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Creating Generational Legacies

Monday, June 1, 2020

The Future of Work - is there such a thing as going back to normal?


June 2020 Update

I hope this message finds you well.  I'm finding members in my close network are split between those who love the isolation and WFH peace and those who miss the daily face to face interaction with their work colleagues.  I think this serves to highlight how different we all are and the different daily routine we need to help maintain connectivity and productivity with remote working.

Craig Saphin
 
bank finance for small business

Ghost Town

Last Monday I was on a walk with my dog, Mocha, in Sydney along the King Streets wharves and into the all-new Barangaroo precinct.  Even though it was a weekday and 11 am there were all the hallmarks of a ghost town complete with a noticeable wind and squeaky signs echoing in the empty corridors between the buildings.

Recently I saw an interview with an executive from the commercial property titan Dexus.  He maintained that commercial property was sound and that things should return to "normal" in a short time.

We hear a lot about "normal" and "new normal" these days.  The advisory and NED roles I hold with successful SMEs mostly indicate that the best we can anticipate at the moment is a division into "A" and "B" teams with just half of the staff in the office at any one time.  The other half will continue to work remotely.  For the foreseeable, this scenario seems more realistic than the overly optimistic Dexus opinion.

Humanised Workforce

Future of work or FOW features in much news feeds and blogs at the moment.  One of the trends has been the decrease in the scary and sensational components of FOW and the insertion of calming rational projections.

A well-encapsulated version I read recently was from the CEO & Editor in Chief at People Matters, Ester Martinez who said: "The future of work is not something that happens to you, it is something you create for your company."

Martinez seems to challenge all business leaders to take responsibility by working out what the required skills are for the future and how the correct training and talent acquisition can be implemented to position each business in a sustainable manner.

I was in a BBG Super Forum Zoom conference this week where Brian Sher from the Fortune Institutewas the guest speaker.  Brian has published several books and is a well-known marketing and competitive positioning expert.  Recently Fortune released an influential report: "The 14 Powerful Megatrends in a Post COVID 19 world".  #12 in the list of trends is "New Skilling" which supports the point made by Martinez. 

Reskilling at company level and individual level are going to be necessary so that workers can do the roles which are emerging and can move on from those which are coming to an end.  Part of this will involve change, so resilience and mental toughness also come into play.
 
Scaling New Heights - A Review

"Upon first leafing through Craig Saphin’s Scaling New Heights book, its structure meets well any CEO/CFO’s need to obtain expert business assistance -- fast. Simply pop onto the table of contents.  Short and referenced topics are there, as easy to spot as the author’s Expert Opinions and Sources. Quick and wise info any time.

After all, we often feel there is little time to read. Author Saphin’s Pillars are succinct and pertinent: Business Foundations, Sales Strategy, People and Culture Strategy, Strategic Marketing, Operational Excellence.  These sections strategically divide this important business book into the smart best-practices. Topics lead readers to gradually plan and evolve anew any company. The 5 Pillars become fundamental resources with sub-divided chapters, only 4-5 pages long and mapped in concise a format of "Executive Topic Summary, Content, and Actions Lists."

Mr. Saphin’s penchant for enumerating key practices frames each mini-chapter into an essential guide for revamping or simply refining a company—especially in this wildly changing world. And the minimalist illustrations, by Colleen O’Reilly, energize the book with Ms. O’Reilly’s edgy sketching style. Scaling New Heights is a vital survival kit for any business founder/owner leader in our post-C-19 global commerce arena.

As you review this book, know that you are a conscious evolutionist*.  You are a leader who is a curious, life-long learner. You manage business growth consciously. Bravo. Evolving businesses self-improve, grow, and stay in business long-term – on purpose.

Own your next business improvement plan. Grab Scaling New Heights in both e-book and paperback, so you may reference it anytime and anywhere. Boost your next business operation into a higher practice of excellence."

*Refer to: Barbara Marx Hubbard’s "Conscious Evolution" books.
Book Review by Linda Lee Ratto, Ed.M., Author, 15 books

Find out more on my website.




The coronavirus crisis should be a "wake up call" for local manufacturing.



At our BBG Innovation forum last week - we were talking about Brian Sher’s 14 mega trends that will happen post Covid-19 . 


One of these trends was the rise of local manufacture. 


In the SMH this morning, Cara Waters writes about audio equipment maker, Peter Freedman’s advanced manufacturing business , Rode Microphones - based in Sydney’s Silverwater. Rode now employs over 500 people in Australia, China and USA . 


Going against the trend of moving manufacturing to China - (Aus Manufacturing has gone from 13% - 6% of GDP over past 20 years). Rode Microphones has gone against the trend - they manufacture a global niche product -  microphones - selling over 2.5m products per annum! 


The Australian economy needs to focus on value-added exports rather than simply selling raw materials into China, says Freedman .


 “we can't just scrape the surface, whack it on a ship, sail it, that's gone. We have great raw materials - the best food - We should be the best delicatessen- not just a bulk distributor of wheat!“



Chinese manufactured goods worldwide (according to Euromonitor )

  • 35 per cent of household goods 
  • 46 per cent of high tech goods, 
  • 54 per cent of textiles and apparel, 
  • 38 per cent of machinery, rubber and plastic, 
  • 20 per cent of pharmaceuticals and medical goods and 
  • 42 per cent of chemical products 


Theory of Constraints expert - Hendrik Lourens was talking about the importance  of growing the Australian manufacturing base and not having to rely on other countries for our foods and services. 




To do this, he says that Government will need to implement various policy measures to support this.


Mr Freedman agrees that the manufacturing revival will need  a sustained push from government. There needs to be a long term commitment to the manufacturing sector.


“There are no short term solutions here, none at all." Says Freedman “Buying the cheapest is often not buying the best solution! “


The sustained long term investment in supporting Australian manufacture will provide a big payday for Jobs, Security and the general well-being of our nation.

Gary Bolles - Chair Singularity University - the Future of Work - presenting - The Great Reset: The Exponential Evolution of Work

Gary A. Bolles, Chair for the Future of Work, Singularity University and the Internationally acclaimed speaker and visionary, has kindly agreed to share his worldclass insights at our NextTech Transformation Forum on the Thursday 18 June, for our BBG members and their guests.





Thursday, May 14, 2020

Monday, May 11, 2020

How do we go back to work without causing a resurgence of Covid-19 infections - and get R to be less than 1?




 Uri Alon, Ron Milo professors of computational and systems biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and Mr. Yashiv is a professor of economics at Tel Aviv University and at the London School of Economics Center for Macroeconomics , suggest 10-4 To Exploit the Coronavirus’s Weak Spot


People can work in two-week cycles, on the job for four days then, by the time they might become infectious, 10 days at home in lockdown.


This 10-4 cycle could suppress the epidemic while allowing sustainable economic activity.


We can exploit a key property of the virus: its latent period — the three-day delay on average between the time a person is infected and the time he or she can infect others.


People can work in two-week cycles, on the job for four days then, by the time they might become infectious, 10 days at home in lockdown. 


The strategy works even better when the population is split into two groups of households working alternating weeks.


Models created at the Weizmann Institute in Israel predict that this two-week cycle can reduce the virus’s reproduction number — the average number of people infected by each infected person — below one. 


Even if someone is infected, and without symptoms, he or she would be in contact with people outside their household for only four days every two weeks, not 10 days, as with a normal schedule. 


This strategy packs another punch: It reduces the density of people at work and school, thus curtailing the transmission of the virus.


Schools could have students attend for four consecutive days every two weeks, in two alternating groups, and use distance-learning methods on the other school days. Children would go to school on the same days as their parents go to work.


Businesses would work almost continuously, alternating between two groups of workers, for regular and predictable production. This would increase consumer confidence, shoring up supply and demand simultaneously.


A 10-4 routine provides at least part-time employment for millions who have been fired or sent on leave without pay. These jobs prevent the devastating, and often long-lasting, mental and physical impacts of unemployment. 


The cyclic strategy is easy to explain and to enforce. It is equitable in terms of who gets to go back to work. It applies at any scale: a school, a firm, a town, a state. A region that uses the cyclic strategy is protected: Infections coming from the outside cannot spread widely if the reproduction number is less than one. It is also compatible with all other countermeasures being developed.


Workers can, and should still, use masks and distancing while at work. 


It can be started as soon as a steady decline of cases indicates that lockdown has been effective.


The cyclic strategy should be part of a comprehensive exit strategy, including self-quarantine by those with symptoms, contact tracing and isolation, and protection of risk groups. 


The cyclic strategy can be tested in limited regions for specific trial periods, even a month. If infections rates grow, it can be adjusted to fewer work days. 


Conversely, if things are going well, additional work days can be added. In certain scenarios, only four or five lockdown days in each two-week cycle could still prevent resurgence.


The coronavirus epidemic is a formidable foe, but it is not unbeatable. By scheduling our activities intelligently, in a way that accounts for the virus’s intrinsic dynamics, we can defeat it more rapidly, and accelerate a full return to work, school and other activities.


Of course the basic 7 needs to be adhered to 





Article information sourced from NewYork Times 

Thursday, May 7, 2020

A Case Study of how an organisation is creating a new blueprint for their future of work




Heather McGowan shares a brilliant case study of an Australian Client - a fast growing financial services firm who has been disrupted and has  to look at changing its 150 year old blueprint - fast! 

Their 500+ employees largely consist of millennials, they 100% work in an office, the company has large CBD-located overheads, over 73% of their teams travel more than 2 hours on public transport every day, and their clients are Sydney-based.


Covid-19 happenned - people worked from home - and the clients were still being looked after! Employees were relieved of not having to spend a large portion of their day travelling to work! 


All employees were engaged in remodelling the 150 year old blueprint - to focus on the people -  the customer and the employees 


Using SCAMPER – a Novel Thinking approach where potential solutions are elicited from questioning how we might Substitute, Combine, Adjust, Modify (magnify, minify), Put to other uses, Eliminate and/or Reverse, Rearrange the current working reality into something new - 

the team has come up with an adjusted blueprint for the workplace going forward 


The Proposed new blueprint 


1. trial 3 days at home and 2 at the office (rostered). 


2. Outreach to clients (site visits) had never been a part of organisational practice but to be put to clients as an option.


3. regional markets to be tested - employees expressed an interest to move regional - . establish cells within each location where team members worked in an office together 2 days a week. People still want to work together. 


4. pursuing market specialisation in growth verticals within regions (for example agriculture, aquaculture, viticulture, mining)


The business has a great chance of thriving and surviving post Covid-19 say Heather - because 


“The principals of the business were agile AND flexible. They acted and they acted fast. They are willing to fail because with failure comes learning and with learning growth" 

The key success factor will be to place humans at the centre of the workplace and empower them to help rewrite the 150 year old business blueprint! 


Read here the full article

Interesting Trends

I came across an economist called Leonard Kiefer , Deputy Chief Economist at Freddie Mac, who has a knack of isnf data to create simple graphs - enabling one time for Nd Etsy and trends with  clarity . 

Below are a few 

Jobless rates since 1970 to today - one way to flatten the curve is to blow it out the water! 





Mortgage Rates 






Graphs of positive and negative words used in reports - which correlate to market ... the chances are is that the trend will turn to blue again! 



Retail trends - is this just a blip?