DASHBOARD GROUP

Archive for February, 2010

Don’t follow me – I’m lost

In Leadership on February 22, 2010 at 8:03 am

Have you ever tried to follow someone to a party who didn’t know where they were going?  27 U-turns and a few near-misses later, you finally arrive at your destination.

Far too many employees are trying to follow leaders who don’t know where they are going.  The employees are willing to follow, even willing to go the extra mile, but eventually give up because it is too frustrating.

To be fair, in these turbulent times, it can be difficult to know what to do and where to go.  But as they say, “that’s why they pay you the big bucks.”

The most important thing a leader needs to do is be clear.  High-performance leaders see things that others don’t, and see them before others do.  So, get your executive teams together and take a long, hard look out the windshield and read the signs.

  • How clear is your windshield?  Is it all buggy and grimy, preventing you from seeing clearly?
  • How is your direction?  Are you heading the right way … or the wrong way?
  • How are the road conditions?  Any potholes ahead?  Any detours?
  • How is the traffic?  Any competitors passing you like you are standing still?  Are there open lanes that you can pull into?  Any slow-poke competitors that you can pass?
  • What is out on the horizon?  A long straight autobahn with no speed limits … or a windy mountain road with no guardrails?

And if you aren’t really sure where to go, perhaps it is time to stop and ask for directions.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking.  Accelerate Your Results.

2020 Vision

In Vision on February 15, 2010 at 8:03 am

In last week’s post, I challenged leaders to have a clear and inspiring vision of what you want to your organization to be someday.

That’s easier said than done.

A recent trip to the eye doctor reminded me just how rare 20/20 vision is.  According to Dr. Tim Johnson of the University of Iowa, only about 35 percent of all adults have 20/20 vision without glasses, contact lenses or corrective surgery.

And according to my (admittedly unscientific) research, only about 35% of organizations have 20/20 vision as well.  Most suffer from some sort of vision disorder, such as:

  • Myopia – Also known as nearsightedness or shortsightedness, is where organizations can see near-term issues, but can’t see long-term issues.  This is chronic in publically traded companies, who often focus only on “making the quarter.”
  • Tunnel Vision – Where organizations can’t see anything to the sides.  Often, they get blindsided by market shifts and discontinuities.
  • Illusions – Where organizations see things that are not based in reality.
  • Delusions – Where organizations dogmatically hold to beliefs that are false.
  • Hallucinations – Where organizations see things that simply are not there.

Job one of every executive team is to clearly articulate a vision of where the organization is going.  After all, if the executives don’t know where they are going, how can anyone follow them there?

So, if your organization is suffering from some kind of chronic vision disorder, consult a trained professional.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking.  Accelerate Your Results.

Big, Hairy, Audacious Delusional Pipe Dreams

In Vision on February 7, 2010 at 8:40 pm

I love Jim Collins, and Good to Great is one of the best business books ever written.

Many organizations have adopted his ideas, including the “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal” or BHAG concept. But, in most organizations, their Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal is really a “Big, Hairy, Audacious Delusional Pipe Dream.”

These are the corporate equivalent of New Year’s Resolutions – easy to set, but darn near impossible to keep.

I prefer to see organizations take a radically different approach, one that differentiates between a vision and a goal.

First, they should articulate a big and inspiring vision. Such as, “we want to be the market share leader in our segment.”

Next, they should develop one overall SMART goal. Specific, such as “grow revenues to $3.6M by 12/31/2010.” This is specific, measurable, and crystal clear. It can be easily communicated and everyone in the organization can understand how they fit in. It can be broken down into a set of intermediate goals, such as a revenue target for each month between now and 12/31/2010.

In addition, it can be tied to other metrics which are leading indicators, such as the number of new proposals submitted every month and the overall win-rate. You can align the rest of the business processes, such as the reward and recognition system, to the goal, thus reinforcing its importance.

And assuming that people in the organization feel that the goal is realistic and attainable, they will sign up to achieve it. There is nothing more de-motivating than to have your CEO set some delusional goal that everyone knows can’t be achieved.

So leaders, have a clear and inspiring vision of what you want to be someday, but set a specific and measurable goal for what you want to achieve this year.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking. Accelerate Your Results.

The More You Stay the Same … The More They Will Stay the Same

In Leadership on February 1, 2010 at 8:08 am

Jean-Baptiste Karr, the French journalist and satirist first penned the phrase, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” which is loosely translated as “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

In organizations, the phenomenon I observe most is executives who give lip service to change, but in reality, never really change.  Thus, the more the senior executives stay the same, the more the rest of the organization will stay the same as well.

Senior executives bear a disproportionate share of the responsibility for the culture and performance of an organization.

Why?  Because the senior executives actions (good or bad) are magnified disproportionately – maybe 10X –by the rest of the organization.

  • If the senior executives work well together as a team, the organization will be a consistent top performer.
  • If the senior executives have a common vision, the entire organization will align behind it.
  • If the senior executives articulate a clear and compelling strategy, every department will do their part to execute and deliver it.
  • However, if the senior executive team is a little dysfunctional, the organization will be very dysfunctional.
  • If they are very dysfunctional, the organization will be a disaster.

Unfortunately, many senior executive teams have been highly dysfunctional for years … and wonder why their organizations are not performing up to their potential.  Step one is to confront reality and take responsibility.   Perhaps the CEO needs a reality check.  Perhaps a few of the executives need to go.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking.  Accelerate Your Results.