"You've got to gut it out," says Stephen Harvill, the founder and president of Creative Ventures, during one of the presentations he has made on the topic of how leaders should deal with change.

Mr. Harvill offers the advice on a video replay of one of his educational sessions that's posted on his Web site. But whether it's a video of him teaching one of his corporate clients, a posting on an Internet blog entry, or an article reprint, the message he often delivers is one that may make some leaders uncomfortable.

Stop, wait, let the problem sit--are common themes of Mr. Harvill's teachings, no matter what the medium.

NAPSLO members got an introduction to Mr. Harvill for a few minutes at last night's opening reception. Tomorrow, he will moderate a panel discussion with four leaders of the surplus lines industry. The session begins at 8:45 a.m.

The founder and president of Creative Ventures, Mr. Harvill provides organizational learning and strategic planning programs for some of the world's largest companies and for small professional and business organizations as well.

Since 1989, he has worked as a speaker, educator and what his Web site biography describes as a "catalyst for change," bringing his special brand of strategic thinking to business leaders operating in chaotic times.

"Dynamic multimedia presentations and workshops designed to create energetic interaction are his trademark," according to his Internet biography, which also reveals that his programs are based on "powerful original ideas and actual case studies."

The case studies, no doubt, are gathered from his experiences with clients that have included the likes of American Airlines, IBM, American Express, Wells Fargo, Samsung and ING.

A recent blog item provides a recount of strategic planning meetings with two unidentified corporate clients, painting a picture that may be all too familiar to many leaders of E&S insurance companies and brokers.

"I watch and listen as layer upon layer of ideas make it into the plan until it is nearly bursting off the whiteboard... Soon the discussion has veered away from the overriding goal and side discussions break out over subsets of ideas."

"A flipchart sheet is torn off and added to the wall of complexity. Oh the humanity of it all," he wrote on his blog, warning readers that complexity, like gravity, is a powerful force--and preaching a disciplined method of thinking he refers to as "thoughtful reduction."

"Simply stop the process. Gather everyone's thoughts and take a short trip down memory lane to rediscover the actual goal of the plan," he said.

To help clients learn the art of "true simplification," he advises them to "leave the warm confines of the conference room and go for a little walkabout" of their offices. Walk into the greeting area to see the company as your clients see it. Tour the workspaces of internal clients--your employee teams--to discover what your workspaces say to those who produce your work, he advised in a second blog entry.

Attendees at his live corporate workshops may see him hammer home such leadership lessons with one or more props-- a roll of duct tape, a model airplane, a phonograph record, a chain of interconnected metal rings or even a bagel.

Readers of his articles will find him sharing his philosophy by referencing the life experiences of creative geniuses as different as Pablo Picasso, the Wright Brothers and Albert Einstein.

No matter how the messages are presented, common themes stress the need to deal with causes rather than effects, and to cut through complex systems that corporations devise to deal with effects.

Some of his ideas include the following:

o You have two jobs as a leader. The first is to create more leaders. The second is to deal with cause and not effect.

o Be good at what you're good at and manage what you're weak at.

o Everything starts with communication.

o You must be able to rise above the panic associated with effect and deal with cause. That's the job of a leader.

For more samples of Mr. Harvill's insights, access to his blog and articles, or information on him or his workshops, visit the Web sites www.stephenharvill.com and www.creativeventures.com.

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