EVERYDAY LEADERSHIP Strategic Business Acumen Discussion Session 1

Strategic Business Acumen 1. Definitions of Strategic Business Acumen 2. Strategic Planning 3. Systems Thinking 4. Scenario Planning 5. Group Techniques for Consensus “If you can dream it, you can do it. ” – Walt Disney 2

What is Leadership? Self-Understanding Resiliency Self-Alignment Customer Orientation Business Acumen Project Leadership Managing Change Integration Relationship Skills LEADERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE Communication Coaching/Mentoring Actualizing Vision Working with others 3

Strategic Business Acumen ALIGNMENT: Strategic Business Acumen • Demonstrate ability to ethically build support for a perspective about which you feel strongly. • Holistic view - think in terms of the entire system and the effects and consequences of actions and decisions. • Operate with an awareness of marketplace competition and general landscape of related business arenas. • General business acumen - functions of strategic planning, finance, marketing, manufacturing, R&D, etc.

What is Systems Thinking? “WHY CAN’T WE SELL MORE? ” • delay S Sales People S variable Portion of Revenue Spent on Sales Bookings links “A system is a perceived whole whose elements ‘hang together’ because they continually affect each other over time and operate toward a common purpose. ” -The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook S S Revenue • Focus on cause and effect, not symptoms, not quick fixes • Study of systems is over 40 years old S=same Delay = a passage of time that provokes flawed perceptions of cause and effect “There’s no sense being exact about something if you don’t even know what you’re talking about. ” – John Von Neumann

What is Systems Thinking S Portion of Revenue Spent on Sales Force Size S S O Sales Force Productivity Perceived Lead Time Bookings S S S Revenue The Rich Get Richer Backlog (continued) S You Can’t Always Get What You Want Lead Time Capacity S Orders for Additional Capacity Build It And They Will Come

Scenario Planning Using history and guesses to anticipate multiple futures FOR THOSE BORN BEFORE 1945 We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, the contact lens, Frisbees, and the PILL. We were around before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams, and ball-point pens. Before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, dripdry clothes, and before we walked on the moon.

What is Scenario Planning? BENEFITS • • Creates shared vision Lessens Group Think Reveals Mental Models Lessens “denial” Diffuses emotions Accelerates reaction Clarifies estimates The Learning is in the Dialogue 8

Creating The Story CHOOSE 2 DRIVERS REVENUE STAFF

Group Techniques for Consensus Group Creativity & Group Think Brainstorming Delphi Technique Nominal Group Technique

Group Creativity and Group Think GROUP CREATIVITY When compared to individuals, groups make accurate decisions. However. . . GROUP THINK An individual may feel social pressure to conform to a popular solution that he or she would not have chosen individually. “None of us is as smart as all of us. ” – Satchel Paige 11

Brainstorming Blue Sky Isolated GENERATE DON’T EVALUATE Positive Wild 12

Brainstorming (continued) SET THE STAGE: We will be spending ____ minutes brainstorming ideas about our new system. There will be absolutely no interruptions during this session. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss things that the system can do for us, with the emphasis on quantity not quality. Therefore, please be prepared to suggest several ideas and to refrain from offering any criticism of the ideas of others. Advance preparation is unnecessary. If you have any questions, please contact me. • Moderator: first ideas, one crazy • Record ideas visually 13

The Delphi Technique • • • Keep membership anonymous Keep specific communications anonymous Allow only written communications PROBLEM STATED MEMBERS TAKE A POSITION Individual Creativity NUMERIC SUMMARY Group Creativity RESULTS FEEDBACK Group Think 14

The Nominal Group Technique • • • PROBLEM STATED Membership is NOT anonymous Participation controlled by procedures Everyone must participate verbally EACH STATES IDEA IN TURN Individual Creativity EACH STATES DISCUSSION IN TURN Group Creativity IDEAS RANKED SECRETLY TOP RANKED IDEAS Group Think 15

What is Leadership? Self-Understanding Resiliency Self-Alignment Customer Orientation Business Acumen Project Leadership Managing Change Integration Relationship Skills LEADERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE Communication Coaching/Mentoring Actualizing Vision Working with others 16

Evaluation Questions Use: A. B. C. D. E. Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know 1. 2. I found the presentation of material easy to understand. This Advantage session increased my knowledge on the subject presented. I will be able to use some of the information from this Advantage session in the future. The presenter was well prepared for this Advantage session. This presentation should be repeated in future semesters. 3. 4. 5.