Issue 34, Thursday 14 December, 2000
Made in New Zealand - twice winners of the America's Cup
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Award is a free fortnightly email magazine featuring the tools, techniques and best-practices that deliver high performance in the new economy
In this issue
WarmUp – Seasons greetings
Five Minute MasterClass – Alan Weiss' balanced world view
Quick Case Study – Business plans - don't leave home without one!
Sixty Second Snapshots
>> HELP!? #1 - comparing Baldrige/ISO/Investors
>> HELP!? #2 - class resources wanted at Concordia U
>> 360 DEGREE APPRAISAL (RE-VISITED)
>> KIWI WORLD LEADER - triple bottom lines
>> ISO-BUSTER'S FORECAST - THE BEGINNING OF THE END
>> TRAPPED? - your one-stop ISO shop

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WarmUp® - Seasons greetings
Award reaches the far corners of the globe, with readers on every continent and in all dot domains. Thanks for being with us during this first, eventful year. We hope you have a peaceful, happy and safe end-of-year holiday, and that your resolutions for the new year come to pass.

We're taking a southern hemisphere midsummer break, and the first issue for the real new millennium will be with you on January 25, 2001.
Five minute MasterClass® – Balancing Act
Alan Weiss publishes Balancing Act (here's the web link), which he describes as “A free monthly newsletter about balancing life, work, and relationships.” We enjoy his pointed and punchy world view, and recommend the newsletter. Here's an extract from the December issue.

“We often become overwhelmed with the exigencies of our lives, relationships, and professions, to the extent that we cease doing anything at all animated and instead become petunias,” Alan says, “barely able to turn toward the light.”

Here's some Weiss “fertilizer:”
Make some priorities. If everything is a priority, nothing is a priority. Choose three things to resolve or get accomplished quickly. (It actually doesn't matter what they are, just get three things done.)

Focus on the soluble. You can't resolve a personal loss or change government policy. Don't let that inability stop you from confronting the things you can change.

Delegate. The odds are that you've taken on too much. Can subordinates at work handle some projects? Can your partner and/or kids help? What about your friends? There is no shame in asking for help. You probably got in this mess because several people asked for your help and you couldn't refuse.

Miss a deadline. That's right, it's not the end of the world. The key is to tell the other party that the deadline or commitment will be missed, so that there are no unpleasant surprises at the last minute. The sun still rises the next morning.

Listen with your heart, then act with your head. In other words, choose accountabilities that your gut tells you should be attended to, then figure out a way to achieve them practically and efficiently.

When you're 80% ready, move. Most people find themselves under a pile because they believe they have to be 100% prepared in order to move forward. In fact, we can never be 100% prepared and the additional work in trying to move from 80% to 100% is dysfunctional (most people don't appreciate any qualitative difference, despite our efforts).

Question WHY you're doing (or procrastinating about doing) every single item which is part of your overwhelm. We tend to do things out of habit, not logic, and you may well be able to chuck half of them as really unnecessary. I stopped reading a slew of magazines which showed up every week without bettering my life in any way. I haven't missed one of them.

Tend to daily needs immediately. Go through the mail. Do the shopping. Answer phone messages. It's more efficient to do these things in "real time" than to allow them to pile up.

Keep a speed dial list of help, and use it. Call the plumber, then let the leak be his problem. Call the insurance agent, and tell her to attend to the incorrect cancellation notice. Call the restaurant and have dinner prepared and delivered. Call the kids and tell them to stop charging things to your account or you'll stop paying their rent (this actually works immediately).

Remember: Life is about success, not perfection.

Alan Weiss's newest book, "How to Market, Establish A Brand, and Sell Professional Services: From Anonymity to Credibility, to Celebrity," published by Kennedy Information, is now available at his web site. Also: "The Great Big Book of Process Visuals, Or Give Me A Double Axis Chart and I Can Rule the World" (with CD ROM), and "Getting Started in Consulting" from John Wiley & Sons.
ANNOUNCEMENT
Kiwicoach rolls out – We've been quietly plugging our new coaching service for a couple of months. Now, we're just about ready to roll. We've got a small group of ice-breaker clients leading the way, and from Mid January we'll be offering on-line intros and free trial sessions.

Watch for more detail in Award 35 – the first issue of the new millennium – and for the special on-line splash in February 2001
Quick Case Study® – The write stuff for your business plan
One of the scores of resources we routinely scan on your behalf is Business Week's on-line newsletter.

In November 20's technology section, BW profiles Bplans.com, a DIY source for hints, templates, and expert advice - valuable tools, BW's writers say, for entrepreneurs struggling to put their vision on paper

"Gearing up to start a new business can be fun and invigorating," BW says, "but actually writing a business plan? Well, that can see the most eager entrepreneur succumb to prolonged fits of snoring. And that's a real problem because, without a good business plan, you won't actually get to run the business - at least not for long."

Not making any headway on your business plan? Palo Alto Software's Bplan.com site (they also make business-planning software BusinessPlanPro), may be just what you neeed to get the job done.

The greatest strength of Bplans.com is that it helps you sneak up on your business plan, one bit at a time. That's our favourite recipe for writers' block, by the way. Or any other block to action. Stop trying to get your head around the whole damn thing - just pick a nice wee bit and do that ... then do a bit more ... before you know it you're half way through and just bowling along.

Back to business. Bplans.com asks a few general questions about your business-to-be. Then it points you toward business plans, archived online, for companies that are at least somewhat similar to yours. You can jump right in, downloading a plan and editing it to fit your business. Not a bad idea - just don't use it as a crutch to avoid the hard thinking that writing a business plan needs.

The site provides online calculators to figure out startup costs, and how long it'll take to break even. If you get really stuck, bplans.com encourages you to submit your questions online, where one of the site's small-business consultants will take a swing at it.

Case in point: One business owner was having trouble financing his company's growth because suppliers were demanding quick payment while customers dragged their feet. The expert gave some tips for getting money out of the clients but didn't mention factoring - selling receivables at a discount in exchange for money up front.

What Bplans.com lacks is an overview of the business-plan writing process. Before you start, it would be helpful to know, for example, that investors are likely to read the executive summary and management bios first. If those sections don't sparkle, the rest probably won't get a second look. That sort of advice is not to be found at Bplans.com. Similarly, you should know that skimping on the 'competition' section of your plan (or worse, declaring that you have no competition at all) will ruin your credibility.

For those sort of tips, go to soyouwanna.com and find "So You Wanna Write a Business Plan." Read the whole thing, get inspired, and pull out those financial projections. Return to Bplans.com. Start writing.
Sixty second snapshots®
Brutally short summaries of material too valuable to junk

SSS 1 – HELP!? #1
Barry Larsen, Quality Improvement Manager at W Stevenson & Sons Ltd in Auckland, New Zealand, has emailed to ask “Do you know of any 'recent' comparison of the Baldrige criteria /ISO/Investors in People. I have my own views and am aware that Harry Hurst from NIST did this years ago and there may be others like Mark Blazey (in his book Insights to Performance Excellence). "I'm looking for a matrix type comparison," Barry said, "comparing the overlaps and gaps for criteria items - are you aware of any?"

Well, are you? We're happy to route any responses on to Barry, or you can email him direct. Thanks.

SSS 2 – HELP!? #2
Laura Wendling, an adjunct QM instructor for Concordia University in Wisconsin, wrote to say “I love the site and refer my classes to it on a regular basis. My questions: Do you know of or could you provide the names of several videotapes that I could share with my class? I am aware of the Juran tape that featured Baldrige winners (but have been unable to find it!), the Tom Peters tape that featured Johnsonville Sausage … these are getting dated and it is a constant struggle for me to get students past the notion that QM is a fad or out of date.

"Are there any current audiotapes/documentaries that you know of? Something in regards to six sigma would be wonderful to incorporate in my class sessions. Are there any good introductory type papers/case studies about six sigma that would be a good starting point for students getting introduced to QM?"

Email Laura if you can help.

SSS 3 – 360 DEGREE APPRAISAL (RE-VISITED)
Last issue we pointed readers to some resources on 360 degree appraisal (without thinking …) and got several quick responses, including one from Steve Byers who wrote "I suggest you also announce publication of a new book arguing against Performance Appraisals (360 or otherwise) by Coens and Jenkins. Peter Scholtes recommends it. See Peter's autumn letter for the full title and publisher. If I get and read it soon, I'll review it for our local ASQ newsletter and send you a copy of my review. If you are not familiar with Scholtes' works on performance appraisals and what to do instead, let me know and I will provide the references."

We are aware of (if not exactly 'familiar' with) Scholtes work. There's a folder with half a dozen reprints in it somewhere around here, and we've published an interview with Scholtes (by someone else!) in our free on-line exhibits collection. Take a look before getting too deep into appraisal – 360 degrees or otherwise.

SSS 4 – KIWI WORLD LEADER - in triple bottom line reporting
New Zealand's Landcare Research is ranked among world leaders in an important international benchmarking survey of best practise in corporate triple bottom line (sustainability) reporting.

UK consultants SustainAbility, working for the UN environment program, has assessed the published reports of economic, social and environmental performance (the 'triple bottom line') of companies like BP and Shell (ranked 5th equal) and British Telecom (ranked 3rd).

Landcare Research ranked 14th out of 202 entries with its first sustainability report, and third equal for its economic bottom line reporting, which includes aspects of staff development, resource use efficiency, and the impacts of its business on the environment. It's one of four companies to score maximum points for the message expressed in the chairman and CEO's statements, and in the top seven for promoting knowledge of sustainability issues, both to government and to the public.

The survey expressed concern at North American and European companies' neglect of developing world issues, but Landcare Research won praise for its International Business Group's success helping alleviate poverty in Guizhou Province, China.

Leader of Landcare Research's reporting project, Dr Richard Gordon, says the ranking shows that you don't have to be one of the world's biggest companies to have a report that ranks alongside theirs.

"This is important news for New Zealand companies in increasingly competitive national and global markets, where stakeholders are looking more closely at companies' values and integrity.

”Also, many companies find this type of reporting highlights opportunities to reduce costs and liabilities not otherwise identified”.

SSS 5 – ISO-BUSTER FORECASTS THE BEGINNING OF THE END
On Friday (15 December) the new ISO 9000 standard will be launched. John Seddon, the well-known critic and author of "The Case Against ISO 9000" says this is the beginning of the end - "And that," he says, "can only be good news for UK competitiveness."

"The new standard is more demanding, more complex and more detailed," says Seddon "and the first signs of strain will be in the assessors' competence to work with it. The ISO 9000 community acknowledges its failure to attract senior management's interest in the standard. They also acknowledge the gap between the competence of current assessors and the demands of the new standard. The new standard is, quite simply, a step too far. In an attempt to right the wrongs of ISO 9000 these people have created a situation that will become unworkable."

Seddon maintains that it is only market-place coercion ('you comply or we won't buy') that has kept ISO 9000 going in the UK and world markets. However, this too is weakening. "In Japan Toyota have declared they will not register to ISO 9000, Australia leads the world in de-registration - it seems the Aussies are more prepared to tell it like it is - and in the UK the DTI has ceased active promulgation of ISO 9000."

Seddon's book argues that ISO 9000 is bad for business as "It makes you do things that are bad for your business and it stops you doing the things you should do if you want to improve." His case against ISO 9000 is based on the premise that ISO 9000 promotes bad management theory. In his book Seddon contrasts what companies did when registering to ISO 9000 with what they could have done if they had known about what he calls 'the better way'.

Contact Maryanne Henchy, at Vanguard Education

SSS 6 – TRAPPED? Your one stop ISO shop
Visit the ISO 9000:2000 Resource Materials web page in the Quality Press Bookstore. Designed to help you understand what the ISO 9000:2000 quality management system is all about, it contains links to all the books, journals, standards, courses, and conferences that are available through the American Society for Quality (including general information and FAQs).
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We'd like, as always, to remind you about EDGE FIRST, our companion eZine dedicated to leaders and leadership - a fortnightly serving of provocative thinking about what it means to be a leader, and the tools, techniques and best-practices that drive leadership improvement. If you haven't seen it, click here for a complimentary issue.

In recent issues
Competing for the future - Hamel is THE MAN, embrace innovation!
Women and leadership - for real progress ... give men the nappies
Quick case study/Jennifer White - on picking winning teams
tompeters! - new economy DNA. Flaky? Irresistable! The survival kit
Snapshots of the new economy - from Seybold to Subramanian
eStrategy - best, first, fastest, lastest ... just watch out for Wal-Mart
A better way - but don't try this at home
Gen II - who wants to be a CEO
>> Next issue January 25, 2001 - reader contributions warmly received
>> Copyright © 2000, Macpherson Publishing
>> All rights reserved. But if you found this eZine useful we strongly encourage you to email it intact to associates, friends or acquaintances
>> Award and EDGE FIRST are trademarks of Macpherson Publishing
>> Contact us at macalex1@xtra.co.nz
>> Visit our web site at www.baldrigeplus.com

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