archive: management

5 Secrets to Doubling Your Team’s Productivity

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

Productivity

Do you find yourself wondering why your team is only partially engaged, and why you have to follow-up on every little thing to ensure the work get done on time?  Shouldn’t they be doing back flips for you given that they still have a job in this economy?

There is really only one primary secret to getting your team 100% on board, engaged and producing double the output of an average team.  But let’s start with the 5 ways to get there.  At the end, I’ll give you the biggest secret to getting your team to produce at 150%.

  1. Practice Clarity – Making sure that everyone has a clear understanding of the vision and goals is paramount to increasing productivity.  When team members understand the vision and can clearly see their role and the value they bring, the stars will start to align.  People want to do a good job, but they are often un clear about what that entails.
  2. Trust Them – You have to be willing to trust your team first.  Even if you think they don’t deserve it.  Protect your downside by using agreements instead of expectations.  Most people will walk through walls to keep agreements when they have given their word, but have a hard time getting jazzed about meeting someone else’s expectations.  Remember, agreements are a two-way street, they are not dictated!
  3. Ask Their Advise – Presumably you have done a decent job hiring talented people.  Start asking for their advice on something you are grappling with.  If this is hard for you, then start practicing with something small.  This is one of the least used secrets that has the power to create one of the biggest impacts.
  4. Encourage Conflict – Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?  Constructive, passionate conflict is one of the surest signs of a healthy team.  The quickest way to a cohesive team is making sure everyone is comfortable being heard and explaining their point of view.  Even when the leader has to make a final decision, if the team feels they have been heard, they will get behind the decision as if it was their own.
  5. Team Accountability – encourage teammates to hold each other accountable for decisions and agreements.  Accountability is not a bad word; it is the sign of a highly productive team.  This will strengthen the connection between team members and will promote unconditional support.  Most people are easily motivated to perform at a high capacity; it simply takes a healthy and motivating culture.

As I mentioned at the beginning, all of this boils down to one main secret.  If you can remember this one secret when things aren’t going well, and make a change, you will begin to see progress.  Ask yourself if you are standing in front of a fireplace with a load of wood in your hands asking for the fire to show you some flame first, and then you’ll give it the wood.  Sounds silly when you think about it that way, but you would be amazed how often that scenario fits the situation.  If you can come at your problem from the other end and do your part first, often the solution will more easily come.  It may feel strange at first, because it is opposite from what we were all taught in school, but I promise it will work beautifully.

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The Courage of a New Perspective

Monday, August 31st, 2009

MOON_2

I found a article from Time Magazine, dated July 25, 1969 titled, ESSAY: ON COURAGE IN THE LUNAR AGE.  The opening paragraph says:

“ “COURAGE leads starward; fear toward death”, wrote Seneca.  Man needs courage simply to live in spite of knowing that he must die.  He needs it to live richly – to take risks and thereby define himself.  There are many kinds of courage, moral and physical, but all involve a struggle against heavy odds.”

The article goes on to link courage with collaboration in a way that exemplifies what the business community needs more than anything . . . the courage to create a new trajectory in our economic universe.

It is time to come together and show the world that we are more than the fraud that we see on the front page of the newspapers; we are more than the greed that somehow mesmerized our hearts; and we are still that same nation that took a President’s request to heart 5 short decades ago and found the courage to send 3 brave men to the moon.  I was only 1 at the time, but in the last several weeks I can feel the energy that was here 40 years ago.  Tears fill my eyes when I hear recordings of the astronauts, with their humbled excitement, share their journey with a young nation that has more strength and more perseverance than we sometimes realize.  Given the events of the past 2 years, I can think of no better time to have a celebration and a reminder of what united us 40 years ago.

Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who had the extraordinary courage to fight hate with love.  He would have been proud of Apollo 11 and certainly proud the day Barack Obama was elected President.  Let’s make him proud again and show him that we can come out of this economic disaster better than we went in.  Our values will be stronger, our convictions wiser, and our kindness more evident.  I was born on the day that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and that fact has created a special connection for me to his courage and this country, just as those born on July 20, 1969 when Apollo 11 landed, and those on September 11th, 2001 will carry a special connection.

Courage comes when we realize that our fears are typically not very helpful, and in fact, most of the time they are quite hurtful.  Perhaps they were a bit more useful for our prehistoric ancestors hunting on the open grassland, but not so much for a 21st century executive trying to connect with his employees. Generally, people find that they are more afraid of the prospect of something bad happening than they would be if it actually happened.  That’s because people are more resilient than they believe and will adapt when necessary.  Unquestioned fear prevents us from realizing our full potential by paralyzing our actions.  Courage is the ability to move beyond fear and into action.  Success is always born from action and never from inaction or reaction.

Tom Nicholas, a Harvard Professor, recently wrote an article for the McKinsey Quarterly titled INNOVATION LESSONS FROM THE 1930’s.  He reports that during the Great Depression, those firms that continued with research and development projects and made sizable investments in their businesses were several years ahead of the competition that decided to wait until the economy had a better outlook.  In 1930 DuPont recorded the discovery of neoprene.  They increased their development spending despite the fact that sales were decreasing.  Polaroid, Hewlett-Packard, and RCA are also examples of innovators during times of economic unrest.

The leaders of DuPont, Hewlett-Packard, and RCA all had the courage to look beyond the fear of the current economy and press forward with what they believed in.  It takes real leadership skills to go in the direction opposite of the herd.  And I’m afraid that we have largely become a community of herd followers.  There is far less courage and creativity in the workplace than we have the potential to produce.

The world needs more leaders that have the courage to tap into the wealth of creativity that is available within their organizations.  Employees are not being utilized to their potential.  Brilliant ideas remain hidden inside many organizations. We need to find the courage to look at business with a new perspective.

Do you have the courage to tap the hidden potential and brilliant ideas that lie within your firm?  Do you have the courage to execute that plan that you know in your gut will be a home run, but is just so far out in left field?  Do you have the courage to be the leader that you dream of being?  Do you have the courage to consistently push the boundaries and committing to a life of surprise and success?  I know you do.

When I am feeling a little low on courage, I often think of people like Nelson Mandela and Viktor Frankl, who epitomize what it means to be courageous in the face of unfathomable circumstances.  When the outside world and external forces are going well, it’s somehow easier for us to be courageous.  When the outside world is looking dismal, it may be more difficult, but the payoff will be far greater.

Hemmingway once defined courage as “grace under pressure”. I like that!

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Where Did the Trust Go?

Monday, August 24th, 2009

trust

I was the COO of an international corporate finance company when the mayhem in the financial world let loose in the fall of 2008.   It didn’t matter how long you had done business with a counterparty, or how much money they had made from you in the past.  This was war; relationships became meaningless, and trust was suddenly a word that no one could recall.  Corporations were insisting their employees go for the jugular and the bloodiest grab for what cash remained in the system ensued.  The only thing that matter was cash in the bank.  People thought they had long-term relationships and trusting partners, but they were mistaken.  I saw some of the saddest displays of human behavior that I have ever witnessed in my 20-year career.  I actually heard one CEO claim that they would rape and pillage their way to profitability.

Relationships are mere transactions, customers are markets, and employees a necessary evil.  Somewhere along the way many corporations have turned what could be collaborative environments of business and economic progress into a civilized war on the very groups that hold the keys to their success.  The sad part is, they don’t even realize it.  At the end of the day, it all boils down to trust.  And trust is not something that is heavily taught in business school.

In answer to the question, “Where did the trust go?”  I don’t think it went anywhere.  Big business, in the US anyway, never had it.  From the first moving assembly line at Ford in 1913, people were disgusted with jobs that required no skill and had zero autonomy.  People were basically asked to be robots for 9 hours a day and like it.  At one point Ford had to offer a 100% increase in pay plus reduce the workday to 8 hours just to reduce the 380% turnover to a manageable level.  Such working conditions spawned a massive increase in unions and other organizations designed to protect individuals from corporations and other establishments of power.1 People felt helpless as individuals.

Here we are, a century later, and big business sentiment really hasn’t changed all that much.  There is still very little trust rattling around in the system.  People, however, have changed dramatically.  We are much more individualistic and very much desire autonomy and a chance to add value in our jobs, to our lives, and even the world.  If big business doesn’t figure out how to change this dynamic soon, they are going to lose their best people to smaller organizations that are much more likely to provide an environment that suits their needs and desires.  Besides, the illusion of security working for a large firm has been shattered with the tens of thousands of recent layoffs.  Soon there will be choices in the job market.

The Financial Times recently reported (FAITH IN BUSINESS RETURNS) an annual survey by Edelman (communication consultancy) indicates that 52% of respondents said they trusted business, which was substantially up from 46% reported 6 months earlier in January 2009.  Personally, I find 52% alarming even if it is only 2 points below the 2008 result.  Another indication that we have become quite numb to the lack of trust that permeates business today.  The article went on to say the survey indicates a movement away from a shareholder society and toward a stakeholder society, putting shareholders behind customers and employees in a list of importance.  In conclusion, the article indicates that a Edelman spokesperson said the survey indicates that, “people ascribe a higher level of trust to those actions that appear to be against the norm and game-changing.”

Think of what companies can do if they create an environment of trust.  With trust come passion, creativity, loyalty, and innovation.  All are necessary ingredients to create a superstar company in today’s environment.  It’s all about the connection to customers, employees, and communities.

Most hard-core, command and control type managers assume that if you trust people to run their own schedules that productivity will immediately drop.  The opposite is actually true.  Best Buy, who employs ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) is a great example.  After evoking this new radical approach in their corporate office, where people can leave to catch a mid-day movie if they please, found that the productivity of teams actually went up.  They simply trust employees to run their own schedules and get the work done.  The two people who drove the idea from the inside have since written a book and provide consulting for other firms looking for a change.

When you are authentic, respectful and trusting, people will walk through walls for you.  Billions of dollars in lost productivity and half-hearted work products churn through companies every day because employees don’t feel emotionally connected and aren’t assuming full responsibility for the success or failure of their employers.

If we are moving toward business models that places greater value and focus on trust (and I certainly hope that we are), then it makes sense that committing resources toward gaining the trust of employees and customers is money/time well spent.  These are the seeds that will create the competitive advantage of the future.

What kind of messages do you think your employees portray to your customers (knowingly and unknowingly) if they feel that the company is not trusting or trustworthy?  And imagine what will be communicated when they know that they work for one of the most trusting and caring organizations in existence.

How to promote trust in your organization?

Authenticity is the number one thing a leader can portray to gain trust. Most people have generally good BS meters and know when someone is not authentic.  Most leaders want to be authentic they just aren’t confident enough to do it.  Put down the script and speak from your heart.  I promise it will work.

Trust people to do things their own way. Be laser focused on where your company is headed, and make sure every employee is on board, but be open and flexible about how you get there.  When employees are allowed to figure things out for themselves, they take ownership and responsibility, which translates to higher productivity.  You will be blown away by their creativity.  Tell them exactly what to do every step of the way and they will immediately disengage, wondering why they are there if they can’t add any value.

Treat people as if they are already knocking it out the park. You will be absolutely amazed when you try this.  For me, this was the best trick I ever playing on myself, and it really accelerated my leadership abilities.  It allowed me to see the greatness in everyone and help others find it in themselves and start using it.

The days of better, faster, cheaper are over.  The days of trust, collaboration, and connection are here to stay.  The world will be a much better place.  And a hell of a lot more fun . . .

1 THE SUPPORT ECONOMY, Shoshana Zuboff and James Maxmin, 2002, Penguin Books

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Collaboration Equals Success – Part 2 of 2

Friday, July 10th, 2009

What Promotes Collaboration Inside Organizations?

Without the proper culture and structure, collaboration and all of its benefits will elude even the most determined company.  Stakeholders, organizational structure, leadership style, culture, and mission must all be properly aligned in order to create a model that promotes collaboration and success.  Like creativity, collaboration cannot be forced; it must be cultivated.  It’s a process, and like all worthwhile endeavors, it takes time.

Two of the strongest promoters of collaboration are informality and trust.  Informal settings are much more relaxing.  When people are relaxed they are able to let their minds wander a bit, perhaps even over into someone else’s domain.  There you are able to discuss, ponder, create relationships, and perhaps solve a joint challenge or two.  On-the-fly decision-making takes far less time than chain-of-control decision-making.  Ad-hoc interaction takes far less time than scheduled encounters.  All of this leads to greater efficiency and increased productivity.  When employees are a part of the process and fully engaged they feel as though they are adding value, which translates into taking responsibility.

Trust is one of the biggest factors in promoting a collaborative culture. A trusting relationship is one where the other person’s thoughts and opinions are valued.  When you value the opinions of others and they value yours, then you can discuss anything without judgment and evaluation.  From that point, there isn’t any challenge that can’t be tackled. Trusting yourself is also a big component of collaboration.  Unless you trust your own creativity and ideas you aren’t likely to share them.

There are no magic bullets.  It is simply good old virtues like informality, trust, a united vision, common goals, and the use of agreements as opposed to expectations.  Expectations smack of controlling and invite an air of arrogance that is simply not necessary.  Most people will honor their agreements but few care much about someone else’s expectations that they can’t control.  These are simple concepts that bring powerful changes.

The WSJ recently published an article (REPLICATING CLEVELAND CLINIC’S SUCCESS POSES MAJOR CHALLENGES) that clearly states the overriding quality of cost effective super stars in healthcare like the Cleveland and Mayo Clinics is a culture of collaboration.  As opposed to the independent, ‘every doc for himself’ model that is operated in most hospitals in the US.  It is actually one of the few useful bits of information I’ve seen regarding what can be done to contain health care costs while maintaining the drive for new and innovative treatments.  The article also points out that Medicare aligns better with the ‘every doc for himself’ model than it does the integrated, collaborative approach to caring for patients.  What a brilliant opportunity for change.

People are finding ways to become more connected every day.  You can be a part of it, or watch it pass you and your business by.  The good news is, that if done authentically, creating a culture of collaboration inside your firm and with your customers will actually be a lot of fun and very rewarding.

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Collaboration Equals Success – Part 1 of 2

Friday, July 10th, 2009

As I sit here in late July 2009 writing about Collaboration, two very distinct examples are dominating the media.  One is an astounding feat of collaboration and courage that sucked an entire nation into its drive for success.  The other, an embarrassment to that same nation 40 years later as a group of intelligent and caring individuals who hold the honor of leading a nation seem to have lost their way.  Yes, I am speaking of Apollo 11 and Healthcare Reform, which through a random historical timeline, are sharing the spotlight.  Life wasn’t peachy in the 1960’s either, but at least there was one thing that could unite a young country with a bigger heart and a bigger drive for innovation than any other in history.

What is Collaboration?

According to Wikipedia Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together in an intersection of common goals by sharing knowledge, learning and building consensus. Collaboration does not require leadership and can sometimes bring better results through decentralization and egalitarianism. In particular, teams that work collaboratively can obtain greater resources, recognition and reward when facing competition for finite resources.

Collaboration is not about finding a group of people that think similarly so that it is easy to agree upon the next course of action or the right solution.  To the contrary, collaboration works best with a group of diverse thinkers that tend to come at a problem from slightly different angles and who commit to work without judgment and evaluation.

Why Is Collaboration Important?

We learned from Dr. C (Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi), recounted in my post on Creativity, that creativity requires a domain, or an area of interest in which people have knowledge to which creative thinking can be applied. Dr. C also concluded that the best ideas actually live at the overlapping intersection of adjacent domains (think “you got your chocolate in my peanut butter”, and “you got your peanut butter in my chocolate”). He explains that creativity tends to exist where different cultures, beliefs, and knowledge can mingle allowing individuals to put together new combinations of ideas and see different contexts and points of view.  Creativity in cultures that are more rigid and rule-based require far greater effort, and thus will yield a more disappointing result.  Thus, it only makes sense that through Collaboration we can turn up the intensity on any creative process being cultivated inside of any organization.

The bottom line is that your company can either be setup with a structure that promotes internal competition and silos or one that promotes collaboration as a means for growth and success.  The large mega banks are generally structured for internal competition.  Companies like Best Buy, Patagonia, Zappos, Cleveland Clinic, and Google are generally structured for collaboration.

“Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.” ~ F. D. Roosevelt

There are two primary elements that are fueling the demand for richer and more productive interactions within the workplace. First is the economic reality dictating an increase in productivity as the only path to business sustainability in what is now truly a global business forum.  Without question, collaboration increases productivity and efficiency within organizations, especially technology continues to allow us to work in virtual worlds.  Second, is the desire for more meaning in our lives and our work.  We feel much more satisfied as human beings if we are connected to something creative, challenging and bigger than ourselves.  Now, more than anytime in the past, success is predicated on a company’s ability to create a culture of collaboration.

Just look at what is happening with social media.  It is one giant collaboration fest.  Anyone can join in on any conversation at any time.  Companies are actually listening to their customers and collaborating with them on new ideas.  This should be a big signal to everyone that creating connections is a trend that is here to stay. You can either belly-up and figure out how to make it work for your company, or you can continue to try and pretend like it doesn’t exist.  Your choice.

Trends are beginning to emerge that support the emergence of business models that are completely opposite from those used for decades.  Practices such as open source technology and lead user innovation are gaining substantial ground and finding great success.  We are moving away from closed, IP-protected, manufacturing-centered innovation to open innovation often developed by users and free from legal claims.  A clear movement from hording and secrecy to collaboration and connection.

Posted in business, creativity, management, success | 1 Comment »

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