Week of May 17, 2010

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

IN OUR WORLD

This was a week in town for me.  Lots going on and lucky for me, all of it local.

• One Level Above (OLA):  I had my first follow up meeting after the launch of an OLA strategy for a client.  The key to the impact of a strategy that moves an existing reality one level above is a firm application plan at the very beginning.  It creates traction. Traction leads to impact!
• Podcast’s: I had the honor of recording three podcasts on my Repeatable Successful Acts platform for a client.  After editing I will get copies and have them posted in my June newsletter.  The RSA platform continues to gain traction.
• Attack The Second Level:  This strategy sprang from one of the RSA’s.  It has multiple applications.  This application involved a new training platform I designed for support staff.  Many companies miss the opportunity to focus serious training for one of the most critical foundation points to success – support staff.  The result was fantastic!

Add those client activities to the continued work on the new web site, meetings regarding a couple of proposed projects,  and the week flew by!

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

The battle for simplicity is a never ending war.  We seem to be constantly drawn into a desire for complication.  It hits us every where.  We are bombarded with so many choices in everything from the 285 choices of cookies at Wal-Mart to the 15,000 mutual funds available for your investment options.  These myriad choices create a real and ever present challenge to our decision making models and decision making plays a huge role in our ability to plan.

The IBM Global CEO Study, involving 1,541 CEO’s has just been published with some interesting results.

• 8 out of 10 CEO’s believe their companies are growing more complex despite their efforts to keep things simple.
• 51% feel they are not equipped to deal with complexities.
• Complexity has become the largest leadership challenge identified in the 8 years since the launch of the Study.

The ability to simplify comes from how you think.  How you think impacts how you behave.  At Creative Ventures we follow a method of thinking called “thoughtful reduction”.  It comes from the design world and John Maeda.  It allows you to attack problems, systems, processes with a rugged determination to keep it simple.  We created the Power of 3 where we fight the thinking battle to all projects, systems, programs and platforms to no more than 3 parts.  This Power of 3 is the engine that drives ALL of my work.

Here is an example.  This week I met with a client regarding an aggressive internet strategy.  They had filled two white boards with their ideas and a draft of the plan.  I was invited to participate.  After some rather lengthy discussion the strategy had one focal point – CONNECTIONS.  The connections had two impact points, their sphere of influence and their information.  It really was as simple as that.

A few starting points:

• Slow Down.  Speed stops simplification cold in its tracks.  Remember, speed should never outweigh thought.
• Layers.  It takes multiple models to get to the most simple.  Think of it as playing with the idea.

The ability to simplify will become a defining strength in a world of chaotic change.

ENTERTAINMENT

MOVIES: Not much out there.  McGruber is probably not going to get my movie dollar!

NetFlix Fans:  Outlander: A little, obscure sci-fi movie.  Surprisingly entertaining.

TV: The season finale for House MD was a good an episode of television as I have seen in years.  Yes, I am prejudice as I am a House fanatic, but many in my “House Circle of Friends” agreed.  Catch it on Hulu.

BOOKS:  Work Place Flexibility  – By Christian/Schneider.  What is the number one strategy for finding and keeping talent?  Create a work place with a foundation of flexibility.

MUSIC: The Damon Castillo Band.  Really good stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3JEJAnpZwM

WEB SITES: Way cool site.

www.futurity.com

SOUTH OF NORMAL

How about some pizza facts:

• There are over 69,000 pizzerias in the US.
• 3 billion pizzas are consumed every year.
• 94% of the US population eats pizza, while only 64% of the US population voted in the last US presidential elections.
• Americans eat 100 acres of pizza a day.
• Iowa is the # 1 pizza eating state in the US, while Mississippi ranks 50^th.

Man, I love me some pizza!

Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.