Once in a while we come in contact with people who impact us in positive ways & they don’t even know it. In this case, it was a gentleman many of us saw regularly just “around”. Upbeat exchanges were his norm. He has since moved but recently my notes from a presentation he gave emerged from a pile of papers. With a few of my own synthesized thoughts sprinkled in, here they are. Probably nothing new here but I hope there’s a nugget of value for you!
One goal seems to elude even the most experienced leaders. How do we create the environment to maximize the collective talents of our people? In essence, how do we create a truly great team?
“So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work.” –Peter Drucker
Time isn’t just a magazine!
A little story about our time… When a critical strategic initiative at a major multi-national business stalled, company leaders targeted a talented emerging executive to take over the project. There was just one problem: she was already working 18-hour days, 5 days a week. When the leaders put this suggestion in front of the CEO he quickly remarked that by his calculation she still had “…30 more hours Monday to Friday plus 48 more on the weekends.” This is what happens when our companies are run by good ladder climbers instead of good leaders. They “manage” the heck out of their people, especially the ones that give the most.
The $1,000,000 Question
How can we do less with less amongst all the distractions & challenges and still be fantastically successful & effective at the “thing” we deliver for our customers?
Priorities first!
“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things!” -Peter Drucker We all know it’s a reality that we must have both to be truly effective. It’s when we get it backward that we get in trouble; managing people & leading stuff. Throughout history, there have been no successful teams “managed” into battle. Likewise, leadership is lost on the “stuff” where we work. Stuff has no feelings, people do! Here’s a short list using the rule of 3’s…
- Lead people! Become a “keynote listener”, deliver clear communication, practice good self-control/discipline, provide development opportunities & improve “life” balance.
- Manage resources! View your workforce as partners, fund instead of budget, provide the proper facilities/equipment & create efficient “time” processes.
- Do your “thing” better! Whatever it is, figure out what’s in the way of your people doing it as awesome as you know they can. Eliminate unnecessary processes & rules to help them “wow” each other so the customers are “wowed”!
But how?
We’ve all heard about the 80/20 principle from Vilfredo Pareto. He may not be a household name but his concept comes pretty close. He says we should spend 80% of our time on the vastly important 20% that yields 80% of positive outcomes. To decide what these are, simply ask 3 “why’s” in a row. Once you have your list, ask “what for?” to determine what stays & what goes. Just try it, you’ll be surprised how powerful this little exercise can be!
Stop Chasing “Crisis”
“What is important is seldom urgent & what is urgent is seldom important.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower
Manage activities that demand immediate attention out of necessity. Focus on activities & processes that are critical to long-term success. Avoid activities that are important yet divert focus from core processes. Limit activities that detract from effective & efficient “energy” management. Do it now, schedule it, re-direct it or don’t do it! Like most things, it’s easier said than done. Once we have priorities in line with our vision our “say” & “do” become aligned. Don’t manage the “joy” out of things, just be passionately curious about designing intuitively common sense practices into all facets of the “voodoo” that you do. Your people will love you for it & feel safe at work to push the boundaries of how good they can be together!
“Whatever comes out of these gates, we’ve got a better chance of survival if we work together.” – General Maximus Decimus Meridius
Instead of playing “Simon Says” take what Simon Sinek says to heart…together is better! When we marry passion with profession we can take the enterprise past what the “science” of management says might be possible. Your leadership can & will make all the difference!
All the best,
Karl
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PS Sincere thanks to Colonel Rob Dotson for the great example of professionalism & courage. His leadership & presentation(s) served as a catalyst for positive change in the face of many adversities.
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