Are we as good or as lackluster as our metrics deem us to be? Organizations often lean toward celebrating success or chastising themselves when in fact their performance is being dictated by uncontrollable circumstances. To determine the “uncontrollable” an organization must understand their ecology.
Ecology is understanding the environment in which you live predicting interactions and their influence on your strategy. One must map the parts from the largest to the tiniest connecting them with what is known. How do they influence each other? What is happening in their environment that will force them to act in a manner that is positive or negative to your desired results? Are trends emerging that will create wide industry upheaval or lead the industry to new levels? Will these trends be local, national or international? How does your environment affect your thinking, your personnel and your competitors?
It is not possible to observe and track your entire ecosystem. Therefore, once the parts of your ecosystem have been mapped, decisions must be made to prioritize “WATCH LISTS.” Which part will have the greatest impact on your strategy and its execution? Who should be the watcher and what events should they share? Who should they share with, when and how? How will decisions be made to alter execution or the strategy that drives execution? What path will lead to performance when chaos reigns? When will we revisit the “WATCH LIST” to determine if those on the list matter or don’t matter? Should new parts be added? Should old parts be deleted?
These questions are important when determining performance, or lack of. Is performance because of me or in spite of me? Knowing the answers will lead to watching uncontrollable ecosystem parts. Organizations that know their ecosystem are prepared to act, not react, to uncontrollable parts and their influence on performance.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
August 2007 Deep Insights
Vison, goals, objectives, tactics and processes are only of value when results surpass effort. Often organizations and their personnel spend endless amounts of energy to determine how they will walk or run forward, not in place or backwards. The “PLAN” becomes the goal. Personnel continue their efforts toward a perfect plan and get lost not taking action to move onward.
Avoiding “PLAN SYNDROME” requires the stamina to focus on results by measuring the outcome of effort. Knowing what works and what doesn’t requires a navigational model. With the final goal in mind the organization must build a time line with benchmarks back to today. Benchmarks are intervention points to evaluate effort against results. Intervention points provide learning and opportunities to adjust effort for continued success or corrective action to improve results. The worst of all worlds is to continue supporting efforts that are not productive. Timelines, benchmarks and interventions bring results into focus.
Focus on results builds accountability. Consequently, in order to be successful, this environment calls for TRANSPARENCY. When results, not the “PLAN” are the goal, people need data published and available to measure their own and others performance. Surprises must be eliminated. Individuals must have an opportunity to take their own initiative to alter their behavior and their effort on an ongoing basis. Transparency encourages self discipline; improving performance and limiting wasted energy and effort.
Essential to not falling victim to “PLAN SYNDROME” is an organization’s resolve to create a transparent environment and provide navigational benchmarks that clearly illustrate when efforts and energy are producing results.
Avoiding “PLAN SYNDROME” requires the stamina to focus on results by measuring the outcome of effort. Knowing what works and what doesn’t requires a navigational model. With the final goal in mind the organization must build a time line with benchmarks back to today. Benchmarks are intervention points to evaluate effort against results. Intervention points provide learning and opportunities to adjust effort for continued success or corrective action to improve results. The worst of all worlds is to continue supporting efforts that are not productive. Timelines, benchmarks and interventions bring results into focus.
Focus on results builds accountability. Consequently, in order to be successful, this environment calls for TRANSPARENCY. When results, not the “PLAN” are the goal, people need data published and available to measure their own and others performance. Surprises must be eliminated. Individuals must have an opportunity to take their own initiative to alter their behavior and their effort on an ongoing basis. Transparency encourages self discipline; improving performance and limiting wasted energy and effort.
Essential to not falling victim to “PLAN SYNDROME” is an organization’s resolve to create a transparent environment and provide navigational benchmarks that clearly illustrate when efforts and energy are producing results.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
July 2007 Deep Insights
Achieving desired results is often thought of as a masterpiece an artistic event, led by one person who has vision, charismatic charm, unequaled energy and insights to avoid obstacles. True, there are instances of such events but there are more that follow the process I describe.
First, a vision must be shared by all. It must be transparent to an organization, it must be the charismatic charm that drives people to a level of energy that is unequaled in past endeavors. The future directed by many not driven by a few.
Second, all leaders must be committed to avoiding obstacles not solving problems. They must create and maintain an environment where personnel are committed to open and honest evaluation of their actions as well as others. This environment is best orchestrated by creating ownership, recognition and thoughtful consideration of people’s individual desires.
Third, architecture to embrace this concept is designed through critical paths that establish what-who-when. The critical path establishes a timeline and intervention intersections guaranteeing information flow to avoid obstacles. It builds responsibilities for project participants that are transparent thus holding people accountable for their actions. It focuses everyone on results not effort yet allowing personal space for individual initiative. The critical path fosters teamwork, mental models for competent execution, while capturing and directing people’s efforts toward their shared vision.
TEAM vision, not SOMEONE’S vision is an artistic event lead by a process that rewards many not few.
First, a vision must be shared by all. It must be transparent to an organization, it must be the charismatic charm that drives people to a level of energy that is unequaled in past endeavors. The future directed by many not driven by a few.
Second, all leaders must be committed to avoiding obstacles not solving problems. They must create and maintain an environment where personnel are committed to open and honest evaluation of their actions as well as others. This environment is best orchestrated by creating ownership, recognition and thoughtful consideration of people’s individual desires.
Third, architecture to embrace this concept is designed through critical paths that establish what-who-when. The critical path establishes a timeline and intervention intersections guaranteeing information flow to avoid obstacles. It builds responsibilities for project participants that are transparent thus holding people accountable for their actions. It focuses everyone on results not effort yet allowing personal space for individual initiative. The critical path fosters teamwork, mental models for competent execution, while capturing and directing people’s efforts toward their shared vision.
TEAM vision, not SOMEONE’S vision is an artistic event lead by a process that rewards many not few.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
June 2007 Deep Insights
Creativity is subjective in the eye of the beholder. Creativity can be the creation of something new or collectables repackaged to meet emerging needs or my opinion of. A definition is elusive and may best be found in a process encouraging participation surfacing insights and trends leading to ideas driving results to an unexpected level.
Participation, collaboration, sharing information, asking questions, searching for facts, understanding circumstances and the environment, it is a process that welcomes everyone through a culture that respects an individual’s right to be different. It is a world where fear is non-existent, freedom reigns and guilt afflicts those who do not speak out. It’s a culture where failure is a learning experience, an opportunity to expand everyone’s knowledge; a second in time, a step on the path, an experience waiting for NEXT.
Insights and trends drawn from participation provide knowledge built from diverse views of a world willing to become transparent, a willingness to invite others to understand their communities and provide products benefiting people and organizations. Building relationships for future insights and sustaining participation not knowing the influence of one on another. They are vehicles for change in a chaotic environment where full control is no control.
Ideas surface when open participation is encouraged welcoming communities with diverse views to understand each other. They must accept co-existence of safe havens and free zones. Where individual ideas are not judged but used to stimulate and build more ideas. Where right or wrong is not the issue but results are the goal.
Creativity is leadership holding itself accountable for a culture that embraces ideas, trends and insights limiting its telling to establishing standards enhancing participation.
Participation, collaboration, sharing information, asking questions, searching for facts, understanding circumstances and the environment, it is a process that welcomes everyone through a culture that respects an individual’s right to be different. It is a world where fear is non-existent, freedom reigns and guilt afflicts those who do not speak out. It’s a culture where failure is a learning experience, an opportunity to expand everyone’s knowledge; a second in time, a step on the path, an experience waiting for NEXT.
Insights and trends drawn from participation provide knowledge built from diverse views of a world willing to become transparent, a willingness to invite others to understand their communities and provide products benefiting people and organizations. Building relationships for future insights and sustaining participation not knowing the influence of one on another. They are vehicles for change in a chaotic environment where full control is no control.
Ideas surface when open participation is encouraged welcoming communities with diverse views to understand each other. They must accept co-existence of safe havens and free zones. Where individual ideas are not judged but used to stimulate and build more ideas. Where right or wrong is not the issue but results are the goal.
Creativity is leadership holding itself accountable for a culture that embraces ideas, trends and insights limiting its telling to establishing standards enhancing participation.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
May 2007 Deep Insights
Management practices tend to lead people to “stop talking and go to work” but they must be more versatile allowing “watchful talking” to be a part of work. The execution of a Strategic Plan is a universe filled with disruptive events. Such events may be relevant or irrelevant, complex or simple and they can support or derail a Strategic Plan. Whatever the event or combination of events, everyone involved must talk watchfully.
Asking specific questions against plan benchmarks is key to successful execution. Watchful talking is the art of using the answers to such questions to map the environment in which an execution takes place. What must be learned for our plan to work? What predictable events will occur in the short term? How will they affect the plan? Who will they affect in the plan? Who should we tell? The answers to such questions should result from looking at the environment as a whole, from inside and outside of the company. Connections should be drawn from large and small events, people and technology innovations, local and global economies, government regulations and/or proposed regulations.
While this first aspect of watchful talking protects day to day activities, future events must also be predicted to avoid impediments before they occur. Such future events are called watchful predictions and are a positive and useful by-product of watchful talking. People charged with execution gain an awareness of others’ environments from learning what events could cause impediments for them. Once determined, watchful predictions can trigger adjustments in the effected environment and allow a smooth execution. Forewarned by predictions, watchful talking will create necessary adjustments prior to derailment of a Strategic Plan.
Everyone must embrace talking at work in a way that enhances the execution of the Strategic Plan. Watchful talking is an art that leads to a structured mapping process for execution. As the mapping process unfolds, watchful predictions become self-evident; built from the plan’s environment as a whole. Watchful talking and watchful predictions are processes through which events are understood and execution altered for success.
Asking specific questions against plan benchmarks is key to successful execution. Watchful talking is the art of using the answers to such questions to map the environment in which an execution takes place. What must be learned for our plan to work? What predictable events will occur in the short term? How will they affect the plan? Who will they affect in the plan? Who should we tell? The answers to such questions should result from looking at the environment as a whole, from inside and outside of the company. Connections should be drawn from large and small events, people and technology innovations, local and global economies, government regulations and/or proposed regulations.
While this first aspect of watchful talking protects day to day activities, future events must also be predicted to avoid impediments before they occur. Such future events are called watchful predictions and are a positive and useful by-product of watchful talking. People charged with execution gain an awareness of others’ environments from learning what events could cause impediments for them. Once determined, watchful predictions can trigger adjustments in the effected environment and allow a smooth execution. Forewarned by predictions, watchful talking will create necessary adjustments prior to derailment of a Strategic Plan.
Everyone must embrace talking at work in a way that enhances the execution of the Strategic Plan. Watchful talking is an art that leads to a structured mapping process for execution. As the mapping process unfolds, watchful predictions become self-evident; built from the plan’s environment as a whole. Watchful talking and watchful predictions are processes through which events are understood and execution altered for success.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
April 2007 Deep Insights
New beginnings are tools for success. They are a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is to be a student of past and present conditions; the opportunity is to build a vision that utilizes past and present strengths.
Past historical analysis provides an understanding of culture. What gave us what we have? Was our success based on riding a trend that anyone could have ridden? Have we experienced both growth and shrinkage? Faced adversity both internally and from the external world? Are we product innovators, product enhancers or low cost duplicators? Has our management come from within or are they hired from outside? What has been our economic engine?
Present environments must be evaluated in a way that respects reality. As an organization, we must accept what we are, not what we want to be. Are margins growing? Have our revenues been growing? What is the benchstrength of our personnel? Do we have technical skills required for today? Are our people capable of conducting research, identifying trends and capturing innovations to ride those trends? Do we know our echo system? Are we in touch with its world and understand how it influences our success? Have we built relationships with the echo system influencers? What activities are measured to determine strategic successes? Are succession plans in place for employees, management, CEO, customers and products?
The future is a portrait drawn by the past and present that assists an organization to embrace its possibilities. Do we need cash insertions? What cultural aspects do not fit? What gaps are evident in human assets? How will processes hold the organization accountable for commitment and action? How will our future affect relationships internally and externally? What learning must be acquired to be prepared for the next new beginning?
New beginnings are just NEW. Organizations must know “thyself,” have resolve to be flexible and ambidextrous with the discipline to accept ambiguity, moving tirelessly through this NEW, knowing another is a breath away.
Past historical analysis provides an understanding of culture. What gave us what we have? Was our success based on riding a trend that anyone could have ridden? Have we experienced both growth and shrinkage? Faced adversity both internally and from the external world? Are we product innovators, product enhancers or low cost duplicators? Has our management come from within or are they hired from outside? What has been our economic engine?
Present environments must be evaluated in a way that respects reality. As an organization, we must accept what we are, not what we want to be. Are margins growing? Have our revenues been growing? What is the benchstrength of our personnel? Do we have technical skills required for today? Are our people capable of conducting research, identifying trends and capturing innovations to ride those trends? Do we know our echo system? Are we in touch with its world and understand how it influences our success? Have we built relationships with the echo system influencers? What activities are measured to determine strategic successes? Are succession plans in place for employees, management, CEO, customers and products?
The future is a portrait drawn by the past and present that assists an organization to embrace its possibilities. Do we need cash insertions? What cultural aspects do not fit? What gaps are evident in human assets? How will processes hold the organization accountable for commitment and action? How will our future affect relationships internally and externally? What learning must be acquired to be prepared for the next new beginning?
New beginnings are just NEW. Organizations must know “thyself,” have resolve to be flexible and ambidextrous with the discipline to accept ambiguity, moving tirelessly through this NEW, knowing another is a breath away.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
March 2007 Deep Insights
Mentoring personnel, as execution of a strategic plan unfolds, is a critical step. Unfortunately, abdication often is the course chosen by executives. They believe their contribution has been made building the plan and others should be held accountable for its execution.
Strategic plan structure should have mentoring interventions that include executives. To accomplish interventions the plan should be laid out with benchmarks, sunset and sunrise provisions. Benchmarks are stars that will guide personnel to realize their progress in relation to the Strategic Plan. Benchmarks require interventions to determine midcourse achievements, troublesome situations and outside influences that may affect decisions moving forward. Sunset is an intervention structured to call a “time-out” which allows personnel and executives to pause and survey their current position within the Strategic Plan. How is the entire plan fairing? Are all aspects on target? What are the ramifications of being behind or ahead of plan? What has been learned? Who should we tell? Structured sunrise interventions inspire personnel to continue by sharing what has been learned, embracing necessary modifications, take initiative assisting those who have fallen behind, design transparent measurements in view of all personnel and create environments encouraging participation.
Mentoring should not happen by accident and should not have to be requested. Mentoring must be encompassed within the STRATEGIC PLAN. To be successful mentoring must include executives who help build benchmarks, sunset and sunrise dialogue. Mentoring is a process of “talking around,” listening to determine people’s understanding of what should be understood, transforming EXECUTION into a growth opportunity for organizations and individuals.
Strategic plan structure should have mentoring interventions that include executives. To accomplish interventions the plan should be laid out with benchmarks, sunset and sunrise provisions. Benchmarks are stars that will guide personnel to realize their progress in relation to the Strategic Plan. Benchmarks require interventions to determine midcourse achievements, troublesome situations and outside influences that may affect decisions moving forward. Sunset is an intervention structured to call a “time-out” which allows personnel and executives to pause and survey their current position within the Strategic Plan. How is the entire plan fairing? Are all aspects on target? What are the ramifications of being behind or ahead of plan? What has been learned? Who should we tell? Structured sunrise interventions inspire personnel to continue by sharing what has been learned, embracing necessary modifications, take initiative assisting those who have fallen behind, design transparent measurements in view of all personnel and create environments encouraging participation.
Mentoring should not happen by accident and should not have to be requested. Mentoring must be encompassed within the STRATEGIC PLAN. To be successful mentoring must include executives who help build benchmarks, sunset and sunrise dialogue. Mentoring is a process of “talking around,” listening to determine people’s understanding of what should be understood, transforming EXECUTION into a growth opportunity for organizations and individuals.
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