If I overlook some of my personal fiascos such as: the airline that sold us nonstop tickets to London and then put us on a plane that couldn’t cross the Atlantic without refueling and the major appliance manufacturer with initials GE that decided it was easier to replace our six-month-old washing machine instead of sending a repairman to make adjustments – and then left us with a brand new machine that won’t run at all If I ignore those, and, instead, consider the many businesses I’ve worked with or talked with recently as a consultant, I’m pretty impressed. Lots of them are doing many things really well. But, of course, everyone can do better. So let me share some of the areas where I see the most pain and the greatest opportunity for improvement.
Increased clarity is the best option for improving profits, performance, and engagement. The reason more leaders aren’t pursuing greater clarity is they don’t recognize the lack of clarity that permeates their organizations and consumes their profit. A good part of that problem starts with the belief that they themselves are clearer than they really are. Where do you stand?
Look around you. Listen to the conversations. Read pretty much any meeting agenda. What will you find? Lots of people discussing, reporting, communicating, and reviewing – activities described by what I call treadmill verbs. Why do I call them that?
I am one of those people who can’t go to sleep at night until a problem is solved. I discovered this in math classes long before majoring in the subject in college. Heck, I discovered this as a small child every time I got my hands on one of those tangles of metal that can be separated into two parts only with the right twists and turns. As a software engineer, I continued to solve problems. All night long, if necessary. As a consultant, I am still solving problems, though now the problems involve business challenges, often quite twisted and tangled! And I’ve got to tell you, no matter how good I’ve gotten to be at solving problems, I still pay attention to process. Actually, let me flip that around. My success at solving problems is undoubtedly a result of using disciplined process. If you want to solve problems effectively, especially when working with others, a disciplined process is invaluable. My SPOT™ Remover for Problems will save you time and help you avoid ‘solutions’ that aren’t really solutions because they don’t work!
Welcome to the Clarity Quiz! Smart, effective problem-solving can be described in four basic steps. I’ve captured those steps using the acronym SPOT™, as in SPOT Remover for Problems™. Which step(s) of the problem-solving process do you think people most often short-change? Specifics – The first step is to determine the specific conditions under which the problem does and doesn’t occur in order to find the cause. Do you see people short-changing the process of identifying those specific conditions? Potential Causes – The second step is to identify potential causes that explain the specific conditions under which the problem does and doesn’t occur. Do you believe most people give enough attention to identifying enough potential causes? Or do they come into the problem with preconceived notions about the cause? Or perhaps they are already thinking about their preferred ‘solution’? Options – The third step is to identify your options for eliminating the cause. Do you think people are too quick to glom onto a preferred ‘solution’ and never really consider other options? Test – The final step is to test the most promising option to see if it really does eliminate the cause of the problem. How often do you see these tests performed? Or do people find their preferred ‘solutions’ so exciting that they rush ahead without taking the time to test? Make your selection and then continue to see if you are correct!
The RFP (Request For Proposal) process used by non-profit organizations has got to stop. It is inefficient and ineffective. There is no way it is in the best interests of your organization. Furthermore, there is no one in my global network of excellent consultants willing to participate and I’m sure we are not the only ones opting out. Let’s start with the inefficiency
Sensationalism and outrage hurt productivity and generate bad feelings. The provocation may be our unprecedented political situation or internal decisions that suddenly become unnecessarily difficult. Let me give you a simple, unemotional example.
The tangible outcomes of progress are easy to measure: sales, profits, market penetration, and yield, as well as number of products, parts, members, programs, etc. Many employees are pretty clear about their goals in relation to these type of results. But only those on the “production line” can really tie their own productivity to these metrics: Parts per hour, sales per week, hours per production, etc. Everyone else spends a lot of time talking, thinking, writing, and reading, often with little to show for it. As a matter of fact, the farther they are from the assembly line, the more time spent this way and the less time spent producing tangible value for which customers are willing to pay.
I’m often contacted about providing workshops and seminars. My most frequent response after listening to the caller is, “You don’t want training.” To understand why I would say that, think about the last class you took at your company. Or even an off-site class, for that matter. If you attended a really good session, you probably left with a good deal energy, eager to apply what you learned. That lasted until you got back to your office and the pile of business-as-usual on your desk and in your inbox devoured your fresh energy. It’s just like returning from vacation. Within about an hour, you are sucked back into the same old challenges and routines; you can’t believe you ever left.
There are 5.4 million job openings in the US right now. The unemployment rate is 5.3%, the lowest it has been since April 2008. That means competition for top talent is extremely high. Meanwhile, the average hiring process has increased by 10 days in the last 5 years. 10 business days! Two weeks! And that’s the average! That means some have gained far more than two weeks. If you are one of the companies with a slower hiring process, you probably “improved” your process by seeking more input, ensuring a consistent experience for all candidates, testing for anything from drugs to knowledge, documenting your decision more carefully. etc. And you may also have reduced the risk of a law suit from very small to tiny. But 10 days! With competition for talent at what’s probably an all time high, you can not afford to be slow! Speed matters! If your hiring process has gotten slower, I guarantee it is just the tip of the iceberg. What else is slower?