Specialization

Specialization is what made the industrial revolution possible.  Or, more accurately, its what made the industrial revolution so impactful in society.  Specialization allows people to get very good at a relatively small set of skills.  Then, combining that specialized skill set with the skills of others, you can form the Captain Planet of industry.  Working in harmony, a group of specialists can accomplish things that a group of generalists may not.

This has lead to a feeling in the world that specialists are more important than generalists.  SME, or Subject Matter Expert, is an important title in many organizations.  They have concentrated some specific area of knowledge in one person while making them available to the entire institution to spread the wealth.

There are two big problems with this thinking, though.  First, concentrating knowledge like that leads to a culture that values knowledge hoarding rather than knowledge sharing.  An SME is only as valuable as his knowledge, and if he keeps sharing and educating, he may eventually work himself out of a job.  Additionally, having more knowledge that others gives you a special status or power.  Keeping that power is another reason some people are reluctant to spread learning around an organization.

Second, specialization really impacts the ability to think critically and laterally.  I believe that the more diverse your experience, the better the skills at problem solving.  That doesn't just apply to specific fields, but also across them.  Knowledge of linguistics may help with math.  Chemistry may help with business.  Cross-training enables your mind to connect seemingly unrelated concepts into new ideas that may change the world.

So I implore you, do not overlook the importance of the broad thinkers in your organization.  If, for no other reason, than some day you will depend on them to provide the direction and leadership that all companies need.

Overcoming Adoption Apathy

Change management has been high on my personal list of business concepts for a while.  I've been really focused the last few weeks on overcoming adoption apathy - the feeling that sets in during any type of change initiative that prevents you from wanting to change anymore.

Source

I'm sure everyone has, at one point or another, wanted to change something about either themselves or someone else.  At the beginning, everyone sees the need to change.  They're excited about improving the situation.  You have buy-in from everyone.  But then after a few weeks or months, that great momentum diminishes.  People stop being excited about the change, because its actually taking place.  But because they're not paying attention, the actual change itself slows, stops, and may even reverse.  

Overcoming Adoption Apathy

Over the past few weeks, I've come up with my personal ideas for working through Adoption Apathy.  I've tried out several, and these are the tactics that seem to work best for me.  

• Approach the change tangentially.  When I think about an obstacle all the time, I get overwhelmed with the scale.  I do better just going about doing it, and forgetting about how big of a chore it is.    

• Have a secret change partner.  The most powerful push for me to work is when I know someone is counting on me, and they will recognize my work and accomplishment.  But your brain is wired so if you tell someone your goal, it will fill you with happy chemicals.  So you have to keep your goal to yourself, but know who you're hoping to get recognition from.  

• Keep it fresh.  Don't let the change be something you did last month.  Make changes in your plan that still meet your goal within the framework of your plan.  This keeps you engaged and excited about it.  

• Don't fret over failure.  Yes, you should set goals.  They should be B-HAGS (big hairy audacious goals) so you push yourself to the best of your abilities.  But meeting those goals is not life-or-death.  If you don't meet them, remember that the journey was important, too.  There will be another chance tomorrow.  

• A change plan doesn't work for everyone.  You have to know the people involved (yourself, employees, customers, etc.) to find a change plan that will work.  Just be aware that a single change plan, no matter how broad, will not touch everyone involved.  Work to adapt the plan to the individual, if you can.  

I hope that some of these help you.  Each individual and each group is different and needs different rules to make change happen.  If you have any other ideas, I'd love for you to post them in the comments below.  

-sjk

Leadership vs. Management

These two often are used interchangeably, but I've learned in grad school that they should be applied to two distinct, but important, qualities.  I've heard several ways to define the two, and all definitions point to dramatically different purposes and applications.  

One that has stuck with me is that Management is the ability to produce results, while Leadership is the ability to produce change.  Managers take the current situation and existing processes and get them to be the best they can be.  Managers are concerned with things like efficiency, continuous improvement, and other ongoing improvement initiatives.  By definition, they are not focused on, nor produce, chance because that interferes with the system's functioning.  Leaders look at the current situation or processes and, instead of asking "How can we make this better?", they ask "Should this be the way it is?"  Leaders take into account the external situation, including competitive drivers, cultural trends, and a variety of other factors.  When they analyze something, they are prepared to make changes that will benefit the system in the long term, but my cause problems in the short term.  

It is important to notice that the two seem like they are mutually exclusive.  Managers refine and preserve while Leaders change.  But they are both important skill sets for anyone who seeks to be the head of a team of any size.  Each person in charge should be able to get the most out of their reports and systems, but should also be aware of opportunities for improvement through drastic change.  So what school has given me is the ability to think both as a Manager and as a Leader.  I naturally think more as a leader, and have been spending my conscious effort on managerial topics.  I'm very excited to try them out.