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.

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Categories Focus

The Grand Canyon – Change of Plans

Last week I wrote that this week’s blog would spotlight a few things Millennials can do to bridge the gap with Boomers.

Change of plans.

Why? Because we were all set to cross the Grand Canyon when at the 11th hour something came up that caused us to change our plans. Which is what can happen with your strategies.

The evening before our 4 a.m. departure we were speaking with a park ranger and learned that a water pipe in the canyon had burst the day before. Which meant that rather than carrying little water and refilling at the various water stations, we would need to carry a lot more water and be prepared to refill along a creek. And take the time to purify the water.

So we adjusted. We carried more water (more weight!), and took purification tablets with us. But if we hadn’t have gotten the intelligence from the ranger, we could have been in trouble in the 100-degree-plus heat.

Test your assumptions. Gather the intelligence. And be prepared to adjust your plans whenever it makes sense.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Environment

The Grand Canyon of the Workplace – Boomer Edition

Since I’m hiking across the Grand Canyon this weekend I thought I’d write about that Grand Canyon of the workplace … yes, the generational gap. This week and next I’ll spotlight a few things that Boomers and Millennials can do to bridge the divide.

OK Boomers, you’re up first:

1) ‘Back in the day …’

Newsflash: Millennials don’t care about your back-in-the-day any more than you cared about the previous generation’s back-in-the-day. What they care about is now and ‘why?’ Why should they do things your way and not another? Why will something work or not work? And are those answers still true today? You want employees who care enough to question things. Who care enough to want to do things better. Now you’ve got them.

2) ‘Millennials expect to walk in and run the joint’

Would you rather employ a bunch of un-ambitious automatons? Sure, Millennials are a little naïve and a little impatient. So challenge them, help them learn, and channel their ambition and energy towards useful ends. You’re lucky; motivation isn’t their issue. But if you don’t play your cards right, it could be.

(Next week: Millennnials, it’s your turn …)

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Commitment, Focus

Experiences that Touch Our Hearts – The Restaurant Owner

Do you remember Peppe, the joyful B&B owner on the island of Ischia, who I wrote about last week? Well one night he had a restaurant owner friend, Aniello, pick us up to take us to his restaurant, L’Oasi. Of course Peppe described it to us as “wonderful!”

We arrived … not a soul was there. Aniello asked us what we like to eat and then disappeared. The wine arrived in a bottle with no label. We had no idea where we were, what we were drinking, what we’d be eating or what it would all cost. Bernadine and I laughed, devil-may-care, and gave ourselves up to the fates.

What followed – the antipasto platter, the pasta, the fish – was only the most delicious, distinctively flavorful meal of our entire trip. 

We considered coffee at the end. “No,” Aniello said, waving his finger, “not here.” The bill came. Ahhh, another pleasant surprise. Willie, a playful Springer Spaniel, bounded up just as we were leaving to say goodbye and get a vigorous head rub.

On the drive back Aniello stopped at a bar and told us to come with him. As it turned out, an espresso bar. Of course, why would any restauranteur serve you coffee when he could drive you to the best espresso bar in town … and pay? Unbelievable.

Your thoughts?

Michael 

Categories Commitment, Focus

Experiences that Touch Our hearts – The Hotel Owner

He wasn’t just friendly. He was joyful. A joyful spirit. Peppe, the owner of the Hotel Sant’Angelo in the town of Sant’Angelo on the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples in Southern Italy.

Peppe loves the island and loves introducing people to his island. He’s a fountain of knowledge and infectiously positive. To Peppe nothing is merely good, instead “ees wonderful!”

We arrived back late one evening, saw him at the front desk and said goodnight with the intention of turning in. He would have none of it. “To come to thees island, when the moon ees bright overhead, and not go een the outdoor thermal pool ees … ees impossible!”

So, into the pool. And he was right. He came outside like an excited boy to see if our experience was as joyful as he described. How could it not be?

This wasn’t simply have-a-nice-day customer service, or satisfaction as rated on a 10-point scale. This was an experience that touched our hearts. Loving being in the presence of someone who loves what they do and is great at doing it. No, not great. Wonderful.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Focus

The Fallacy of a Root Cause

Why did it fail? Your project didn’t produce the expected outcome, your strategy wasn’t effectively executed, your change initiative didn’t become part of the culture … why?

As leaders we’re driven to pinpoint the root cause, the key underlying factor that led to failure. If only we had assigned an executive sponsor. If only we had allocated the right resources. If only we had spent more time communicating the rationale.

Yet it’s often impossible to find the root cause. Why? There isn’t one. There are many.

Organizations are complex systems with many dynamic and interdependent factors. It’s typically a combination of factors that contribute to failure, or to success.

At one time I led a quality team to improve customer service at a university bookstore. Our initial research showed a low-level of satisfaction with the bookstore experience. Why? It turned out there were 19 root causes related to the greeting process, design of shelving, signage, organization of the books, store hours, and the checkout process. Addressing all 19 of the root causes led to a dramatic improvement. Addressing any one alone would not have.

The same thinking applies not just to failure but to any level of performance, good or bad. The model of one cause for one effect is overly simplistic. Thinking of your organization as a complex system helps you look beyond the one so-called root cause and more deeply understand which factors drive performance and what to do about it.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Focus

The Fallacy of Extrapolation

“If the current trend continues …”

How often have you heard someone say that when talking about the future? “If oil reserves continue to be depleted at the current rate …” “If housing prices keep going up …” “If our business keeps growing by double-digits …”

Extrapolation. Extending a past trend into the future. We seem to have a default assumption that things will keep going in the direction they’re going. The problem is in most cases they don’t. New oil reserves get discovered. The housing market gets overheated. Businesses get knocked down.

Assuming the extrapolation of a trend ignores the importance of context. Sure, oil reserves will continue to be depleted … unless new discoveries and better technology help to replenish them. Yes, housing prices will keep going up … unless too many homeowners assume too much risk or new buyers can’t afford to get into the market. And of course your business will keep growing by double-digits … unless competitors take action, technology evolves, markets change and the economy fluctuates.

Trends are not guarantees. They’re often not even the best predictors.

When assessing and forecasting for your business, don’t assume the extrapolation of trends. Ask yourself which contextual factors have supported or inhibited the trends and how could they change.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Environment

The Deng Xiaoping Test

A few years back I was at a big strategy and leadership forum in NYC listening to Michael Porter, the Harvard prof who is well known for his work on competition and strategy. So Porter goes through a bunch of models and concepts – lots of detail – about what companies need to do to become successful.

Then Jack Welch, at the peak of his fame and recently retired from GE, gets up to speak.

“You hear all that stuff Porter talked about?”

Uhhh, ya.

“Well, we didn’t do any of that.”

Lots of laughter.

Which got me thinking about Deng Xiaoping. Who? You know, the guy who orchestrated probably the most dramatic and successful political transformation of the 20th century. Following in the sizeable footsteps of Mao Zedong, it was Deng who introduced market-based principles and reforms into China‚Äôs communist economy. And it was Deng the savvy pragmatist who said, ‚ÄúIt doesn‚Äôt matter whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches the mouse.‚Äù

In business there are many models and many approaches, many of which have been successful. Whether you’re a disciple of Michael Porter or Jack Welch doesn’t matter. What matters is getting the result.

So apply the Deng Xiaoping test. Don’t be overly concerned about whether your cat is black or white. Only that it catches the mouse.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Focus

The Entrepreneurs’ Curse

True entrepreneurs have the gift of seeing opportunities everywhere. True entrepreneurs have the curse of seeing opportunities everywhere. The very trait that allows them to envision the possible, allows them to get distracted from achieving the possible.

I recently had lunch with a client, two co-founders of an up-and-coming consulting firm. Having helped them narrow and redefine their focus, and reformulate their positioning, they’re now excited about the possibility of pursuing multiple new verticals and even international work.

Stop. Take what you’ve proven in one vertical and successfully extend it into a ripe-for-adoption second vertical. And defer the complexities of doing business internationally – cultural differences, staffing, regulations, and so on – until that second vertical is proven. Then you’ll have a vertical-independent platform from which to grow your business and expand in the direction you choose.

Many growing businesses lose focus and spread themselves too thin. As a result, they outstrip their infrastructure and ability to deliver. And they implode.

There will always be more opportunities than you can exploit. Always. Narrow your focus. Intensify your commitment. And rigorously execute.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Commitment

You, the Elite Performer

You’re like an elite athlete. You may not pursue the Olympic ideals of citius, altius, fortius, but you’re an elite performer in your field.

Elite athletes exercise their bodies by running and lifting weights. You exercise your mind by consuming content and engaging people. They fuel their bodies with well-planned nutritional regimens. You fuel your mind with …

Uh-oh.

For optimal performance your mind needs the right fuel every bit as much as your body needs the right fuel. Are you fueling yourself like an elite performer?

While I won’t get into nutritional specifics – and there is a mountain of information available – here are three guidelines that help me get the right fuel:

1.  Make Everything You Eat and Drink a Conscious Choice

  • None of us makes good choices all the time but we‚Äôre more likely to make good choices when we‚Äôre conscious of them

2.  Decide Before You Desire

  • Once the desire for food or fluids kicks in it‚Äôs harder to make good choices; better to plan ahead what you‚Äôre going to eat and drink, when and where

3.  Always Be Packing

  • When we‚Äôre low on fuel we grab for whatever fuel is available, good or bad; I‚Äôd rather avoid the bad stuff than resist it so I take a selection of teas and food bars with me everywhere

You’re an elite performer. Your input helps determine your output. Why leave your performance to chance?

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Commitment, Focus

The Three Rules for Success!

Business is so complex. If only they could boil it down to a few, simple rules for success.

They can. And they have. The authors of a recent HBR article looked at over 25,000 companies across 44 years and deduced … dadada, daaaaa … the three rules for success! (Caution: You may not want to get too excited yet.)

Rule number one: Better before cheaper. OK, hard to break into or upend a market with a so-so product regardless of the price. Got it.

Rule number two: Revenue before cost. No revelation here. You can’t efficiency your way to success if you don’t have revenue. Get the lifeblood flowing before you obsess over cost.

Rule number three: There are no other rules. Cute. I guess “The Two Rules of Success” seemed a touch light for a title, so they came up with this third rule.

So there you have it. Feel better now? No, me neither.

Think I’ll stick with my three rules for success: Develop and sustain the right focus. Continually create the right environment. And get the right people. Do those three things with ruthless consistency and your people will do what it takes to win.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Team

The Motivation Contagion

Surround an employee with highly motivated people and what happens? Their drive and performance increases. Surround an employee with less motivated people and what happens? Their drive and performance decreases.

Motivation is contagious. That was a key finding from a series of studies by researchers at the University of Rochester. We are influenced by and mimic the people in our environment. For better or for worse.

Two big surprises: 1) Workers were unaware of the influence that others had on their performance. 2) Inserting even a single highly motivated or less motivated individual in the workplace can impact the performance of others.

Hire, cultivate and reinforce highly motivated people. People who are driven to achieve. You’ll find it’s contagious.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Categories Environment

The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth

As a leader you need candid and specific input from your people. The straight goods. Not just generalizations or feel-good fluff. So how do you make sure you’re getting it? Answer: Ask the right type of questions.

Don’t Ask: General Questions

“How are things going at the plant?” “Good.”

General questions produce answers that yield little if any information. And they leave too much room for spin. “Good” could mean anything from “Well, the place hasn’t burnt to the ground yet,” to “We’re starting to see some solid productivity improvements.”

Don’t Ask: Positive-Assumption Questions

“Is morale still strong at your location?” “Ya, pretty strong.”

Faced with a positive-assumption question, most employees are reluctant to disappoint. So they respond by weakly confirming the positive assumption. “Ya, pretty strong,” could mean, “Sure, among those who haven’t jumped ship yet.”

Do Ask: Negative-Assumption Questions

“What’s the number one challenge you’re facing in your department?” “Our main supplier has become unreliable at meeting delivery commitments. It’s causing havoc with our production schedule and ultimately we’re disappointing our customers.”

That’s real information that points to a line of constructive questions: “Do we understand what is causing supplier unreliability? Do we know how long it’s likely to continue? How could we adjust our schedules to take this into account? What short-term alternatives are there?”

Psychological research has found that respondents are far more likely to divulge problems when asked negative-assumption questions (87%) versus positive-assumption questions (59%) or general questions (10%).

The point? To get real information, ask negative-assumption questions with positive intentions.

Your thoughts?

Michael

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