transformation

Cutting ThroughHelping experts engage 'outsiders' in complex ideasSeventy plus percent of transformations fail says McKinsey and Harvard Business School and yet Lisa Carlin has a 96 percent strike rate. What’s her secret? Lisa shares her top three ingredients for...
Read More
E11 – New Board Paper Writing books: Elevate and Engage

E11 – New Board Paper Writing books: Elevate and Engage

Cutting ThroughHelping experts engage 'outsiders' in complex ideasBoard Paper Writing episode In this board paper writing podcast, Dan and I talk about my new books, Elevate and Engage. Together, we unpack our deep understanding of the paper-writing process for both...

E8 – Adam Bennett – Communicating during great change

E8 – Adam Bennett – Communicating during great change

Cutting ThroughHelping experts engage 'outsiders' in complex ideasLeading a major change effort while navigating almost polar opposite expectations of a board and the employees is no small task. This week's Cutting Through guest Adam Bennett shares his experiences...

E5 – Daniel Musson – A Case Study in Digital Transformation

E5 – Daniel Musson – A Case Study in Digital Transformation

Cutting ThroughHelping experts engage 'outsiders' in complex ideasDan explains the difference between transformation and change, sharing deep experience in helping top brands gain maximum value from their digital transformation efforts. An outstanding communicator, he...

E2 – Making Time for Strategy

E2 – Making Time for Strategy

Cutting ThroughHelping experts engage 'outsiders' in complex ideasDo you struggle to find time to think at work? In this episode, Richard shares ideas to help 'cut through' with our diaries so we have time to think. Although he primarily focuses on strategy, the...

E1 – Risk Management = Change Management

E1 – Risk Management = Change Management

Anthony Wilson shares 30+ years' experience in engaging others in risk management. His biggest challenge is to encourage leaders and others involved in managing risk to move away from a ‘once and done' approach. He is convinced there is enormous business value in seeing risk management as change management.

Know when each episode drops

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Why too much background is a problem

Why too much background is a problem

by | - Board communication, - Decision making, - Leadership communication, - Productivity

A Board Director recently described his problem with Board papers to a colleague of mine.

He said: “He disliked feeling as though he was conducting an Easter Egg hunt when reading Board Papers.

“He would much prefer spending his energy evaluating the ideas in the paper than trying to find them.”

One of the main reasons this happens is that background sections are too long. Many paper-writers often feel the need to deliver lots of history, definitions and detail at the start of the paper.

The idea is that doing this helps the audience understand what the paper is about so they can understand the punch line.

Unfortunately, it has the reverse effect, switching most audiences off.

This is one of the key reasons why I encourage you to keep your context and trigger short, to no more than 15 percent of the length of the whole paper. Here are some thoughts to help you achieve that.

  1. Include definitions in an appendix. You can refer to it the first time you mention a technical term that you think some readers may not be familiar with. If it is a completely foreign idea to all, then define it at the point of reference, perhaps as a footnote.
  2. Use the context to introduce the topic under discussion only. You might, for example, think back to the last time you discussed the relevant topic with your audience and remind them of that.
  3. Weave history and detail into the story itself. This way you present ideas as they are relevant to the audience rather than out of context.

I hope that helps. More next week.

Davina

 

RELATED POSTS

PRESENTED BY DAVINA STANLEY

I love what I do.

I help senior leaders and their teams prepare high-quality papers and presentations in a fraction of the time.

This involves 'nailing' the message that will quickly engage decision makers in the required outcome.

I leverage 25+ years' experience including

  • learning structured thinking techniques at McKinsey in Hong Kong in the mid 1990s before coaching and training their teams globally as a freelancer for a further 15 years
  • being approved to teach the Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto in 2009
  • helping CEOs, C-suite leaders and their reports deeply understand their stakeholder needs and communicate accordingly
  • seeing leaders cut the number of times they review major papers by ~30% and teams cut the amount of time they take to prepare major papers by ~20%*
  • watching senior meetings focus on substantive discussions and better decisions rather than trying to clarify the issue

My approach helps anyone who needs to engage senior leaders and Boards.

Recent clients include 7Eleven, KPMG, Mercer, Meta, Woolworths.

Learn more at www.clarityfirstprogram.com

 

(*) Numbers are based on 2023 client benchmarking results.

Making time for strategy

Making time for strategy

by | - Board communication, - Decision making, - Leadership communication, - Productivity

Do you struggle to make time for strategic thinking?

Most of my clients tell me they do, and I also find it a challenge. It is so easy to be swept away by the ‘now', the urgent requests for things to be delivered.

The busyness can feel satisfying as we tick things off lists. However, it leaves us open to the risk of delivering more ‘stuff' and less ‘impact'.

In a communication sense, it leaves people reworking papers late at night because they haven't allowed time to think during the day. This is particularly so for those who lead teams and realise late in the piece that their team's papers need an overhaul before being fit for purpose.

My collaborator, Richard Medcalf of XQuadrant, has helped me enormously in this regard and I am excited to tell you about his upcoming book.

Making Time for Strategy offers deceptively simple yet ‘real world' achievable techniques that have shifted my perspective, my behaviour and my results.

In this latest episode of my new Cutting Through podcast I share my first of six interviews with Richard that share some of the insights from his book.

You can listen on your favourite podcasting platform, or on my website >>

I hope that helps. More next week.

Kind regards,
Davina

Registrations Open:

Thinking Skills Workshop

December 14th

Learn how to connect the dots between complex ideas so you can prepare insightful and engaging communication.

In this 2-hour workshop I introduce the core thinking skills that underpin our ability to deliver insight rather than just ‘information'. During this interactive workshop you will

  • Learn the basis for structuring a compelling business story
  • Practice three core thinking skills that will set your communication apart from others
  • Leverage our seven most-commonly used story structuring patterns
  • Work in a small group to rework a short prose communication

Only 20 places are offered to allow me to answer everyone's questions.

Learn More

RELATED POSTS

PRESENTED BY DAVINA STANLEY

I love what I do.

I help senior leaders and their teams prepare high-quality papers and presentations in a fraction of the time.

This involves 'nailing' the message that will quickly engage decision makers in the required outcome.

I leverage 25+ years' experience including

  • learning structured thinking techniques at McKinsey in Hong Kong in the mid 1990s before coaching and training their teams globally as a freelancer for a further 15 years
  • being approved to teach the Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto in 2009
  • helping CEOs, C-suite leaders and their reports deeply understand their stakeholder needs and communicate accordingly
  • seeing leaders cut the number of times they review major papers by ~30% and teams cut the amount of time they take to prepare major papers by ~20%*
  • watching senior meetings focus on substantive discussions and better decisions rather than trying to clarify the issue

My approach helps anyone who needs to engage senior leaders and Boards.

Recent clients include 7Eleven, KPMG, Mercer, Meta, Woolworths.

Learn more at www.clarityfirstprogram.com

 

(*) Numbers are based on 2023 client benchmarking results.

The best strategy ‘hack’ so far …

The best strategy ‘hack’ so far …

by | INSIGHTS

At this time of year I am naturally starting to think about what comes next.

Oddly, this also involves bicycles and icecream.

For me it is time to lock critical dates in my diary, checking in with clients to see what they are looking for in the coming year and generally planning ahead.

It's tricky to find time for this as my plate is already full.

This year, unusually so as one of my team is in hospital so I have picked up two extra programs so we don't let a client down.

All this occurs while I am determined to continue adding more value to both my clients and my business while not burning the midnight oil.

I'm old enough to know that burning too much of it is counter productive.

So, what to do?

#1 – The usual – keep myself organised, focusing on the most important things first. Declutter, prioritise, optimise: This, however, doesn't always cut the list of ‘to dos' nearly far enough.

#2 – The still usual – focus on ‘the now' so I don't suffer from overwhelm by thinking about that growing to-do list

#3 – The new thing – rather than forcing myself to stop thinking about the list, actively think about the exciting plans I have for the business and let that list take care of itself.

It's a bit like when learning to ride a bike: as soon as we start focusing on the tree we don't want to hit we head straight for it. Instead, focus on the path that we do want to ride on.

Strangely enough this has been the most powerful hack of all.

By focusing more on the next big thing (which in itself is something I find motivating) I am finding that what I call the ‘ice cream theory' of time management works a treat.

Have you noticed that children ALWAYS have room for ice cream?

Strangely, I'm getting the old things and the new things done during moderately sensible hours.

Even better. I'm sleeping like a top, which means I have lots of energy to do both the things I have to do and the things I want to do.

What is the next big thing that will have a big impact on what you need to achieve for 2022?

Kind regards,
Davina

 

 

PS – In no way do I mean to belittle the ‘hacks' from last year. They have been hugely useful. They have laid the groundwork for me to be able to prioritise and focus on the good stuff. I hope they help as you plan for 2022 also.

It's time to plan for 2022 …

Over the last year I have continued working toward using my time better and becoming more impactful generally.

Next week I'll share my ‘big aha' with you that has helped fix the one problem that optimising my time spent did NOT fix.

Here's the back story to start you thinking ….

++++++++++++++++++++

Hack 1 – Diagnose and Declutter

Clarity First alum Steve shares ideas on how he transitioned from being an engineer to becoming a strategic leader who takes nights and weekends off as well as going sailing most Wednesday afternoons. Click here to learn from Steve and grab hold of a template that will help you start your own journey toward becoming maximising your impact while minimising your effort.

Hack 2 – Prioritise

We all know we need to prioritise …. but HOW do we do that so we know which tasks we should eliminate, delegate, automate or do? In this post I turn to a favourite of mine: Michael Hyatt to capture some practical ideas from his excellent Free to Focus book. Click here to learn more.

Hack 3 – Optimise

This time I point you to my first substantive conversation with Richard Medcalf of Xquadrant who specialises in helping successful people magnify their impact. He offers a number of terrific ideas including how to:

  • Harness your curiosity to increase your influence
  • Lead strategically when there is already too much to do
  • Use a concept called prisons and fortresses to make sure you get to the things that really matter
  • And plenty more too. Click here to learn more.

Hack 4 – Bonus ideas

I found this process so useful that I wanted to share some final ideas stemming from my own experience in learning from Steve, Michael and Richard. Go beyond the theory to get some more ideas here.

PRESENTED BY DAVINA STANLEY

I love what I do.

I help senior leaders and their teams prepare high-quality papers and presentations in a fraction of the time.

This involves 'nailing' the message that will quickly engage decision makers in the required outcome.

I leverage 25+ years' experience including

  • learning structured thinking techniques at McKinsey in Hong Kong in the mid 1990s before coaching and training their teams globally as a freelancer for a further 15 years
  • being approved to teach the Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto in 2009
  • helping CEOs, C-suite leaders and their reports deeply understand their stakeholder needs and communicate accordingly
  • seeing leaders cut the number of times they review major papers by ~30% and teams cut the amount of time they take to prepare major papers by ~20%*
  • watching senior meetings focus on substantive discussions and better decisions rather than trying to clarify the issue

My approach helps anyone who needs to engage senior leaders and Boards.

Recent clients include 7Eleven, KPMG, Mercer, Meta, Woolworths.

Learn more at www.clarityfirstprogram.com

 

(*) Numbers are based on 2023 client benchmarking results.

How do we know when we are fooling ourselves?

How do we know when we are fooling ourselves?

by | - Communicating up, - Communication, - Thinking skills, - Writing

It might shock you to know that our brains are quirky and more like Homer Simpson's than we realise.

In Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow, Daniel Kahneman describes how we lie to ourselves just like Homer does.

He suggests that we make up stories in our minds and then against all evidence, defend them tooth and nail.

Understanding why we do this is the key to discovering truth and making wiser decisions.

In this piece I lay out the overview of his argument and illustrate through a business example.

 His argument leans heavily on an evolutionary bug in our brains that critical thinking strategies can resolve

He suggests there’s a bug in the evolutionary code that makes up our brains.  Apparently, we have a hard time distinguishing between when cause and effect is clear, such as checking for traffic before crossing a busy street, and when it’s not, as in the case of many business decisions.

We don’t like not knowing. We also love a story.

Just like with Homer did in this short clip, our minds create plausible stories to fill in the gaps in other people's stories to construct our own cause and effect relationships.

The trick is to have some critical thinking strategies to help us evaluate other people's stories and our own. To help us avoid telling stories that are convincing and wrong.

We need to think about how these stories are created, whether they’re right, or how they persist. A useful ‘tell' is when we find ourselves uncomfortable and unable to articulate our reasoning.

 A real life example brings his argument to life in an uncomfortably familiar way

Imagine a meeting where we are discussing how a project should continue, not unlike any meeting you have this week to figure out what happened and what decisions your organization needs to make next.

You start the meeting by saying “The transformation project has again made little progress against its KPIs this month. Here’s what we’re going to do in response.”

But one person in the meeting, John, another project manager, asks you to explain the situation.

You volunteer what you know.
“After again failing to deliver on their KPIs, we recommend replacing the project leader with someone from outside the organisation who has a proven track record with transformation programs. The delays are no longer sustainable.”
And you quickly launch into the best way to find a replacement team leader.

Mary, however, tells herself a different story, because just last week her friend, the project leader, described the difficulty her team was having with two influential leaders who were actively against the transformation program.
The story she tells herself is that the project leader probably needs extra support from the CEO and potentially also the Board.

So, she asks you, “What makes you think a new project leader would be more successful?”

The answer is obvious to you.
You feel your heart rate start to rise.
Frustration sets in.

You tell yourself that Mary is an idiot. This is so obvious. The project is falling further behind. Again. The leader is not getting traction. And we need to put in place something to get the transformation moving now. You think to yourself that she’s slowing the group down and we need to act now.

What else is happening?

It’s likely you looked at the evidence again and couldn’t really explain how you drew your conclusion.

Rather than have an honest conversation about the story you told yourself and the story Mary is telling herself, the meeting gets tense and goes nowhere.

Neither of you has a complete picture or a logically constructed case. You are both running on intuition.

The next time you catch someone asking you about your story and you can’t explain it in a falsifiable way, pause, hit reset and test the rigour of your story.

What you really care about is finding the truth, even if that means the story you told yourself is wrong.

Why am I sharing this story with you?

In Clarity First we teach people 10 specific questions to ask when evaluating our communication that helps us to see whether our ideas ‘stack up'.

These are incredibly powerful and help you ‘step back' from your own ideas to evaluate them critically.

Take a look at the Clarity First Program to learn more.

We help you communicate so your complex ideas get the traction they deserve.

 

 

Keywords: #critical thinking #decision making #kahneman