I came across this 1928 article (anonymous) called ‘10 Ways to Kill a Team’. I smiled as a I read it and thought you’d enjoy:
Don’t go to team meetings. Complain about the inconvenience of scheduling – place – time.
If you do go, go late and offer a creative excuse. Do create distractions when arriving.
If the weather doesn’t suit you, don’t even think of going. It’s not convenient anyway.
If you attend, find subtle fault with the work of the team leader and team members.
Never accept leadership as it is easier to criticise than to do things and take the heat.
Get sore if you are not appointed to special teams, but if you are, don’t participate.
If asked by the team leader for your opinion, don’t give it – complain after the meeting.
Do the minimum, when others jump in to help, complain that a clique runs the team.
Don’t pay your dues or coffee / birthday / anniversary fund collections, or pay very late.
Don’t recruit new members, “Let George do it”. Complain about quality and production.
Do you know anyone who does these things?!
If any of these resonate then I would strongly urge you to look at your team and how to engage them in your business. One great way to do this is to get your team members to take a Talent Dynamics profile test. You can take the test here.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
One in 20 bosses. That’s only 5%.According to this research cited in Management Today, for every company that has 20 bosses (your average 200-300 employee firm), only one of them is likely to be a good boss. For a public sector body with say 5000 employees, it may have 25 good bosses. Puts things into perspective wouldn’t you say?
How on earth does this happen in today’s world when it would be easy to think that businesses understand the value of developing their people? It’s not like there aren’t any books on the subject or even free information out there on the good ol’ web…
I’ve pulled together these critical danger points for you to look at for yourself and/or to work through with the leaders and managers in your organisation. They come from my personal experience and learning so I’m not saying this is all there is to it, please add your own insights too in the comments:
Critical Danger Points
Not understanding that different people need different approaches so they treat all people the same.
This can come from a genuine wish to do well by others, so many of us learned “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Treating people with kindness and compassion makes you a good person. Giving all your direct reports public praise and recognition may not make you a good manager though – some will love it and others may be mortified. The same applies to how much time you spend handholding and ‘helping’ your team. Some may really appreciate help, others will just feel micro-managed and that you don’t trust them.
Not ensuring people work to their strengths and talents.
The evidence is overwhelming on this point. When managers and their teams really get how to leverage their talents across the team (and between them and other teams in the organisation) not only does productivity and effectiveness go up, motivation and engagement usually increases too.
Underestimating the importance of good people management the higher up the ladder they go.
I’ve heard several HR people talk as though senior leaders don’t need to focus so much on their people management skills because their direct reports are also more senior and should know what they’re doing. Maybe so, however, there are some other factors to consider. Their direct reports are people too and they have the same emotional needs as any person does. Remember “All the world’s a stage” and people are watching how senior managers manage to get clues about what is really valued by the big bosses, no matter what leaders say. So maybe it’s more important the higher up they go as they get to influence a greater sphere of people. After all, people do as you do, not as you say..
They lack self-awareness
As cited in the Management Today article self-awareness is very important. Imagine a leader talking at a staff conference about people coming forward with ideas and interacting when they had shouted at people only a few minutes earlier? Leaders and mangers may believe that their past successes were all down to them and discount the contribution of others. Nothing rankles so much with people as when blame and credit are unfairly attributed. There may be times when us development and HR peeps have to bite the bullet and help leaders to understand the impact of their behaviour – get your CV ready and tread carefully though, not all leaders will want to hear it because…
They simply don’t care and purposely choose a domineering or bullying stance
because they believe that’s what gets results. It will definitely get results; the ones where people do a lot of politicking to stay on their right side. The kind of results where people won’t pass on valuable data for decision-making because it conflicts with what they know or think the leader wants to hear. This not caring often results in the best people leaving the business at the first opportunity because they’re not allowed to do their best work. The research cited in the article found that 47% of respondents felt threatened at work, instead of praised… The end result of all this is usually a downward spiral for the organisation.
They don’t manage change very well.
Any research on change will indicate that participation and communication are the two most important elements of successful change. Yet time and time again bosses don’t do either very well. All too often in my experience decisions are made without genuine interaction with others in the organisation. Often those making the decisions on changes don’t know what really goes on in the level of detail that team members do. Give people a chance to input BEFORE decisions are made. Not all change will be good for each individual in the business but for those that it is make sure to communicate that as well as why the change is so vital in the first place. Then communicate that again and again and again and again until people complain that they’ve heard this message several times now!
The business hasn’t got the right leader in the right place at the right time.
In the way that team members will get to perform at their best when they get to work to their strengths, the same applies to leaders and managers too. Yet more than this, each leader will have a time and place in the organisation that is most suited to their talents. When a leader is great at innovating and problem solving, don’t put them in charge of customer service because they are likely to innovate their way out of service issues. This is especially true when the business (or product) is at the point where it is building a solid customer base. In the same way, a leader who is great at managing risk is not going to excel if the organisation really needs to boost the performance of its staff. In addition, the economy goes through cycles (or seasons) too and this also influences who is best to lead at a particular point in time. You don’t want the person who was so good at tightening your belts to restrict growth when the economy turns from Winter to Spring.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
According to research cited in Management Today, only one in every 20 bosses (5%) is a good leader. So for every company that has 20 bosses (your average 200-300 employee firm), only one of them is likely to be a good boss. For a public sector body with say 5,000 employees, it may have 25 good bosses. Puts things into perspective wouldn’t you say?
How on earth does this happen in today’s world?. In John Maxwell’s experience most people stop growing when they reach their 20’s. Rarely do you find a person committed to a personal growth plan into their 30’s, 40’s or beyond. I know that when I worked in the corporate world bosses were so busy working that they rarely had time to develop themselves. And yet the irony is that great leaders never get to the point where their influence has maxed out. They always have unreached potential waiting to be fulfilled. In leadership, how far you go depends on how much you grow. Your growth as a leader is within your control; you can do something about it. You’ll grow the most when you know the most about how the process of personal development happens.
There are three basic laws of personal growth:
1) The Law of Intentionality: Growth Doesn’t Just Happen
Seldom do we lack access to information that can help us grow, but rarely do we apply the resources at our disposal. Put simply, knowing isn’t the same as growing. Whilst old age may happen automatically, growth doesn’t necessarily come with experience. This reminds me of the adage:
To Know and Not To Do is Not Yet To Know
In order to grow to our potential, we have to discard the mistaken beliefs that prevent us from moving forward. Two such beliefs are:
that failure is fatal
that we don’t have time right now to pursue a growth plan.
For starters, failing doesn’t mean that someone is a failure. Mistakes are an inescapable part of life, and failures often teach us lessons that we could never learn otherwise. Indeed, failures are steppingstones to success. With respect to time, the longer we intend to do something without taking action, the greater the odds that we will never do it. Time is the one resource we cannot recapture once it’s lost; there’s no way to make up for months and years of neglecting personal development.
2) The Law of Awareness: You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself
Personal growth isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy for self-improvement. For personal growth to be beneficial, and not a waste of energy, it must be suited to your unique strengths and particular temperament. Not everyone shares the same learning style: what works for one person may be completely inappropriate for another. In addition, personal growth requires you to identify your purpose in life. Unless you’re clear where you’re headed, you won’t know which ways to grow. On the other hand, once you have a definite vision in mind, you can begin to develop the specific set of skills needed to accomplish it. Knowing your Talent Dynamic profile provides great insight into the best way for you to grow, a way that matches your learning style and uses your gifts to their best ability.
3) The Law of Consistency: Motivation Gets You Going, Discipline Keeps You Growing
Anyone who has successfully lost weight through regular exercise can tell you that there were days when they didn’t feel like going to the gym. All of the excitement about getting in shape dissipates at 5:00 am when the alarm clock rudely reminds you to get out of bed for a morning workout. To develop the discipline to keep growing, we must constantly remind ourselves why personal development means so much to us. As Simon Sinek reminds us – we must have a great reason why because unless we have clarity on Why we are doing something we will never maintain the motivation and discipline to continue when times get tough (and they inevitably will).
To get where you want to go in life, personal growth cannot be overlooked, postponed, or taken for granted. Your development requires intentionality, focus and accountability. It also requires a plan. If you would like help developing your plan sign up for one of my complimentary Grab The Reins – Lead Your Life Discovery Sessions where we will uncover what is holding you back from reaching your full potential.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
“You are responsible for your life. And what is your life? What is all life?
What is every flower, every rock, every tree, every human being? Energy! Oprah
If trying to maintain balance in your life makes you sometimes feel like Terrifico, the Terrified Tightrope Walker in the Circus of Life, working without a net while the crowd below holds their breath in anticipation of a slip, you’re not alone. Over the last few months I have so been in this place. These days almost all of us have so many demands placed on our time and energy, life can feel like a three-ring circus. And if you’re not up there on the tightrope, you’re down on the ground in the midst of tigers and lions, in charge of keeping a couple of dozen plates spinning in air.
Maintaining balance isn’t easy. It requires holding steady with the many responsibilities that are a normal and everyday part of life: home, family, friends, horses and work, while at the same time recognizing and fulfilling personal needs and wants. Finding and maintaining balance when life can be so complicated and demanding is both an inside and outside job.
Inside—Only you can take care of yourself.
Consider how well you take care of yourself, both physically and emotionally. Do you eat healthfully and exercise regularly? Do you get check-ups and take preventative precautions? Do you set aside personal, quiet time for yourself? Do you make time to enjoy nature and art, filling yourself up again and again? I know I have been doing really badly on this front this year.
Outside—Reaching outside yourself gives meaning.
Think about how you reach outside yourself for sharing and giving meaning to your life. Do you spend quality time with family and friends? Do you give back to life through your time, energy and experience? Contributing to the larger world provides connection and purpose.
Balance—The key to a rich and fulfilling life.
To discover how well balanced your life is, keep a log of how you spend your time. In a little notebook you can carry with you, write down the hours you spend under the broad headings: “for me” and “for others.” Also make notes of requests for your time (from family members, from co-workers or professional obligations). Include “requests” from your physical and emotional self: “I wish I could take time to take a walk today.” Or “Gee, I’d love to take a nap.”
Also jot down your feelings about the time you’re putting in. Do you resent the responsibilities at home? Do you feel like you never get to do what you want to do? Do you rearrange your time, taking away from what you’d planned to do for yourself in order to do something for others? How does that feel? Honestly?
After a week or two, you can expect to have some pretty clear messages on where there is balance in your life and where there is not. You might also come to see what’s important to you and how you can make changes in your life that will create a life of health, well-being and joy—a balanced life.
If after doing this exercise you realise that you need to put some balance in your life why not sign up for one of the limited number of complimentary strategy sessions I offer every month to help you get clarity in your life and business. You can sign up here.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
‘Before you are a leader success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.’ Jack Welch
A recent survey conducted by Emergentics International revealed that Leadership development is the number one priority of HR and organizational development leaders, with 25% of respondents putting it at the top of their priority list. With organizations needing to meet ever-higher financial goals and growth targets, the emphasis on people development provides a window into the way companies are seeing their ability to rise to the top.
The emphasis on talent development and management over competencies like innovation and tactical elements like metrics points to a realization that positive advancements in organizations must start with people. The second highest response for organizational priority was employee engagement, at 22%.
So what is leadership? The Oxford Paperback Dictionary defines a leader as ‘one whose example is followed’. Leadership is that elusive quality that companies are looking for and yet, in my opinion, is so often lacking in organisations. Given the multitude of companies offering leadership training and the circa £3billion spent on external training annually in the UK, how come our companies are not some of the best performing in the world? To my mind, leadership and management are too often confused. We expect managers to lead and yet leadership and management involve completely different skill sets. Indeed, the Peter Principal invariably plays out in organisations. The Peter Principal states that ‘people are promoted to the level of their incompetency’. This is why all too often people get promoted only to fail in their managerial role because what they really need are leadership skills.
Complete leadership starts with the vision and builds relationships with the people that share the vision and who will take on the task of achieving the vision. This differs from management which uses structures, rules and processes in order to control and predict results in a more stable situation. Frank S. Greene notes that ‘the success of management is seen in the industrial empires where people can be used interchangeably and as replaceable parts.’
In order for any business to be successful it needs strong leaders and particularly so in this age of globalisation because whilst an individual might be able to mask their lack of leadership skills in a small organisation, in my experience once they have to manage across multiple locations they will be found out. Great leadership involves developing a blend of vision, relationships and execution and as an organisation expands, the need for the leader to communicate that shared vision to a diverse set of people becomes paramount because unless the vision is shared, the organisation will never meet its goals. It will become like a ship bobbing up and down on the ocean with no clear direction of where it is heading and wonder why the business fails to move forwards.
So how can Horse Assisted Coaching help people develop leadership skills? The answer lies in the fact that horses are always looking for a leader. As a prey animal, the horse always has to be aware of imminent danger or else he could end up as someone else’s lunch. This means that a horse always has to be alert to any danger in his surroundings and also be in a position to run away should that danger present itself. To ensure that the horse can survive being a prey animal it has evolved so that its natural behaviour and physiology can keep it as protected as possible. This is why horses have eyes on the side of their head, as it gives them nearly 360 degree vision to see any approaching danger. They are also acutely aware of any changes in their environment, as this could herald the onset of approaching danger. The sense of community and camaraderie they gain from living in herds also helps keep horses safe. I’m sure you’ve heard of the idiom ‘Safety in numbers’ – well, this is the premise that horses work from. The more of them that are together, the more eyes they have looking out for danger and so the safer they feel.
It is because of this desire to stay safe that a horse is always looking for a leader. Can you imagine living by yourself, never being able to rest and relax for fear of being attacked and eaten? This is a tiring place to be and the reason why a horse is willing to let us take up the leadership role with them. However, and this is a really big thing, we must prove to be a leader who can be trusted and who knows what they are doing. If we have no clarity or certainty and don’t evoke a sense of trust from the horse then he will not let us lead him and he will take over the leadership position. You see, unlike people who might be quite polite when their boss is not being a clear, decisive leader, a horse has no option but to act, his life depends on it, whereas in a business we continue to tolerate poor leadership until such time that the leader is removed from that position – ironically often promoted to another position.
Different from humans, horses don’t follow blindly, yet they are looking to be led. They cannot be coerced or influenced, they choose to follow. Horses have survived for thousands of years due to their ability to get along with, and depend upon, one another. They test each other to establish their position within the herd, deferring only to other horses they feel will keep them safe. In a world in which money, control and status are non-existent, horse leaders respond immediately to the thoughts, feelings and sometimes hidden agendas of those around them, and communicate with authority, purpose, authenticity and confidence – all without ‘saying’ a single word. Like some employees, horses can either be willing participants or resentful ‘herd members’, making them ideal partners for teaching self-leadership and teamwork.
Want to learn more about how horses can help you make systemic leadership changes in your organisation, then check out AHA! Programmes at www.unbridledsuccess.co.uk
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
As we move into autumn I am reminded that Mother Nature certainly likes her routine. Global warming aside, she cycles through the same processes, in the same order, doing things the same way they always have worked. Within that cycle, of course, variations exist—a dry winter or a mild fall—but we always can rely on the rhythm. One season follows the other. It’s a comfortable predictability in a world that often seems to be wildly unpredictable.
Luckily, it is possible to tap into that natural cycle, to bring into our professional lives a greater sense of flow and order.
As you read the suggestions below, keep in mind that we all have our own rhythms as well. What works for one person or business might not work for another. Take the ideas as ways to get you thinking. If a particular suggestion won’t work for you, is there another seasonally inspired activity that might?
Winter
Winter brings frigid air, frosted glass and, in some areas, a white blanket of snow. Many plants and some animals slip into hibernation and get ready for their springtime rebirth. Wintertime sports and holidays distract us from the sometimes uncomfortable temperatures and drastic blasts of weather.
Here are a few business activities that align with winter:
While you’re hunkered down indoors, take some time to analyze your year-end numbers—what do they tell you about the choices you made this year? What could you have done better? What did you do well?
You won’t be hibernating forever, so set your goals for the following year—what would you like your numbers to look like next winter, and how will you make that happen?
Consider what is “hibernating” in your work or personal life. Is it almost time for a dormant phase to end?
Spring
In spring, everything is glistening, green and new. There is a feeling of expansion, birth or rebirth. There’s a sense of renewal and reawakening. Seeds start to grow. In springtime, people start to get outside more, becoming reacquainted with their gardens. We take on spring-cleaning projects and clear out clutter.
A few business activities that align with spring:
Plant your own seeds by designing one or two new products or services for your business. Give yourself lots of time for brainstorming and collaboration before honing your ideas.
When you’re ready, create a detailed launch plan with action steps and a timeline.
Ask yourself what other seeds you would like to sow—and what others already are starting to sprout.
Summer
In summer, the landscape is lush and colorful with fruits and flowers. The air is warm and growth is everywhere. Summertime lends opportunities for family adventures and exploring. Long days lend a feeling of abundance.
A few business activities for summer:
Use the longer days to tweak your systems and work out any bumps or bugs in your implementation process.
If the timing is right for your business, launch your new services or products.
Complete other projects so that you can reap their rewards. Put finishing touches on work you’ve been doing.
Think about what you’re about to harvest. Are you ready for it? What else can you do to support your own abundance?
Fall
The fall offers us golden rich colors and crisp, cool air. There’s a feeling of transition and that “back to school” energy we never outgrow. A new school year keeps whole families busy. The harvest of fruit and vegetables is in full swing.
A few business activities for fall:
Harvest the bounty of your good work, by fulfilling orders for your new products and services and collecting feedback from your customers and clients.
Prepare for the winter and the end of the year by compiling your records.
Consider your own harvest. Are you satisfied with its size and quality? What might you do to improve it for next year?
By tailoring some of what you do to the natural rhythms that allow, sustain and renew all life on earth, you might just find that your business is likewise supported, as it grows and prospers.
To find out how Talent Dynamics can help you identify the best activities and best team members to work in each season just contact us.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
Businesses are always looking for ways to make their management and staff more productive and their companies more profitable. Many companies have turned to training and development only to be disappointed. Others have created rigorous strategic plans that don’t come close to delivering the needed outcomes. According to authors Michael C. Mankins and Richard Steele in their August 2005 Harvard Business Review article titled “Turning Strategy into Great Performance”, the average team achieves only 63% of the objectives of their strategic plans.
Why is there a gap? What gets in the way?
The key issues are how well the team communicates, aligns around top initiatives, creates short term and long-term plans, and holds themselves accountable to deliver the results.
The amazing thing is that you know this and yet like most others may lack the know-how or discipline to make sure these issues are addressed each and every day. Like others you may refer to these skills as the “soft issues” because you don’t see how they are measurable or quantifiable and therefore don’t believe they are as important to performance as more typical indicators of success. Yet their research shows clearly that these skills and disciplines are the biggest levers that enable high performance teams close the performance gap.
Michael C. Mankins and Richard Steele summarize the results of their findings by listing the five top issues contributing to
this performance gap:
Companies rarely track performance against the top annual priorities
Multi-year results rarely meet projections.
A lot is lost in translation due to poor communication and follow-through
Performance bottlenecks are invisible to top management
The strategy-to-performance gap fosters a culture of under-performance
What exactly do these mean and what can you do to close the gap in your business?
How to Build a High Performance Team
Start by accepting that your people are your business. More than your strategy, your marketing plan, your IT system or an entire finance department full of spreadsheets, management information and predictions, people are the key to your success. To transform your business, transform your people.
Getting your people to work together in a powerful way, taking personal responsibility for their own performance, as well as that of the overall business, will generate measurable improvement every time. The secret lies in making sure that everyone in your business – including you – has the right attitude and is taking the right actions to produce results, time after time.
Here are the key disciplines to make this happen in your business.
1) Include everyone in an annual planning session
While you may know best what’s needed in your business or team, don’t make the plan on your own or with just a few key people. It may be necessary to think about the key strategic objectives, but as soon as possible include everyone in your top team in the creation of the real plan that’s going to drive the business for the next year.
Including people makes all the difference to their performance. They have a chance to let you know how things look from their perspective, giving them the experience of being valued and giving you the benefit of their experience and insight. We’ve learned time and again the truth of the adage that people will not destroy that which they have helped to create.
Allow a full day for this session. Let everyone know that you value their input and want them to be part of planning the next year. While you may be right that you know best, there is little evidence that plans made in isolation lead to high level performance.
Case Study
Although great at design and customer service, a high-end software company was unable to get prospects in the pipeline for their $50,000 product. Company morale was low and the owner was on the verge of giving up. He was tired of dealing with the sales problems and discouraged about his feelings of incompetence in creating a system that would work for his company.
He agreed to bring his entire team together to review the situation and create a plan they felt they could achieve. By the end of the day everyone was aligned on a breakthrough. Within months sales numbers were more than double from a year before. This company that was lucky to be making one and sometimes two sales every couple of months, was soon achieving as many as two and three sales each month! This company that was lucky to be making one and sometimes two sales every couple of months, was soon achieving as many as two and three sales each month!
2) Review what happened in the past and learn from it
Start with a thorough review of the past year – what did we achieve together and where did we fail? Give all people on the team time to make their own list before gathering responses.
Make sure that you first focus on achievements – just the good news. One of the factors that makes working together so difficult is our habit of focusing on issues and problems to the exclusion of achievements and successes. In such an environment people feel undervalued and unmotivated and a feeling of Why bother? shapes the culture.
Next take time to review failures, asking the team to make a full list of disappointments. Let them know that this exercise has nothing to do with pointing fingers and everything to do with creating a realistic picture of the current status of the team and the business.
Finally ask each team member to consider what can be learned from what happened. Discuss the potential lessons and align on the top three guidelines that would make the most difference to your success. Keep these alive throughout the year by regular review and public display with news of the difference the lessons are making to performance.
Case Study
An executive search partnership, a subsidiary of one of the largest search companies in theworld, was a strong company of 25 young people with a great track record. Then things took a turn for the worst. They were having their worst year ever and the phone had stopped ringing.
When they took time to review their situation, they realized they were nearly frozen into inaction with some team members engaged in arguments and sarcasm to mask their true thoughts and feelings.
Once they took the time to take stock, talk openly and identify key lessons, the culture gradually shifted to a more positive framework. By the end of the year their most cynical member announced that they ‘had achieved miracles’. They not only matched their best performance ever, but exceeded it. Above all the team dynamic became positive, cooperative and focused on delivering results.
3) Examine limiting attitudes and assumptions and shift them
You may have noticed that sometimes it seems as if you’re doing everything right and yet you still don’t have the results to show for it. Too often the source of this frustration is found in the underlying attitudes that shape the culture of your business. For example, imagine your chances of success if the key people in your business have beliefs such as: “We used to be great, but now it’s impossible to keep up with the competition!?”. “It’s OK not to deliver as long as there’s a reasonable explanation.”
Your most rewarding task is to discover the beliefs and assumptions that limit you. One approach is to ask your team to describe the culture they’d like to have in the business and then the one that exists now. In most instances there is not a match. To uncover limiting attitudes and paradigms, discuss the underlying beliefs that might be shaping the current culture. How do we explain our failure to have the culture we want? The most rewarding task is to discover the beliefs and assumptions that limit you. One approach is to ask your team to describe the culture they’d like to have in the business and then the one that exists now. In most instances there is not a match. To uncover limiting attitudes and paradigms, discuss the underlying beliefs that might be shaping the current culture. How do
we explain our failure to have the culture we want?
The next step is to write a statement that describes the new attitude or paradigm that generates the culture you want to generate together, for example, We keep our promises with one another – no matter what!
Case Study
A sales team responsible for marketing and selling a top global beer in a South American country had 90% of their market share. Although it was obvious to the home office that the only possibility was decline in this emerging country, the culture in the team ranged from ‘we’re invincible’ to ‘no problem, man!’ The new General Manager saw the threat from new competition as well as the lack of discipline throughout the business.
But the biggest job was to tackle the limiting cultural beliefs that drove the entire business. Although difficult to imagine that We are invincible could be a limiting paradigm in any sales team, that’s what it was. Once they realized how inadequate their approach had been, they became a team committed to doing the impossible. By the end of the year, they had surpassed their key target and achieved their highest result for 14 years. The team was working together in an enthusiastic way they could not have imagined 12 months before. They were winning!
4) Align on the top ten priorities at every level of the business
Ask all managers on the team to identify the one or two top priorities for their area/s of responsibility. Have each manager present the goals to entire team and explain the choices. Once all the goals have been presented, together select the top ten goals for the year.
Although all goals will be pursued, your team will benefit from a focus on the ten that most ensure overall success.
Accountability is key to your success so make sure that each goal has one team member who has the overall responsibility for its achievement. Make sure each manages sets and achieves monthly goals to progress their annual goal/s – in other words, make sure everyone knows who’s on the hook for what!
If the members of your team have their own teams, make sure that they each schedule a planning day for their teams to replicate the process. The first step in each of these days is a presentation of the overall business plan as created by the top team, followed by a day of review and planning in which each team develops their own plan in alignment with the top team plan but focusing on the key issues and goals they must achieve to contribute to the overall plan.
Case Study
A major bank was threatening to outsource most of the services of its IT division of 3,000 people. Recent performance had fallen to 64% of their annual objectives and managers and staff knew that severe downsizing was coming. Although the new General Manager was taking the situation seriously, most of the key people were blaming the parent company for their lack of “understanding and appreciation”.
He gathered the managers at the top of each part of his business and clearly communicated the challenges in their first planning meeting. After an exhaustive review, the team began the process of taking responsibility for the situation. They examined all possibilities and aligned on the ten results that they knew had the best chance of reversing the decision of the bank. Each of the top team then made sure his or her team replicated the review, learning and planning process and key priorities were agreed throughout the division.
By the end of the year performance had risen from 64% to over 100% delivery of each key target. Although some downsizing was necessary, it was a small challenge compared to the pride of working in the performance culture they had created.
5) Establish monthly review sessions to monitor progress and learn from what happens
Review all team plans to ensure that they are aligned in pursuit of your plan for the year. If these plans are achieved, will our strategy for the year achieve the outcomes we hope?
The most important discipline is to ensure – no matter what – that each team has a monthly review session to assess progress against their annual plan. At the top of the agenda is a review of the monthly goals set on the way to the achievement of each annual goal. For
example, an annual goal might be Achieve an overall Customer Satisfaction rating of 80% or more with a goal in the second month of Establish a Customer Satisfaction benchmark based on our latest survey and identify areas where improvement is needed. This public review forms a basis for team discipline about delivering key goals, above all.
To ensure that you and your team know what’s happening in the business in time to make course corrections, include a review of performance on monthly plans for every second-level team.
Although progress on your top ten priorities is your first priority, include a review of your guidelines and the difference they are making at each month’s meeting. In addition, talk about your new paradigm or mindset and the evidence that you’re on track to bringing this new reality alive.
Case Study
When the new General Managed arrived at his factory, he found an explosive situation. He had been told that if the factory didn’t turn around in one year, it would be closed. The decision of the parent company was understandable as the business was losing $1 million per month and had a worker absentee rate of 25%.
When he first tried to get the managers and factory workers to align on a plan, there was revolt – the workers stopped the engines and shut down the factory! The lack of trust was palpable. However, the top team stayed with their plan and communicated their commitment to theentire workforce. The personal results of the top team were posted on the factory walls, month after month, and gradually the tension eased.
Within two months the absentee rate had dropped to 5% and within three months it fell to 3% where it stayed. The workers could see that management meant business, trust was restored and the turnaround was achieved. Not only did the business break even, but they achieved the General Manager’s personal target of $1 million in annual profit.
Conclusion
These five strategies are designed to resolve the five issues identified in the Harvard Business Review article:
Top priorities are identified and tracked on a regular basis
Achieving these priorities, year after year, contributes measurably to multi-year growth,
Communication and follow through is guaranteed,
Top management has a simple system for tracking performance and making course corrections, and
Individual and team focus on the delivery of the vital few automatically generates a performance culture.
If your business is suffering from one or more of the issues identified in this article then please call us as there are solutions to these problems.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
Today more people have access to more information about you and your organization trough internet, e-mail and social media. With the new information flow we are increasingly moving into a world where prosumers, or influential, proactive, marketing savvy, engaged consumer and “tribes” have much more influence on your business.
In the old world, business communication was somewhat linear between clients and company. Today we have to live with the daily ongoing open communication between the company, clients, employees and prosumers. The power of multipliers on the market has increased, and today it is not sufficient to be merely a supplier of great products and services without having an underlying fantastic purpose, that engages every part of your organization. In the world of radical transparency, the scope for a gap between image and reality has disappeared.
Speed
What is new is that social media has dramatically changed the scale, velocity and the impact on the communication. Consumers could always say things to other consumers and employees could always be positive or negative to the companies they worked for. Independent of the nature of the information, negative or positive, today you or your organization have to act with speed in order to create value out of the situation. A transparent organization, communicating with openness and authenticity have less problem doing this and are continuously creating added value for the business and the customer.
Ways in which you achieve and experience Authentic Success:-
Your full power and potential lies in you being uniquely you, rather than forcing yourself to be someone you’re not. When you are being authentic and living your life on purpose then you are contributing in the way you are meant to. No-one else can touch this and you’ll be amazed at the results you can achieve.
A fundamental key to success is to be able to express your true identity and strengths as an individual, a team and an organisation.
An authentic, successful organization has:
transparency
adeptness
authentic leadership
effective communication in meetings and contacts with customers, employees and stakeholders
creativity
confidence
power and strength
provides calm and stable in a changing world
A great way to get your team members and organisation into an authentic, successful state is to ensure that everyone is working in flow, together for the greatness of the company. The first step to take on this pathway is to understand the Talent Dynamics profile of you and your team. You can start here right now because success in any area of life is an inside out game.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
Have you ever wondered why some people achieve 10x the results of others in their business, with what looks like less effort and more ease? It’s a little like the surfer paradox: You can’t surf fast unless you’re on the big wave, but you can’t get on the big wave unless you can surf fast…
How do we get over these quantum leaps in expertise to make it look easy at the next level? Because we learn how to find and then surf the wave of success. When I was a child, I heard the phrase ‘Putting your toe in the water’ – Test the temperature before you jump in. Every good entrepreneur knows how to put their toe in the water with a new market or a new product – how to prove the concept, product and pricing with a small sample before rolling it out and investing in growth.
Today, the waves are much bigger and much faster. Relying on your ‘toe in’ takes on a new meaning with big waves. ‘Tow in’ surfing was invented in the 1990s to allow surfers to pick up enough speed to get onto giant waves – riding behind a jet ski or even a helicopter. It isn’t really the same as just dipping a toe in gently. It’s more about hitching a small ride before the big ride. It’s what all the best entrepreneurs are doing today.
Matthew Inman wouldn’t call himself an entrepreneur. He’s a cartoonist, he created ‘The Oatmeal’ website 3 years ago and wrote his first book a year ago (5 Very Good Reasons To Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth). The popularity of Inman’s cartoons has led to him making about $500,000 in 2012 on his website from advertising and merchandising.
Then, two months ago, Matthew tried a toe in…
Matthew was served with a defamation notice from Funny Junk, for writing blogs criticising the website, where his cartoons were getting posted by users. Funny Junk’s lawyers demanded $20,000 in damages from Matthew. So what did he do? Having heard about crowdfunding but never having tried it himself, he decided to try and raise $20,000 from fans – not to pay Funny Junk, but so that he could take a photo of the money, send it to the lawyer with a cartoon of his mother making love to a bear, and give all the money to charity. He named it Operation BearLove Good, Cancer Bad, and set up the fundraising on Indiegogo. Within the month, instead of raising the $20,000, he raised $211,000 for the charities, and Funny Junk dropped the suit.
But that was just the toe in. Having suddenly realised the power of crowdfunding, this month Matthew was back on Indiegogo again. This time, to try and raise $850,000 to buy scientist Nikola Tesla’s original laboratory and turn it into a museum. Just two weeks after launching ‘Operation Let’s Build a Goddamn Tesla Museum’ he has already raised over $1.2 million, and there’s still another 30 days to go… Now Matthew is on the wave.
If Matthew hadn’t tried the $20,000 idea, he wouldn’t have tried the $1 million idea. He put a toe in, and now he’s jumped in. What can you test right now? Crowdfunding? Micropayments? A mobile site? Rapid prototyping? A new market in a new country? A partnership with a hyper-growth company?
We all know that the days of just having the better product – or the prettier surf board – are over. Success is dictated by not just the surf board, but how you surf it and the wave you choose. Don’t wait to build the perfect board for the perfect wave. Put your toe in today, test the water, take a ride. Do it. Now. Use the toe to build both your confidence and competence. If it’s not the right wave, try again. When it is, let go of the rope and fly.
What will you do today to find your next wave so that you too can surf the wave of success?
Julia Felton (aka The Business Wrangler) is the founder of Business HorsePower. Business leaders, entrepreneurs and executives hire her to accelerate their business performance by harnessing the energy of their people to work more collaboratively together. By aligning purpose with actions the team achieves exponential results as everyone starts pulling in the same direction.
Julia believes that business is a force for good and through designing purpose-driven businesses that leverage the laws of nature, and the herd, you can create businesses founded on the principles of connection, collaboration and community that make a significant impact in the world.
