The edge is becoming the core...

The edge is becoming the core...

Brian Anderson is the principal founder of BA Search Group.

What do I mean by this? The edge is where the action is - in terms of growth, innovation and value creation. Companies, workgroups and individuals that master the edge will build a more sustainable core. While our primary focus will be on business activity, our perspectives will also be relevant to leaders of other kinds of institutions as well - educational, governmental and social.

The edge is giving rise to a new common sense model. We all perceive and act based on "common sense" assumptions about the world around us and the requirements to achieve our goals. Every major technology shift has produced a fundamentally new common sense model. Our goal is to understand and describe key elements of the new common sense model emerging from technology innovations - especially the invention of the microprocessor and the introduction of packet-switched networks - that were introduced in the early to mid-1970s.

Four Domains of Human ActionWhat do I mean by edge?
We will be focusing on the edges of four different domains of human action - social, enterprise, market and learning.
The social domain involves the complex relationships between how we define our individual identities and the forms of social participation that we pursue to shape these identities.
The enterprise domain looks at how we organize to create economic value and how we define the boundaries of these economic entities.
The market domain explores how we compete and collaborate on a global scale to create, deliver and capture economic value.
The learning domain seeks to describe how we learn, with particular emphasis on the interaction between individual learning and group learning.

Complex dynamic loops shape the evolution of each domain and the interdependencies across domains. Many analysts have described elements of each of these domains, but no one has sought to explore systematically how these domains interact with each other. I believe that the biggest opportunities will arise where the edges of these four domains interact and generate tensions that need to be resolved. It is this intersection that defines the first dimension of our research agenda.

To effectively pursue this research agenda, we will need to incorporate two other dimensions of investigation as well. Four Global ForcesOn the second dimension we need to better understand four long-term global forces and how they interact with the four domains described earlier:· Public policy - especially the broad movement to remove barriers to entry and barriers to competition· Technological innovation at three levels:- the continuing improvement in price/performance in digital hardware building blocks and new techniques for designing, building and delivering software- the changing architectures for organizing these hardware and software building blocks- the movement into new arenas of these components and architectures (e.g., the mobile Internet, smart objects, bioinformatics and telematics)· Demographic - especially the changing age demographics around the globe· Cultural - especially the emergence of global youth cultures, the growth of the creative class and the growing importance of religion in cultures around the world.

Effective Strategies for Creating ValueAs uncertainty increases and the pace of change accelerates, managers will need to develop new approaches and tools to make sense of the evolving environment and to make progress in terms of creating value. This constitutes the third dimension of the research agenda - helping managers to define and execute strategies for successfully navigating across this new landscape.

For this purpose, I will focus in particular on the role of FAST strategies as a foundation for shaping opportunities to create significant value.
FAST strategies bring together four management imperatives - Focus, Accelerate, Strengthen and Tie together.

Brian Anderson is the principal founder of BA Search Group an Executive search, coaching and consulting practice in the Naperville, Aurora, IL market. http://www.basearchgroup.com/

Assessing Characteristics of Leadership Effectiveness

Assessing Characteristics of Leadership Effectiveness – Self Report Survey
By Brian Anderson BA Search Group

Circle Yes or NO. 24 questions.

Comfort with ambiguity:
Y or N Are you willing to take calculated risks?
Y or N Are you comfortable with a certain level of disruption and conflict?
Y or N Are you comfortable making decisions and taking action without having "all the facts?"

Empathy:
Y or N Do you empathize with other people’s needs, concerns, and goals?
Y or N Would staff members confirm that you show such empathy?

Insight:
Y or No Can you accurately understand the needs and motivations of others?
Y or No Do you have an accurate understanding of your own limitations…not just your strengths?

Persistence; frustration tolerance
Y or N When pursuing a goal, do you maintain a positive, focused attitude, despite obstacles?

Excellent communicators
Y or N Do you listen closely (rather than have a response ready before the other person finishes)?
Y or N Are you comfortable running meetings?
Y or N Are you comfortable making presentations and speaking in public?
Y or N Do you have the skills needed to negotiate in a variety of settings?

Politically astute
Y or N Could you diagram for yourself your organization’s power structure?
Y or N Can you articulate the concerns of your organization’s most powerful groups?
Y or N Can you identify those individuals within your organization that will support you when needed?
Y or N Do you know where to turn for the resources you need?
Able to use humor
Y or N Do you know how to use humor to relieve tense or uncomfortable situations?

Emotional self-control:
Y or N In situations that are full of turmoil and confusion, do you stay calm and levelheaded?
Y or N Would your colleagues and subordinates say that you are able to acknowledge your mistakes, failures and limitations without being overly defensive?
Y or N I am able to be flexible in my dealings with others.

Self-aware
Y or N Are you aware of and can you describe how your own patterns of behavior impact others?
Y or N In assessing a situation, I look at my biases and adjust my assessment accordingly.
Y or N I watch how others react to me to better understand my own behavior.
Y or N It’s easy for me to recognize what emotions I’m experiencing in a particular situation.

Remember that this non-validated survey should be used as an "early warning" system only. If you really want to measure your effectiveness as a leader, to get a more granular bead on how well you are doing and to figure out where to put your developmental energy, you’ll need to conduct a formal assessment that uses valid tools and criteria linked to your organization’s particular needs and culture. Leadership characteristics that work at Microsoft may not necessarily work at Washington Mutual.

If you are ready to take charge and make a proactive move to enhance your career, change your career, improve your time management skills, sharpen your skills or maybe for the first time understand how you are wired and communicate, then email Brian Anderson right now to set up your free 1-hr consultation, Brian will respond with-in 24 hours Brian@basearchgroup.com. BA Search Group fees are tailored to each specific case and client. The general rule however is a minimum of $125 per hr with a 3-hrs minimum commitment. Brian Anderson understands the concept of under-promising and over-delivering is the only way to meet and exceed his client’s expectations. Brian also wants to maintain you as a client and create "raving fans" this does not happen unless you get results. So contact Brian Anderson right now, your only investment is you need I say more?