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We Can Do Better

4/7/2014

The Truth Passes Through Three Phases:

First is it ridiculed
Second it is fiercely and violently opposed
It becomes self-evident

                                          - Arthur Schopenhaur

My hope is that by sharing my learning and thoughts below on beliefs, competition and behavior it may help others as we all strive to do better.  Validating these thoughts and learning from and with others helped us through some of the most challenging times we faced at different stages of our business. A special thanks to all of my CEOs and colleagues, as they provided this opportunity for many to learn.

Focus on things larger to us than a number and we will achieve a bigger number.

Beliefs

It is about being part of something bigger than oneself. This is the foundation of a great team, making a true difference and removing hubris of self.

Leaders and managers need to spend less time prescribing and more time defining what we are striving to accomplish and the "why" that aligns the organization and its people.

Solving for Shareholders, Company, Employees and Customers are never mutually exclusive.  It is amazing how you can find more revenue opportunities, reduce costs and increase employee engagement by focusing on and understanding the customer. In addition, service can carry you through a rough crisis which will happen.

Insist on realism and make it a priority in our environment - it brings emotional fortitude to the organization.

Recognize only by embracing conflict can it be resolved.

It is actually "good" to agree to disagree, but start first by trying to understand. Being politically correct and passive aggressive is not acceptable or professional.

The most important decisions and relationships are not based on money. Quit suppressing intrinsic with
extrinsic motivation or manipulating people with money or titles.

In great companies and great people it is not the answers they know but the questions they ask that make them different. Are we asking the right questions?

We have an obligation to each other to hit our goals. The barriers and adversity are inevitable. It is our commitment to the purpose (people and world), each other and ourselves that will carry us. The point is: are we "All In" or do we have competing agendas and motivation.

Goals are not used to manipulate people or a system. They are established with a foundation of trust to reinforce focus on meaningful work, personal growth, clarity on outcomes, validation of achievement and to teach us the real lessons about winning and losing. It is a commitment between management and employees that we are accountable to each other. Done right and over time, goals are a strong enablers to helping an organization achieve a potential it never thought possible.

The only path to obtaining self-esteem is through actual accomplishments.  Accepting anything other than this in a culture is disingenuous - not having it tied to team and purpose is mercenary. The greatest accomplishments in our lives typically involve and effect others.

Give people the courage to act and ask. Fear can be the thief of all dreams and there is no time for doubting or just trying to survive.

Character and integrity without performance is meaningless. Performance without character and integrity is poison. Never sacrifice your moral compass - the "means" matter just as much as the "end" to sustain the right culture and the committed engagement of all.

If someone does something that is wrong from an ethical or moral perspective ask first if the real cause is our environment before judging the person.

Learn to be our own harshest critics and celebrate. In the right environment it fires people up that tomorrow is an opportunity to be better and we have a purpose to come to work - it is never personal. In the wrong environment it turns into the sky is falling or pointing left in the room. The difference between the two is the presence or absence of leadership. An interesting observation is that organizations that cannot be open about their problems (opportunities) also do not know how to celebrate the wins - resulting in a definition of something other than actual winning. Great coaches know some wins deserve the toughest assessments.

The details really matter. Get dirty. The challenge is, most people do not get excited about the details or get recognition for this level of work. I met a gentlemen who owns hundreds of fast food restaurants and he believes that you will know if a restaurant will make it by inspecting the cleanliness of the restrooms, kitchen and refrigerator. If those areas are not right, nothing else matters. It is not about the kitchen or restrooms, it is the lack of attention and commitment that permeates into everything. He went on to say that the General Manager of his best performing store (despite its location) is not good with Excel and reports but her staff has been there for years, the establishment is spotless and they know many of their customers by name. He sent her on a cruise to show his appreciation for being the best.

Coaches lose games and players win games. This is the mindset of the greatest coaches.

Competition

Competition is a wonderful thing. The greatest thing about business is we get to do it not for a trophy but to serve others.

Being right doesn't matter. Accomplishing the mission does. Being competitive with your own team is misguided. A team with no confidence because of a leader dominating the stage is not playing to win.

Healthy competition occurs when we are pushing each other, we find motivation from each other, are celebrating our collective progress, and become better from the experience. Unhealthy competition is when people are pitted against each other, it is win at all costs, commitments are not followed through at all levels of the organization and jealousy, self interest and hostility are accepted in the environment.

Life is Not Fair.  Get up and be fair.

Never Ever Settle. It is our obligation to ourselves.

Behavior

Be Relentless and Authentic. Let's get real or let's not play.

Continuously Learn:

Start from a point of Inquiry vs. Advocacy. This will be difficult when we are passionate about a topic.
Seek dialogues at all levels of the organization and with customers. My best ideas came from others and I hope I gave them the appropriate credit - although they never sought the credit.
Avoid people who tell you what you want to hear and seek people who speak truth to power - not self serving but for the cause.
Observe without a preconceived agenda.
Learn to see from different seats and understand pattern recognition.
Create a good memory by defining stories and applying concepts and principles to the tactics.
Read, Read, Read.
Surround yourself with people you can learn from - this means people who think differently than we do.
Look for people who believe in you but will not let you settle for the self imposed ceilings we place on ourselves. They teach us - about ourselves.
Learn "how" not "what" to think and find opposing views before proceeding.

Admit when you are wrong. So hard to do and so liberating when done.

Do not take things personally. Do this by not making it personal for others.

Do a better job of following up with people and less time worrying about why they haven't.

Stop trying to sound smart.  Leaders that execute speak simply and directly. They know how to simplify things so others can understand and act. Using long, complicated, or obscure words not only defeats the goal of communication, it typically hides the reality of the situation or is centered on an individual's personal brand or agenda.

Learn to trust others and, when in doubt, ask them. I wish I would have done this more often.

Helping people reach their potential starts with holding ourselves accountable.

Helping others solve their problems seems to make my problems not appear so big.

A new friend signed his book for me, "Be Human". I do not view that as advice but rather a mandate for living.
Glad he called it out for me.

Some people will claim I have violated many of these statements - And they are right.

"Don't Give Up. Don't Ever Give Up" - Jim Valvano (1946-1993)

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Some Lessons Learned

1/6/2014

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Work can be exhilarating and bring great purpose to our lives. The goal is to find the hardest challenges to face for the right reasons that align with our inner values as people.

Perspective:

An organization is a system
The avoidance of meetings as a central theme is misplaced
Some of the most important things will not show up in dashboards
Revenue is an effect not a cause
Training is both the most overrated and underutilized activity
Think long term, act quickly, but never hurry

Systems and Reporting

Measure things that really matter
Data is critical and destructive
Remove process at every opportunity

Standardizing work is not "The Standard" for a customer experience
Technology and automation are tools not solutions

Culture

Your best people want accountability
Never put the soul of an organization in a petri dish
It is not removing fear from the environment
Seek out failures and breakdowns with excitement
Einstein defined both the 8th wonder of the world and insanity
There are three problems with testing

Additional expansion on these lessons learned provided below
Perspective

An Organization is a System. As a result, the sum will be greater than the parts by truly understanding the inter-dependencies and linkage within the system. Systems thinking creates excitement and urgency by providing a rigorous understanding of the processes, measures, procedures and design of the work that present forces that work against or align with the core purpose.
The Avoidance of Meetings as a Central Theme is Misplaced. Most meetings are poorly structured and most problems include a breakdown or absence of communication.
Some of the Most Important Things will Not Show up in Dashboards but Must be Observed and Understood. Measuring activity can result in people achieving their measures but possibly at the expense of accomplishing the purpose.
Revenue is an Effect not a Cause. Build the business so the focus and execution on the cause will result in more revenue. Great companies live it, Other companies may get confused.
Training is both the most Overrated and Underutilized Activity. Training does not overcome structural issues. Most training is missing the mark and people deserve more help.
Think Long Term, Act Quickly, but Never Hurry. It starts with making this a conscience choice.

Systems and Reporting

Measure Things that Really Matter. Many are missing the most important measures, others have data overload. In some scenarios it was necessary to remove 90% of the existing reports and create 3-4 that became essential and actionable for specific areas.
Data is Critical and Destructive. Know as much of what the data doesn't show as what it does show. Avoid a decision looking for validation. Understand the terms Reliability and Validity. Data should bring teams together not further apart - Single Source of Truth.
Remove Process at Every Opportunity and Focus on Structure, Flow and Purpose - As important as process is, I have seen more processes that inhibit versus drive the desired outcomes from a customer and employee perspective. This leads to the belief we are over-managed and under-led.
Standardizing Work is not "The Standard" for a Customer Experience. Linear thinking and the scientific management can give false controls and add more opportunities for failure in the system. These are not factories and as Deming famously stated - "A prison created by the way in which people interact".
Technology and Automation are Tools not Solutions. Be careful, you cannot spend your way to success.

Culture

Your Best People want Accountability. Give it to them. Not holding others accountable breeds complacency and confusion that diminishes the engagement and performance of the people who have so much more to give to the organization.
Never put the Soul of an Organization in a Petri Dish. Consistency and constancy of purpose are essential.
It is Not Removing Fear from an Environment but Directing it the Right Way.

Seek Out Failures and Breakdowns with Excitement. "Go Look" and celebrate every opportunity to Improve. Teach people - most notably your leaders - the joy that comes with humility, being vulnerable and pushing continuous improvement and adaption.
Einstein Defined for us the 8th Wonder of the World. (Compound Interest) and the Definition of Insanity - both are Priceless.
There are Three Problems with Testing: Knowing what to test. Getting people to commit to it. Getting People to believe it will work. The only true test is when failure is perceived as not an option. Most tests fail by poor planning at the start. The goal of testing is outcome based not activity focused. Some of our best programs would have never been implemented if we had defined them as a test. The impossible can only be achieved when there appears to be no other options and It aligns with "doing the right thing".

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Run Faster and Further

2/4/2013

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RUN FASTER AND FURTHER:

"Speed is the essence" - Sun Tzu

"It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory." - W. Edwards Deming

Lead

Start first with effectiveness

Newton's 3rd law of motion
When core principals are defined
Clarity, unity and agility are not abstract terms

Context

Never mistake activity for achievement
Understand the right questions
Remove the barriers and conflict of poorly defined incentive plans
Most failures are the result of the environment
Candor and transparency are vital to speed
Always be moving forward

Align

Think like a customer
You are wasting significant time and money
Your hiring plan should never slow you down
If you do not spend at least 30% of your time discussing people and the bench...

Additional expansion on Run Faster and Further points provided below:

Lead

Start first with Effectiveness. There can be an obsession with efficiencies at the expense of effectiveness. From my own count, the word "efficiencies" in meetings wins by over 20x. Start with asking the big "why", and never lose focus on outcome and purpose. Emphasis on doing things that should ultimately not have to be done or doing the wrong things quicker is irrational - yet it happens all around us and results in a more efficiently poor customer experience and higher costs. We celebrate it, win awards for doing it and confuse running faster with running in place.
Newton's 3rd Law of Motion. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Think three steps ahead. Possess the empathy and tenacity to keep it moving forward. Never stop half way because of being unprepared. Anticipation and commitment are core competencies for change.
When Core Principals are Defined, 75% of Ideas are off the table so you can focus and execute on the those that really matter. Need proof - Apple, Nordstrom's, Southwest Airlines and Costco.
Clarity, Unity and Agility are Not Abstract Terms - These are requirements. If Unclear STOP, Turn Around and Start Over.

Context

Never Mistake Activity for Achievement. Too much wasted time and energy on reports that encourage employees to use activity for self justification (not their fault) and demonstrate management does not understand the critical activities that drive to outcomes for the business.
Understand the Questions and Technologies that allow Campaigns, Initiatives and Programs to be Launched and Measured in Days not Months. The answers may surprise you.
Remove the Barriers and Conflict of Poorly Defined Commission and Bonus Plans - this slows everything down to a stall throughout all levels of the organization.
Most Failures are the Result of the Environment, Not a Person - Quit wasting time looking for "Who" and seek the answer "Why". This will save immense time and resources in the future.
Candor and Transparency are Vital to Speed. Second guessing people and motives are time consuming and draining.
Always be Moving Forward. Never let goals slow you down or be confused with potential - one is managing, the other is leading. If people spend more time discussing and explaining the goals at the beginning and end of each month or quarter then there is a problem. Get off the scale and go for a run.

Align

Think like a Customer and 50% of Your Meetings and Initiatives will be Cancelled. Really!
You are Wasting Significant Time and Money by not understanding the true purpose and the failure demand being generated by your own systems including Email, CRM, Billing and Reporting.
Your Hiring Plan should Never Slow you Down - if done correctly you will go faster - Immediately!
If you do not Spend at least 30% of your Time Discussing People and the Bench with your Team - be prepared for many more meetings.

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We Can Do Better

Some Lessons Learned

Run Faster and Further

Author

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Contact
[email protected]
602.601.2257
www.linkedin.com/in/bob-olson-51a4313/

We Can Do Better

Some Lessons Learned

Run Faster and Further

Author

Archives

Categories

Contact[email protected]​602.601.2257www.linkedin.com/in/bob-olson-51a4313/

Contact
[email protected]
602.601.2257
www.linkedin.com/in/bob-olson-51a4313/