On My Mind
My research report on Visions & Visioning will be published on this website on September 28, 2021 in conjunction with the 13th Annual Advanced Strategic Improvement Practices Conference. My research approach consisted of a literature review; an in-depth analysis of three organizational visions (case studies); an analysis of one hundred (100) organizational vision statements; and experiential research in the form of a vision quest on Maho Pata (“Bear Butte”). My research has generated many insights including the many roles an organizational vision can perform: direct the members of an organization; guide the members of an organization; focus the members of an organization; help the members of an organization prioritize; help the members of an organization allocate resources; help align all of the organizational units in the organization; inspire the members of an organization; and serve as a standard for evaluating organizational performance. If you want to learn more about Visions & Visioning, then feel free to access my research report on the RESEARCH page of this website on September 28.

Interesting Stories
I once heard Warren Buffett say the following statement which he ascribed to the philosopher Bertrand Russell: “The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” Some of my personal and business habits have changed over the past sixteen months and I’ve also formed new habits. Sometimes the little things—like our unnoticed habits and routines—have a significant cumulative effect on our lives including our health and state of mind. My habit changes have been sleeping more; exercising more; reading more; and listening to more documentary broadcasts. I’m hoping these habits are now too heavy to be broken!

Company News
September will be a busy month. I’ll be attending the virtual Strategic Management Society’s Annual Conference from September 18-21. I’ll also be one of the exhibitors at the annual PENworks event sponsored by the Performance Excellence Network (PEN) on September 24 which will be a virtual event again this year. There are several upcoming public SIS events: the 13th Annual Advanced Strategic Improvement Practices Conference on September 28, 2021; the Fundamentals of Quality webinar on September 30, 2021; the Strategic Improvement Yellow Belt course starting October 7, 2021; the Visions & Visioning short course on October 14, 2021; and the Advances in Hoshin Kanri short course on October 19, 2021. The brochures are available on the PUBLIC SEMINARS page of this website. The SIS Fall/Winter Public Event Schedule will be available on September 15. My new research report on Visions & Visioning will be available on the RESEARCH page of this website on September 28, 2021.

Intriguing Reads
The Harvard Business Review is still an excellent source for leading-edge management content. The September-October 2021 issue has an excellent article titled Future-Proofing Your Organization (Pages 42-48) which was authored by Michael Mankins, Eric Garton, & Dan Schwartz. They offered six practices “. . . for companies to follow as they regroup and reorganize for the inevitable recovery”: Think Ahead When Defining Business-Critical Roles; Redefine What Great Looks Like; Don’t Cut Back on Management Development; Tech Up the HR Function; Get People to Engage with Tech; and Figure Out What Tomorrow’s Stars Want from You. Best wishes as you regroup and reorganize!