Business at the Speed of Now: Fire Up Your People, Thrill Your Customers, and Crush Your Competitors

Praise for Business at the Speed of Now "Practical. Useful. Inspiring. Managers and leaders who want to engage the hearts and minds of every employee will find all the tools they need in the pages of Business at the Speed of Now ." —Marshall Goldsmith, author of the New York Times bestsellers Mojo and What Got You Here Won′t Get You There "Mr. Bernard′s book achieves a critical first by showing how social media and cloud computing are resetting customer expectations. Then he makes clear why competitive pressures demand that management apply process thinking to management itself in order to ensure everything is in place for employees to meet customer needs in real time." —Richard Walje, President and CEO, Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp "Our citizens demand transparency and accountability. Government must achieve outcomes that matter. Business at the Speed of Now is more than thought provoking, it provides answers every leader needs to understand." —Michael J. Jordan, Chief Operating Officer, State of Oregon "This book connects dots from the past, present, and future, simplifying complex issues that can appear daunting to today′s leaders. Bernard′s GPS for navigating today′s fast–changing business environment reveals the principles and practices leaders should keep and those they should leave behind to create highly competitive organizations where people fully engage their hearts and minds. Compelling stories and pragmatic tools in every chapter help readers apply those insights immediately." —Teresa Roche, Chief Learning Officer, Agilent Technologies "Bernard brilliantly tackles the issues of speed and turnaround that everyone struggles with today. Using engaging stories, new thinking about creating a responsive organization, and case studies that drive the point home, Bernard lays out a game plan for success. If you want to discover the keys to creating a responsive organization that provides customer solutions in ′real time,′ you need to read this book." —Roger Connors and Tom Smith, authors of the New York Times bestsellers The Oz Principle , C hange the Culture, Change the Game , and How Did That Happen? "Required reading for any business owner or manager who wants to grow and profit in the now!" —Gene Marks, President, The Marks Group, and New York Times columnist

Acknowledgments xv Introduction xvii Chapter 1 Thriving in the Now: Prepare for Yes 1 Our Love of Speed 3 The Power of Yes 4 I Want My Yes Now! 7 Social Media, Cloud Computing, and the Millennial Mind–Set 9 Mass–Customize Me, Please! 12 Enabling Your Organization’s YESability 14 The NOW Speedometer 17 Chapter 2 Making the Shift to Now: Put an End to Then 21 Shifting from Then to Now 22 That Was Then, This Is Now 25 The Seven Deadly Sins of Management 28 From Declining to Improving Results 29 The Right Tools in the Right Place at the Right Time 32 From Disengaged to Engaged 33 Chapter 3 Seizing the NOW Opportunity: Drive Growth with Yes 41 When You Operate in the Now 43 To Try or to Do, That Is the Question 48 The 9 Rules of Then, the 11 Rules of Now 50 Simon Says and Mother, May I? 52 Shifting Gears to the Now 54 Chapter 4 Leveraging the NOW Game Changers: Gain the Speed You Need 61 Satisfying the Hunger for Instant Information 62 A Cloud That Refreshes 66 The Power of Millennial Thinking 70 If You Can’t Beat ’Em, Join ’Em 74 Chapter 5 Working in the NOW Business: Create the Context for Speed 79 Thinking in the Now 80 Management Is a System 86 Mapping the Fundamentals 92 Laying the Foundation 92 Connecting Every Employee 96 Chapter 6 Working on the NOW Business: Achieve Critical Breakthroughs 99 The Source of Breakthroughs 100 Creating the Skill to Plan at All Levels 103 Performance Breakthroughs in Action 106 Breakthroughs in Capability 109 Sequencing, Coordinating, and Seeing 113 Chapter 7 Creating NOW Transparency: Close the Execution Gap 119 Getting the Transparency Train on Track 121 Initiating Transparency with Business Reviews 127 Preparing for Target Reviews 130 Real–Time Transparency and Corrective Action 132 Chapter 8 Solving Problems Now: Equip Everyone with the Core Skill 137 Creating the Charter 139 Step 1: Agree on the Problem 141 Step 2: Map the Process 143 Step 3: Find the Root Cause 145 Step 4: Develop Solutions 153 Step 5: Implement the Fix 154 Step 6: Hold the Gain 154 Step 7: Reflect and Learn 155 Chapter 9 Enabling the NOW Workforce: Banish Fear, Build Trust 159 People Want to Do the Right Thing 160 Fear Blocks Initiative 162 Building a Foundation for Trust 165 Helping People Cross the Divide 167 Shifting from Permit to Expect 171 Chapter 10 Becoming a NOW Leader: Stop Bossing, Start Teaching 175 From No to Yes 177 From Disconnection to Full Engagement 179 From Know–It–All to Fellow Learner 180 From Frozen Layer to Fear Defroster 182 From Commander to Inspirational Guide 184 Creating New, Observable Behaviors 186 Tell Me a Story 191 Chapter 11 Embracing Change Now: Accelerate the Shift 193 Working for the Social Good 196 Sharing a Vision of the Future 198 Engaging the Most Respected Change Leaders 201 Encouraging Personal Change 204 Reinforcing the Right Actions 207 The End of the Beginning 209 Conclusion Do It Now! 211 Guidelines for an Effective Plan 213 Appendix 215 The NOW Speedometer: Doing Business at the Speed of Now 215 About the Author 217 Index 219

JOHN M. BERNARD is the founder and chairman of Mass Ingenuity, a company that consults and teaches around the world and develops Web–based tools to support real–time management. His consulting work involves high–tech, service, distribution, utilities, banking, insurance, manufacturing, health care, education, and government. John is an expert on the subjects of best–practice management, social media inside the organization, and the modern workforce. His expertise has been featured in the global business media and he is a top–rated speaker for The Conference Board.