Building a Winning Innovation Team

Today, at their first home game of the 2008 season, the Boston Red Sox will receive their rings for winning the 2007 World Series. Once thought of as underdogs, enduring an 86-year championship drought, the Sox have turned around their fortunes, winning two World Series in four years and appearing in the post-season four times in five years – a feat for any team (except for the Yankees who won four World Series in five years).

Part of the Red Sox success has been the recruitment of stellar players who possess the skills or “tools” to dominate both offensively and defensively. These five tools – pitching, catching, running, hitting for average, and hitting for power – rarely appear in one player. Historical examples of such players include Willie Mays, Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey Sr., and Mickey Mantle. Currently, only Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez fit this description. The Boston Red Sox, however, have worked around lacking a 5-tool player by being a 5-tool team.

Looking at the roster for the Sox, there is a well-rounded representation of the five tools. David “Big Papi” Ortiz and Manny Ramirez excel at hitting for power, although both have questionable skills at running and catching. Outfielders Coco Crisp and JD Drew and third baseman Mike Lowell (2007 World Series MVP), however, stand out at catching and running. Another player skilled at catching, Kevin “Youk” Youkilis broke the record for most consecutive errorless games by a first baseman, at 194, on April 2, 2008. Youk, Drew, and Lowell also shine at hitting for average. The Red Sox’s bullpen, anchored by Josh Beckett and supported by Clay Buchholtz and veteran pitcher Curt Schilling, consistently holds opponents to few (if any) runs.

The Red Sox roster and success demonstrate the importance of diversity in building and developing a team. BoSox manager Tony Francona has built a team that has at least three players supporting each of the five tools and every position on the field. Of managers appearing in at least 20 post-season games, Francona has the highest winning percentage.

Research done by our partners at the Centre for Research in Innovation Management (CENTRIM) at the University of Brighton in the United Kingdom found that the most successfully innovative organizations in the world follow a five-phased “journey” of innovation – Searching, Exploring, Committing, Realizing and Optimizing. The actions needed in each phase are supported by specific skill-sets and mindsets. Like 5-tool players, 5-phase managers are rare. While many of us have the aptitude to excel in each of the phases, typically, we will specialize or have particular ability in only one or two.

Companies who, like the Red Sox, build 5-phase teams are most likely to see success. Examples of successful 5-phase organizations include Hewlett-Packard, New York Police Department, and Toyota. These companies have organizational capabilities in all 5-phases and are highly regarded for their innovative culture.

You, too, can build a 5-phase team. It starts with an honest appraisal of each individual’s current capabilities and a plan for developing (either through acquisition or training) the skills that the team lacks. Barnes & Conti’s two-day Managing Innovation program provides a hands-on opportunity for managers to understand the key practices in innovation management, reflect on their strengths and weaknesses as managers of innovation, and develop behavioral skills that drive, foster, support, and improve organizational innovation practices.

What phase do you support the most? To identify which phase of the Innovation Journey best describes how you help your organization move ideas into action, visit: http://barnesconti.com/media/whichavatar.html To learn more about our Managing Innovation program, visit: http://barnesconti.com/programs/innovation.html.

Grace Boone is Barnes & Conti's Marketing Manager. She's been a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Ozzie Smith since age nine, but now supports her hometown Oakland A's.

Making time for training

Yesterday evening, nearly all of the 7,100 Starbucks stores in the US closed to re-train baristas on making perfect lattes. The 3 1/2 hour session focused on "Espresso Excellence."

Yes, Dunkin’ Donuts was running 99-cent specials on their lattes during the shut down. Yes, local coffee roasters poked fun at Starbucks and offered free coffee during those hours. And yes, Starbucks executives were concerned about the customers who would be caffeine-less, posting a list of things to do for 3 1/2 hours (roast a turkey, get your hair highlighted).

But CEO Howard Schultz is more concerned about staying true to the "…standards of quality that are the foundation for the trust that our customers have in our coffee and in all of us." Schultz and others mandated the training amid falling sales and the increasing commoditization of the Starbucks brand and product.

While the investment of time and the risk of lost profit during the 3 1/2 hour training session are interesting, we find the commitment to training from the executive level to be even more impressive. In a recent interview, CEO Schultz said that Starbucks was committed to "…reinvent and reinvest in training the likes of which we have not done." It is unlikely that the undertaking of closing every store and retraining every worker at the same time on the same day (adjusted for time zones) would have been done without this high-level encouragement. In that same interview, Schultz says, "I think our people are the reason we've been successful…the equity of the brand is based on the experience they create, and we want to unleash that creativity and that passion. They have it. We just have to give them the tools and the resources for it to come out."

Many leaders talk the talk, saying "Our people are our biggest asset," but few do what Schultz has done and take the gutsy moves necessary to emphasize learning and make investing in human capital a priority. What’s your organization’s commitment to learning? Are employees required to revisit and relearn key skills as well as to develop new ones? How do your leaders demonstrate their commitment to learning, high performance, and customer care?

Give me a grande latte and don’t hold anything!


Grace Boone is Barnes & Conti's Marketing Manager. Her favorite drink is a Gingerbread Chai with a shot of espresso.


Barnes & Conti Associates delivers dynamic programs in 2-day, 1-day, and half-day sessions, making it easy to make time for training. For more information, visit www.barnesconti.com

$41 Worth of Influence

Today I put my influence skills to work….I fought a $41 parking ticket!

I live in the city and parking tickets are a regular part of my life, something that I like to think of as a charitable contribution for the betterment of the city. Occasionally, however, I get a ticket which I feel justified fighting…and today was my hearing.

Awhile back, our urban neighborhood had one of its many "events" where hundreds of people with their cars drive into the area. This particular event goes on for about one month, so needless to say, it wears thin. Despite permit parking, there are absolutely no parking spaces available and creativity is needed! After an hour of driving around for the 30th night, I found my spot. So what if one-fourth of my car was in a bus zone, three-fourths of the body was legal. Given the circumstances of the demand for parking, I felt justified….apparently the police didn’t think so!

My husband laughed when I told him of my plans this morning to fight the ticket…."Why bother," he said. "You were parked illegally". Like pregnancy, there is no such thing as "a little illegal".

But off to traffic court I went. Much to my surprise I was called in after only a 15 minute wait to meet with the hearing officer…Things were looking good despite the 3-way screaming match I had just witnessed between another ticketed resident, the traffic court receptionist and the security officer.

Upon entering the hearing officer’s office, I noticed a tremendous array of sports paraphernalia. So, I opened our conversation with a little rapport building through humor and said, "So, I can see you like the ballet." A little confused at first, he laughed. We then got down to business. I mentioned my conversation with my husband this morning and told him how my husband thought I didn’t stand a chance fighting this ticket. After all, I was illegally parked (Attune/Disclosing). I asked him if he ever attended the annual event in our area (Inquire/Ask Questions). He said he was familiar with it but never attended. He mentioned that he heard it was a real mob scene and parking was difficult….he then mentioned that he heard several complaints from others. I restated, "So you know how crazy it can get" (Listen/Check Understanding). He replied, "Of course…your ticket is reversed and I have backed it out of the computer system." I thanked him and as I was getting up to leave I asked him how he felt about the Super Bowl outcome (Inquire/Ask Questions). We chatted about the great lessons of the Giants being replayed to kids for many years to come (Enlist/Envision) despite neither of us being Giants’ fans (Attune/Identify with Other).

Back at my office, I reflected on this conversation with Kim Barnes. She asked what made my influence attempt successful and I realized it was because I behaved in that moment counter to what my natural inclinations would have been. I stayed on the Receptive side, guiding our brief discussion without ever having to convince the hearing officer of my rightness. What a pleasant experience and again, as I behaviorally dissect it, I am learning from it!

Lauren Powers is Barnes & Conti's Eastern Regional Director.

For more information on Exercising Influence visit: http://www.barnesconti.com/programs/influence.html. Exercising Influence will be offered as an open enrollment program on March 4-5 in Washington, DC, March 11-12 in Pleasant Hill, CA, and April 10-11 in Atlanta, GA. To register for a public program visit: http://www.barnesconti.com/ppsched.php

Let's agree to disagree...

This week, when voters in 22 states cast their ballots in Presidential Primary races, they took part in what is a 230-year-old social experiment. When the framers were writing the Constitution, it was feared, amongst many people in the young nation, that a nation could not be formed because the power of factions would undoubtedly trample the rights of the minority.

In the months following the writing of the United States Constitution, a group of men – Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison – wrote a series of essays arguing in favor of forming the Union. Signing them “Publius,” these essays appeared in various papers to persuade wary voters to ratify the constitution. Federalist No. 10, written by James Madison, provided a pivotal argument for the creation of a union. Madison writes:

Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an aliment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.

In this statement, and throughout the essay, Madison argues that a diversity of ideas encourages liberty and that a republican government prevents any one faction from trampling the rights of others. In other words: reasonable people can disagree.

And so, for the last 230 years, we have been a nation that disagrees without being disagreeable…well – with the exception of the 4 years of the Civil War. It could be argued that this commitment to enlightened discourse that has helped propel the US through the trials that would otherwise undo any young nation.

So what does this have to do with corporate training? Well, if a diversity of ideas is key to the birth, growth, and success of a young nation – what can it do for your organization? At Barnes & Conti, we call it Constructive Debate. This process allows you to express your ideas, engage the opinions of others, build on one another’s ideas, challenge one another’s thinking, and empower your organization to move forward. Constructive Debate is at the cornerstone of all collaboration efforts and prevents great ideas and “off-the-wall” notions from being quieted by loud voices and emotion rather than passion.

As this election year presses on, we are reminded that this democratic experiment has succeeded largely because civil discourse has allowed the best ideas to rise and for majority rule to exist without trampling minority rights. Similarly, discussion and debate can be the air that feeds the fire of success in your organization.

Grace Boone is Barnes & Conti's Marketing Manager.

For more information on how Constructive Debate can help your organization, visit: http://barnesconti.com/programs/debate.html or call Barnes & Conti at 800.835.0911

For the full text of Federalist No. 10: http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed10.htm

Sites we like...TheBuriedLife.com

“What do you want to do before you die?”

If there was a top ten list of most unusual cocktail party questions, I think this would be one of them. Johnnie, Dave, Duncan and Ben, the four men behind www.theburiedlife.com, are traveling across the country asking ordinary people and celebrities this question while checking off their combined list of 100 things they want to do.

It’s an interesting question. We encourage you to visit their site, make your list, and start moving ideas into action.


Please feel free to leave a comment. What do you want to do before you die?

Autumn Newsletter on Barnesconti.com

We've released our latest Barnes & Conti Newsletter. You can read it by clicking here.

Articles in this installment include"The dog ate my passport" by Kim Barnes on using influence in a tough situation and "Innovation and Project Management" by Jeffrey Belding. As always, the newsletter includes updates from Barnes & Conti and a delicious recipe.

Relocation Changes More Than Address - Intelligent Risk-Taking In Action

"There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. " - Anaïs Nin

Last August, I sold all my furniture, packed up the rest of my belongings, and drove cross-country to move from Washington, DC to Oakland, CA. I knew exactly 13 people in the Bay Area – my 12 co-workers and my new roommate. When I arrived, I replaced my furniture and set about the adventure of starting my new life here.

What I’ve consistently heard over the last year is surprise over my willingness to make such a move. Most are even more surprised to learn that I had not planned to move when I did. I often wonder if I wasn’t crazy for embarking on a huge life event with little preplanning.

Soon after my move, I took the Barnes & Conti Intelligent Risk-Taking program (what I would have given for this knowledge last summer, particularly the planning wheel!). In retrospect, I realize that I actually followed, to some degree, the Fast Track model of the Intelligent Risk-Taking (IRT) process, though I’ll admit, I think much of the Assess step (weighing costs and benefits) was skipped. In celebration of the one-year anniversary of my move, I’ve taken time to review the IRT process, and I can clearly see the successes and learning opportunities from my moving process

I suppose it’s not possible to be fully prepared for the realities of moving 3200 miles. Although I have managed to address the little things you must replace when you move – salons, gyms, shopping (thank goodness for yelp.com), I did not realize how much my move would change me. I recently retook the IRT Style Questionnaire. While my behavior in some arenas has remained constant, others have changed greatly – particularly the 4 arenas where I had been highly overcautious: Business, Physical, Image, and Interpersonal.

Business: When I first took the questionnaire, I was 6 weeks into a new job and terrified of making mistakes. Now, however, I’m confident in my role, and thanks to great mentors, I’m comfortable taking risks.

Physical: For my friends and family – this is perhaps the arena of the most surprising changes. I went snowboarding in April. I go on hikes weekly. I have a goal to ride a century (100 miles) next year…but I have to learn to ride a bike first. While I won’t be signing up for skydiving lessons any time soon, the beauty of the Bay Area seems to demand outdoor activity, representing a departure from my “allergic to the outdoors” self. Strapping yourself to a snowboard and hurtling down a mountain also puts many other risks into perspective, especially when you realize after falling 54 times that the only way down the mountain will require several more falls.

Image: My outdoors allergy was one part of my pre-California image that has been challenged. Taking the risk to move to the Bay Area allowed me to be comfortable with my “self” who wears a suit and heels, just as I am comfortable with the one who wears jeans and sneakers (fashionable sneakers, but sneakers nonetheless). Although I did spend my first few months here in a bit of an identity crisis, struggling to blend my “east-coast” and “west-coast” selves (and Midwestern background), I’ve since learned to accept that I am a mixture of these experiences and to take a chance that others will accept my multi-faceted personality.

Interpersonal: Without a doubt – this was my most challenging risk arena and an area that is still evolving. Despite my general talkativeness, I am an introvert who can seem a bit standoffish at times. It has required a significant effort for me to take the risks, regularly, needed to meet new people. I am slowly but surely shedding my over-cautiousness and building my social network.

Overall, there are days when the relocation is difficult and uncomfortable. But as Sam Roberts has frequently advised me, “If it’s uncomfortable, then it’s different, and it’s probably right because you’re growing.” Yet, there are times when I’m still a little scared and think: “Really? What was I thinking?” However, I often think of the article by Isabella Conti in our IRT workbook. She writes about being terrified before beginning her three-year journey on a sailboat, but that the “…motivation to go forward must be greater than the fear…Having taken my great risk, succeeded and grown from it, I can use that experience to guide me in those heart-pounding moments when fear, for a moment, overwhelms the dream” (To read Isabella Conti’s article click here)

Living in the Bay Area truly is a dream come true for me. Looking back, the madness of last summer seems both very long ago and as if it were yesterday. I remember, very vividly being wracked with anxiety about where to live, where the job would go and the myriad of other things associated with a new home. However, after taking this risk, others seem easier. Now, would I make such a huge move again? With my trusty IRT planning wheel, even a move to Europe seems doable.

Written by Grace Boone, Marketing manager of Barnes & Conti Associates

What's your risk style? Take our Intelligent Risk Taking Style Questionnaire by clicking here. For more information on Intelligent Risk Taking visit http://barnesconti.com/programs/IRT.html or give us a call at 800.835.0911.

What we're reading...Learning and Performance Matter

LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE MATTER edited by Prem Kumar (National Community Leadership Institute, Singapore) & Phil Ramsey (Massey University, New Zealand)

This interesting anthology of essays, edited by our friend and colleague Prem Kumar, explores the balance between managing performance to meet current demands and learning to expand our capabilities for future demands. Written by leading consultants, practitioners, and scholars, this book offers practical approaches and fresh insights on the importance of both learning and performance in today's organizations. We recommend this book to those interested in the intersection of learning and performance and using both to build a successful company.

For more information on Learning and Performance Matter, visit http://www.worldscibooks.com/socialsci/6613.html.

A College Student’s Experience with EI

My name is Philip Arsenis and I am 20 years old. As a rising junior and politics major at Occidental College, an internship at Barnes & Conti Associates, Inc. seemed to be an ideal opportunity for this summer. With an interest in sales and consulting I knew this was my chance to get some serious experience. So, I applied and was then accepted. My immediate interest in the training programs paid off. I was given the opportunity to attend an Exercising Influence (EI) class, conducted by Janne at Kaiser Permanente.

The EI training was like nothing I had anticipated. It was more interactive, well researched, and more applicable then I had fathomed. As a college student I thought I would be out of the loop. On the contrary, I naturally identified with the problems, circumstances, and relations the Kaiser employees faced. During the class dialogs, everyone introduced issues that were unique to them. However, it was during these discussions that everyone’s different problems were constantly being answered in a more uniform way. Whether it was with the EI wheel or with real-life examples - it was always Kim’s tactics and strategies that seemed to quell every ‘different’ problem. It was then, about 45 minutes into the day, that it became clear that it was our common yearning to ‘get what we wanted done’ that really brought us together rather then having our unique problems which set us apart - we were all these to learn how to better our lives.

As an Occidental student, I feel that I am representative enough to speak on behalf of college students. We are constantly maneuvering social responsibilities, homework, and personal issues – and it gets hectic and overwhelming – as I am sure it does for the adults in the working world. However, there is one difference between college students and adults. Adults are more experienced.

This is precisely why I know that EI would be immensely beneficial to college students. It would equip us with the appropriate tools to tackle difficult situations from a professional angle without having to use the outdated sink or swim approach to life. As a young man trying to enter the adult work force, I know that there is nothing better then these tools, which can be applied to different situations at different times. They have enabled me to be an equal player as well as a leader. I recommend highly any and all college students who are serious about being an efficient communicator to take this class and learn the science of influence.

Written by Philipos Arsenis

Influence...From the Mouths of Babes

Since my oldest daughter was three, I have always worked from my home. While my children perceived this to be a wonderful benefit, it did present a minor complication when it was “Take Your Daughter to Work Day”.

On one of these annual occasions, when my daughter, Emma was about 7 or 8, she remarked how unfair it was to have a mom who worked at home and she did not really understand what I did anyway! So, I set out to explain the complicated world of training and development and my role within it. (Being a lawyer or doctor would have been so much easier!). Emma wanted to know what I actually “trained” so I started to explain how often I train courses on “Influence” Skills.

“What’s that?” she replied.

“Well, it involves teaching people how to use a set of behaviors that will help them achieve results in their jobs and build relationships with their co-workers”. And as if this would make sense to a 7-year old, I then went on to describe some of these tactics and behaviors such as expressing needs, offering reasons, coming up with incentives, listening to others, asking good questions, drawing others out and getting others excited about your idea.

She looked puzzled as I continued my explanation and cried out, “Wait a minute, you teach adults, right?”

“Yes that’s right”, I answered.

“Well then why do you need to teach grown-ups about that? You’re teaching them how to get their own way, and kids already know how to do it. I don’t get it!” Emma exclaimed.

Well, from the mouths of babes….

I often reflect on this exchange. On one level, she was right. Children know how to go after what they want and they are persistent, goal-focused, and unrelenting at times. They pay close attention to the interpersonal clues and environment and can figure out how to navigate their way through the intricacies of their needs and the barriers standing in their way. They often know how to read a situation, ask lots of questions with no apologies to get information they need to make their case, and they are willing to show their vulnerabilities as well. And with all of this, they are also quite ADORABLE and CUTE!

So, what happens as we mature? How come we lose our confidence to go after what we want, speaking directly in an unabashed way? I suspect many of us have paid the price for directly communicating about our needs. Or perhaps, when we have tried, we have forgotten how to take the situational cues into account when pleading our cause. Maintaining behavioral flexibility and understanding context is key to our success as adults in achieving what we want to accomplish. Let’s not forget what we knew how to do so well in childhood. (And never mind about being adorable).

Written by Lauren Powers, Eastern Regional Director

Want to know more about influence skills and being more effective at getting things done? Visit our website at: www.barnesconti.com to learn about Exercising Influence - the world's most widely used influence skills program.