Established in 1999, Sherri Petro’s generational consulting firm, VPI Strategies, is expanding with an office relocation, office addition and new partners.   After persevering through the lean economic years, the company is thriving with its smart growth strategy.

VPI Strategies works in the for-profit, nonprofit and government sectors. We have been certified Small Business 38021 in the state of CA for a decade. Since our inception as a strategy firm serving clients in southern CA, we have expanded into a more comprehensive set of services with projects both nationally and internationally. We have served clients all over the world — from Asia to Africa, from Washington to Florida, from New York City to Mexico City. VPI takes pride in developing solutions that are innovative, effective, practical, on time and on budget.  We’ve earned repeat clients who request services year after year.

Recently, we moved our southern CA office, formerly in Kearney Mesa, to Rancho Bernardo. Come visit us at 16935 West Bernardo Drive Ste. 233 San Diego, CA 92127. This ideal location was discovered by Sherri’s photographer seeking a place to shoot new photos for VPIStrategies.com and SherriPetro.com. Sherri was intrigued by the great energy, beautiful courtyard and family-managed property. Like VPI Strategies, the property management company employs and appreciates the strengths of multiple generations. A plus? The office is walking distance to Starbucks.

VPI also joined forces with Consultants to Management by opening a satellite Northern California office in Benicia. This waterside city in Solano County was chosen in part for its central location which affords VPI access to the entire bay area, from clients in Silicon Valley to government officials in Sacramento. Benicia’s significant historical legacy with the Pony Express also complements VPI’s commitment to communication, understanding the past and leveraging information for the future.

Living VPI’s commitment to understanding and appreciating the generations, we have a cadre of partner consultants from all four generations who are available to assist on client projects. From PhDs to new college graduates, we leverage their wisdom, knowledge, perspective and energy.  With expertise in multiple industries and functions, consultants cross-pollinate ideas to enhance organizational outcomes. Our generational knowledge allows us to solve business issues from a unique vantage point.  The combination of talent also helps us live our values of communication, accountability, creativity, objectivity and simplicity.  Check out who works with us now at vpistrategies.com

Sherri Petro, President and Chief Strategy Officer of VPI Strategies, represents VPI Strategies on the Expert Panel for Managing Americans. ManagingAmericans.com is a management blog with more than 300,000 monthly readers. Sherri contributes monthly to the Workplace Communication Skills Blog and is one of the most highly read columnists.

This month’s article is "Promises, Promises: The Power of Keeping Our Word"

Here is a sneak peak:

While Halloween is long gone, we still are graced with a scary word that is permeating corporate consciousness.  It’s four-----teen letters.  It has executives, middle management and front line  supervisors stumbling and bumbling around looking for answers.  The lack of it is often talked about as the reason for our business woes.

Lack of passion?  Nope, that’s only 7 letters. Lack of engagement?  Still too short, but a great guess!  Need more hints?

• Hint 1: Sarbanes Oxley was intended to help with it.
• Hint 2: We’ve been talking about the need for more of it in our organizations for a decade plus.
• Hint 3: It’s the A in the R-A-C-I decision-making matrix.

Okay, the suspense is over.  The word we are searching for is accountability.

If we create accountability, we will have less corruption.  If we create accountability, we will have better corporate results. If we create accountability, we will have better relationships and communication because people would be less ticked off at each other for not doing what they say they would do.

Read Sherri Petro’s full article here.

 

Sherri Petro, President and Chief Strategy Officer of VPI Strategies, represents VPI Strategies on the Expert Panel for Managing Americans. ManagingAmericans.com is a management blog with more than 300,000 monthly readers. Sherri contributes monthly to the Workplace Communication Skills Blog and is one of the most highly read columnists.

This month's post is Mentor Me?

Here is a sneak peak:

Not to be confused with the great Bruno Mars’ song Marry Me, we do have an engagement of sorts when we ask for someone’s hand in helping to develop our career. Whether it be an informal or formal relationship, there are great ways of asking for -- and making the most of -- a mentor’s assistance.

For the mentee, how do you approach a potential mentor? How do you maximize the value of this burgeoning relationship? How do you best communicate your challenges without sounding like you don’t know what you are doing?

On the mentor’s side of the equation, committing to a mentoring relationship requires time and energy. What are the benefits to you? How do you communicate your expertise without sounding like a know-it-all or starting every sentence with “When I was in that situation …” or “Here’s how I would do it…?”

Read Sherri Petro's full article here.

How could we NOT have friction between the generations we find in the workplace?  It is well-documented we have different motivations, work styles, learning styles and leadership styles.  We grew up in different places, cultures and families of origin. Yep, we’re different all right.  We’re going to clash.  After all, together we see the world with multiple lenses.

I figure we have a choice on how we deal with this.  We can choose to judge the other generations as inferior or leverage the attributes and styles for the betterment of all.  Me? I’m going with door number two.

You might ask the very important question,  “Do I believe in unicorns too?”  When I speak on this subject, sometimes I get folks that give me that crazy look that says I am trying to buck human nature.  My viewpoint is unnatural.  “We can’t leverage this and make it work!”

I prefer to side with Simon Sinek.  This Columbia educator’s research of leaders yields what he calls the golden circle.  Inside the circle is the magic word – WHY.  Taking it in my direction on generational education, if we explain why the generations think the way they do, we can make more informed and better decisions, a major bugaboo about which I am reading more and more in the academic and consulting press.  Don’t we make better decisions the more informed we are?  YES.  Yes, we do!

Unicorns, be damned.  This information is more like a dragon. We need to control the burn, letting the friction light a fire.  We have huge problems out there and multiple perspectives are required to fix the issues.  Conflict theory teaches us that without any conflict, we have apathy.  Too much conflict? We have dysfunction.  Just the right amount of conflict and we end up with innovation.  Generational conflict, if seen well, can be the conflict that catalyzes ideas that will solve problems.

We can get stuck when we speak of other areas of difference like political parties, race and gender. As highly-charged entrenched areas of difference, we may not be able to easily see past them to innovate.  With the generations, I think we’ve got a shot.   We can let our generational differences light the fire of innovation or burn down the house.

Seems like the answer is a no-brainer, at least to me.

Sherri Petro, President and Chief Strategy Officer of VPI Strategies, represents VPI Strategies on the Expert Panel for Managing Americans. ManagingAmericans.com is a management blog with more than 300,000 monthly readers. Sherri contributes monthly to the Workplace Communication Skills Blog and is one of the most highly read columnists.

This month’s post explores reacting vs. responding.

Here is a preview:

Instructions to create messages that destroy value: Open mouth, insert foot.  Instructions to create positive messages that create value: Open mind, open mouth.

I know the former sounds familiar to you.  Have you ever thought about the latter?  That’s the difference between REACTING and RESPONDING.  Responding takes a little time to plan and process, reacting takes no time at all.  Just feel free to pop off!   I’d be realistic and reduce my expectations about making a connection with the person you are communicating with or achieving the results you want, however.

R AND R

We are, unfortunately, very used to reacting.  We react since time is often not on our side as we bark orders that have come down from above or conduct “dump it delegation” as we run down the hallway to yet another meeting. We get a weird vibe on that email we just read and send off our reaction without thinking. We bring our baggage from our last boss’ communication style and react the way we always have since “everyone communicates like that.”

Read the complete article here.