This is a free ebook on Personal, Professional & Organisational Development. It was created from a selection of articles published on the OTM Academy (www.otmacademy.com) from October 1st 2010 through to December 31st 2010. Your feedback is most welcome!

1. What Really Matters!
Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
By
Gary Ryan

2. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010 – is a compilation of selected
articles from The OTM Academy from October 1st 2010 until December 31st
2010 .
By Gary Ryan
Published by What Really Matters Publishing
c/- Organisations That Matter
Level 8, 350 Collins Street
Melbourne, Victoria 3166
AUSTRALIA
Phone +61 3 8676 0637
E-mail: info@orgsthatmatter.com
Copyright © 2011 Gary Ryan, Organisations That Matter®
All effort was made to render this ebook free from error and omission. However,
the author, publisher, editor, their employees or agents shall not accept
responsibility for injury, loss or damage to any person or body or organisation
acting or refraining from such action as a result of material in this book, whether or
not such injury, loss or damage is in any way due to any negligent act or omission,
breach of duty, or default on the part of the author, publisher, editor or their
employees or agents.
A note about ebooks
Ebooks provide a special function that traditional books cannot provide. The links
in this ebook are ‘live’, so if you read the ebook while online, you can immediately
access the reference material.

3. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 1, 2010
Who should read this ebook?
This ebook is for people who are interested in personal, professional and
organisational development, specifically as it relates to achieving career
aspirations and enabling the organisations within which we work to be better
places for human beings. This ebook represents articles from the fourth quarter of
2010 from the OTM Academy. Specifically, young professionals, new formal
leaders and experienced leaders who wish to improve their leadership skills will
benefit most from the contents of this ebook.
To join the OTM Academy please follow this link.
Thank You!
Thank you to all our members of the OTM Academy. We hope that you will receive
great value from this collection of articles compiled in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Please respect our copyright. This means that if you have received this ebook you
are free to share it, providing you do not change it in any way.
Keep learning!
Gary Ryan

4. Table of contents
An introduction to the ʻDiscovering Your Values Activityʼ
1
Is your message and the experience you create aligned?
2
Service helps us to make sense of our strategy on a day to day basis
3
Itʼs good business to increase complaints
4
Improve your listening by enhancing the quality of your
conversations
6
In elite sport, as in life, one percenters matter
9
Awareness matters!
11
How should a Team Leader within a poor company culture motivate
their team members?
12
Primary school teacher develops ʻconversation skillsʼ with children
14
Having REAL Conversations
16
By Tanya Rutherford
16
Why workplace trust is a challenge
17
Research shows that part time work and volunteering do matter
18
Why ʻCreative Tensionʼ trumps ʻProblem Solvingʼ
19
Service enables us to identify our customers
23
After Year 12, whatʼs next?
24
How great service attracts requests for a broader range of products/
services
26
Business Success Podcast Interview
27
How to motivate team members when times are tough
28
Delivering great service gives us job satisfaction
30

5. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 1, 2010
Australian Emerging Leaders Survey
31
By Alicia Curtis
31
Goals and Achievements. December is an excellent time to take
stock and plan for the coming year.
32
By Tanya Rutherford
32
The Thankful List
33
Do you have ʻHappiness Magicʼ?
34
University Student Group-Work Starter Course
35
Online Courses
36
Webinars
36
What Really Matters For Young Professionals!
37
Online Checklist
37
This product is for both Young Professionals and/or their employers
37
About Gary Ryan
39

6. An introduction to the ʻDiscovering Your Values
Activityʼ
Discovering your personal values is an extremely powerful experience. Once
clarified, your personal values enable you to behave in ways that provide you with
every chance to be the person you wish to be. At work, at home and in the broader
community.
Your personal values enable you to be one person who has many different roles.
People who aren't clear about their personal values often try to be 'different
people' in different situations. It's hard enough being one person let alone trying to
be 'multiple' people.
View the short video that is the introduction to an activity that is included in my
new book What Really Matters For Young Professionals!
After concluding a keynote speech a member of the audience asked if I could help
her to identify her core values. I then asked if anyone else was interested in
participating in a short activity.
How have you discovered your personal values?
Please feel free to comment on this article.
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7. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Is your message and the experience you create
aligned?
This really isn't rocket science but I am continually amazed at how many
organisations get this wrong. Recently my family and I have been doing high
school tours to help us make a decision regarding the right school for our eldest
child.
The schools have had many different approaches to this process. However, their
messages have been very similar, "We create a caring, belonging and nurturing
environment for your child where we seek to create well rounded young adults with
strong academic and life skills."
Yet it our experience of this message that has stood out the most for us. One
school that had over 900 students crammed us into a room where three teachers
and three students spent 60 minutes 'telling' us about the nurturing and sense of
belonging that the school creates. The speeches were fine, the images shown to
us on the Powerpoint presentation also looked fine.
The teachers then stayed in that room while the three students led over crowded
tours around the school. Classrooms were closed, it had become dark and lights
were off and we spent most of the time peering in through windows trying to get a
sense of what the school was like. After a while the litter on the ground became
more and more noticeable. After all, there wasn't much else to see or experience.
It seems to me that if you are going to promote a sense of belonging, then that is
the 'experience' that you should do your very best to create. This is a classic case
of ensuring that your message and the experience you create are aligned. All it
takes is a few moments to to ask this question, "Is the experience we are going to
create aligned with our message?"
The school I have described is no longer on our list. Other parents who have also
visited the school for their tours have expressed similar concerns. The school is
completely unaware of the misalignment between their message and the
experience they are creating. How do you make sure that your message and the
experience you create are aligned?
Please feel free to comment on this article.
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8. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Service helps us to make sense of our strategy on a day
to day basis
Business strategy focuses upon enabling an organisation to move from its present
state to a desired future state. It provides the ‘roadmap’ for this movement.
Ultimately this results in thousands upon thousands of actions happening
throughout the organisation. The intention of these actions is to move the
organisation in the desired direction that the strategy dictates.
Each action is therefore an example of the organisation's ‘strategy in action’. A
clear service focus enables these actions to ‘make sense’ in the context of the
overall business strategy and can help to connect the people within the
organisation to the business strategy on a day to day, action by action level.
Quote from a research participant
When I understood that all I had to do was to focus on understanding the
expectations of the people I serve, the whole service thing became a lot clearer.
I’m not into big words and I’m not a manager, but I can find out what people
expect of me and do my best to fulfill those expectations.
Please feel free to comment on this article.
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9. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Itʼs good business to increase complaints
The American Express Global Customer Barometer has highlighted the importance
of being easy to complain to, especially in places like Australia.
T h e A u s t r a l i a n fi g u re s ,
second to Mexico,
highlighted that 86% of
Australians will cease doing
business with an
organisation after a bad
service experience. Yet the
majority of these Australians
will not tell the organisation
about their experience.
Rather, they will tell their
social network, especially if
asked. The research reveals that the reason for this behaviour is that Australians
find organisations notoriously hard to complain to. So instead they simply switch
and tell their friends.
What is interesting is that approximately one in two of these same Australians are
willing to give an organisation a second chance, especially if they have previously
had good service experiences with that organisation. The issue is that after the
second chance, the Australians will simply 'disappear' as customers, especially if
there is a viable alternative that is available to them.
The pure economics of the above statistics highlight that it is good business to
increase complaints. If an organisation were to become 'easy' to complain to, that
same organisation would have more of a chance to 'recover' the customer and
maintain a positive relationship with them and stop them from leaving. In simple
terms this means that the company ensures that future expenditure from this
customer will remain with them.
We are fortunate to live in a world where a customer complaint can be made to a
social network and, if you are easy to complain to, that complaints will be heard
even though it wasn't said directly to your organisation. At the end of the day it
doesn't really matter where the complaint is made, it matters that it is heard and
acted upon.
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10. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
As an example I recently had a poor service experience about an organisation. I
'tweeted' that I was going to write a blog about my experience, which I did the
following day. Within eight hours of posting my blog I was contacted by a
representative of the company asking for more details and wanting to know how
they could resolve my issue for me. Within a couple of days a resolution for my
poor experience had been created and I have remained a client of that
organisation.
I had no idea that the company had set up (due to a recommendation from a
teenage casual contact centre staff member) a 'twitter watch' and a 'blog watch'
to look for complaints (and positive comments) so that they could fix them as
quickly as possible.
It is in this manner that an increase in customer complaints should be seen as a
positive measure rather than a negative one. Unfortunately it is my experience that
most companies see increased complaints as a poor result rather than a positive
one. Alas, most companies are poor to complain to because they don't want their
complaints metrics to rise. Silly, isn't it!
How easy is your organisation to complain to and what are some examples of how
this is done?
Gary Ryan has led service excellence award winning teams in multiple categories
and is a co-founder of the OTM Service Strategy.
Please feel free to comment on this article.
5

11. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Improve your listening by enhancing the quality of your
conversations
So you are in yet another meeting. The conversation is flying back and forth yet
you feel frustrated by the lack of people really listening to each other. In fact, you
find yourself waiting for a 'gap' in the conversation so you can throw your two
cents worth into the debate.
The meeting ends. Everyone
respectfully nods at each
and walks out feeling that
the meeting was largely a
waste of time, again! You
wonder why so many of the
meetings that you attend
seem to go around and
around without people really
listening to each other. You
try to listen yourself but you
find that your listening is just
as bad as everyone else's.
The real cost as a result of
the time wasted in these
meetings seems to high to even calculate. Yet the problem persists.
Yes you have been to communication workshop after communication workshop.
But it seems that learning to become a better listener is like shouting at grass to
grow. Just because someone says that you should listen and paraphrase and
watch your body language doesn't actually mean that you'll become a better
listener, just like grass won't grow any faster just because someone is shouting at
it!
What if there was a technique that enabled you to become a better listener, yet
didn't require you to specifically focus on listening?
If you shift your focus away from becoming a better listener to becoming a
contributor to higher quality conversations, it is amazing how your listening
improves! Higher quality conversations enable us to see things differently; new
horizons, new possibilities, new ways of working together which result in tangible
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12. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
benefits such as new innovative products, new savings, better efficiencies. As
Juanita Brown and David Isaacs shared in their wonderful book, The World Cafe,
"...accepting the centrality of human conversation as a key organisational means
for achieving desired results entails a profound shift of mind - from seeing
conversation as a peripheral activity to seeing conversation as one of the
organizations most valuable assets."
So how do you even start to create this profound shift of mind?
One way is to start to focus
on the quality of the
questions that you ask in a
conversation. Think about it.
What positive difference to
the quality of conversations
that you participate in would
an improved quality of
questions (even from just
one person), make to that
group's conversation?
Brown and Isaacs suggest
that focusing on the right
questions themselves is a
powerful way to enable people to open their minds to higher quality conversations.
For example, what if in one of the meetings described above you asked, "What
questions, if answered, would enable us to achieve the results that we truly
desire?"
Part of the reason for the consistently low quality of conversation that many of us
experience in organisations is due to the fact that most people are focusing on
answers rather than discovering the right questions that are worthy of an answer.
For example, how easy would you find it to come up with questions in response to
the question above, without trying to answer your own questions first? It is my
experience that many people are uncomfortable focusing on generating questions
(without answers) largely because it is a skill that has had little attention or focus
throughout their development.
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13. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
At your next meeting, as you follow the conversation, try focusing on this question,
"What's the most powerful question that I could ask that will help to improve the
quality of this team's conversation?".
A side benefit of focusing on asking powerful questions is that your listening will
improve, without you having to focus on it. Try it, you will see that this is true.
I'm interested in hearing about your experiences with regard to enhancing the
quality of your workplace conversations through improving your questioning skills.
Please feel free to comment on this article.
8

14. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
In elite sport, as in life, one percenters matter
For me a defining moment in the Australian Football Leagues (AFL) 2010 Grand
Final Replay was the desperate lunge by Collingwood defender Heath Shaw to
knock the ball from the hands of St Kilda Captain Nick Riewoldt as he was about
to kick the Saints first goal.
Coming from ten metres behind Riewoldt as he marked the ball, Shaw said, "I
think little things like that maybe spur the team on. I was just happy to contribute
to it."
While very few of us get to reach to glory of becoming an elite sport champion
crowned with being a member of the best team in the nation (or world, depending
on the sport), we all have the capacity to done 'one percenters' whether at work, at
home or in our relationships.
So, what do such 'one percenters' look like?
At work they can be as simple and saying a genuine, "Thank you" or "Please", or
remembering a colleagues birthday or partner's and/or children's names. They can
be as simple as suggesting a team member leave early one day because of the
extra effort they have been putting in over time. They could even involve cleaning
up a meeting room and returning it to its pre-meeting state once your meeting is
over.
At home they can be as simple as acknowledging and thanking whoever did the
cooking, and then taking the time yourself to clean up. With friends it can be a
quick phone call, text message or Facebook 'Like' or comment.
'One percenters' by nature aren't hard. They simply take a level of awareness to
recognise that they 'can' be done and all they take is a little effort.
On their own 'one percenters' don't make much difference. But added up over
time, just like all the 'one percenters' in an AFL Grand Final, they can make all the
difference to your performance and the quality of your relationships.
How present are 'one percenters' in your life and what examples do you have of
putting them into action?
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15. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
PS For those who need to know, I am a member of the Western Bulldogs in the
AFL
Please feel free to ask questions and/or to make a comment on this article.
10

16. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Awareness matters!
The scene
I had been asked to attend a late afternoon meeting with a client in a different part
of the city to which my office is located. I decided to drive to the meeting so that I
could drive home. As luck would have it, a one hour metered carpark was available
immediately outside the client's building.
Upon arrival the receptionist asked where I had parked. I informed her that I had
parked in the one hour zone out the front of the building.
I was shown to the meeting room and some cool, fresh water was provided. I was
informed that the person I was meeting had been held up in another meeting off-
site and was on his way, possibly being 30 minutes late.
The moment that mattered
Prior to the arrival of my client, the receptionist popped her head back into the
meeting room and asked whether it would be okay for her to pop downstairs to
'feed the meter' for me.
I had started to wonder how I was going to manage the parking situation given
that a large period of my 60 minutes had been 'chewed up' waiting for my client to
arrive. The awareness of the receptionist, Crystal, to help me was just terrific.
Crystal realised that I might be starting to worry about my car and that the parking
issue could end up being a problem for me should the meeting last longer than the
now available 30 minutes.
To me Crystal's actions highlight the importance of awareness and how it is
directly linked to service excellence. Crystal could not control whether my client's
availability, but she was able to control her awareness to relieve a problem before it
occurred.
That is exactly what awareness does. It 'heads problems off at the pass', before
they have a chance to take effect.
What are your examples of how awareness has both enhanced service excellence
and resolved a problem before it occurred?
Once you have read the article please feel free to post a comment.
11

17. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
How should a Team Leader within a poor company
culture motivate their team members?
Unfortunately poor company cultures exist. This is why Organisations That Matter
was created - to try, one company at a time, to change this reality.
So, what can a Team Leader do to improve the motivation of their team members
when their team exists within a poor company culture?
The first thing is to control what you can control as the Team Leader. My
experience and research indicates that pay is a massive de-motivator if it is not
'fair' in the overall context of pay within the company and the industry that you are
in. If a person is not being paid fairly in this context, then pretty much everything
else that the company does becomes less relevant over time. The pay issue
becomes the core de-motivational issue.
If pay is 'unfair' then you must do what you can to fix that situation.
Most companies have systems and processes for accurately paying people. As
such, if you believe that a person is being paid unfairly, go in to 'bat' for them. Let
them know what you are doing but also let them know that you have to follow the
system's rules. Providing you have a record of being genuine, most people will be
very pleased that you have taken the time and effort to go in to 'bat' for them. This
act of support will often increase a person's motivation. However it won't last
forever if the real problem isn't addressed. (Please note I accept that the research
indicates that most people feel they are underpaid. However, when 'pay' is placed
in the context of company and industry, it is my experience that most people are
able to identify if they are paid within an acceptable 'range' of pay.)
If pay is 'fair' then it is the cultural issues that come into play. It is possible, within
limits, to create a positive sub-culture that may exist only in your team.
From my research from conducting many leadership development activities on this
exact issue, the simultaneous things that you can do are very controllable.
You can genuinely appreciate and recognise the efforts of your team members.
This starts with saying, "Thank you."
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18. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
You can look out for developmental opportunities (including projects) and offer
them to your team members.
You can listen to their suggestions and genuinely take them on board and then get
back to them about why their idea has/hasn't been implemented.
You can assign tasks to team members that truly reflect their talents while at the
same time creating some 'stretch' for them. Of course, this means that you will
have bothered to find out what their talents are!
You can create team celebrations to celebrate successes.
You can bother to remember the whole of life details that your team members have
felt comfortable sharing with you (ie their partners and/or children's names, their
birthday, special events in their life, their sporting teams and heroes etc.)
You can articulate how your team is contributing to your organisations vision and
mission and help each person to 'see' how they are personally contributing to
bringing these to life.
When times demand it you can make decisions that are timely and help the team
to achieve its objectives.
These actions are all doable and are well within the control of a leader, irrespective
of company culture.
It is my experience that when these activities are done with genuine intent, most
people respond with an increase in self motivation and perform to a higher
standard which is ultimately what leadership is trying to achieve.
How do you increase the motivation of your team members?
Please feel free to comment on this article.
13

19. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Primary school teacher develops ʻconversation skillsʼ
with children
One of the members of the OTM Academy has applied and modified the OTM
Strategic Conversations process to teach conversation skills to eight and nine year
old children in his primary school class.
His humility is such that he has asked to remain
anonymous, but for the sake of this article I'll call him
John.
Focusing on water conservation as his topic, the children
were organised into groups of six. They were asked to be
conscious about how much they were talking and
listening.
The first question asked was, "What would be the perfect
world to have for water?"
The children engaged in the conversation expressing ideas about how water could
be managed. While they were conversing, John moved around the room listening
to what they were saying. Part of the purpose of the conversation was to see how
much they had learned from the previous few weeks of learning about water.
John, initially nervous about using this process with young children, was quickly
convinced that the process worked as he heard the children talking with passion,
focus and knowledge as they conversed on the first question.
As the process encourages, John mixed up the children in their groups for the
second question, "What are the challenges of achieving this world?"
As John moved around the room again he was once again impressed by the way
the children were sharing the conversation and demonstrating that they were
listening. A Teacher's Aid who witnessed the process remarked that she was
amazed at how engaged some of the children were, particularly a number of them
who had not previously shown much interest in contributing to classroom
conversations.
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20. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Collecting the output from the second question John was amazed at the maturity
and deep understanding of the topic that the children had clearly developed.
Rotating the children again to ensure that they learned to speak with different
children, the third question focused on action. "What are we going to do?"
John was delighted that the children came up with a broad range of practical
ideas, which included sharing them with the rest of the school community.
Delighted by the outcome of the conversation John contacted me to share his
story. "I was very nervous at first wondering if this would be too much for the kids,
but as you had encouraged me, I let myself trust the process. And it worked. I
couldn't believe that the 90 minutes we spent talking went so fast. And the kids
were on centre stage, not me!"
Teaching people to hold conversations can occur at any age.
Please see all the articles for 'conversation' for more information on the OTM
Strategic Conversation process.
The OTM Strategic Conversations process is based upon the original work by
Juanita Brown and David Isaacs.
What are your experiences of conducting large group conversations?
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21. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Having REAL Conversations
By Tanya Rutherford
Everyday we are having conversations with people we work with, our customers
and suppliers. Every day we are busier than ever and have much more we are
trying to achieve. Therefore it makes sense that we ensure that the conversations
we are having are as productive and as effective as possible.
Conversations are key component of our social structure – its now we
communicate what we want, what we need, how we feel; learn what other people
want, need and feel; and it is also a major way in which we build trust and
relationships with each other.
Conversations vs Conversations
There are conversations, and there are conversations! By putting a little planning
and forethought into a conversation, we can go to places we’ve only ever dreamt
about before. Imagine having a conversation where each person understands the
other’s point of view and is able to share and explore new ideas without fear of
judgement. It is possible! - although it does need to be developed over time.
How often do we have a conversation where one person has a clear understanding
of what they have asked for, and the other a clear (albeit very different)
understanding of what they are asked to deliver? More often that not, this leads to
frustration and further misunderstandings.
Listening & Hearing - Seek First to Understand.
Listening is more than just not saying something whilst the other person is talking.
It is about suspending your own beliefs and knowledge and genuinely wanting to
“hear” the other person. Not interrupting, but when there is space, clarify
understandings – and trying to avoid falling into “problem solving mode”.
For more hints - check out my 2010 ebook.
Isn’t it worth the investment?
Tanya Rutherford
(www.tmrutherford.com.au)
Please feel free to comment on this article.
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22. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Why workplace trust is a challenge
The challenge with workplace trust, whether from leaders to employees or
employees to leaders or employees to employees is that to trust another person
you must be willing to be vulnerable. That is, the act of trusting someone means
that you are openning yourself up to the 'risk' that whoever you are trusting could
'break' your trust.
You see, trust cannot be broken unless it is given in the first place.
This is one of the factors that makes trust within an organisation so hard.
Whether this be from leader to employees, or from employees to leaders. The
same is true.
In this context leaders must be able to demonstrate that they are willing to be
vulnerable by trusting employees, and employees need to demonstrate that they
too are willing to be vulnerable by trusting their leaders.
I'm suggesting that trust is built by demonstrating trust and being open to the
vulnerabilities that come with trusting others.
What are your experiences of organisational trust?
Please feel free to add a comment to this article.
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23. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Research shows that part time work and volunteering
do matter
Research based on member responses and presented at the Australian
Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) showed that 83% of graduate roles
were given to applicants who did part-time or casual work. The research also
showed that doing volunteer or charity work is highly regarded from a prospective
employers perspective as 48% of successful candidates had indicated that they
had been volunteers.
Establishing your employability largely comes from your
ability to demonstrate that you can work with people to
achieve shared objectives. Part-time/casual work and
volunteering provide opportunities to do exactly that.
I often hear young people say, "Oh, I just work in a
supermarket" or "I just work in a cafe." or "I'm just doing
some volunteering for my local charity".
There is no such thing as 'just' a part-time/casual job or
volunteering role. All these roles help to prove that you
are employable because they all involve teamwork,
communication, leadership, innovation, problem solving - the list goes on!
The evidence is overwhelming that part-time/casual and volunteering roles matter.
Don't forget it. Notice the 'real' employability skills that you are learning. Employers
are interested and your chances of being employed are significantly higher if you
understand and practice this fact.
Please feel free to comment on this article.
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24. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Why ʻCreative Tensionʼ trumps ʻProblem Solvingʼ
Creative Tension involves three simple concepts that, when put together, create a
structure that provides the energy for effective action. Many of you will have seen
me refer to the 'elastic band' metaphor (see TEDx Talks - Creating a Plan For
Personal Success) that enables us to create the life we desire.
You see, Creative Tension is
about creating what we
want. Problem Solving, on
the other hand, largely
focuses on what we don't
want.
Artists tend to use Creative
Tension while people in
business tend to use
Problem Solving. My
argument is that business
people should follow the
practices of artists and also
focus more on using Creative Tension rather than Problem Solving.
Artists
Imagine that Pink has decided to write a new album. What approach do you think
would provide Pink with the biggest probability of creating an album full of smash
hits.
a) To take the approach that at the start of the writing process that she has a
problem to resolve. The problem is, "I don't have any new songs ready to put on
my album."
To resolve this problem Pink may recruit a bunch of her musician friends and brain-
storm a heap of ideas that they believe would be likely to eventually generate the
'right' songs for her album. As each song is recorded Pink's problem would reduce
because she would now have some songs for her album. Finally Pink would finish
her album and release it to the public.
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25. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
b) To take that approach that an album is a work of art and that the art requires
some form of inspiration. Focusing on the quality of the album that she wishes to
create, Pink would generate a number of experiences to enable her to fully picture
what the album will be like.
Once the 'direction' of her album is clear, Pink would then recruit artists to help her
to bring her 'picture of success' into reality. The number of songs on the album
and the length of the songs would all fit into Pink's vision of what the album was
going to look like. Eventually, Pink would 'create' the album that she desires.
Music, art and films are all treated as creations to be made rather than problems to
be solved. Alfred Hitchcock is famously reported to have refused to let his writers
'close out' a story line too early. Instead, Hitchcock would prefer to 'hold the
tension' of an unfinished storyline so that true creativity amongst he and his writers
could be inspired. The result; Hitchcock became one of the greatest film directors
of all time and is still known today for creating stunning plots, scenes and movies.
Business people
Business people want to be successful, just like artists do. However business
people are trained to see problems and to focus on fixing those problems.
Common problems that business people try to fix include:
The problem of under-performance
The problem of low motivation in employees
The problem of maintaining efficiencies
The problem of low supply and high demand
The problem of high supply and low demand
The problem of not enough resources
The problem of poor communication
The problem of poor internal service
The problem of poor external service
Really, this list could go on and on, but I think you 'get' the picture.
Business people use the same approach to these problems as described in 'a'
above for the artists. They gather a group of colleagues, brainstorm a bunch of
ideas to resolve the problem, select the 'best' answer and then implement that
answer in the hope that the problem is resolved.
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26. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Usually the 'best answer' does have an impact on the problem and it does reduce
in its intensity. As this occurs and the original problem is less of a problem, less
effort is put into resolving the problem. Why? Because now other, more serious
problems require focus. And so the process goes, on and on and on. A bit like a
dog chasing its tail!
What if, on the other hand, business people learnt to focus on what they are really
trying to create? Rather than focusing on problems that need to be resolved, what
if business people focused on the customer experience, the employee experience,
the community experience of their service or product? And what if this focus was
present at all levels of the organisation?
There is a difference between art and business
Art is generally not released to the public until it is created. In many ways art is
created in a vacuum. Once created it is then released. Business is different. Much
of what goes on in a business can't be placed into a vacuum until it is created. The
way the world works simply won't allow it. In business we 'change the wheels on
the bus while the bus is driving down the road'.
It is for this reason that problem solving, in a business context is still relevant.
There are some problems that simply have to be resolved. Such as an unhappy
customer 'right now'. However, what if problem solving in a business was provided
within the context of Creative Tension? In other words, what if the experience that
we are trying to create for our customers, or the experience and culture that we are
trying to create for our employees was the guiding force for our strategy, actions
and problem solving?
Creativity is challenging because of the tension that is generated when we become
clear of what we want, but have no idea of how to bring what we want into reality.
Artists experience this tension all the time and have learned to embrace it.
Business people on the other hand are scared out of their minds when they don't
know 'how' to bring the future they desire into reality. This is why most business
people focus on Problem Solving rather than Creative Tension. Problem Solving is
simply more comfortable. "We know 'how' to problem solve. We don't know 'how'
to create."
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27. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
If you are not sure of what I mean you might like to view the video The Gates. As
you watch the short video, consider the power of Creative Tension that went in to
bringing the vision of art on such a large scale into reality.
How present is Creative Tension in your organisation? What are your examples?
Gary Ryan is a founding Director of Organisations That Matter and can be most
easily contacted at Gary.Ryan@orgsthatmatter.com .
I would like to recognise Robert Fritz whose writing over the past two decades has
inspired my thinking and practice on this topic.
Please feel free to comment on this article.
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28. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Service enables us to identify our customers
Your customers can be colleagues, your supervisor, the staff who report to you, the
people and/or organisations to whom you provide services, the people who pay for
your services or products even though others may use them. Often your service or
product will have multiple layers of customers. The customers who actually use
your service or product may be different from the customers who purchase your
service or product. A service focus helps both you and your organisation to
identify and differentiate the expectations of these different customer segments. If
you don’t get this right, you may be left with no customers at.
Understand your customers across the multiple levels of service you provide. Do
you understand yours?
Quote from a research participant
“I first thought that this service training stuff was a load of, well, you know! But it
got me thinking. Who are my customers? Funnily the first person who’s head
popped in my mind was my boss’s. I’d never really thought of my boss as a
customer. Yet, she probably is.”
Please feel free to comment on this article.
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29. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
After Year 12, whatʼs next?
If you or someone you know has just completed Year 12 in Australia and would like
to know which career paths are most likely to result in an available job, then you
can't go past the DEEWR New Jobs 2010 Report.
The report includes job
projections to 2014/2015 for
the following 19 industries,
with the most growth
expected in declining order:
1. Health Care and Social
Assistance (3.3% per
annum)
2. M i n i n g ( 3 . 3 % p e r
annum)
3. Education and Training
(2.7% per annum)
4. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (2.6% per annum)
5. Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services (2.4% per annum)
6. Construction (2.4% per annum)
7. Transport, Postal and Warehousing (2.3% per annum)
8. Accommodation and Food Services (2.0% per annum)
9. Information, Media and telecommunication (1.8% per annum)
10. Trade (1.8% per annum)
11. Financial and Insurance Services (1.6% per annum)
12. Administrative and Support Services (1.6% per annum)
13. Arts and Recreation Services (1.5% per annum)
14. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (1.5% per annum)
15. Public Administration and safety (1.3% per annum)
16. Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Service (1.3% per annum)
17. Other Services (0.5% per annum)
18. Wholesale Trade (0.5% per annum)
19. Manufacturing (-0.7% per annum)
This information can be vital in terms of the post secondary education/training
choices that people make, so it is well worth keeping up to date with the report,
which is available here.
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30. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
It is also important to recognise that qualifications take time to be completed, so
looking ahead at what the jobs landscape can be very helpful and important.
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31. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
How great service attracts requests for a broader range
of products/services
In much the same way that great service attracts new customers, it also attracts
existing customers to enquire about new services/products that may be provided
by the organisation. Consulting firms in particular are familiar with this
phenomenon. Satisfied clients will request if new services can be provided before
seeking another consulting firm to supply the service. This can help an
organisation grow.
A word of warning.
Just because a customer asks your organisation to provide a new service or
product doesn’t mean you should do it. As long as the new service or product fits
with your organisational purpose and will continue to take the organisation towards
its desired future and the organisation has the capacity to provide the new service,
then it should do it. Otherwise it should refer the customer elsewhere.
Client quote
Because of the great job that you did with our leadership training I was wondering
if you could assist with improving our inter-departmental relationships? I thought
that I’d check with you first before trying out some of our other suppliers.
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32. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Business Success Podcast Interview
Listen to a short interview on the Business Success Podcast hosted by Annemarie
Cross.
Annemarie is a Branding Specialist and Business
Coach and recently requested if I would be happy to
be interviewed on her Business Success Podcast
show.
In this interview I talk about:
The importance of organisational values
How to hire the right staff, and
How to build a top performing team
and much more!
Please take the time to listen to the short interview here.
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33. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
How to motivate team members when times are tough
Recently I was asked how a company should motivate it's staff when economic
times are tough. Here's my response.
I believe that organisations need to create the conditions that enhance individual
motivation and that, most likely, the conditions that have caused people to appear
'de-motivated now' were present well before the economic downturn.
My research and experience has clearly indicated that there are a number of
factors that leaders/manager can control that can enhance the conditions where
individual motivation has a chance to be raised. This answer assumes that
ensuring people are paid correctly is a 'given'.
1. Let people know what is going on - be honest
2. Remind people of where you are going and how what you are doing now is
going to get you there (Vision and strategy)
3. Recognise people for their efforts - be genuine when doing this else it will
backfire
4. To the best of your ability ensure that people are doing work that engages
their talents - this assumes, of course, that you have spent the time working
out what their talents are in the first place (if you haven't done this yet, then
this too is an opportunity)
5. Create opportunities for your people to contribute to finding and
implementing ways to help the company 'turn things around' - Low Risk
Projects are a great way to do this (a Low Risk Project is one that has minimal
financial or brand risk associated with it, but a big upside if it comes off)
6. This builds on number 6 above - continue to create developmental
opportunities for your people - how smart can you be with you existing
budget line items so that you can stay within budget yet still create
developmental opportunities for your people to develop themselves? E.g. you
probably can't pay people more, yet you might be able to send some on a
conference (that would be relevant to them and their role of course)
7. Listen to what they have to say and implement (where possible) their
suggestions - then let everyone know that you have implemented a
suggestion from whoever suggested it - this proves that you have listened
8. Trust people to do their job - there is not much more de-motivating that
someone unnecessarily looking over your shoulder
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34. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
9. Give people honest feedback on their performance - what are they doing well,
what could they improve on and what could they start doing that they are not
currently doing
10. Re-enforce the value of what they are doing and how it is helping the
company get back on track.
These ten suggestions are all within the control of each manager/leader and in my
view are absolutely doable.
What have you been doing to enhance the conditions for individual employee
motivation during tough economic times?
Please feel free to comment on this article
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35. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Delivering great service gives us job satisfaction
All staff, whether the CEO or the lowliest paid employee in the organisation, have a
high sense of job satisfaction when they are able to serve their customers properly.
When systems & processes exist to support the passion of people, great service
can flow through an organisation.
The satisfaction that comes from serving people results from the positive
relationship that staff feel with an organisation when they are supported in serving
their customers. Positive staff relationships result in improved service. In turn, this
type of relationship results in a positively reinforcing virtuous cycle that generates
great service. In this sense, it is absolutely vital that systems & processes support
staff in building positive relationships with clients, customers and stakeholders.
Without this support delivering great service and staff job satisfaction fall through
the floor.
How well do systems & processes support staff to deliver great service in your
organisation?
Quote
Relationship employees work harder and smarter. They care about the business, its
future, its destiny. The business becomes their business. (Leonard L Berry)
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36. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Australian Emerging Leaders Survey
By Alicia Curtis
Hello OTM Community,
I’ve just launched our second annual survey of young professionals to gather
information about their leadership needs and challenges.
The survey information is below and I would really appreciate if you could
complete the survey if appropriate and circulate this information to your networks.
If you would like a copy of the report from last year's survey, you can download it
for free from my website - www.aliciacurtis.com. Otherwise, I look forward to
sending you the results of the survey soon too.
Thanks for your help.
Kind regards,
Alicia
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37. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Goals and Achievements. December is an excellent time
to take stock and plan for the coming year.
By Tanya Rutherford
As things start to quieten down with everyone away on holidays during late
December/ January, its a perfect time to start planning what you want to achieve
both personally and professionally for the coming year.
Convinced that you “never plan”? Well I always thought that was the case with me,
but retrospectively I would have to say we all plan to some degree – if we want to
achieve in life. Surely it hasn't all been “by accident”….?
Anyhow, if you’d like to read up more on my own realisations with regards to the
influence of goal setting, or to get an easy to use goal setting template, check out
my December e-article.
Tanya Rutherford
"What is now proved was once only imagined" (William Blake)
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38. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
The Thankful List
For many people around the world we have just finished giving and receiving gifts.
Of course upon receiving gifts we have given thanks in appreciation of what we
have just received.
A day later it is worth slowing down and
reflecting on all the things for which we are
thankful.
The Dalai Lama has shared that western
people, despite their wealth spend most of
their life suffering. The suffering comes from
wanting something they don't have and not
appreciating what they do have.
The Festive Season often results in people receiving some of the things they have
wanted. Unfortunately it is not long before western people then want something
different, or better than they currently have. So the suffering starts again! It is for
this reason that this time of year provides an opportunity to stop, reflect and to
consider all the things for which you are thankful.
The act of writing your list seems to make it real. As you write down each item you
cannot help but to reflect upon why you are thankful for that item.
To create your Thankful List I encourage you to be as specific as possible. Think of
all the things from all aspects of your life for which you are thankful. For example
name the people for which you are thankful.
You will be amazed at both the length of your list and what you have included on it.
Interestingly, it is a list that, once started, seems to keep growing.
Once started, place your list where you can see it regularly. You'll be amazed at the
tension in your life that is reduced from running your eye over your list on a regular
basis.
What's on your Thankful List?
Please feel free to comment on this article
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39. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Do you have ʻHappiness Magicʼ?
Last night, while putting my three year old son to bed, he raised his hands, palms
facing forward and said, "Dadda, why don't I have magic?"
I couldn't help but think to myself, "Yes you do!", but what was I to say?
Within a moment my answer emerged. "Yes you do son. You have Happiness
Magic!"
A big smile spread across his face.
"Do I have Happiness Magic Dadda?"
"Yes you do," I replied. "Do you notice that when big people are looking at you that
they are smiling?"
"Yes Dadda they do smile at me." "See, you really do have Happiness Magic don't
you"
"Yes Dadda I do have Happiness Magic, see", and he raised his palms and faced
them toward me.
I smiled a big smile and so did he.
His Happiness Magic was at work!
Maybe Happiness Magic is not restricted to children. During this Festive Season I
encourage you to share your Happiness Magic - hopefully I'm sharing mine right
now and you are smiling!
Have a terrific and safe Festive Season.
Please feel free to comment on this article
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40. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
University Student Group-Work Starter Course
Are you frustrated by your university group/team work experiences?
Do you find them to be a painful experience?
Students report that university group-work is one of
their most dreaded experiences at university. Yet
employers highly value university group-work because
it is where students have to learn how to work with
different people, just like in the 'real world'.
This free two lesson introductory course will ensure
that you give your university groups the best chance
to achieve the success you desire. You will also learn
how to ask some critical questions that will help your
team to be successful. These questions are not unique to student groups - which
is why they are so useful to master while you are a student!
Learning how to influence the starting phase of a team in a positive and
constructive way that helps your team to work well as a team is a critical skill for
the success of your career.
So why wouldn't you want to start developing that skill now. And best of all, this
course is free!
Delivered straight to your inbox, you will receive the first lesson immediately upon
signing up for the course. The second lesson will be emailed to you in three days
time. So you will complete this course in four days!
Sign up for this free course here.
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41. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Online Courses
Organisations That Matter provides a wide range of Online Courses to assist you in
your personal & professional development.
Our courses include:
Creating a Plan For Personal Success
How to Create High Performing Teams
Weekly Inspiration
16 Lesson What Really Matters For Young Professionals! eCourse
University Student Group Work For Success and much more
Please visit here for more information.
Webinars
A webinar is an online seminar. Providing you have access to a computer and the
internet, webinars are a simple, easy and cost effective way to access critical
information for your personal & professional development.
Samples from our webinar program can be viewed here. Please remember to view
the videos in fullscreen mode.
Please sign up for our newsletter if you would like to be invited to our upcoming
webinars.
36

42. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
What Really Matters For Young Professionals!
Are you taking full advantage of your first years of employment?
Are you consciously developing yourself and taking full advantage of the
opportunities presented to you?
Are you fully aware of the opportunities that you have to accelerate your career?
If you answered "No" to anyone of these three questions then we can help you to
master 15 practices that will accelerate your career.
"This book is the definitive tool for young professionals with loads of expert
knowledge who need to quickly develop high-level employability skills. It can also
be used by managers and HR professionals for induction of their graduate recruits,
or young at heard professionals willing to adjust to the contemporary workplace. If
you want to succeed in the 21th century as a high-performing individual I
recommend you read this book."
Renata Bernarde
Relationship Manager and Career Counselor
Online Checklist
Take the Online Checklist for the 15 practices that are explained in the book, What
Really Matters For Young Professionals! Your results will help to quickly identify
how you can use the book to accelerate your career!
This product is for both Young Professionals and/or their employers
What Really Matters For Young Professionals! How To Master 15 Practices To
Accelerate Your Career is a resource that will help Young Professionals (people in
the workforce with between five to ten years experience) to accelerate the speed
of their career progress.
While Young Professionals are unlikely to suffer the high unemployment rates of
previous generations in countries like Australia, this is not the situation in many
countries throughout the world.
In the USA and the UK Young Professionals are having significant challenges
finding employment. For those who are employed, even in Australia achieving
promotions are a challenge because of the high competition for these
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43. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
opportunities. This is why continuous practical development is essential for career
progression.
What Really Matters For Young Professionals! is
both a resource for Young Professionals and their
employers. The book and Online Course create a
space for practical development to occur.
In these challenging economic times employers can
provide the course to their Young Professionals.
Alternatively, Young Professionals can invest in their
own development. At less than the cost of three
coffees per week over 16 weeks, the investment for
becoming a high performer is minimal.
If you are an employer and would like to discuss how the book and Online Course
can be packaged for your employees, please email Gary@orgsthatmatter.com .
"Wow! This book is jam packed with useful and practical strategies for young
professionals wanting to take the next step up in their careers. In a time where
young professionals are constantly asking for more mentoring and training, this
book is the perfect do-it-yourself manual to improve your employability."
Alicia Curtis
www.ygenclub.com
Out now!
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44. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
About Gary Ryan
Gary Ryan is a Founding Director and owner of Organisations That Matter, a
boutique management consulting firm that assists individuals, teams and
organisations to achieve high performance through aligning people, strategy,
systems and processes.
Why? When alignment is achieved organisations behave in ways that matter to the
people working in them, the people the organisations serve and the broader
community. Ultimately alignment matters if the organisation wishes to achieve its
financial, social and environmental outcomes.
Utilising his diverse skills, experience and training, Gary helps organisations,
leaders and team members achieve maximum performance as a professional
management consultant and a dynamic facilitator and presenter. Key to Gary’s
success is his passion to influence behavioural change that aligns what individuals
say with what they actually do.
Gary is committed to helping organisations to really matter to their people; to their
stakeholders and customers; to their community and to their environment.
With over 17 years executive management and facilitation experience, Gary has
had broad exposure to the private sector, government bodies, elite sporting and
educational environments. In this capacity, Gary has designed and facilitated the
NAB Future Leaders Program and the NAB Mentor Program, the Leadership
Development Program at AFL club Richmond, whilst performing as Keynote
Speaker at the NAB TEDx TALKS and Monash University Postgraduate orientation
program since 2008.
Gary Ryan is a Certified What Makes People Tick® Facilitator and has served
as a Senior Assessor for the Customer Service Institute of Australia with
considerable expertise in developing service excellence. Gary is also a Licensed
0-10 Relationship Management® Elite Trainer Facilitator, enabling him to assist
organisations optimise performance through improved internal and external
relationship management.
Gary is the Author of What Really Matters For Young Professionals! How to
Master 15 Practices to Accelerate Your Career and has also written a series of
e-books, What Really Matters available here.
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45. What Really Matters! Volume 2, Number 4, 2010
Gary has studied extensively, initially attaining a Bachelor of Education, and a
Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management, holds a Master of
Management from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Gary’s areas of specialty cover service excellence development, assessment and
facilitation, program design and development, and relationship management
development and facilitation.
Personally, Gary Ryan is happily married and a proud father of five children. He is
dedicated to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and is currently in training to run his
eleventh marathon.
Contact Gary at info@orgsthatmatter.com or join him on LinkedIn.
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