Destiny is not a matter of
chance; it is a matter of
choice.

WINSTON CHURCHILL

ARE YOU DRIVEN
TO CONSTANTLY IMPROVE?

You’ve come to the right place.

Here you’ll find models, methods, practices, and processes
to help you develop the right focus, create the right environment,
build the right team, and embody the right commitment.
To get the right results.

A Competitive Spirit

When hiring people I used to pay special attention to people who came from competitive sports backgrounds. The thought being that they knew what it meant to intensively pursue a goal, to work tirelessly to improve, and to deal with adversity.

Yet I’ve learned that coming from a competitive background can be misleading. Were they happy just being members of the team or did they strive to excel? Were they “naturals” who got by strictly on ability, or did they have to work? Were they fair-weather competitors or people you could count on when the chips were down?

And a competitive background isn’t restricted to athletics. People compete for opportunities to advance and excel in the arts, entertainment, academics and many other fields.

So now I’m not so much concerned with a competitive background as I am with evidence of a competitive spirit. Someone who has a history of being goal-oriented, who has continuously worked to grow and improve, and who has shown courage and resilience in the face of adversity. Someone who has a smoldering restlessness that keeps driving them forward.

Yes, when hiring people there is a lot to consider. Don’t underestimate a competitive spirit.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Analyze, Anticipate, Act

With all the talk about analytics in business, you might think that the goal of collecting data is analysis – to describe what happened and explain why it happened.

Elite organizations realize the goal is not simply to analyze, but to anticipate and act. Meaning, to project what will happen and influence what they want to happen.

Consider the makers of Kleenex, Kimberly-Clark. They use a web-based, cold-and-flu prediction tool (called “Achoo”) that uses data from multiple sources – including vaccination rates and even bird migration patterns – to predict location-specific outbreaks of cold and flu. In order words, they analyze to anticipate.

Then they act. They direct their marketing and promotional efforts – such as coupons and samples – to those locations about to be affected. That drives sales and keeps Kleenex ahead of the competition.

Analyze, anticipate, and act. The purpose of analytics is to drive outcomes.

Your thoughts?

Michae

Ice Hockey Goalie

How to Use Negative Feedback

Ever feel a little down after receiving negative feedback? Don’t. Top performers, regardless of occupation, use negative feedback in two ways. As inspiration for why to improve, and information for how to improve. They don’t let their egos get bruised. That would only hurt their future performance.

Think you’ve got it tough? Consider this:

“How would you like a job where every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?”

                                                                        Jacques Plante, Hall of Fame goalie

Your thoughts?

Michael

Opportunism: Relieve their Frustration

You may not have heard of him but you’ve heard of his product. General Mikhail Kalashnikov, a role model for opportunism and innovation, recently passed at the age of 94. His legacy lies in more than 75 million units of the automatic weapon found around the world: the AK-47.

As a wounded soldier in the Second World War, he would listen to his infantry comrades complain about their unreliable weapons. He became intrigued with the possibility of designing a more reliable weapon, something of obvious and great importance. Putting existing components into an exceptionally robust configuration, he designed a weapon that was easy to use, easy to repair and very reliable regardless of climate. In business terms, he identified the most crucial, unmet “value-drivers” for a “market segment.” Add that the AK-47 was easy to assemble, and it’s no surprise it inspired countless knockoffs.

Kalashnikov didn’t reap the big dollars from his efforts that a modern-day entrepreneur might. Yet he serves as a role model for seeing opportunity in the face of frustration, understanding the key value-drivers, and innovating a practical solution. Market-driven innovation at its finest.

Your thoughts?

Michael

So What Happens After You Win?

The Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl in dominant fashion on Sunday. And as the youngest Super Bowl winning team ever, they are early favorites to retain their title next season.

Unless, of course, they succumb to the greatest threat organizations face in the wake of success.

Complacency.

Seahawks coach, Pete Carroll, who also won a championship as a college coach at USC, is sensitive to the threat. Fearing complacency as the Seahawks regularly won throughout the season, Carroll continually instilled in his team “1-0 mentality”. Translation? Any win simply means there’s an opportunity to go 1-0 the following week. Winning doesn’t carry over to the next game.

Is Carroll unique? New England head coach Bill Belichick, who has won three Super Bowls and is notoriously dissatisfied, said, “If you sit back and spend too much time feeling good about what you did in the past, then you’re going to come up short the next turn at bat.”

Nick Saban, who has won four college football titles as a coach and is a certified perfectionist, is on exactly the same page. “Complacency is always an issue when you have success. It’s what we have to fight to overcome.”

Carroll, Belichick and Saban know what happens after the win and take action. Do you?

Your thoughts?

Michael

Institute, Don't Implement

It’s almost criminal and it happens far too often. A lot of people invest a lot of time and effort to improve a performance measure. Change gets implemented, the needle gets moved … then attention shifts elsewhere and performance reverts back to how it was before.

Institute, don’t just implement. Implementing means getting it done … once. Instituting means making it permanent.

To institute what you’ve implemented: 1) document the changes as processes or policies, 2) ensure ongoing communications and training so the changed processes or policies remain top-of-mind, 3) establish mechanisms to monitor ongoing performance and to trigger alarms if performance falls below an acceptable standard, and 4) identify who is ultimately responsible for the performance measure and who is responsible for holding that person accountable.

Don’t squander those hard-won gains. Institute.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Three Reasons Why Execution Fails

You’ve developed great goals. You’ve outlined a structured plan to achieve them. Now the real work begins. Execution. Unsurprisingly, this is when most plans die. Here’s why:

1. Progress isn’t regularly tracked and managed
Plans brought into the spotlight flourish. Plans left in the dark wither. A monthly progress tracking meeting with a crisp agenda sustains focus. Determine what actions have been taken, the progress made, emerging challenges, and who will accomplish what over the next month.

2. The plan isn’t adaptable
Reserve the right to do what makes sense. Plans are based on information and assumptions that can change over time. If they do, the plan may need to change. A quarterly recalibration meeting brings to light what has changed and the implications for the plan.

3. Weak Consequences
How you respond to progress, or lack of progress, goes a long way to determining the success of the plan. A tepid response to either sends the message that the goal really isn’t that important. Clearly differentiate what is acceptable from what isn’t by clearly differentiating your response.

Plans don’t implement themselves. You have to take ownership. Track, adapt and effectively respond.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Three Reasons Why Planning Fails

Last week we talked about setting great goals. But goal-setting is only a first step. Now you need to plan how to achieve them. Here are three reasons why planning often fails:

1. Insufficient Inputs
It’s easy to get excited about making things happen. But before you rush through the planning to start doing, best to think through what inputs you need so your doing makes sense. Customer, supplier, employee and/or peer insights might be helpful in developing a great plan. Also, don’t forget to access hard data whenever possible.

2. The Plan lacks Structure
Too many so-called plans look like a wish list: implement new CRM, open new location, release new product. That’s not a plan. A plan needs structure. It needs to identify not just the desired outcomes but milestones, timelines, individual responsibilities and resource requirements.

3. Culture is Overlooked
There is the technical side of change and the people side of change. We typically plan for the technical side, yet fail because of the people side. Both are necessary, neither is sufficient. Planning smart means planning for both.

Goals without plans are a dream. Goals with plans are a dream with a roadmap.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Three Reasons Why Goal-Setting Fails

A New Year, new energy … time to set some business goals!

Just make sure it isn’t a hollow exercise. Too often goal-setting results in goals that go nowhere. They look good on paper but they don’t get done. Here’s why:

1. The Goals aren’t Clear
Fuzzy goals lead to fuzzy outcomes. If the goal is to form deeper customer relationships, that’s fuzzy. If the goal is to grow annual revenue per customer by $10,000, that’s clear. Deeper customer relationships may be the strategy by which you achieve the goal, but it’s not the goal.

2.The Goals aren’t Compelling
If the goals are nice-to-dos rather than must-dos, they’re not likely to happen. What makes a goal must-do? Two things: First, the prospect of a big win. “If we can supply 10,000 units in 30 days then MegaRetailer will make us a preferred supplier.” Second, the prospect of avoiding big pain. “If we can sell 10,000 units in 30 days then BigBank will let us keep our doors open.”

3.Too Many Goals
If everything is a priority don’t be surprised if nothing gets accomplished. Three goals max. And depending on the goals, one might be the max. Focus on less, accomplish more.

A New Year and new energy. Make it a goal to set great goals.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Believe in Them and So Will They

Imagine that a group of Asian-American women is given a math test. Before taking it, half are subtly reminded that they are Asian. Half, that they are women. Which half performs better?

This was an actual study carried out with college students. The result? The half who were reminded they were Asian performed above average. The half reminded that they were women, below average. Expectations associated with being either Asian or a woman led to significant dfferences in performance.

Similarly, employees will often live up or live down to what they believe you expect of them. That’s why whether you believe an employee will succeed or not, you must resolutely convey that they will succeed. Watch out, they may surprise you. And themselves.

Getting people to believe in themselves, to believe in what they are capable of, regardless of the circumstance, is a cornerstone of effective leadership.

Believe and exude belief.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Socially Cohesive Teams

It’s a quote I came across when I was coaching football and it’s just as true in business.

”The best players don’t make the best team, but the best team usually wins.”

So what makes the best team? Researchers at the Yale School of Management found that the social cohesiveness of a team is a better predictor of profit and success than the combined experience and IQ of its members. Why? It’s likely that when people feel part of a cohesive team they have a greater sense of purpose, responsibility and pride. A cohesive whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

How do you promote social cohesiveness? Activities, games, events, meeting places – anything that gets people interacting face-to-face. And you don’t have to figure it out. Get the people in your company who are naturally oriented that way to come up with the ideas. Why not create a Fun Committee?

Social cohesion. It’s not just about the people. It’s about the glue.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Data-Driven Hiring

It shouldn’t be surprising that a company as driven by data and analytics as Google reflects those traits in its job interview process. Here’s a peek behind the curtain:

1) How Many Interviews?
After assessing the success of past hires Google found that four interviews is the optimal number. Any more didn’t lead to signifcantly more confidence in a candidate’s fit for a position.

2) Who Should Interview?
Interviewers are much more objective if they don’t have a stake in a candidate’s selection. So Google uses panels of varied employees to select workers – not direct supervisors or peers.

3) But Can They Interview?
Sure, if you train them. Which is exactly what Google does since hiring is part of almost everyone’s job. They often conduct an extra interview with a candidate solely to give employees experience at interviewing.

4) Can You Analyze Cultural Fit?
To fit in at Google you have to be innately curious. Admittedly, determining that can be as much art as it is science. But it’s important enough that Google willingly looks beyond analytics … for now.

Data and analytics. Even in the job interview process. If you’re not riding that wave, eventually you’ll get crushed by it.

Your thoughts?

Michael