On Teamwork #2 – The unsung Hero

Posted on February 4, 2012 by
Xylophone The Unsung Hero

Glockenspiel- The Unsung Hero

Yesterday evening I visited the Barbican Concert Hall in London to hear Andreas Scholl sing two of Bach‘s Cantatas, accompanied by the Kammerorchesterbasel from Switzerland. It was a superb evening, worth every penny of the ticket price and every ounce of effort to travel from Cambridge after a very long week at work.

What can an outstanding line-up of musicians and a world-renowned counter-tenor singing music by one of the most successful and enduring composersof all time, teach us about teamwork in business?

This is where I could talk about practice, collaboration, trying new ideas, being flexible, commitment and so on. But it was something else that stopped me in my tracks.

At the end of the performance, after several rounds of players leaving the stage and returning for more applause, there was an encore. A beautiful Aria in german called Schlege doch, gewunschte Stunde, (Strike then longed for hour). It is a piece that employs a glockenspiel, playing single notes to highlight the singer and music. Perhaps only 50 notes throughout the piece, all played as a single strike, and in some magical way this simple addition supports and takes it to an entirely different level.

In short, a percussion instrument ignored until the last act, a musician I had not noticed on the stage and a simple action that entirely transformed the performance.

So, spare a thought for the invisible, unsung hero in your organisation, routinely doing simple daily tasks. Pay them some attention and truly recognise that they transform your performance every day.

Have a great week.

Adam.

About the Author: Adam Blackie is the author of Your Digital Personality and a professional Interim Manager who leads information management teams through their change programmes. He works with CEO’s and their Boards in the UK to change the way technology is used by staff and their customers.

Posted in Leadership, leading change, service delivery, teamwork | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On Teamwork. A great example of how to achieve it

Posted on January 23, 2012 by
St Johns College Cambridge Choir

St Johns College Cambridge

Last night I attended an Epiphany Carol Service at St John’s College Chapel in Cambridge. There is nothing special about that, however, I was blown away by the sheer talent on show.

This service was full of small examples of brilliant teamwork. Here are a few.

Solo’s efforts. I suspect that any of the choristers could perform the many treble solo’s that appeared; and that any one of them would have wanted to sing them. However, there are no individuals here and if you look carefully, you will see that the lads acknowledge the solo singers with quick looks, raised eyebrows or a subtle thumbs up signal when they think no one is looking. Very supportive.

Talking to the layclerks after the service, I assumed they would all be off to the pub for a quick social before tea. No, they don’t really drink very much, it’s not good for the vocal chords. Now you have to know that the layclerks are all university undergraduates. Drinking is central to the social scene. You need real discipline to abstain at all.

Despite this being one of the dozen or so highlights in the chapel calendar, the choir master decided to premier a piece by James MacMillan, written in 1978 and very unusually featuring an Oboe with Choir. Presumably, this has not been performed before because it was regarded as “difficult”. It was a truly stunning piece of music, wonderfully delivered. How and why would they attempt this? Their answer was “why not?, – it just takes lots of practice.”

Overall a stunning performance, from a great choir, who have the dedication, committment and mutual support to be one of the best choirs in the UK. I suspect that several of our national sports teams could learn a lot from their approach.

Have a great week.

Adam.

About the Author: Adam Blackie is the author of Your Digital Personality and a professional Interim Manager who leads information management teams through their change programmes. He works with CEO’s and their Boards in the UK to change the way technology is used by staff and their customers.

Posted in choirs, choral music, Leadership, teamwork | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Are Interim Managers too expensive?

Posted on October 3, 2011 by
Using Interim Managers

Interim Managers - A Cost or A Saving?

Having been an Interim Manager for more than 10 years, I have worked in many organisations on a  daily rate basis. Sometimes, I am regarded as an expensive resource.

With senior stakeholders, it has often been helpful to highlight that my contract has a standard two-week notice period, so if the organisation finds a better alternative it can change its plans flexibly.

Many senior stakeholders do not appreciate this advantage when they consider the headline daily rate. If they discover an alternative change delivery strategy, they can change tack with no switching costs or negotiation delays.

Good interim managers also help their clients to explore the alternatives. If there is a better one, I would (and have) recommended it. For example, on several occasions I have identified, mentored and recommended a previously overlooked member of staff for my role, thereby shortening my own assignment, converting it into a part-time support role for the new manager.

With junior staff, the most effective response to any questions has been to acknowledge that the costs are relatively high and to invite the questioner to debate alternative options. The key question is “If I was not here in your organisation, what else would it (you) do instead.” Often staff just wanted to understand why a decision was made to spend what looks like a lot of money on a temporary manager. Their line managers had not explained this to them, nor involved them in the process of appointing their interim leader / manager.

Finally, career interim change managers never exceed the client’s budget. This is a bête noir for our industry and is the antithesis of what we usually do – which is generally an effective and efficient change management solution.

Have a great week.

Adam.

About the Author: Adam Blackie is the author of Your Digital Personality and a professional Interim Manager who leads information management teams through their change programmes. He works with CEO’s and their Boards in the UK to change the way technology is used by staff and their customers.

Posted in change management, cost cutting, Interim Management, leading change, leading change management, service delivery | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments