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 The Ripple Effect
A High-Impact Strategy & Leadership Thought-Starter
from Trium
January 2010
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Critical Learnings from 2009 and Key Implications for Your
2010 Strategy and Execution
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 The past year has been, by all accounts, incredibly
challenging for just about every company in every sector. Surviving the
year is an accomplishment; but surviving likely won't propel you
forward, nor enable competitive advantage and sustainable growth. What
might be most important now is taking away "the right
lessons" from this challenging time. With that in mind, we want to
take a moment to answer two critical, connected questions: what did we really
learn in 2009 and how will it affect what we do in 2010?
Please e-mail ManagingPartner@triumgroup.com
to share your perspective--we'll share back the general learning
(without disclosing who said what) in our next edition of The Ripple Effect.
In the meantime, Trium Managing Partner, Andrew Blum,
shares his three most important lessons and the related "So
what's?" from 2009, along with actionable applications for 2010:
1. Focus on "No
Regrets" Actions. Regardless
of the circumstances, there are always a set of actions that are
"no regrets" -- meaning they are always the right actions to
take. Focusing on these things is often the best way to take meaningful
action in the face of chaos and confusion. For example, some no regrets
moves include focusing on your cost structure, the cohesion of your
teams and the clarity of your strategy. When all else fails, just
getting these few things right can make all the difference.
Implications for your 2010 planning: Just as we advise with a strategy, make sure your
organization is clear on a few simple priorities. Make these priorities
clear enough for people at all levels to understand them and connect
them to their work. 2010 may not be the best year to reinvent the
wheel, but it certainly is the right time to get a few things right.
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The Top 3
Ways Business Changed: 2000-2009
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This new year marks the end of the 21st century's first
decade. And what a decade it proved to be!
We recently paused to reflect upon the history and
step-changes we've witnessed, and how all of it cumulatively affects the
way we conduct business today. What changed the most? Here's our thinking
on the three most fundamental shifts... going way back to that time when,
yes, we briefly fretted about Y2K:
1. There is now full recognition
of global connectedness. Said another way,
"the world is flat." Regardless of how you describe it, the
reality is that, unlike 10 years ago, workers in India today understand
that financial crisis in Japan affects them directly. And U.S.
manufacturers are now keenly aware of how China's building boom impacts
their ability to get materials and equipment, and at what pricing. Now
that we have this recognition, it will be curious to see how we leverage
it in the decade ahead.
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Book Brief: What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About
Management
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 This week at the Trium office, we've dusted off and been
discussing Jeff Pfeffer's 2007 book, What
Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management.
In this book, Pfeffer, a renowned organizational professor
at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and one of Trium's
academic partners, aggregates and then builds upon his best content from
four years of column-writing for Business
2.0 magazine.
Among his data-based, pragmatic advice, Pfeffer shares
learnings you'll likely find common-sensical when reading them, but which
our experience indicates are commonly overlooked when executives get
caught up in daily operations, cultural norms and near-term targets:
Actions often have unintended
consequences, so individuals and
organizations must strive to proactively identify and take such
"feedback effects" into account when exploring options and
making decisions. An example: Pfeffer finds that cost savings initiatives
rarely deliver savings-they cut short-term expenditures, but rarely
deliver overall, material savings when the true impact of reduced morale
and retention is measured and added to the dollar equation. More
businesses today seem to understand this point when it comes to cost
savings; we look forward to helping more of our clients internalize and
effectively act upon Pfeffer's broader point.
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Trium Team News
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Trium
continues to add significant depth and capability to our team in order to
better serve clients' evolving needs and challenges.
We're pleased to introduce the two newest Board Directors to
join our team, both of whom have held senior positions at some of the
most prestigious consulting firms and corporations in the world:
 Matthew Le Merle. Prior to joining
the Trium team, Matthew served as a general partner of Monitor
Group, where he was the lead partner of the West Coast. From 1992 to
1999, he served as a Western U.S. Practice Leader for AT Kearney,
and earlier he was a consultant with McKinsey and Company. Matthew
has also held SVP positions in Gap, Inc. global marketing and
corporate strategy and development. He received both a BA and MA
from Oxford University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School
of Business.
 Doug Mackenzie. Before
joining up with Trium, Doug was Senior Partner in Monitor Group's
San Francisco office, where he co-headed the West Coast Advisory
business. Earlier, he was an SVP and head of Worldwide Human
Resource Development at American Express Company. He earned his
Bachelor in Environmental Studies from Colorado College and an MBA
from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
Also new to the Trium team is Ed Park, who joins us as a managing consultant with 13 years of
telecom and financial services consulting experience.
Additionally, we're pleased to announce three new
principals: Monica Chi, Shani Harmon, and Brad Sutton have been incredibly valuable leaders at Trium and offer
breadth and depth of expertise in a wide range of areas including
strategy development and clarification, team performance and development
and organizational transformation.
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About Us & The
Ripple Effect
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 The Trium Group helps leaders develop and execute winning
strategies. This often involves helping our business clients achieve
comprehensive, cross-disciplinary solutions to their most difficult
business challenges. We have deep expertise in helping more than 100
companies--large and small, functions, divisions and teams--to be more
successful.
We welcome the opportunity to be your thought-partner or
sounding board. To learn more about us or to discuss how we can help you
with your latest challenges, please e-mail ManagingPartner@triumgroup.com.
We call this newsletter "The Ripple Effect"
because our logo features a single pebble causing ripples of water in a
pond. The pebble is symbolic of how a single, well-executed action can
have a very significant impact. The ripples also remind us of the
collateral effects of every business action--effects we strive to
proactively create in collaborating with our clients to develop and
execute strategic agendas for purpose-driven change and improved business
performance.
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Finally... happy new year from the Trium team.
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