Rhythm: How to Achieve Breakthrough Execution and Accelerate Growth Hardcover – February 25, 2014

I am a huge fan of business/self help books. I have often found that there are many that give great ideas, but not many put those ideas into applications that are usable. I found this book to be knowledgeable and easy to read with a wonderful guide to put your strategies and ideas to work. Think, Plan, Do.... getting a team together to put together a strategy is important, but having that team put the strategy into fruition is not easy. They have to DO and be able to adapt.I work in manufacturing and often see ourselves fall into a trap of conforming to metrics and budgets. After reading this book, I am going to suggest that all of our supervisors and managers read this book. With many new members of management, I think that they would benefit from learning about developing a rhythm with their teams of associates as well as with each other to advance many of the continuous improvement ideas that we have. Well done on this book. I didn't think that I would ever find a book that would inspire and work for my field, but this one is it!

Rhythm, Patrick TheamThere are two serious problems one faces when formulated a strategy for an organization. The first is difficulty of taking a view on the future and the most appropriate place for the organization in that future. The second is executing the strategy.The first problem is unsurprising; the future is unknowable. There are far too many interconnected factors determining the future for any thoughtful person to be confident.The second problem is that executing strategy is not a priority to most people. This is evident by the scant attention it receives. It is as if once the executives return from the strategy retreat, their conclusions will be executed inevitably, on time, in budget and on message.This rarely happens.The cause of this failure to execute stems in large part, from the long-term nature of the task. If the decision is strategic, it will not show results in the near-term. Years might be required before the value of the strategic decisions is evident. That being the case, if you do not get started on the strategy this week, the delay will not be evident for years, if at all. So strategic implementation is delayed until it fades from memory.There is a large body of literature focusing on the problem of strategic execution, from the popular to the academic. Patrick Theam’s book is yet another contribution to this body of work.I have chosen to bring this book to your attention, and not many of the others, because he has a unique view of the problem.Rhythm is “a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound.” His view of strategic implementation requires a strong, regularly, repeated, attention to the strategy, hence the title.Theam talks of three rhythms being necessary to execute well. A “Think Rhythm,” that relates to the strategy for the future of your business. A “Plan Rhythm,” articulates the execution required of every team and every individual, and a “Do Rhythm” keeps the actions on track.Most of the examples used in the book are taken from companies serviced by Theam’s consulting firm, but he uses a personal experience to introduce a key component of the Think Rhythm.One night he had what he called “an epiphany” that his fast growing transport logistics software company could be heading for disaster. This was despite being an Inc. 500 company growing by 100% a year. The problem was that the company’s data and metrics was only addressing the past, and not looking out for potential dangers ahead. What was required was a set of future-focused questions to “identify train wrecks in the making and how to track those signs and make adjustments to avoid being blindsided.”Aside from the annual or bi-annual strategy retreat, most companies never give structured and regular thought to the future and the constantly changing threats and opportunities it holds.The “Think Rhythm” starts with the two-day annual strategy retreat, and is bolstered by a quarterly, two-day session to review and consolidate the strategy. This augmented by a weekly “talk and think time.” This is the “strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound” to which “rhythm” refers.“Most executives I ask,” Theam reports, “would agree that it is important to spend time thinking strategically about the future of their businesses. Yet most leadership teams fail to do so.” The cleverness of scheduled, non-negotiable, annual, quarterly, and weekly “think time” is that the strategy is never neglected.You could, at this point be asking, what company has the time to do this?!There is a two-part answer to this question. The first part relates to the centrality of good strategy to the success of a business. It is not possible to thrive or even to survive in changing and challenging business environment without clear strategy. When you remind yourself that even large, once successful companies, fail, and that failure is more the rule than the exception with small companies, time spent on strategy seems less of a luxury and more of an investment.The second part of the answer to “Who has the time?!” question is that strategy evolves and mutates. Rarely are creative, shape-shifting, strategic initiatives uncovered at a retreat, complete in all detail and perspective. Rather, the general direction, the theme of the strategy is what emerges, and time, ongoing debate, and revisiting the discussions, is what it takes to refine the strategic direction.When the executives set aside time to think strategically about their company over lunch once a week, the chances of being caught unaware by a damaging event are substantially reduced. Executives put aside time every week to think about where the company is going, and could go, what could go wrong and how to mitigate this, are unlikely to be surprised. They are, similarly, less likely to miss strategically valuable opportunities.The other two “Rhythms” the planning and doing rhythms are far more common. Most well-run businesses have regular meetings at which they monitor plans and actions. Without input from the Thinking Rhythm, the regular planning and doing could well be off course.Every week, you spend time on strategic thinking. Every week, you are planning your execution for the coming week. Every week, you are doing the work and making adjustments.The value of Theam’s book lies in the techniques and practical suggestions that are scattered throughout.Readability Light --+-- SeriousInsights High ----+ LowPractical High +---- Low

This is book about improving your current business habits and practices. Thean did not invent anything new here, but his approach has helped me to freshen up my business meetings. For example, I used to have weekly status meetings. By using his approach, I have been able to give my regular meetings a fresh approach. Focusing on making the right adjustments instead of providing a status to the team is not a revolutionary concept. It's a very simple tip, but it made my weekly meetings much more effective.With this updated release, Thean's new chapter on the rhythm of work helped me connect the dots even. Took a good book and made it even better. This book would be great for any manager or professional looking to improve effectiveness and results. I will be keeping it on my shelf as a reference from time to time.

This book is full of practical advice on how to achieve the results you want in business. Many of them involve improving communication, regular evaluations of your business approaches and strategies, and doing the work. Chapter 9, Nothing Happens Until You Do the Work, was by far my favorite. I found the motto: "You can plan all you want. Nothing happens until you do the work!" applicable in almost any aspect of my life. I remember working for an organization that was having meetings ALL THE TIME, but seemingly didn't seem to be accomplishing much. I wasn't in a position to be able to control this, but still found it frustrating to watch. I liked the idea of a weekly self meeting to review the week's priorities and accomplishments; a weekly team meeting to "adjust and realign" and a meeting with specific team members to discuss specific problems. Thean emphasizes viewing your time in 13 week increments throughout the year to focus on long term and short term goals. I really loved this, as it helps everyone from getting overwhelmed. This book would be great for any new manager or seasoned professional looking to improve results. It will definitely stay on my bookshelf!

"Rhythm" by Patrick Thean delivers a plethora of ideas to implement in any business, essentially a means to improve business through engaging in certain activities and eliminating others. I found many of the strategies and action items to be incredibly easy to understand and implement. However, the book in itself was organized more as a stream of consciousness than a workbook style, which would have made its delivery easier to follow. I would recommend this book to someone who is seeking ideas on how to improve business strategy and to alter current methods of teamwork and meeting styles. I am sure that there are at least random tidbits that would benefit any reader in business!