Bad Economy = Good Time to Innovate
Written by Corinne Garcia Friday, November 18 2011
Snapshot: Dr. Billie G. Blair, president and CEO, Change Strategists Inc.
Changes in today’s corporate climate seem to happen fast, from mass hirings to mass firings to dealing with an ever-changing global marketplace that is constantly shifting through uneven economic times. This is why organizational psychologist and president and CEO of Change Strategists Inc. Dr. Billie G. Blair says, “There's a lot of change going around!”
With offices in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, and a staff of 45 consultants, Blair’s business assists business leaders in large corporations with the tools and strategies they need to effectively handle change and prepare for the best possible future. Here, Blair explains how to latch on and prosper in what she terms this “Era of Enterprise.”
Womenetics: Can you explain, in a nutshell, what an organizational psychologist does?
Billie Blair: An organizational psychologist has training in all the things that evolve – and, sometimes devolve – within an organization. We like to say that we know everything that's worth knowing about organizations and their people.
Womenetics: What was the inspiration behind starting Change Strategists Inc. as opposed to going at it as an independent consultant?
Blair: In my former career as a university management professor and college dean, I formed important and lasting relationships with colleagues and engaged with many of them in consulting work during that time. So it was a natural when I was ready to start the business – something I'd been planning on for a long time – to encourage these individuals to be a part of the enterprise. That made for a very smooth transition from academia into full-time consulting, and it has proven to be very rewarding for all concerned.
Womenetics: How did your business grow?
Blair: The business started with 15 of us, the folks who formed the core of the original university-based consulting business, and many of us had known one another since graduate study. As the demand for our services grew, we brought in others, people we had worked with through the years, growing to what I see as our current, optimal size of 45 professionals.
This number gives us the flexibility to cover projects on a global basis because we work with Fortune 500/1000 clients and other large organizations. It also allows us to ensure that we are a diverse group of professionals – from gender, ethnicity, and background perspectives. And it ensures that we are small enough to be able to manage events and expectations well.
Womenetics: What is your leadership style among these professionals?
Blair: My leadership style is what I would term as "affiliative." And, no, you won't find that in any management text. But in operational terms, it means that I form bonds and relationships with the other professionals in the firm based on past project performance, as well as similar interests and training, and that I rely upon the professional backgrounds of participants to carry through on the workload aspects and the project responsibilities. And with that, we maintain close communication, which is very important in order to ensure that projects go well for our clients.
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| Dr. Billie Blair |
Blair: We do, indeed. We all have had management experience in large corporations – that's requisite No. 1. But after that, we have our own specialty areas to contribute to the richness of team formation. For example, within Change Strategists Inc., we have finance specialists, change strategists, management and leadership experts, engineers, statisticians, researchers, project managers, and, of course, organizational psychologists on board.
Womenetics: Can you tell us about some trends you’re seeing in the business world right now, as far as why they are seeking your company’s guidance?
Blair: We work with large corporations, and these are the organizations that are doing particularly well at the moment in the current economy. These are the companies who are hiring currently and who are supporting the modest but consistent growth increase in gross domestic product. With that, there are a lot of change processes required within these companies in order to make this growth circumstance a sustained and continuing one and to render these companies viable contenders for the remainder of the 21st century and, in particular, for a global marketplace. Thus, as we say: There's a lot of change going around!
Womenetics: How do you help them get from a problem to a solution?
Blair: That is the entire reason why we are there, because, for starters, we know all the technical aspects of how organizations work, including their people and processes. Then, we have the professional expertise to build on the company's background, track record, and accomplishments in order to look forward productively to the future. We also have the real-world and global experience to work with these companies and their leaders to look responsibly at past performance, past preference, future preference, and future design and development. It is by dint of our strong combination of knowledge and leadership expertise that we are able to guide some of the most important business processes in the world today.
Womenetics: How do these Fortune 500/1000s find you?
Blair: We began by invoking the contacts that we had all made by that time. In my case, when I worked in Los Angeles as a university dean, part of my responsibility was to carry out fundraising activities. In that capacity, I met a large number of LA's movers and shakers. And folks know other folks across the United States and around the world. LA is a very cosmopolitan place. Thus, we grew, initially, based on our knowledge, our expertise, our experiences, and our established contacts with large organizations and their leaders.
Today, corporations find us primarily through word-of-mouth recommendations, which is actually the most productive way of establishing business relationships at the levels at which we operate. So, our clients come predominantly through business contacts that have already been established.
Womenetics: Can you offer some general tips for businesses that reflect the trends you’re seeing today?
Blair: Look for all the possibilities that are available – there are many – and take advantage of those. This is a time for courage, innovation, and creativity. If those aren't traits that you possess, then surround yourself with people who do. This is the “Era of Enterprise.” In times of serious turmoil and uncertainty within nations, there exists opportunity for great advances. Look around you and make the most of those possibilities. And, most of all, refrain from listening to the naysayers. I recently heard a corporate CEO say that every great idea he ever had was met by a large number of people who told him it would fail miserably. Thankfully he didn't listen, but he followed his own business instincts, and his company is very successful today.
Womenetics: What are the most important psychological tools that companies need to consider today?
Blair: The tools that all managers need to consider, particularly business owners and CEOs, are those that deal with working well with their people. One of my recent books (Value Plus: Employees As Valuers) details this need. It’s absolutely vital that leaders of firms engage their employees in supporting the firm's direction and its intended pathways. This requires a series of organizational and psychological processes that must be understood and embraced in order for businesses to be successful in the modern day. For far too long, many business leaders have ignored and left unacknowledged what should have been their strongest group of supporters: their employees. The direction of this unfortunate course must be substantially altered to allow the businesses of today to actually get back on course in both sustainable and innovative ways.
Womenetics: How do you escape from work?
Blair: I have interests that take me away from the ordinary cares of the day and put me in the moment. I am a pilot with a private license. Flying one's own plane definitely requires concentration to the task at hand. I also have four dogs and love to roam the woods with them. Some of my greatest learning experiences, even "a-ha" moments, have come from being in close contact with our dogs. And I write books, primarily to be used by our clients, but also by anyone interested in the field and art of management. Writing definitely forces one to concentrate. And, last, but not least, I practice yoga. If you're doing a proficient yoga practice, you really must concentrate and can't think about anything else, otherwise you'll topple over.
Corinne Garcia is a freelance writer and editor living with her husband and two young boys in Bozeman, Mont. She has also written for Women’s Adventure, Christian Science Monitor, Northwest Travel, Pregnancy, Fit Pregnancy, and Fit Parent.
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