The Philippe Back Report

The old way: get the dog to comply through usage of fear. Also know as: the owner as oppressor and dictator. Negative reinforcement.

The new way: get the dog to commit through the usage of leadership. Also known as: the owner as leader and guide. Positive reinforcement.

I find it very interesting that dogs and humans have so much in common here. And I never really understood why people in charge too often choose the dictatorship avenue.

So, if you really are interested in positive outcomes from a committed team, you know what to do!

The fine guys at http://xkcd.com have put together an interesting chart (Source URL):

This puts things in perspective when it comes to Sieverts. Well micro and millisieverts of course.

Things been told, I’d rather take a plane and fly away from there and the plume fall off than to stay around Fukushima.

Burning Focus

The more I am in my line of business, the more I come to appreciate the power of focus.

Focus is the enabler. Focus allows one to get somewhere instead of spending scarce energy and time for no clear outcome.

Focus is really what is missing in a lot of places. Including mine when I am not achieving what I want to achieve.

When I feel like I am spinning my wheels, it is that I’ve lost my focus. When focus is laser sharp, there is no issue. Things get done, progress happens, the client condition gets improved.

And focus doesn’t come only in one size: focus has to be clear from the top strategic positioning down to the task being carried out right now.

This means: focus on what business line we are in, focus on what processes are key, focus on what objectives we are after, focus on what technology to learn and use, focus on what systems we put in place, focus on what kind of changes we want to do, and focus on what time and resources we want to spend on achieving our goals.

Focus is a harsh master but it is like Zen. You have to get rid of the superfluous baggage to move faster, lighter, and with more confidence, pride, and joy.

Given today’s social pressure and hectic frenzied society, the only answer that makes sense is to focus on what is our true path. And that’s not living the life of someone else because we think that it is what we think we want. We have to listen to our own drummer that calls us.

That’s the mission, that’s what gives focus, that’s where the energy comes from.

I came to think that I am there to contribute to make better “next ones.” Because we are still in the stone age when it comes to communicating well, improvement, walking the talk, and generally getting results that are up to what we can be up to.

There is elegance is the mission, this is what feeds my soul when we work together. And it will feed yours too.

So, focus is the ultimate power, the ultimate aligner, your harshest master and best friend ever.

Cut the crap, drop the useless, harness the load, and get moving. You’ll love the feeling!

Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to participate in the 100 Patrons pour 100 Jobs event.

I was one of the “Patrons”. Well, this translates into “boss”, GM, CEO, you name it. Top brass over there, interesting.

It was interesting to see people coming at the appointments (some no shows, but more additions than now shows, so my schedule was pretty much packed). Diverse, ranging from 23 year old freshmen, up to 58 old timer. Men and women. Great.

The concept is a “Business Speed Coaching” and may lead to hires if there is a match. Given my business model, it was more about finding interesting profiles so that I could route talent to the right targets.

Anyway, I asked people some questions, among which: “How would be someone hiring you better off?”. I would have thought that people would come up with answers. Which most of them didn’t. Wow, most people searching for a job or a career switch do not have a clue about how the company possibly hiring them would be better off with them at their side!

People focus on what they can do, as tasks and activities, not how they can contribute to goals (exception: one person was aware, and I think that I’ll recommend her to my good friends looking for a real HR (read: talent centered) pro).

I kept on asking that and also “What are your key values and strengths?” as well as “Where do you see yourself using these for great results?” Interestingly, most people didn’t even looked at themselves that way. Quite a number of them got some lights coming up in their eyes after having gone through the exercise. One was even jumping around in excitation.

This was cool. And a good half day for me, and – one’s hopes – a good day for the visitors as well.

Advice: find your strengths and build from there. Don’t care about your limitations, it is not by fighting them that you can win. It is by leveraging your strengths and passion.

Some pics with me on it:

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As you may know, I am not top of the line when it comes to perfect eyesight. So, when browsing, I like some comfort.
That’s why I like using Page Zoom Buttons, Readability, and ColorfulTabs.

Readability is by far the most useful. As you can see it turns an article into a single neat page, removing all of the usual crap surrounding the core content.

Also, you can get back to the main page by hitting the little reload button.

One very good help is also obtained by using a Microsoft Mouse. There is indeed a very interesting feature built it: the Magnify feature that can be assigned to a button (I use a side button). That feature zooms an area of the screen around the mouse pointer while keeping it active. This helps tremendously for small detail on hires screens and for trainings when people view the screen from a distance.