Category Archives: Fitness

Stress Test

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“Competency has to do with mental fitness,” I pressed. “What could happen that would put your perfect workflow into utter disarray?”

Naomi stopped to think. Instinctively, she knew this was a legitimate question. “Our market could double?” she floated.

I nodded. “Yes, but markets don’t double that fast, at least organically. Your volume might double if you had a competitor go out of business, but competitors don’t go out of business that fast either. And, don’t think I am expecting something far fetched with a low probability to reality. What could happen that would put your workflow in disarray?”

“Okay, I think I have one,” she finally responded. “We could get one large order from a customer that we have to expedite. Maybe a customer we have been courting for a while, and we finally get a chance, but it’s large with a short time frame. That could stress test our perfect workflow.”

“So, your team is currently competent at routine efficiency within normal parameters. But, if we get one disruptive order inserted into the workflow, with a tight timeframe, things might get wonky?”

Naomi’s turn to nod. “Yes. It wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it might take as long as two weeks to stabilize the line back to normal turnaround. And, we would appear to be incompetent to everyone, especially the sales department.”

“And, I am not trying to be critical. It is normal to reach a level of competence, only to be challenged with increased volume and tighter deadlines. Competence requires continuous improvement. What scenarios could you see that would stress test your system, stress test your team, that you could prepare for?”

Yoda Says

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“I think I could give it a try,” Naomi nodded. “I think I could get my team together, go over the seven wastes, and ask them to come up with an idea.”

“Yoda says there is no try,” I smiled. “Think about what you just said.”

“I guess I was making continuous improvement a choice,” she smiled back.

“You guess?”

“I was making continuous improvement a choice. Competence is not a choice, it’s a habit,” Naomi’s smile reluctantly faced the truth.

“So, it’s not just making competence necessary for your team. It’s making competence necessary for yourself.”

Building the Habit

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“Okay, so we pinned showing up to work, to starting on time to meeting deadlines,” I concluded. “Now what. What is the next habit?”

“I get the practice of meeting deadlines, but I am still stumped on what to work on next,” Naomi looked puzzled.

“You’re stuck because you are trying too hard,” I suggested. “Put the next habit on your team. Have your team decide what the next habit of competence will be.”

“If I am stuck, they are going to be stuck,” she complained.

“You are stuck because you haven’t set up some guardrails to guide their thinking. Let’s take a simple framework like MUDA,” I prompted.

“I know MUDA, that’s the seven wastes,” Naomi sparked.

“And, what are the seven wastes?” I asked.

“Moving stuff around too many times,” she started. “Making too much stuff, overproduction. Making things too complicated, overproduction. Holding too much inventory, raw goods or consumables. Unnecessary movement, work flow and work flow sequence. Waiting for stuff, white space in the workflow, creating unnecessary idle time. Identifying and eliminating defects.”

“Very good,” my turn to smile. “Do you think your team could identify one of the seven wastes and work to improve their competence? Competence is not a choice, it’s a practice, it’s a habit.”

Not a Choice

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“How do you make competence necessary?” Naomi asked.

“If you make competence a choice, it is no longer necessary,” I replied. “Competence is a practice. We get better, not because we choose to get better. We get better through practice. It’s the habits we choose, those routine grooved behaviors that determine our competence.”

“I get it,” Naomi nodded. “But I am still stuck.”

“In what ways could your team become more competent? What could they practice? Let’s take something simple. What time does your team get started in the morning?”

Naomi smiled because she already knew where I was headed. “We’re supposed to start at 8 o’clock, but you know, anytime between 8 o’clock and 8:15, and that usually involves coffee and a little joking around.”

“Joking around is good. If we’re not having a bit of fun, what’s the point? As a manager, do you want your team to become more competent at showing up to work?”

“Yes, but that seems a little silly, becoming more competent at showing up to work,” Naomi was still smiling.

“I agree, so let’s shift our focus, from showing up to starting on time. As a manager, do you want your team to become more competent at starting on time?”

“That sounds like a higher goal than just showing up,” Naomi agreed.

“Now, let’s pin starting on time to finishing on time,” I pressed.

“You mean, like meeting deadlines,” she connected. “Yes, as a manager, I want my team to become more competent at meeting deadlines.”

“So, what is the practice, what are the habits required for meeting deadlines?”

“You meet deadlines by starting on time,” Naomi settled.

Being Early

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Habits can be a double-edged sword. That routine grooved behavior is a shortcut to apply a known solution over and over. But, things change and a known solution to one problem may not fit another problem. Because it worked before and then again, it is easy to misapply a routine grooved behavior to a new problem that doesn’t fit.

If we are looking for unconventional results, applying a known solution, even when it works, may only yield conventional results, same as last time. Always ask what changed.

Some habits avoid the trap. The habit of showing up early rarely has a downside. Showing up early allows for a time of calm before the beginning, to think, mentally rehearse and settle the nerves. Showing up early is a discipline, a habit that is a way of being.

When you find yourself doing something over and over, examine your purpose and your intended outcome to determine if it’s a habit that helps or a habit that is just expedient. Or it could be a habit that always contributes, like being early.

Mediocre vs Extraordinary Results

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“I think the Board will like this plan,” Kylie said. “It’s a variation on the plan from last year. I upped the percentage increase in sales, added some resources. I think it will get support.”

“Why do you think it will get support?” I asked.

“Well, it’s similar to last year’s plan, and I got unanimous support for last year’s plan, so I expect the same support for this year’s plan,” Kylie replied.

“So, no one is going to challenge it? You like it because this thinking got support last year, including you, and it’s the same Board, who won’t push back because it fits the narrative, the same story. Your plan assumes nothing has changed. How could someone object to something similar that they did not object to last year?”

Kylie shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Look, I need to present something that will get approved without a lot of resistance.”

“It’s the same plan with the same thinking that got mediocre success this past year. If you keep thinking the same way, you are going to get the same results. If you want extraordinary results, you have to think in a new way.”

You Decide

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“You decide,” I said. “You decide what you want to improve on.”

The class had just completed a survey, looking at strengths and weaknesses.

“You decide, if you would like to focus on and improve an area of weakness. Or you may decide to focus on and improve an area of strength.

“Correcting a weakness only creates a mediocre performance. Building on a strength creates mastery. You decide what you want to improve upon.”

Digging Deeper

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I was on Henrik’s wheel. We had eight miles to go with 43 miles behind us. I was thinking, as long as Henrik kept this pace, I could hang on. If he went faster, I was toast. One thing was certain. I could not handle another shift on the front. My legs were rubber.

Henrik pulled to the left, sat up and looked over. No way, I said to myself. I can’t. Henrik just stared at me. I stood on my pedals and dug in, pulling ahead. Henrik fell in behind allowing me to block the wind for the next stretch of road.

Sometimes I ride by myself, but I never get the workout, I never get the push unless I ride with someone else. Left to our own devices, we coast when it’s convenient, dog the hill with some justification about the heat or the wind.

Push me and I will go faster, challenge me and I will find that bit of energy left that I did not know I had.

Everyone needs a coach.
—–
TDF ends on Sunday.

Your Brand Promise

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“We decided to hire a new marketing firm,” Reggie announced.

“Marketing is important,” I replied. “It’s important for creating new leads, prospective customers and for telling your existing customer about other offerings they may find useful. But, is that enough?”

“What do you mean?” Reggie asked.

“Just because you talk about your competitive advantage doesn’t mean you are any good at it,” I replied. “It’s not enough to make an announcement. You also have to operationalize. Your brand promise is just a promise unless you keep it.”

What’s Local Anymore?

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“So, it’s important to be Number One or Number Two in our market. I get that. Third or Fourth place just creates a target. Can we use geography to narrow our market definition? I mean, as a local supplier, we have an advantage. We can honestly say that we are Number One in our local market,” Gene explained.

“Yes, if your market is truly a local market. But, Gene, I gotta tell you, I have seen some trucks rolling around town from a new competitor I haven’t seen before,” I replied.

“Yeah, I know who they are. Their headquarters are on the other side of the state. They don’t do any local advertising. I think they are depending on the internet to get their leads. They show up pretty heavy in search engines. But, still, they’re from out of town.”

“Gene, I visited their yard. They don’t have an office, but they have six trucks in your local market.”