Outside the Lines - Michael Bungay Stanier

Doing the numbers

As I write this, it's been a week of stunning numbers:

49 (at least) dead in the London bomb blast

0.7% GDP - a target for foreign aid (first articulated in 1970 by Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson) and not promised by any of the G8 countries at the Gleneagles conference (although Bob Geldof did rank the meeting, "on aid, 10 out of 10. On debt, eight out of ten.")

An estimated 3 billion - the number who watched or listened to the Live 8 concerts

I've been doing my own numbers, this week. July marks the start of a new financial year for me, so I've been planning my business finances - something that I often dance around as too difficult and too scary. And although my numbers are by no means as dramatic as the ones above, the exercise has been a good one; not least of all, because it's been making me think about what gets counted. In this Outside the Lines, we'll be looking at what you're measuring and why it matters.

Know anyone who's trying to make things add up? Please forward Outside the Lines (in its entirety please) to anyone you think might be interested. This community grows with your help.

I'd be delighted if you should wish to reprint (for free) any part of Outside the Lines in your newsletters, websites, and message boards. Contact me at Michael@BoxOfCrayons.biz for further details.

Michael Bungay Stanier
Principal, Box of Crayons

Don't take my word for it

It's all about the numbers. Or is it?

"The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers."
Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert

"Quantification brings credibility. But figures and tables can deceive, and numbers construct their own realities. What can be measured and manipulated statistically is then not only seen as real; it comes to be seen as the only or the whole reality."
Robert Chambers, economist

"It's easier to count bottles than describe the wine."
Thomas Stewart, Fortune magazine

"The generation of random numbers is too important to be left to chance.."
Robert Coveyou, mathematician and member of the Manhattan Project

Some of us - either as business people or in our personal life - tend to shy away from asking them. Using an approach to planning best labelled "denial", we tend to hope that the amount that goes out is slightly less than that amount that comes in - and leave it at that.

We don't set targets, we don't measure the financial ebb and flow, we hope that if we can't see it, then it isn't happening. Last month, it was reported that in the UK one in five people say they regularly avoid checking their bank balance because they are too scared to find out how much money they have. Two-thirds of those who avoided checking their account said it was because they were scared they would have less money than they thought and it would put them off buying or doing the things they wanted. A further 27% said they did not check because they were worried they would be in debt. (You can read the full article here: http://money.guardian.co.uk/news_/story/0,,1518312,00.html).

And much of that denial is around avoiding thinking about debt. A more subtle form of denial is not setting targets for how much you'd like to earn. My own coach asked me this question last week in preparation for our next session together, and I confess I'm still dancing around the answer, struggling to pin that number down. (We'll talk about embracing abundance at another time).

For others, measuring by money can become everything. Endlessly working and reworking the numbers. Reducing time, passion, people, beliefs, needs, dreams to an equation or a figure. Measuring their success only by how much money is in the bank, how much the deal is worth, and so on.

So how do you walk the line between denial and obsession? The Balanced Scorecard is a concept created by Robert Kaplan and David Norton in the 1990s. Their basic insight is that focusing on purely financial measures was no way to strategically plan for a company.

The insight is blindingly obvious in hindsight. It is as if they've suggested we use the speedometer AND the temperature AND the odometer as useful tools for managing a car you're driving, and not simply relying on the fuel gauge.

We can adapt Kaplan and Norton's insight for our own uses. Rather than being hidebound by their additional categories, you can add your own. It's a powerful exercise, because it can make you consider what you think is worth measuring in the first place.

Create your own scorecard for the work that you're doing. Think of between 4 and 7 criteria that are important to you on how to measure what you're doing. Here are some examples:

To go the next step, you can actually set up your measurements as a "dashboard" - just like the car analogy above. Set up a time to regularly check in on your measures. Decide what you need to do differently as a result.

WANT TO LEARN MORE? HERE ARE SOME USEFUL RESOURCES

Robert Kaplan & David Norton, The Balanced Scorecard. [buy: Canada US UK] You can read a summary of the concept here. Kaplan & Norton have also written an interesting HBR article called "Measuring the Strategic Readiness of Intangible Assets." Harvard Business Review, February 2004 p52-63. The Balanced Scorecard Institute also has a number of related articles.

Peter Block, The Answer to How is Yes explores the business world's dominant archetypes - the economist and the engineer - and looks at the impact of them as models for how we work. He offers up an alternative archetype in the architect, which he sees as combining the strengths of the engineer, the economist and the artist. [buy: Canada US UK]

Looking for support around money? My friend and colleague, Ruth Lane-Wierzba, is the Money Coach. She offers a free assessment of your money situation here and a list of resources for managing your money here.

It's been an exciting month since we

released Get Unstuck & Get Going on a limited, pre-publication special. We've sold copies to 14 countries and 6 continents (only Antarctica to go!). People's feedback has been wonderful, commenting on the usefulness and the beauty of the tool. I am indeed a proud author!

When Get Unstuck & Get Going™ is officially published on September 14th, it will sell for US$50. However, there are a few of the first 500 copies of Get Unstuck & Get Going™ still available now as a "hot off the press" special.

In case you've missed the last 6 editions of Outside the Lines, Get Unstuck & Get Going™ is the new self-coaching tool for managers, coaches & trainers, and anyone who occasionally gets stuck. It combines radical design with fundamental principles from coaching and creativity. It is practical, inspirational and self-renewing.

Buy now and get:
- A 10% discount on the list price
- A unique numbered copy
- A signed and personalized copy (if requested)
- A copy of my popular The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun (value $10)
- And best of all, delivery straight from the presses to you, rather than having to wait another three months.
- There is a 25% discount on the list price for orders of 10+ copies

Get Unstuck & Get Going™ has been endorsed by the leaders of the coaching world - such as the Executive Director of the International Coach Federation, the CEO of CoachVille, and the founder of the Coach Training Institute. Thinkers and leaders of training and development in the corporate world have also praised it. You can read what they say at www.GetUnstuckandGetGoing.com. You can also learn more about how Get Unstuck & Get Going™ works and the secrets to its success.

PS: If you have any problems with the ordering process please let me know. Email me here at michael@boxofcrayons.biz or call me at +1 (416) 532-1322.

Michael on the move

I'll be speaking at a number of upcoming conferences. Here are some dates to put in your calendar.

"Get Different or Get Dead!" Metro DC ICF chapter teleseminar, August 17, 8.00pm - 9.30pm (EST). I'll be sharing the workshop I ran at the European ICF conference on the 11 levers coaches (and any entrepreneurs) can use to differentiate their business. It's practical and creative, and you'll leave with at least one new idea for your own business. It's US$10 for ICF members, US$12 for non-ICF members (with all proceeds going to the chapter) and you'll also pay for any long-distance charges you incur. You can register here and be eligible to win a copy of Get Unstuck & Get Going™.

"Get Unstuck & Get Going™." Mind Camp! September 8-11, Cedar Glen Discovery Campus, north of Toronto. I'll be part of an eclectic crowd of scintillating and provocative presenters. This is a perfect place to get completely revved up on creativity. You can find out more and enrol at http://www.mindcamp.org .

"From Confusing to Irresistible." HR.com's "Employees of Excellence" conference.. September 25-27, Tuscon, Arizona. I'll be speaking with my client and friend Chris Gillespie. We're going to tell the story of how PricewaterhouseCooper's recruitment brand was reinvented to great success, and share some of our secrets. If you do any work around driving change in your organization, this is a workshop that will be of benefit to you. Other great speakers at this conference include Jim Collins, Daniel Pink and David Whyte.

"The Wow Factor: Creating Your Own Coaching Products for Greater Visibility, Impact and Profit", International Coach Federation conference, November 8-11, San Jose (to be confirmed). I'll be facilitating a hot-shot panel of experts who have a great deal of experience in creating real, honest-to-goodness products. If you're a coach looking to generate passive income, then this might be for you. (It's "to be confirmed" because the ICF have us on a waiting list, hoping they can squeeze us onto the program).

As you might be able to guess, I love to speak or run workshops for groups! Please get in touch if you think I might be able to serve you or your organization in this capacity.

Michael Bungay Stanier helps people, teams and organizations to get unstuck and get going on the stuff that matters. You can find out more at www.boxofcrayons.biz or you can contact him directly at Michael@BoxOfCrayons.biz or +1 (416) 532-1322.

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