How well do you know your metrics? Chances are you know the current values of them (if you don’t, that’s an issue). But, do you really understand what that number is telling you? Here are three simple questions that you should be able to answer for any metric: In plain language, what does this metric …
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What should you do with unprofitable customers? What about poor performing employees? Would you allow a quality problem to continue? If your sales were steadily dropping in one market, what actions would you take? Even though I didn’t give you any data, you probably know the answers to these questions. What you don’t know is …
Read more “Data doesn’t tell you WHAT to do just WHERE to do it”
I’m often asked at what point leaders can stop focusing on outcomes. The argument I hear is that some people’s jobs, especially those lowest in the organization, are just about executing tasks. I disagree. Even the most transactional activities have outcomes – otherwise why bother doing them? Every task, no matter how small, is done …
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We often hear stories of companies that keep two sets of books. One set is used for the government or other regulatory agencies. This one paints of picture of the business that falls within the governing body’s accepted ways of doing business. The other set actually shows what’s going on in the business. That’s the …
Many leaders use goals to create line of sight between an individual’s work and the broader success of the business. A problem that I see in many organizations is that while goals are passed from one leader to his or her direct reports, they tend to be “avalanched”. An avalanched goal is one that doesn’t …
In April, 2002 Yo Yo Ma and Condolezza Rice performed a duet during a ceremony in which Ma was awarded the National Medal of the Arts. It’s no surprise that one of them was a Humanities major in college and the other a Music major. What might surprise you though is that Condolezza Rice was …
Employee engagement continues to be an elusive outcome in many organizations. A Blessing-White study on employee engagement shows that only about 31% of employees in organizations are considered “engaged”. Organizations have poured considerable time, effort, and money into solving the engagement problem. Yet, there has been little to show for the effort. In The Upside of …
Read more “The modern day Sisyphus – are your people stuck in a meaningless loop?”
In his book, Educating the Reflective Practioner, Donald Schon recalls the story of how Bernard Greenhouse, a famous cellist, learned to play while studying under Pablo Casals. Greenhouse would spend three hours per lesson with Casals. For about an hour of each lesson, Casals would play a phrase and have Greenhouse repeat it. If Greenhouse …
Today we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his work, his achievements, and the work that he left behind for the rest of us to finish. A focal point in nearly every tribute I’ve seen is Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech. There is no question that his dream was an inspiration. However, Dr. …
You don’t have to be a Star Trek fan to be familiar with the phrase “Beam me up Scotty.” The creators of Star Trek imagined many far-out future technologies. The transporter is probably one of the most recognizable and famous. Ironically, the transporter wasn’t originally supposed to be used. According to the 2005 documentary, “How …
Read more “Beam me up Scotty – Constraint-driven innovation”