| Focus on "The Flywheel Effect"
March 2005 Did you ever hear a book recommendation from about three different people, all in the space of a week? The book Good to Great by Jim Collins kept coming up in conversation, and then a client graciously lent me a copy of his CD audio set of the book. The book has made my hour-long commute to Joliet, where I'm teaching a class for Lewis University, a delight. One of the concepts Collins shares is what he calls "The Flywheel Effect," and I'd like to share it with you because it has tremendous impact whether you're building a business or building a career.
For those of you who've read the book, you know the Flywheel Effect is what happens when great companies stay focused on their core business. With time, focus and energy, with all of the team members pointed in the same direction, the companies' efforts build momentum which results in their success. Like the flywheel in an engine, the continuous rotation begins to take on a life of its own.
All Systems "Go!" When the Flywheel Effect is engaged, all systems are "go," and they're all designed to move you in the direction of your goal. Whether this is moving you toward the measurable objectives of your company, and you're part of the team moving it there, or the flywheel is all about your career aspirations, moving you toward your dream job, the process is the same.
What would get in the way of the "Flywheel Effect"? I think we become diverted by distractions that are disguised as commitments. In coaching people toward their goals, I use this as an exercise, and invite you to do this exercise if your "flywheel" seems to be stuck, slowed down or moving in the wrong direction. On a piece of paper or a flip-chart, write two headings for two columns: Commitments and Distractions. Begin listing the things you're doing in your life, and determine which list they should be on. You may work on a committee as a volunteer: is that a commitment, or a distraction? Does it move you closer to your goal, or is it something you agreed to do out of guilt? Look at your calendar--is it littered with obligations that don't align with the goals you say you want to accomplish? Take a really hard look at what you've signed on for, and then begin to realign your commitments to support those goals. It may take some time to eliminate the distractions-- perhaps you need to finish a term on a board, or find a successor as a committee leader. But it will be worth it, and you'll feel enormous impact via the Flywheel Effect. Like the companies in Jim Collins' book, you'll move from "Good" to "Great."
"Takin' Care of Business" Wraps Up Leadership Discussion  "Takin' Care of Business" launched at Borders in January, focusing on "Leadership and Legacies," and we continued that theme in February with a review of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. The premise of the book, written as a fable, is that great companies are comprised of great teams, but that as humans, we are fallible and therefore inherently dysfunctional. Throughout the story, a leader struggles with her new team and demonstrates insight as well as courage as she guides them toward success. Lencioni outlines a powerful model, with actionable steps that can support you whether you're a team leader or member of the group. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is experiencing the challenge of building and maintaining a team.
This month, we'll be completing the "Leadership and Legacies" theme by reviewing The Leadership Challenge, a classic by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. Please join us if you're in the area on Tuesday, March 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Borders in Wheaton (101 Rice Lake Square) to share about the challenges of leadership in an unpredictable global business environment. This book, updated in a third edition and as relevant today as it was when it was first published, holds brilliant insights as well as practical fundamentals for leaders, all based on extensive research of the authors. While this book is filled with theory (we used it in a class I took at Thunderbird), it's also chock full of ideas that you as a leader can immediately put into practice. I hope you'll join us for what promises to be a thought- provoking study of a timeless classic. Stay tuned for more details about our next quarter's theme: Women Who Mean Business.
Speaking of Women... We're still taking reservations for "Image from the Inside Out," a seminar for women being held Monday, March 7, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Emilio's Tapas Restaurant, 230 West Front Street in Wheaton. The seminar, which I'm hosting in collaboration with my colleagues at Marquiz Salon & Spa, is designed to give you ideas on how to be your best and look your best, no matter where you are in your career. Presentations include:
- "Personal Branding: From Mission to Message" where I'll be sharing key elements of developing your brand for career success
- "The ABC's of Image" by Susan Fignar, leading image consultant and owner of Pur*Sue, Inc.
- Hair and make-up demonstrations by the ladies from Marquiz Salon & Spa
- "Building Your Wardrobe," a demonstration by Mira Schmidle from Gaede's Fine Apparel in Wheaton
I am thrilled to be working with the ladies at Marquiz as well as with our speakers and sponsors, which include LaSalle Bank, Gaede's, Dr. Robert Malenius and Dr. Mark Davis, general and cosmetic dentistry, and Ginny Richardson of GR-PR, a leading public relations firm in the western suburbs. The evening will include tapas and beverages, including sangria, table-top displays and networking with other powerful women. We'll be asking for volunteers for the make- overs, so let us know if you'd like to be considered. Cost of the evening: $35 per person. To register, please call Marquiz at 630-653-5256. Bring a friend, and don't forget to bring your business cards!
I Think I'm A Hedgehog  While there isn't room in this column to do justice to Jim Collins' book Good to Great, I'd like to close by sharing with you one more idea from the book: It's called "The Hedgehog Concept." Briefly, the Hedgehog Concept is based on the fable about the fox and the hedgehog... in which the hedgehog has one simple approach (he rolls up in a ball and sticks out all his spines). In Collins' book, the Hedgehog Concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the following three circles:
- Discover what you can be the best in the world at
- Define what drives your economic engine
- Delight in what you are deeply passionate about
That's what separates the companies which succeeded over the course of time from the ones that did not. And I share it with you because I am thrilled to see that I, too, am a Hedgehog, dedicated to one simple concept, and my mission is embedded into this concept. I continue to focus on one, crystalline idea: that when we do what we love, and love what we do, that passion makes a difference not only for ourselves, but with others as well. Use your gifts... don't hide your light under a bushel... and let your light shine so that others see it and can let theirs shine, too. Love, Vickie
About CHOICES Worldwide
CHOICES Worldwide is a coaching practice based in Wheaton, IL, with offices in Chicago and Phoenix, serving business professionals who are entrepreneurs, executives and mid-career professionals in transition. For information about individual, business or executive coaching, please call 630/510-1900 or write choices321@aol.com.
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CHOICES Worldwide
Vickie Austin
Founder
phone: 630-510-1900
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