dklstrategy

Leadership is the glue that holds everything else that you do together

2011-09-20T03:26:00.000-07:00

Leadership is the glue that holds everything else that you do together, it is the route through which you get the things that you want in life and in business, well conceived leadership designs are an essential ingredient in the makeup of people who achieve. © dkl Accelerating Performance

As true as all this is why does leadership so often fail, and why do organisations who invest heavily in leadership development suffer such catastrophic failure: you can argue that the evidence for this is seen in News International, the Metropolitan Police and UBS. We may soon have to add the minders of the EMU to this list.

Strangely enough the answer is not complex, most people and business have some sense of where they are going to, and how they are going to get there but the failure occurs in the execution of purpose, or of not being very good at what you do.

The leadership world is full of people who will bang on about vision, mission, strategy and goals, but very few practitioners will get their hands dirty in making sure that the leadership messages are communicated throughout the organisation, properly understood, and then ingrained into daily practise.

When behaviour is in sync with the leadership message, things get done the way that they should do, but the responding behavioural practises have to be continually measured. You all know the maxim, "What gets measured gets done", well hey ho! It's true.

A word of caution, the leadership messages will change as circumstances change, and the required responding behaviour will need to change. Make sure that what you are measuring is not old hat.

Leadership does not come with an on/off switch, it always has to be in the on mode; really successful people and businesses get others to live out their leadership designs, generate the electricity, meter its flow, and let the light shine elsewhere.

You might believe that leadership is only a challenge when you are responsible for other people, that's not true! It may be more complex than when you are on your own, but you cannot lead others if you cannot lead your self. Being tuned into your personal leadership needs is the starting point for anyone in business.

The Communication Gap Kills Companies

2011-07-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

The recent furore surrounding News International raises many issues and it highlights the essential connection between Leadership and Communication. This, and the failure of BP to get it’s communications right over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill together with Gerald Ratners throwaway remarks trashing his own products demonstrate how communication and leadership failure can have a catastrophic effect on a company’s fortunes.

Leaders need to be able to effectively communicate what matters when it matters, they also need to heard properly and to generate a climate in which they get to hear from subordinates critical information that comes their way. Companies can only operate in this happy state by analysing their leaders communication style, testing its impact on direct reports and other stakeholders, and then managing The Communication Gap.

The Communication Gap consists of the parts of the leaders message that is not heard or is misheard, plus the critical information held by subordinates that is not passed up the line.

Measure it, train and develop in order to ameliorate it; and then manage it.
The impact of failing to do this can propel companies into disaster management.
Leaders depend on communication.”

Is your glass half empty or, half full?

2010-11-30T07:49:00.000-08:00

When the sun shines or when the rain pours and you go out to play your game, it is the same for both sides: and more often that not, one side wins and another side looses.

Life is a bit like that,the nation has a millstone of debt round its neck, the banks have not come to the party, and the world is full of naysayers. However, the next few months will see winners and losers so, what are you doing to make sure that you are a winner.

It starts with attitude.

Do you have self-belief?
Are you determined?
Are you resilient?
Do you know what you are doing and what the outcome will be?
Will you keep your focus?

Its a fact that the winners are not always the most talented and they are not always the cleverest, but they are the most focused and determined: they never give up.

Most problems have solutions and if you don't have the answer, get someone to help you.
When you have solutions your glass goes from being half empty to being half full.

Organisations without a vision screw things up.

2010-11-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

Organisations without directors who have bought into the vision screw up big time.

One of the great routes to disaster is to put the horse before the cart; in business terms this translates into running a business without having crystallised the vision into an inspirational statement that sits in the mind, and is the final arbiter in decisions about what is worthwhile.

Know what is compelling about your organisation and make sure that everyone in your world knows what it as well.

How else would people know if they were acting in the best interests of the organisation?

You may be surrounded by people who know what the vision is, but don’t buy into it. These are the real naysayers; always surround yourself with people who challenge and test every aspect of the decision making process; every aspect that is, except your values and your vision. Real naysayers should be shown the door because they will not only rot your teeth, they will also rot the teeth of those around you.

So if you haven’t got a vision and the commitment of the key people in the organisation to it, deal with it today.

The simplest things can often take a long time to get right, and they often need the help of outsiders to create.

A vision is like a well cut diamond: it takes a long time to cut and polish, and it needs to be in a prominent and enduring setting to show it off to best effect.

Inside looking in does not always cut it!

2010-11-07T05:04:00.000-08:00

Deciding to get external advice can be an emotional experience.

Most people know if they need an engineer, an accountant or some other professional expertise, but to call someone in to question the fundamentals of the business implies a self-criticism too far for a lot of people. After all, what could someone who is not close to the business bring to the party?

As with many issues this can be more difficult for small and medium sized businesses than it is for large businesses. Large businesses can afford the luxury of non-executive directors who are constantly in place to bring an outside view and fresh thinking, whilst smaller businesses often make do with the advice of their existing professionals, or ad-hoc conversations.

Research consistently shows that companies taking external advice outstrip those who do not. If you have not recently asked yourself the questions:

What am I doing?
Why am I doing it?
Am I doing it effectively?
Is my business sustainable?
What next?

and you do not have the answers etched into your brain,
and if your immediate colleagues don't know what your answers are.
there is room for improvement.

More importantly, the answers will make more sense when they are asked in the context of a strategic review process, rather than as an afterthought when another fire has had to be extinguished.

Sharing this process with an outsider is an act of strength, not weakness.

Is something missing from your business?

2010-10-28T00:51:00.000-07:00

just managing what you have got is like standing on a small island of sand, ultimately it will ebb away into nothing. Change is the engine of progress and paradoxically, it is needed to maintain market position as well as improve it.

It is easier to identify targets for change that it is to make changes: ask yourself, how are you going to make the changes that you deem important?

Change is a process, and their are clear steps along the way.

1. Develop and share a vision, and be absolutely committed to it.
2. Get all the stakeholders on board, internal and external.
3. Visualise the future and create a route map towards it.
4. Start! Get everyone's goals aligned, and have a system to keep them aligned.
5. Monitor the commitment and activity. Always ask the question: is what we are doing consistent with our commitment to the change that we want?
6. Create urgency and momentum.
7. Realise the benefits and measure their value.
8. Always understand that you may have to adapt and make unforeseen changes along the way.

Uncertain about starting?

Why do so many Change Management initiatives fail?

2010-10-25T04:12:00.000-07:00

In a recent poll of 607 senior executives 58% said that over the past five years, half or fewer of their change initiatives have been successful.

Senior executives say that the most difficult aspect of change is the winning of hearts and minds, and the lack of management buy in.

Some way down on the list of reasons is lack of commitment by senior management, and poor communication.

Neither of these issues can be addressed without the wholehearted commitment of the team at the very top, together with clear ownership and accountability at that level.

There has to be a process of engagement that cascades through the organisation and makes real time performance visible where it matters.

The process has to be flexible enough to cope with the impact that external factors have on the change programme.

Most importantly the change has to be led by people within the organisation and not by outside consultants, otherwise the engagement will be weak.

Listen to "File on 4 - Foundation Hospitals: An Acute Crisis?" at http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/vcpfb for an example a consultancy cure being more expensive than the problem.

Please mail me on dkl@dk-l.com if you want to discuss the value of minimalistic consulting that primes the pump, rather than the overly expensive type that drains the well.

Does your business match your vision?

2010-10-19T04:16:00.000-07:00

Having a powerful and inspiring vision for your organisation helps you and the people that you work with to make critical decisions effectively.

Having Critical Success Factors in your Key Results Areas fleshes out this vision and inspires both your Strategic and Personal Performance Goals.

Importantly, having goals that will deliver your vision: and then, measuring performance and continuously monitoring the achievement gap will focus your activity in places where it is needed most.

Get this right!

So many organisations waste effort and resource in activities that are not central to their vision.

If you are in one of these organisations then either, the vision or, the activity is wrong.

Do you know which is wrong?

Critical Success Factors

2010-10-12T01:08:00.000-07:00

Do you know what the single most important thing that you have to achieve to make your business a success?
Do you know the most important areas of your business in which the success or failure of your business is determined?
Do you know what the most important thing that you have to achieve is in each of these Key Result Areas?
What do you do each day to achieve?
Do you have a memorable vision and memorable strategies for your business?
Do you act on them each day?
Do you measure your results?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, your business is at greater risk than it needs to be.

This is the second of a series of blogs about Critical Success Factors.

Your Critical Success Factors

2010-10-06T00:46:00.000-07:00

They are the areas of your business or life that are absolutely essential to its success.

They are simple, specific, intended to inspire, and they are outcome related.

The literature on this subject uses a wide range of definitions and makes the subject overly complex, it is their clarity and simplicity that makes for effective decisions and action when complex choices have to be made.

This is the first in a series of blogs about how Critical Success Factors which spin off from your vision, help you communicate what is at the heart of what you want to achieve: they can transform business performance.

2010-10-02T10:02:00.001-07:00

Embrace Change http://twitter.com/#

The managers of the Pakistan cricket team have got no balls!

2010-09-01T23:48:00.000-07:00

Call it circumstantial, but to mange to bowl three no balls at given moment in time in a 5 day cricket match? Getting the forecast of this right is probably more difficult that winning the lottery, which in turn, is more difficult than being struck by lightening.

Well, Pakistan's finest might want to do the equivalent of leaving the fox in the hen-house on the grounds that the teeth marks in the dead hens might belong to next doors dog, but the rest of us would want not want to leave anything to chance.

Parading the potential miscreants in any match until this matter is resolved is sticking two fingers up to the rest of the cricketing world and hiding behind the skirts of the plod. A bit of internal investigation and applied common sense would put these guys in suspended animation until something definitive is alleged.

........and I thought that not training managers was a particularity British virtue: or is just that the managers of the Pakistan cricket team have got no balls!

Gordon hasn't got it?

2010-09-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Emotional Intelligence (IE) is in the news, according to Tony Blair; Gordon Brown has not got any!

Well it may, or may not be true, but being clever is not the bee all and end all of performance, and lacking the capacity to recognise one’s own feelings and those of others in managing relationships well can be critical in screwing up the smallest company, let alone the State.
Organisations that have people lacking IE can possibly fail, and in any event, they are very likely to be unpleasant places to work.

If you haven’t got it, is there anything that you can do about it?

Yes, if you are prepared to take time out to eliminate some bad habits and to acquire some new ones.

Personal leadership that sets realistic targets and focuses on strengths rather than weaknesses, and invites and listens to constructive criticism; will over time produce better results. For example, salespeople with IE are about 20% more effective that those without it.

Whether you are an established leader, or an emerging leader, you can avoid being like Gordon.

2010-08-26T00:32:00.001-07:00

Aligning resources and employees to a companies goals http://ping.fm/jbpHc

2010-08-25T08:14:00.001-07:00

Difficult decision to make? http://ping.fm/J6Xky

2010-08-25T04:54:00.001-07:00

Talent without discipline? http://ping.fm/h66Es

2010-08-24T10:25:00.001-07:00

Twitter / Home http://twitter.com/

Pray Silence for the Inquest

2010-06-28T00:58:00.001-07:00

When expectations are not met and the safety of the nation is not at stake, isn’t the best response an inquest not an execution. An inquest not conducted by the self-interested and involved, but by individuals far removed from the cauldron of clichés that inhabits the world of English football.

The team, the manager and that collection of bumbling idiots at the top of the game are not going anywhere, and they are not going to do anything that is going to fundamentally change our approach to the next international competition in the next 6-12 months, so lets us have a long hard look at what makes other international teams more successful, and act accordingly.

Could it be that other countries have football associations that pull their weight and are not dominated by a grotesquely unbalanced league, paying unsustainable wages from a base of £2 billion pounds of debt?

Sacking the manager might appeal to the blood lust of the tabloids, but it will not change anything. Let’s have a proper independent debrief followed by some in depth analysis and put playing for country back at the top of the pile.

I've told them so many times, they just don't listen

2010-06-25T01:14:00.000-07:00

"I've told them so many times, they just don't listen" is the perpetual retort of the failed communicator.

This happens with children and it happens in business: the fact is that communication only works if the two parties are properly engaged and if a commitment is being sought, that the message is understood and accepted. This may seem to be simple stuff but so much communication effort is lost because the sender does not engage in a process where the intended listeners are listening and there is no confirmation that the message has been understood and accepted.

At one end of the spectrum this is plain rudeness, characterised at it's worst by raised voices and the senders prime desire to express an emotion, at the other end of the scale there is the vague and whispered message redolent of a reluctant messenger desperate to leave the room to avoid the flack that might meet the news.

Communication involves respect, the respect that comes with understanding that because you have something to say, that it may not mean that anybody wants to listen.

Businesses fall apart without well deleveloped communication skills at every level of the operation.

You cannot lead from your personal silo!

2010-06-24T02:18:00.000-07:00

In small and large organisations strategies need to be clear and effectively communicated: they also need to be translated into measurable organisation and personal action plans.

Buy in at the emotional level helps as no one wants to be surrounded by a bunch of naysayers at the strategic execution stage: having the plans in place, and the results of relevant measurable criteria visible across the organisation drives constructive rather than destructive criticism.

Well meant leadership and change initiatives often fail because even if personal action plans are aligned to key organisational objectives, the alignment is not maintained when events tilt the tiller.

Reacting to change may mean adjusting strategies and plans. Reacting effectively to change means that information about personal and company performance has to be visible to all the stakeholders contributing to performance.

Are you the kind of leader that will make your personal progress visible to the whole organisation?

Are you the kind of leader that will insist on the same level of exposure for all the stakeholders in performance?

You cannot lead from your personal silo!

Negotiation needs preparation

2010-06-14T04:10:00.000-07:00

If you play your hand well, negotiating from strength is always going to lead to better results, but in many instances players have not fully evaluated their strengths and weaknesses, and have assumed that the other side is all strength and no weakness.

Preparation before negotiation is essential.
Goal setting around the outcome is extremely helpful.
What is the most and least desired outcome, what is unacceptable etc?

Have a good look at the strengths and weaknesses of either side, and be objective when doing it, try and keep personalities out of picture unless there is a weakness to exploit.

Above all look for leverage, and if it does not exist, think about how you can create it. Bluffing might be all right in Poker but it is a strategy of despair in business.

You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet

2010-06-11T01:20:00.000-07:00

"The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision.
You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet."
Theodore Hesburg, former President of Notre Dame University

"If you want to build a ship don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teacher them to long for the endless immensity of the sea,"
Anon

How clear is your business vision?
Do you have a personal vision?
Does your business vision serve your personal vision?

Gaining, maintaining, and communicating clarity of vision when leading a business is the precursor to success. If it is not, then effort and resource is wasted; getting it right is both motivational and cost effective. Government and public sector take note.

If there is insufficient alignment between your personal vision and your business vision it is likely that you will not be the whole 10 yards in either camp.

There are no 5 minute fixes for these problems and a degree of souls searching is involved in getting it right, very often it will involve the abandonment of sacred cows.

Third party involvement will accelerate the process.

Remember, you can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.

Create your personal leadership notebook

2010-06-10T05:28:00.000-07:00

Look after and lead yourself, and you will be able to look after and lead others.

As the summer hopefully brings one or two restful days, take time out to think about what's important to you. You may like your electronic gizmo or old fashioned pen and paper, but make a note of the ideas that come to mind; use your camera to capture to capture images of things that remind you about what's important to you. Above all, enjoy the process.

As you assemble your notes (one page per idea gives space for subsequent reflections) see if there are any patterns, if your ideas can be grouped into 6-8 buckets they will be easier to remember and they will stick in your conciousness.

At the end of the summer, you can probably define an over-arching goal in each of these areas, and you can use them as your route map for the near future.

There is an old Lancashire saying:
"The cobblers kids are the worse shod."
Heed the sentiment of the instruction to parents travelling with young children on aircraft,"When the oxygen mask falls down put yours on first."

Look after and lead yourself, and you will be able to look after and lead others.

Old ideas can be like stale bread.

2010-06-08T04:49:00.000-07:00

Old ideas can be like stale bread.

How many times have you had a good idea, felt enthusiastic and then, done nothing about it. The moment of inspiration has been lost and with it the enthusiasm and drive to make the idea a reality. If the idea does come up your radar sometime in the future, it has lost it's appeal, it is tough and too difficult to digest.

However, not all these flashes of inspiration need to be so infertile, capture the moment, capture the idea in writing, and put the note where it will grab your attention when you have the time to think it through. If the note was worth writing, the idea will probably be worth thinking through.

Don't let good ideas go stale.

2010-06-07T23:06:00.001-07:00

The Myth of Scientific Marketing dklstrategy http://ping.fm/kz0n0

Fail-safe Goal Setting

2010-06-07T05:06:00.001-07:00

dkl run regular open workshops and programmes and the next one will be in Marlow on Tuesday 6th July 2010, it will take you on the road to Fail-safe Goal Setting

If you are overwhelmed by to do lists, if you want to get more out of your day, if you want to feel less stressed when the pressure is on or, if you wonder why you never have time for yourself: this workshop is for you.
Learn the essential skills of goal setting, prioritising and goal tracking.

Most people say that they have goals or, targets even if they are only New Year’s Resolutions. Few people write their goals down, and fewer people track them: performance is significantly improved when goal setting becomes a habit and is systematic.

This workshop will start you out on the route to better performance.

Written goals improve performance by 25%, tracking improves performance by 25%; combining the two improves performance by 65%. Learn how not to miss out on this technique.

You will now set goals that work for you.
You will leave the workshop with three important goals that you can work on immediately.
You will get a trial copy of our exclusive GoalTrak software.
You will get a 10% discount voucher (not transferable) which can be used in any purchase made 3 months from the date of the workshop

Half day workshops in Marlow £97 plus VAT
9.15 – 12.00 (Coffee at 9.00)
email dkl@dk-l.com to get registration details

Make hay while the sun shines.

2010-06-06T23:53:00.000-07:00

Make hay while the sun shines.

All too often there is a failure to take full advantage in periods where there is a peak requirement for your product or services. There are two basic reasons for this, the failure to anticipate, and the complacency of adequacy.

Truly effective organisations and people anticipate disaster and plenty in equal measure, they may not be specific in terms of a time frame but they play the odds, and they are prepared.

Truly effective organisations and people also have the ability to turn up their capacity when there is a peak in demand. As the peak dissipates there is rarely pent up demand waiting for you deliver in your normal time frame.

You cannot change the wind but you can change how you react to it.

2010-06-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

You cannot change the wind but you can change how you react to it.

So we are all being softened up for the forthcoming budget, the cuts will be deeper that expected etc. Armageddon is nigh etc. Well we all know the cuts are coming and you are left with the feeling that the messaging is more about managing our expectations that giving us any hard information.

There is the kind of wind that that carries messages in the ether but, when it has passed leaves no discernible trace.

There is also the kind of wind that leaves damage in it's wake and a lasting memory to boot.

This is a useful metaphor for business, you can ignore a lot of the noise and distractions which nudge you away from your core purpose, but you have to have the judgement to recognise an impending hurricane when you see it.

Are we in for stiff and prolonged breeze or, a hurricane.
It's your call, but don't over-react to it.

What you don't do often defines your effectiveness. #dklstrategy

2010-06-05T03:16:00.001-07:00

Of course you have to do the right things to be successful.

But, stopping doing the things are are not essential or can be delegated, will help.

From: http://ping.fm/WJ54Z

2010-06-04T07:41:00.001-07:00

"Squeezing the Orange". Getting more from what you have got. dklstrategy http://twitter.com/

Are you prepared for the downside? Be realistic about the risk of failure.

2010-06-04T01:50:00.000-07:00

Are you prepared for the downside?

This is not meant to be depressing, but there is some confusion between what "the everything will be wonderful brigade" call a positive attitude and taking a realistic view about potential outcomes.

If we want something, we plan and work for it and do our best to make it happen: but on those occasions when it does not happen there does need to be a "Plan B". Not having a "Plan B" often stems from a misplaced certainty that nothing can go wrong with "Plan A": worse still, it often stems from the fact that having a "Plan B" is such an unpalatable prospect it does not get considered.

Be realistic about the risk of failure.

What makes your company productive?

2010-06-03T04:43:00.000-07:00

What makes your company productive?

What is it that if you did more of it more effectively, would create sustainable profitable growth?

If you know what this is, your organisation should structured to drive this core purpose and only when this structure is lean and mean will you have a real handle on the core costs of the business. In most organisations the biggest add on to the core cost comes from the well meaning drive for change, it is not that change is undesirable but it is often not essential, and more importantly it may not be profitable.

The cost of change needs to separated from the core process costs and judged like any investment.
With a clear vision and and well defined destination points the value and priority of elements of change can be put in perspective.

Sometimes it needs someone from the outside looking in to bring clarity to this issue.

2010-06-02T13:27:00.001-07:00

Cross organisational collaborative goal setting works. http://ping.fm/oJQLT

You Do NOT Need a Business Plan to Start a Business

2010-06-02T03:50:00.000-07:00

You Do NOT Need a Business Plan to Start a Business

Have you got strategies for getting what you most want?

2010-06-02T03:25:00.000-07:00

Have you got strategies for getting what you most want?

Turning dreams into reality is where it goes wrong for most companies, even in the largest multinationals change programmes fail to deliver the expected benefits in 80% of the cases. So what chance do you have if you run a small company?

More chance than in a large corporate entity!
More chance because you can probably get all the stakeholders in one room!

Even so, all the stakeholders have to buy into the necessary change and play their part in making it happen. If this is not happening then you will need a facilitator and that could be me.

To get something that you most want usually requires change; make sure that you have got the strategies for change, get your stakeholder buy in and positive involvement and keep everyone aligned in the execution process.

Small groups can be more effective changing things with outside help.

Can you deliver on your strategy?

2010-06-01T04:44:00.000-07:00

Businesses don't always get as much as the expect because they are following strategies that are destined to fail.

Too often strategies relate to wishes that cannot be realised until some time in the distant future.

Blue sky thinking and distant dreams are very valuable but they do not always translate into strategies that deliver the necessary level of current performance to maintain growth.

Always have strategies which do not throw the baby out with the bath water and use 80% of your company resource on activity that will generate invoices within the next six months.

Working Together

2010-05-30T23:44:00.000-07:00

If you ask most teams as to whether they work together, the answer will come back as "of course we do", The reality is that some teams work together with widely differing levels of performance. Much has been written about the behaviour of teams and the individuals within them but less has been written about the framework within which teams operate.

Just as individuals work more effectively against the backdrop of well defined and written goals, so do teams, and so do teams of teams. Performance goals in organisations need to be aligned and stay aligned to key strategic goals; if too little attention is paid to this, then the personal agendas of the dominant team members take over.

Having team goals aligned is not enough, performance and tracking needs to be visible to all the team members and people outside the team who are impacted by the teams work. The individual team members goals that flow from the team goals need to be treated the same way.

To many teams operate without a clearly defined purpose and their efforts can be wasted without strategic alignment and visibility

2010-05-27T00:10:00.001-07:00

Seth's Blog on how to send a personal email. Is this too precious? http://ping.fm/addlw

Thick Value?

2010-04-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

The world and it’s aunt bangs on about added value when it come to selling in a any environment, let alone one that has been ravaged casino banking.
But what does it really mean.......................
It is not the kind that creates programmed obsolescence when every new phone comes out with a new set of fringe features.
It is not the kind that comes with different packaging, very often the same toys are sold in ever larger boxes where the art work has cost more that the product.
” Joe Public” has wised up to this nonsense and they increasingly want sustainable and thick value.
Businesses and individuals are being much more careful with their money, they will buy what they need but, the added value has to give them more of what they need and not some fringe benefit.
There is an internet driven market place out there which is full of suppliers offering free information and material which will give a moment of warmth until it is consigned to the hard drive and forgotten forever.
In the training and development world, true added value is about the quality of and the amount of time spent with clients.
Be the best; spend all the time that it takes to deliver a real result: that is true added value.
That is thick value.

Results do not live up to expectations?

2010-02-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Why do results rarely exceed expectations?
Oxford

More than 80% of intended change yields results wh

Oxford Business Chamber

The most successful people?

2009-11-04T23:50:00.000-08:00

The secret of success is doing something that you enjoy.

If you know what you want personally make sure that you have a strategy for realising it, and make sure that the results of your work support that strategy.

You will achieve this goal if you put as much effort and technique into achieving it as you would a work goal, and if you go about it step by step.

Why settle for less?

People with well defined personal strategies make good business leaders

2009-10-23T02:39:00.001-07:00

If you have not got your ducks in a row, how are you going to get anyone else's in a row!

Having the will to win is not enough; you have to have the will to organise to win.

2009-10-13T00:16:00.000-07:00

If you cannot write down the three most important things that you have to do each day to be successful, you probably have not got well defined goals or, you are not regularly prioritising them.

There is a lot of uncertainty and fear in the marketplace, and in times like this it is absolutely vital to have clear goals. Generally, people act on their fears or their goals: in the absence of goals fear will control what you do and the results almost never turn out well. Paul Meyer said, “If you are not making the progress that you would like to make and are capable of making it’s simply because your goals are not clearly defined.”

Goals don’t need to be complicated but you do have to own them: they need to be yours and not written to please and impress others. Above all, when you make a goal you are making a promise to yourself and nothing less than 100% commitment will do. Make your goals clear and measurable, anticipate the benefits, decide how you will overcome the obstacles to achieving them, and track your progress through to completion. Success is a journey; you begin to be successful when you start on the path to achieving your chosen goals.

Having the will to win is not enough; you have to have the will to organise to win.

No more two dimensional management in a three dimensional world!

2009-10-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

No more two dimensional management in a three dimensional world!

Our global economy dictates the need for a major shift in leadership and management capability, people at all levels in an organisation must specifically determine where they're going, and how they will get there.

Our capacity to organise ourselves is one of the things that distinguishes us from other species on the planet, but whilst we have made enormous strides in our physical development (as exemplified by Usain Bolt and athletes similar to him) there is much to be done to reach similar standards in larger than pack size groups.

Smaller workforces, intense competition, global connections, instant communications, quality demands, and customer requirements, are some of the factors that drive organisations to up their game in effectively monitoring their performance. Compliance often means that constancy and consistency are the watchwords of 21^st century management.

Inspiration and hard work alone will not get the job done, flying by the seat of the pants and workaholism destabilises any sense of organisational well being. Ultimately, well being is an essential to successful organisations in that more than anything else, it maintains resilience.

Effective organisational management is key to the parallel development of our enterprises and people; this will satisfy both sets of often divergent needs.

The accessibility of information that relates to performance which is current and easy to understand is one of the primary requirements for organisational success. Hard data swarms around most organisations like bees round a honey pot, but it is the selectively distilled data that is the substance of the promises that people make to each other within organisations that keeps the wheels turning. With appropriate, accurate and timely data, decisions can be made to adjust or maintain direction, objectives, and activities. Without this people centric data, organisational drift becomes the norm.

Having high quality information from people that you trust, information that goes to the heart of your challenges on hand 24/7, makes for better decisions more comfortably taken. There is more time available for thinking, more time available for planning and more time for the development of ever more effective strategies to cope with the fleeting dynamics of the market place.

This level of information accessibility is not just for the top echelon of an organisation; it is true for all the individuals within it who have decision-making and decision influencing capability: leaders, workgroups and individuals need the capability to channel communications laterally and vertically, ensuring the appropriate information reaches those that need it when they need it.

Giving all the appropriate people the capability to engage with, and track a goal from conception to achievement encourages and supports everyone's efforts to focus on the appropriate priorities. Truly collaborative goal setting software does this, it progressively helps to crystallise the key issues, and by speeding up continuous improvement and providing rock solid performance data, it leads to better decisions.

Whether it's a timely intervention to stop a loss, or inspirational action to make an organisation more effective, GoalTrak ^TMEV is an essential tool for getting and keeping ahead of the field.