Todd Herman Associates e-Update — February 2007

focus + distance = clarity

It's remarkable how two seemingly unrelated events suddenly reveal their connections to you.

First, within the past 2 months, we have begun several engagements where we are helping business owners and managers evaluate their systems — that is, their overall combination of people, process, and technology, taken together (PPT-T), to yield improved business results.

Second, I came upon the phrase that headlines this article in the book Change the Way You See Everything by Kathryn D. Cramer and Hank Wasiak. I liked the equation and somehow knew it applied to our work — but did not immediately see the connection.

Then, a week or two later, these events connected themselves in my mind. Our clients actively work in their business — so much so that they frequently have neither the time nor objectivity to work on their business. And yet, they recognize the need to do just that — to work on their business to improve its performance. They need to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of their processes, to review their technology investments, and to integrate disparate systems. Each client knew how important this was to their business and that's why they retained us.

You may say, "Todd, what's so interesting or noteworthy about that? Aren't you in business to help your clients do these things?" Yes, we are — but the "ah-ha" realization was how our work satisfies the "focus + distance = clarity" equation.

Because we do not work in the daily routine of our clients, we are able to focus our full attention on an issue — which enables us to view ideas through the lens of our 17+ years of experience with many companies in a variety of industries.

Because we are not part of the day-to-day detailed operations of our clients, we are able to approach the work from a distance — to see an issue first as if through a telescope, and then zoom in to the points of relevance and interest.

This combination of focus and distance allows us to help our clients gain clarity on issues that they face. We find that our ability to pose targeted and objective questions ensures that the client's real needs are uncovered and understood — from that point, it's amazing how many issues can be quickly addressed, once the power of clear, concentrated thinking is engaged. As the executive director of one new client recently told me, "Todd, you're the first person who came into my organization, quickly assessed and triaged our issues, clearly explained them to me, and then began making the necessary improvements. Thank you!" My focus on and distance from those issues allowed me to give this executive director the clarity she needed to better manage her organization.

Clarity is one benefit our clients realize from our services — and they see this clarity not only in our work, but also in the way we describe how we plan to meet their needs prior to beginning a project, in terms of their people, processes, and technology. The way we view and describe the overall combination of people, process, and technology, taken together (PPT-T) has clearly resonated with our clients — we have articulated something that is both intuitive yet elusive. Intuitive, because everyone knows — perhaps unconsciously — that the only way to get business results is through effectively combining PPT-T. Elusive, because complex linkages must exist among the PPT-T elements for everything to work in harmony. These clients know that the same clarity we show in describing PPT-T will be brought into their business to improve its performance.

And isn't that what it all comes down to? Helping people, process, and technology work together to improve every aspect of a business. It's why I love what I do — combining focus and distance to bring our clients clarity.

Sincerely,

Todd L. Herman