Road Improvements  

“Can You Tell Me Which Way I Ought To Go From Here”
By Mark Matteson

Do you remember the story of Alice in Wonderland? After attending a very strange party, she walked away with a baby wrapped in a blanket. The baby eventually turned into a pig and ran off. She then came to a fork in the road. Confused and frustrated, she did not know which way to go. No clear direction. A smile appeared in a tree, which eventually and mysteriously turned into a Cheshire Cat. Now filled with a small measure of hope, she asked the Cat, “Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” The Cat replied, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to?” Thinking for a moment, and not wanting to appear stupid, she replied, “Oh, as long as I get somewhere…” feeling like she needed an explanation. “Oh you are sure to do that,” the Cat replied, “If you only walk long enough.”

Ken Blanchard’s new book is a kind of the Greatest Hits of his last 10 books. It’s a must read for anyone leading a company. It’s entitled “Leading at a Higher Level.” He writes, “Leadership is about going somewhere. If you and your people don’t know where you are going, your leadership doesn’t matter.”

Leaders, like the Cheshire cat, are charged with the task of prompting those they serve with critical questions to clarify and capture clear direction. They are:

1. Significant Purpose
2. A Clear Picture of the Future
3. Clear and Prioritized Values

1. Significant Purpose
With your Senior Team, consider asking “What business are we in?” What do we really do and why? It clarifies from your customer’s perspective and viewpoint what business you are really in. FedEx used to say “Absolutely, positively overnight.” That states succinctly, in no uncertain terms what will happen to the customer’s package. It was brilliant and launched a great company.

2. A Clear Picture of the Future
Walt Disney and his brother Roy determined “We are in the Happiness Business.” Walt’s charge to each “Cast Member” was simple but very clear, “Keep the same smile on the customer’s faces as they leave the park as when they entered.” Your picture should focus on the end result, not the process.

3. Clear and Prioritized Values
High performing organizations clearly define the way employees act on a day-to-day basis while performing their work. What do we want to live by and how? Disney has four rank-ordered values: Safety, Courtesy, The Show and Efficiency. If you think about it, they make sense based on what we experience in one of their theme parks.

Recently, Chuck Orton and I facilitated a Leadership Retreat with a terrific company in Longview, WA. We asked them the following questions:

1. What Business are we in?

We then engaged in the following process:

• Asked each participant to answer the question on a 3 x 5 card

• Put them on the flip chart……

• Broke them into groups of three to four people…..

• Picked a leader….

• Discussed their findings….

Next, we asked them to consider the next Cheshire Cat Question:

2. What will the future look like when we are successful?

We then repeated the following process:

• Asked each participant to answer the question on a 3 x 5 card
   

• Put them on the flip chart……
   

• Broke them into groups of three to four people…..
   

• Picked a leader….
   

• Discussed their findings….

Finally, we attacked the third question:

3. What guides your behavior and decisions on a daily basis?

• Asked each participant to answer the question on a 3 x 5 card
   
• Put them on the flip chart……
   
• Broke them into groups of three to four people…..
   
• Picked a leader….
   
• Discussed their findings….

One of the biggest obstacles to productivity improvement stems from this problem of unclear organizational expectations and accountability. At times, the people management deems most responsible for a specific activity may be completely unaware of their true role and contribution to the organization.

For example, if you asked “Who is responsible for Sales in Mechanical Contracting?”
If you ask a Service Manager, he will say, “The Sales Person.”
If you ask the Technician, he will say, The Service Manager.
If you ask the Parts Driver or Warehouse person, they will say “The Owner”….interesting.

If you ask any of those people what they do they will say, “I deliver parts.” OR “I repair Air Conditioning Units” OR “I put out fires, and process invoices.” When in truth those are simply tasks. EVERYONE is in sales. We need to answer in unison, “We are all responsible for bringing in new business and keeping the existing customers delighted.”

The next step was to have them fill out a “Dashboard Decree” for individual goals. Work specific goals.

People must also know what good performance looks like. Performance standards provide that information. Limiting the number of goals to three to five are the ideal number on which peak performers can concentrate, according to most research on the subject. Once these goals are established, they should be written down so that they can be frequently used to compare actual behavior against targeted behavior.

The danger of not investing the time to do this with your team is they may get caught up in the “Activity Trap” mistaking activity for results. Busy doing what? Not the SMART things….

S.M.A.R.T. Goals make all the difference

S = Specific and Measurable
M = Motivating
A = Attainable
R = Relevant
T = Track-able/Time Bound

Specific and Measurable doesn’t mean “Better.” Be certain you understand the measurable, quantitative outcomes. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”

Perhaps it’s time you read your children or grandchildren the classis book, “Alice in Wonderland.” You might just be inspired to take your team, church, division or company through this process, capturing the future on paper.

William Blake, the great poet once wrote, “What is now proved was once only imagined.” Which way should you go from here? That depends a great deal on where you would like to go!

PS
Other books to make you think and inspire you to change this month:

• “Change or Die” by Alan Deutschman
   

• “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne
   

• “The Power of Nice” by Linda Kaplan Thaler
   

• “The Long Tail” by Chris Anderson

 Did you know?

Is the Scarecrow a lot like the Cheshire Cat? Or is Alice more like Dorothy? hmmmmmmm


 One for the road

Well, everybody is talking about it and I have read it three times already! The Secret

  Watch "The Road" Buddy!

If you're in Sales (aren't we all?), you really should sign up for Jeffery Gitomer's Ezine. His weekly video "sales rant" is top notch!


 The Boulevard

Now just released: "13 Secrets of World-Class Goal Achievers". Click for your fr*e*e copy!

PLANNING ON KEEPING YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS? According to Purdue University, and most experts, it’s not only important to have written goals, but you must have a plan to reach your goals.

Goals 2007 is the complete program to help you "create a life on purpose." Will 2007 be just another ho-hum year that started with good intentions? Or will it be YOUR Year! Your year to lose that weight you're tired of carrying...start that business you've been talking about...get out of debt for good. Are you tired of being stuck in the same gear?

Go see why one program graduate, Lucy O. said, "Breaking through, or at least finally recognizing, what my barrier is with writing goals, is a MAJOR accomplishment - one I've been trying to find for over 15 years! And I finally got it - I GOT IT!" Click Here

 The Wire's Conduit

The law of attraction? I guess that would include s*p*a*m and Spy*ware. Are you attracting it? If you reply to unsolicited emails you are. If you click on pop-ups you are. If you use file sharing software you are.

You shouldn't have to "unsubscribe" to emails you never "subscribed" to. If you do, then they know their emails made it to a live person. It's best to just let your s*p*a*m filter take care of those.

If you suffer from pop-ups then maybe it time to start using Google toolbar. It will block almost all pop-ups and give you the ability to allow them on a site by site basis. If you do get a pop-up, it's usually best to click the "X" in the upper right corner. Clicking anywhere else may trigger something else (like sending some of your valuable personal information).

If you use any file sharing programs (like the old Napster type) you are certainly loading up your computer with spy*ware. One of the best utilities is Spysweeper. Spybot is another good one and it's f*r*e*e!

Questions? email Kevin at kevin@mattesonavenue.com.

 

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