Ran Out of Gas

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“I haven’t heard from you in a while,” I said. “I assume it’s because everything is going swimmingly with your efficiency process.”

“Yes, yes,” Duncan replied. “I’ve been meaning to call you, but we have been so busy. Frankly, I was hesitant to call, because the efficiency process has stalled. But, we have been so busy that we haven’t been able to focus on our metrics. We haven’t even collected our metrics in over a month. If we want to look at our efficiency trends, we likely will have to start over.”

“What does your gut tell you?” I asked.

“My gut says we got a little busy one week and fell behind. Then we got busier and our metrics lost their priority. Now, we are so busy, the project is off the rails.”

“Do you see any connection between your busy-ness and the loss of focus on your efficiency project? There was a guy driving from Chicago to Florida, on a tight deadline. He ran out gas. Said he didn’t have time to stop to refuel.”

Record Sales?

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“You are right,” Riley admitted. “Our record sales this year depended on one non-recurring project. But, don’t you think we will get lucky next year and get another project like that?”

“Maybe so, maybe not,” I replied. “But can you relax and depend on luck? I worked with a company that increased its prices an average of ten percent, and then were so proud that revenues were up seven percent. They didn’t count the trend in units sold. A bit of self-delusion at the celebration party.”

“But, we still have record sales this year.”

“No, you had one record sale this year,” I nodded. “In the immortal words of Abe Lemmon, you scored one more point than a dead man.”

The Truths We Embrace

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“The truth,” Riley started, “is that we have assembled the greatest team in our industry.”

“Impressive,” I said. “And your evidence?”

“This past year, we had record sales and the largest market share among our competitors,” he announced.

“I will agree with the statistics, but you were talking about the truth, you said you have the best team.”

“Doesn’t it follow?” Riley stiff-armed. “That the best team wins?”

“Sometimes,” I replied. “Sometimes not. You believe you have the best team and that is why you exceeded your sales targets. That is your position, your belief. It feels good because it agrees with your world view. But what truth are you ignoring because it doesn’t fit your world view?”

“I’m not following,” Riley resisted.

“How much of your revenue came from a single customer? How much of your revenue came from a single salesperson? I’ve seen those statistics as well. Your biggest chunk of revenue, that put you way over the top came from one customer on a single non-recurring project. And without that one project, your sales would have suffered the biggest drop in five years. If nothing changes, next year does not bode well. Do you believe you will get lucky again, or do you have some work to do?”

Halt, Where Are You Going?

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“I want to take an inventory of my strengths and weaknesses,” said Olivia, somewhat excited.

“What for?” I asked.

“I think it’s important for us all to be more self-aware,” she replied.

“Why?” I pressed.

“I’m sorry, I thought you would support my interest in some self-reflection.”

“Self-reflection is fine, it’s a worthy pursuit, but for the purpose of what? Let’s say you take a complete inventory, a strength here, a weakness there. And, your observations are absolutely accurate. So what? What have you really accomplished?”

“Well, I would be more self-aware,” Olivia was a bit exasperated.

“Compared to what? A strength here, a weakness there, compared to what? Your inventory is just an inventory. I want to know where you want to go. What does life look like, feel like, taste like in your imagination of the future? What is your next destination on your journey? What is its color? Who is with you? What it your purpose in traveling there?

“When you get clarity in your vision and purpose, then self-reflection will be helpful. Understanding your strengths that will power your journey, facing your faults that might stop your journey, that’s the real value of self-awareness. Before you take an inventory, tell me where you are going.”

Clothes for the Emperor

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The emperor has no clothes, the onlooker said, to the gasps of others. It’s easy to identify in other people. “Only when the tide goes out, do we find out who’s been skinny dipping,” said Warren Buffet.

Who is the emperor? Pogo says the enemy is us. Why is that such a surprise?

We figure out the world as it stands, at least in relation to our small circumstances. We are comfortable. We build our lives on the routine. The biggest mistakes are made when times are good.

The world changes. The first step in the cycle of loss is denial. The tide goes out and reveals our exposure, and we are the last to see it.

Seeing nakedness in other people is easy. Not so much for self-awareness.

Not a Communication Problem

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Thinking about competence, we begin with individual competence. Ultimately, however, we have to think about organizational competence. It not just great output from a single performer, but the output of the organization as people work together.

Organizational structure is simply the way we define the working relationships between people. We represent this on a piece of paper called an organizational chart. We have both vertical working relationships and horizontal working relationships. How well these relationships work will determine the quantity and quality of organizational output.

And, this is where the trouble begins. On the org chart, we draw lines between people, up, down and sideways. We think we understand what those lines mean, but until we specifically define the lines, we will experience organizational friction.

Working relationships are defined by two things, accountability and authority. Most organizational friction looks like a communication problem or a personality conflict, but that’s just a symptom. Underneath, we have a structural problem where we have failed to define, in that working relationship, where and what is the accountability. And, in that working relationship, who has the authority to make what decisions.

People tell me they have a communication problem. I don’t think so. I think you have an accountability and authority problem. Because you failed to define it.

To the Point of Failure

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As a manager, how do we know a team member’s highest level of capability? Capability is invisible. We can only see the output of capability. For that, there is evidence.

We test people through project work. Step one is a quick assessment of their current applied capability. Look at the fruits of their labor. This is an intuitive judgment on the part of the manager.

Step two is to marginally increase the current complexity of the task, in the form of a project, with the promise of project debrief on completion.

If the project is successful, it’s a prompt for the next project, a bit more complex, with the promise of a debrief on completion. Continue. Continue until there is failure.

When a team member reaches the point of failure, we now have a better grasp of the individual’s competence. We know where they are successful and where they fail.

Give it some time and challenge them again. And again. As long as the team member is employed by the organization, it is a continual process of challenge to the point of failure.

Play at the Highest Game

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Skill is made up of two elements, technical knowledge and practiced performance. If the skill is to throw a ball, there is some technical knowledge you need to know about the ball. Does the ball have seams, round or oblong, fingers around the ball or inside the ball, underhand or overhand. You see, there’s some technical knowledge you need to know about the ball.

But if you really want to get good at throwing the ball, you also have to practice. When I interview a candidate, not only will I interview them for their technical knowledge, I will also interview them for their practice. What is your frequency of practice, depth of practice, duration of practice, accuracy of practice? Because if you don’t practice a skill, what happens to the skill?

And, so it also works with challenge. For a person to be happy in their job, they have to be challenged, at least for some material duration of time, to their highest level of competence. This may be as small as ten percent, maybe 40 percent, but some material duration of time. Without challenge, we get bored. Of course, we can complete the mundane portions of our tasks, but without challenge, we go home empty. We completed the checklist, but completed nothing of significance.

As we design roles for people to play, we have to adjust those roles so people play at their highest game, at least for a portion of each day. Because if we don’t practice a skill, the skill goes away.

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.

Event Driven

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“I think I second-guess myself when I think about what will take our company from here to there, to the next level, so to say,” Kylie wondered out loud.

“How so?” I asked.

“I just know, that I come to work each day, thinking about what I want to accomplish. But, before I get to my desk, someone ambushes me with an unexpected problem that has to be solved. It is difficult to focus on something extraordinary in the midst of derailment. Not that I can’t get us back on track, but then there is another something that happens.”

“And, so you feel like your life, your organization is driven by a series of unexpected events?” I pressed.

“You are right. Life would be much better if we could anticipate and predict, even little things,” Kylie nodded.

I shook my head. “You think things would be better if you could predict the future, but even if you could, which you can’t, you would still feel the same way. As long as you are driven by a series of events, you will be frustrated. Only when you are driven by a purpose, will you sense movement, inch by inch. There will always be problems and events. First you have to find a purpose, a purpose that has you.”