One of my biggest pet peeves is unproductive meetings. In fact, I dislike unproductive meetings so much that I began to study what it takes to facilitate great meetings—and meetings that matter.

Thinking through meeting design and facilitation has been my way of trying to lessen the burden and suffering that I and others experience when we’re stuck in a bad and unproductive meeting.

This list of Ten Rules for Highly Effective Meetings is born from experience and the principles of Organizational Physics. You can apply them to your own meetings and improve them by 30% or more.

Think about that figure for a moment. How much time and energy do you personally spend/waste in meetings each week? And how much does your entire company spend/waste each week? It’s likely a big and costly number.

A change in approach to how you organize and run meetings can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line. Meetings will take less time, consume less energy, and result in better decisions and faster organizational velocity.

Why Have Meetings at All

There’s a lot of noise on the internet right now telling you that the best solution to bad meetings is to get rid of meetings altogether. Slamming meetings isn’t a new trend. Here are two of history’s most prominent management gurus on meetings:

“Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.” – John Kenneth Galbraith

“Either you meet or you work. You cannot do both at the same time.” – Peter F. Drucker

I used to be in this “get rid of meetings so we can work camp” too. But I came to a realization. Trying to get rid of meetings, or attempting to automate them away through the use of AI, is like trying to get rid of the […]

Two past coaching clients just reached out to ask me about structuring AI into their companies this week. This tells me it’s time to write an article, so here we go.

One of the principles behind Organizational Physics is that you always want to manage appropriately for the lifecycle stage of the project, product, business, or business unit. First you pilot it, then you nail it, then you scale it. AI adoption is no different.

The Pilot It Stage of AI Adoption: Using GPTs

Most companies are already in the Pilot It stage of AI adoption. Employees, especially innovators and early adopters, are using AI tools to be more productive, but the work itself has not fundamentally changed. This means that your social media marketing manager uses a GPT plug-in to create more social media posts, but their job remains fundamentally the same. It’s the same for software engineers, salespeople, and really any knowledge worker using a GPT. Discovering what different AI tools are capable of is fascinating and a bit unnerving. On their own initiative, the leading edge is researching and deploying their own AI tools and often bringing their findings back to the company.

Of course these discoveries raise plenty of questions and concerns. “Wait… what about data security?” “Wait… what about privacy?” “Wait… does this mean won’t have jobs?” These concerns are valid, yet every thinking person can see that the world has changed. If your company is going to survive and thrive, then it must quickly figure out how to nail AI adoption.

The Nail It Stage of AI Adoption: Building an AI Brain

My coaching clients on the leading edge of AI adoption are all on the same mission right now: to create and leverage their own internal, centralized AI brain. […]

Recently, I was featured on the Sparking Entrepreneur Podcast on Spotify. Many of the questions were about becoming a coach and how to be successful as a coach, so I’m including it here in case you’re interested. Cheers.

I have found that the way we want to be and become as an organization is shaped by two dimensions.

One area is quantitative goals. This includes things like our top-line revenue goals, profit goals, and measures of excellence in the form of key performance indicators (KPIs). If your company were a human body, think of these things like the objective goals of the brain.

The other area is qualitative goals. These include things like our reason for being, our core vision and values, and why what we do is actually important. If your company were a human body, think of these things like desires of the heart.

Here’s the thing. An integrated human being seeks to align their head with their heart. And this is an ongoing, dynamic process. Alignment is not a one-time event. It’s a constant dance. A person committed to integration adjusts their choices and relationships consciously when they notice a misalignment occurring. Living a life well-lived is all about playing that game.

The same applies to your business. It also has a collective brain and heart. An effective leader is one who can define the current and desired future reality in such a way that it galvanizes the organization’s brain and heart to close the gap—to make the current reality more like the desired future reality.

How to Integrate the Organizational Head and Heart

With Organizational Physics, you can quickly gather perspectives on what should be included in the head and heart of your organization through two survey modules. This is a structured way to gather feedback from your leadership team and other key influencers.

An organization’s “heart” is defined by its company core. The Company Core survey module includes nine questions that define your company’s qualitative objectives and its reason […]

Modern MBA is a great YouTube channel if you like business stories as much as I do. It examines behind-the-scenes strategic decisions and missteps that led a high-profile company to its current state. Usually, the episodes are entertaining and easy to watch. This episode, “Fried Chicken Wars: The Curse of Popeyes,” was sponsored by Organizational Physics @3:17. Enjoy!

And here’s the link to the Strategic Alignment Guide mentioned in the video.

Will your company hold strategic planning sessions in the coming quarter? If that’s the case, I highly recommend these two resources:

See the Strategic Alignment Guide. Use this guide to run a world-class strategic alignment and planning session, including a new and improved SWOT Analysis.

See Designed to Scale Structure Resources. I’ve recently placed all Designed to Scale videos and tutorials in a single source page. Remember, when the strategy changes, change the structure!

I hope you enjoy and get value from these resources. Here’s to a successful 2024 and beyond!

Cheers,

Lex

SANTA BARBARA, CA, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Today, we are thrilled to announce the launch of AskLEX, a groundbreaking chatbot powered by the latest GPT-4 technology, which provides instant access to a comprehensive knowledge base of best practices for leading authentically and growing businesses.

AskLEX is the culmination of over a decade of research and development, bringing together the power of machine learning with the principles and expertise of Organizational Physics founder Lex Sisney. Individuals and organizations can easily access and apply the principles of Organizational Physics with this new tool.

Key Features of AskLEX:

• Cutting-Edge AI: AskLEX is built upon the GPT-4 platform, the most advanced AI language model available today. This ensures that users receive accurate, up-to-date, and insightful responses to their queries related to Organizational Physics.
• Comprehensive Knowledge Base: AskLEX hosts an extensive knowledge base that covers the full range of Lex Sisney’s content and philosophies. Users can access information on topics such as authentic leadership, building high-performing teams, setting strategy, designing scalable structures, driving sustained strategic execution, and much more.
• Instant Expertise: With AskLEX, users can tap into the expertise of Organizational Physics at any time, gaining valuable insights and guidance to enhance their own effectiveness.
• Personalized Recommendations: The chatbot leverages machine learning to provide personalized recommendations and solutions tailored to specific challenges and objectives.
• 24/7 Accessibility: AskLEX is available round the clock, making it a valuable resource for individuals and organizations across different time zones and schedules.

AskLEX is set to streamline the way organizations solve their unique business challenges and opportunities. It empowers leaders, managers, and employees to make informed decisions based on the principles of Organizational Physics, ultimately leading to enhanced productivity, engagement, and overall success.

“We are excited to introduce AskLEX to the world,” said Lex Sisney, founder and head coach of Organizational Physics. “Organizational Physics is a powerful […]

We just announced the release of the Strategic Execution Team (SET) software, which is now included with a Designed to Scale Pro-level membership subscription. If you see potential in running better and more optimized leadership team meetings in your own company, you may want to learn more about this program and take it for a test drive. Below is the press release announcing the change and you can learn more about the program here: https://organizationalphysics.com/ultimate-leadership-team-process/

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Organizational Physics Streamlines Strategic Execution with the Launch of the SET: Strategic Execution Team Software

SANTA BARBARA, CA, UNITED STATES, September 8, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — Organizational Physics, a pioneer in applying systems thinking to managing and scaling organizations, announces the launch of its Strategic Execution Team (SET) software. This innovative tool aims to transform how companies conduct their leadership team meetings, fostering improved team alignment, enhanced decision-making, and smoother strategic execution at scale.

SET is accessible exclusively through the Organizational Physics Designed to Scale Membership Program at the Pro-level and higher. It is an interactive, online software solution that seamlessly integrates with an organization’s existing IT environment.

The SET software is bundled with two other complementary programs: Evolving Structure and Cascading Objectives (OKRs). Together, these three programs establish the foundation for sustained and effective strategic execution at scale.

Key Features of SET:

• Streamlined Leadership Team Meetings:
SET provides a comprehensive agenda for weekly Leadership Team Meetings, guiding teams through each step of the process, fostering individual accountability, and enhancing team performance.
• Focused Prioritization: By capturing “hot items” and addressing them later in the meeting, SET ensures that discussions stay on track, minimizing ping-pong discussions and premature problem solving.
• Role Updates and Action Items: SET simplifies the tracking of role updates and action items, ensuring that they are addressed efficiently during meetings and tracked seamlessly afterward.
• Strategic T1 Decision-Making: The software facilitates the […]
  

Today, I had a matrix-like experience using ChatGPT. I was asked by a freelance journalist on LinkedIn if I had any comments to share about an article she was writing about culture and structure.

In light of ChatGPT’s recent beta release, I was curious to see how it would perform. So I asked it the same question the reporter asked me: “What are the symptoms of a company that needs a better organizational structure?”

I thought. “Not bad! There’s no indication as to why those symptoms occur, or what to do about them, but it’s not a bad summary by ChatGPT.”

I then took a flyer and asked it another question. “How would Lex Sisney redesign my organization structure?”

I think this summary captures my approach to changing organizational structures very well. But the thing is that I never used the term “hierarchy of purpose” in any of my writings. I had never heard of this term before reading this, so being called an expert was quite amusing. The concept sounded cool, however, and I liked it a lot. So I asked ChatGPT, “What is a hierarchy of purpose?”

Holy Toledo. My work has been defined by ChatGPT in a way I haven’t even articulated to myself. For years, I have been teaching a hierarchy of purpose model without ever referring to it as such. It’s kind of surreal.

After that, I wondered, “Who came up with this hierarchy of purpose concept and why hadn’t I heard […]

Lex Sisney is a business coach, speaker, and author who has developed a framework called “Organizational Physics” to help businesses improve their performance and achieve their goals. According to Sisney, Organizational Physics is a science-based approach to management that combines principles from physics, systems theory, and human behavior to help organizations operate more effectively.

At its core, Organizational Physics is based on the idea that organizations are complex systems that operate according to certain laws and principles. By understanding these laws and principles, businesses can optimize their performance and achieve their objectives.

Some of the key principles of Organizational Physics include:

Alignment: Aligning the goals, strategies, and actions of an organization to ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives.

Integration: Creating a system of interconnected processes and functions that work together to achieve the goals of the organization.

Flow: Ensuring that work flows smoothly through the organization, minimizing bottlenecks and delays.

Resilience: Building an organization that can adapt to changing circumstances and remain effective over time.

Performance: Measuring and tracking key performance metrics to ensure that the organization is achieving its goals.

Overall, Organizational Physics provides a holistic and scientific approach to managing organizations, helping businesses to improve their performance, increase their resilience, and achieve their goals.

As I write this, #ChatGPT4 has just been released in beta. I am asking it questions about my work and philosophy for scaling companies. I thought you might find value in its concise responses. If you are inspired to gain a deeper understanding of the Organizational Physics approach to scaling-up, I invite you to check out my books and articles.

Entropy. It’s a bitch.

According to Lex Sisney’s Organizational Physics framework, entropy is a concept that refers to the tendency of an organization to become disorganized and chaotic over time if left unchecked.

Entropy is the opposite of order and represents the degree of disorder or randomness in a system. In an organizational context, entropy can manifest in several ways, such as:

Lack of alignment: When different parts of the organization are not working towards the same goals or are not following a common strategy.

Inefficient processes: When processes are slow, redundant, or wasteful, leading to delays, errors, or frustration.

Poor communication: When information is not flowing freely or is not being shared effectively, leading to misunderstandings or missed opportunities.

Resistance to change: When the organization is resistant to change or is unable to adapt to new circumstances, leading to stagnation or decline.

Sisney argues that entropy is a natural tendency that all organizations face, and that it must be actively managed and reduced to ensure long-term success. He also emphasizes the importance of balancing the forces of producing, stabilizing, innovating, and unifying to counteract the negative effects of entropy.

In summary, entropy is the tendency of an organization to become disorganized and chaotic over time if left unchecked, and it is a key concept in Organizational Physics.

As I write this, #ChatGPT4 has just been released in beta. I am asking it questions about my work and philosophy for scaling companies. I thought you might find value in its concise responses. If you are inspired to gain a deeper understanding of the Organizational Physics approach to scaling-up, I invite you to check out my books and articles.