bullet-proof skills for uncertain times by barry flicker

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: bflk@comcast.net

– 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.

THANK YOU!

bflk@comcast.net