C. Elliott Haverlack
“Simplify Your Perspective to Live a Better Life and Release the Power of Your Team”
C. Elliott Haverlack
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Former consumer products goods companies executive Elliott Haverlack is answering
a few questions about his new book, Unbundle It. In the process, he’s also shedding
light on how four-
What motivated you to write Unbundle It?
Throughout my career, I experienced countless matters that stagnated or ideas and opportunities that were not being realized because they were tied up in related, but ultimately immaterial nonsense. I found that if we could unbundle the idea or matter from all the stuff that was confounding progress, business could be more successful – and profitable.
You now offer a consultation service via UnbundleIt.com. How would you describe this service?
We offer a broad spectrum of services. At one end of the continuum we offer meeting style workshops that will elevate organizational capacity, capability, and cooperation. At the other end we specialize in individual coaching sessions that will develop leadership skills in team members at all levels. We are experts in coaching budding leaders and preparing them to become the superstars of the future.
Unbundle It addresses some of the most common problems in corporate America. Of all of these problems, which do you think are the most serious?
Simply stated, failure to focus on organizational cooperation. This means populating your team with members who share your values and developing a high level of trust.
How have the principles of Unbundle It impacted your own life and business experiences?
I have been blessed to lead some of the most amazing teams in business… Applying a simplified perspective has provided us with the opportunity to accomplish the seemingly impossible, and in doing so; experience the thrill of winning over and over again and learning from our failures.
How have the principles of Unbundle It impacted your own life and business experiences?
I have been blessed to lead some of the most amazing teams in business… Applying a simplified perspective has provided us with the opportunity to accomplish the seemingly impossible, and in doing so; experience the thrill of winning over and over again and learning from our failures.
In my personal life keeping everything in perspective has created an indescribably powerful sense of wellbeing. Simply stated I love life and have had the opportunity to experience adventures that I, young Elliott, could not have imagined.
In the book, you assert that in business, and in other areas of life, people "complicate" and "bundle" everything. Can you give us an example?
The book references salt and pepper, two separate things that are almost always considered together. Why must one always have both if one only wants one or the other? It is simplistic—maybe too much so. But when applying the simple thought to business, what if we were to take an idea or a challenge, and pare it down… separate it from all those weights tied to it that prevent it from proceeding? In the purest sense, what would it take to move that idea or challenge forward?
Once we begin to think of things in that way, we have achieved and “unbundled” state that gives us the capacity to move it forward or resolve the challenge. It does not mean that the surrounding factors just disappear. But if we isolate the problem or idea, and solve against the challenges individually, progress occurs. Otherwise, bundled, tied, mired down… progress and progressive thinking are slowed or stopped.
How do you define “bundling” and why is it important for business leaders to move away from this practice?
Bundling is the tendency that business leaders have to overcomplicate just about
everything. Speed matters in business and complexity its enemy. Imagine a world where
insightful decisions can be made quickly and deftly because the self-
Can you share an anecdote about how "bundling" impeded you/the companies you worked with?
I could write a book on this topic. When I was a young man the company I worked for required a lengthy list of daily reports that were not relevant and rarely, if ever, reviewed. As such, three things occurred. Supervisors who were burdened with completing the reports fraudulently completed the same. Supervisors lost confidence in the leadership. Supervisors spent up to 20 percent of their time performing activities that had no impact on any meaningful output.
Related is the interesting use of hourly cleaning logs posted in public restrooms. My question is who decided this was prudent? In my experience the logs are either blank, behind, filled in with hours that yet to occur. In many cases the restrooms are filthy leading me to want to meet the staff member who claimed to have cleaned it just 5 minutes prior. Could it be that team member’s time might be better used in actually cleaning the restrooms rather than spending the time to find a dry erase marker, fill in the log, and then erase the times so they can be filled in again the next day.
Is it accurate to say that you view many of the ways today’s leaders operate, are
ineffective, off-
It is an unfair characterization as you describe, however it IS fair to say that frequently leaders adopt overly bureaucratic processes, likely enacted with the best of intentions, but that debilitate their teams and erode trust.
How has your background helped to make you an authority on unbundling?
We are all products of the life we have had the privilege to lead. In my case, early in my life I was extremely fortunate to have great outcomes from potentially life altering misfortune. While I had the opportunity to attend an Ivy League university, the personal circumstances at the time made the challenges of that an insurmountable opportunity. I instead was compelled to attend a small state college near the town where I grew up. There I had the great blessing to meet two mentors who urged me to explore where my ambition and drive could lead me.
A year of unemployment and underemployment after graduation provided me the opportunity
to reflect on the self-
In retrospect I came full circle at the age of 40 when I sat on the board of a major CPG company that was populated almost completely with Ivy League grads. With that box checked I elected to unbundle my life further, resigned, and opted to lead a small struggling family owned business. More than a decade of 23.9% compounded annual growth followed and with it the fortune of living in unbundled bliss.
What is the one piece of advice you hear yourself sharing over and over again?
If you want to see productive change from others, you must first be willing to change yourself.
Who do you recommend this book for?
Frankly the collection of life lessons compiled in this book makes it a great read for anyone. But, its target audience is business leaders who want to empower themselves and their workforces. It is for those in the working world who have found themselves mired amongst the naysayers… for those frustrated by the confines of the day to day who seek to break through and help others come along.
What will readers gain from reading Unbundle It?
They will gain critical thinking skills to help discern what are worthy encumbrances and what are just blocks in the road. More than that, they will learn how to navigate through and around them.
Ok, what four letter words can possibly be acceptable in business?
First, it is not any of the ones you are thinking—although one does start with “f”.
Try thinking Team, Love, and here is my f-
