The Happy Burro

Times are tough all over. Your budget rarely gets increased. Your fixed expenses are going up. As a manager, you have more daily priorities than you have people or time to accomplish them. And then you get one more request, urgent, from the ‘top’. How do you balance all this while ensuring you are prepared for the coming year and another budget reduction?

1. Be the best. Whatever your job, do it like Michelangelo carved marble. Do your work so well that those before you, those that work with you, and those that come after you must pause and say, “There lived a great manager.”(from Martin Luther King Jr.).
2. Return on Talent. Now is not the time to back off on performance appraisals, rigorous and disciplined hiring, or rewarding your best people. You need the right people, in the right jobs - right now.
3. Innovate. Sacrificing the future to live through the present? That will not work for long. Reward new ideas in the area of continuous improvement - thus keeping alive the entrepreneurial spirit of your team.
4. Continuous Improvement. Get better at what you’re already good at. Your work will suffer if you don’t take time to ‘sharpen the saw.’
5. Strategic Quitting. ala Seth Godin and The Dip. You didn’t get to be a manager by doing everything. You chose to systematically quit doing some things so that you could be the best at others.
6. Resource the vital few. With a limited budget, you cannot give resources to everything. What are the critical drivers to success in the near term and longer term for your organization? Focus on these areas first.
7. Celebrate success. Even going a month with no one in the department getting sick could be a good time to cheer!
8. Involve everyone. Let your team help figure out how best to deal with the budget issues your organization is facing. Don’t work alone.
9. Rest. Take one day a week and do not work. Seriously - no BlackBerry, no email, no files, no papers. Give your brain a break. You’ll get more done in six days than seven in most cases. Resting is that powerful.
10. Stop Perfection. Don’t try to ensure everything is 100% perfect. Sure, you cannot waver from policy or law. What about other outputs? Does your demand of perfection end up with a 5% better product and a 45% drop in morale? Think about it. Not everything has to be perfect.

What do you do in your organization as a manager to contribute to the bottom line in tough times?

Joe Raasch :: Apr.27.2008 :: Change Management, Employee Engagement, Innovation, Leadership, Organizational Development :: No Comments »

Ever catch yourself telling your colleagues about that one time, during the big project, at another company, how you (Insert incredible achievement):

1. Saved the day
2. Won a big award
3. Received a big bonus
4. Scored the largest account ever

Why the Past Doesn’t Matter

Glory Days, my friend. Bruce Springsteen sang about this back in 1984! How boring to have to listen to stories about past glories in a job that isn’t the same, an industry that no longer applies, and a decade that is quite different in every way from today. Why do people do this? Does it matter that I received an award for work I did in 2001? That was seven years ago. S-E-V-E-N. What have I done lately?

Why the Past Does Matter

Who we are today is the amalgam of experience, education, and maturity gained over time. Our past, the triumphs and failures, shape the way we see today’s challenges, relate to the world, and experience others. There is no discounting the value of any of this.

The Art versus the Science

That said, filter early, filter often. While my experience 14 years ago may have made a tremendous difference in my life, my colleagues may have little interest. What we are able to apply, produce, change, today - that matters.

Joe Raasch :: Apr.21.2008 :: Innovation, Leadership, Organizational Development, Performance Management :: 2 Comments »

“Illegitimi Non Carborundum” - in mock Latin this means, “don’t let the bastards get you down!” In practicing and managing many or all of the 12 Issues Managers Face in the Workplace, you’ll notice a few additional issues to contend with.

The most significant issue is that you will be demanding excellence from yourself, and expecting excellence in your team and organization.

Individual Effect

Once you give yourself permission to bring your “A game” every day, you’ll wake up refreshed and excited to get going on your work. Problem is, you might find those around you a bit surprised that you are so motivated. Especially if you hadn’t been bringing that “A game” so often. This change is not that different from getting a new haircut, a new pair of glasses, or losing a lot of weight. People will see you differently, experience you in a different way. You’ll act different. Most importantly, you will feel different!

Team Effect

If your team isn’t used to being accountable for delivering projects on time, on budget and with superior quality, this expectation of excellence will be a big change. Resistance will be shown, or not (think passive/aggressive) and a certain ’soreness’ like a workout, will be felt. Keeping tight to goals and objectives will require your team to either get on the train, or feel left behind. Know that this is their issue, not yours.

I heard a story a few weeks ago about a team that went through some wrenching ‘excellence’ changes. One of the biggest resistors started wearing a tie a few months into the changes. When asked why he voluntarily started dressing more professionally, he said, “Things are better now. I have a new level of excellence to attain. I want to wear a tie.” The employee made the unprompted change. This change in dress code was not part of any methodology or excellence plan.

Organization Effect

Others in organizations are more reactive than proactive. Giving and requiring excellence are proactive and will bring out some significant reactions in your organization. You’ll start getting inputs on time. People will improve their quality to you, knowing that it will come back if they don’t produce. Others will openly try to pick apart everything you do. Remember, you have to deliver more excellence that you could ever expect to receive. There should never be any question of excellence in your work. Let the naysayers do what they wish - excellence is the path to accomplishing your goals and the mission of your organization.

Remember: “Illegitimi Non Carborundum!”

_________

Be ready for the change around you when you start to change. Be a student of the game! Keep your stance of curiosity. You will be amazed at what a difference one person, one team, can make in an organization. There is no need to defend excellence.

Joe Raasch :: Mar.22.2008 :: Change Management, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Organizational Development, Performance Management :: 5 Comments »