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Is your enterprise a "Compliance Company" or a "Creation
Company"? That's the provocative question that Tom McGehee poses in Whoosh,
in which he challenges every organization to recognize and realize its full potential.
We all know that new ideas are the lifeblood of any business. But in chasing that
elusive "new new thing" in an effort to dazzle customers and shareholders,
many companies lose sight of the real essence of innovation -- achieving quantum
results. These results are not accomplished through technology, overblown mission
statements, or "best practice" metrics based on past performance, but
by unleashing the creative spirit of your people. From
his vantage point leading innovation sessions at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young
Accelerated Solutions Environment, McGehee points out that the nature of work
itself is changing, forcing companies to abandon the practices that impede breakthroughs.
Individuals, whose skills and knowledge are likely to outlast their industries,
never mind their current positions, are looking for challenges, learning opportunities,
and the satisfaction of contributing to something new. They thrive on change and
demand the same of the organizations for which they work.
"Compliance Companies" erect barriers to change and innovation by insisting
on control of information, resources, and decision making in an effort to preserve
the status quo. "Creation" companies, on the other hand, do whatever
they can to encourage debate, insist on collaboration, and reward creative impulses
from anywhere in the organization. Drawing from his work
with a wide variety of companies around the world, as well as his experiences
in the U.S. Marine Corps, McGehee demonstrates how any company can generate the
excitement, energy, confidence, and audacity of the "whoosh," by subscribing
to three fundamental principles: - A leadership style
that emphasizes freedom, not control
- Understanding
that success means creating the new, not replicating the old
- A
corporate culture that values individual expression and collaborative work.
Whoosh is
not about working harder, faster, or more; it's about working with integrity and
purpose to maximize both individual and collective achievement. Ultimately, Whoosh
will help you ensure that the sound you hear is your own company racing headlong
into the future -- and not your competition speeding past you. Tom
McGehee is Vice President of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young's Accelerated Solutions
Environment in Dallas. His U.S. Marine experience ran the gamut from commanding
special operations units to ceremonial duties at the White House. Tom has worked
with start-ups to global giants, and has learned that whether taking the hill
or closing the deal, success is not manufactured, it's unleashed. Tom and his
family live in Plano, Texas. |
