Para reflexão (parte V)

Parte I, parte II, parte III e parte IV.

Ontem, ao limpar o Cabinet, dei de caras com o livro já aqui citado "Act like a leader, think like a leader" de Herminia Ibarra.
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Foi então que percebi o quanto da sua leitura incorporei e embebi no meu pensamento, para dar origem a esta série (sobretudo a parte I e IV) sem o ter recordado.

"You’ll need to change your mind-set, and there’s only one way to do that: by acting differently.
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“Adults are more likely to act their way into a new way of thinking than to think their way into a new way of acting.”
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Paradoxically, we only increase our self-knowledge in the process of making changes. We try something new and then observe the results - how it feels to us, how others around us react - and only later reflect on and perhaps internalize what our experience taught us. In other words, we act like a leader and then think like a leader.
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the only way to think like a leader is to first act: to plunge yourself into new projects and activities, interact with very different kinds of people, and experiment with unfamiliar ways of getting things done. Those freshly challenging experiences and their outcomes will transform the habitual actions and thoughts that currently define your limits. In times of transition and uncertainty, thinking and introspection should follow action and experimentation—not vice versa. New experiences not only change how you think—your perspective on what is important and worth doing—but also change who you become. They help you let go of old sources of self-esteem, old goals, and old habits, not just because the old ways no longer fit the situation at hand but because you have discovered new purposes and more relevant and valuable things to do.
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Outsight, much more than reflection, lets you reshape your image of what you can do and what is worth doing."

Pesquisando Ibarra aqui no blogue cheguei ainda a isto:

"Instead of spending a lot of time thinking about what might happen in the face of uncertainty, entrepreneurs plunge in and see. In other words, instead of trying to predict the future, they create it.
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Act your way into a new way of thinking, instead of thinking your way into action."

À atenção dos promotores de choques de gestão via sala de aula

"Most traditional leadership training or coaching aims to change the way you think, asking you to reflect on who you are and who you’d like to become.
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your current way of thinking about your job and yourself is exactly what’s keeping you from stepping up. You’ll need to change your mind-set, and there’s only one way to do that: by acting differently.
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Aristotle observed that people become virtuous by acting virtuous: if you do good, you’ll be good. His insight has been confirmed in a wealth of social psychology research showing that people change their minds by first changing their behavior. Simply put, change happens from the outside in, not from the inside out.
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“Adults are more likely to act their way into a new way of thinking than to think their way into a new way of acting.”
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Paradoxically, we only increase our self-knowledge in the process of making changes. We try something new and then observe the results - how it feels to us, how others around us react - and only later reflect on and perhaps internalize what our experience taught us. In other words, we act like a leader and then think like a leader."

Trechos retirados de "Act like a leader, think like a leader" de Herminia Ibarra.

"analisamos os meios que temos e imaginamos futuros possíveis" (parte II)

Parte I.

"So, if we can't predict the future should you do?
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Create it.
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Instead of spending a lot of time thinking about what might happen in the face of uncertainty, entrepreneurs plunge in and see. In other words, instead of trying to predict the future, they create it.
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Act your way into a new way of thinking, instead of thinking your way into action."[Moi ici: Isto é "Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader" de Herminia Ibarra mas também "effectuation"]

Acerca da effectuation, li, recentemente, "Effectuation – The best theory of entrepreneurship you actually follow, whether you’ve heard of it or not":

"Effectuation is generally defined as a form of reasoning or problem solving which assumes the future is largely unpredictable, but that it can be controlled through human action. This is in stark contrast to another form of reasoning, Causality, which assumes the future is theoretically predictable based on prior events.
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entrepreneurs are indeed Effectual thinkers who start with a given set of Means and find new and different Ends, which are not necessarily pre-determined. Entrepreneurs in her studies follow the adage “If I can control the future, I do not need to predict it”.
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Bird in Hand Principle – Start with your means Entrepreneurs start with what they have: [Moi ici: Voltar à parte I!!!] Who they are, what they know and who they know
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Affordable Loss Principle – Set affordable loss...
entrepreneurs are more concerned with analyzing the down-side of their actions to manage their risk, which can often be accurately calculated – If they can afford the cost (of an experiment), they jump into the venture and if they can’t, they choose something else they can afford.
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Lemonade Principle – Leverage contingencies...
entrepreneurs must be flexible above all else, not recalcitrant – that entrepreneurs must expect to exploit the unexpected, not existing knowledge.
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Crazy-Quilt Principle – Form partnerships...
This principle basically encourages entrepreneurs to be networking machines – period.
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Just start with what you have, risk what you can afford, be open to pleasant surprises, and seek relationships with others"

E sim, também algo de Malcolm Gladwell em "David & Goliath":

"David’s opportunities: the occasions in which difficulties, paradoxically, turn out to be desirable. The lesson of the trickster tales is the third desirable difficulty: the unexpected freedom that comes from having nothing to lose. The trickster gets to break the rules.
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You see the giant and the shepherd in the Valley of Elah and your eye is drawn to the man with the sword and shield and the glittering armor. But so much of what is beautiful and valuable in the world comes from the shepherd, who has more strength and purpose than we ever imagine."

Nunca esquecerei o relato que Gladwell fez da luta dos Impressionistas. Lutaram, lutaram e lutaram, para fazer parte do mainstream da pintura francesa (legislada e tutelada pelo governo de França). Então, perceberam que não precisavam de fazer parte desse mundo, podiam criar o seu próprio mundo, com as suas próprias regras.

Trecho inicial retirado de "The Best Way to Predict the Future Is to Create It"

Especulação sobre um caso de insucesso(?) (parte III)

Parte I e parte II.
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Quando saí da universidade em 1987, Cavaco Silva tinha acabado de ganhar a primeira maioria absoluta, Portugal estava de novo na moda e a SONAE ascendia ao estrelato na economia portuguesa.
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E foi na SONAE Indústria que tive o meu primeiro contacto com o mundo do trabalho. Por isso, a SONAE ocupa um lugar especial na minha história pessoal.
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Nos últimos tempos, as notícias sobre a SONAE Indústria referem um encolhimento, com a concentração da actividade em Portugal e na Alemanha. Ainda esta semana apareceu a notícia "Sonae Indústria concluiu venda de fábrica em França". Outras notícias foram ocorrendo ao longo dos últimos meses:

• (Fevereiro 2015) - Vou apenas especular
• (Outubro 2014) - Acerca da proposta de valor baseada no preço
• (Outubro 2014) - Curiosidade do dia (está tudo podre)
• (Julho 2014) - Pena que não haja espaço ...
• (Março 2013) - Curiosidade da manhã

Lembrei-me de escrever este postal ao ler estes trechos:

"That’s why a majority of the managers I surveyed said that routine and operational aspects of their work consume too much of their time.
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There is little time to think about why you do what you do, about the meaning and purpose of your work beyond the immediate deliverables. It’s no wonder routine crowds out strategy.
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learned the hard way that she was very efficient—at the wrong thing. She was not much different from many successful managers who continue to devote the bulk of their time to doing what they have learned too well. They define their jobs narrowly, in terms of their own areas of expertise, and confine their activities to where they have historically contributed the most value and consistent results.
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To avoid the kind of competency trap Sophie fell into, you need to understand how once-useful mind-sets and operating habits can persist long after they have outlived their usefulness.
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That is precisely what happens when we let the operational “day job” crowd out our engagement in more strategic, higher-value-added activities. Like athletes and companies, managers and professionals overinvest in their strengths under the false assumption that what produced their past successes will necessarily lead to future wins. Eventually we become trapped in well-honed routines that no longer correspond to the requirements of a new environment.
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We enjoy what we do well, so we do more of it and get still better at it. The more we do something, the more expert we become at it and the more we enjoy doing it. Such a feedback loop motivates us to get even more experience."

Especulo que a mentalidade que criou o sucesso da SONAE Indústria dos anos 80 e 90 do século passado, passou o seu prazo de validade assim que o mundo mudou e Portugal a Europa Ocidental, deixou de poder ser competitivo nos custos. À muito que a mentalidade de engenheiro do século XX com o seu "Como podemos reduzir o custo unitário?" (que nos remete para dentro da fábrica, para a eficiência), já devia ter dado lugar ao "Como podemos aumentar o preço unitário"? (que nos remete para o utilizador final e para a co-criação de valor)
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Trechos retirados de "Act like a leader, think like a leader" de Herminia Ibarra.