World Bytes

The Habit of Pause

by Terrance Malkinson

A Thought to Chew on

Many of us live a life that sometimes makes us feel like we are climbing a series of mountains. We plod on, determined and focused on completing the task. When we reach the summit we find many other peaks — perhaps even higher ones — beyond. We set out immediately for the next peak. When we’re asked about the view from the top, we admit we didn't have time to look around. We often feel disappointed because we haven't reached the highest point.

Does the pattern sound familiar? Does your life consist of a series of mountains climbed and peaks remaining to challenge you? Have you missed the depth of the experience, the opportunity to learn along the way, or the satisfaction of progress?

Pause and enjoy the journey — it can add value in a number of ways by:

• Sustaining spirit, productivity and quality
• Facilitating creative thought and bringing insight
• Restoring perspective and providing time for relationships
• Leading to improvement and making time for learning
• Conserving and rebuilding energy for other tasks

Take an occasional break from the activity. Tune into yourself and your surroundings. You’ll likely find it satisfying, not to mention rejuvenating.

Other Bytes

• “Trends Shaping the Future: Technological, Workplace, Management and Institutional Trends” is the second article in a two-part series published in The Futurist (37(2): 30-43, 2003) that updates a special report of the World Future Society in 2001. Marvin Cetron and Owen Davies focus on breakthrough technologies and trends in the workforce, management and institutions that will shape the world for the next two decades. The authors provide their conclusions about the implications of each trend for decision-makers.

• In “Personalize Your Management Development” (Harvard Business Review, 81(3): 113-119, 2003), Natalie Shope Griffin discusses how an individualized approach to management training programs is more effective than a one-size-fits-all approach. She suggests that when individuals are promoted into management roles, they often fail not because they lack the talent or skill, but rather because their company’s training development approach didn't work. The author identifies four kinds of people who land in management development programs: reluctant leaders, arrogant leaders, unknown leaders and workaholics. In her experience, identifying the type, then tailoring a specific development path focusing on that individual’s unique personality and circumstances, produces the most effective managers.

• “Finding Your Innovation Sweet Spot” is the title of an article by Jacob Goldenberg, Roni Horowitz, Amnon Levav and David Mazursky in Harvard Business Review (81(3): 120-129, 2003). The authors discuss a systematic process based on five innovation patterns that can generate both ingenious and viable ideas. The patterns emerged from their historical analysis of product development trends. The authors emphasize that this approach complements organizations’ other product development methods.

• Robert Tucker offers an article on idea generation, titled “7 Strategies for Generating Ideas” (The Futurist, 37(2): 20-25, 2003). The seven strategies resulted from the observation and analysis of a number of recent radical innovation projects. Tucker concludes that “organizations need a constant stream of new ideas, if they are to create exciting and prosperous futures.”

• In “The Dangers of Product-Driven Success: What’s the Next Growth Act? (Journal of Business Strategy (24(2): 16-25, 2003), Adrian Slywotzky and Richard Wise discuss the danger of an organization becoming complacent about the amount of growth left in their current business strategy. The authors describe three patterns in which successful product-oriented companies fall into growth crises, and complement them with numerous industry examples. Companies that recognize their current strategies’ constraints are positioned well to develop and implement strategies that will meet future demand.

• “The Genius is in the Implementation” is the title of an article by Mike Freedman in Journal of Business Strategy (24(2): 26-31, 2003). Once you create a good business strategy, it's important to implement it effectively. The author believes that strategy implementation requires discipline, commitment, creativity, leadership and superior execution skills. He discusses some of the most common implementation pitfalls, then describes a five-phase strategy process. Freedman's five keys to successful implementation: communicate the strategy; drive planning; align the organization; reduce complexity; and install an issue resolution system.

• In “Lead the Way” (Entrepreneur, 31(3): 48-52, 2003), Joshua Kurlantzick discusses how the recent series of business scandals and the economic downturn have provided us with the opportunity to redefine our views on leadership. He asks, “have we have lost sight of the qualities that make up the finest leaders?” Kurlantzick argues that over the past decade, we have placed leaders who are charismatic superstars to the exclusion of other personality types. Such appointments have often led poorly, delivering weak long-term results. The author offers four important factors for those who want to follow in the footsteps of great leaders to consider.

• “Does e-Business Require Different Leadership Characteristics? An Empirical Investigation” is the title of an article by Penny Horner-Long and Richard Schoenberg in European Management Journal (20(6): 611-619, 2002). The authors suggest that although the majority of characteristics that leaders of traditional bricks-and-mortar organizations possess are valued in the digital economy, other characteristics are emphasized within e-businesses. She includes such attributes as a propensity for risk-taking, entrepreneurialism, networking ability, and technical skills.

• In “Shifting Cultural Gears in Technology-Driven Industries” (MIT Sloan Management Review, 44(2): 41-48, 2003), Paul Kampas discusses how savvy executives must learn to transition their companies from product-innovation to process-innovation cultures. He emphasizes that ongoing innovation is essential for any company's success in a competitive industry.

• “America’s Most Admired Companies (Fortune, 147(4): 81-87, 2003), by Nicholas Stein, is a compilation of the magazine’s annual poll of 10,000 executives, directors and analysts. List leader (for five straight years) General Electric slipped to fifth place after Wal-Mart, Southwest Airlines, Berkshire Hathaway and Dell Computer. This poll marks the first time in the survey’s 21-year history that the nation’s largest company is also the most admired.

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Terrance Malkinson is a proposal manager/documentation specialist; an elected Senator of the University of Calgary; an elected Governor of the Engineering Management Society, international correspondent for IEEE-USA Today's Engineer; and editor of the IEEE Engineering Management Society Newsletter. Opinions expressed are the author's.