The Organizational Champion Podcast

Donnie Smith heads up Poultry and Prepared Foods team at Tyson Foods, Inc. But what sets Donnie apart is his passion for people and his unique ability to build high performing teams. In this webcast, Donnie shares his secret to being a champion leader in the world's largest protein producer.

Contact
www.organizationalchampions.com
www.twitter.com/ThompsonOC
www.twitter.com/OrgChamps

Rob DeMartini is the CEO of New Balance. New Balance is in the midst of a reinvigoration of its brand. The company is over 100 years old, but is making some very interesting strides towards reestablishing itself as a premiere athletic shoe brand. In this episode, we speak to Rob about leading this charge and what it is taking both inside and outside the company to make this change successful.

Contact
www.organizationalchampions.com
www.twitter.com/ThompsonOC
www.twitter.com/OrgChamps

In today's episode, we have a conversation with Dr. David Yudis of Disney. He is currently the Director of Global Learning and Development for Disney Consumer Goods.

Topics:

Disney's Past and Future
Preparing Disney's Champions
Three things to learn from how Disney develops its future leaders

David Yudis on Twitter
www.twitter.com/davidyudis

Contact
www.organizationalchampions.com
www.twitter.com/ThompsonOC
www.twitter.com/OrgChamps

Org. Champion Webcast 014 - Your Company's Problems Could be Bigger Than the Economic Downturn

Deloitte has a brand new report called The Shift Index , and today we are going to talk about why you need to know about it.

Show Notes:

Why the report was written:

From the Executive Summary - Paraphrased

The Winners are barely winning while the Losers are losing big time
Companies are losing their key leadership at twice the rate companies were in 1965
Competition has more than doubled in the last 40 years
While the performance of U.S. firms is deteriorating, the creative class of worker is seeing greater growth in pay than any other class of worker

Customers have more information and are less loyal to brands

Computer and Internet access costs have plummeted and the world is adopting this technology at a 5 times greater rate than past technologies such as electricity and telephone networks...

What is the Shift?

Deloitte took a look at Return on Assets (ROA) and saw a very disturbing trend. Despite the fact that American companies were making modest but solid gains in efficiency when compared to the mid 1960s, we are getting only 1/4 the return on our investment in assets. What could be causing that?

There are three major shifts occurring simultaneously

Foundational Shift - Nearly ubiquitous Computer/Communications/Internet access
Flow Shift - Access to information and wider access to networks has sped up the flow of information to nearly instantaneous. All the stakeholders have information they didn't just a few years ago.
Impact - This area talks about the negative effects that companies are currently experiencing. This area also speaks to the opportunity that is out there for the creative company that can execute in a new economy.

Key ideas:

Let's hone in on the Flow Index . The Flow index talks about what is flowing because of the nearly ubiquitous access to the Internet and wider social networks.

Inter-Firm Knowledge
Wireless Activity
Internet Activity
Migration of People to Creative Cities
Travel Volume
Movement of Capital
Worker Passion
Social Media Activity

Who is making the most in this shift?

US companies are generating fewer and fewer tangible products. There is a shift of power from the working class to a new class called the Creative class.

Creative Class

Super-Creative Core - Computer science and mathematics; architecture and engineering; life, physical and social sciences; education, training, and library management; and arts design, entertainment, sports and media studies.
Creative - Management; business and financial operations; law; healthcare and technical fields; high-end sales and sales management.

Other Workforce Class
Working - Construction and extraction; installation, maintenance, and repair; production; and transportation and material moving.
Service - Healthcare support; food services; building and ground cleaning and maintenance; personal care and service; low-end sales and related areas; office and administrative support; and community and social services.
Agriculture - Farming, fishing, forestry

Why is this important?

This marks major disruption occurring in the market right now. When there are disruptions, there are opportunities. When everyone is running for the hills, doing the best to protect eroding markets, champions see opportunities to change the game. Right now there is a growing divide between our realized performance and our potential performance.

Consumers have low switching costs in adopting new technology and seem to have an insatiable appetite for finding new ways to connect and gather information.
Companies conversely, are driven by efficiency and systems that ensure greatest return. These systems do not die easily, and thus companies are agonizingly slow to adopt new technology opportunities. Consumers and stakeholders are beating them to the punch, and companies are paying the price.

What are companies to do?

At the turn of the century, we were experiencing the industrial revolution... The most iconic representation of that shift was Henry Ford who looked at the way cars were being manufactured and said there has to be a better way. He invented the assembly line. The assembly line worked because it built greater and greater efficiency into the manufacture of cars. We have squeezed every last penny out of that model, and there is now so much competition, there is little to be made by becoming more efficient than we are.

Companies must shift from scalable efficiency to scalable learning. Our stakeholders and customers are learning more and more everyday, we as leaders of our companies need to invent, reward, and allow learning to happen across the whole organization.

If a company is going to thrive during this Economic shift, everyone in the organization has to be a learner, and we need to be listening to everyone in the organization as a source of learning. Learning can no longer be the exclusive role of the creative elites in your company. The company that will replace yours will be the one that is listening to the guy that pushes the broom around the floor after hours.

Close

Mike where can people get a hold of you?

www.championseccho.com

www.organizationalchampions.com

Show Notes:

Today we look at blog entries from Om Malik, CEO of GigaOm, a news blog focused on the communications and tech sectors and William C. Taylor, the author of Practically Radical.

Jeff Bezos on being a successful entrepreneur...

The 10 Questions Every Change Agent Must Answer

Takeaways:

1. Never Quit Focusing on Customers

2. Create a Culture - Create enthusiasm, Deploy your collective genius, & Work to personally align your team with the mission.

3. Get outside your industry to discover new ideas and opportunities

4. Own something - Identify your unique position in the market and own it.

5. Know your history and heritage but express it in ways that are relevant for the times.

Close

www.championseccho.com

www.organizationalchampions.com

Show Notes:

In the News:

Did Professional Management Cause the Fall of GM? (HBR)
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/hbr/hbreditors/2009/06/professional_management_and_th.html

Alfred Sloan and The Great GM Mystery

Alfred Sloan was the Leader of GM from the 1920's through the 1950's
On paper, Sloan espoused a scientific, strongly hierarchical style of leadership
In practice, the unintended consequences of that style of leadership led him to lead very differently
His successors misunderstood this and later led GM into some stormy waters

The Global Enterprise

What is it
Why is it valuable
How do I change my organization?

www.championseccho.com
www.organizationalchampions.com

Show Notes:

The Organizational Champion hits the shelves on June 5th.

The New Organizational Champions Website:

More info on the book
Blog
Forum
Podcast
ChampEm.com
Twitter
Facebook
The idea is to start a movement

A Champion's Three-Word Story:

The Power of Story - HBR Article
Liz Murray
Background
How to create one
How it brings value to you in your leadership

Invitation to the Release Party :

If you are in or near NWA on June 11th and you want to attend the exclusive Organizational Champion Book Release party, send us an email to podcast@organizationalchampions.com with the word "Invitation" in the subject line, and we will send you an invitation.
We want the listeners to the podcast, the early adopters to get some special treatment. Let us know if you want to come and we will make that happen

Close

www.championseccho.com
www.organizationalchampions.com

Show Notes:

The Organizational Champion hits the shelves on June 5th.

Alan Mulally

Alan Mulally is the CEO of the Ford Motor Company and he is a champion. We talk about why we think so...

In The News:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/136/through-the-fire.html
Sean Maloney of Intel talks about why Intel is on the move while it seems as though everyone else is in full retreat.

Being Counter-Intuitive

Myth of Life Balance
Passion v Security
Multi-tasker v Fast tasker
Periodization
Investing in the individual
Emotional energy
Change Maker before Opportunity

Close

Follow Mike on Twitter - www.twitter.com/thompsonOC

Follow Murray on Twitter - www.twitter.com/murdog

Show Notes:

In today's episode, we discuss our final stop on the Champion's ECChO model, Opportunity Minded. Execution and doing what has to be done seems to always be in the way of seeing the road ahead, yet the best of the best, the Champions are able to do it. We are going to discuss how to get out of the weeds and see the big picture. That and much more in today's episode of The Organizational Champion Webcast.

The Organizational Champion hits the shelves on June 5th.

In The News:

Inc's 7 Signs that You May be a Bad Boss. - http://www.inc.com/multimedia/slideshows/content/7-signs-that-youre-a-bad-boss_pagen_1.html

Hot Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman

Three Characteristics or Outcomes of the Opportunity Minded Leader

Visionary
Never Satisfied
Courageous

Questions about Opportunity Minded Leader

We all have a job to do. How do we get out of the weeds to see the bigger picture?
How do we know when to fight for an idea and when to wait for another day?
I am not the CEO, heck I am not even the leader of the team I am on... What does opportunity minded mean to me?
How do I push vision to my team? How do I include them?

How do you become an Opportunity Minded leader and build and Opportunity Minded team?

Ask more questions - especially when you start to feel comfortable
Break from monotony or the rote and invest time in reflection
Change your environment
Don't rush to solutions, Allow your thoughts and solutions time to bake
Don't be afraid to vet or further validate your ideas with others.

Close

www.championseccho.com

www.organizationalchampions.com

In today's episode, we discuss our next stop on the Champion's ECChO model, the Change-Maker. It also brings us to an interesting chicken & egg dilemma that every leader faces. That and much more in today's episode of The Organizational Champion Webcast.

Show Notes:

In The News:

CNN and Career Builder's Top Ten cities for College Graduates.

Why is Change So Important to Companies?

Three Characteristics or Outcomes of the Connected Leader:

Action-Oriented
Resilient
Agile

Discussion about Change Maker :

What are the steps I can take this week to transform my company/team into a Change-making Team?

Connect Culture to Mission
Open Enterprise Collaboration
Find the Right Measures/Measure the Right Things
- Focus on Outcomes Rather than Outputs
Push Decision Making Down
Establish Accountability
Get Executive Involvement

Links:

www.championseccho.com

www.twitter.com/ThompsonOC

Show Notes:

In today’s episode, Mike and Murray discuss the value of engaging and staying
connected to all stakeholders as a leader. It isn’t always easy be
available, open, and vulnerable as a leader but as we move forward,
leaders who can’t do that will be shuffled to the back of the pack. We will talk
about how to be a connected leader and why you might not have a choice…

In The News:
Small Business Sees Thaw

In February, the latest month for which figures are available, 35% of newly approved loans, the most popular SBA loan program, sold on the secondary market, according to the Government Accounting Office. That was up from 24% in January. From September 2007 to September 2008, before the credit crunch, 45% of approved loans sold on the secondary market.

via WSJ.com

Question:
What does a Champion do right now to make sure that her company/division/team is ready to move when the economic stoplight finally turns green?

Links:
Blue Ocean Strategy
Who's Got Your Back?
Mind of Moms Summit
Rockfish Interactive

Show Notes:

The Organizational Champions Webcast Episode #6

Being a Champion During the Bad Times

In this week's episode of the Organizational Champion Webcast, Mike and Murray discuss how to lead effectively when times are bad. How transparent does a leader need to be? Is there a time for pessimism or optimism? How does a leader strike the right balance?

In the News:

How Frank or Deceptive Should Leaders Be? :
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6124.html

How Do I Become a Trusted and Consistent Leader?

Share the facts honestly

Move quickly to the future solutions

Set the tone for others to follow

Show Notes:

In the News:

The Best of Behance : Best of Behance's 99% Conference: 13 Tried and True Practices For Making Ideas Happen.

http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/linda-tischler/design-times/best-behance-13-tried-and-true-practices-making-ideas-happen

The ECChO Model:

ECCho Discussion:

I. Recap The Definition of a Champion

II. Discuss the Model (Quick Overview)

III. The Enlightened Leader

Why is this important for leaders?

What is the value proposition of a company being led by enlightened leaders?

What is the value of a company producing enlightened leaders?

Sponsors:

The Organizational Champions Podcast is sponsored by www.ChampEm.com .

Production considerations for the Organizational Champions Webcast by www.sviworld.com .

Show Notes:

We invite you to check out www.ChampEm.com.

WHY WE WORK:

Through the Decades Today

SETH GODIN BIO:

Author of 10 books on Marketing He has the number one most read blog about Marketing Pundit Thinker His job is to ask the questions and make observations that others can’t either due to their perspective or simple lack of time. www.sethgodin.com

TRIBES:

Our culture value system as moved toward what Marketing Guru Seth Godin
calls Tribes. Tribes are a group of people who are brought together by
a common belief or idea and then moved toward a common goal. In order
for a tribe to exist, there needs to be a shared idea and a way to
communicate.

WHAT IS IT THAT IS GOING TO DRIVE THE EXTRAORDINARY COMPANIES MOVING FORWARD:

How do I adjust to such cultural shifts?

TWITTER QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Does you workplace focus more on individual or team?

@jtnelso: ‘Our company’ truly focuses on each. But more so the individual.

@Stanleyyork: i think teams, b/c you build individuals through teamwork. rarely vice versa

guest: our workplace is all about building certain individuals

@mpaladino: Both, but would lean towards teams. Strong teams breed strong individuals. The converse of that is not always true.

Rodney: Revenue is the correct answer.

Rick: You develop people so that you have the
building blocks to build a Team. You can not sacrifice or prioritize
one at the expense of the other.

Jennifer: My husband would say teams…as a high
school principal he wants his staff to feel like a part of something
bigger than just one classroom teacher, but I totally see Finley’s
point about the church, too…

Alex: teams

Finley: individual for me…its one life at a time…that’s how we build the church

Scott: Teams

David: You build individuals with a team mindset.
“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want
done—because he wants to do it.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower. Individuals or
members of a team matter not without leadership.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

podcast@organizationalchampions.com

Mike’s Twitter Address: www.twitter.com/ThompsonOC

Murray’s Twitter Adress: www.twitter.com/MurDog

SPONSORS:

The Organizational Champions Podcast is sponsored by www.ChampEm.com .

Production considerations for the Organizational Champions Webcast by www.sviworld.com .

Show Notes:

If you are going to spend 5,10, or 15 hours of your life devoted to
reading a book, wouldn’t it be nice to know more about the author? And
yet, most times all you get is a paragraph or two in the inside flap to
let you know who the author is. We thought that’s enough of that. This
episode is completely devoted to getting to know Mike Thompson. We hope
you enjoy it.

CONNECT:

The Organizational Champion Blog - www.organizationalchampions.com

Follow Mike on Twitter - www.twitter.com/thompsonOC

Follow Murray on Twitter - www.twitter.com/murdog

We would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments
about the podcast. Our email address is podcast (at)
organizationalchampions (dot) com.

SPONSORS:

The Organizational Champions Podcast is sponsored by www.ChampEm.com .

Production considerations for the Organizational Champions Webcast by www.sviworld.com .

Show Notes:

IN THE NEWS:

It was a dry week for news stories. We pored over endless news feeds
this week and there was nothing there. Where are the commentators and
people with opinions and vision? Where are the stories about exciting
companies and visionary leaders?

EXECUTION V. VISION:

Which comes first vision or execution. On first blush the answer may
seem simple and straight forward, but not so fast. Depending on the
state of a company, and the state of the marketplace the best strategy
may be to attack the problem backwards. In our conversation today, we
will explore both execution and vision and when to focus on each.

QUESTIONS and COMMENTS:

Questions from Twitter

CONNECT:

The Organizational Champion Blog - www.organizationalchampions.com

Follow Mike on Twitter - www.twitter.com/thompsonOC

Follow Murray on Twitter - www.twitter.com/murdog

We would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments
about the podcast. Our email address is podcast (at)
organizationalchampions (dot) com.

SPONSORS:

The Organizational Champions Podcast is sponsored by www.ChampEm.com .

Production considerations for the Organizational Champions Webcast by www.sviworld.com .

Show Notes:

IN THE NEWS:

Googles Lead Designer Leaves

McDonald’s Goes Green

10 Ways to Make Better CEOs

THE DEFINITION OF AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHAMPION:

If we are going to have a conversation about Organizational Champions,
then we better know what they are. In today’s podcast we have an
extended conversation about what a Champion is and how to spot one in
the wild. An Organizational Champion is an “enlightened change maker
who is personally committed to mutual values and relentlessly driven by
possibilities.” And, in this episode we unpack this definition and dig
in a little deeper into the concepts.

QUESTIONS and COMMENTS:

Questions from Twitter

CONNECT:

The Organizational Champion Blog - www.organizationalchampions.com

Follow Mike on Twitter - www.twitter.com/thompsonOC

Follow Murray on Twitter - www.twitter.com/murdog

We would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments
about the podcast. Our email address is podcast (at)
organizationalchampions (dot) com.

SPONSORS:

The Organizational Champions Podcast is sponsored by www.ChampEm.com .

Production considerations for the Organizational Champions Webcast by www.sviworld.com .

About the episode

It’s a wrap. The first podcast was just completed.
It was fun and hopefully a little compelling as Murray and I discussed
the Organizational Champions movement, the book, leadership, and
expectations of future podcasts. Through today’s podcast, you’ll
discover why the Organizational Champions movement was started, some of
our insights so far, the purpose behind the movement and why the
movement is relevant today.

We need your help

We want invite you to participate in ongoing dialogue to help
continue the understanding and development of the Organizational
Champions movement. Send your questions and comments to future podcasts
to Mike through Twitter at www.twitter.com/ThompsonOC or you can email your comment or question to podcast (at) sviworld (dot) com. Thanks for listening and contributing.

SPONSORS:

The Organizational Champions Podcast is sponsored by www.ChampEm.com .

Production considerations for the Organizational Champions Webcast by www.sviworld.com .

Onward!