Questions and Answers for Hank
Please feel free to write in and ask Hank a question. But please know, any questions specific to a company or a strategy will only be answered confidentially. To ask your own question write to info at phmintl.com.
Describe
your job.
Helping company leaders, investors, and strategists understand the accelerating process of continual global change and its impact on stakeholders. Geopolitics, policy, and political influencers are more important than ever.
How
would your PA describe you?
I have not had a PA since 1996. A PA is an outdated use
of human capital for most companies and executives.
What is
the worst job you’ve ever had?
No
job can be the worst because someone has to do that job. I’ve had many
difficult jobs, some difficult physically, some difficult due to
external factors. Cleaning 1,600 horse stalls during university holiday
was difficult work, so too was trying to establish a consolidated
market position for five newly acquired companies whose principals were
still active. Now that was "herding cats!"
What was
your worst blunder at work?
Of course there have been several. The issue isn’t what was
wrong, but rather what was learned. And
what has been learned allows me to focus on best outcomes.
And your
best effort at work?
Again,
I can think of several. The work products that develop from the
blending of concept and consensus or concept and technology is very
rewarding. Much of what we did in the 1990s is now de rigueur in how
organizations interact with their members in terms of wellness, pharma
persistency, disease management, and more. Today, my work in leadership
and facilitation influences how leaders think and view a sector, and
this is also rewarding.
Has your
job negatively impacted your personal life?
Actually,
work has enhanced my personal life tremendously. Back in the mid-1990s
we consciously made the decision to create a future that combined
independent work and personal lives. I spend a great amount of time
traveling internationally, which in itself can be challenging, but the
advantages far outweigh the negative. Plus, the work itself is awesome;
it is tough to beat meeting an executive, say from in Kuala Lumpur, and
taking them to Warsaw for a design session.
Last, but not
least, our work also has significant social impact. We’ve done
financial inclusion work in South America, judicial reform in
Macedonia, ethics facilitation for Tanzania government, hospital
development in Malaysia, and more.
What is
the most treasured possession in your office?
I’m generally not attached to material belongings and prefer
to focus on concepts. So in that regard I don’t have “most treasured
possessions.” But I do have a UN flag that I purchased in NY when I was
there with
a group of Tanzanian government officials. We had an unexpected visit
with the
Under Secretary of the United Nations, being she was Tanzanian. I
particularly
like the concept of the UN and the majority of its work.
When do
you want to retire?
Retirement is a concept that is out of date for today’s
knowledge workers. And yet retirement is a necessary stage of life for
those
who’ve spent a lifetime in manual labor. For me, I see no need to
retire.
What is
the one business term you dislike?
Paradigm shift.
Enough said.
How do you
want to be remembered?
I’m not that presumptuous…..
