bullet-proof skills for uncertain times by barry flicker
DESCRIPTION
Barry Flicker, author of "Working at Warp Speed", speaks to SofTech in July 2009. Barry introduces four important skills that will help: •Build Trust •Negotiate more effectively •Get people to deliver on their agreements •Complete projects on time and on budget Barry Flicker is a nationally known expert on the "how-to's" of developing high performance organizations through leadership development, project management, team building, communication and negotiating skills.TRANSCRIPT
For Uncertain Times
Bullet-Proof Skills…
In 1989
Engineers stillattended trainingclasses in white
shirts & ties.
And disparaged soft skills as
“touchy-feely bs”
In 1995 DanielGoleman published
EmotionalIntelligence
In 2005 MalcolmGladwell wrote
Blink
How did we get fromHERE to THERE?
In the Industrial Age it waswhat you could do
In the Computer Age it waswhat you knew
In the Networked Age it’show well you connect
If you own theonly fax machinein the world,what is it worth?
In the traditional economy scarcity createsvalue, but in a networked economy value
springs from connection. What are the skillsthat enable you to create:
a community ofhigh-value
connection?
1. Communicate clearly
2. Facilitate collaboration
3. Build trust
4.Gain agreement withfact-based decisionmaking
The Four Questions:
• What’s in the way?
• Who do you help?
• Who do you trust?
• How do we decide?
Skill 1
clarit
y
What’s in the way of gettingthings done?
They promise but…
don’t deliver
The unreliable:
The incompetent
What they deliver isnot what I asked for!
The uncooperative
It’s just easierto do it myself!
SPECIFIC?
Was my request:
Was what we agreed upon:
MEASURABLE?
Did I check if it was:
ATTAINABLE?
And explain why it was:
RELEVANT?
Maybe…
We’re doing itto ourselves?
SpecificMeasurableAchievableRelevantTime definite
Give it to mein a
headline!
Skill 2
colla
boratio
n
Who do you help?
Let’s talk about influence…
Since remote meetingsare the primary way
virtual teams get theirwork done…
LetLet’’s looks lookat someat some
bestpracticesto maketo make
themthembetter!better!
First, create acontact contract…
Contact Contract
Contact Information:• Telephone: 415-488-0805
– Best call after 3:30 PM• Voice Mail:
– Acknowledged in 24 hrs.• Fax: 415-488-0571
– Acknowledged in 48 hrs.• Cell: 415-302-8573
– Answered only in car• Pager: 415-302-8574
– Acknowledged in 1 hour• Email: [email protected]
– Acknowledged in 24 hrs.
Welcome toBarry Flicker’sWeb Page
Normal Working Days/Hours• Monday through Friday• 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM PST
BioCurrent Status Report
Teleconferencing Tips:
• Start on time•Provide agenda 24 hrs. inadvance•Introduce participants•Define goal & ground rules•Use # key as hand raise•State your name and whoyou are addressing•Speak into mic but don’tdrag it
Skill 3
building tr
ust
Who doyou trust?
Negotiations create an interesting challenge:How do we build trust while whole-heartedly
advocating for our own interests?
Once trust is lost it isvery hard to regain.
An early breach of trust can have profoundconsequences on all future dealings.
Team representatives do not know if they are dealing ingood faith and find themselves outvoted when they
attempt to convince others that honoring their promise ismore important than a short-term increase in profits.
““ To be persuasiveTo be persuasive, we, wemust be believable, tomust be believable, tobe believable, we mustbe believable, we mustbe credible, and to bebe credible, and to becredible, credible, we must bewe must betruthfultruthful..””
Zero-Sum Negotiating
• The more I get, the less you get• Only one point, such as price, to negotiate• Triggers fears of being ripped off• Sets up negotiations which are:
– Adversarial– Positional– Prone to confront/accommodate styles
Many people approach negotiation with a mind-set of:
Shield up, sword drawn.
The Extra Lot ProblemSelf observation in negotiating
It’s the quality of the story you tell.
The story emergesout of your criteria.
Criteria are oftenmore flexible than
first meets the eye.
Take the time to explore criteria options.It sets the stage for your best
opening offer.
Skill 4
fact-b
ased
decision m
aking
How do we decide?
We build airplanes in the air…
Missing the obvious!
When do you need it by?
GOALSROLES
PROCESS
OUTCOME
GRPOis the key to speed and clarity
It goes beyond what, toWHY, WHO, & HOW
Projects don’t go wrong…
They start wrong!
The POS & Trade Off MatrixInstall XYZ in all regional offices by December 1,
2009 at a cost of no more than $3.5 million.
x
xx
S T R
Adjust
Backup
Fixed
Let’s review:
1. Communicate clearly
2. Facilitate collaboration
3. Build trust
4.Gain agreement withfact-based decisionmaking
The Four Questions:
• What’s in the way?
• Who do you help?
• Who do you trust?
• How do we decide?
1. S.M.A.R.T.
2. ContactContract
3. CredibleCriteria
4. GRPO & POS
In Summary:
The faster thingsmove, the morecomplex they
become, the morediverse and dispersedthe workforce, themore indispensablethe person that can
facilitate collaborationbecomes.
