Geoff Schoenberg

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The hunt for a research question continues. The current battle involves a debate between analysing what a board should be doing previous to a CEO succession or analysing what a board should be doing once a succession event begins. Analysing how a board prepares for succession would complement the succession planning literature and could be interesting given that the wide majority of CEO appointments in the sport world are external and succession planning usually refers to grooming an inside candidate. Is it possible for a board to develop suitable inside candidates? Should sport organisations put fixed terms on CEO appointments to allow for better planning opportunities? Can an organisation really prepare for a succession event without having a specific candidate in mind?

On the flip side, how do organisation act during the actual succession event is also important. Any event planner will tell you that even the best plan can all fall apart. What action does a board take when selecting a CEO? Are current plans taken into consideration? How much of a factor does time play? Who is involved in the process?

Lots of questions. It’s tough because every time I get closer to finding an answer, a new series of important questions appears. There is just so much that can be done, and it all appears to link together. One of the toughest decisions is finding a question that will fit the scope of my research. I’m not sure what is too big (obviously, researching how a board can plan and the effectiveness of said plan and implementation strategies is too big, but how too big?). The nice thing is, whatever I end up doing, there will be ample opportunities to continue the research in a PhD (if I decide that’s what I want).

Lots to read about and decide about… Time to go back to it…

I left my supervisor’s office today and actually skipped for a couple of steps. This is in stark contrast to the last meeting we had discussing a piece of my work. The first piece of work had been poorly written and there was a significant lack of “linkage” between the literature cited and the potential topic. While I was aware that the work was not my best, it was still a little disheartening. Complete opposite today. There was only minor notations on the actual writing itself and a great conversation about where the research is headed, not only for the masters thesis but also the PhD potential as well.

The basic plan is now this… Use the masters research to develop a model on strategic fit of CEO’s and how organisations can prepare for the inevitable succession event. Then, if I am interested, I can do a PhD to test the model!

Now, I need to develop appropriate research questions. (Oh, I also need to find a way to bottle this enthusiasm so I can drink some when I’m not as excited!)

Growing up, two school subjects I always did well in were PE and math. English, not so much. My reading comprehension was always excellent, as was my spelling and grammar. However, my writing, especially creative writing, was always the struggle. Knowing myself now, I doubt it was a lack of creativity or a lack of technical skills. It’s probably because writing is a subjective skill. Math and spelling have correct answers (generally…). Writing requires judgment. I can certainly imagine a young Geoffrey writing his two page report on bears and never thinking about it again. You wanted a two page report on an animal, here is two pages about bears. Done. Task accomplished and problem solved. Creative writing assignments, such as short stories and poetry, would probably have been even worse. As I progressed through school, I learned, but not necessarily practiced, a variety of techniques to make my writing better, topic sentences, figures of speech and the like.

With the transition to university and a business degree the focus of the writing changed. No longer were winding, creative stories desired. The emphasis became communicating a message (an idea or opinion) instead of telling a story. This message was usually relayed in two forms, a written report and an oral presentation. The skills of writing were replaced with the skills of communicating. Communication can take many forms, but let’s focus on written communication versus writing.

In my view, written communication can be very different than writing. Communication is about delivering messages. Strong message driven written business communication should be clear and concise; the receiver shouldn’t have to reach for a dictionary or search for the meaning. Alternately, an excellent piece of writing may have deeper themes that are not prevalent at first glance and words that are new to the reader. Writing has the power to cause reflection, something that is unlikely to be found in a press release. When writing, an author is more likely to focus on the theme, the message or the story whereas a piece of written communication should always come back to the recipient.

Where does a thesis fit? Is it written communication or writing? I would argue that it is written communication since it strives to explain and offer insight into a problem. However, given the length and depth of a thesis, it must be extremely well written. Standard ‘communicating’ techniques of simplification and conciseness take away from the significance of the issues at the centre of the problem and will not allow the reader to gain the knowledge required for full comprehension of the thesis. The challenge of thesis writing is balancing the techniques of writing (presenting deeper themes, using a wide vocabulary, etc.) with the purpose of written communication (clear and easy to read).

I look forward to having all the spelling and grammar errors pointed out to me….

Today I make my first foray into formal teaching. I’ve led groups, developed skills and facilitated discussions but usually with a title that is not formally a teacher.

I’ll be the tutor for the practical sessions of the Facilities and Event Management class here at Deakin. I’m pretty excited (and a little nervous) about it. I’ll be taking four tutorials a week with a class size of 15-25. This class is a great fit and will be a nice bridge into the world of teaching. It’s on a topic that I have a reasonable amount of very practical experience that I should be able to draw on. In addition, the structure of the class is more about group facilitation and discussion rather than lecturing. Again, something I’ve done a lot. Also, this class is a third year class, so there *should not* be as much hand holding. The unit chair seems to have a very similar attitude to me, so I’m not worried about micromanaging. I feel pretty free to lead the class in my style, as long as the material is covered.

My goal is to run a tutorial that is student driven and focused. While it’s good to have ‘war’ stories to share, I remember, as a student, that the overuse of them appears as self-indulgence by the teacher. While it is important for me, as the teacher, to keep the class focused, it is also important that students’ concerns and areas of intrest are discussed in a safe and respectful environment.

So, what are your experiences in tutorials? As a teacher? As a student? What are your pet peeves? What were the characteristics of a great teaching assistant? I know a few of you out there have experience, so please share!

First, I must apologize to my readers if I have any left. My two weeks in New Zealand threw off my blogging routine. I went to write a big long update yesterday but there was just too much to cover in a simple blog post. So, be prepared for several short blog posts for updates on the last 6 weeks. Hopefully I’ll hit my stride soon and updates will be plentiful and detailed.

Stay tuned!

Thanks everyone who continues to support my blog and my adventure. The emails/facebooks/tweets/comments are all appreciated.

For the next 17 days I will be traveling around New Zealand and will probably not be making any postings (although, you never know…..)

Be prepared for some awesome posts when I’m back though!

Geoff

From March to September last year, I was working on WorldSkills Calgary 2009. As the Volunteer Operations Manager I worked with a team of six others to try and coordinate over 70,000 volunteer hours spread over 3000+ volunteers. Leading our team was Maureen, the Volunteer Director. I firmly believe (and am sure others would agree) that without Maureen, WorldSkills Calgary 2009 would not have been nearly the success it was. So, I present for you, eleven things I learned about events from Mo…

(For more about WorldSkills Calgary 2009, click here or use google).

1. It doesn’t matter who does it or who should be doing it or who is responsible for doing it, it matters that it gets done. Sort it out later. If someone dropped the ball, you shouldn’t let their mistake sacrifice the event for the participants.

2. Plan for the majority. No matter what you do, there will always be people who will take advantage of the system. Accept that will happen. Make sure you don’t let that minority force you into actions that will be a detriment to the experience of the rest.

3. People power is strongest. Invest in staff and they will reward you. Empower them, support them and guide them. Know when to hold a hand and direct and know when to let them walk their own path.

4. Adapt, adapt, adapt. Develop a robust plan. If it fails, change what you are doing. Don’t worry about why it failed until until after the event. People will understand if you tell them why things are different than they expected.

5. Food and drink make people happy. No matter how miserable a day may have been, if you give someone some food and a beer, they are likely to forgive and understand. People are far less likely to complain if they know you are looking out for them.

6. Talk to everyone you can, even if it’s for a brief moment. Show you care. People will remember. You never know which people might turn out to be amazing and help in ways you couldn’t possible imagine.

7. Work the hardest. Get there early. Stay late.

8. An interview is about the candidate. Make them want the job. Pay attention to the person, not the qualifications, especially in young people, just cause they haven’t done it, doesn’t mean they can’t.

9. Have parties! Celebrate the start, the middle and the end. Celebrate meeting new people and saying goodbye to new friends. Parties create friendships and friendships lead to better teams.

10. Don’t focus on what has happened. Focus on what can be.

11. Stay hydrated. (Those of you who worked with Mo knows what this means…. Those of you who know me, can probably guess… For the rest of you, always remember your water bottle!)

My WorldSkills Calgary 2009 experience was memorable. Thank you to all the volunteers who gave so much and put up with so much. Thanks to the WorldSkills staff, especially to the V-team (Laura Lee, Rachael, Kevin, Chantel, Jason and Emily). And, obviously, thanks to Maureen. Thanks to her, I met some amazing people, learned some valuable lessons and created fantastic memories. (I guess this post is in direct violation of rule 10… but I think it’s alright to look back once in a while…)

Addendum Jan 22: As noted by Laura Lee, I missed perhaps the most crucial one of all…

12. Other Duties as Assigned are the most crucial words on a job description and should be included whenever possible. You simply never know when you may be called on to do something unexpected or need to call on someone else.

I screamed “Fuck You” about as loud as I could. I felt I had been wronged, hurt, insulted. This object of my anger had personally offended me. I didn’t care who I was with, where I was or what I was doing. I only knew that my feelings had to be made clear.

Who was I screaming at? An ice hockey official who was refereeing a junior (Under 20’s) game that was being played 14,419 km away. Where was I? I was stone cold sober, alone in my house early on a Wednesday afternoon. The referee in question had made a call I disagreed with. It was probably the right call, but all I know is it went against my team. I was cheering on Team Canada in the World Junior Hockey Championships. They were playing against the United States in the Gold Medal game. The game in question was as back and forth as you can possibly get with both teams overcoming deficits and huge momentum shifts. I spent this game jumping up off the couch, swearing, cheering, clapping, bouncing nervously and generally going through the complete realm of emotions. Canada ended up losing and the rest of my Wednesday was rather unproductive.

It was Friday afternoon, the first week back at university after the Christmas break. I certainly wasn’t setting any records for work rate and efficiency (again, it was the first Friday back after vacation, gimmie a break!). Around 2:30pm I decided it was time to go home. I got home two and a half hours later at 5pm. The weird thing is, it only took me 27 minutes to get home. So, you might be wondering what held me up between 2:30pm and 4:33pm. I spent two hours and three minutes playing online backgammon and, more importantly, listening to the College Football National Championship game between Texas and Alabama. The game was one-sided for a long time, but as soon as Texas started to make a comeback, I simply couldn’t leave. I sat, listening to a football game on the radio for a couple of hours instead of going home at the end of a tough week. I simply had to listen and see if the Disney story of the rookie QB who comes in after the veteran gets injured was going to play out…

These two experiences were great reminders of why I care about sport. It reminded me of the passion I have for sport and the length to which sport matters in my life. I’ve been fortunate to been involved with many different sports (soccer, lacrosse, speed skating, ski jumping, football and many more) in many different ways (participant, administrator, coach, referee, etc) and the thrill that happens when you “nail it” is amazing.

So despite the many random, difficult moments that come with any sporting pursuit, with any academic work and with living internationally, it’s always nice to be reminded why I’m doing what I’m doing. I want to help others have the opportunity to love sport as much as I do. I want my life to be surrounded by sport and I want to see people accomplish their dreams in sport. My journey continues….

But, most importantly, How Bout Them Cowboys????

As promised, here is an update on my topic and what I am actually researching. It’s still way too broad, and the next month will be focused on narrowing the focus.

When applying for admission to Deakin, I had initially written a one page proposed research topic entitled “Executive Directors: what does it take to become one?” (Ugh, I hated that title…). As detailed in a recent post, the readings I’ve been doing over the last few months have transitioned the topic somewhat. In my readings, the sport governance literature has been particularly appealing and insightful. Although my original proposal was very much slanted to the executive director side of the equation, I knew that there was going to be a link between the staff side and the governing body side. Combining the ideas of a strategic board with the opportunity that a change in executive staff brings has led me to the following research topic, “Executive Transition as a Strategic Opportunity”.

Now, if you are a normal person (not the masochistic type of person who seems to think a thesis is a good idea AKA an academic) you probably read that title and thought “Geoff, I’m sure you could have squeezed a few more buzzwords into that? You haven’t even mentioned synergy”. I, on the other hand, could not be more thrilled with the title. You would at least have to agree that it sounds much better than “Executive Directors, what does it take to become one”. But, as we’ve all been told and we’ve all ignored, don’t judge the book by the cover. So although I have this delicious title, what does it mean?

There are many paths this research could take. I could examine how much boards are using a change in executive as a strategy decision. If a planned strategy is being executed, how does it take place? Are organisations evaluating themselves before developing a strategy? How does the hiring process account for a developed strategy? Are organisations with different strategic goals hiring similar executives with similar background, qualifications and experiences, or do the differences in vision result in a wide variety of executive types.

This next month is dedicated to narrowing this topic. Finding a very specific problem and developing a rudimentary plan for researching it. In order to do this, I first need to establish some rules for my research. I need to define strategy. Is strategy a plan? An intended outcome? How does a board of directors define and impact strategy. The concept of transition needs to be explored. When does an “Executive Transition” begin and when does it end? What are the key phases or steps?

My goal is to have a draft of the introductory chapter written by the end of January. This will be approximately 7500 words or so exploring the need for this research, laying out some of the parameters, narrowing in on a specific topic and providing an overview of the likely method to be utilised.

Well, I’ve got some work to do….

What does your Christmas dinner usually look like? Traditionally I have had a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, carrots, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce (which usually is forgotten until 10 minutes into the meal).

Well, this year was different. Very different. My good friend Kerren brought me along to David and Doreen’s place where another David joined us and the five of us engaged in a dining experience. Instead of a traditional “put a whole bunch of dishes on the table and load your plate obscenely” meal, this was done in a restaurant style six course meal.

Early in the day (you can tell because I’m still upright) we begin our great meal prepared by David (head of table) with help from Doreen (front right of photo)

Course 1 – Asparagus wrapped in Leeks

A nice and light way to start the meal. The toasted sesame seeds on top provided the extra little bit to make this dish special.

Course 2 – Pan Fried Scallops

Everyone here could attest that I was salivating as this dish was being prepared.  Scallops are always a favourite of mine and the little touch of crispy fried leeks provided the texture in this well prepared dish

Course 3 – Gnocchi with Mushrooms

Mushrooms and I do not have a particularly fond history. However, I have recently decided to give them another go and dishes like this reinforce that notion. This was probably my favourite course of the night featuring Ricotta and Feta gnocchi with sauteed mushrooms in a porcini broth. It was unbelievably good. Truly a tremendous dish.

Course 4 – Crayfish

A simple piece of fish is always nice and this was a nice way to end off the pre-dessert courses. The wine had kicked in by this stage so I have forgotten what the sauce was, but I remember the shallots were delicious!

Course #5 – Dessert!!

With raspberries and pistachios playing off each other, this frozen desert was really delicate  and tasty!

Course 6 – Cheese!!!

What better way to finish off a meal than with some amazing cheeses and bread and port that is older  than I am?

We decided early in the day to make an effort to drink 100 years worth of wine… This is a photo of the damage we did…

Well, how did we do with our mission? Very accomplished. We stepped it up and ended up at 125 years between five of us. Three bottles of bubbly, three bottles of white, four bottles of red and a 26 year old bottle of port! Good job team! (On the list, the final bottle of bubbly didn’t make it)

To sign off, me holding 50 years of wine!!!