Waking up to view a Strategic Plan Execution should not arouse panic. However, in most cases the view of reality is unpleasant. The crisis is there and only a miracle will resolve the lack of performance. Fortunately, wake up surprises can be avoided by structuring a culture of forestalling, not solving crisis.
Forestalling begins in the initial stages of Strategic Planning, when an organization diagnosis its environment and the factors that will effect its success or failure. At this stage your organization should ask: What elements will determine positive or negative influences? Who is best suited to closely watch? Who has the respect of the organization to call attention to their observations? This last question is important.
As observations will be the guide for forestalling crisis while allowing the organization to take advantage of an unsuspected opportunity.
Observations alone are not actionable. They must be coupled with a Strategic Plan that includes critical paths leading to indicators that will navigate the organization toward success. Without a plan for execution everyone interprets observations with their own ramifications, but with a plan, dialogue has boundaries. Dialogue leads analysis to determination of the effects of observations and the possible consequences on the whole of the organization’s Strategic Plan.
Knowing how the Strategic Plan, as a whole, will react to potential surprises allows everyone to participate in forestalling prior to solving random symptoms. The process of forestalling saves energy for root cause resolution, rather than draining energy through blaming others, pointing fingers or trying to prioritize symptom resolutions. These energy drains are eliminated in a culture of forestalling because people are thinking about the future, not dragging themselves into the past for causes that may not matter today.
Discipline is the final element. Surprises can come from within or outside of an organization’s environment. Therefore, forestalling requires a perceptive eye. What is thought not to matter may prove to matter. When this occurs, critical path execution landscapes must be redrawn to meet the new and improved Strategic Plan. A culture that forestalls will only survive when everyone is committed to making observations, spotting potential surprises, and taking action to prevent the derailment of the Strategic Plan.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
July 2008 Deep Insights
Tracking financial results is an important element of any successful organization’s operation. However, it is not the end all. Organizations must develop navigational measurements that predict what the results will be and encourage strategy or tactical adjustments as needed.
Financial reporting paints a picture of the effort expended by an organization from a historical viewpoint. Therefore, organizations can only take action after the fact. Damages that could have been avoided accumulate; actions that would enhance results in a timely fashion cannot be taken. To avoid such issues, organizations must drill beneath financial goals to find tactics/activities that are integral for financial success.
Once established, tactics/activities must be converted into commitments between people. Actions taken through commitments are the foundation of an organizations successful execution of its strategy. Commitments encourage people to hold each other accountable. Transparency in commitments creates the trust essential for negotiations when collaborative action is needed.
Negotiations are necessary to understand how each person will deliver their commitment. Negotiations build awareness of situations that may hinder or add unnecessary conflict. Through negotiations, planned interventions can evolve to guarantee performance. Interventions should focus on at least two items: anticipation of situations that could occur and what actions should be taken to successfully execute the organization’s strategy. People must approach this process in the spirit of experimentation, not entering negotiations or interventions to place blame. It must be a place of support and collaboration, people working together to meet commitments.
Commitments made in a transparent public forum, in a collaborative environment of experimentation will usher an organization into financial success, beyond expectations. Tracking and measuring commitments is the navigational pathway to successful financial results.
Financial reporting paints a picture of the effort expended by an organization from a historical viewpoint. Therefore, organizations can only take action after the fact. Damages that could have been avoided accumulate; actions that would enhance results in a timely fashion cannot be taken. To avoid such issues, organizations must drill beneath financial goals to find tactics/activities that are integral for financial success.
Once established, tactics/activities must be converted into commitments between people. Actions taken through commitments are the foundation of an organizations successful execution of its strategy. Commitments encourage people to hold each other accountable. Transparency in commitments creates the trust essential for negotiations when collaborative action is needed.
Negotiations are necessary to understand how each person will deliver their commitment. Negotiations build awareness of situations that may hinder or add unnecessary conflict. Through negotiations, planned interventions can evolve to guarantee performance. Interventions should focus on at least two items: anticipation of situations that could occur and what actions should be taken to successfully execute the organization’s strategy. People must approach this process in the spirit of experimentation, not entering negotiations or interventions to place blame. It must be a place of support and collaboration, people working together to meet commitments.
Commitments made in a transparent public forum, in a collaborative environment of experimentation will usher an organization into financial success, beyond expectations. Tracking and measuring commitments is the navigational pathway to successful financial results.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
June 2008 Deep Insights
Leaders are challenged as generations pass through time and their organization. Good leaders know they must adapt to the needs of each generation without losing the initiative of any.
The first step is to create a vision that various generations can embrace. Young people seek excitement, challenges, opportunities to learn and occasions to broaden their experience. Midlife adults seek continued learning or satisfaction through contributions to the organization. Mature individuals seek more comprehensive challenges to make contributions or contribute by assisting midlife adults and young people.
The second step is to build an environment to fulfill the vision. The environment must utilize the strengths of each generation. Young people should be encouraged to speak out, challenge the status quo and bring their world into the daily activities of the organization. They should be encouraged to ask “Why not?” without fear of retribution. Midlife adults in their respective groups looking for challenges or contributing by doing must be part of building execution plans. Both groups can find and utilize their strengths when they are a part of planning execution. Their competencies will lead to the successful execution of the vision. Mature individuals need an environment where they can remove barriers for young people or midlife adults to perform. Their challenge is to maintain clarity for the VISION, keeping others on task. It is the responsibility of mature individuals to coach the other generations through barriers, be they processes or behavior, and to help the organization successfully adopt change for both.
The third step is to develop a transparent measurement process, beyond financials and tied to activities that will ensure success. Each generation must have the information necessary to create accountability. Each generation must know they have moved beyond effort to results.
Leaders need the ability to function with people from varying generations. The ability to recognize each generation’s value will keep the environment healthy and will keep people contributing to the VISION.
The first step is to create a vision that various generations can embrace. Young people seek excitement, challenges, opportunities to learn and occasions to broaden their experience. Midlife adults seek continued learning or satisfaction through contributions to the organization. Mature individuals seek more comprehensive challenges to make contributions or contribute by assisting midlife adults and young people.
The second step is to build an environment to fulfill the vision. The environment must utilize the strengths of each generation. Young people should be encouraged to speak out, challenge the status quo and bring their world into the daily activities of the organization. They should be encouraged to ask “Why not?” without fear of retribution. Midlife adults in their respective groups looking for challenges or contributing by doing must be part of building execution plans. Both groups can find and utilize their strengths when they are a part of planning execution. Their competencies will lead to the successful execution of the vision. Mature individuals need an environment where they can remove barriers for young people or midlife adults to perform. Their challenge is to maintain clarity for the VISION, keeping others on task. It is the responsibility of mature individuals to coach the other generations through barriers, be they processes or behavior, and to help the organization successfully adopt change for both.
The third step is to develop a transparent measurement process, beyond financials and tied to activities that will ensure success. Each generation must have the information necessary to create accountability. Each generation must know they have moved beyond effort to results.
Leaders need the ability to function with people from varying generations. The ability to recognize each generation’s value will keep the environment healthy and will keep people contributing to the VISION.
Monday, May 26, 2008
May 2008 DeepInsights
RELATIONSHIPS for flawless execution come in many shapes and sizes. They are human, technical and environmental. Each requires oversight activities to sense when the specific relationship necessitates revisions.
HUMAN involvement is best when people understand the goal, commit to the goal and hold themselves accountable for performance. Often goals become clouded as time passes because dialogue dwindles. When dialogue dwindles, time is dedicated to doing WORK instead of understanding how the work contributes to reaching the goal. Time outs must be maintained to keep everyone focused on the big picture understanding who, what and how to assist those who are struggling to keep up.
TECHNICAL issues are often the cause of individual struggles. They require clear definition with active support. The answer may lie in training, equipment, outsourcing, consultation or revision to the goals that would make the technical issue irrelevant. Scheduled time outs are a great investment to determine root cause and solution.
ENVIRONMENTAL concerns are best thought of as outside influences that can be positive or negative. First, one must know their ecological system and what parts might influence their outcome, positive or negative. Second, assignments for observation should be made to determine if an event is noteworthy. Third, data should be reviewed in a collaborative setting to determine the effects on goals and execution.
HUMAN, technical and environmental issues left unattended will generate lack of goal clarity, weaken commitment, reduce initiative and sap creativity. The solution is discipline to schedule more not less dialogue in a knowledge workplace.
HUMAN involvement is best when people understand the goal, commit to the goal and hold themselves accountable for performance. Often goals become clouded as time passes because dialogue dwindles. When dialogue dwindles, time is dedicated to doing WORK instead of understanding how the work contributes to reaching the goal. Time outs must be maintained to keep everyone focused on the big picture understanding who, what and how to assist those who are struggling to keep up.
TECHNICAL issues are often the cause of individual struggles. They require clear definition with active support. The answer may lie in training, equipment, outsourcing, consultation or revision to the goals that would make the technical issue irrelevant. Scheduled time outs are a great investment to determine root cause and solution.
ENVIRONMENTAL concerns are best thought of as outside influences that can be positive or negative. First, one must know their ecological system and what parts might influence their outcome, positive or negative. Second, assignments for observation should be made to determine if an event is noteworthy. Third, data should be reviewed in a collaborative setting to determine the effects on goals and execution.
HUMAN, technical and environmental issues left unattended will generate lack of goal clarity, weaken commitment, reduce initiative and sap creativity. The solution is discipline to schedule more not less dialogue in a knowledge workplace.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
April 2008 Deep Insights
Succession planning is often thought through when crisis, chaos or an unexpected departure occurs. Organizations must be proactive to protect themselves, their customers, investors and personnel. An anticipatory succession strategy must exist within their culture for recruiting, developing and fostering loyalty.
Active recruiting of “like minded” people to begin their careers with your organization is critical to a successful succession strategy. Relationships formed with educational institutions, business organizations and through community activities are sources that require cultivation. Too often, these sources are left unattended or assigned to midlevel/senior management.
In fact, they should be assigned to the most recent recruits. Recruits speak the language of their source and are capable of telling other “like minded” people about their positive experiences within the organization.
Development of the personal and professional skills of new recruits allows an organization to promote from within. This succession strategy requires an environment for employees to grow while participating in the development of others and occurs best through mentoring. While mentoring is often thought of as a download exercise by those with experience, technology has broadened mentoring into an upload experience as well. New personnel bring skills only they know. Organizations must create development opportunities for those skills to be uploaded into the organization. Succession planning is mutually beneficial, benefiting the new recruit and the organization as the development process progresses.
If managed correctly, the recruiting and development process will create an anticipatory succession strategy within the culture of the organization. Recruits will recruit. The mentoring process will ensure that information and development occur by uploading and downloading. And, promotions from within will provide an organization with a ready supply of competent and loyal successors.
Active recruiting of “like minded” people to begin their careers with your organization is critical to a successful succession strategy. Relationships formed with educational institutions, business organizations and through community activities are sources that require cultivation. Too often, these sources are left unattended or assigned to midlevel/senior management.
In fact, they should be assigned to the most recent recruits. Recruits speak the language of their source and are capable of telling other “like minded” people about their positive experiences within the organization.
Development of the personal and professional skills of new recruits allows an organization to promote from within. This succession strategy requires an environment for employees to grow while participating in the development of others and occurs best through mentoring. While mentoring is often thought of as a download exercise by those with experience, technology has broadened mentoring into an upload experience as well. New personnel bring skills only they know. Organizations must create development opportunities for those skills to be uploaded into the organization. Succession planning is mutually beneficial, benefiting the new recruit and the organization as the development process progresses.
If managed correctly, the recruiting and development process will create an anticipatory succession strategy within the culture of the organization. Recruits will recruit. The mentoring process will ensure that information and development occur by uploading and downloading. And, promotions from within will provide an organization with a ready supply of competent and loyal successors.
Monday, March 31, 2008
March 2008 Deep Insights
Management lives at the edge of peril; one side is success and the other failure. Decisions are constantly made that will keep the organization from stumbling into a vacuum of nothing. Success and failure can be equally dangerous if resources are not allocated through awareness, inclusion, feedback, development and participation.
If people in the organization are unaware of how their behavior benefits or distracts the organizations performance; Management has failed. Management must embrace a culture of transparency leading processes that drive inclusion. Once included people gain an awareness of their objectives and the behavior that breeds success will begin to take shape. Clarity of objectives will drive initiative to a higher level increasing performance to reach the organizations goals.
Good leaders will set transparent objectives and ask people to develop action plans to achieve success. Mechanisms will be structured to deliver transparent feedback for everyone to see each others performance. Transparent feed back will inevitable lead to a determination of where and when additional resource are required. When resources are allocated good leaders become active participants available for consultation. They embrace the perilous situation as an opportunity to further develop themselves and the personnel they are coaching. Everyone has a stake in the outcome.
Peril provides Management with the opportunity to seek out answers from people throughout the organization responsible for execution. Peril is a catalyst for organizations to embrace results not effort to become dedicated to transparency, collaboration finding the right way not the one way.
If people in the organization are unaware of how their behavior benefits or distracts the organizations performance; Management has failed. Management must embrace a culture of transparency leading processes that drive inclusion. Once included people gain an awareness of their objectives and the behavior that breeds success will begin to take shape. Clarity of objectives will drive initiative to a higher level increasing performance to reach the organizations goals.
Good leaders will set transparent objectives and ask people to develop action plans to achieve success. Mechanisms will be structured to deliver transparent feedback for everyone to see each others performance. Transparent feed back will inevitable lead to a determination of where and when additional resource are required. When resources are allocated good leaders become active participants available for consultation. They embrace the perilous situation as an opportunity to further develop themselves and the personnel they are coaching. Everyone has a stake in the outcome.
Peril provides Management with the opportunity to seek out answers from people throughout the organization responsible for execution. Peril is a catalyst for organizations to embrace results not effort to become dedicated to transparency, collaboration finding the right way not the one way.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
February 2008 Deep Insights
Sensing a company’s position in its environment is an art often forgotten, as managing acute crisis overpowers the pause required to achieve future goals. When current crisis overpowers a company’s ability to pause, energy is exhausted each day with little or no thought of tomorrow. How can a company avoid such pitfalls?
First, pause at set intervals to determine the company’s current state. During this pause, determine the company’s preparedness to function, preparedness to embrace issues with skills that meet the need. Identify skills that are unavailable and the choices that are available to fill them. Will these GAPS be filled through development, can they be resolved by outside talent or can they be mastered through an environmental change to make them irrelevant. Continued revisions must be made for energy to be spent on results.
Second, each pause must embrace issues beyond today. A company must sense the environment and its influence on tomorrow. A pause for analysis will determine what best of all worlds the company will participate in, in the future. What learning is required to be prepared to function productively in the future, what new processes lead to preparedness and how flexible are they? A successful company must understand that today’s answers are only valuable if tomorrow will be like yesterday. History is important; to the extent it leads one to embrace development for the future but can be an albatross if providing a sense of security.
Uncertainty is universal and can not be a scapegoat for avoiding a pause to understand ones environment. Sensing today and tomorrow, making choices for a company’s preparedness will lead to energy allocation for success.
First, pause at set intervals to determine the company’s current state. During this pause, determine the company’s preparedness to function, preparedness to embrace issues with skills that meet the need. Identify skills that are unavailable and the choices that are available to fill them. Will these GAPS be filled through development, can they be resolved by outside talent or can they be mastered through an environmental change to make them irrelevant. Continued revisions must be made for energy to be spent on results.
Second, each pause must embrace issues beyond today. A company must sense the environment and its influence on tomorrow. A pause for analysis will determine what best of all worlds the company will participate in, in the future. What learning is required to be prepared to function productively in the future, what new processes lead to preparedness and how flexible are they? A successful company must understand that today’s answers are only valuable if tomorrow will be like yesterday. History is important; to the extent it leads one to embrace development for the future but can be an albatross if providing a sense of security.
Uncertainty is universal and can not be a scapegoat for avoiding a pause to understand ones environment. Sensing today and tomorrow, making choices for a company’s preparedness will lead to energy allocation for success.
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