Passion – “Fervor” or “Rage”
Strong leaders bring strong passions in my experience. There seem to be as many leadership styles as there are leaders.
Many management studies have suggested that effective managers are dispassionate fact based executors of lean business process that are continuously being improved. I am a passionate follower of lean thinking and understand the importance of fact based problem solving and establishing standard work in order to build upon the best practice. So we were taught and so I believe.
However, passion is an essential ingredient of leaders. I submit without a leader or group of leaders that are passionate about their product or customer or company they will not be able to sustain competitive advantage for a long period of time. The world changes too much There must be the passion found in the vision and foresight to make leaps of logic to meet new challenges and challenge organization paradigms.
I submit that behind every dispassionate fact based manager is a leader who has great emotion for his business, his belief system, and his vision. In fact, the best management teams have had a passionate visionary at the head with strong fact based dispassionate managers following his/her direction. The passionate manager’s fervor is kept in check by the reality of the managers implementing the strategy while having the fun and the thrill generated by the passion of the leader.
Passions in an organization are a powerful force for good or ill. Passion by its nature is disruptive and if not clearly articulated can be damaging on change adverse management teams and associates. Consistency is the hallmark of an effective passionate leader. I have experienced some who are angry and fly into rages because their passions for the business are so strong. They are effective as long as those below them understand their vision and passion and implement the plan consistently. Few can pull this style off, because without the passion of commitment to the group success, this style is seen as self-serving and egocentric damaging the core of the business.
An example of effective passion is a pastor friend of mine, who is totally committed to taking this successful church and leap into a modern form of worship as a radical change in worship style. He is the picture of passion for the church and passion for each individual person in the congregation. He is enthusiastic and joyful, tackling issues head on unafraid of change. When you are with him, you feel his fervor and want to follow his vision.
I have been blessed with working in my career with business leaders that have passion for the business and the customer. I have tried to emulate those examples and have formed a passion for my customers and businesses. I think those who have worked with me on my teams have seen that passion for the vision articulated and had fun along the way as we worked so hard to achieve those goals. So how do you gain that passion?
Eliminate inconsistency in your vision that you passionately articulate. Passion without integrity and consistency will leave a hollow and egotistical ring in the ear of the team members.
Provide a clear and consistent message of the strategic objective, why we are traveling there, and how you, the leader will support the team in arriving at the leap ahead destination. Say the message with fervor!
Motivate the team with an avid voice, constantly moving them forward through encouragement and clear communications on barriers and problems as well as successes!
Develop a strategic lean process to keep the team on track and make corrections within the context of the ardent direction put forward in support of the customer, product, associates, and business vision!
Envision the leader’s passion catching fire within the group and providing leaps of progress with sustained competitive advantages for the business!
My final thought: When you are passionate about the major commitments of your life, including your career, you are freed to have fun and enjoy life!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Lean Deployment - Identifying Leaders
Identify – “Recognize” or “Discover”
Lean organizations are thirsty for new leaders by the nature of continuous improvement and team dynamics. The constant thrust to improve the process and change the standard work for the better forces the organization to discover new talent as well as recognize when current leadership needs to evolve.
Comprehensive succession planning in a lean organization is a key component of sustaining competitive advantage through identifying raw talent, nurturing that resource, and aggressively filling roles within the dynamic lean organization. Even small organizations, perhaps especially small business need solid succession planning. The small business has less room for error and waste in the identification and nurturing process.
Good succession planning evolves from the performance management system where fact based assessments are made of current contributions as well as an extrapolation of future development potential. These two performance factors are unique and both must be built into the model. An individual may be a consistent performer with excellent results, but possess the desire or abilities to grow in leadership. Conversely an inconsistent performer could exhibit the potential for leadership advancement by knowledge and flashes of brilliance.
What are the components of a lean succession plan?
• Key leadership positions within the business are identified by not only the title, but enhanced by the key success characteristics for the role.
• Incumbents are identified for the characteristics possessed as well as their gaps. Development plans are made to fill those gaps.
• Successors are identified within the organization and their gaps of the key success characteristics are identified. Development plans are made to fill those gaps and opportunities are planned to evaluate their potential.
• Successors are segmented by timing categories, such as READY NOW; 1 to 2 YEARS; 3 to 5 YEARS, to develop long term strategies.
• High Potential associates are identified, with the observed potential of developing through more than one level up in the organization.
• Succession plans in lean organization, do not have to be about pyramid upward mobility. In flat matrix based organizations, lateral positions should be considered for the development process based on the success factors.
• Senior management and ownership leadership needs to embrace succession planning as an essential process for sustained competitive advantage in lean organizations.
Good succession planning:
Eliminate wasted energy on misplaced development and confusion by introducing key success factors into the management development process.
Provide a rigorous identification process to compliment performance evaluation and development processes within an organization.
Motivate senior management to develop incumbents with gaps in critical success factors; associates who need training or experience to take future leadership roles; identify and groom high potential individuals.
Develop the raw leadership material based on fact based success criteria in a standard work regimen. Fill the current and future needs of the continually changing organization.
Envision a flexible and evolving organization that constantly upgrades the leadership talent in a systematic and cost effective manner.
My final thought: Leadership is the life blood of the lean organization. Identify talent systematically and nurture the human value.
Lean organizations are thirsty for new leaders by the nature of continuous improvement and team dynamics. The constant thrust to improve the process and change the standard work for the better forces the organization to discover new talent as well as recognize when current leadership needs to evolve.
Comprehensive succession planning in a lean organization is a key component of sustaining competitive advantage through identifying raw talent, nurturing that resource, and aggressively filling roles within the dynamic lean organization. Even small organizations, perhaps especially small business need solid succession planning. The small business has less room for error and waste in the identification and nurturing process.
Good succession planning evolves from the performance management system where fact based assessments are made of current contributions as well as an extrapolation of future development potential. These two performance factors are unique and both must be built into the model. An individual may be a consistent performer with excellent results, but possess the desire or abilities to grow in leadership. Conversely an inconsistent performer could exhibit the potential for leadership advancement by knowledge and flashes of brilliance.
What are the components of a lean succession plan?
• Key leadership positions within the business are identified by not only the title, but enhanced by the key success characteristics for the role.
• Incumbents are identified for the characteristics possessed as well as their gaps. Development plans are made to fill those gaps.
• Successors are identified within the organization and their gaps of the key success characteristics are identified. Development plans are made to fill those gaps and opportunities are planned to evaluate their potential.
• Successors are segmented by timing categories, such as READY NOW; 1 to 2 YEARS; 3 to 5 YEARS, to develop long term strategies.
• High Potential associates are identified, with the observed potential of developing through more than one level up in the organization.
• Succession plans in lean organization, do not have to be about pyramid upward mobility. In flat matrix based organizations, lateral positions should be considered for the development process based on the success factors.
• Senior management and ownership leadership needs to embrace succession planning as an essential process for sustained competitive advantage in lean organizations.
Good succession planning:
Eliminate wasted energy on misplaced development and confusion by introducing key success factors into the management development process.
Provide a rigorous identification process to compliment performance evaluation and development processes within an organization.
Motivate senior management to develop incumbents with gaps in critical success factors; associates who need training or experience to take future leadership roles; identify and groom high potential individuals.
Develop the raw leadership material based on fact based success criteria in a standard work regimen. Fill the current and future needs of the continually changing organization.
Envision a flexible and evolving organization that constantly upgrades the leadership talent in a systematic and cost effective manner.
My final thought: Leadership is the life blood of the lean organization. Identify talent systematically and nurture the human value.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Lean Deployment - Managing Performance
Performance – “Accomplishment” or “Achievement”
Performance appraisal methodologies are constantly under pressure in the best of circumstances. During the stresses of difficult business environments, they are more difficult with less time available, traditional factors of success skewed by the crisis, and the impact of a poor evaluation resulting in potential job loss.
The associate being evaluated questions the criteria for the factors of performance. The performance evaluation is utilized to determine merited salary increases and in a downturn the retention of the position. Normally given once a year, the timeliness is called into question. The supervisor evaluator may not be trained in evaluation of the work or not gifted at communication.
Lean organization struggle with performance evaluation. A lean organization thrives in an environment of continuous improvement. The organization needs a process to evaluate the human capital both as individuals as well as a team. The very nature of constantly improving process renders the traditional once a year model based on behaviors obsolete and counterproductive.
• Lean tools need to be understood. That knowledge or understanding should be a component of every individual’s evaluation. A preferred methodology to capture this performance is to recognize education and training achieved in the use of the tools through a certification process. The colored belts of the Six Sigma process or Champion certifications of lean systems should be recognized.
• Elimination of waste from the process remains the cornerstone of continuous improvement. Recognition of participation and leadership of kaizen events should be recognized during the evaluation process.
• The individual and team evaluation should be fact based with data utilized to determine relative levels of success. A formal presentation of each kaizen should be reported out to supervision and senior management, characterized by achievements, improvements, and further actions.
• The evaluation should be focused on improvement and involve all interactions associated with individual and team performance. Supervisor, peer, and subordinate evaluation of leadership, communication, and team dynamic, and behaviors should be components of the evaluation.
• The gathering of the fact based data should be once a quarter at a minimum, when the business results are gathered. Team and individual data noted using the team business results as the basis. Both the supervisor and the associate are responsible for contributing separately into the data pool, so performance gaps can be identified early and corrected.
• The 360 feedback should be twice a year so improvement can be made and corrective actions identified. Expectations between the supervisor and associate should be established in a fact based plan. Tie both group and individual improvements into the evaluation focused on the organization’s objectives.
• The supervisor’s ability to manage the performance evaluation process should be a key component of his/her evaluation along with measurements of team success.
A lean organization’s performance evaluation system should:
Eliminate an evaluation process that does not center around fact based outcomes and behaviors. Gather the data throughout the year as a matter of standard work to eliminate as much of the bias and emotion of the situation.
Provide a structure for performance evaluation tied directly to the business objectives for the team as well as the individuals. Provide timely feedback on behaviors and results that are helpful or harmful to achieving those results.
Motivate all the participants in the evaluation process to embrace the continuous improvement of the associate with as much enthusiasm as improving the flow of work through the organization. People are motivated when they see their efforts as resulting in success.
Develop the performance evaluation process to be timely and complete. Define success factually and evaluate the individual’s efforts at contributing to the success. Bring all the evaluators of performance together in a 360 evaluation.
Envision a comprehensive evaluation system where the human capital appreciates in value to the organization through a fact based continual improvement process.
My final thought: Spend as much or more energy integrating the associate evaluation process into your organization as the business system. People are the key to sustained competitive advantage.
Performance appraisal methodologies are constantly under pressure in the best of circumstances. During the stresses of difficult business environments, they are more difficult with less time available, traditional factors of success skewed by the crisis, and the impact of a poor evaluation resulting in potential job loss.
The associate being evaluated questions the criteria for the factors of performance. The performance evaluation is utilized to determine merited salary increases and in a downturn the retention of the position. Normally given once a year, the timeliness is called into question. The supervisor evaluator may not be trained in evaluation of the work or not gifted at communication.
Lean organization struggle with performance evaluation. A lean organization thrives in an environment of continuous improvement. The organization needs a process to evaluate the human capital both as individuals as well as a team. The very nature of constantly improving process renders the traditional once a year model based on behaviors obsolete and counterproductive.
• Lean tools need to be understood. That knowledge or understanding should be a component of every individual’s evaluation. A preferred methodology to capture this performance is to recognize education and training achieved in the use of the tools through a certification process. The colored belts of the Six Sigma process or Champion certifications of lean systems should be recognized.
• Elimination of waste from the process remains the cornerstone of continuous improvement. Recognition of participation and leadership of kaizen events should be recognized during the evaluation process.
• The individual and team evaluation should be fact based with data utilized to determine relative levels of success. A formal presentation of each kaizen should be reported out to supervision and senior management, characterized by achievements, improvements, and further actions.
• The evaluation should be focused on improvement and involve all interactions associated with individual and team performance. Supervisor, peer, and subordinate evaluation of leadership, communication, and team dynamic, and behaviors should be components of the evaluation.
• The gathering of the fact based data should be once a quarter at a minimum, when the business results are gathered. Team and individual data noted using the team business results as the basis. Both the supervisor and the associate are responsible for contributing separately into the data pool, so performance gaps can be identified early and corrected.
• The 360 feedback should be twice a year so improvement can be made and corrective actions identified. Expectations between the supervisor and associate should be established in a fact based plan. Tie both group and individual improvements into the evaluation focused on the organization’s objectives.
• The supervisor’s ability to manage the performance evaluation process should be a key component of his/her evaluation along with measurements of team success.
A lean organization’s performance evaluation system should:
Eliminate an evaluation process that does not center around fact based outcomes and behaviors. Gather the data throughout the year as a matter of standard work to eliminate as much of the bias and emotion of the situation.
Provide a structure for performance evaluation tied directly to the business objectives for the team as well as the individuals. Provide timely feedback on behaviors and results that are helpful or harmful to achieving those results.
Motivate all the participants in the evaluation process to embrace the continuous improvement of the associate with as much enthusiasm as improving the flow of work through the organization. People are motivated when they see their efforts as resulting in success.
Develop the performance evaluation process to be timely and complete. Define success factually and evaluate the individual’s efforts at contributing to the success. Bring all the evaluators of performance together in a 360 evaluation.
Envision a comprehensive evaluation system where the human capital appreciates in value to the organization through a fact based continual improvement process.
My final thought: Spend as much or more energy integrating the associate evaluation process into your organization as the business system. People are the key to sustained competitive advantage.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Leadership - Execution
Execution – “Perform” or “Achieve”
Some of us are not perfect, I’m not, and maybe you aren’t either. I exercise daily and eat a balanced portion controlled tasty diet at home thanks to my dietitian spouse. I have fully established a standard process and I have executed consistently in the last six months. The results have been measurable and quite rewarding.
So why am I drawn like a piece of metal to a magnet, when I venture out on a road trip and pass a McDonald’s? Rather I stop at the McDonald’s for my large diet coke and invariably eat two double cheeseburgers and large fries. Maybe you have a similar magnet in your life where you venture out of the successful execution of your personal health regimen. Variations in process or a failure of execute a plan result in consequences to the organization or body in this case.
Lean business system and six sigma protocols are designed to reduce the variations in the process through continuous improvement. Still there are always variations, the business environment changes, the nature of the product changes, something always changes! So if you have a great standard process, do leaders make a difference in execution?
Definitely! Take McDonald’s where I earlier established my vast experience. I had the occasion over the few weeks to observe the culture of execution at two different McDonald’s at various times of day for a week. (Spouse was visiting her mother)
Both restaurants were relatively new and basically identical in layout. McDonald’s had deployed their legendary standard work so all the food was made on the same equipment, the process metrics were all the same, uniforms were the same, and the training manual was identical.
The execution of the process and the results could not have been starker. The first restaurant X was a pleasant place to dine and Y was a chore to leave unstressed. Y had more associates running around consistently bumping into each other. X and Y used almost exactly the same words of greeting, but you felt like X associates cared about what you ordered and your day was going. Y never listened to your answers to their questions asked from the manual. X had eye contact and seemed to take more time with you. Y always seemed rushed to get to the next customer in the long line. The appearance in uniform was dramatic: Y pressed and professional; Y hanging on the associates. One drink area was messy (Y) with straw wrappers and spills, while the other (X) always seemed to shine.
Execution is about enabling your team to translate the standard work and continuous improvement into a culture of high expectations for achievements. There is a case to be made that while successful managers perform the basic operation of the organization. Leaders create a culture and expectation for consistent execution of operational excellence, even in an environment of difficult economic conditions or operational stress.
Eliminate the distractions and uncertainty from the work environment that impact the core of the performance expectation.
Provide a culture of high expectations for the team’s execution of the spirit and not just the words of the business process.
Motivate the team members to embrace the standard process as the way to satisfy customers and lead to success, not just follow ‘stupid’ rules or repeat ‘empty’ words.
Develop a culture that allows enthusiastic execution of the organization’s strategy. Make it fun to come to work, as well as delivering a consistent high quality product.
Envision a clearly defined and understood work practice that manifests itself in sustained excellent results.
My final thought - Larry Bossidy, in his book Execution sets out an excellent frame work for “the discipline of getting things done”. A great read for all levels of managers in forming a strategy of performance within their group.
Some of us are not perfect, I’m not, and maybe you aren’t either. I exercise daily and eat a balanced portion controlled tasty diet at home thanks to my dietitian spouse. I have fully established a standard process and I have executed consistently in the last six months. The results have been measurable and quite rewarding.
So why am I drawn like a piece of metal to a magnet, when I venture out on a road trip and pass a McDonald’s? Rather I stop at the McDonald’s for my large diet coke and invariably eat two double cheeseburgers and large fries. Maybe you have a similar magnet in your life where you venture out of the successful execution of your personal health regimen. Variations in process or a failure of execute a plan result in consequences to the organization or body in this case.
Lean business system and six sigma protocols are designed to reduce the variations in the process through continuous improvement. Still there are always variations, the business environment changes, the nature of the product changes, something always changes! So if you have a great standard process, do leaders make a difference in execution?
Definitely! Take McDonald’s where I earlier established my vast experience. I had the occasion over the few weeks to observe the culture of execution at two different McDonald’s at various times of day for a week. (Spouse was visiting her mother)
Both restaurants were relatively new and basically identical in layout. McDonald’s had deployed their legendary standard work so all the food was made on the same equipment, the process metrics were all the same, uniforms were the same, and the training manual was identical.
The execution of the process and the results could not have been starker. The first restaurant X was a pleasant place to dine and Y was a chore to leave unstressed. Y had more associates running around consistently bumping into each other. X and Y used almost exactly the same words of greeting, but you felt like X associates cared about what you ordered and your day was going. Y never listened to your answers to their questions asked from the manual. X had eye contact and seemed to take more time with you. Y always seemed rushed to get to the next customer in the long line. The appearance in uniform was dramatic: Y pressed and professional; Y hanging on the associates. One drink area was messy (Y) with straw wrappers and spills, while the other (X) always seemed to shine.
Execution is about enabling your team to translate the standard work and continuous improvement into a culture of high expectations for achievements. There is a case to be made that while successful managers perform the basic operation of the organization. Leaders create a culture and expectation for consistent execution of operational excellence, even in an environment of difficult economic conditions or operational stress.
Eliminate the distractions and uncertainty from the work environment that impact the core of the performance expectation.
Provide a culture of high expectations for the team’s execution of the spirit and not just the words of the business process.
Motivate the team members to embrace the standard process as the way to satisfy customers and lead to success, not just follow ‘stupid’ rules or repeat ‘empty’ words.
Develop a culture that allows enthusiastic execution of the organization’s strategy. Make it fun to come to work, as well as delivering a consistent high quality product.
Envision a clearly defined and understood work practice that manifests itself in sustained excellent results.
My final thought - Larry Bossidy, in his book Execution sets out an excellent frame work for “the discipline of getting things done”. A great read for all levels of managers in forming a strategy of performance within their group.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Leadership – Invigorating Strategic Vision
Vision – “Dream” or “Foresight”
In the bible, Joseph with his cloak of many colors in the Kingdom of Egypt was asked to interpret the Pharaoh’s dream. The outcome of that interpretation was a plan for the next fourteen years through times of abundance and times of famine. (NIV Bible Genesis 41:25-40) The Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s ability to present a workable strategy over the following fourteen years that he raised Joseph from a prisoner to the second most powerful man in the Egyptian Kingdom.
Theological discussions aside, the lesson for the value of insightful and actionable strategic plans is clear. Strategic advantage for an organization can be gained from a comprehensive plan that is properly executed. Leaders that possess the foresight to create and invigorate an actionable strategic plan are rewarded with sustained competitive advantages.
The key to invigorating a strategic vision is to create an actionable vision that promotes not only the execution of the business strategy but insists on leaps of progress tied to the organization’s core objectives. Today’s difficult economy drives many leaders away from their strategic vision. Day to day tactical imperatives overpower the already stressed and depleted leadership resources.
Only organizations that have weaved the strategic vision + plan + lean deployment together in the fabric of their culture will continue to look forward and take advantage of opportunity leaps. An integrated transformational model that employs this strategic lean deployment systematically reviews its competitive market position, maintains accountability for results, and challenges the status quo.
An example of the transformational model in action:
I was speaking today with a friend about business development for his Company’s products into a closed but lucrative market. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of his products alongside the entrenched competition. The gist of the analysis was the Company’s products were high quality and more comprehensive, while the competitors were quality products delivered as set packages at a lower price.
We discussed the size of the market, potential customers, and market share by the participants. The strategic gap analysis opened an opportunity that had not been identified in the past because strategic lean deployment was not integral to the Company’s culture. The Company had previously …
• Identified the market for their products as deliverable to their client organizations through the human resource function after penetrating the client through senior management
• Considered their competition to be the handful of other firms supplying similar products and services using this methodology
• Calculated their market and their market share by the total dollars of products and services provided by these rival firms and the customer.
The strategic gap analysis suggested the Company was missing a major opportunity by not identifying the in-house human resource function as a competitor. The in-house human resource function produced services and programs that substituted for the Company’s products. This significantly expanded the size of the potential product market. An actionable strategy suggested penetration potential for complimentary, strategic alliance, or cost effective substitute products and services.
Eliminate exclusive short term survival thinking from your organization.
Provide a business system that integrates an actionable strategic lean deployment initiative into their day to day key performance indicators.
Motivate leadership to embrace new ideas of customers, markets, product management, and order fulfillment using lean thinking and strategic planning.
Develop a culture of accountability for strategic initiatives as well as traditional performance metrics.
Envision a proactive business model focused on the opportunities of the future as well as the imperatives of the present.
My final thought: Thinking strategically ‘out of the box’ is more important during difficult times when the world is closing in on your company.
In the bible, Joseph with his cloak of many colors in the Kingdom of Egypt was asked to interpret the Pharaoh’s dream. The outcome of that interpretation was a plan for the next fourteen years through times of abundance and times of famine. (NIV Bible Genesis 41:25-40) The Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph’s ability to present a workable strategy over the following fourteen years that he raised Joseph from a prisoner to the second most powerful man in the Egyptian Kingdom.
Theological discussions aside, the lesson for the value of insightful and actionable strategic plans is clear. Strategic advantage for an organization can be gained from a comprehensive plan that is properly executed. Leaders that possess the foresight to create and invigorate an actionable strategic plan are rewarded with sustained competitive advantages.
The key to invigorating a strategic vision is to create an actionable vision that promotes not only the execution of the business strategy but insists on leaps of progress tied to the organization’s core objectives. Today’s difficult economy drives many leaders away from their strategic vision. Day to day tactical imperatives overpower the already stressed and depleted leadership resources.
Only organizations that have weaved the strategic vision + plan + lean deployment together in the fabric of their culture will continue to look forward and take advantage of opportunity leaps. An integrated transformational model that employs this strategic lean deployment systematically reviews its competitive market position, maintains accountability for results, and challenges the status quo.
An example of the transformational model in action:
I was speaking today with a friend about business development for his Company’s products into a closed but lucrative market. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of his products alongside the entrenched competition. The gist of the analysis was the Company’s products were high quality and more comprehensive, while the competitors were quality products delivered as set packages at a lower price.
We discussed the size of the market, potential customers, and market share by the participants. The strategic gap analysis opened an opportunity that had not been identified in the past because strategic lean deployment was not integral to the Company’s culture. The Company had previously …
• Identified the market for their products as deliverable to their client organizations through the human resource function after penetrating the client through senior management
• Considered their competition to be the handful of other firms supplying similar products and services using this methodology
• Calculated their market and their market share by the total dollars of products and services provided by these rival firms and the customer.
The strategic gap analysis suggested the Company was missing a major opportunity by not identifying the in-house human resource function as a competitor. The in-house human resource function produced services and programs that substituted for the Company’s products. This significantly expanded the size of the potential product market. An actionable strategy suggested penetration potential for complimentary, strategic alliance, or cost effective substitute products and services.
Eliminate exclusive short term survival thinking from your organization.
Provide a business system that integrates an actionable strategic lean deployment initiative into their day to day key performance indicators.
Motivate leadership to embrace new ideas of customers, markets, product management, and order fulfillment using lean thinking and strategic planning.
Develop a culture of accountability for strategic initiatives as well as traditional performance metrics.
Envision a proactive business model focused on the opportunities of the future as well as the imperatives of the present.
My final thought: Thinking strategically ‘out of the box’ is more important during difficult times when the world is closing in on your company.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Leadership - Valuing Human Capital
Compassion – “Sympathy” or “Empathy”
The pervasiveness of the gloomy economic news has dealt a blow to the organization’s compassion to their associates. Benefits cut, jobs lost, and good performers unable to find productive work. Almost all organizations have been forced to trim people.
Today’s discussion is not about those who lost their positions. Rather those who kept their job, who are hunkered down as survivors of a disaster ducking low. How can organizations revitalize these assets in the face of their fear and stress?
This drastic recession in the global economy has rippled through almost all enterprises from financial services to retail to manufacturing. Businesses are paring costs drastically in the face of a collapse of the demand for their products globally. Lean organizations continue to prosper relative to their traditional silo strapped competitors.
In fact, in the United States, manufacturing in particular has embraced lean and sheds variable costs rapidly, adjusting their supply chain, exaggerating the acceleration in the drop in demand for products. The one capital component that can be sliced relatively quickly and discretely is the human capital. Buildings and capital equipment cannot be disposed of effectively in the short term although truly lean companies shed some of these legacy costs.
Human capital is seen as variable and costs associated with associates are aggressively cut. This severe recession has seen 401k matches suspended with all levels of associates laid-off, wages and salaries frozen. The pervasiveness of the recession has created a fear of moving to a new position in the short term with another company. This paralysis allows organizations to arbitrarily reduce these expenses without significant sort term consequences.
The effect on the displaced associates is profound, but the effect on the team members left behind may be even more damaging to unprepared organizations. The survivors already worry whether they will be next, are asked to perform more tasks that may be unfamiliar. Compounding the stress, leadership during a deep recession is itself decimated by job reductions and dramatically increased workloads.
How can an organization cope with this tactical imperative of cutting costs to survive in a hostile global climate and still retain a motivated work force?
The answer is a consistent business system that focuses on facts and clear communication of the company’s position in the current marketplace. Focus on challenging the organization toward the future and inevitable upward turn in the market. Establish a culture that anticipates change and proactively invigorates a strategic vision while providing factual accountability for execution of the strategy.
Organizations meet their long term goals by promoting human capital as the key to an organization’s sustainable competitive advantage. Human initiative, adaptability, entrepreneurship, business discipline, and strategic vision form the cornerstone of a dynamic team environment. Technology and the interaction of the social networking age leverage a company’s human intellectual property and initiative.
Eliminate the survivor mentality of those who remain after the reduction in staff of performers during a downturn. Communicate effectively the facts of the situation at all levels of the organization. All experience the pain.
Provide a culture of respect for the human capital in the organization. People are the one component of capital that appreciates in value through productivity when properly nurtured.
Motivate the reduced workforce by taking a proactive view of the future of the organization. Leaders should search for realistic positive opportunities. Workers today know there is no long term guarantee, but a vision of the future can motivate greater commitment to success and incredible leaps of productivity through innovation and creativity.
Develop the associates remaining after the reductions and restructuring by investing resources in their knowledge and personal development. Look for “development in place” opportunities to grow value in individuals.
Envision a successful outcome for the organization and communicate that vision at every opportunity utilizing facts and data. Push out the negativity with team building and respect.
My final thought: Be factual but visualize a successful future. Communicate that future effectively in words and especially actions!
The pervasiveness of the gloomy economic news has dealt a blow to the organization’s compassion to their associates. Benefits cut, jobs lost, and good performers unable to find productive work. Almost all organizations have been forced to trim people.
Today’s discussion is not about those who lost their positions. Rather those who kept their job, who are hunkered down as survivors of a disaster ducking low. How can organizations revitalize these assets in the face of their fear and stress?
This drastic recession in the global economy has rippled through almost all enterprises from financial services to retail to manufacturing. Businesses are paring costs drastically in the face of a collapse of the demand for their products globally. Lean organizations continue to prosper relative to their traditional silo strapped competitors.
In fact, in the United States, manufacturing in particular has embraced lean and sheds variable costs rapidly, adjusting their supply chain, exaggerating the acceleration in the drop in demand for products. The one capital component that can be sliced relatively quickly and discretely is the human capital. Buildings and capital equipment cannot be disposed of effectively in the short term although truly lean companies shed some of these legacy costs.
Human capital is seen as variable and costs associated with associates are aggressively cut. This severe recession has seen 401k matches suspended with all levels of associates laid-off, wages and salaries frozen. The pervasiveness of the recession has created a fear of moving to a new position in the short term with another company. This paralysis allows organizations to arbitrarily reduce these expenses without significant sort term consequences.
The effect on the displaced associates is profound, but the effect on the team members left behind may be even more damaging to unprepared organizations. The survivors already worry whether they will be next, are asked to perform more tasks that may be unfamiliar. Compounding the stress, leadership during a deep recession is itself decimated by job reductions and dramatically increased workloads.
How can an organization cope with this tactical imperative of cutting costs to survive in a hostile global climate and still retain a motivated work force?
The answer is a consistent business system that focuses on facts and clear communication of the company’s position in the current marketplace. Focus on challenging the organization toward the future and inevitable upward turn in the market. Establish a culture that anticipates change and proactively invigorates a strategic vision while providing factual accountability for execution of the strategy.
Organizations meet their long term goals by promoting human capital as the key to an organization’s sustainable competitive advantage. Human initiative, adaptability, entrepreneurship, business discipline, and strategic vision form the cornerstone of a dynamic team environment. Technology and the interaction of the social networking age leverage a company’s human intellectual property and initiative.
Eliminate the survivor mentality of those who remain after the reduction in staff of performers during a downturn. Communicate effectively the facts of the situation at all levels of the organization. All experience the pain.
Provide a culture of respect for the human capital in the organization. People are the one component of capital that appreciates in value through productivity when properly nurtured.
Motivate the reduced workforce by taking a proactive view of the future of the organization. Leaders should search for realistic positive opportunities. Workers today know there is no long term guarantee, but a vision of the future can motivate greater commitment to success and incredible leaps of productivity through innovation and creativity.
Develop the associates remaining after the reductions and restructuring by investing resources in their knowledge and personal development. Look for “development in place” opportunities to grow value in individuals.
Envision a successful outcome for the organization and communicate that vision at every opportunity utilizing facts and data. Push out the negativity with team building and respect.
My final thought: Be factual but visualize a successful future. Communicate that future effectively in words and especially actions!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Leadership - "Stakes in the Ground"
Doctrine – “set of guidelines” or “principles”
Read a leadership or management book lately? Inevitably the famous executive or esteemed academic condenses their successful work life to a set of guidelines or principles. This doctrine becomes the framework or skeleton to hang their life lessons.
Why do all the writers create this frame work? Because the story and the book collapses without the framework just like the human body would implode without the skeleton. All organizations need a purpose, so all strong leaders provide clear doctrine to promote the achievement of success.
Leaders clearly need to provide these principles. All organizations develop their principles and culture. Leaders who all allow the culture to develop through tribal word of mouth run the risk of creating a counterproductive environment. People are chronically late to meetings, customers are treated poorly, new ideas are shunned, and gossip becomes the chief communication channel.
Just examining the many leadership and management books demonstrates there is no magical answer for the “stakes in the ground” that a leader should plant in the organization’s culture. Establishing and growing this doctrine must combat the tendency for the organization to establish their own informal culture, often driven by personal power agendas and security needs.
A sales executive friend of mine, Ron, recently shared his set of work principles he drilled into his sales team and particularly would acclimatize new sales team members to his management style.
Here are those ROK Rules:
1. YOU NEVER HAVE A SECOND CHANCETO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION
2. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
3. SMILE - BE POSITIVE – HAVE FUN!
4. FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER
5. LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYE AND LISTEN
6. SHAKE HANDS AND SAY THANK YOU! “THANK YOU FOR USING US”
7. REMEMBER…QUALITY ATTRACTS QUALITY
8. NO COMMUNICATION EQUALS NO TRUST
9. THE VERB “CHANGE” IS NOT A BAD WORD OR A BAD THING!
10. BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM!
11. HAVE A DREAM!!
12. BE RESULTS DRIVEN
Ron provided examples and helped his team visualize the behaviors that supported this set of rules. He was successful using this doctrine. The important lesson learned is not that these are the ‘best’ rules, but that he articulated a framework of the culture expected in his sales organization.
The “Stakes in the Ground” or “Rules of the Road” to build a culture must have some common characteristics:
Eliminate inconsistency of purpose (waste) and establish standard rules of conduct and behaviors. “Look people in the eye and listen” and “No communication equals no trust”. Using active verbs strengthens the principles. Use your own language and carry out what you preach as your team or customers will be examining your actions for the “real” rules.
Provide an environment of positive action and a culture of continuous improvement where all stake holders such as team members and customers are respected. “Smile – be positive – have fun!” and “Be part of the solution, not part of the problem!” Make the doctrine actionable and provide training on how to accomplish the principle supporting the underlying culture.
Motivate the team members to believe in the team goals and customer focused organization mission. “Focus on the customer” is an example of attempting to motivate the team to success. Consistency of the leader and a positive attitude under stress are the two most effective factors of motivation.
Develop an organizational culture where all members of the team and decision makers realize the methodology and attitude the organization or team uses to solve problems and meet challenges. “Attitude is everything” and the examples used in discussing what that means develops a framework of positive solutions and proactively solving issues as they develop head on.
Envision a team doctrine that eliminates negative behavior, provides a positive structure for continuous improvement, motivates the team for success, and develops a framework for consistent success in difficult situations.
My final thought - “Stakes in the Ground” and “Rules of the Road” need to be embedded by the leader to sustain long term focus on competitive advantages.
My thanks to my friend Ron Klein for letting me borrow ROK’s rules for my discussion on leadership.
Read a leadership or management book lately? Inevitably the famous executive or esteemed academic condenses their successful work life to a set of guidelines or principles. This doctrine becomes the framework or skeleton to hang their life lessons.
Why do all the writers create this frame work? Because the story and the book collapses without the framework just like the human body would implode without the skeleton. All organizations need a purpose, so all strong leaders provide clear doctrine to promote the achievement of success.
Leaders clearly need to provide these principles. All organizations develop their principles and culture. Leaders who all allow the culture to develop through tribal word of mouth run the risk of creating a counterproductive environment. People are chronically late to meetings, customers are treated poorly, new ideas are shunned, and gossip becomes the chief communication channel.
Just examining the many leadership and management books demonstrates there is no magical answer for the “stakes in the ground” that a leader should plant in the organization’s culture. Establishing and growing this doctrine must combat the tendency for the organization to establish their own informal culture, often driven by personal power agendas and security needs.
A sales executive friend of mine, Ron, recently shared his set of work principles he drilled into his sales team and particularly would acclimatize new sales team members to his management style.
Here are those ROK Rules:
1. YOU NEVER HAVE A SECOND CHANCETO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION
2. ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
3. SMILE - BE POSITIVE – HAVE FUN!
4. FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER
5. LOOK PEOPLE IN THE EYE AND LISTEN
6. SHAKE HANDS AND SAY THANK YOU! “THANK YOU FOR USING US”
7. REMEMBER…QUALITY ATTRACTS QUALITY
8. NO COMMUNICATION EQUALS NO TRUST
9. THE VERB “CHANGE” IS NOT A BAD WORD OR A BAD THING!
10. BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM!
11. HAVE A DREAM!!
12. BE RESULTS DRIVEN
Ron provided examples and helped his team visualize the behaviors that supported this set of rules. He was successful using this doctrine. The important lesson learned is not that these are the ‘best’ rules, but that he articulated a framework of the culture expected in his sales organization.
The “Stakes in the Ground” or “Rules of the Road” to build a culture must have some common characteristics:
Eliminate inconsistency of purpose (waste) and establish standard rules of conduct and behaviors. “Look people in the eye and listen” and “No communication equals no trust”. Using active verbs strengthens the principles. Use your own language and carry out what you preach as your team or customers will be examining your actions for the “real” rules.
Provide an environment of positive action and a culture of continuous improvement where all stake holders such as team members and customers are respected. “Smile – be positive – have fun!” and “Be part of the solution, not part of the problem!” Make the doctrine actionable and provide training on how to accomplish the principle supporting the underlying culture.
Motivate the team members to believe in the team goals and customer focused organization mission. “Focus on the customer” is an example of attempting to motivate the team to success. Consistency of the leader and a positive attitude under stress are the two most effective factors of motivation.
Develop an organizational culture where all members of the team and decision makers realize the methodology and attitude the organization or team uses to solve problems and meet challenges. “Attitude is everything” and the examples used in discussing what that means develops a framework of positive solutions and proactively solving issues as they develop head on.
Envision a team doctrine that eliminates negative behavior, provides a positive structure for continuous improvement, motivates the team for success, and develops a framework for consistent success in difficult situations.
My final thought - “Stakes in the Ground” and “Rules of the Road” need to be embedded by the leader to sustain long term focus on competitive advantages.
My thanks to my friend Ron Klein for letting me borrow ROK’s rules for my discussion on leadership.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Leadership - Active Curiosity
Curiosity –“Inquisitiveness” or “Nosiness”
Most good leaders understand the value of drilling down through the data to find answers to problems. The Japanese from the lean school of thought in the Toyoda Production System coined the “5 Whys” as a methodology to ask progressively more demanding questions about a problem until the root cause is determined. A permanent process improvement can then be implemented to eliminate the root problem. The “5 Whys” is a good tool for a team and leader to possess, but not the leadership trait for today’s reflection.
One of the leadership characteristics that distinguishes leaders with strategic vision is the practice of “active curiosity”. This curiosity stems not only from the leaders but from the team members as part of the culture.
How are these methods of investigative questioning different?
• Culture of root cause analysis, (effective tool applied in lean or six sigma)
• Culture of “active curiosity”.
The answer starts with the similarities:
• Both investigation strategies are deployed to identify problems and apply “5 why” methodologies or their cousins to the problem.
• Team members are instructed and trained in the problem solving techniques of the organization.
What then, is the difference in applying “active curiosity”?
• Constantly examine, as a leader, the organization processes and data for actionable information no matter whether an apparent problem is evident.
• Leaders foster a culture among their team of constantly questioning why the processes produce results that were not expected from work performed. Even if the results were too favorable.
Two leadership examples come to mind where “active curiosity” on seemingly positive results saved a very unfavorable outcome:
• A plant level materials manager would constantly comb the data and walk the shop floor looking for abnormalities or aberrations in the process. He called his informal methodology “nosing around”. Applying this “active curiosity” to an unexpected favorable increase in inventory turns. He found the bills of material were relieving inventory incorrectly. This proactive nosing around saved a latent damaging result by fixing the problem in advance.
• A product manager notices an unexpected increase in inquiries and orders from a long standing customer that resulted in better than expected sales result. Resisting the urge to accept the good fortune, the product manager visited the customer and discovered they were building inventory to switch over to a competitor. The “active curiosity” of the product manager at an early stage allowed the retention of the customer.
As a leader, one of your most important skills is to promote “active curiosity” within your organization through the development of a broad brush of identifying problems in the processes and data. Whether identified from unexpected positive or negative variations in processes this type of questioning makes the difference between reactive and proactive leaders.
Eliminate complacency (waste) when results are satisfactory. Foster insatiable curiosity.
Provide a culture of questioning the status quo even if the results are favorable.
Motivate the team members to be as skeptical of unexpected favorable results as negative ones.
Develop an organizational culture where all levels of team members and decision makers understand and buy into not only analyzing and correcting identified problems but also unexpected favorable results.
Envision a culture of “active curiosity”.
My final thought- A leader can never cease poking and prodding into the processes and data in "active curiosity."
Most good leaders understand the value of drilling down through the data to find answers to problems. The Japanese from the lean school of thought in the Toyoda Production System coined the “5 Whys” as a methodology to ask progressively more demanding questions about a problem until the root cause is determined. A permanent process improvement can then be implemented to eliminate the root problem. The “5 Whys” is a good tool for a team and leader to possess, but not the leadership trait for today’s reflection.
One of the leadership characteristics that distinguishes leaders with strategic vision is the practice of “active curiosity”. This curiosity stems not only from the leaders but from the team members as part of the culture.
How are these methods of investigative questioning different?
• Culture of root cause analysis, (effective tool applied in lean or six sigma)
• Culture of “active curiosity”.
The answer starts with the similarities:
• Both investigation strategies are deployed to identify problems and apply “5 why” methodologies or their cousins to the problem.
• Team members are instructed and trained in the problem solving techniques of the organization.
What then, is the difference in applying “active curiosity”?
• Constantly examine, as a leader, the organization processes and data for actionable information no matter whether an apparent problem is evident.
• Leaders foster a culture among their team of constantly questioning why the processes produce results that were not expected from work performed. Even if the results were too favorable.
Two leadership examples come to mind where “active curiosity” on seemingly positive results saved a very unfavorable outcome:
• A plant level materials manager would constantly comb the data and walk the shop floor looking for abnormalities or aberrations in the process. He called his informal methodology “nosing around”. Applying this “active curiosity” to an unexpected favorable increase in inventory turns. He found the bills of material were relieving inventory incorrectly. This proactive nosing around saved a latent damaging result by fixing the problem in advance.
• A product manager notices an unexpected increase in inquiries and orders from a long standing customer that resulted in better than expected sales result. Resisting the urge to accept the good fortune, the product manager visited the customer and discovered they were building inventory to switch over to a competitor. The “active curiosity” of the product manager at an early stage allowed the retention of the customer.
As a leader, one of your most important skills is to promote “active curiosity” within your organization through the development of a broad brush of identifying problems in the processes and data. Whether identified from unexpected positive or negative variations in processes this type of questioning makes the difference between reactive and proactive leaders.
Eliminate complacency (waste) when results are satisfactory. Foster insatiable curiosity.
Provide a culture of questioning the status quo even if the results are favorable.
Motivate the team members to be as skeptical of unexpected favorable results as negative ones.
Develop an organizational culture where all levels of team members and decision makers understand and buy into not only analyzing and correcting identified problems but also unexpected favorable results.
Envision a culture of “active curiosity”.
My final thought- A leader can never cease poking and prodding into the processes and data in "active curiosity."
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Leadership - Teamwork
Teamwork - "cooperation" or "solidarity"
All leaders need teamwork in the sense of cooperation. Very few organizations can prosper or survive long term without cooperation. Many techniques have been developed to improve workplace cooperation.
“Solidarity” - - - Now there is a strong and difficult word. Leaders should strive for solidarity of purpose to optimally achieve sustained results over time.
Athletic coaching is a great place to demonstrate examples of poor, good, and outstanding leadership. The principals of leadership observed in sports apply to all organizations.
Take Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans of Michigan State.
As a Michigan State graduate, the 2008/2009 season was personally gratifying and successful. Fellow alumni and I are already looking forward to next year after losing to North Carolina in the finals. The success of the Spartans under Coach Izzo has been outstanding. Five Final Fours, every four year player has made the championship weekend. This success comes from a football school in a football conference.
Although I have not had the pleasure of meeting Coach Izzo in person there is little doubt he possesses many strong leadership traits: setting a vision to be a perennial basketball powerhouse, innovating in defensive strategies, setting and monitoring goals, selecting players that fit his team model, and practicing hard to meet aggressive performance standards. All those leadership qualities are no doubt part of the reason for MSU success.
The leadership trait that differentiates MSU basketball and their coach is teamwork – not in the sense of cooperation, but in “solidarity”.
Why do so few leaders possess the ability to bring diverse talents, skills and personalities together in a stressful operating environment consistently over the years time and again?
“Solidarity” is the difficult side of team work. People need to:
• Understand the vision and goals of team
• Understand everyone has their individual role.
• Care about and support each other.
• Respect each other’s role.
• Work hard for a common cause.
• Put personal ambitions aside.
As a leader, one of your most important skills is to promote solidarity within your organization through the development of a strong team culture that produces success today, allows improvement for tomorrow, and achieves the vision in the long term.
Eliminate distractions (waste) to the group that are non-productive in achieving the goals. Foster a positive environment and deal directly with distractions that affect the team solidarity.
Provide an atmosphere to encourage behaviors consistent with solidarity such as group recognition and reward, consistency of discipline and correction of individual errors to maintain self esteem while changing the underperforming behavior. Provide a culture of continuous improvement where the status quo is not good enough and team members understand the need to become better through hard work.
Motivate the team members to believe in each other and the team goals. Motivate them to believe the team and organization are the keys to success on the court or career, not individual glory. Individual glory comes when the team and organization consistently win.
Develop an organizational culture where all levels of team members and decision makers understand and buy into the philosophy. The team welcomes and embraces change and respects each other’s contributions.
Envision a culture of solidarity that fosters sustained excellence with continuous improvement punctuated by leaps of success:
Deal directly, fairly and openly with distractions; embrace the positive team environment (Eliminate)
Encourages a team culture of continuous improvement and innovation (Provide)
Empowers the team members to take support roles for the good of the team and dampen the star power of a few; glory will come with winning (Motivate)
Promotes the generation of new ideas where the team adopts innovations that improve the team performance (Develop)
Deploy a culture where “all for one and one for all” is the solidarity of the group and they speak of “family”. (Envision)
My final thought- MSU will continue their success for years to come as long as their teamwork is based on “solidarity” not just cooperation. GO GREEN, GO WHITE!
All leaders need teamwork in the sense of cooperation. Very few organizations can prosper or survive long term without cooperation. Many techniques have been developed to improve workplace cooperation.
“Solidarity” - - - Now there is a strong and difficult word. Leaders should strive for solidarity of purpose to optimally achieve sustained results over time.
Athletic coaching is a great place to demonstrate examples of poor, good, and outstanding leadership. The principals of leadership observed in sports apply to all organizations.
Take Coach Tom Izzo and the Spartans of Michigan State.
As a Michigan State graduate, the 2008/2009 season was personally gratifying and successful. Fellow alumni and I are already looking forward to next year after losing to North Carolina in the finals. The success of the Spartans under Coach Izzo has been outstanding. Five Final Fours, every four year player has made the championship weekend. This success comes from a football school in a football conference.
Although I have not had the pleasure of meeting Coach Izzo in person there is little doubt he possesses many strong leadership traits: setting a vision to be a perennial basketball powerhouse, innovating in defensive strategies, setting and monitoring goals, selecting players that fit his team model, and practicing hard to meet aggressive performance standards. All those leadership qualities are no doubt part of the reason for MSU success.
The leadership trait that differentiates MSU basketball and their coach is teamwork – not in the sense of cooperation, but in “solidarity”.
Why do so few leaders possess the ability to bring diverse talents, skills and personalities together in a stressful operating environment consistently over the years time and again?
“Solidarity” is the difficult side of team work. People need to:
• Understand the vision and goals of team
• Understand everyone has their individual role.
• Care about and support each other.
• Respect each other’s role.
• Work hard for a common cause.
• Put personal ambitions aside.
As a leader, one of your most important skills is to promote solidarity within your organization through the development of a strong team culture that produces success today, allows improvement for tomorrow, and achieves the vision in the long term.
Eliminate distractions (waste) to the group that are non-productive in achieving the goals. Foster a positive environment and deal directly with distractions that affect the team solidarity.
Provide an atmosphere to encourage behaviors consistent with solidarity such as group recognition and reward, consistency of discipline and correction of individual errors to maintain self esteem while changing the underperforming behavior. Provide a culture of continuous improvement where the status quo is not good enough and team members understand the need to become better through hard work.
Motivate the team members to believe in each other and the team goals. Motivate them to believe the team and organization are the keys to success on the court or career, not individual glory. Individual glory comes when the team and organization consistently win.
Develop an organizational culture where all levels of team members and decision makers understand and buy into the philosophy. The team welcomes and embraces change and respects each other’s contributions.
Envision a culture of solidarity that fosters sustained excellence with continuous improvement punctuated by leaps of success:
Deal directly, fairly and openly with distractions; embrace the positive team environment (Eliminate)
Encourages a team culture of continuous improvement and innovation (Provide)
Empowers the team members to take support roles for the good of the team and dampen the star power of a few; glory will come with winning (Motivate)
Promotes the generation of new ideas where the team adopts innovations that improve the team performance (Develop)
Deploy a culture where “all for one and one for all” is the solidarity of the group and they speak of “family”. (Envision)
My final thought- MSU will continue their success for years to come as long as their teamwork is based on “solidarity” not just cooperation. GO GREEN, GO WHITE!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Leadership - Promoting Innovation
Innovate - “act of introducing something new” or “new way of doing something”
Most people have trouble with change particularly radical change:
• “Don’t rock the boat”
• “Grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence”
• “Better the devil you know”
• “Stay low and your head won’t get chopped off”
• “He/She’s a creature of habit”
• “That’s not how we do it here…”
Managers have problems with change for a variety of good human reasons:
• Difficulty in dealing with conflict with associates
• Trouble communicating bad news
• Self- interested and desire to know how to “fit in” with change
• Stress about job and financial security
• Does not want to risk career
As a leader, one of your most important skills is to innovate within your organization through the development of a business culture that produces success today, allows improvement for tomorrow, and achieves the vision in the long term.
Eliminate routines (waste) that are non-productive legacy practices with no value added to the customer or organization. Eliminate the nay saying culture of “That’s not how we do it here…” or “He/she is a creature of habit”
Provide a formal process to encourage innovation and continuous improvement. Allow the leaps in progress through strategic initiative deployment while fostering a lean continuous improvement culture. Provide a culture of continuous improvement where the status quo is not good enough and associates do not seek the comfortable excuse “Grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence” or “Better the devil you know”
Motivate the team associates to be risk takers and step out of their paradigms to make change happen effectively. Excite the associates to take the initiative and not lie in fear of having to “Stay low and your head won’t get chopped off”
Develop an organizational culture where all levels of associate and decision makers understand and pass on not only the standard operating process, but more importantly test new ideas. The team welcomes and embraces change and innovation. Challenge all the associates in the organization to innovate and challenge those who say “Don’t rock the boat”
Envision a culture of innovation with continuous improvement punctuated by leaps of success:
- promotes new fresh processes and ideas over legacy solutions (Eliminate)
- encourages a culture of continuous improvement and innovation (Provide)
- empowers the associates to be risk takers and step out of their paradigms (Motivate)
- promotes creativity and initiative to test new ideas (Develop)
Deploy a culture where to move forward the organization is “willing to break a few eggs to make an omelet“
My final thought - Create an innovative culture promoting innovation and continuous improvement. Revitalize an organization through lean business disciplines of continuous improvement combined with a strategic vision in a team environment.
“You cannot cross over every obstacle in small steps, sometimes you need to make a big leap.”
Most people have trouble with change particularly radical change:
• “Don’t rock the boat”
• “Grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence”
• “Better the devil you know”
• “Stay low and your head won’t get chopped off”
• “He/She’s a creature of habit”
• “That’s not how we do it here…”
Managers have problems with change for a variety of good human reasons:
• Difficulty in dealing with conflict with associates
• Trouble communicating bad news
• Self- interested and desire to know how to “fit in” with change
• Stress about job and financial security
• Does not want to risk career
As a leader, one of your most important skills is to innovate within your organization through the development of a business culture that produces success today, allows improvement for tomorrow, and achieves the vision in the long term.
Eliminate routines (waste) that are non-productive legacy practices with no value added to the customer or organization. Eliminate the nay saying culture of “That’s not how we do it here…” or “He/she is a creature of habit”
Provide a formal process to encourage innovation and continuous improvement. Allow the leaps in progress through strategic initiative deployment while fostering a lean continuous improvement culture. Provide a culture of continuous improvement where the status quo is not good enough and associates do not seek the comfortable excuse “Grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence” or “Better the devil you know”
Motivate the team associates to be risk takers and step out of their paradigms to make change happen effectively. Excite the associates to take the initiative and not lie in fear of having to “Stay low and your head won’t get chopped off”
Develop an organizational culture where all levels of associate and decision makers understand and pass on not only the standard operating process, but more importantly test new ideas. The team welcomes and embraces change and innovation. Challenge all the associates in the organization to innovate and challenge those who say “Don’t rock the boat”
Envision a culture of innovation with continuous improvement punctuated by leaps of success:
- promotes new fresh processes and ideas over legacy solutions (Eliminate)
- encourages a culture of continuous improvement and innovation (Provide)
- empowers the associates to be risk takers and step out of their paradigms (Motivate)
- promotes creativity and initiative to test new ideas (Develop)
Deploy a culture where to move forward the organization is “willing to break a few eggs to make an omelet“
My final thought - Create an innovative culture promoting innovation and continuous improvement. Revitalize an organization through lean business disciplines of continuous improvement combined with a strategic vision in a team environment.
“You cannot cross over every obstacle in small steps, sometimes you need to make a big leap.”
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Leadership - Filtering Input
Lots of good food - I love eating!
I've been fortunate to travel the world sampling the best of its culinary delights.
Have you stood in front of an all you can eat Sunday brunch with piles of crab, shrimp, eggs of all types, caviar, salads of a half dozen varieties, and everything else you can imagine eating? I have. We all have in some form; chinese buffet or an 'all you can eat' bar at your local eatery.
How do you decide what to eat? What is the tastiest and healthiest mix? Most of us don't! We over eat or load up on our regular favorites; not wanting to take items we might not enjoy!
Imagine an infinite item brunch and you get a visual picture of the information a leader deals with every day. Blackberry devices and computers flow with information every minute of every day through the internet and business information systems. Cable news, stake holders, subordinates, peers, supervisors, customers, suppliers and support personnel add to the overload. Personal contacts such as friends, spouses, children, parents, and neighbors add to the distractions. No one can analyze all the data and information readily available to them.
As a leader, one of your most important skills is to develop processes within your organization to filter information into a process that produces success today. While allowing improvement for tomorrow, and achieving the long term vision.
Eliminate activities (waste) that are non-productive when introduced into the information and business flow. Eliminate from the brunch, items not fitting into a healthy diet.
Provide a mechanism in the information and business flow for feedback on the products and processes that promote continuous improvement. Provide crisper vegetables and season the items more favorably to the palate.
Motivate the team associates by providing the information and business flow to care about the quality of recommendations made. Eliminate functional silos promoting integrated teams. Excite the wait staff to understand brunch patrons' preferences and relate that data to business success such as cost (waste) control and portion size.
Develop each level of management / decision makers to understand and pass on not only the standard operating process information but more importantly test new information channels by spending some time examining new ideas from competitors, customers, and team members. Challenge the chefs to experiment with new tastes and recipe mix to keep the product fresh to satisfy fickle clients.
Envision the information and business filtering process that:
- support the most cost effective product (Eliminate)
- constantly provides quality customer preferences (Provide)
- empowers the associates to understand and do the right thing for the business (Motivate)
- promotes creativity and intiative in their decision makers (Develop)
Create a single special dish every day, with no waste, pleasing to the taste, unique, and every bite of food is perfect.
My final thought- Create an information and business filtering process that revitalizes an organization through lean business disciplines of continuous improvement combined with a strategic vision in a team environment. On a sunny fall evening, dine at a french bistro in the heart of Paris with a different chef each night of the week.
I've been fortunate to travel the world sampling the best of its culinary delights.
Have you stood in front of an all you can eat Sunday brunch with piles of crab, shrimp, eggs of all types, caviar, salads of a half dozen varieties, and everything else you can imagine eating? I have. We all have in some form; chinese buffet or an 'all you can eat' bar at your local eatery.
How do you decide what to eat? What is the tastiest and healthiest mix? Most of us don't! We over eat or load up on our regular favorites; not wanting to take items we might not enjoy!
Imagine an infinite item brunch and you get a visual picture of the information a leader deals with every day. Blackberry devices and computers flow with information every minute of every day through the internet and business information systems. Cable news, stake holders, subordinates, peers, supervisors, customers, suppliers and support personnel add to the overload. Personal contacts such as friends, spouses, children, parents, and neighbors add to the distractions. No one can analyze all the data and information readily available to them.
As a leader, one of your most important skills is to develop processes within your organization to filter information into a process that produces success today. While allowing improvement for tomorrow, and achieving the long term vision.
Eliminate activities (waste) that are non-productive when introduced into the information and business flow. Eliminate from the brunch, items not fitting into a healthy diet.
Provide a mechanism in the information and business flow for feedback on the products and processes that promote continuous improvement. Provide crisper vegetables and season the items more favorably to the palate.
Motivate the team associates by providing the information and business flow to care about the quality of recommendations made. Eliminate functional silos promoting integrated teams. Excite the wait staff to understand brunch patrons' preferences and relate that data to business success such as cost (waste) control and portion size.
Develop each level of management / decision makers to understand and pass on not only the standard operating process information but more importantly test new information channels by spending some time examining new ideas from competitors, customers, and team members. Challenge the chefs to experiment with new tastes and recipe mix to keep the product fresh to satisfy fickle clients.
Envision the information and business filtering process that:
- support the most cost effective product (Eliminate)
- constantly provides quality customer preferences (Provide)
- empowers the associates to understand and do the right thing for the business (Motivate)
- promotes creativity and intiative in their decision makers (Develop)
Create a single special dish every day, with no waste, pleasing to the taste, unique, and every bite of food is perfect.
My final thought- Create an information and business filtering process that revitalizes an organization through lean business disciplines of continuous improvement combined with a strategic vision in a team environment. On a sunny fall evening, dine at a french bistro in the heart of Paris with a different chef each night of the week.
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