DASHBOARD GROUP

Archive for July, 2011|Monthly archive page

One Tenth of One Percent

In Strategy on July 25, 2011 at 7:53 am

Recently, I’ve been doing some reading about DNA.

I learned (according to Wikipedia) that 99.9% of our DNA is common to all human beings. Thus, only .1% of the DNA sequence is unique.

And it seems that this is also true of organizations.

In our work, we strive to help our clients discover their “defining differentiation.” We call this their One Thing. This is about helping clients find the .1% that makes them unique.

  • Every organization has a mission, but only a few have one that is really differentiating.
  • Every organization has a brand promise, but only a few have one that is really differentiating.
  • Every organization has products and services, but only a few have ones that are really differentiating.
  • Every organization has a value proposition, but only a few have one that is really differentiating.

While discovering your defining differentiation can be difficult, it is essential to building a high-performance organization.

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.

Getting Engaged

In Employee Engagement on July 18, 2011 at 7:18 am

When I proposed to my wife, I did so by giving her a card that said, “Congratulations on Your Engagement!” (I thought it was clever, but she did not get it … which led to a few awkward moments.)

Recently, hundreds of companies participated in the Best Places to Work process, which uses a 37 question survey that measures employee engagement. While 50 companies celebrated, hundreds were confronted with the reality that they were not on the list.

Many factors contribute to an organization’s employee engagement score, including compensation, benefits, job-fit, career opportunities, confidence in the strategy, etc.

It is tempting to think that improving engagement is primarily the job of our senior executives. However, in reality, improving engagement is everyone’s responsibility.

  • Everyone contributes to the culture. When you tolerate behavior that is out-of-line, it reduces everyone else’s engagement.
  • Everyone is a member of the team. When you disparage your teammates, it reduces everyone else’s engagement.
  • Everyone has internal customers. When you miss deadlines or deliverables, it reduces everyone else’s engagement.
  • Everyone owns the strategy. When you allow negativity and pessimism, it reduces everyone else’s engagement.

My wife had a choice about getting engaged (thankfully, 25 years ago, she eventually got the joke and said yes.)

Likewise, you have a choice about getting engaged as well. I encourage you to take ownership of your own engagement level and realize that your decision will have a far greater impact on your organization winning a Best Place to Work award than anything our senior executives will do.

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.

Developing Ultimate Teammates

In Alignment, Employee Engagement, Teamwork on July 11, 2011 at 6:44 am

One of our clients, BTI360 (www.bti360.com) has adopted the idea of Developing Ultimate Teammates as their “One Thing.”

We arrived at this idea after over a year of intense effort, debate, and corporate soul searching. We had early versions that worked well for a season, and constant refinement eventually led us to the big idea.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about the build-up phase (where intense effort yields seemingly minimal gains) followed by the breakthrough (where exponential gains take the organization to unprecedented heights.)

And we are starting to experience the breakthrough!

At BTI360, the Developing Ultimate Teammates idea has transformed the organization. There is piercing clarity. The executive team is fully aligned. Every teammate has a clear development roadmap. Enthusiasm is at an all-time high. We are receiving unsolicited resumes from exceptionally qualified people who have heard about our strategy and want to be a part of the movement.

In an industry that is highly competitive, and frequently treats people simply as “bodies on a project,” BTI360 is a beacon of light. They are proof that being people-driven is an exceptional and differentiating business strategy.

BTI360 is an inspiration to me, and The Dashboard Group is very proud to have them as a client.

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.

One #One Priority

In Leadership, Performance Management, Strategy on July 5, 2011 at 7:53 am

It seems redundant to say, “One #One Priority,” but many organizations have so many priorities that everything is a priority. Some organizations even have competing, contradictory priorities.

Bill Pollard, the retired chairman of ServiceMaster, was talking with Peter Drucker about priorities in relationship to business. Peter said, “Bill, it wasn’t until the 20th century that we pluralized the word priority. For most of its history, the word has been singular.”

So, if you can only have One Priority, what should it be?

For some organizations, it will be making money. For others, it will be accelerating growth.

However, we advise our clients that their One Priority should focus on people. Perhaps something like, “attracting, developing, deploying, and unleashing the talents of exceptional people.”

In our experience, if you put people first, the profits will follow.

One of our clients has really taken this to heart. They describe this as “Developing Ultimate Teammates” and it has been inspiring to watch this unfold. Stay tuned for more on this exceptional organization.

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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