HOME > NEWS AND EVENTS > NEWSLETTER > MARCH 2009

March 2009

From Jim and Charlie

It's raining cats and dogs here in the Bay Area this week. But at least we're being spared the snowstorm that's currently blanketing the east coast. There's a reason they call March "the cruelest month."

But here in future-of-work land we're actually cozy, upbeat, and even optimistic. Yes, the stimulus package hasn't really kicked in yet, and there's so much more to do at the national level that we remain only cautiously optimistic – but there are already signs that our long, dark winter is coming to an end.

Okay, enough with the clichés. Here in the newsletter you're going to find several positive, look-ahead articles. First, we build on last month's focus on Concentration to encourage you to get your "stuff" together ("Getting Things in Order"). Then we offer some serious food for thought about how to make the notion of corporate agility a reality – something we believe is essential for survival ("There Are Only Two Kinds of Companies – The Quick And The Dead").

Finally, we're thrilled to share some deep insights into rebuilding your career – from our friend and colleague Jim Horan, who's a master at helping people get focused, ordered, and on the road to success ("Finding Your Right Work").

Charlie and Jim

Click on any Headline below to access the full story.

Feature Article: Getting Things In Order

Building capability into an organization requires first concentrating your process, then bringing order to it, and finally constructing effective interactions with customers. This article is about order, the second in a series of three. Creating order is about eliminating variances, having reproducible processes, and planning for contingencies. "Order" is a four-step procedure that can take 35% or more of the cost out and significantly speed up your business.

There Are Only Two Kinds of Companies – The Quick And The Dead

It's been 18 months since our book, Corporate Agility, was published. We've been pleased at how well it's been received, but we've also been frustrated at how few organizations seem to "get" the message. It's time to think outside the box; this a call for a radical rethinking of what kind of assets you should own, and what kind you should avoid at all costs.

Finding Your Right Work

If you have not lost your job, it's likely you are in fear that you will. If you have lost your job recently, Jim Horan truly understands the pain you are feeling, He's been there. April 1st nineteen years ago he was a CFO in a Fortune 500 company until 9:30am, when the phone rang and he was summoned to the executive suite to learn that his job had just been eliminated.

What's Happened/Happening?

A short note about where Jim and Charlie are, and will be, holding forth in public conversations and other activities.

©Copyright 2003-2008 The Work Design Collaborative, LLC. All rights reserved. Website development by InMotionMedia, Inc