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Archive for June, 2011|Monthly archive page

People-Driven

In Leadership, Performance Management, Strategy on June 27, 2011 at 6:52 am

As we wrote last week, there are many things that can (and do) drive organizations. Perhaps the most common thing we see is organizations that are money-driven. In fact, I know one CEO who literally wakes up in the middle of the night thinking about ways to make more money.

And don’t get me wrong, making money is a good thing. Profits are a good thing. Growth is a good thing.

But as one wise man said, “Money is a great servant, but a lousy master.”

In our experience, the real high-performance organizations are people-driven. They see their investments in recruiting, developing, deploying, and rewarding people as the drive train that creates long-term sustainable profitability.

Thus, profitability and growth are the result of being people-driven. And in virtually every case we have seen, growth plateaus are caused by under-investing in people, not by under-investing in sales and marketing.

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.

What Drives You?

In Strategy, Vision on June 20, 2011 at 6:42 am

Every organization (and every person) is driven by something.  Recently, I’ve come across lots of arguments for what it should be.  For example, organizations can be:

  • Vision-driven
  • Mission-driven
  • Purpose-driven
  • Profit-driven
  • Customer-driven
  • Employee-driven
  • Product-driven
  • Brand-driven
  • Growth-driven
  • Shareholder value-driven
  • Exit-driven
  • And more

While I think there are some drivers that are better than others, the critical thing is to clarify what it is that drives your organization.  So, try completing the following sentence:

We are a _____________-driven organization, therefore, ________________________.

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.

Mixed Signals

In Alignment, Execution, Teamwork on June 13, 2011 at 10:10 am

In the 1997 Indy 500, Tony Stewart hit the wall on lap 198 (of 200).  His accident brought out the yellow flag.   On lap 199, the starter waived the green flag, indicating that the race was back on, but the track lights still showed yellow, indicating that the race was still in a caution.

Arie Luyendyk saw the green flag and hit the gas, but Scott Goodyear saw the yellow-lights and hesitated.  Mixed signals cost Scott the Indy 500.

Unfortunately, organizations send these kinds of mixed signals all the time.

  • They say that people are their most important asset, but whack them unmercifully at the first downturn.
  • They declare that integrity is one of their core values, but tolerate people who shade the truth.
  • Their mission statement talks about teamwork, but the comp plan rewards only individual performance.

I could go on.  I’ve seen hundreds of examples of these kinds of mixed signals.  And just like they caused Scott Goodyear to lose the Indy 500, they cause organizations to dramatically underperform their potential.

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.

.043 of a Second

In Execution on June 6, 2011 at 7:32 am

Hanging in my garage is one of my prized possessions.  It is a lithograph of the closest finish in the history of the Indy 500 given to me by my friend, race car driver and television commentator, Scott Goodyear.

In 1992, Scott Goodyear started the race in 33rd position.  Otherwise known as last.

500 miles later, Scott crossed the finish line just .043 of a second behind the winner Al Unser Jr.  The race is a great testimony to Scott’s persistence and tenacity.

Persistence and tenacity.  Characteristics of high-performance race car drivers … and high-performance organizations.

Jim Collins confirms this idea in Good to Great, which talks about the long build-up phase which preceded the breakthrough.

So, if you are on the journey to building a high-performance organization, be persistent.  Make progress every day.  Be tenacious.  Overcome obstacles (and competitors).  Don’t let the naysayers get you off track.

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.

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