“Being an example” published by Jon Harvey

Recently, Jon Harvey published my Being an example short article in his Inspirational Leadership series.  Writing this article provided me an opportunity to try to summarize lessons learned from working with Katherine E. Boyd.

It was an privilege and a pleasure to know and work with Katie Boyd.  Here are some principles I believe Katie exemplified.

a) Do whatever you can.

b) Ask for whatever you should.

c) Provide appreciation.

d) Support those who support your causes.

e) Try new outreach.

f) It may not be necessary to tout your role.

g) Lead by being an example.

I would like to thank Jon Harvey for giving me an opportunity to reflect on the past and to try to offer people these principles and some examples of results from my trying to follow such concepts.

Led Discussion on From Great Potential to Not-So-Great Results – What are we missing?

Recently, Mark Finnern and SAP hosted an “open mike” Future Salon.  I led a discussion on “From Great Potential to Not-So-Great Results – What are we missing?”  (link:
https://t.co/shxaWiaF
, starting around minute 26:20 and ending around minute 38)  People presented concepts.  There did not seem to be much disagreement with the concept that society can and should try to frame more important issues, solve more important problems, and capture more specific opportunity.  In response to a question, I mentioned opportunities to reconsider to what extent people and discussion focus on individuals and to what extent people and discussion focus on groups.  I also noted opportunities to consciously improve self-awareness and thinking skills.

Another person led a later session and recommended people’s focusing more on deciding what they want to achieve compared to trying to achieve what they think they want.

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Interviewed by Personal Branding Pioneer

Recently, Peter Sterlacci, who is pioneering personal branding in Japan, interviewed me and produced the “Branding Mechanics’ Video Interview: Dr. Thomas J. Buckholtz” (link).  I hope I provided useful insight in areas such …
• The importance – for a team or individual – of what people think about when they think about “you.”
• The potential to use my game “2-Brains: Tell it & Sell it” to help develop marketing messages, including personal branding messages.
• The potential to use checklists from my book “Create Crucial Insight” to support the above two items.

It was my pleasure to work again with Peter. Previously, he led the San Jose State University program via which I led classes on American government (plus leadership and innovation) for more than a dozen groups of China government officials.
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Gave presentation for Phi Beta Kappa

Recently, I led an after-dinner session on “From Great Potential … To Not-So-Great Effects. What is society missing? What can we do about it?” for the Northern California Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

I very much appreciate audience members’ contributing much during the presentation, Cal Wood’s having invited me and being such a considerate host, the opportunity to help support Phi Beta Kappa’s scholarship fund, and my being able to enjoy some time at Asilomar State Beach.

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Published book “Create Crucial Insight”

Recently, I completed and made available a new book, Create Crucial Insight.

Insight matters.  People use insight to be aware, to plan, to achieve, and to appreciate achievements.  Needs for crucial insight range from personal to global.

Now, you can use Direct Outcomes checklists to create crucial insight – easily and quickly – throughout your work.  People use Direct Outcomes to frame issues, solve problems, and create opportunities.

Address pivotal questions such as the following.  “What services do our customers need?”  “What do we need to do?”  “How well do we need to do it?”  “Who best should do it?”  “What impact will it have?”  “What should we say?”  “What else should we consider?”  Gain crucial, situation-specific insight.

I wrote this book so that you can use Direct Outcomes, think well, create crucial insight, use the insight, do great, and thrive.

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Wrote service-science chapter on metrics that matter

Recently, Springer published a book Service Systems Implementation containing my chapter Metrics That Matter: Measuring and Improving the Value of Service.  The chapter’s abstract states the following.

This chapter features two metrics for the value of service and provides how-to advice for using them to attribute value, improve service, create service-innovation roadmaps, select metrics, and promote service science. The chapter also presents perspective and advice regarding service offerings and measurement and provides examples of using the two metrics.

Key words include the following.

Metrics – value – innovation – roadmap – functionality – proficiency – service science – service systems

The following material (from Springer) describes the book.

Service Systems Implementation provides the latest applications and practices aimed at improving the key performance indicators of service systems, especially those related to service quality, service productivity, regulatory compliance, and sustainable service innovation.  The book presents action-oriented, application-oriented, design science-oriented (artifacts building: constructs, models, methods and instantiations) and case study-oriented research with actionable results by illustrating techniques that can be employed in large scale, real world examples. The case studies will help visualize service systems along the four key dimensions of people, information, technology and value propositions which can help enable better integration between them towards higher value propositions.

The chapters, written by leading experts in the field, examine a wide range of substantive issues and implementations related to service science in various industries. These contributions also showcase the application of an array of research methods, including surveys, experiments, design science, case studies and frameworks, providing the reader with insights and guidelines to assist in building their own service systems, and thus, moving toward a more favorable service customer and provider experience.

Service Systems Implementation, along with its companion text, The Science of Service Systems, is designed to present multidisciplinary and multisectoral perspectives on the nature of service systems, on research and practice in service, and on the future directions to advance service science. These two volumes compose a collection of articles from those involved in the emerging area known as service science.

I would like to thank the book’s editors – Haluk Demirkan, James C. Spohrer, and Vikas Krishna – for providing me the opportunity to contribute thus to the field or service science.  The book is one in a series – Service Science: Research and Innovations in the Service Economy.

As well as being available via links above, the Service Systems Implementation is available through Amazon.com via this link.

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Spoke regarding grassroots innovation

On November 18, 2009, I led a discussion entitled “Grassroots Innovation: One Pebble Creates a Ripple.”  The event was one in the EMC Leadership & Innovation Speaker Series, which meets at EMC in Silicon Valley.

I presented a “recipe” for grassroots innovation (and other endeavors), based on a Direct Outcomes thinking tool. I discussed two histories, one (the creating of the Palos Verdes Estates Shoreline Preserve) in which I provided a pebble and one (Pacific Gas and Electric’s early to mid 1980s company-wide innovation program known as the Office Technology Project) in which I had various roles regarding “ripples” and “creating new pebbles.”

Audience-suggested discussion involved topics including …

• LUC – The law of unintended consequences.
• Converting problems into opportunities.
• Moral responsibility.
• Timing, regarding pursuing innovations.
• What constitutes an “innovation?”
• Is the term “innovation” overused?
• Are people “saturated” with too many ideas?

I note that there is a blog noting “10 Principles of Pebbles” –
http://curiosityquotient.blogspot.com/2009/11/10-pebble-principles-for-innovation.html

I appreciate the contributions of the committee the organized this event.  It developed the “pebble and ripples” title for the event.  Sheryl Chamberlain (of EMC) hosted the meeting and helped involve the audience.  Mike Alvarado provided suggestions for setting expectations.

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Co-produced video “From Outrage to Outcomes – Let’s produce pivotal progress!”

On August 27, 2009, LectureMaker posted a video featuring my presenting From Outrage to Outcomes: “Let’s produce pivotal progress!”.

There is much that society, businesses, and individuals need and want to achieve.

I hope many people will learn from, use, benefit from, and teach the presentation’s recipe for producing pivotal progress.  The presentation indicates needs for new progress (in education, healthcare, transportation, and politics and governance; throughout society; and specific to individuals), discusses why progress seems so hard to achieve now, provides the recipe, illustrates uses of the recipe, encourages people to act, and notes means for obtaining help.

From Outrage to Outcomes - "Let's produce pivotal progress!"

I will be happy to help foster communities that form to take positive action.

Also, perhaps people will consider sponsoring follow-on videos regarding specific challenges, opportunities, and means to improve how society and individuals try to achieve results.

Ron Fredericks (of LectureMaker) added considerable value by making suggestions about the presentation’s content and my delivery of that content, by adding effects to the video, by tuning the technical quality of the images and sounds, and providing a web-presence home for the video and related comments.  I recommend people contact him to explore producing high-quality videos.

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Attended showing of “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny”

On June 26, 2009, Helen Buckholtz (my spouse) and I attended a screening of the film “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny” at the corporate headquarters of Jelly Belly.  I appreciated themes (in the introduction of the film, in the film, and question-and-answer after the film) including clarity of purpose, resolve to achieve significant goals (including economic recovery, dissolution of the Soviet Union, and restoration of optimism among Americans), achievement of goals, and willingness to negotiate and compromise to achieve goals.

People who introduced the film included Herman Rowland (of Jelly Belly) and Newt Gingrich and Callista Gingrich.  The film was produced by Citizens United Foundation / Citizens United Productions.

Before the screening I had a brief opportunity to meet and talk with Newt Gingrich.  I provided him some suggestions that might ‘make a difference’ for America.

Also, I am pleased to recall that Helen and I previously met people featured in the film. 

Helen Buckholtz, Ronald Reagan, Thomas J. Buckholtz

 

Helen Buckholtz, Thomas J. Buckholtz, George H.W. Bush

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helen Buckholtz, Thomas J. Buckholtz, Margaret Thatcher

 

Gerald R. Ford, Helen Buckholtz, Thomas J. Buckholtz, Dennis Hastert

 

 

 

 

 

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Attended discussion regarding priorities for the Obama administration

On December 3, 2008, I attended a panel discussion regarding The New Administration’s First 100 Days – So Much to Do … What to Do First?  Panelists were University of California, Berkeley, Professors John Quigley, Henry Brady, Daniel Kammen, and Robert Reich.  The event was sponsored by the Goldman School of Public Policy.  The panel moderator was Jim Marver, a GSPP graduate and chair of the School’s Board of Advisors.

 The panel provided useful insight regarding the state of the United States and regarding opportunities and challenges facing the forthcoming administration.  I recommend people view the discussion.

 I would like to thank Professor (and now-former Dean) Michael Nacht for inviting me years ago to serve on GSPP’s Board of Advisors.  It is a privilege to serve this outstanding educational and research institution.

Jim Marver, John Quigley, Daniel Kammen, Robert Reich, Henry Brady

Annette Doornbos, Patrick Windham, Arati Prabhakar, Thomas J. Buckholtz, Helen T. Buckholtz

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