best inspiring ideas 2011

7/31/2019 Best Inspiring Ideas 2011

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2011

Best oInspiring

Ideas

Paola Antonelli

B.J. Fogg

Seth Godin

ChrisTrimble

Martin Lindstrom

Nouriel Roubini

John Elkington

Jef Hollender

Andreas Weigend

Dave Ulrich

Larry HustonNigel Hollis

Fred Krupp

James

Cameron

Peter

Senge

TonyHsieh

Clayton

Christensen

Malcolm

Gladwell

Guy

Kawasaki

Robert

Rubin

Biz

Stone


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JANUARY 4-5TRUE LEADERSHIP & PURPOSE

FEBRUARY 6-7NEW TRENDS IN MARKETING

MARCH 8-11FAMILY BUSINESS

APRIL 12-15SUSTAINABILITY

MAY 16-19SOCIAL MEDIA

JUNE 20-21INNOVATION & FUTURE TRENDS

JULY 22-25TEAMS & TALENT

AUGUST 26-29CREATIVITY

SEPTEMBER 30-33

RETHINKING YOUR BRANDOCTOBER 34-35

STRATEGY & EXECUTION

NOVEMBER 36-39GLOBAL ECONOMY

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP LIVE IN 201240-41

Index


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Open, authentic, disrupted, interconnected, and inmany cases uncertain, many of the trends we sawevolve in the business atmosphere of 2011 appear tobe ones that will continue into 2012 and beyond.

Each month in 2011 Inspiring Ideas brought you thebest content focused on a specic theme critical to

the functioning of any successful business. Here wehave compiled the best content featured throughoutthe year, featuring the new ideas and trends that are

key issues to facing the business world.

If you like what you see in this e-book and arentalready a subscriber to Inspiring Ideas, donthesitate to sign up now!

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4/42

JANUARYTRUE LEADERSHIP & PURPOSE TRUE LEADERSHIP & PURPOS

4

THE SEVEN

QUESTIONS THATDRIVE ABUNDANCE

In their latest book,

The Why o Work,

Dave & WendyUlrich explore how

leaders can help

promote an

environment or

their workers that

gives meaning

and purpose in their

jobs. Working rom

a psychological

and humanistic

perspective, theypropose these

seven questions

that every leader

should ask him

or hersel to drive

what the Ulrichs

call the abundance

agenda; a program

that allows leaders

to add value and

cultivate a creativeatmosphere.

What am I known or?

By discovering ones signature

character strengths and weak-

nesses, a leader can better

evaluate where he or she shines

and where it is necessary to ask

for help. The Ulrichs suggest

that by partaking in activities

that highlight each membersstrengths, also feel more psy-

chologically fulfilled and satis-

fied. Building on strengths pro-

motes creativity and can help

leaders tackle challenges.

Where am I going?

Social responsibility and an

environmental conscience are

two important factors that help

employees align personal and

corporate values. By coordinat-

ing these two belief systems, a

leader can add a strong senseof meaning to a workers every-

day motivation.

Whom do I travel with?

Although it is important to form

teams that have the right skills, a

leader should also create groups

that are built on a trust and allow

for creativity, experimentation and

mutual respect. By doing so, the

quality of work will almost certainly

simultaneously increase. When

you achieve a team that has a

strong relationship, youll also build

a high-performing one.

How do I build a posi-

tive work environment?

A leader should be concerned

with building an environment that

promotes creativity and culture,

as well as the ability to partake in

honest sharing, a level of trust

hard to acquire. As a leader, you

have the ability to set the tone for

the ofces atmosphere, which ulti-

mately creates the culture of yourbusiness, generating connections

and sustaining productivity.

13

4

2


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Best oInspiring

Ideas 20

11

TRUE LEADERSHIP & PURPOSE TRUE LEADERSHIP & PURPOSE

5

What challenges inter-

est me?

The evaluation of talent no longer

has to do so much with employee

competence as it does with an

employees commitment and will-

ngness to do work. Leaders canmprove employee engagement by

creating a specic and understood

vision, giving opportunities for em-

ployees to grow, creating teams

hat members enjoy, as well as as-

igning work that has an impact.

How do I respond

to disposability and

change?

Leaders need to encourage learn-

ing and resilience in the face ofchange and/or challenge. Accord-

ing to the Ulrichs, resilience and

learning principles challenge us to

repair, reuse, and recycle prod-

ucts, ideas and people rather than

see them as disposable.

What delights me?

Leaders should always maintain a

mentality that promotes problem-

solving, listening, curiosity, andcompassion. When enforcing poli-

cies of civility rather than hostility,

a leader can improve the sense

of well-being in their workers, and

create an environment of enjoy-

ment in the ofce.

Peter Senge, director of the

Center for Organizational Learn-ing at the MIT Sloan School of

Management, discusses how

during crises the true intent of

leaders is revealed, and that

this time can actually be used

to re-focus vision and be suc-

cessful in the long-term.

PeterSenge

Why a Crisis Brings Out the Best in Leaders

5 67

CLICK HEREShare with a colleague!


6/42

FEBRUARY NEW TRENDS IN MARKETING NEW TRENDS IN MARKETIN

6

There isnt a

handbook to be

dierent, and itdoesnt work to

just copy others.

In her book,

Harvard Proessor

Youngme Moon

talks about the

brands that

distinguish

themselves rom

the crowd.

By Florencia Lauente

There are some products that

arent for just anyone. Not be-

cause they are directed solely to

an enriched elite, but because

only a small minority appreciates

their value. Generally, these are thebrands that push the extremes,

whose message is anything but

subtle. Take it or leave it, is

wherein their power lies. Accord-

ing to Youngme Moon, professor

at Harvard Business School and

author of Different: Escaping the

Competitive Herd (Crown Busi-

ness, 2010), in this competitiveage where organizations study

every aspect of their competitors

just to get a tiny upper hand, the

result is products and brands that

arent so different from one an-

other. Businesses have to work

that much harder in order to dis-

tinguish themselves from the herd.

Differentiation isnt a strategy, nor

is it an attribute of brands, says

Moon. It is the result of a way of

thinking. It is a distinct way to cap-

tivate the attention of consumers.

People matter, respect and cel-

ebrate this attitude.

The Black Sheep

Original brands t into one of the

following three categories: they

break with the established, they go

against the grain, or they have an

aggressive personality. Moon de-

scribes some cases that could becalled anti-marketing.

Swatch, for example, created an

entirely new category of watches in

order to abandon the solemn tune

of the industry. It isnt a watch; it is

a fashion accessory to use every

day. Google and IKEA tested the

denition of their business. Furniture

that doesnt last is the slogan of the

Swedish company that produces fur-

niture you have to put together your-

self, or the simple design of Google.

The principal page of Google is noth-

ing like Yahoo or AOL, full of extra

tools that must be explained to un-

derstand what is meant.

Red Bull, Marmite and Mini Cooper

are aggressive. For example, Mar-

mite, the nutritional English spread,

isnt exactly a tempting jam. Hor-

rible is how it is dened by its

critics. With brewers yeast as its

base, it is sticky, dark brown, and

has a very strong smell. However,Marmite has survived over a cen-

ESCAPING THE

COMPETITIVE HERD


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Best oInspiring

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NEW TRENDS IN MARKETING NEW TRENDS IN MARKETING

7

B.J. Fogg, expert in the field of

technology and persuasion, dis-cusses the three characteristics

that must converge at the same

time to make a certain behavior

happen: motivation, ability and

triggering.

B.J.Fogg

The Keys to Making Behavior Change Happen

ury in English and many European

homes to be used with all different

ypes of foods. In the last public

spot for the brand, a huge mass

of Marmite terrorized a small town

and everyone ran away except one

man who faces the blob with apiece of toast in hand. The slogan?

Love it or hate it.

The conclusion for the majority of

participants of test groups of the

energy drink Red Bull said that the

taste was disgusting. Too much

acid for the Western palate. Dietrich

Mateschitz, the Austrian master-mind behind the drink, adapted the

soda from a caffeinated Japanese

recipe. Dont drink it if you are anx-

ious, the beverage warns. Red Bull

won fans immediately in nightlife

circles, where today it is known as

liquid Viagra or speed in a can.

To captivate the American public,the British Mini Cooper challenged

local taste for the countrys obses-

sion with large automobiles. Its a

MINI thing and I drive a Mini, what

are YOU compensating for? have

been famous slogans for the car.

Unique businesses are constantly

challenging the norm. As one ofApples rst and best known slo-

gans suggested: It has to do with

thinking differently.

HSM Management / Gestion



8/42

MARCH FAMILY BUSINESS FAMILY BUSINESS FAMILY BUSINES

8

Family Firmsin the Middle East:

The New Rules o Engagement


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Best oInspiring

Ideas 20

11

AMILY BUSINESS FAMILY BUSINESS FAMILY BUSINESS

9

Knowledge@Wharton discusses how amily businesses in the

Middle East, which make up 95% o all rms in the region, are

modernizing in a changing world. Aside rom expected amily

disputes, these businesses also conront the unique inuences

o a recently opened global economy, increasing competition,

and the changing political ield in the area. Although

controversial, this region boasts amily businesses with

the potential or increased and sustained growth that

shouldnt go ignored.

Extracted From Knowledge@Wharton

When Shaker Group, a Saudi Ara-

bia-based air conditioning supplier,

sts 30% of its shares in an initial

public offering (IPO) in Riyadh lat-

er this year, it will be a signal that

change is afoot among the Middle

Easts family businesses. The com-

pany -- set up by brothers Husseinand Hassan Shaker and today has

an annual revenue of 1 billion riyals

US$267 million) -- is one of around

200 rms that the family conglom-

erate, Al Muhaidib Group, runs, or

holds a stake in. The IPO is part of

a massive restructuring plan that

Musaab Al Muhaidib, a grandson

of the groups founder, is pushing

through to sharpen overall perfor-

mance. Among other things, he

says, such changes are expected

to help the group drive value out

of its companies.

Al Muhaidib is one of the thou-

sands of family businesses in theMiddle East. According to various

estimates, 95% of all business-

es in the region are family rms.

Whats more, consulting rm Ernst

& Young says almost three-quar-

ters of family businesses in the

Middle East are owned and man-

aged by the second generation;

one-fth are the third generation.

Indeed, more likely than not, the

regions energy riches have bol-

stered growth at these largely pri-

vate, family-owned businesses. At

the same time, some have bene-

ted from their counties restricted

competition practices, privileged

access to senior local ofcials

through family connections and

access to funding based on their

family name. Yet other factors are

at play: In the Middle East, just

as elsewhere, family rms are

more likely to take a longer term

approach to running their busi-

nesses than non-family, quarterly

results-focused rms, showing


10/42

MARCH FAMILY BUSINESS FAMILY BUSINESS FAMILY BUSINES

10

a readiness to invest capital with

patience that can become a com-

petitive advantage.

Whatever the case, many Mid-

dle Eastern family businesses

are sharpening up their acts. Al

Muhaidib Group and others are

scrutinizing their business port-

folios to weed out rms that no

longer t their aspirations or are

underperforming; others are con-

solidating and streamlining their

vast portfolio of rms within tar-

geted sectors; and in a number

of instances, they are recruiting

non-family managers for the rst

time or adopting corporate gov-

ernance standards more often

associated with companies listed

in London or New York.

Mounting Challenges

Why the shift? In a report about

family-owned rms in the GCC

published last year by consulting

rm Booz & Company, principal

Ahmed Youssef cited intensify-ing competition as one reason

for the change. If families do not

take this seriously, they will have a

hard time, he notes from his of-

ce in Dubai. Many Middle Eastern

economies are pushing ahead with

ambitious reform programs, which

entails opening up to foreign inves-

tors as part of World Trade Orga-

nization (WTO) commitments. For

the incumbents, it means either

changing or being left behind. Says

Musaab Al Muhaidib: We have the

pressure of globalization and the

WTO, and the challenges of thecyclicality of the economy.

There are other pressures that

might be all too familiar to coun-

terparts in other countries. Suc-

cession planning is a case in

point. In some cases, a patriarch

is unwilling to cede control; in oth-

ers, the younger generation has

not been well groomed. Often,

family members assume a plum

job in management is their birth-

right -- rather than something to

be earned -- and sometimes, their

executives succumb to the per-sonal interests of family members

and invest in whimsical ventures

that in other types of rms would

never see the light of day.

And as family members multiply,

theres growing pressure to pay

dividends, rather than reinvest-

ing earnings in the growth of the


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Best oInspiring

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11

AMILY BUSINESS FAMILY BUSINESS FAMILY BUSINESS

11 CLICK HEREShare with a colleague!

business. Theres always pres-

ure from family members who are

not involved in the business to get

more dividends, says Raf Amit,

professor of entrepreneurship and

management at Wharton. Thats aough balance to keep.

Peak Perormance

t comes as little surprise, then,

hat some family companies in the

egion are drafting a new, more

ustainable approach to their busi-

nesses. For example, in 2008 Al

Muhaidib merged some 50 of its

Giant Stores in Saudi Arabia, as

well as Qatar and Kuwait with a

chain of 60 or so Panda super-

markets, which were owned by

Savola, a publicly listed foods rm.

Following the merger, the new su-

permarket company found it had

more than 1 billion Saudi riyals of

real estate on to its balance sheet,

which it has since divested in a

sale-and-leaseback agreement.

That has brought 1 billion ri-

yals to the company and freed up

assets, says Al Muhaidib. And

it has focussed the company on

what its good at -- retailing.

Aside from operational improve-

ments, family businesses areincreasingly pushing through

changes in governance, accord-

ing to experts. If theres a large

business that has the intention of

being globally competitive, bring-

ing in professional management

early on is of the utmost impor-

tance, says Whartons Amit. In the

case of ALJ and others, that alsomeans introducing executive com-

mittees, independent

audit committees and

independent advisory

boards -- the latter re-

viewing management

performance twice

yearly. At such rms,

governance practices

exceed local requirements, and

match standards more often seen

among public companies.

Above all, however, leading indus-

trial families are learning how to

articulate the relationship between

family members and the business.

In regard to family members, there

is a clear segregation of ownership

and management, which means

any family member who works for

the company is regarded as an

employee and not a member of the

family, says Jameel of ALJ.

Al Muhaidib, too, has agreed with

his family the terms of employment

in the company. These terms place

family members and non-familymanagers on an equal footing.

Family members are put in man-

agement positions, he says, only

if they can show how they can

add value. As he says: Its about

starting from the bottom; the good

ones go up the ladder.

Reprinted with permission fromKnowledge@Wharton

(http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu)


12/42

APRIL SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAI

TOWARDS MANAGEMENT

Interview by Adriana Salles Gomes, Executive Editor o HSM Management Brazil.

Indisputable global authority on corporate responsibility and

sustainable development, John Elkington explains in which

direction sustainability will evolve and assures that the key is

to transorm management to be aligned with new priorities.

12


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BILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITYSUSTAINABILITY

The challenge of sustainability is

hat it demands businesses to

ransform themselves in a very

adical way. Elkington, pioneer andcreator of the concept of corpo-

ate social responsibility (CSR),

afrms that it is just as important

o reach CSR 3.0 as it is to reach

management 3.0, because in re-

ality they are synonyms. The pil-

ars of change? Corporate DNA,

trategy, the business model and

he supply chain must be modi-ed in accordance with the new

priorities of sustainability, which

also implies changes to behavior,

ncentives and new high perfor-

mance indications.

In what ways did the

nancial crisis afect

corporate socialresponsibility (CSR)? Do

you consider the largest

budget adjustments have

killed the initiative?

CSR is in no way dead or dying,

but it is obligated to evolve. It

has to do with corporate philan-thropy or corporate citizenship,

but those arent enough. Weve

run ourselves into a period where

the pressures in a business come

from many different directions, a

lot of which are gathered under

the tagline sustainability. The

challenge to management will be

adapting the supply chains andbusiness models to make room

for CSR 3.0

Will CSR 3.0 be a result

o building pressures o

sustainability?

Corporate leaders are beingbombarded different areas rec-

ommending how to confront

the challenges of sustainabil-

ity. At its most basic, it is about

changing priorities, incentives

13

The President and Chief InspiredProtagonist of Seventh Generation

discusses the unique character-

istics that make this company

sustainable in terms of not only

creating sustainable products, but

having a sustainable vision of the

organization.

JeHollender

Sustainability and Proft: The Opportunities

Within New, Green Strategies


14/42

APRIL SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAI

and behavior, strategy and busi-

ness model, all while preserving

the identity of the corporation.

Does your concept o

the triple bottom line

continue to be a good

parameter?

I developed the basic idea for that

concept in 1994, however evenafter 15 years I believe it to be a

reasonable objective. There was

an initial shock because I put the

focus on the social agenda, say-

ing that the nancial dimension

should also keep in mind the eco-

nomic impacts, good and bad.

Various organizations were creat-

ed around the triple bottom lineconcept, such as Global Repoting

Initiative, the Dow Jones index of

Sustainability and Triple Bottom

Line Investing. The formula, at its

simplest people, planet and prof-

it that I presented in 1995, was

adopted in some countries such

as Holland, which incorporated the

concept of a national language.

It is also interesting the way that

social entrepreneurs use the lan-

guage of triple bottom line to ex-

plain what they are trying to do. For

its part, The Economist, which has

been skeptical of these themes,

14


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MAY SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA

16

Social Medias Connection

with Brand Culture:

THE ZAPPOS.COM CASETony Hsieh, CEO o Zappos.com and

author o Delivering Happiness: A Path

to Profts, Passions and Purpose, has

stumbled upon a new way to ensuresuccessul social media policy within

companies: rst creating a strong, open

brand culture.

It is no new story that social

media can be used to build bet-

ter client relationships, innovate

through customer commentary,

and ultimately profit monetarily.

However, the most challenging

question to answer is How?

Tony Hsieh demonstrates that

you can succeed and benefit

from social media platforms by

first developing a company cul-

ture that drives defined core val-

ues, reinforcing the identity and

mission of the company. The re-

sult? No need for an explicit so-

cial media policy, over 1.8 million

followers on Twitter, and a new

corporate identity: the inter-

connected CEO.

Social media strategy within

companies is something of an

enigma: it is clear that it is im-

portant to integrate, but doingso can raise many questions.

Who will be the companys voice

in social media? What will they

be able to discuss, and whatare topics that are off-limit? Al-

though there are different strate-

gies to achieve a healthy social

presence, online retail store Zap-

pos.com has proven that it is ad-

vantageous to look at company

culture before looking into social

media. The new, open, intercon-

nected environment for businesshas made culture a key com-

petitive advantage. Making the


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Best oInspiring

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CIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA

17

The Co-Founder of Twitter dis-

cusses the importance of es-tablishing a well-thought out

strategy of the culture of the

very influential microblogging

site. As a new industry in the

past decade, social network

companies have the advantage

of establishing their own rules,

breaking with the norms of

management.

Biz Stone

Culture as a Means to Success

right HR decisions is critical to

building the right culture, partic-

ularly when it is one that allows

for open social media use. So-

cial networks provide the space

to reach clients with as little as

a tweetand on a very large

scale when you have over 400

employees who are actively us-

ing social media as is the case

of Zappos.

Zappos, an unconventional com-

pany by nature, approaches social

media in a characteristically pro-

gressive way. Instead of setting

up social media policy, the online

retail stores success stems from

their highly-valued company cul-

ture. Building presence on these

networks goes hand in hand with

creating a culture that embraces

being open and having a natural

conversation with clients. Zappos

achieves this by making a great

effort to choose the right people

for the job so that the social me-

dia part comes naturally.

The company ensures that all

employees have the same core

values of the business by provid-

ing a rigorous training program

for new hires, later serving as a

base for how they interact with

customers via social media. For


18/42

MAY SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA

18

example, all Zappos call center

employees receive four weeks

of training, and at the end they

are offered $2,000 plus a salary

for training ($11/hour) to quit, away to weed out people who

are just in it for a paycheck.

(Charlene Li. Open Leadership:

How Social Technology Can

Transform the Way you Leader.)

Strongly defined hiring andtraining policy allows for every

employee who begins at Zap-

pos to have a firm grasp of the

company culture and what is

expected of them. Social media

policy is therefore already a partof the job description.

Social networks provide

the space to reach clients

with as little as a tweet

and on a very large scale

when you have over 400

employees who are

actively using social

media, as is the caseo Zappos.


19/42

Social media has allowed for

businesses to be more social,open, and reliant on social data.

Andreas Weigend, expert in social

and mobile devices, Professor at

Stanford, and Former Chief Sci-

entist at Amazon.com, explains

how the key to using social media

data within businesses and cor-

porations is to help people make

better decisions.

Andreas Weigend

Help Customers Make Better Decisions

Best oInspiring

Ideas 20

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CIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA SOCIAL MEDIA

19

later made public he personally

apologized for not being able to

share the news earlier, and tookthe time to make clear any and

all doubts), Hsieh has planted the

foundation for a company that has

436 employees using Twitter. The

advantage of having trust in em-

ployees is that when it comes to

social media, there doesnt need

to be a defined policy. Zappos

success over the past decadehas stemmed from their ability

to make customer service a top

priority, and then leveraging that

interpersonal client connection

through social networks.

Well-defined culture has been

an important part of Zappos

uccesses, allowing for thecompany to grow from

$70 million in annual

evenue at the end of

2003, to hit $1 billion

n 2008. Hsieh has led

he company through

his belief in strong

company culture and

nsistence to choose theight people. By relying and

rusting employees, running

an open business (when ac-

quired in 2009 by Amazon, in

his letter to employees that he



20/42

JUNE INNOVATION & FUTURE TRENDS INNOVATION &

20

THE

5MYTHS

OF INNOVATIONby Julian Birkinshaw, Cyril Bouquet and J.L. Barsoux

The Eureka Moment

Most innovation efforts fail not be-

cause of a lack of bright ideas, but

because of a lack of careful andthoughtful follow-up. Smart compa-

nies know where the weakest links

in their entire innovation value chain

are, and they invest time in correct-

ing those weaknesses rather than

further reinforcing their strengths.

The Harvard Business Professor

and celebrated author discusseswhy innovation, particularly dis-

ruptive innovation, is the source of

competitive advantage, economic

growth, and wealth creation.

Clayton Christensen

Innovation as a Competitive Advantage

Innovation and Social Networks

Online forums are not a panacea for

distributed innovation. Online forums

are good for capturing and lteringlarge numbers of existing ideas; in-

person forums are good for generat-

ing and building on new ideas. Smart

companies are selective in their use

of online forums for innovation.

Open Innovation

External innovation forums have ac-

cess to a broad range of expertise

that makes them effective for solv-ing narrow technological problems;

internal innovation forums have less

breadth but more understanding of

context. Smart companies use their

external and internal experts for

very different types of problems.

1 2 3


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TURE TRENDS INNOVATION & FUTURE TRENDS

21

Groundbreaking, lucrative innovation doesnt have an exact recipe

and the latest trends on the subject can easily be misconstrued.

This adaption o an article published in MIT Sloan Management

Review explains the ve misconceptions to avoid when it comeso organizational innovation, and their takeaways.

The former Innovation Ofcer at

P&G discusses the key ingredientsnecessary to achieve successful

innovation within your company.

Larry Huston

Components Necessary or Innovation

Compensating Innovation

Rewarding people for their innova-

on efforts misses the point. The

process of innovating -- of tak-ng the initiative to come up with

new solutions -- is its own reward.

Smart companies emphasize the

ocial and personal drivers of dis-

cretionary effort, rather than the

material drivers.

Bottom-Up Innovation is Best

Bottom-up innovation efforts ben-

et from high levels of employee

engagement; top-down innovationefforts benet from direct alignment

with the companys goals. Smart

companies use both approaches

and are adept at helping bottom-up

innovation projects get the spon-

sorship they need to survive.

This article is adapted from The

5 Myths of Innovation, by Julian

Birkinshaw, Cyril Bouquet and J.L.Barsoux, which appeared in the

Winter 2011 issue of MIT Sloan

Management Review.

Copyright Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology, 2011. All rights reserved.

4 5



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JULY TEAMS & TALENT TEAMS & TALENT TEAMS & TALENT

22

Outliers,

Success

and Human

Motivation:

An Exclusive

Interview withMalcolm

Gladwell


23/42

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11

EAMS & TALENT TEAMS & TALENT TEAMS & TALENT

23

nterview by Chris Stanley

n this exclusive

HSM interview with

Malcolm Gladwell,

the inuential

author and

columnist discusses

success, human

motivations, and

the characteristics

that leaders need

to nourish in order

to engage individual

talent within a

business setting.

In your book Outliers:

The Story o Success

you discuss talent,

ambition, and how

multiple actors play

a role in achieving

success. How much is

success down to chance

and how much is to do

with hard work? Do you

believe we make our

own luck?

It is almost always the case that

there is some combination of those

two factors. One of the things that

seems to characterize successful

people is that they recognize whenthey have been given an opportu-

nity by chance and they take ad-

vantage of it. So instead of saying

that theres hard work over here

and luck over there, I think that

they are connected and that part

of what successful people do is

understand when they have been

given a special opportunity andexploit it. Thats actually a very dif-

cult thing to do its not always

obvious. It takes a certain amount

of insight to understand that you

are in a lucky position. It also takes

a certain amount of drive and cour-

age to exploit those kinds of op-

portunities. Its always easier just to

do nothing.

One key idea in the

book is that anyone who

achieves excellence in acertain eld can almost

always be shown to have

achieved over 10,000

hours o practice in that

eld. That level o

commitment would

seem to suggest that iyou are to achieve

success in a certain area

you have to sacrice

other parts o your lie.

My question would

thereore be, does balance

lead to mediocrity?

Thats such a good question. Me-

diocrity is a harsh word. Do I think

its possible to be at the absolute

top of any profession and not

make sacrices elsewhere? No, its

impossible. You cant be the great-

est lawyer in the world and work

40 hours a week. You cant start abusiness from scratch and have a

great amount of success and still

have the same amount of time avail-

able for your family as you would if

you had a nine-to-ve-job in a big

corporation or in the civil service.

One of the sobering things about

understanding how much work is

necessary to be truly good is that


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JULY TEAMS & TALENT TEAMS & TALENT TEAMS & TALENT

24

What I think of as a successful so-

ciety is one that offers as many dif-

ferent routes to fulllment as pos-

sible. We shouldnt live in a society

that only denes success in terms

of how much money you make, or

a society that only denes success

in terms of how successful your

family life is, or how spiritually ful-

lled you are. I think that the mea-

sure of a successful society is that it

has multiple avenues to fulllment.

Even the question as to whether

these different motivations con-

ict with each other is something

that we dont even have to worry

about. I think what we have to do

is have a society sufciently diverse

in the avenues that it offers people

and then everyone can work out

that question for themselves. Theobservation that very, very suc-

cessful entrepreneurs tend to be

incredibly driven, focused individu-

als isnt good or bad and doesnt

meant that we should all try to be

that way. It simply says that we live

in a society that has carved out a

place for people with that kind of

personality characteristics and has

allowed them to use those char-

acteristics in a positive way. And

thats lovely. Im embracing the no-

tion of as plural society as possible

when it comes to allowing people

to pursue what makes them happy.

Bringing this into a

specic business

setting. From your work

and research into what

makes people successul,

i Im a manager in an

organization looking tohire someone, what kind

o characteristics should I

be looking or in

yes, its going to involve sacrices.

One of the most challenging things

about the pursuit of success is to

nd a way to intelligently manage

those sacrices.

I want to go a little

deeper into what

motivates us as humans.

We are driven on the one

hand by the desire orrecognition, power, ame,

money, and on the other

hand there is something

more intrinsic a desire

to make a dierence,

a search or a deeper

meaning. What insightscan you ofer about

these two contrasting

motivations?

The environments that oster the greatest amounts

o learning are those that fnd a way to make it sae

and productive to ail.


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EAMS & TALENT TEAMS & TALENT TEAMS & TALENT

25

people Im looking to

hire thinking specically

about someone entering

a knowledge work

environment?

These days what would interest

me most is someones flexibility.

The one thing we know that is

rue and is going to be increas-

ngly true of the workplace is that

he pace of change is going to

accelerate. So if you hire some-

one and youre going to makea commitment to them over the

course of many years, the one

hing that is very clear is that the

work they are doing now is go-

ng to be profoundly different to

what they are doing today. In ad-

dition to being interested in what

kills they have now, we have to

nd a way to answer the ques-on, are they the kind of person

who can change and evolve and

make corrections in mid-course,

o adapt to the changing circum-

tances around them? Thats a

harder question to answer but I

hink its the crucial one now

rying to find a way to measure

hat flexibility.

And youd put that

quality a lot higher than

IQ or example, which

you dont have a lot o

time or.

I think it goes without say-

ing that virtually everyone who

would present themselves for

interview in a kind of knowledge

worker environment is smart

enough. If they went to a uni-

versity and got an MBA, theyve

already been sorted - weve gotridden of everyone who doesnt

have the necessary cogni-

tive tools for that kind of work.

Thats why further measuring of

it doesnt help you. People who

are drafting basketball players

for the NBA dont bring a tape

measure. You know that theyre

tall enough already if youve

made it that far in basketball.

They start asking other ques-

tions. And that to my mind is the

challenge with someone hiring.

As a leader, what should Ibe looking to do in order

to help people achieve

their potential, to be the

best that they can be?

I think its important that if you

want people to grow and learn

you have to be tolerant of mis-takes. Thats crucial. You have to

understand that learning in com-

plex environments inevitably is

going to require some process of

experimentation and trial and er-

ror. The environments that foster

the greatest amounts of learning

are those that find a way to make

it safe and productive to fail.


I think that the measure

o a successul society is that it

has multiple avenues to ulfllment.


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AUGUST CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CRE

26

THE NEW-AGEPublishing House:All Squares Down with

The Domino ProjectSeth Godin, one o business most

innovative thinkers and a veteran

o the publication world, is using

personal insight into the business

and a creative new platormin order to challenge the system:

the Amazon-powered publishing

company The Domino Project (TDP).


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VITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY

27

What will be the solution to the

ooming issue of the classic pub-

shing house? It is a question

hat will affect us all as active

book readers. Technologies such

as the iPad, Kindle, Nook, and

other e-readers have disrupted

he industry, however from the

publishers side there have been

ew impactful responses other

han lowering the price of books

or these wireless devices. SethGodin, one of business most

nnovative thinkers

and a veteran

of the publica-

on world, is

using personal

nsight into the

business and

a creative newplatform in or-

der to challenge

he system: the

Amazon-powered hy-

brid publishing/marketing

company The Domino Project

TDP). No matter the outcome,

t is sure to cause ripples in the

ystem that will change the waywe buy and share books.

Author of multiple bestsellers,

Seth Godin is a familiar face in the

world of publication, founding his

rst book-packaging business in

986. His 2004 website, aimed

at spreading ideas online, turned

over to 800-CEO-READ in 2005,which is now the leading distribu-

tor of business literature in the

United States. Convinced that the

publishers of today are not making

the necessary steps to survive the

past years technological advanc-

es, Godin has taken measures into

his own hands with TDP. The inno-

vative company seeks to be a pub-

lisher that has a direct connection

with customers, is able to produce

intellectual property that spreads,

and do so at a low cost.

Testing the waters with a new

book initiative, in March 2011

Godin kicked the off company

with the release of his thirteenth

book and the results show that

TDP could in fact be the game-

changing platform the neo-

publishing world has awaited.

Poke the Boxis (appropriately) amanifesto about starting, and


sold more in the first month than

any other book hes written.

What are the characteristics that

set this book and, more impor-

tantly, the publishing company,

apart? The answers all require

creative solutions. In TDPs July

release entitled Anything You

Want by Derek Sivers, Found-

er of CD Baby, the purchase

comes with a code for 200 free

songs by indie musicians. Thismay not sound so alarming;

however when you con-

sider that Sivers is

deeply connected

to the indie music

world and Amazon

is one of the worlds

most innovative

companies in utiliz-ing social data, the

implications can be far-

reaching. This combination

results in very specific customer

data for a market segmentation,

and extremely advantageous di-

rect marketing information. As

of July, TDP had released four

titles, each topping the Top 10List on Amazon (hardcover, Kin-

dle, or both), with over 250,000

total copies sold. In the follow-

ing four week the publisher will

have release four more titles.

Launching in March of this year,

there is still much to be seen

from the publisher in terms of

books as well as creative ideas.Stay tuned!


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AUGUST CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CRE

28

Paola Antonelli

DESIGNERS ASREVOLUTIONARIES

The senior curator at The Museum of Modern Art discusses how designers

help translate new technologies into user-friendly products that effect

everyday human behavior.


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VITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY CREATIVITY

29

James Cameron

BEHIND-THE -SCENESo Avatar: The Challenges

and Triumphs

The world-renowned screen writer and director discusses the challenges of managing a creative enterprise and the

problem-solving process while on the scene of Avatar.


363534333231

363534333231


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SEPTEMBER RETHINKING YOUR BRAND RETHINKING YOUR BRA

30

Guy Kawasakis

to Enchantment, Applied to Facebook

10 Steps

By Florencia Lauente, contributor to Gestin

From his latest book, Enchantment, these 10 tips

have been applied to Facebook and demonstrate

how you can efectively engage consumers whilealso strengthening your brand.

Apple Fellow, Silicon Valley venture capitalist, co-founder of All-

top.com, and bestselling author of ten books, Guy Kawasakis

entrepreneurial projects have demonstrated that he is at the

forefront of understanding technologys impact on, and rela-

tionship with, marketing and branding in the digital age. These

10 tips on engaging customers have been adapted from hislatest book, Enchantment, and are applied to Facebook.

Achieve likability

This is the rst and most essential

step to begin to seduce potential

clients. Every status update, com-

ment, photograph or video that is

published in your page should be

positive. If there is a discussion

to be had, do it privately through

messaging, but not in public like

on your wall.

1


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D RETHINKING YOUR BRAND RETHINKING YOUR BRAND

31

The top brand consultant, best-

selling author and global referenceon neuromarketing discusses

how the most powerful brands are

targeting the non-conscience part

of the brain.

Martin Lindstrom

Trend: Subconscious Branding

Achieve trustworthiness

Although a consumer may now

ke your company, this doesnt

necessarily mean that they asso-ciate it with condentiality. Inspir-

ng condence in clients begins

with rst demonstrating that you

rust them, and can be shown in

he form of allowing and encour-

aging their participation.

Create a great cause

Next, give your page purpose: be

profound, intelligent, replete, and

elegant while also empowering

and inspiring your followers.

2

3 4Publish images

Visual aid is absolutely necessary

on a Facebook page. Engage and

encourage your customers with

these pictures.


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SEPTEMBER RETHINKING YOUR BRAND RETHINKING YOUR BRA

32

The Chief Global Analyst at Mill-

ward Brown (a top marketing andbrand consultancy) describes the

characteristics necessary for a

company to create an enduring,

robust brand.

Nigel Hollis

How to Create a Strong Brand

7Comment on the

comments o ans

Short but concise responses such

as Great! dont need much at-

tention, but when a comment is

more direct and explicit, be sure to

reply. Customers want to see that

you are attentive, and in many cas-

es more than one client will havethe same preoccupation. When it

comes to a wall reply, be sure to

embody these 3 key characteris-

tics: fast (within 24 hours), quantity

(consistently respond to all), and

continuity (make comments the

center of your Facebook activity).

5Be aware o quality

Whatever the picture, video or

post, be sure that it is in good qual-

ity: good light, focused, appropri-

ately sized, and adds value.

6Reply to all messages

Keeping your clients happy and

well-attended to makes a lasting

impression.


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D RETHINKING YOUR BRAND RETHINKING YOUR BRAND


8

9

10

Show appreciation

Thank clients for purchas-

ng products, again and

again. Not only does this create

a relationship with the consumer,

but also shows the community who

s buying what.

Use the reveal tab tool

Next, begin to use the die and re-

veal tab in order to hide promotions

and deals to those who arent fans

of the page, as well as openly offer

them to followers. This is a greatway to market directly to clients as

well as giving them a reason to be

part of the community.

Repeat what has beenproven as successul

When a certain comment or post

is successful (has a lot of Likes

or comments), dont be afraid to

repeat. Although many experts

say not to, think of it this way:

do you read every publication of

every person you are following?

Dont let a good one fall through

the cracks!

And one more freebie: sign in

as a non-administrator every

once in a while to see what

your clients are seeing.

This will give you an allnew prospective of what

you are communicating.

Gestin V. 16, SEP-OCT 2011


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OCTOBER STRATEGY & EXECUTION STRATEGY & EXECUTIO

34

From

PAPERto

REALITY

An interview with Chris Trimble by Viviana Alonso,contributor or Gestin

One o the keys to a successul

new product is resolvingconict between those in charge

o day-to-day operations and

those responsible to innovate.

In this interview with ChrisTrimble, Proessor o the Tuck

School o Business (Dartmouth),

he explains how to successully

execute innovation.

Why dedicate ten years

to studying the execution

o innovation? What is

the central idea?

Businesses arent designed for

innovation; they are designed

to be efficient. When compa-nies are first established it is all

about innovation, but with the

first signs of commercial suc-

cess there is a new demand to

maximize profits. To grow and

mature, the evolution of com-

panies is usually very similar: at

the beginning investors look for

innovation and growth and lateron they want profit. In order to

satisfy these desires a company

must concentrate their efforts on

productivity and efficiency, and

the pressure to obtain results be-

comes the key to how a compa-

ny matures over time. Focused

on revenue, an organization puts

aside projects that dont returnimmediate results. Logically, a

company will continue to repeat,

with more efficiency, the format

that has already functioned.

However, in reality this turns into

a companys biggest limitation.

Innovation is uncertain and ab-

normal, which are generally not

the characteristics a companylooks for in a project.


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STRATEGY & EXECUTION STRATEGY & EXECUTION


What are the principle

causes o such conict?

There are both practical and emo-

onal reasons. The practical ones

are related to competition for re-

ources, including both monetary

as well as access to necessary

materials. The people who man-

age daily operations have a repu-ation for being against innova-

on, as they maintain an attitude

hat they may harm the brand and

central business. However, there

are also emotional conicts. For

example, sometimes people who

are involved directly in the inno-

ation projects propose initiatives

hat rethink the future of the com-pany. Unfortunately, this can come

across as being arrogant, which

can irritate the rest. Whatever the

oot cause of conict, it is funda-

mental to get past it. The key is in

orming an association between

he people dedicated to develop-

ng innovation and those who who

manage day-to-day business.

How does an organization

achieve such an

association?

There are three basic steps. First,

determine the responsibilities of

hose who are the motor of per-ormance and those that are in

charge of innovation. Next, estab-

lish the roles and organization of

the innovation team. Finally, it must

be the leader of innovation that en-courages the collaboration of all

areas of the company.

How do you then

determine responsibilities?

The rst driving factor is to appoint

tasks to the day-to-day people.However two limitations immedi-

ately appear here. The rst is ob-

vious: some innovation demands

ability and knowledge that they

dont yet possess, and can be

hard to dene. The second has

to do with relationships within the

workplace and changing the way

people are accustomed to workwith one another. It is difcult to

achieve interaction and collabora-

tion between two people who are

not used to working together, all

while maintaining everyday respon-

sibilities. If colleagues arent used

to working with one another and

in their day-to-day work they are

usually without communication, itis very difcult to create a connec-

tion. For example, when BMW de-

veloped their hybrid car they had

to develop a team specically ded-

icated to design the brakes. Re-generative breaking captures part

of the produced energy necessary

to achieve movement; an electric

generator in the brake recharges

the battery of the car when veloc-

ity slows. In the routine workplace,

the brake specialists never worked

with the battery specialists. There-

fore, as an incentive to collaborate,BMW created a workgroup speci-

cally dedicated to developing re-

generative brakes.

Failures are obviously a

part o innovating. How

do you manage them?

It is an unfortunate part of the in-

novation process, however, if you

are going to fail, it is better that it

happens earlier rather than later,

before too much money has been

spent. Disciplined experimentation

helps: if you are going to fail, that it

happens quickly and without much

monetary investment. Gestin


36/42

NOVEMBER GLOBAL ECONOMY GLOBAL ECONOMY GLOB

36

THE NEW GENERATIONOF ENTREPRENEURS:Extraordinary

Stories thatbegan with

an Extraordinary

IdeaBy Florencia Lauente

In Latin America or

Arica, Brazil or India, a

new type o entrepreneur

is emerging who

doesnt have anationality or a concept o

rontiers. When change

is proposed, they begin

in the terrain they see

most ertile and look to

create a global efect.


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ECONOMY GLOBAL ECONOMY GLOBAL ECONOMY

37

Sixty million children of school

age dont attend.93% of the adult

world population does not have acollege degree. Of the 2.2 billion

children in the world, one out of ev-

ery two lives in poverty. 1.5 billion

dont have access to electricity.

Almost half of humanity uses solid

uels (carbon, biomass, and waste)

or heat or cooking purposes. Two

billion individuals die every year of

icknesses and accidents related

o the burning of fossil fuels; 44%

of them children. Around 1.1 bil-

on people habit refugee camps

without the basic necessities. The

chest 20% of the population uses

China: the country that seems

to be on everyones mind. Hearwhat former U.S. Treasury Sec-

retary Robert Rubins thoughts

are on the state of the growing

super power, and international

implications.

Robert Rubin

Where Will China be in 5 Years?

76.6% of global consumption; the

poorest 5% use just 1.5%. Data

collected from the World Bank, theUnited Nations, and the National

Bureau of Economic Research of

the U.S. For the new generation of

social entrepreneursan unprec-

edented innovative force in the

world, these problems have so-

lutions. It is just a matter of nding

the right model.

Point o lit of

The concept of environmentally-

friendly companies is nothing new;

they have existed for decades.

However, in the last couple of

years with hybrid technology build-

ing speed, they have transformedinto a key resource for entrepre-

neurs who want to develop high

impact, sustainable business ven-

tures. The most ideal combina-

tion for these projects result in the

combination of two types of orga-

nizations: one that appeals to the

public while also being protable.

Previously, models functioned with

eco-friendly franchises stemming

from the head of an organization;

however the latest trends show

that they are now forming part of

the core spirit of a company. One


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NOVEMBER GLOBAL ECONOMY GLOBAL ECONOMY GLOB

38

The economist credited with

predicting the current globaleconomic crisis discusses the

positive and negative outlooks

of the global economy.

Nouriel Roubini

The Future o the Global Economy

example is of the U.S. classica-

tion of a Low-Prot Limited Liability

Company (L3C), which is a busi-

ness entity that bridges the gap be-tween non-prots and for-prots.

The organization then enjoys fewer

regulations from the IRS to achieve

socially benecial goals, while also

taking advantage of a structure

that facilitates investments. Anoth-

er example is the ever-more popu-

lar B Corporations, organizations

that are required by law to create

general benet for society as well

as for shareholders.

Entire industries are transforming

in order to comply with these new

standards. Following a JPMor-

gan report Impact Investments

2010, impact investmentsti-

tled so because for their dedica-

tion to achieving positive social,

environmental, and financial re-

turnsthat are committed to

solving problems such as access

to water, healthcare, educa-

tion and financial services in the

part of the global population that

earns less than $3,000 (USD) per

year, will during this decade rep-

resent an investment opportunity

between $400 million and $1 bil-

lion, with the possibility to gen-

erate gains of between $ 183 to

$667 million.

Case studies: The

companies that are

already embracing thesemodels Risky Investments?

For Colombian industrial engineer

Felipe Vergara, who received his

MBA from Wharton and is a former

consultant at McKinsey, people

represent a major opportunity to

generate returns. With that men-

tality, he founded Lumni, a hybridcompany dedicated to nancing

the college educations of low-

income children. Along with his

partner Miguel Palacios who has a

PhD in nance from Haas School


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ECONOMY GLOBAL ECONOMY GLOBAL ECONOMY


of Business of the University of

California, they imagined a student

credit system radically different

rom what traditional banks offerhigh interest rates and long-term

pay off dates). Lumni instead has a

nancial model with private funds,

based in contracts made with hu-

man capital: a student that receives

benets must return a percentage

of future gains after graduation and

over a set period of time. Protabil-

y perceived by an investor in thismodel depends on the success of

young professionals.

On average, Lumni awards credit

of between $5,800 and 6,400

USD) per student. Today, the orga-

nization has received $17 million,

with which they have nanced the

education of 1,900 young adults in

Chile, Colombia, Mexico and the

U.S. Average return on investment

has exceeded by 7 points the aver-

age Dow Jones industrial index.

Healthcare on Wheels

More than 24 percent of the 194million Brazilian inhabitants live

below the poverty line, according

o data given by the World Bank.

However, 150 million people rely

on a public health system that is

overwhelmed and inefcient.

Robert Kikawa, gastroenter-

ologist and engineer, cameup with a revolutionary idea

that brings health services to

at-need communities: to con-

struct hospital on wheels that

pass through towns and vil-lages. Projeto CIES is a hybrid

company that today operates

as the largest mobile medical

clinic in the world. Since its

launch in 2008 the organiza-

tion has treated over 24,000

people in 10 different areas of

medical specialties.

Kikawas innovative initiative

forms part of a larger manage-

ment strategy shared between

public and private initiatives, as

well as with civil society organi-

zations. The idea is to compli-

ment the governmental health

program, Sistema nico deSalud, which was created in

1988 by the Brazilian govern-

ment to guarantee health care

assistance to the entire popula-

tion. Projeto CIES design stra-

tegic management models spe-

cific to individual community

needs, and puts into action a

national public health plan. Theorganization also sells medical

trucks to other countries such

as Angola, Colombia, Italy, Ni-

geria, Panama and Venezuela,

among others.

For all his efforts, Kikawa was

named Social Entrepreneur

of the Year in 2011 by theSchwab Foundation.

Books or a Better World

BetterWorld Books is a very special

bookstore. Created in 2002 by Xavier

Helgesen and Christopher Fuchs, the

base of the business is selling used,

donated and discarded books col-

lected by a network of 1,800 universi-

ties and over 2,000 bookstores all over

the U.S. The mission of BetterWorld

Books, certied as a B Corporation,

is to elevate literacy and education

levels, using close to 30% of sales to

achieve this end by donating to differ-

ent countries all over the world. The

company sells over 10,000 books

a day and has perceived income of

over $30 million annually. From this

foundation 53 million books have

generated around $10 billion in funds

for kids and adults without previous

educational resources.

Fragments taken from Gestin,V.16 N.6, November-December 2011


40/42

THOUGHTLEADERSHIP

LIVE IN 2012!In 2012 we provide a platorm or the most powerul minds inbusiness to work alongside top executives rom all over the

world, ocusing on the critical issues and trends that are

shaping business today.

40


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World Leadership Forum MexicoMay 16-17, 2012 | Centro Banamex

leadershipforum.com.mx

Expomanagement MadridMay 23-24, 2012 | Palacio Municipal de Congresos

expomanagement.es

World Innovation Forum LeonMay 23-24, 2012 | Poliforum Len

wifleon.com

World Innovation Forum NYCJune 20-21, 2012 | New York City Center

wifny.com

World Marketing & Sales Forum MexicoJune 27-28, 2012 | Centro Banamex

World Business Forum NYCOctober 2-3, 2012 | Radio City Music Hall

wbfny.com

World Business Forum BsAsOctober 29-30, 2012

wbfargentina.com

World Business Forum MilanoNovember 6-7, 2012

wbfmilano.com

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