Adding value or cost?

Whenever people do anything in a business they either add value or cost - there is no in between.

A good question to ask yourself is "what am I or my team doing today, adding value or cost to the business"?

Senior people should ask "our strategy calls for 'X' therefore I will focus on that". Senior people are normally the highest paid so the investment of their time gets the best return by focusing on the strategic priorities.

Common sense? Maybe we should rename it 'rare sense' because I do not see people thinking like that very often.

Busy Fools

A key to success is aligning the strategy, business plan and individuals focus and effort. Are the right people spending enough time on the right things? This is not a question of time management it is about priorities. People cannot have 27 priorities; by definition they need 3 or 4.

A great test is to ask people what their job priorities are and then ask them to review their diaries over the past month and see how much time they have actually spent on their priorities. Most people get a big shock from this test.

It is too easy to confuse activity with productivity. Busy fools rush round from meeting to meeting telling everybody how busy they are…… productive people work out what their priorities are and put time in their diaries and stick to it.

Another test: When people call and ask for a meeting you put it in your diary. Q. Whose objectives are you meeting? Normally theirs. How often do you put time in your diary to focus on your priorities and stick to it?

Lesson: You are prepared to help other people reach their objectives but not your own…..

Q. Do all your key people understand their priorities – linked to the strategy and the business plan - and have they put the time in their diaries to focus on it?

Moral: An objective without a plan is a dream…..

So don't let yourself or your team be busy fools!

What do Leaders do?

Above everything else leaders take personal responsibility for results. They deliver what they are asked to do. The best leaders exceed expectations.
Here is how they do it:

1.They take responsibility for the objectives of themselves and their teams/projects.

2.They champion the strategy, the culture and the project plans of the business. With the best leaders you can deduct the strategy, culture and plan from listening to what they say and how they spend their time. In effect they become the business……

3.They act as ambassadors for the business both inside and outside and take a personal pride in its success and performance.

4.They continuously strive to make the business better by being open to new ideas and learning and offering ideas and innovations to the board and the team.

5.They coach and develop people in the business ensuring they understand the strategy and the culture.

6.They ensure that people’s activities are aligned with the business goals and priorities.

7.They stick to what they are good at but make sure they get people around them who can cover areas where they are less strong.

8.They set high standards of behaviour and performance and insist they are adhered to.

9.They constantly ask themselves is what I am doing today adding value to the business strategically?

10.They enjoy themselves, make work fun and don’t take themselves or the business too seriously.

Q. If you rated your top team against these 10 criteria what would it look like?

How will you measure your life?

Once in a while you read an article that makes you think deeply about what you are doing. One that stopped me in my tracks recently was by Clayton Christensen, a professor at Harvard Business School. The article 'How will you measure your life'? appears in the July - August 2010 edition page 46 - 51 of the HBR. In the article Christensen argues we need a strategy for our lives just as we do for our business. He poses these questions which he attempts to answer:

1. How can I be sure I will be happy in my career?

2. How can I ensure my relationships with my family become an enduring source of happiness?

3. How can I stay out of jail?

The final question may sound a bit lighthearted but it isn't. Christensen taught, amongst others at Harvard, Jeff Shilling of Enron fame......

I recommend this article to you and hope it makes the kind of impression on you that it did me.

Let me know what you think.

Get the Right People on the Bus

I used to think that Step 1 in the recipe for business success was to get a clear focused strategy. I now believe that Step 1 is to get the right people on the bus with you and strategy is Step 2. The reason is that without the right people a strategy cannot be designed or delivered successfully.

Tips for getting the right people on the bus:

- Ask 'if I had a clean sheet of paper how many of my team would be on the list?
- Ask 'how many of my team consistently produce results beyond my expectations?
- Get the best people you can't afford!

Ask these tough questions and act on your answers.