Driving the Message

Assuming that your top management team is meeting weekly or monthly, the next key to driving communication and messaging throughout your company is to meet with your "extended management" team at least quarterly. Here is where you share safety issues, financial performance, and progress against objectives.  This is all part of the "rhythm" required to make a company run at it's best.

Do You Have a "Dream Team?"

It's sometimes called a network, personal board of advisers, or mastermind group.  But I like this definition from Patti Johnson taken from the Success Magazine Blog site:  The Six People You Need on Your Dream Team.

1. The Pro
2. The Encourager
3. The Innovator
4. The Challenger
5. The Connector

Ooops, where's the 6th?

I'ts you.  But for most of us, we try everything as a solo-act.  Read the article and find the five people who will help you get where you want to go.

Who Are You?

Are you the person you want your people to be?

And if you aren't, how can you expect them to be?

All great leadership begins with modeling.  Setting the example.  Being the person you want your own people to be.

As a matter of fact, the laws of nature prevent anything other than this from being true.

1. The law of the mirror states that what you give--you get back. And what you see--is what you are.
2. Who you are has a great deal to do with who you attract into your life, business, and relationships.
3. Like attracts like.  Great people attract great people.  Positive people attract positive people.

Positive begets positive. 

Dinner With Tony Soprano

On HBO series "The Soprano's," did you ever notice how many times Tony had his "family" (a.k.a. employees) over to his home for dinner?  BBQs, formal dinners, and parties.  All intended to "build his team," honor them, and get closer to them.

It's something so many team leaders forget to do these days.  There's nothing quite like a little socializing with working partners while breaking bread (just be sure your team isn't out breaking legs--like Tony's guys).

It won't work if you overdue it. But done genuinely and in the right doses, it'll be enjoyable anyway--and it'll all work out.

In the rush of driving results and getting things done, be sure to make time to slow down and enjoy the people with whom you work.  They'll see you in a different light, and sometimes that's a really good thing.

Did You Arrive at a Consensus? Oh-oh

Everyone likes to make nice.  To get along.  To get agreement.

But in this rush, the group may not "flush" out all the issues.

The leader's job is to encourge conflict, debate, and healthy disagreement.  Only when this happens can the leader be sure that she has drug out enough conflict in order to flush out bad alternatives--and gain commitment around the final (best) outcome.

Is There a Faker Among You?

It can feel great and satisfying to work with a (team) that seems to take on assignments, make decisions, and produce results.  But if that (team) has an imposter among it--well, you don't have a true team. And you aren't going to have lasting success.

Imposters and fakers on teams nod in approval but act in opposition.

Imposters and fakers on teams appear to be "on board" but in fact, quietly undermine, undermine, and undermine.

Imposters and fakers on teams give lip service to the mission but hold their invidual agenda highest.

Imposters and fakers on teams will be the end of the (team)...unless you find them out.

Do you have an imposter and faker among you?  What are you going to do about it?

5 Qualities of a Team

By far, the most important of the four components of Strategy, Team, Execution, and Results--is the TEAM.  Specifically, no group, organization, or team can function at its highest level possible until five qualities are present.  In Patrick Lencioni's best selling book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he shows what happens when these qualities are non-existent--and how to achieve lasting change.

Qualities of the Best Teams:

• They trust each other.  If hidden agendas exist or the slightest mis-trust between any of the group members, teamwork will be stifled.
  
• They engage in unfiltered conflict.  Ideas and debated--sometimes very passionately.  Everyone has to know that its acceptable to push on one another and flush out any bad ideas which will let the best rise to the top.
  
• They commit to plans and actions.  Once a direction is set, ALL members commit.  They are aligned, they move quickly, and they are clear about their direction and priorities.
  
• They hold each other accountable.  Poor performers feel pressure to improve.  Respect increases when all team members are held to the same high standards.
  
• They focus on collective results.  Individual agendas are replaced by an intense desire and commitment to the team's accomplishments.  Attaining the goal is job #1.

CHALLENGE.   If you want to take one step to achieve absolute improvement in the way your team works together, buy a copy of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team for each member of your team and take them through it and it's exercises.  You'll experience some amazing breakthroughs....and break-withs.

Select Your Crew, Get Rid of Mutineers, and Harness Everyone's Strengths

It is so tempting.

You arrive as a new supervisor or manager in a department or division.  And the first thing you want to do is to "change things" and make your mark and make a difference.

You learn the business, you go see some customers, you design some new programs and "ways of doing things," and within 30-90 days, you LAUNCH your new plan.

And in 90 more days, you haven't reached your goals and the results are not that much different.

Why?  Because you started with tactics, programs, and measures.  You didn't start with the people.

Jim Collins said it better than anyone in Good to Great.  First, you:

1. Get the right people on the bus
2. Get the wrong people off the bus
3. And get the right people in the right seats

But assessing, working with, and adding or eliminating people take up valuable time, right?  Yup, sure does.  "I'll figure out the people part later, but for now--I've got to change somethings and satisfy my boss!"

In extreme cases, you have to step aboard and make immediate changes.  Like the ship's First Mate who takes over for a Captain wounded in battle.  If he doesn't put out the fires, plug the leaks, and grab the wheel with both hands--the entire ship and crew are in trouble.

But unless your ship is on fire and leaking water, you need to first CAREFULLY select your crew, and in particular--the leaders of that crew.  You need to remove the mutineers and leave them on shore.  And then you need to see to it that everyone on the ship is doing the job they were born to do--which might not necessarily be the job they're in now.

When the crew is right, only then can you chart your course, raise the sail, and head North with the confidence that you are all a team committed to one thing: the destination.

Success…right under our noses.

Patrick Lencioni captured my attention in 2002 when Chris Walton shared "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" with me and his management team.  I've been a fan ever since (of both Lencioni and Walton, but I digress).

Yes, products and services are important, but it's the TEAM that at the end of the day, defines a company's greatness.

I was in the audience last month when John Maxwell told a story about two clients.  They both happen to be restaurants selling chicken.  One of them was operating with a focus on product and price.  They had little emphasis on the people.  The energy in the employees was low.

The other company focused on developing their people and viewed success as creating a superior experience for their customers--through the excellence of their people.  The investment in the employees was high and it showed in their dynamic energy.

Two restaurants selling chicken.  One focused on product and price.  One with an emphasis on developing their people and teams in order to provide superior service.  Guess which one is achieving record success?

Lencioni's latest book, The Advantage, makes the point even further.  The following is from the jacket of the book:

"While too many leaders are still limiting their search for advantage to conventional and largely exhausted areas like marketing, strategy, and technology, Lencioni demonstrates that there is an untapped gold mine siting right beneath them.  Instead of trying to become smarter, he asserts that leaders and organizations need to shift their focus to becoming healthier, allowing them to tap into the more-than-sufficient intelligence and expertise they already have."

Lencioni and Maxwell remind us "it's not about the widgets (or chicken).  It's about people.

To Be Like a Rockefeller

In the late 90's, I was presented with a book from my friend David Parfitt in Atlanta titled Mastering The Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish.  That book forever changed and improved the way I've set goals, created and communicated plans, and organized and worked with teams.

I'll share just three principles from the many that Harnish discovered were put to use by John D. Rockefeller  during the latter half of the oil industry era--when his disciplined approach to business created unprecedented success.

1. Create a One Page Operating Plan.  A one-page plan is simple enough that it will get referred to and used often, as opposed to most plans in 3-ring binders that become shelf decorations.

2. Keep Everyone on the Same Page.  How do you do this?  You create simple, compelling goals and make them visible-- and then support with #3 below.

3.  Create Meeting Rhythm.  Establish a series of regular meetings with your team and extended team to communicate priorities, get reports against objectives, and use the One-Page Plan as a measure of your progress.  Everyone ought to know what's expected and what's coming each time you meet.  This keeps the meetings short, pointed, and impactful.

If you'd like to learn more about The Rockefeller Habits, go to Gazelle's website, created by Verne Harnish, where you can download the forms and worksheets to help get you on your way.

Clear Leadership

It hits you like a 2 x 4 on a freezing day. That strong, clear, and compelling leadership that's missing so often. But when it's present, it is awesome. 

You see it this way.

The leader that cares for the people, and is genuinely interested in them.  Who starts with assembling the greatest team comprised of the greatest people doing the greatest things.

The leader that articulates a clear vision--so clear and compelling in fact that everyone from the senior team to the team who sweeps the floors knows exactly what is important, which direction is North, and where you are headed. 

The leader who develops her people with training and coaching.

The leader who meets with his team one-on-one to provide feedback and coaching--and support the achievemkent of individual and organizational goals.

The leader that meets with all the employees frequently--to reinforce those messages you found so inspiring and compelling the first time you heard them.

And the leader who, of course--delivers the results, because she helped her team be successful, who in turn--helped her be successful.


This is the leader who "suits up, and shows up."  Every day.  In every way.

If You Help Enough People Get What They Want....

...you'll get everything you want.  That's a quote from  Zig Ziglar.  But how many put it to work?

If a leader has worked with her team to set up goals which meet organizational objectives--its' likely that in a culture of achievement--the team members would also be hitting their goals--which are ideally tied to compensation, advancement, recognition, or development opportunities.

And so, by virtue of the above--when the leader helps her team reach each individuals' goals--she is helping the organization--and herself--reach HER goals.

Its just that simple.

"It's Our Policy, Grandma"

Jeffrey Gitomer, the self-acclaimed "America's #1 Sales Authority" wrote a book called "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless."  The book was put in my hands several years ago by my friend, colleague, and mastermind partner Rick VanDermyden--and I want to encourage YOU to put it in your OWN hands.

Customer service teams make or break successful business retention and new business recruitment. I have distributed this book to my customer service teams in the past--and made it a case study for the "right" ways to approach the customer interaction.

There is one section in Gitomer's book that is so insightful that it helped create the subject line of this blog post.  To quote from the book:

"Every time you speak to a customer, end it with "Grandma." If it sounds like something you would say to your grandmother or your grandmother would want to hear, then say it. If not, don't"

Gitomer's examples:

• Sorry, we're closed Grandma.
• What is this in reference to Grandma?
• It's our policy, Grandma.

He goes on. "If you wouldn't say it to your grandma, why would you say it to your customer?  There are lots of phrases you use every day that irritate customers, and you have no clue until you insert "Grandma" at the end."

There are many that argue the customer service team, or "inside office team," is the most important part of customer satisfaction and retention.  I am one of the believers.  Field sales people get all the attention, blame, and glory--but if the inside team or customer service group isn't UNBELIEVABLY professional, friendly, and customer-focused,  then the game is lost at the first phone call. 

The following is straight from Jeffrey Gitomer's website about the book. I say again, buy one for yourself, one for each of your people who touch your customers, and then lead your inside sales team through a several week group reading of the book.  You'll be very pleased that you did.

From Jeffrey Gitomer's Website

Here are Jeffrey Gitomer's 3.5 compelling reasons why you and every employee in your company must own this book, must read this book, and must act on the principles of this book:

1. It contains a game plan that any customer-serving employee, salesperson, manager, executive or entrepreneur can enact to ensure loyal customers.
2. Any front-line employee can read it and "get it." Any front-line employee can read it and "do it."
3. Customer Loyalty is the measure of your present and future success.
3.5 Your competition may already own this book.

From the Table on Contents:

Part I: Customer, the Source of your Paycheck

1. Introducing the Most Important Person in the World
2. Introducing the Customer (Help!)
3. The Reality of Service -- Lousy, Satisfactory, or Memorable?
4. Who's Wrong? What's Wrong?

Part II: The Right Principles Create the Right Words

5. Principles, NOT Policy
6. Three BIG Factors: 1. Get Real. 2. Get Friendly. 3. Get WOW!
7. What's the Word Out on You
8. The (Secret) Service Success Formula
9. If you Talk Stupid, They'll Get Angry
10. It's Not the Apology That Matters...It's the Recovery That Count
11. Benchmarks Set the Standards... for Best Performance
12. Put Your Job Skills to the Test

Part III: Lessons from the Real World

13. Lessons I Learned Sleeping in Someone Else's Bed
14. Lessons I Learned Shopping in Someone Else's Store
15. Lessons I Learned Flying in Someone Else's Airplane
16. Lessons You Never Learned in School
17. Loyalty Lessons from the Real World

Part IV: Loyalty -- The Final Frontier

18. The Loyalty Answers for the Company and You
18.5 Loyalty Mission: The End of Satisfaction

When Is A Leadership Team---"Not?"

A leadership team "isn't a team" when it's members don't trust one another.  It won't operate at its best if the members even mistrust a single person on the team.

A leadership team doesn't operate when it's members work in their own silos--placing their personal or department agendas ahead of the team's.

A leadership team doesn't point fingers at one another--because they know that four of those fingers are often pointing back at themselves.

A leadership team doesn't withold helpful, constructive criticism or debate around key ideas in order to "make nice" with the others.

A leadership team doesn't let take their collective or individual "eyes off the goal" and allow critical progress toward results to go unaddressed.  And a leadership team doesn't continuously take on new projects before they execute and complete the current.

So where does teamwork start?

In Patrick Lencioni's book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, the author places "trust" at the foundation of building effective leadership and management teams.  If you've not read the book--I place it at the top 5 most useful business books I've read.  Like Lencioni, I also place trust at the core of an effective team.

Earning and building trust is a two-way street--and it happens on and off the court.  When team members trust one another--each knows that he or she can count on the other members to work together for the good of the team.  Personal agendas are checked at the door.  Attempts at control and power-grabbing are absent. The agreed upon objectives of the team become "goal #1" for all--with no exceptions.

Leadership teams can attempt to master all the other qualities of a high performing team--but if trust is missing--or even in question, the collective results will suffer.

Do you have a team? If the answer is no, where do you need to start?