Ken Kring: Corporate Executive and now Author

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If you ask anyone who has known Ken Kring well what kind of guy he is, you'll hear a variety of opinions, but the most common descriptions will include tenacious and determined. When I heard he was going to write a book on how business can work smarter, there was no doubt it would happen. Business Strategy Mapping: The Power of Knowing How It All Fits Together came out in February 2009 and has been well received. I wrote about it here previously.

My brother, Ken, graduated from Niles North in 1982. He then attended Oakton Community College while holding down a full-time job at a marketing research company. He went on to earn his BS in Business Administration from DePaul*. He then worked at Sprint and Rand McNally and started his family before returned to school again. At Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management he focused on marketing, finance, management and strategy and earned his MBA while at The Mickus Group, an organizational development consulting firm. While there, he began to understand how the elements of business can work better together through strategy mapping.

Since then Ken has worked for Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Discover Financial Services, DraftFCB, WalMart, Hacker Group and now Sears Holding Corporation, which means he's working on Kmart projects too.

Because Ken enjoys the topic and has seen business strategy mapping help organizations better visualize their goals, and the paths to reaching them, he occasionally takes on pro bono clients and leads discussions and workshops.

I recently asked Ken for some more details about his book:

Q: What inspired you write this book?

A: I was working for the CEO of a substantial for-profit health services company. He asked me to help him figure out how to best invest in the company. After I figured it out, it occurred to me that the method I'd used would work for others too.

Q: How long did it take you to write it?

A: I got the idea for the book about 13 years ago and then started actually writing it about 10 years ago. I'd written many version of it. The first were too academic. Later versions were more story-driven. The final draft took me about 6 months to get it where I wanted it.

Q: Who'd you have in mind as you wrote? Who were you writing for?

A: People like me. CEOs, entrepreneurs and others trying to figure out how it all connects and works together...and sometimes doesn't.

Q: Where did you get the stories, the "business fables", you share in the book?

A: The business fables came from lessons learned through various experiences I've had working with some really good people with very real challenges...and some were tough struggles,

Q: What kind of feedback have you gotten about the book?

A: Some have called the book common sense and others have called it radical, which is kind of amusing. Some of my favorite comments have been "This has really helped me sort though all of the chaos" and "This has really helped the left-hand know what the right-hand is doing at our company." Another is "It's great when we all share the same picture".

Q: What amuses you about some folks calling the book common sense and others calling it radical?

A: There doesn't seem to be a pattern as to which people quickly see how useful strategy mapping is. I believe it is actually easier and simpler than some think. It is essentially mapping out the conversation as to how you are going to drive any initiative from potential to profitability.

Q: Is there any specific project, or kinds of projects, you'd like to take on using business strategy mapping?

A: I like the projects where people are really interested in understanding how it all fits together and then using what they know to make plans and set goals that will make their company stronger. Past projects have included strategic planning for the organization, product development, marketing planning and organizational development.

Q: Do you have any plans for writing another book?

A: There are a couple of additional books that will be written. Working titles include "Business Fables: Lessons Learned from the Real World" and "Business Strategy Mapping: A Practioner's Guide".

For more information about the book or future discussions and workshops, contact Ken at kkring (at) businessstrategymapping.com.

*Our mom studied business at DePaul in the 50s: Secretarial Science. I've not asked her yet if she'd worked in any Mad-Men-like environments. She worked as a secretary before she was married and then again after having her kids.
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Having a good business portrait has become a necessity

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Having a good portrait made of yourself for business purposes is a good idea no matter what profession you are in or ambitions you have. Skokie Village Trustee Michael M. Lorge got one made of himself when he and other trustees were being photographed for this year's official group portrait. That kind of opportunity doesn't come along for most people often...so my friend Maura Hernandez and I have created an opportunity.

Maura and I will be making portraits at a relatively affordable rate October 23 in downtown Chicago. More information about this opportunity can be found on SkokieNet.
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An alternative to the home office: Coworking

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This past month I've been the guest of OfficePort in Chicago and have really enjoyed the space and the vibe there. I'm still having trouble adequately describing the concept of coworking, and specifically how OfficePort works, though.

In OfficePort's case, think deluxe health club, but rather than working your body, you are working your brain (on your laptop and phone) with the goal of making your business grow. Members get a key fob for getting access to their space 24/7. Lockers are provided, as well as wireless internet access, landline telephone, conference rooms with AV equipment, printing/fax/scanning, and coffee. No towels. Maybe you read about it and other Chicago coworking spaces in Wailin Wong's piece originally published in the Tribune in August.

Some OfficePort members have been organizing coffees and networking events for other members and non-member colleagues.

One of the poshest coworking spaces I've seen is Office Links at the Willis Tower. Rather than cubbies, they have offices with walls and doors and some spectacular views of the city.

Working artists understand the coworking concept right away. It is rare that artist have the right kind of space, or enough space, to do their work from a typical home, so many need to find space in other locations. In Chicago, there's quite a range of spaces for artists, such as what is offered at the Chicago Photography Center and Lillstreet Art Center or at the Flat Iron Arts Building and Fine Arts Building.

Besides the room to work and facilities offered, the creative energy shared is what really makes OfficePort and other coworking spaces work and feel encouraging.

Encouraging also describes the lovely Writers WorkSpace in Edgewater, which I recently visited. There's some other North Side coworking spaces. I look forward to checking out one day soon.

The ultimate in encouraging environments for artists and writers is Ragdale in Lake Forest. Artists looking for studio spaces should start by contacting the Chicago Artists Coalition.

I've got plans, but for a little while longer, my home office will remain my headquarters, though I'll be working at my favorite libraries and coffee joints occasionally. Members of OfficePort, and possibly Writers WorkSpace, can expect to see me now and then too, because they offer a great place to work and encourage the kind of professional and creative environment I'm in need of.

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Invitation to help neighbors: Niles Township Food Pantry food drive Oct 3

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This just in from Cathy Struzynski...

The Niles Township Food Pantry had an urgent need for cereal, toilet paper and shampoo this month. In response to that need, a group of 13 volunteers participated in the September food drive last Saturday, September 12, at the Jewel at Village Crossing in Niles. Our neighbors were generous and we collected more than 20 shopping carts full of food and toiletries, along with $217.00 in cash and a $100.00 check!

However, more than 1000 families use the Food Pantry and pantry director Cynthia Carranza explained that our haul would be depleted in just three days. To help keep the shelves stocked, the October food pantry drive is scheduled for October 3 at the Jewel located at 9449 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie. Volunteers are needed from 9:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. and we would like four people for each shift. Please let me know your availability for one (or two) one hour shifts and indicate your first, second and third choice for each shift. Once I receive responses, I will confirm your scheduled time. The shifts are:

9:30 – 10:30
10:30 – 11:30
11:30 – 12:30
12:30 – 1:30
1:30 – 2:30
2:30 – 3:30
3:30 – 4:30
The last shift will include assisting in unloading the food at the food pantry.

As significantly more people are using the food pantry in recent months our contributions are valuable. The response from our neighbors is positive and the volunteers from last Saturday expressed how good it feels to help others in our community. Volunteering for at least one hour is an easy way to help people who are experiencing hard times. Please respond with your availability, indicating the number of shifts you can cover and your first, second and third choice for each shift.

Thanks for your help and I look forward to hearing from you. Please contact me at cathystruzynski@yahoo.com.
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Ken Kring, NN '82, to talk about business strategy mapping Sept 28

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Given these perilous economic times, how can a company best utilize its resources in order to survive and even thrive? Wheeling author and corporate executive Ken Kring says seeing how all the pieces of the business fit and work together, and sometimes don’t work together, is key.

On Monday evening, September 28, Kring will discuss how anyone in business can draw a business strategy map and create workable, realistic strategic plans to operate from. Anyone interested can join in the discussion from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at Hackney's, 241 S. Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling. This book discussion and signing is free, but seating is limited, so reserving a spot soon is advised. For more information or to reserve a spot, contact Ken at kkring@businessstrategymapping.com.

“Especially in these times, superior strategy followed by decisive action will allow even small companies to overthrow larger ones and maintain a leadership positions,” Kring says.

Kring’s recently released book, Business Strategy Mapping: The Power of Knowing How It All Fits Together, offers clear and practical steps to understanding how any company works and how to use strategy mapping to adjust to the new business landscapes and succeed.

The stories offered in the book include people from senior managers to line employees and are geared toward a broad audience—entrepreneurs; CEOs; venture capitalists, middle managers; product managers; marketing, finance, operations and IT managers; and students of business.

Through true stories and “business fables,” the first part of the book discusses how “Kring Strategy Mapping” (KSM) was founded and how business flows from potential to profit. Part two discusses how to use the mapping to create plans and act on them while better connecting with other departments in the company.

My brother Ken Kring grew up in Morton Grove (where our mom still lives). He went to Hynes School, Golf Jr High (back when it was called a junior high) and Niles North, where he was on the swim team. He earned his BS in Business Administration from DePaul University and his MBA from Northwestern University where his focus was marketing, finance, management and strategy.