Michael Canic, the president of consulting firm Making Strategy Happen, discusses business agility ahead of his 23rd annual Business & Leadership Conference keynote and breakout session.
To some degree, an integrator’s success in 2021 will depend on its ability to adapt: its business agility. For this reason, there are several keynotes and breakout sessions during NSCA’s 23rd annual Business & Leadership Conference that will arm integration company leaders with information to make these business-critical shifts successfully.
At the event, Michael Canic, PhD, president of consulting firm Making Strategy Happen, will deliver a keynote and breakout session to help you turn strategy into reality and execute with ruthless consistency..
We asked him about the integration industry’s need to shift in 2021. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: Most integration company leaders can relate to recognizing a need to shift direction—but not necessarily to making a successful shift. What are the most common obstacles to veering organizations in a new direction?
A: It sounds simple, but at the heart of it is commitment—a willingness not only to succeed, but also to do what it takes to succeed. An important lesson I learned coaching a national championship team is that many have the will to win. But few have the will to do what it takes to win.
What does “the will to do what it takes to win” look like? This is where the work begins. It means ensuring a documented and well-communicated “case for change” so everyone understands why the shift to a new direction is a must-do—not a should-do.
It means connecting the dots and making sure people know how the new direction translates into what is expected of them. It means equipping them to succeed with sufficient knowledge, skills, resources, and authority. It means coaching them, giving them regular and meaningful feedback, reinforcing them when they meet or exceed expectations, and holding them constructively accountable when they don’t. And it means aligning the organization—processes, policies, and infrastructure—with the new direction.
Commitment is reflected in making sure all arrows are consistently pointed in the right direction. It sounds simple … but it isn’t.
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Q: In 2021, so many companies are in the midst of change. They’re shifting their solutions to adapt to customers’ new needs. They’re adapting their business models. They’re adjusting to staff changes. How will your BLC keynote and breakout session help prepare attendees to make these changes successfully?
A: My intention is to educate, equip, and inspire everyone who attends: to have them leave with ready-to-apply models, methods, practices, and processes to execute what they need to execute. And to leave them with a realization of what they haven’t yet done but need to do to increase their chances for success.
Q: What else should BLC attendees expect from your keynote and breakout sessions?
A: Expect to learn. Expect to be challenged. Expect to be better equipped to be a successful leader. Bring your A-game.