Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com June 20, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 21 BIZ BOOKS Overcoming fears of change and failure "B e Bad First — Get Good at Things Fast to Stay Ready for the Future" by Erika Andersen (Bibliomotion, $27.95). While businesses tout the necessity of continuous improvement, executives and managers must have the willingness to do things differently and do different things. Too often their reluctance to try "differ- ent" plays into their fear of failure. Andersen believes that overcoming that fear starts by accepting "the dis- comfort and disequilibrium that is an inevitable part of learning something new." Think back to your child- hood; almost every day pre- sented you with something new. Learning to read, write, ride a bike, swim, play games, etc., were changes/challenges you readily tackled because learning allowed you to do more things. You didn't learn to do any of them overnight. You judged your own performance, and learned that being bad at first was the first step toward becoming good at something. Fast forward to adulthood where others judge your performance — your fear of failure developed. To overcome that fear, Andersen's ANEW model takes pages from childhood's approach to change and creates a new workplace mindset: A — Aspiration. It's wanting something you don't have and creating plans/actions that turns the wanting into having. It's all about making a commitment and following through. N — Neutral self-awareness. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness plays a crucial role in planning and execution because the horse always comes before the cart. Without it, it's difficult to assess what you need to learn and what that learning will entail/require. E — Endless curiosity. Rekindle the "I know I can make things work" spark by constantly asking yourself and others "Why, what if, and how" questions. Think about how you can gather informa- tion that will affirm aspiration — then gather it. Develop actions around possibilities/ opportunities; execute, assess and keep asking questions. W — Willingness to be bad first. Every expert starts as a novice. Accepting change requires going back to the novice state. It also requires an "I know I'll be bet- ter — I'll work at it" attitude, and remem- bering that maintaining expertise involves staying on the cutting edge. Key takeaway: "Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable." • • • "The Leadership Campaign — 10 Political Strategies to Win at Your Career and Propel Your Business to Vic- tory by Scott Miller and David Morey (Career Press, $16.99). Political strategists Miller and Morey put the business twist on what they've learned from election campaigning. They quickly distinguish between "bigness lead- ership," which measures success by size and share and "change leadership," which values speed and mobility that enhances ongoing marketplace value. Change leaders never rest on their lau- rels; they are disrupters who keep staff thinking. They know that continuous improvement means the way a business does business should be constantly evalu- ated to fully understand what might affect tomorrow's struc- ture and market. The authors' 10 politi- cal strategies are aimed at "unlocking the potential of your company's people" by giving them reasons to fully engage in and own their work. The key to unlock - ing their potential: Clearly communicating the con- tribution of their work as it affects the execution of each project. Here are two of the 10 that drive the communications strategy: "Build your kitchen cabinet." The very nature of business leadership isolates senior management from the trenches. Bureaucracy creates a series of communi- cation hurdles. While senior management can clear some by using "management by walking around," leaders need trusted con- fidants that tell them the unfiltered truth and clearing communications hurdles by opening feedback channels. "Control the dialogue." The very nature of change creates varying opinions on what should be done. Change leaders need to keep "first things first" by control- ling the "what and when" of issues to be debated, and the pace of the execution of change. By reiterating the definition of the future of the firm, a lead- er focuses everyone on what must be done to achieve organizational goals. The bottom line: Today's "is" becomes tomor- row's "was." n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak ▶ ▶ While businesses tout the necessity of continuous improvement, executives and managers must have the willingness to do things differently and do different things. OTHER VOICES Hartford Foundation plays vital role aiding Capital City By Linda J. Kelly I n a recent op-ed piece ("Could Hartford Foundation help solve city's budget crisis?" June 13, 2016), the author suggested the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving might lessen the burdens of government for the city of Hartford as it struggles with long- term budget deficits. The Hartford Foundation is the community founda- tion for the Capital City and 28 surround- ing towns. While about one-third of the funds the Foun- dation allocates for grantmaking each year are restricted by the specific wishes of donors, a significant portion of the remaining funds are generally applied to benefit the neediest populations in this Greater Hartford region, in such areas as learning — birth through college, preparation for family sustaining wage jobs, and other long-term, systemic efforts. Hartford, in fact, receives a significant portion of the Foundation's grant dollars. In 2015, the Hartford Foundation awarded in excess of $10 million to programs and initia- tives that impact the lives of Hartford resi- dents. In addition to our own resources, the Foundation has worked to develop public and private partnerships, resulting in millions in additional funding from national sources to benefit residents of Hartford. For exam- ple, $500,000 from the Aspen Institute and $900,000 from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to support job training and employment for Hartford youth and $3 million from the U.S. Department of Education to support early childhood English language learners. Just as the Foundation stepped forward to provide sorely needed resources to nonprofits during the economic downturn in 2008, we are prepared to once again help qualifying nonprof- its affected by unexpected losses of support with our Transitional Operating Support grants. Additionally, through our Nonprofit Sup- port Program, we provide resources to area nonprofits and their boards of directors to help them address the changing funding environ- ment in a strategic and sustainable way. Our commitment to the Greater Hart- ford community is to be here in good times and bad — to serve this community in perpe- tuity. We do not take that commitment lightly. The Foundation's spending policy and investment strategy are designed to work together to provide a predictable stream of dol- lars to support the region's current and future needs. This ensures that even during fiscal downturns the Foundation can continue to pro- vide a stable level of support. The region's non- profits depend on this. Our donors expect it. Since its founding in 1925, the Hartford Foundation has provided in excess of $650 million in grants and received support from more than 10,000 generous donors in our community. Still, no single organization can solve all of the problems of the Capital City or region. For this reason, the Foundation fosters partnerships and collaborations with state and local government, other funders, the business community, nonprofit providers and our donors to create opportunities for all residents in the Greater Hartford region to thrive now and into the future. n Linda J. Kelly is president of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Linda J. Kelly ▶ ▶ No single organization can solve all of the problems of the Capital City or region.

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