Former consumer products goods companies executive Elliot Haverlack is answering a few questions about his new book, Unbundle It. In the process, he’s also shedding light on how four-letter words—including the "f-word"—should be used all the time in the workplace. Enjoy!

1. Are
you
ready
to
Unbundle
It?
Former
consumer
products
goods
companies
executive
Elliot
Haverlack
is
answering
a
few
questions
about
his
new
book,
Unbundle
It.
In
the
process,
he’s
also
shedding
light
on
how
four-­‐letter
words—including
the
F-­‐word—
should
be
used
all
the
time
in
the
workplace.
Enjoy!
What
motivated
you
to
write
Unbundle
It?
Throughout
my
career,
I
experienced
countless
matters
that
stagnated
or
ideas
and
opportunities
that
were
not
being
realized
because
they
were
tied
up
in
related,
but
ultimately
immaterial
nonsense.
I
found
that
if
we
could
unbundle
the
idea
or
matter
from
all
the
stuff
that
was
confounding
progress,
business
could
be
more
successful
–
and
profitable.
You
now
offer
a
consultation
service
via
UnbundleIt.com.
How
would
you
describe
this
service?
We
offer
a
broad
spectrum
of
services.
At
one
end
of
the
continuum
we
offer
meeting
style
workshops
that
will
elevate
organizational
capacity,
capability,
and
cooperation.
At
the
other
end
we
specialize
in
individual
coaching
sessions
that
will
develop
leadership
skills
in
team
members
at
all
levels.
We
are
experts
in
coaching
budding
leaders
and
preparing
them
to
become
the
superstars
of
the
future.
Unbundle
It
addresses
some
of
the
most
common
problems
in
corporate
America.
Of
all
of
these
problems,
which
do
you
think
are
the
most
serious?
Simply
stated,
failure
to
focus
on
organizational
cooperation.
This
means
populating
your
team
with
members
who
share
your
values
and
developing
a
high
level
of
trust.
How
have
the
principles
of
Unbundle
It
impacted
your
own
life
and
business
experiences?
I
have
been
blessed
to
lead
some
of
the
most
amazing
teams
in
business…
Applying
a
simplified
perspective
has
provided
us
with
the
opportunity
to
accomplish
the
seemingly
impossible,
and
in
doing
so;
experience
the
thrill
of
winning
over
and
over
again
and
learning
from
our
failures.
In
my
personal
life
keeping
everything
in
perspective
has
created
an
indescribably
powerful
sense
of
wellbeing.
Simply
stated
I
love
life
and
have
had
the
opportunity
to
experience
adventures
that
I,
young
Elliott,
could
not
have
imagined.
In
the
book,
you
assert
that
in
business,
and
in
other
areas
of
life,
people
"complicate"
and
"bundle"
everything.
Can
you
give
us
an
example?
The
book
references
salt
and
pepper,
two
separate
things
that
are
almost
always
considered
together.
Why
must
one
always
have
both
if
one
only
wants
one
or
the
other?
It
is
simplistic—maybe
too
much
so.
But
when
applying
the
simple
thought
to
business,
what
if
we
were
to
take
an
idea
or
a
challenge,
and
pare
it
down…
separate
it
from
all
those
weights
tied
to
it
that
prevent
it
from
proceeding?
In
the
purest
sense,
what
would
it
take
to
move
that
idea
or
challenge
forward?

2. Once
we
begin
to
think
of
things
in
that
way,
we
have
achieved
and
“unbundled”
state
that
gives
us
the
capacity
to
move
it
forward
or
resolve
the
challenge.
It
does
not
mean
that
the
surrounding
factors
just
disappear.
But
if
we
isolate
the
problem
or
idea,
and
solve
against
the
challenges
individually,
progress
occurs.
Otherwise,
bundled,
tied,
mired
down…
progress
and
progressive
thinking
are
slowed
or
stopped.
How
do
you
define
“bundling”
and
why
is
it
important
for
business
leaders
to
move
away
from
this
practice?
Bundling
is
the
tendency
that
business
leaders
have
to
overcomplicate
just
about
everything.
Speed
matters
in
business
and
complexity
its
enemy.
Imagine
a
world
where
insightful
decisions
can
be
made
quickly
and
deftly
because
the
self-­‐created
complication
has
been
removed
from
our
lives.
Can
you
share
an
anecdote
about
how
"bundling"
impeded
you/the
companies
you
worked
with?
I
could
write
a
book
on
this
topic.
When
I
was
a
young
man
the
company
I
worked
for
required
a
lengthy
list
of
daily
reports
that
were
not
relevant
and
rarely,
if
ever,
reviewed.
As
such,
three
things
occurred.
Supervisors
who
were
burdened
with
completing
the
reports
fraudulently
completed
the
same.
Supervisors
lost
confidence
in
the
leadership.
Supervisors
spent
up
to
20
percent
of
their
time
performing
activities
that
had
no
impact
on
any
meaningful
output.
Related
is
the
interesting
use
of
hourly
cleaning
logs
posted
in
public
restrooms.
My
question
is
who
decided
this
was
prudent?
In
my
experience
the
logs
are
either
blank,
behind,
filled
in
with
hours
that
yet
to
occur.
In
many
cases
the
restrooms
are
filthy
leading
me
to
want
to
meet
the
staff
member
who
claimed
to
have
cleaned
it
just
5
minutes
prior.
Could
it
be
that
team
member’s
time
might
be
better
used
in
actually
cleaning
the
restrooms
rather
than
spending
the
time
to
find
a
dry
erase
marker,
fill
in
the
log,
and
then
erase
the
times
so
they
can
be
filled
in
again
the
next
day.
Is
it
accurate
to
say
that
you
view
many
of
the
ways
today’s
leaders
operate,
are
ineffective,
off-­‐
target,
and
off-­‐base?
It
is
an
unfair
characterization
as
you
describe,
however
it
IS
fair
to
say
that
frequently
leaders
adopt
overly
bureaucratic
processes,
likely
enacted
with
the
best
of
intentions,
but
that
debilitate
their
teams
and
erode
trust.
How
has
your
background
helped
to
make
you
an
authority
on
unbundling?
We
are
all
products
of
the
life
we
have
had
the
privilege
to
lead.
In
my
case,
early
in
my
life
I
was
extremely
fortunate
to
have
great
outcomes
from
potentially
life
altering
misfortune.
While
I
had
the
opportunity
to
attend
an
Ivy
League
university,
the
personal
circumstances
at
the
time
made
the
challenges
of
that
an
insurmountable
opportunity.
I
instead
was
compelled
to
attend
a
small
state
college
near
the
town
where
I
grew
up.
There
I
had
the
great
blessing
to
meet
two
mentors
who
urged
me
to
explore
where
my
ambition
and
drive
could
lead
me.
A
year
of
unemployment
and
underemployment
after
graduation
provided
me
the
opportunity
to
reflect
on
the
self-­‐inflicted
bundling
that
had
ruled
my
life
until
that
point.
When
my
employment
break
came
I
unbundled
my
fears
and
my
life
and
heeded
the
advice
of
those
two
wise
advisors.
From
that
day
forward
I
have
never
looked
back
except
for
to
reflect
how
fortunate
I
was
to
have
been
given
the
opportunity
to
pursue
my
dreams.
In
retrospect
I
came
full
circle
at
the
age
of
40
when
I
sat
on
the
board
of
a
major
CPG
company
that
was
populated
almost
completely
with
Ivy
League
grads.
With
that
box
checked
I
elected
to
unbundle

3. my
life
further,
resigned,
and
opted
to
lead
a
small
struggling
family
owned
business.
More
than
a
decade
of
23.9%
compounded
annual
growth
followed
and
with
it
the
fortune
of
living
in
unbundled
bliss.
What
is
the
one
piece
of
advice
you
hear
yourself
sharing
over
and
over
again?
If
you
want
to
see
productive
change
from
others,
you
must
first
be
willing
to
change
yourself.
Who
do
you
recommend
this
book
for?
Frankly
the
collection
of
life
lessons
compiled
in
this
book
makes
it
a
great
read
for
anyone.
But,
its
target
audience
is
business
leaders
who
want
to
empower
themselves
and
their
workforces.
It
is
for
those
in
the
working
world
who
have
found
themselves
mired
amongst
the
naysayers…
for
those
frustrated
by
the
confines
of
the
day
to
day
who
seek
to
break
through
and
help
others
come
along.
What
will
readers
gain
from
reading
Unbundle
It?
They
will
gain
critical
thinking
skills
to
help
discern
what
are
worthy
encumbrances
and
what
are
just
blocks
in
the
road.
More
than
that,
they
will
learn
how
to
navigate
through
and
around
them.
Ok,
what
four
letter
words
can
possibly
be
acceptable
in
business?
First,
it
is
not
any
of
the
ones
you
are
thinking—although
one
does
start
with
“f”.
Try
thinking
Team,
Love,
and
here
is
my
f-­‐bomb:
Free.
Work
those
into
your
thinking
and
you
and
your
team
can
begin
to
become
unbundled.
But
there
are
two
we
should
never
use:
They
and
Them.
Use
of
these
two
words
erodes
accountability
and
creates
confusion—conditions
that
debilitate
the
team.