To Whom Are You Responsible?

Responsibility is defined as “having a capacity for moral decisions and therefore accountable; capable of rational thought or action.”  One of the biggest problems we as leaders have is not only making the mission of our organization successful, but also to figure out to whom we are responsible.  One of the focus areas when speaking in public is to know who your audience is.  Similarly, leaders must know to whom they are accountable.  Any discussion about process improvement will usually focus, right after a description of the driving problem, on who are the customers?  Who is impacted by actions from our organization?  These are important questions because without knowing who you or your organization touches, you have no good way of understanding the impact of your actions.  I like to think of customer bases as internal and external.  Each is critical to the organization, but each brings its own challenges.

External Customers

 

 

Suppliers

There are few systems that are completely self-reliant.  Nearly every organization relies on someone to deliver them something.  Whether that something is raw material, a finished product, or information, the input we receive directly impacts the output we produce.  Any organization that doesn’t explain their processes to suppliers is missing a great opportunity.  When a supplier sees how you use their product, they may be able to either adjust the manner of delivery or the product itself, or provide suggestions as to how their input could be used more productively.

At the Hyundai Motors Manufacturing Alabama plant near Montgomery, Hyundai has developed symbiotic relations with its suppliers.  In order to maximize effectiveness and minimize inventory, Hyundai keeps no more than a few hours’ worth of parts on hand.  The result is reduced storage space and a more effective production line.  This is made possible because Hyundai has arranged with its suppliers to deliver parts every few hours, around the clock.  This “just in time” inventory control is made even more effective by the coordination with the suppliers to deliver the parts in such a manner that they can be directly injected into the assembly line with little to no additional movement.  For instance, windshields are delivered in racks, in exactly the same order they will be installed in vehicles (multiple models of cars are built simultaneously on the same assembly line).  These racks are taken directly off trucks and placed in the production line where robots pick them off the racks and install them on vehicles.  Had Hyundai not discussed their goals, processes, and requirements with their suppliers, the efficiency of their system could never have happened.

 

 

End Users

When the term “customer” is used, the end-user tends to be the default understanding of the term, and for good reason.  The entire reason for existence of an organization is to provide products or services to end-user, and to do so at cost (for a non-profit) or to make money (for a private sector company).  Leaders usually do a better job of being responsible to the end-user.  Marketing, sales, billing, and customer service functions of an organization are specifically tailored to this external customer.  There are two important facets in dealing with this group—understanding what they want/need, and then following up once the product or service is provided.  The latter is the piece, which while not directly tied to profit, is critical to ensuring a good experience for the end-user and laying the ground work for future repeat and expanded business.

Internal Customers

 

 

Shareholders

For those entities that issue stock, a shareholder would be a natural candidate as an internal customer.  After all, making the shareholder money (either through dividend or stock value) is key reason for the company’s existence.  But what about a non-profit organization?  Does it have shareholders?  The answer is an unequivocal “yes!”  There are people who donate to a non-profit, there are those who support its goals, and there are those who volunteer their time for it.  It could probably be argued that the shareholder definition is more widespread and inclusive than it is for a for-profit organization.

 

 

Employees

I’m using this term to define those who work for the organization.  I understand that many who work for a non-profit, may do so as volunteers; nevertheless, their function to the organization is parallel to those who are paid to provide the service.

Employees are the bread and butter or an organization.  They are what makes it tick, they perpetuate and help mold its culture.  They are the organization’s face to all external and internal customers.  Employees must be acknowledged for their skill and understanding of their job.  In a finely tuned organization, employees provide suggestions as to process and product improvement.  They are trained and developed to be highly skilled and highly knowledgeable.  Strong organizations benefit from a culture of “team before individual.”  Employees aren’t just employees; they are team members working for a common goal.  Understanding the critical nature of employees feeds the need for the leader to know he is responsible to the employees for their general well-being, sense of belonging, and training/education to realize their potential.  Productivity is important and employees are the cogs in the machine that drives productivity.  Taking care of, and being responsible to the employees, is the oil a leader applies to keep the machine running.

 

 

Leader

The leader is a customer?  Really?  Absolutely!  Too many times I’ve seen leaders who push themselves and push themselves.  Their organizations are running at top speed.  But the race they are on is a marathon, not a sprint.  A good leader MUST ensure he is taking care of himself.  This is not a self-serving philosophy, it is a self-management philosophy.  Nobody can maintain a fast pace without taking care of their physical and emotional needs.  In spite of what some may think, leaders are human.  They need food, rest, and exercise.  A leader who fails to take care of himself can easily fall victim to burnout or worse.  Eating fast food, not exercising, and working with just a few hours of sleep are warning signs the medical community has identified as potential problems for heart health and other issues.  But how many leaders are guilty of these practices?  Organizations need leaders to lead, but they must be around in order to do so.  Being out of action for medical or emotional issues not only hurts the leader, but it can place the organization at risk.

Responsibility is a given throughout our lives.  People have many things for which they are responsible daily.  In the same manner, a leader has many entities, or customers, for which, and to which, he is responsible.  The effective leader of a successful organization understands not only who those customers are, but also comprehends the critical nature of staying in touch with, and working to satisfy the needs of those customers.  It’s good for the customer, it’s good for the organization, and it’s just good business.

“Titanic” Teaches Leadership Lessons

As we hit the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the great ship, Titanic, it got me thinking about what it must have been like to have been on the ship at that time.  I think the events of Titanic are insightful into how to deal with leadership challenges.  While everything we know about Titanic today is 20-20 hindsight, the lessons are timeless.

Nothing man-made is ever foolproof

Modern technology is a wonderful thing.  It has shrunk distances, brought people closer together, allowed for exploration of our planet and other celestial bodies, cured sickness, and enabled exciting forms of entertainment.  Unfortunately, creations from man come with the price that they have the same fallibility as their makers.  Machines break, concepts fail, and people make mistakes.  These types of failures occur constantly.  Usually, they are of such a small-scale that they can be corrected without much fuss.  Additionally, we build expected failure times into our creations, allowing the ability to perform preventative maintenance or understand when parts need replacement.

This is not a perfect science, however.  As leaders, we must constantly be aware that failures can occur.  We must understand that people will make mistakes and that established procedures may have inherent flaws that may take time to expose themselves.  In short, leaders must be prepared for unexpected failures.  This isn’t to say we should be obsessed with the possibility of failure (i.e, be a “glass-is-half-empty” person), but the eventuality must be acknowledged and once acknowledged, contingency plans should be developed.

When planning, use realistic assumptions

Titanic was only built with 16 life boats (and 4 collapsible rescue boats).  This was enough for less than half of a full complement of crew and passengers.  Why would anyone have done this?  The theory was that in an abandon-ship condition, there would be enough boats transiting the Atlantic that life boats would only be needed to shuttle passenger from the distressed ship to a rescue ship.  The life boats would make several of these shuttle trips.  What clearly was wrong in the assumption was not only the speed with which Titanic would sink, but also the scarcity of ship traffic at the time.  With both of these assumptions being wrong, the contingency plan (16 life boats and 4 collapsible rescue boats) failed.

When military plans are developed, almost as much time is devoted to building realistic assumptions as to building the plan itself.  Leaders preparing their organizations for the future must understand the environment in which they work.  This preparation must include as many factors as can be realistically incorporated.  This is critical because not only must plans be reviewed for overall feasibility, but anytime a major assumption changes, so too, should the plan change.

If things don’t seem right, they probably are not; Don’t be pressured into making a bad decision

The Titanic’s Captain, Edward Smith, had received warnings about possible iceberg activity in the area in which he was sailing.  Had this been a normal cargo ship sailing, the Captain may have slowed down or even stopped until daylight and a better perspective on the iceberg activity could be obtained.  But this wasn’t a normal cargo sailing—it was a very high-profile voyage, with a great amount of publicity and prestige on the line for Titanic’s owner, White Star.  Captain Smith was, no doubt, under a great amount of pressure to not only reach New York, but to do so at the exact scheduled time to meet the many dignitaries and press who would be on hand.

Understanding your planning assumptions and the environment you expect to encounter is important to any leader.  Where leaders really earn their money is by analyzing the environment they do encounter.  A good leader will have experience in his enterprise and/or surround himself by those who do.  This experience will provide a baseline on which to judge events.  Even if the events are not quantitatively identifiable as a warning, the qualitative events (things that “make the hair stand up on the back of your neck) may.  It is important to listen to these warnings and understand what they mean and the consequences of ignoring them.

Likewise, decision-making should take into account all inputs, but nothing should compromise safety and health issues.  In Titantic’s case, as bad as a delayed arrival into New York would have been on publicity for White Star, it is nothing compared to the century of press, literature, and folklore that has occurred since.  In the flying business, we say that there is not peacetime mission that is worth the risk of flying into bad weather.  Similarly, there is no peacetime voyage that was worth the risk of a full-speed transit of a known ice field.

Leaders must weigh their actions (or inactions) against the health and safety of the people, equipment, and resources placed in their charge.  What may seem like a bad consequence today must be analyzed in a bigger picture.  Never allow pressure to be exerted to take action that has the potential to do great harm.  The trick, of course, is to review the best available information and analyze the possible outcomes of actions taken or not taken.

The largest ship in the world at the time, Titanic represented a major investment for White Star as well as source of pride for those who sailed her.  The tragic circumstances of her loss are well-documented; however, it is important to understand that even 100 years later, her sinking still provides us with lessons applicable to the 21^st century.  These lessons are only valid, though, if we listen and pay attention.

Use Technology For Success, Not Failure

A few weeks ago, I wrote a commentary on the need to not use electronic communications and instead, resort to old-fashioned talking (http://dmcohen01.wordpress.com/2012/01/21/put-down-the-keyboard-and-step-away-from-the-desk/).  The driver behind that article was that we miss opportunities to actually engage with one another because of the inhuman nature of electronic communications.  Events since then have now convinced me that while electronic communications may be here to stay, people need a crash course in the use of manners, societal rules, and civility when it comes to email, voice mail, text messaging, and the like.

 

 

One of the bigger annoyances associated with electronic communications is promises broken.  I recently was working with a service company whose representative told me they would take care of absolutely everything that would meet my needs.  I was given information on how to access the company’s website and the services I needed.  Unfortunately, every time I tried to log in to their web site, the system kept telling me I didn’t have access.  I figured that maybe my information hadn’t had a chance to be uploaded, so I gave it 48 hours.

Sure enough, 48 hours later, I tried to get in and couldn’t.  So now I’m frustrated.  I call the customer service rep and leave a message on voice mail.  Three days later, no response, so I call again.  No response.  I try another number and get connected to Technical Support.  I explain the problem and get transferred to another department.  One more transfer and I’m connected to someone else who looks at my account and explains that I wasn’t properly registered.  To say the least, now I’m upset.  They are able to register me, but it will take 10 days for the system update.  I’m not happy, but at least I have an answer.

 

 

Upset and unable to contact my customer service representative by phone, I sent an email asking for information on why my account was not properly set up.  It wasn’t until another two days that I got a response…apologizing for taking awhile to get back to me, but that she had been called out of the office.  Really?  You’d been called out of the office for weeks?  Nevertheless, she agreed to call me that day at 4:30pm.  I cleared my calendar and made arrangements to be available at 4:30pm.  You know what happened next…

4:30pm came and went.  As did 4:40pm and 5:00pm.  I gave up.  I finished up my day and went to go work out.  While I was working out, at 6:30pm, the representative finally called.  Her first words were a joke, “Sorry I’m just a little late calling.”  Unmitigated nerve!  How could she possibly call missing an appointment by two hours “a little late”?  I pulled myself together, explained my problems, and said that I hoped this wasn’t indicative of how the company did business.  She said she’d never had this system registration problem before and had elevated it to her director and that I would hear back by the beginning of the following week.  I’ll let you know if that ever happens.

I began to wonder if we have gotten to the point in our culture where people no longer feel the need or obligation to meet to requirements or deadlines.  And why would this be?  Why are the manners that used to be common place no longer so common?

I submit that electronic communication has not just become a crutch to communicate, but also a vice meant to substitute for concepts like follow-through, meeting deadlines, and exercising good customer service.  In my story above, how many times would I have had to call and how many voice mails would I have had to leave before I would have been called back?  Had I not gotten the true story about my registration problems, how many emails would I have had to send?

 

 

The problem with electronic communication is that it is an anonymous and assumes no obligation on the part of anyone.  In the “old days,” a message, taken by a person, would be left on a hand-written piece of paper.  A phone called would be answered and a person would acknowledge that some kind of follow-up would happen.  In short, electronic communication has taken “the man out of the loop.”  People no longer have a personal connection to communicating with others and so, feel no accountability to completing a conversation or task.

To say that this bodes ill for interpersonal communication is an understatement.  From a business perspective, though, what does it say about servicing customers, internal and external?  If electronic communications are not treated as direct personal communications, then customer service is not treated as personal, either.  The impact of customer service that fails to be personal is tantamount to corporate suicide.  It is, therefore, critical that emails, voice mails, text messages, etc, be treated exactly the same as if the person talked directly to the customer.  This is the ONLY way that electronic communications can be effective tools.

 

 

As technology evolves and we find better ways to communicate, we must never forget the reason we are communicating in the first place—to pass information, to receive information, and to act on that information.  Forgetting this basic premise is to forget why our organizations even exist and why success is preferred over failure.

The Constancy of Change

I’ve written a number of commentaries that discuss change–why organizations should do it and how organizations should do it.  Many people are against change in principle alone.  Many are against it because they aren’t sure how to accomplish it.  And still others are concerned about the impacts of change on their employees.  While change is difficult, like death and taxes, it is a certainty.  The successful leader is the one who knows how to manage change and make it work for him.

 

 

Change is tough

It was the great modern philosopher, Scott Adams, creator and author of the comic strip Dilbert, who wrote, “People hate change, and with good reason.  Change makes us stupider, relatively speaking.  Change adds new information to the universe; information we don’t know.  Our knowledge—as a percentage of all the things that can be known—goes down a tick every time something changes.”  As a leader attempts to implement new concepts or procedures or organization in his group, he must actually do two things–successfully implement that change, and explain to the group why, as Scott Adams points out, it’s OK to feel a little more stupid.

Implementing change in and of itself is difficult enough.  As an organization changes, it must overcome the inertia that has been previously acting, good or bad, and redirect it.  This can be akin to changing a habit in, say, a baseball player.  Since he was kid, the ballplayer has been swinging the bat in a certain way, moving his arms and hips in a certain with, in order to achieve the desired outcome (hitting the ball).   What happens when the environment changes and the ballplayer must learn to hit different kinds of pitches?  He must adapt by changing his habits.  The same thing applies to an organization.  Organizational habits have been developed that must be broken in order to adapt to a changing environment.

 

 

 

These broken habits while necessary, may be difficult for members of the organization to accept.  They bring a sense of the unknown into the security of the group.  The “fight or flight” response may kick in.  In a not-uncommon extreme, people may actively rebel against the change.  This is where the leader will earn his money, because while he may understand the need for change, he must also explain (the level of detail of the explanation will vary according to the situation) why the change is needed in order to get the organization’s members to begin to understand, and eventually, to buy in to the change.

The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, once said, “the only constant is change.”  In a philosophical sense, this is akin to nature abhorring a vacuum or an ever-expanding universe.  In the real world, though, organizations must adapt to their environments.  Of equal importance, though, is the need to not only get everyone rowing in the same direction, but also to explain the direction and speed in which that rowing must occur.

 

 

Chicken or the Egg?

An organization is put together to do a job.  Whether it’s to manufacture something or perform a service, that job is the reason an organization exists.  That job, or more directly, that mission, is paramount above all else.  There is an age-old debate about whether people or the mission come first.  Some will say that if you take care of the people, they will take care of the mission.  There is some truth to this, but  I would argue that any organization that looks to fulfill its obligations does so because of, or in spite of its members.  The members, therefore, are part of the organization because of the organization.  Given this, I believe that if you take care of the organization, IT will take care of the members.  I can hear some of the grumbling already that people are supposed to be first.  I will tell you that in a race, taking care of people runs second to the mission by increments of time even the Swiss haven’t found ways to measure.  But it does run second.  If people were first, nobody would work late hours, miss birthdays or anniversaries while traveling, or face a layoff in tough financial times.  The mission comes first.  But why?

 

 

The mission is first because what the organization does matters.  It matters to those who benefit from its services or products.  It matters to those who provide those services or products.  It is this perspective that must be instilled in all members of the organization from day one for without this perspective, an organization is no longer coherent team, but rather a collection of individual for whom a common goal is a pipe dream.

When all is said and done, an organization that doesn’t change is one that runs the very real risk of becoming irrelevant, at best, or failing, at worst.  The skilled leader understands the need to not just embrace change, but to manage it.  Properly dealing with the change itself, as well as the organization’s members, will make the organization stronger and in a better position to handle a more dynamic environment.  A leader who actively manages this entire process will see a successful organization being run and supported by successful members…and what could be better than that!

 

 

It’s Not Easy Being Green–The Leadership of Kermit the Frog

The ability to lead, to dream, and to help others see your vision is a true gift.  The ability to do it while green and being lusted after by a pig, becomes an even great accomplishment.  Throughout the years, Kermit the Frog has brought not only humor and warmth from the small and big screen, he has demonstrated an amazing sense of leadership, of drive, and inspiration that is a model for those looking to lead their organizations to new heights.

Through multiple adventures, Kermit has found himself alone, at the end of his rope, with few friends, and even fewer resources.  Nevertheless, he has persevered, risen above his troubles, brought the Muppets together and created successes where others would have found failure.  Ok, I get it–he’s a Muppet and these are all movies.  While that is true, it doesn’t detract from the lessons on leadership that Kermit can teach us all as we try to set goals, rally those around us, and work hard to climb to the top.  These are the true lessons of Kermit the Frog.

”I’ve got a dream too, but it’s about singing and dancing and making people happy. That’s the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with.”

Most everyone has dreams–things they’d like to accomplish, experience, or share.  Dreams are what motivate us to achieve more and work harder.  They give us hope in the midst of darkness and give us a sense of accomplishment when we achieve them.  What Kermit brought to the table was a desire to not only share his dream, but share it with a great number of people (or Muppets).  This is a critical piece, because a person may have a dream that they truly embrace.  A leader, however, will take that dream, share it with others in such a way that it becomes their dream, too.  One of the most powerful techniques that a leader looking for change can make is to sell the idea to people that makes them want to buy into it.  When people believe they have a personal stake in a goal, they will work that much harder to achieve it.

“Listen everybody, we’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. And you know why? Well because, thanks to Walter here we tried. And if we failed, we failed together and to me that’s not failing at all. And I don’t care what anybody says, I don’t care if no one believes in us because… I believe. I believe in you. And you. And you.”

Kermit understands that not all goals will be achieved.  He understands that not all dreams will be realized.  Most importantly, though, he understands the journey to achieving a dream is just as important as actually achieving the dream.  This is not to say that failing to meet a goal should be celebrated.  It is, however, important to learn from failure and just because a goal was not achieved doesn’t mean that many acts involved weren’t excellent and can’t be incorporated in other activities.  Another important piece to Kermit’s perspective is the ability to fail as a team.  The bond, the camaraderie, and the synergy created by a strong team is a critical piece to long-term success.  Through failure, many times, teams have grown closer and found better ways to work together.  Teams that overcome adversity together and much stronger are better motivated for the longer run.  The ability to translate the strength built from failure into a victory makes leaders great, it makes teams successful.

“What? No! No, they cannot watch the show from backstage. That’s it! That’s what’s been missing from the show! That’s what we need! More frogs and dogs and bears and chickens and… and whatever! You’re not gonna watch the show, you’re gonna be in the show! Come on, everyone!”

When everyone is involved in a project, everyone feels they own the project.  As a discussed above, when people feel they own something, they will work harder to see the project or goal achieved.  An important additive to this thought, though, comes into play in organizations, especially large organizations, where there is a support or administrative piece that while critical to ensuring success, may not be directly involved, and thus, may feel disconnected from the goal.  To be sure, I am not equating this support structure to frogs or dogs or bears or chickens or…or whatever!  What I am saying though, is that in order for the organization to buy into a dream, the entire organization must buy into it.  Failure to do so will leave an important segment alienated and possibly set up a perceptions of a class system, which is poison to any organization (see my commentary, Is There “T-E-A-M” in Your Team? at http://dmcohen01.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/is-there-t-e-a-m-in-your-team/).

“The swamp will always be a part of me, and not just because I can never quite get that wet, sticky smell out once it soaks in. (Believe me, I’ve tried!)”

Kermit’s famous quote, “It’s not easy being green,” is a mantra for anyone who has overcome adversity to achieve success.  What is equally important once success has been achieved, though, is to not forget the journey that brought that success.  While achieving goals is critical, remembering the problems, solutions, processes, failures, and techniques necessary to get to the goals will keep a person grounded.  The same is true for an organization.  Becoming successful was likely not an overnight event.  It occurred over months and years.  The journey was plagued with adversity and failure.  It was the ability to overcome the adversity and failure that made the organization win.  It was the glue that kept it together and driver behind the emergence of the true leaders.  It is important to not forget these for not only do they serve as reminders of how success was achieved, they are also road maps to meeting future challenges.

Since his introduction in 1955 by the late Jim Henson, Kermit has been involved in the entertainment and education of children.  His transition to a wider demographic has built on his fame and influence.  Through it all, though, Kermit has been a shining example of the reward of hard work and dedication.  He is the true leader of the Muppets (Miss Piggy not withstanding) and has so often put the group’s needs ahead of his own.  Kermit the Frog is leader whose past can teach us about how to achieve our dreams and the organization’s goals, and he is a leader for the future constantly reminding us of the truth to the song, “Rainbow Connection”:

Who said that every wish/Would be heard and answered/When wished on the morning star

Somebody thought of that/And someone believed it/And look what it’s done so far

What’s so amazing/That keeps us star-gazing/What so we think we might see

Someday we’ll find it/That Rainbow Connection/The lovers the dreamers and me

Make Your Organization a 5 Tool Player

Spring is finally here!  The weather is warming up, buds are appearing on trees, and the days are getting longer.  All of these facts suggest the end of a cold winter and the fresh start of a great summer.  None of them, however, portend the beginning of the warm months like the start of baseball season!  With Spring Training beginning its last couple of weeks, the Boys of Summer are nearly ready for the 162-game marathon that is the regular season.  For my readers outside the US, unfamiliar with baseball, I refer you to the following Wikipedia link, and encourage you to grab a hot dog, a beer, and ask any questions you may have regarding America’s pastime:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball

Finding the right baseball players has always been part science, part art, and part myth.  It is the stuff of movies (see “Moneyball”) and a multimillion dollar industry.  Five key areas, though, form the basis for identifying how good a player is expected to be, and then how productive he is for his organization.  These areas are referred to as the “tools,” and player who is skilled with all these tools is referred to as “5 Tool Player.”  It goes without saying that 5 Tool Players are not only rare, but highly sought-after, and paid a significant amount of money.

Within our organizations, we strive to be the best we can be.  We work on our skills, our leadership, our interactions, yet, it may seem at times like there is no good measurement tool to identify how well we are doing.  I suggest we borrow a page from baseball and strive to make our organizations the best 5 Tool Players they can be!

Hitting for Average

A baseball player’s batting average is critical to measuring his value to his team.  It is calculated by dividing the number of hits he gets by the number of opportunities he has to hit them.  Similarly, within our organizations, opportunities present themselves constantly.  It is the observant, engaged leader who can first identify those opportunities and then capitalize on them.  The average hitter will get three or four opportunities per game.  Unfortunately, in our organizations, we cannot be guaranteed chances.  As a result, it becomes imperative that we not only search out chances for improvement, revenue generation, brand recognition, or employee development, but we must many times create these opportunities for ourselves.  An organization that constantly strives for improvement will find that with an increase in opportunities, a corresponding number of successful engagements will result.  Just as a good hitter is always looking for that perfect pitch, so too must we constantly be mindful of ways for our organizations to get a hit.

Hitting for Power

While getting hits is important, a ball player can make great contributions to his team by making those hits count.  Being able to drive the ball deep for extra bases, hitting the ball where the defense isn’t, and batting in multiple runs are critical to increasing not just production, but efficiency.  A good hitter knows that swinging for the fences (i.e. getting a home run) isn’t always possible, but possessing the ability to scatter the outfield, force them to choose to give up shallower hit balls to protect against the ball going over their heads, is a valuable skill in and of itself.  So to, in organizations, we must be ready to take opportunities and not just succeed, but to succeed in such a way as to improve efficiency and effectiveness, to make deep, long-lasting changes to the organization.  As a leader, you want to celebrate the small successes.  A great leader, though, will take the small successes, and the find the synergy among them, causing the result to be much bigger than the sum of the parts.  An organization that hits for power, can cultivate great benefits that have lasting impacts.

Speed

The basic goal of baseball is to cross home plate as many times as possible.  Nine guys on the other team are trying to stop you from doing that.  Within the rules of baseball, it is imperative that a player be able to cover as much ground as possible, whether it be running from base to base, or chasing down a deep fly ball.  In the end, a player with great speed can have the impact of being a force multiplier for his team, seeming to be in two places at once.  Organizations, however, tend to be slow, methodical, and almost lumbering at times.  This does not mean that they must always be so.  Just as in baseball, an organization that is able to not only react, but proactively take a position is poised to outpace its competition and impress its customers.  Speed is a skill, however, that must be developed.  For an athlete, that means time on the field, in the weight room, on the track.  For an organization, that means finding those cues that indicate change, building processes and structures that allow it to be agile, and allocating the proper resources to enable the organization to take advantage of opportunities faster than the competition.

Throwing

The ability to get the ball from one place to another is not particularly extraordinary.  The key that eludes most is the ability to do it from long distances in as little time as possible, to an exact spot.  The center fielder who can get the ball to the catcher on one hop and put out the runner is worth his weight in gold.  It doesn’t, however, happen by accident.  It is a rehearsed exercise that incorporates stamina, speed, coordination, and strength.  Just as that center fielder needs to be able to hit his target quickly and efficiency, an organization must ensure its efforts are focused, efficient, and productive.  A leader who knows the goals isn’t nearly enough.  The entire organization must have the same focus, understand the same set of goals, and act in a coordinated manner to achieve them.  As the fleeting opportunity presents itself, an organization must be poised to not only act quickly, but act decisively and ensure it hits the mark.

Fielding

A great fielder may appear to magically conjure up knowledge of a sharply hit ball’s speed and trajectory.  His seemingly effortless moves appear natural and unrehearsed.  The reality, however, is that he has fielded hundreds of thousands of sharply hit balls in practice.  He has watched them, studied them, misplayed them, and been hit by them.  Every single ball he’s fielded in practice, however, has added to his knowledge of the physics of a quickly moving baseball.  Each one is catalogued and filed for future use against future ground balls.  By the time of the game, few balls could be hit to the ballplayer that he hasn’t seen before.  And having seen them, he has developed the skills to cleanly field hard hit balls that most people could barely see, let alone catch.  Similarly, if our organizations are trained for multiple eventualities, if our people are trained to respond given an understanding of the organization’s goals, and our leaders develop processes that are responsive and flexible, every opportunity will be cleanly fielded.  Repetition coupled with practice and planning will all but ensure an organization will be ready for whatever the future hits to it.

The crack of the bat, the green of the grass, the roar of the crowd–these are the background to the majesty that is the theater of baseball.  Its top actors, those 5 Tool Players are the best of their profession, through both talent and hard work.  Organizations that work to develop their 5 Tools can likewise, be at the top of their game, and while cheers and runs on the scoreboard may be replaced by shareholder satisfaction and good financial statements, an organization that focuses and prepares will surely hit a home run!

Rx For An Organization’s Post-Surgical Recovery

Years of running and, well, just years, have conspired against me.  I had a knee scope about 2 months ago to take care of significant cartilage deterioration.  The surgery itself wasn’t that big of a deal, but the recovery and rehab have not been fun.  In thinking about it, though, it has occurred to me that the lessons I’ve learned (or am at least TRYING to learn) about my post-surgical activities are very applicable to organizations looking to make large cultural or organizational changes.  The similarities are appropriate when look at an organization as an “entity.”  Just like surgery on the body, change to organization can be a shock to the system with possible unintended consequences.  Both events are likely introducing pain as they attempt to correct problems that have been years and possibly decades in the making.  Nevertheless, both events are necessary if a healthy and happy body or organization is to grow and prosper in the future.  I’ve looked at four post-surgical perspectives that I think are most fitting to organizational change.

Don’t be afraid to ask for, and receive help. 

If you are an organization’s leader, you are, by definition, a bit of a Type A personality.  As such, much of what you do is influenced to some degree by ego.  It is the fuel to our fire and the measure of our personal “horsepower.”  And despite what some may say, a healthy, well-directed ego is good for the individual and good for the organization.

When change comes around, however, things may not go as smoothly as planned.  It is not only acceptable, but highly encouraged for a leader to seek help.  In the first few days after my surgery, I hated that I couldn’t move around very well to even get a drink.  My wife was an angel, not only volunteering to help, but doing so without me asking.  In this same vein, it is fine for a leader to ask for help, whether it’s from an internal source or an external one.  The help may come in the form of advice, a sounding board, or a request to take on a niche problem.  Regardless the level, leaders must get past their egos and understand that asking for and receiving help is not a sign of weakness; rather it is the ultimate sign of strength and trust.

Have patience with the recovery–results won’t happen overnight.

If you would have told me my knee recovery would have taken six weeks, you would have heard me bellow at the top of my lungs that I don’t want to be dealing with this for that long, that I don’t have the time or patience, and that I want to be back to 100% now!  Imagine my reaction, therefore, when I was told that recovery could take six MONTHS or more!  UGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Like my knee, any change worth really doing in an organization will take time.  You are dealing with people, processes, resources, internal and external customers, as well as the aforementioned egos.  However long you think a significant change may take to really catch on and be successful, you are best to at least double it.  In war, it is said that no plan survives first contact with the enemy.  This is especially true when the “enemy” is ourselves or our organizations.  Nobody likes to change because, at a minimum, it is acknowledgement that the ways of the past were flawed.  Change can be mandated through policy, memos, or by-laws, but that’s just the start.  Understand that real impactful change is “complete” when it is widely accepted and readily becomes the new norm.  As a result, it will take some time.  Allow for the time it really will take.

Know that Physical Therapy after the surgery will not be fun.

The first week or so of Physical Therapy (PT) wasn’t too bad.  The goal was to try to get back some range of motion and slow or reverse the development of any scar tissue.  Then the hard stuff began–strength building!  Parts of my knee I never thought about were screaming at me (or maybe that was me screaming?)  My 60 minutes of mild motion therapy turned into two hours of sweat and pain.  Having had my other knee scoped a few years ago, I thought I knew the drill, but because this surgery was more extensive, I wasn’t even close.

The “PT” that an organization must go through to enact change will not be fun, either.  Some people and parts of the company may take offense at the very thought of change.  The “We’ve Always Done It This Way” crowd may even begin an underground resistance movement.  Internal and external customers may become confused and frustrated.  The PT that must go on is a constant reiteration of why the change is necessary and what the prize at the end of the trek will look like.  It is, however, not enough to simply say why the change is good–a strong leader will show his organization, because when people actually see the “why”, they are more inclined to buy into the change and embrace it.  Patience is critical here as well.  The buy in will take time and may, in extreme case, even take a change in personnel.  But being able to look past the “pain” of PT will help keep the organization’s and leader’s focus on the prize.

Setbacks are possible, but keep moving forward.

As the healing process on my knee continues, I have good days and bad days.  There are days when I feel I can move with minimal pain, and there are other days when it hurts just to look at my knee.  This is normal.  It is a function of the body’s mechanism to repair itself, to grow new tissue,  and fight possible infections.

Changes to an organization may not work.  It is vital, though, to be able to judge if the change itself failed, or there was just an anomaly in one segment.  To be sure, making a large change should not be done lightly.  Leadership at all levels must study and examine not only the impact of a change, but also the second- and third-order effects from it.  In spite of all the best intentions and research, it is possible that a change may not work.  Be careful, however, to give the change a chance, and don’t be so quick to judge its success based on one or two data points.

In the end, I’m hoping to get back a somewhat normal lifestyle.  I may not be able to do everything I could before the surgery, but had I not had the surgery, I certainly would have been unable to do things AND felt a good deal of pain and discomfort.  Organizations require change to be more effective, more efficient, or improvement products for their customers.  The real trick in making the change is not making the change itself, it’s what you do after that counts.  If this “post-surgical” time is properly planned and given enough time and patience, the organization will be so much the better for it.

The Leadership of Yoda

He is one of the greatest leaders to ever grace the silver screen.  His philosophies are ageless and cut across all occupations.  He brings a slight sense of humor to the situation, weaving in threads of infinite wisdom.  He is about 2-1/2 feet tall, green, and has pointed ears.  His is Yoda, of Star Wars fame.

While it may be argued that Master Yoda is simply a fictional character with no true lessons to teach, I contend that the strength and philosophy this character exudes is of direct applicability to challenges we all face today.  He had to satisfy internal customers (the Senate, the Chancellor, and the Jedi Council); he had to build alliances (he was very close with the Wookies);  and he mentored and developed his successor (the training he gave Luke).  All in all, Yoda has some very important things to teach leaders.  Here’s a small sample:

“Try not.  Do or do not, there is no try.”

When tasks must be completed, sufficient effort and resources must be put toward them.  Focus must be maintained on the goal, while monitoring and follow-up will ensure the project is moving forward.  Any organization that establishes goals or begins a project without adequate resources not only places the success of the project at risk, but also employee trust, customer satisfaction, and overall organizational brand.  In other words, “trying” involves an element of uncertainty in the attitude and approach to completing a project.  Going into something where you are fully committed to seeing it succeed and you have applied the appropriate level of resources will enable the organization to “do” the requisite work.

Employees, properly motivated by their organization will work hard because they believe in the organization and understand the importance of their part in its success.  Not properly resourcing a project will give them a feeling of being “abandoned” and possibly begin a downward spiral where they begin to lose faith in their organization.  Likewise, customers that view an organization’s efforts to meeting their needs as anything less than a full commitment will raise doubt in the customer’s mind as to whether they should continue to do business with the organization.  This, in turn, will put at serious risk the reputation of the organization’s brand and how it is perceived.

“A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind.”

Just as an organization must provide adequate resources to a project, so must it develop a sense of why the project is important.  This could be considered the branding of the project itself.  It is given an identity and a reason to be successfully completed.  Its outcome and reason for success is understood and properly communicated to employees, internal and external customers, and reiterated by leadership.

Not approaching a project with serious intent can cast doubt as to why the project is important enough to even be completed.  On the other hand, when a project is fully embraced internally and externally, its completion becomes not just a goal, but source of pride for those that worked on it, and those who received its delivered services or products.

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. “

This thought is “Yoda-ese” for the Franklin D. Roosevelt quote that the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  It can be interpreted from a couple of perspectives.  First, as an organization, in order to embark on a new venture, proper planning, research, and resource allocation must be done.  What causes many projects to not even get off the ground is the organization’s fear of failure.  This is primarily driven by the unknown of the future (see the next Yoda leadership lesson).  The amount of this fear, though, is inversely proportional to the amount of planning, preparation, and risk management that was done on the project in advance.  Where projects fail many times is because the groundwork was never properly done.  Identifying the processes, the requirement, the customers, the needs, and the resources will go a long way to reducing or even eliminating the fear of moving forward.

Just like for organizations, individuals can fear the unknown and either not venture forward or do so with less than full effort.  And just like an organization, the best antidote for this fear is to prepare.  It is important to note here that the leader can (and should) have a great influence in alleviating fear (see “Train Your Replacement”:  http://dmcohen01.wordpress.com/2012/02/12/train-your-replacement/).  The leader should provide the resources, the training, the support, and the mentoring to allow the employee to learn, to grow, to make mistakes and learn from them.  It is through this preparation that any member of the organization can improve their chances of success, increase their knowledge base, and sharpen their skills.  With these properly developed, the fear will simply melt away.

“Difficult to see, always in motion is the future.”

Even using The Force, Yoda was not able to predict the future (if he could, he would have been able to stop the Emperor…of course, the Dark Side may have been involved, but that’s a discussion for another day).  Like Yoda, the most difficult thing an organization can do is to predict the future.  Forecasting profits, predicting future sales, estimating customer response while important, have significant degrees of “art” to them in addition to the “science.”

As Yoda says, the future is always in motion.  This may seem philosophical, but the bigger point here is that, from a planning perspective, future conditions are not static.  Understanding that the plans that were created last year or even last month may not be applicable still, is the foundation of strategic planning.  Being able to plan is important.  Equally important, though, is the ability to continue to analyze the environment and adjust plans accordingly.  Far too often, organizations create plans for a project, execute and are terribly disappointed and confused when the plan fails.  I may be very likely, in this case, that the plan itself didn’t  fail.  What probably happened is that the givens, the assumptions about the environment under which the plan was constructed, changed–resources were not available at the expected levels, costs ended up being higher, some driving force changed the expected demand.  Whatever the issue, the problem was centered on the environment being dynamic and the plan not adapting.  Building a plan and a strategy is important.  However, without continually analyzing and evaluating what led you to build that plan, you may be left with a project that would have successful a year ago, but today is an abysmal failure.

Looking back on the Star Wars series, it is clear that Yoda was the elder statesman.  Granted, his wisdom was gathered over 900 years, but the manner in which he applied it was adaptive and timely.  He groomed his successors and planned his next steps.  When his information was incomplete, he went looking for more answers.  In the end, the Galaxy was much safer for his leadership.  And if we pay attention to his lead, our organizations will be better for having listened to him, as well.

It’s 12 O’Clock…Do You Know What Your Organization Is Doing?

What goes on in your organization?  More specifically, what goes on in your organization when you’re not looking?  How do your employees feel?  How are your customers treated?  The CBS Television show “Undercover Boss” does a very good job of secretly letting organizational leaders see the inside of their business while examining the “human” side of the company.  While entertaining and sometimes heartwarming, the show is a bit unrealistic in that most leaders don’t have the time, resources, or acting skills to secretly infiltrate their own companies and sniff around.

However, that does not mean that leaders shouldn’t unobtrusively observe their organizations.  I recently had the opportunity, as part of a Lean Process Improvement program, to sit and observe the customer service section of a colleague’s organization for about an hour.  I did nothing more than watch the processes, talk briefly to the customers about wait times and levels of service, and note issues that I observed.  What I found were a number of small changes that could be made to not only improve the efficiency, but also make the process more “friendly” for the customers.

It could be argued that this approach is no more cosmic than the age-old philosophy of “Management by Walking Around.”  I will agree that this is true to some extent, but I believe a concerted effort to just watch a segment of one’s organization is important to not only find issues and problems, but to get a sense of the intangibles that a financial report won’t show.

While it’s possible to put on a wig and “Groucho Marx” glasses, I don’t believe it’s necessary to be quite so stealthy.  I’d suggest a few rules for looking into your organization to get a view that is unfiltered, but doesn’t require the skills of Inspector Clouseau.

Don’t be a spy.  While you don’t want to announce your presence or make an appointment, neither do you want to hide behind plants.  Your goal is to simply watch your organization, or some segment thereof, function.  You can do this by simply sitting, briefly chatting with organization members, or occasionally working emails on your PDA while you watch and listen.  The benefit you are looking for is to see how the organization functions on a normal basis.  Depending upon the size of the organization and the leader’s role, any significant intrusion (“here comes the boss!”) will likely cause activities to become “abnormal.”

See the processes through the eyes of your employees.  One of the things I noted watching my colleague’s organization was that those employees performing the customer service function were in a back area and couldn’t get a sense for how many customers were waiting—they simply got a notice on their computer of the next customer they were to help, after the customers signed in on a computer in the waiting area.  The potential solution was that if the employees could get an indication that the wait times had become too long, others could be temporarily called into help the customer service function deal with the surge.  Being able to see how your employees operate and the conditions in which they do so will also give you a very good sense as to their job satisfaction/frustration, pace of their work, and perspective on whether you have enough manpower dedicated to specific tasks.

See the processes through the eyes of your customers.  Nearly every piece of an organization has a customer—whether it’s an external customer, or an internal one, there are few parts of an organization that produce product or service that aren’t used by someone else.  It is that customer, whether internal or external, that you want to think about.  Are they getting their product or service on time?  Is the quality of that product or service adequate enough for their purpose?  Are the right processes in place to service that customer?  As I mentioned above in my example, customers signed in on a computer and this placed them in a queue for the next customer service representative.  The problem that I observed, however, that given a customer base that included elderly patrons, the computer sign in process might well have been in a foreign language for many.  The simple sign that said “Sign In” made logical sense to those having grown up in the computer age, but for those for whom a computer is something out of a science fiction movie, the sign in process was impossible to understand.  The suggestion I made to my colleague was to not only have a more explicit sign, but to also station an employee near the computer to answer questions and assist those who needed it.

Would you want your boss to watch this organization?  Not only should a leader think about the processes, the employees, and the customers, but he or she should also put the entire view to the ultimate test—if the leader’s boss was observing the organization, would they be happy?  This is a bit like a definition of “integrity”—doing the right think even when nobody is watching.  Your boss isn’t necessarily watching, but could you properly explain (or defend) the processes, the interaction, the outcome, and the resources involved?  If the answer is “no”, then there needs to be either a better understanding by the leader or some process improvement techniques may be in order.

A solid organization shouldn’t have to be “baby sat.”  Good leaders establish processes, provide resources, and empower their subordinates to accomplish the necessary tasks.  While time is a precious commodity to all, and even more so to a leader, watching and evaluating his or her organization should be viewed not as time spent checking up, but as time wisely invested in ensuring the best possible organization is running the best process and producing the best products and services.

Is There “T-E-A-M” in Your Team?

I have a small problem with my car.  It’s been going on for a while and I couldn’t get anyone excited at the local dealer’s Service Department to really work the problem.  I live in a relatively small town, so there is only one dealer for my make of vehicle.  I’d had enough and was going to go directly to the Service Manager.

I went to the web to find out the name and phone number of the Service Manager.  When I pulled up the dealer’s web site, I noticed links to Sales, Service, Parts, About Us, Contact Us, etc.  I clicked on the Service link and up came a page that had fill-in boxes from which I could make an appointment.  I didn’t want an appointment; I wanted to talk to the Service Manager.

Next, I went to the Contact Us link.  All I got there was a phone number to the Service Department.  I’d already had my share of listening to the phone ring incessantly, being placed on hold forever, and getting the run-around.  I wanted the name and number of the Service Manager.

Then I went to the About Us section.  There was blurb that said, “We have a strong and committed sales staff with many years of experience satisfying our customers’ needs.”  Nothing noted about their Service Department.  Another link entitled “Meet Our Staff” took me to a bunch of smiling faced pictures.  Every single salesperson was featured with a bright, colored photo.  Additionally, the photos of the Internet Sales Manager, the President’s Secretary, the Marketing Coordinator, the Human Resources Manager, the Controller, the Dealer Transfer Manager, the Title Clerk, the Office Manager, and the Billing Manager were all posted on the web page.  Guess who was missing?  Anyone related to Service or Parts!

Now, I have no idea what the revenue ratio of sales to service/parts is for this particular dealership.  According to AOL Autos Correspondent, Kevin Ransom, “…during difficult years for new car sales…the profits from used car sales and from parts and service are what keep the dealership in business.”(*)  Whether this particular dealership gets a great deal of its business from Service or Parts is a bit irrelevant.  The fact is, unless the dealership was out to lose money, they would not have invested the time, money, training, equipment, and space for a Service Department if it wasn’t expected to produce revenue.

So now back to their website…this is the electronic storefront for the dealership.  Everything that exists on the dealership’s web pages is a direct reflection upon what their leadership values, cares about, and transmits as their brand.  To be fair, from their statement on the About Us page to the nice color photos of the sales and support staff, this dealership’s focus is on Sales, period.  Service, it would appear, is a bit of a side business.  After all, they are the only game in town if you want your vehicle fixed by the make’s authorized repair center.

By all-but-ignoring the Service side, though, the dealership leaders have forgotten one huge fact about their customer interaction…the customer is going to spend many, many more hours interacting with the Service Department than they ever will with the Sales Department.  Having owned a number of vehicles in my life, I know that maybe I’ll visit the dealership two or three times before deciding to buy my car from them, with each visit taking from one to three hours.  The actual sale transaction can take three or four depending on the complexity.  At the most, my total interaction with the Sales Department is about 13 hours…and then it’s done!

Flash forward to the next three to six years I may own the car.  As a conscientious car owner, every 3,000 miles or so, I’m coming to the Service Department for my oil change.  Every 7,000 miles or so, I’m there for the bigger maintenance items.  There will be occasional problems (as I have right now) that may or may not be covered under warranty, but nevertheless, will require service.  Other than warranty issues, I could actually go to a number of service facilities in the city.  So why would the dealership not want to encourage a meaningful and impactful relationship with the Service Department at every possible turn?  There should be much more information about Service on the web site than just how to make an appointment.  The Service Manager should post his email address as a sign of his commitment to HIS customers.  Profiles of the Service Technicians ought to be prominently posted as they are for their Sales counterparts.  And the dealership’s “About Us” statement must fold in all aspects of their operation.

The result of failing to fully integrate a major segment of your organization into the face and brand of the organization is two-fold.  First, what is the message you are sending to your customers?  Your brand, whether presented by a web page, a TV commercial, a mailer, or even word of mouth, is how people know you.  By not even referencing, let alone highlighting, a major part of your organization and business practice, you are telling the customer who needs that part, “That part of our business is not important to me and neither is your business.”  It’s hard enough to control your brand image in news stories and when problems occur (see my commentary on crisis management: http://dmcohen01.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/the-a-b-c-ds-of-crisis-management/).  But when it’s an element you have direct control over, the person to blame is staring back in the mirror.

The second issue is equally important—what is the impact on your employees in the business segment you have ignored?  Do they feel like part of the team?  Have you created an internal culture of “have’s” and “have not’s”?  For an organization to function well, it must do so in a synergistic manner, and in order for that to happen, every member of that organization must be part of a unified team.  By ignoring a certain segment, you ignore those employees and run the very real risk that they will feel disconnected from the greater purpose, perform at lower productivity levels, and contribute less than necessary to the organization’s goals.

I will eventually get my car fixed.  The problem isn’t dire and if I had to, I could live with it and everything would be fine.  The dealership, however, must begin to bring together their entire organization on the web, in the facility, and in the brand.  Failure to do so could result in something the dealership’s bottom line can’t live with, and if that’s the case, everything for them, will be far from fine.

(*)  http://autos.aol.com/article/how-a-car-dealer-is-run/