Do not confuse planning with forecasting

November 5th, 2008 — mayogenuine

Pilot's Sectional ChartWhy plan? So much changes, so many things are unforeseen. The world is unpredictable and out of our control. The people we depend upon are fallible and have free will. There is no telling what they will do, how they will react to us.

Any airliner spends most of each trip off course and pointed in the wrong direction. Wind, weather, and traffic are constantly diverting the vessel from the perfect path. Rather than being discouraged by the impossibility of staying on course, the pilot and the instruments are continually working to compensate for these random and unforeseeable influences. After a trip of “unplanned” but expected diversions, airliners almost always arrive at their intended destinations. What would be the result if the pilot did not declare where and when he would land? How would he react to the distractions and diversions? Would you buy a ticket on that plane? Rather, could that pilot enroll you in his project?

You have many choices each day–even if they don’t seem like choices–and a consistent target will give you a ready reference for making those choices. Your plan is useful not because it is a description of what will happen, but because it provides a reference point to evaluate and respond to the inevitable circumstances that differ from the plan.

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© Tony Mayo 2008 except as otherwise noted.
Posted in For Salespeople.

What is an Organization?

October 30th, 2008 — tonymayo

Robert Kegan

An organization is a community of discourse.

Leadership is about influencing the nature of the discourse.

–Robert Kegan
Harvard University

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© Tony Mayo 2008 except as otherwise noted.
Posted in For Executives, Quotes and Aphorisms.

40% of FTSE Chief Executives Have Used A Personal Coach: The Economist

September 21st, 2008 — tonymayo

Richard Baker

It is extraordinary to think you can be excellent at something without a coach. The notion that Roger Federer would not have several coaches is ridiculous.

One of the best things that happened to me was to get a coach.

–Richard Baker
Former CEO
Alliance Boots

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© Tony Mayo 2008 except as otherwise noted.
Posted in For Executives.

Enhance your Outlook

September 14th, 2008 — tonymayo

XobniI have been very happily using a simple, free tool to enhance my email. Xobni is a new product, still in beta release though quite reliable, to give you more functionality in Outlook.

    • As you read an email, Xobni displays that person’s photo and other information from LinkedIn.
    • Your email conversations with that person are organized into conversations (by subject line).
    • All of the email attachments you have exchanged are listed in a clickable window.
    • With one click, you can send anyone an email showing your available times for the next few days.

Xobni (inbox spelled backward) does lots of other cool things. I am particularly pleased that all the thousands of emails I have fastidiously retained are now readily accessible and tabulated in useful ways.

Try it.

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© Tony Mayo 2008 except as otherwise noted.
Posted in For Executives, Technology Tips.

Roadwork for Enduring Results

September 8th, 2008 — tonymayo

Click for larger image

I developed a talk for the initial meeting of executive coaching groups to prepare them for the slow, sometimes difficult aspects of their work. I have used it many times to great effect. Some of my coaching clients have even adapted it for their own presentations.

The talk is available here with

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© Tony Mayo 2008 except as otherwise noted.
Posted in For Executives, Videos & Podcasts.

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