I try to keep up with reading my copy of "The Daily Drucker" which is a compilation of Peter Drucker's work arranged by topic with an idea provided for each day of the year. I share here a particularly insightful essay based on Drucker's work "The Effective Executive."
Five points:
1. Know where your time goes.
2. Focus on outward contributions.
3. Build on strengths.
4. Concentrate on superior performance.
5. Make effective decisions.
From "The Daily Drucker"
Five practices have to be acquired to be effective. Effective executives know where their time goes. They work systematically at managing the little of their time that can be brought under their control. Effective executives focus on outward contributions. Effective executives build on strengths--theirs and others. They do not build on weaknesses. Effective executives concentrate on superior performance where superior performance will produce outstanding results. They force themselves to stay within priorities. Effective executives make effective decisions. They know that this is a system--the right steps in the right sequence. They know that to make decisions fast is to make the wrong decisions. Whenever I have found a person who--no matter how great in intelligence, industry, imagination, or knowledge--fails to observe these practices, I have also found an executive deficient in effectiveness. Peter F. Drucker
Hard to argue...
Showing posts with label effective. Show all posts
Showing posts with label effective. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
What If The Coach Didn't Show Up?
It's game day. The football teams have arrived and have finished warming up. The fans have filled the stadium. The players are ready. They've practiced all of their careers for this game. There's a coin toss, the teams take the field, and it's "game on." The Blue Team against the Red Team.
But the Blue Team's coach hasn't shown up. The game begins.
In the first plays of the game, the Blue Team is flawless. Everyone knows their role and is doing their job. All of their training and practice has prepared them for this day. They are veterans and have run these plays a thousand times before.
But an overload of maneuvers and opposing efforts from the Red Team begin to distract the coach-less players. They begin focusing on one thing--and their opponents do another. They let down their guard and are overcome by moves they didn't see. In the huddle, everyone expresses their own idea on how to make the next play. Without a coach's view, perspective, and coaching from the sidelines, the players are constrained by their own individual agendas and blinded to the distractions which are thwarting their efforts. They are not playing their best game. They are not playing as a team. They are not being led.
If he'd have been there, the coach wouldn't have played the game. He'd have helped them play better.
One of the leader's main jobs is to help others get their work done, to grow, and become better. The leader doesn't do the work. In an orchestra, the conductor does not play an instrument. In football, the coach does not kick the field goals.
Good leaders LEAD, DIRECT, and TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY for the results. They don't assume their star players will perform music or win the game on their own, without intense coordination, guidance, and direction.
Be there for your team.
But the Blue Team's coach hasn't shown up. The game begins.
In the first plays of the game, the Blue Team is flawless. Everyone knows their role and is doing their job. All of their training and practice has prepared them for this day. They are veterans and have run these plays a thousand times before.
But an overload of maneuvers and opposing efforts from the Red Team begin to distract the coach-less players. They begin focusing on one thing--and their opponents do another. They let down their guard and are overcome by moves they didn't see. In the huddle, everyone expresses their own idea on how to make the next play. Without a coach's view, perspective, and coaching from the sidelines, the players are constrained by their own individual agendas and blinded to the distractions which are thwarting their efforts. They are not playing their best game. They are not playing as a team. They are not being led.
If he'd have been there, the coach wouldn't have played the game. He'd have helped them play better.
One of the leader's main jobs is to help others get their work done, to grow, and become better. The leader doesn't do the work. In an orchestra, the conductor does not play an instrument. In football, the coach does not kick the field goals.
Good leaders LEAD, DIRECT, and TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY for the results. They don't assume their star players will perform music or win the game on their own, without intense coordination, guidance, and direction.
Be there for your team.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
What Gets Measured Gets Attention....
....and what gets attention gets results. There's truth in this concept that "what gets measured gets attention--and what gets attention gets results."
It is difficult to deny that the goal of every organization must include “results.” To go through the actions of business, transactions, product development, program initiatives, and tactical execution WITHOUT the attainment of results is in itself disappointing, but is totally unacceptable if the “results” were never the focus, not measured, not spoken about, unclear, and were not at the heart of the leader and his or her team’s focus and conversations.
How do you do this? One way to start is to ask yourself “how visual is my workplace?” If for instance, safety, on-time shipments, customer satisfaction, or profit margins are important--how do you keep track of those? Better yet--how does your team and how do your employees keep track of those?
A visual workplace is one where the company metrics aren't a secret, where they're not shared only among the management team.
A visual workplace is one where the "vital signs" are posted, they are shared, and they are used in daily decision-making. A visual workplace uses "dashboards" or charts or bulletin boards to post the progress against the stated goals and objectives.
And while you're considering sharing vital information--why not post your entire strategic plan? Whether you post it for all employees or in your office for you and your team to review frequently--Verne Harnish has created some outstanding tools for business planning. Review and download his templates and planning forms at http://www.gazelles.com/.
One of the Gazelle's primary principles is to create measurements and themes and post them for all to see--and to track the progress throughout the year.
Three keys to creating a visual workspace are:
1. Select a small number of metrics to measure that reveal the progress of the company and departments towards the top objectives.
2. Use dashboards and easy-to-read graphs or charts to convey the "green light/red light" status toward the goals.
3. Keep them updated.
And finally, engage your team and employees in conversations regularly around the progress you're making. Bring attention to the measurements--and you'll bring attention to the results.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Execute...or be Ex-e-cu-ted
There is no doubt that one of the top five lessons I have learned in business is that of execution. And in fact at times it might be number one.
Having worked for a company in the first half of this decade that was fairly good at execution—I have learned how to spot execution when it exists, and more importantly—when it doesn’t. The CEO of our parent company felt execution was so paramount to successful business that he developed The Execution Award for managers who demonstrated effective focus, clarity of management, and clear speed in getting things done. Unfortunately, he would tell you that he could count on one hand the number of times he gave the award away across the various business that were part of the organization. My company was able to secure the award once. And we thought we were good at it.
Yes, execution is elusive.
When it exists, people explain things simply to one another, they reach clear agreements, and they hold one another accountable for results. You can observe it in those who are successful in gaining clear commitments from others, those who write down steps and dates and ensure everyone knows what they are, and then follows up to see to it what was promised truly gets done.
You can also see when execution is lacking—such as in these examples:
A president asks his team at a meeting when something will be completed, and the answer from one of the vice-presidents is “a couple of weeks.” The president then says, “Good—as long as it’s not going to be six weeks.” No one writes anything down and the conversation moves on.
(The problem here is that the president accepted a vague answer, did not write down a precise commitment date, and let the conversation move on without coming to a clear agreement on who, what, and when)
Or two, a manager sends an email to three recipients and addresses remarks to no one in particular—saying she needs some certain result by sometime next week.
(Here again, the lack of specifics cause each of the three recipients to think “Hmmm, certainly one of the other two will respond to this—since it wasn’t directed at me personally” and so it goes. Each of three recipients all go on thinking ‘someone else’ will handle it—and almost certainly no one will)
Or three, the supervisor of a work group needs to know that a brand new process has been used in 100% of the week’s production schedule to meet a quality guarantee. The ideal question would be something like “Was this new process used from the start of Shift ‘A’ this week—and continuously in every shift since right up through today?” Instead, the supervisor who isn’t practicing a solid discipline of execution attempts to ask the question—but expresses it instead as a statement: “And, the new process has been used from the start of Shift ‘A’ this week? His trailing tone leaves it hanging there as a confusing combination between a weak question and an even weaker statement. Its easy for the employees to silently nod their head, but the real answer is never flushed out.
Execution simply means getting things done. And as you can see, it has a very clear connection with a person’s ability to communicate clearly and with intention. You must use direct language. You must look people in the eye when you ask them questions—and get clear agreement. Assumptions cannot be made. Dates and promises are to be written down. Follow-up is to be consistent. And rewards afforded to those who execute—and withheld with those that do not.
Once you begin understanding and recognizing when good execution is present—and when it is not—you will be more purposeful in your dealings with people, with your communication, with your follow up, and with your attention to results.
It is, after all, what separates those who do—from those who do not.
Having worked for a company in the first half of this decade that was fairly good at execution—I have learned how to spot execution when it exists, and more importantly—when it doesn’t. The CEO of our parent company felt execution was so paramount to successful business that he developed The Execution Award for managers who demonstrated effective focus, clarity of management, and clear speed in getting things done. Unfortunately, he would tell you that he could count on one hand the number of times he gave the award away across the various business that were part of the organization. My company was able to secure the award once. And we thought we were good at it.
Yes, execution is elusive.
When it exists, people explain things simply to one another, they reach clear agreements, and they hold one another accountable for results. You can observe it in those who are successful in gaining clear commitments from others, those who write down steps and dates and ensure everyone knows what they are, and then follows up to see to it what was promised truly gets done.
You can also see when execution is lacking—such as in these examples:
A president asks his team at a meeting when something will be completed, and the answer from one of the vice-presidents is “a couple of weeks.” The president then says, “Good—as long as it’s not going to be six weeks.” No one writes anything down and the conversation moves on.
(The problem here is that the president accepted a vague answer, did not write down a precise commitment date, and let the conversation move on without coming to a clear agreement on who, what, and when)
Or two, a manager sends an email to three recipients and addresses remarks to no one in particular—saying she needs some certain result by sometime next week.
(Here again, the lack of specifics cause each of the three recipients to think “Hmmm, certainly one of the other two will respond to this—since it wasn’t directed at me personally” and so it goes. Each of three recipients all go on thinking ‘someone else’ will handle it—and almost certainly no one will)
Or three, the supervisor of a work group needs to know that a brand new process has been used in 100% of the week’s production schedule to meet a quality guarantee. The ideal question would be something like “Was this new process used from the start of Shift ‘A’ this week—and continuously in every shift since right up through today?” Instead, the supervisor who isn’t practicing a solid discipline of execution attempts to ask the question—but expresses it instead as a statement: “And, the new process has been used from the start of Shift ‘A’ this week? His trailing tone leaves it hanging there as a confusing combination between a weak question and an even weaker statement. Its easy for the employees to silently nod their head, but the real answer is never flushed out.
Execution simply means getting things done. And as you can see, it has a very clear connection with a person’s ability to communicate clearly and with intention. You must use direct language. You must look people in the eye when you ask them questions—and get clear agreement. Assumptions cannot be made. Dates and promises are to be written down. Follow-up is to be consistent. And rewards afforded to those who execute—and withheld with those that do not.
Once you begin understanding and recognizing when good execution is present—and when it is not—you will be more purposeful in your dealings with people, with your communication, with your follow up, and with your attention to results.
It is, after all, what separates those who do—from those who do not.
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