Find a market need big enough.
Build a product or service to meet it.
Then produce it faster, better and cheaper than your competitor.
This is my mantra for this L-shaped recovery. And you will never fight your way out, of your current dilemma, with the same thinking that got you where you are now. Yes, it’s a recovery, just not a robust recovery.
One of my favorite thinkers is Victor Cheng. Read more about Re-Inventing Your Products.
“He always has an excuse,” Rachel continued. “Every time I attempt to hold him accountable, whether it is to meet a deadline or turn in the work complete, he always has an excuse. Sometimes, I think he spends more time creating the excuse than completing the project.”
“Which excuses are the ones that you believe?” I ask.
“What do you mean. Sometimes they are excuses, sometimes they are reasons.”
“So, there is a difference between an excuse and a reason?”
“Well, sometimes there are circumstances beyond his control. Sometimes there are very real reasons for missing a deadline.”
“And those are the one you believe?”
“That’s not the point,” Rachel pushed back. “The question is, how can I hold someone accountable who ALWAYS has a legitimate reason for failure?”
“Rachel, the excuse you accept as a reason, is the one that you believe in the most. The more you, as a manager, believe in the excuse, the more it becomes a legitimate reason. It’s a puddle YOU jumped in off the high diving board. Does it matter whether its an excuse or a legitimate reason? You are still in the same place, with a missed deadline. At that point, what really matters, certainly not the excuse?”
“What matters is getting the project finished,” she flatly stated. “I need to know what the next action is, to get the project finished.”
“Then, if you are listening to excuses, or reasons for failure, you are listening for the wrong thing. You are asking the wrong question. If I tell you a project will be late, do you care why?”
“No, I want to know what it will take to deliver the project on time, in spite of the reason.”
“That’s a much better question. So, get off the high diving board. Don’t ask WHY? Ask, what’s your next action.”
“What do you mean – No surprises?” Rachel quizzed. “My team member must know that this conversation is coming. Everyone is constantly correcting his mistakes, making him do re-work.”
“So, you want to keep him guessing? You see, surprise works both ways. As his manager, you are surprised when he underperforms, fails to meet a deadline or turns in work with mistakes. What happens to your trust, when you, as a manager, are Surprised?”
“The trust level goes down,” Rachel replied. “It’s at the point now, where there is almost no trust at all.”
“So, as the manager, you are surprised when your team member fails to meet a deadline, and your team member is going to be surprised when you have an accountability conversation with him?”
Rachel nodded, silently, her eyes darting back in her brain. Finally, she spoke. “And we don’t trust each other. So, how do I prevent surprises when I go into this accountability conversation?”
“Pretty simple, really. No surprises, no ambushes. When you schedule the conversation, tell him the subject of the conversation will be about his current performance on the Phoenix project and the improvements we need going forward.”
The blood was draining from Rachel’s face. The truth does that, sometimes.
“I’m not looking forward to this conversation,” Rachel confided. “I have been dreading this for weeks.”
“So, you have been putting this off?” I answered (with a question).
She nodded. “I hate dealing with misbehavior. I would prefer to drop a few hints and hope they get the message.”
“So, hope is your strategy?”
Rachel chuckled, in pain. “I want to do this right. This conversation is treacherous. As the manager, if I screw this up, it could make matters worse.”
“How about three ground-rules?” I asked.
“Okay, I’m all in,” she replied.
“Now, if your purpose is to simply fire someone, cut them off at the knees, you don’t need this. But if your objective is for the team member to correct the behavior, put the performance back on track, then start here.
Three Groundrules credit to Pat Murray
No Surprises
The purpose of this conversation is to re-place the team member on stable ground so that corrective adjustments can be built. People have difficulty coping when the rug has been pulled from underneath.
Revisit the Deal
There was always a deal. Sometimes people forget the deal and that’s why their behavior gets out of whack.
Be Slow to Understand
Managers often jump to conclusions without the facts, trying to solve the problem before they understand the problem. Be slow to understand.
The next Subject Area in our Working Leadership Online program is Coaching Underperformance – Time Span and the Employee Contract. We have a few open slots available if you would like a Free Introductory Membership. We kick off on September 7. Wait, that’s today!
Next Monday is Labor Day in the US. And I wonder, why do people work? Elliott Jaques is very specific in his response.
“People want work in which they can have the opportunity to exercise their full potential capability, to spread their wings widely, to receive a fair compensation for that work and to be recognized and understood as not needing artificial carrot and stick treatment on order to get on with that work.
By work, I mean an organism’s use of judgment in making the decisions necessary to reach a goal. Goal directed work is a basic feature of all life.
All humans need to do work that not only benefits oneself, but is, at the same time, of value to others.
It may be noted that, not only do millions gain work opportunities by becoming engaged in employment, but need something on the order of 40 hours per week of such engagement. That is what explains the fact that the employment work week, which came down to 40 hours during the first half of the twentieth century, has gone no lower. Any smaller number of hours is not sufficiently fulfilling. Indeed, people who work on their own, routinely spend many more than 40 hours per week.”
Elliott Jaques – Social Power and the CEO
Fascinating article by Forrest Christian on the role of trust required for an organization to deal with uncertainty. As you read the article, you may think about how this operates in your own organization. Stepping back, you may see more clearly the dysfunction in the current US operating government by its lack of trust.
Forrest Christian – Trust is Necessary
“The economic news is disturbing,” Morgan explained.
I nodded in agreement. “So, what are the actual impacts to your business and your market? The world is not ending, it is shifting. You think you are dancing on bullets. You have to find the rhythm in the dance.”
“I know, I know,” Morgan shook his head. “But, this recession has lasted so long. My people are tired. My customers are tired.”
“Then stop whining and figure it out. Get rid of the long face. Search for your advantage. Your competitors are suffering, just like you. In this market, in the midst of this chaos, there is opportunity. New undercurrents will surface. Are you watching them?”
From the Ask Tom mailbag:
Question:
When I hear about the concept of Time Span, I am reminded about the Peter Principle. Any connection?
Response:
This is an easy one. The book The Peter Principle is an amusing description of Time Span Capability and what happens to someone when we have mis-match in a role. I have written more about that at the following link.
Let me know if you have more questions.
“Tell me about a time when accuracy was very important. How did you make sure you balanced to the penny? -That’s the question,” I recited. “When you ask that question in an interview, what will you find out related to values?”
Sara was thoughtful. “First, I would learn how the candidate decides that accuracy is important. Accuracy is a nice thing to say, but it’s not an absolute on every project. I could ask – What was it, about that project, that tipped you off, that accuracy was important?”
“And what else would you learn in their response?”
“I could have the person step me through their methods that ensure accuracy. If it’s an inventory count, or a price estimate, their response would tell me what they did, to make sure the numbers were right.”
“How would you make sure they aren’t giving you some memorized textbook answer?” I prodded.
“Because I would ask them for real examples,” Sara insisted. “And more than one. They may have one story cooked up, but when I press for a second and third example, the truth always comes out.”
“I get it,” Sara smiled. “I know, for someone to be a high performer, they have to value the work in the role. If they don’t place a high value on the work, it isn’t likely they will do a good job.”
“Not in the long run,” I confirmed. “In the short term, you can always bribe people with pizza, but once the pizza’s gone, you’re done.” (This is known as a diagnostic assessment.)
“I’m with you,” Sara nodded. “But how do you interview for values. I am afraid if I ask the question, straight up, I am going to get a textbook answer. The candidate is just going to agree with me.”
“Sara, when you are observing your team, watching them work, can you see their values?”
Sara stopped. “I think so, I mean, I can see enthusiasm. I can tell when someone is happy.”
“How can you tell?”
“I can just watch them,” she replied. “I can see it in their behavior.”
“Exactly. You cannot see a person’s values, you can only see their behavior. And that is what you interview for, their behavior. As a manager, just ask this question – How does a person with (this value) behave?”
Sara’s eyes narrowed. I continued.
“Let’s say that you have an accounting position and that accuracy, specifically with numbers is an important value.”
“You can’t ask them if they think accuracy is important. Of course, they will say – yes.”
I nodded. “As a manager, ask yourself this question. How does a person behave if they value accuracy in their work.”
“I know that one,” Sara jumped in. “I once asked our bookkeeper how she always balanced to the penny. She told me she always added things twice. People who value accuracy in their work always add things twice.”
“So, what question would you ask?” I pressed.
“Tell me about a time when accuracy was very important. How did you make sure you balanced to the penny?”