The Primes - How Any Group Can Solve Any Problem

Discover fundamental principles of high-stakes change and organizational transformationThe "primes" are universal and unavoidable patterns of group behavior that emerge whenever people attempt to transform systems or collaborate to solve complex problems. Every change agent has felt their effect, but few can recognize, anticipate, and manage them. Unacknowledged, the primes can put any leadership agenda at risk. Once mastered, the primes become a force that drives intended outcomes. The Primes is a field manual for anyone ready to step up to serious challenges, predict and manage inevitable problems, create a brighter future, and produce extraordinary results.An essential guide for 21st century problem solvers and change agents, The Primes unveils 46 universal secrets of how to: Tackle complex problems successfully and deliver extraordinary results on time Forge lasting consensus among competing interests and keep teams focused and productive Recognize and eliminate the most destructive forces in an organization Establish cultures of integrity The Primes gives leaders the edge they need to succeed. Once the primes are revealed, you'll see them everywhere!

List of contents

INTRODUCTION xxv
 
PART 1: UNIVERSAL PATTERNS OF LEADING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES 1
 
How do some people, organizations, and coalitions thrive in uncertain times? What enables them to appear so certain and take decisive action amid ambiguity about the future?
 
CHAPTER 1 - BEING CLEAR ON WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT 3
 
How did you decide how you spent your time yesterday? What criteria are you using to allocate your time tomorrow?
 
LEADING 5
 
Does being called a ''leader'' mean you are ''leading''? What does ''leading'' mean?
 
IN-ON 9
 
Are you seduced by working ''in'' the business at the expense of ''on'' it?
 
CHANGE VERSUS TRANSFORMATION 13
 
Are you fixing or creating?
 
CHAPTER 2 - BEING INTENTIONAL AND GOING FIRST 18
 
What are you committed to making happen and by when? What does ''committed'' mean? What does your commitment mean to others?
 
INTEGRITY 21
 
Does your ''yes'' really mean ''yes''?
 
TRUST THE UNIVERSE 25
 
Is your vision limited to what you've already seen?
 
DECLARATION 29
 
Are you willing to live unreasonably?
 
CHAPTER 3 - ENROLLING OTHERS 32
 
Can you call people, from disenfranchisement and mere compliance, to their highest level of commitment?
 
DYNAMIC INCOMPLETENESS 35
 
Can you create a vision that is compelling because of what it says and at the same time inviting--for what it leaves yet to be said?
 
ENNOBLEMENT 39
 
Does your vision elevate people in degree and excellence and respect and inspire them to act boldly?
 
POWER 45
 
Do you know how to turn strangers, competitors, cautious allies, and suspicious stakeholders into powerful, outcome-driven coalitions?
 
PART 2: UNIVERSAL PATTERNS OF POWERFUL ALLIANCES 47
 
How do you generate unprecedented power within the group? Is this question all that important to you?
 
CHAPTER 4 - GAINING SHARED PERSPECTIVE 49
 
Everyone claims to value diversity. Can maintaining diverse perspectives ever be a bad thing?
 
BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT 51
 
How do you help people to see the ''whole thing''?
 
LEVELS OF PERSPECTIVE 55
 
How do you help people to see the same ''whole thing''?
 
S-CURVES 59
 
How do you lead people to a shared sense of now?
 
CHAPTER 5 - ESTABLISHING SHARED INTENT 62
 
How do you lead the group to be intentional?
 
CORE PRIME 65
 
How do you help the group to focus on the right things and feel urgent about acting?
 
PARITY 73
 
What is the right ratio of analyzing versus imagining?
 
STAKE 77
 
How do you get the group ''all in''?
 
CHAPTER 6 - TAKING COORDINATED ACTION 80
 
How do you get the group to do everything persistently about a few critical things versus doing a few things about everything?
 
COHESION 83
 
Cohesion is an unnatural state for a group. How good are you at establishing and sustaining it?
 
REDPOINT 85
 
A good question to ask is, ''What is important to do?'' A better question is, ''Of all the important things we could do, what are the fewest, most important?''
 
MUDA 93
 
Can you distinguish ''non-value-added activity''? How much of your group's resources is it consuming?
 
PART 3: UNIVERSAL PATTERNS OF OUTSTANDING GROUP PERFORMANCE 96
 
What do high-performance groups know and do that low-performance groups do not?
 
CHAPTER 7 - MAKING DECISIONS 98
 
What does the word ''decision'' actually mean? How are decisions made?
 
LEADERSHIP SPECTRUM 101
 
Are you the kind of leader who likes to faci

About the author

CHRIS J. McGOFF is the founder of The Clearing, Inc., a Washington, DC-based management consulting firm dedicated to supporting change agents as they tackle the most daunting and complex problems facing organizations. For 30 years, Chris McGoff has been helping leaders in the private and public sector reach difficult consensus and solve problems of consequence-those involving the highest levels of stakeholder and technological complexity. Mr. McGoff's client list includes most of the agencies of the US federal government as well as a wide range of organizations such as IBM, AARP, Consol Energy, DuPont, the United Nations, and Boeing. He is also a sought-after public speaker, senior advisor, and professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy.
For information on training and public speaking related to the PRIMES, visit theprimes.com. To learn more about how the PRIMES can solve problems and bring transformation to your organization, visit theclearing.com.

Product details

• Authors: C McGoff, Chris McGoff, McGoff Chris
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 27.04.2012
• EAN: 9781118173275
• ISBN: 978-1-118-17327-5
• No. of pages: 272
• Dimensions: 205 mm x 200 mm x 16 mm
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business > Management; Wirtschaft, Management: Entscheidungstheorie, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Decision-Making & Problem Solving, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Human Resources & Personnel Management, Business / Economics / Finance, Business & management, Wirtschaft u. Management, Allg. Wirtschaft u. Management