Tag Archives: knowledge worker

The Loop of Virtue!

14 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in Developing talent, Management, Shared values

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Mobius

Think of an action movie where our hero is inside a large unfamiliar building trying to find and free a hostage. Meanwhile, there is a super-geek outside (with an amazing array of integrated systems, btw) guiding her through a maze of hallways, elevator shafts, and HVAC ducts as she karate-chops her way toward the prize and past the bad guys. That is, until her earpiece fails. Agghh!

In an earlier post I wrote how workers need feedback from management (coaches) in order to understand their current performance and how to improve it. Without feedback, our hero may eventually achieve the objective but the level of risk is too high and it certainly isn’t sustainable. Yes, she needs to be free to apply her expertise, improvise, and follow through but she also needs someone on the outside to add perspective and context and ensure she gets timely, relevant, and actionable information.

A feedback system must be integrated into the management/worker relationship and it doesn’t have to be complex to be effective. Workers don’t want to be in a “If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you,” situation. Give them the information they need, tell them how they’re doing compared to others and other groups, and give them the chance to develop new knowledge to do their work. Here’s a loop you can adopt today.

ANNUALLY

  • Formally assess performance from the prior year.
  • Discuss the current company business plans for context and purpose.
  • Revise the job description together.
  • Ask the worker to set goals that you will review, discuss, and finalize together.

QUARTERLY

  • Assess progress against goals from the prior quarter.
  • Revise and adjust.
  • Create and sequence goals for the current quarter.

MONTHLY or WEEKLY

  • Meet 1:1 periodically (frequency based on the need of the worker and the work).
  • Revise and adjust.

DAILY/FREQUENTLY

Nowadays I don’t hear about management-by-walking-around. MBWA is a powerful management tool that creates a dialogue. It shouldn’t be a “Caught you being good/bad” thing but, rather, a sign of a persistent and productive relationship with an endless loop of information, knowledge, and ideas.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

The Golden Rule

14 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in Management, Shared values

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

trust1

Ethics, or moral principles, can be defined as, “Accepted rules of conduct by an individual or group.” We’ve heard the Golden Rule which urges, “Treat others the way you would like to be treated.” I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone believes in that. At its core, ethics urge us to do the right thing and avoid the wrong thing so each individual, and group, may improve.

Ethics exist in businesses too. Conducting business in an ethical way improves both individuals and groups—and, in turn, improves the way customers, suppliers, partners, and others see us. A super-simple ethical test is to ask these questions:

  • Is it legal?
  • Is it fair?
  • Is it right?

Shaping your business decisions by the answers to these questions increases the trust of employees, customers, and partners alike and directly strengthens brands.

Values can be defined as, “Principles, standards, ideals, or judgments of worth, held by an individual or group that have a certain weight in the choice of action.” When we have a choice to make—especially a difficult one—we consider what is most important to us. For example, when buying a car if we value safety over cost we might select the side airbags. If, on the other hand, we value ecology over luxury we might buy a hybrid instead of an SUV. If we value self-reliance it may shape how soon, or if, we ask others for help. If we value teamwork we may start our projects involving others from the outset, rather than bringing them in half way along, etc.

So, my question is this. If you happen to agree—and I doubt I’m provoking much controversy—when was the last time you specifically probed job candidates to understand their business ethics and personal or business values? Or, when you formed the strategy for your business, did you spell out the values that will guide you? When was your last “All hands” meeting where ethics and values were discussed?

Just sayin’…

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

Rotten Carrot, Broken Stick

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Developing talent, Effectiveness, Management

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Carrot and stick

Recently, I spent my lunch listening to a good friend describe the hell his boss has created at work. I’ve heard countless stories like his—and I’ve told a few myself. Why do some managers still think they can manage through intimidation and fear? Ignorance is the only answer because correct management practices have been documented since, at least, the 1940’s.

Just before your grandparents were born, maybe your great grandparents, most people lived on the margin. Today we think about the hungry and the homeless. But, not long ago most people were in agriculture and their very survival depended on the annual harvest. One missed crop and entire families, sometimes for generations, were fated to abject poverty. When people started migrating to cities to work in factories and organizations, hunger and fear was a potent motivator—and a few more cents per hour was life altering.

But, for some time now the carrot and stick hasn’t worked—in fact it is counterproductive. On the stick side: if you lose your job nowadays you will be mildly, perhaps greatly, upset. It won’t be comfortable and the consequences may be significant. However, you will not starve. So, intimidation just makes workers mad. On the carrot side: we know that it takes a huge amount of money (or %) in modern society to be more than a temporary motivator. The number is so large it isn’t economically feasible to entice workers to better long-term performance using money.

Effective managers understand the great majority of workers want one thing more than anything else: achievement. And, they understand their job is to create the right environment. I’ve explored that environment especially here and here.

Additionally, it is the manager’s job to put process controls in place, create opportunities for continuous learning, involve workers in evolving their own jobs, ensure the organization actively supports their achievement, and makes sure their performance against high standards has consequences. These are the practices that are part of a healthy and high achieving culture. The carrot and stick are dead—it’s time they were buried.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

Related articles

 

The Right Job for You

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Concentrating effort, Management

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Jobs search

Do you know how to design the right jobs after creating an organization that reinforces and facilitates your focus on customers? Here are the raw materials, and how to combine them, to make sure every job creates maximum value.

Why: Losing contact with why your company exists, getting caught up in the what and how of everyday work life, is a natural trap. It’s an insidious problem second only to losing contact with customers. When you set out to write job descriptions, have your purpose, vision, and mission statements right next to you. Make sure the job you’re about to create has clear and immediate links to why your company exists and its future.

Customers: Every job needs to explicitly create value for customers. It must be plain that every job exists to impact customers, not to support or facilitate some thrice-removed internal process.

Information: As discussed earlier, the work input and output of today’s worker is information. Clearly describe the kinds information the job requires and the information it produces—thereby satisfying others in the organization.

Results/Standards/Measures: Just like resumes, you don’t want to see ones that describe responsibilities. You want to see accomplishments against high standards and the degree to which the results missed or exceeded the goals that were set.

Relationships: Every job is in relationship to others. Describe the social context of this job and the flows of information.

Your People: Workers who do the job are really the only ones who know what the job is and how to do it. Involve them as early as possible in the design and improvement of their jobs. This is especially important to adding the final element: contribution. That is, the specific benefits the individual hired for the job can uniquely provide.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

Form Follows Function

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Concentrating effort, Management

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Ideal Org Design

Being out of touch with customers is not an ailment that only afflicts mature organizations. It can happen to any company, any size, and at any stage. Sure, big company warning signs are easy; bloated departments, managers with one or two employees, endless meetings focused on internal—or worse yet—political issues. But startups aren’t immune either. Think about what you’re really hearing when the entrepreneur-next-door says something like, “We have zero competition,” or “We have built-in virality.” Equally ominous, is the claim, “We target everyone.”

There are a gazillion reasons why companies don’t establish proper contact, or lose touch, with their customers. One of the most overlooked causes I’ve seen is the way some organizations are designed. Whether unintentional or not, the organization itself can separate those on the inside (coworkers) from those on the outside (customers).

To avoid this I advocate three things in organizational design.

  1. Every employee should be no more than one degree of separation from the customer. This means they can get their hands on customer information directly or, with minimal assistance, be in direct conversation with customers.
  2. No employee has only internal customers. Treating your fellow employees the way you would treat your best customer is a powerful metaphor but it doesn’t substitute for actual outside customers. Everyone in the organization must feel personal responsibility for real customers.
  3. Executives, at all levels, should sponsor at least one outside customer. Like an air vent, a lasting relationship with even a single important customer is an invaluable conduit from the outside that continually refreshes the inside.

We already know that the business of running a business is complex and all consuming so let’s design customer contact into the structure of your business right from the beginning.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

Perfect Pitch

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Innovation

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Tuning fork

I’ve been researching how modest startups in Silicon Valley pitch their ventures. It doesn’t take long to discover the ecosystem that supports entrepreneurs to speed pitch their ideas in group settings. Here are my early takeaways on effective presentations.

DURATION. You can literally pitch several times a week in the Valley. There is a wide range of event management styles so, depending on the event, you might only get 30 seconds when you were promised 1 or 2 minutes. Just be prepared.

NARRATIVE. Your story needs a beginning, middle, and end. Open strongly and finish with a flourish.

EMOTION. Make sure you coat your pitch with emotion even if 90% of your content is left-brained.

BUZZ AND HYPE. There’s a strong aversion to buzzwords and superlatives. Use plain language. Go here for more on this. If you just can’t help yourself, the jargon you do use better be correct and in the right context.

THEIR MONEY. Remember, an investor considers whether to move their money from somewhere and reallocate it to you. Never underestimate how interested they are in their money. Explain how you’ll be able to scale up to a business big enough they’ll care about.

WHAT/WHY/WHO. Clearly describe what your company does, why you’re doing it, and who you serve. Don’t get so wound up that your audience, while seeing your obvious passion, can’t figure out the problem you’re solving. If your product is new be sure to describe or demo how it works.

REPLACES/IMPROVES/COMPETITION. Describe what you’re replacing or improving. Even if your idea is easy to understand, use examples or anecdotes to create a clear picture. If your idea seems like a stretch—or if it’s old—expect to hear about it on the spot.

BUSINESS MODEL/SPECIAL. What makes you special/different/unique and how do you earn your money and manage your costs? In longer presentations, you’ll need to describe your finances to date and 3-5 years ahead.

$ OPPORTUNITY/SCALE. Know your total market size and the size of the segment you address. If you already have customers, talk about them. How will you acquire new customers and at what cost?

SITUATION/TEAM. Nothing you want to do is going to be easy. Who’s on your team and what’s in their track record to suggest you can make it happen? Where are you in your development cycle right now and what/when are your next few milestones?

THE ASK. Be clear about what you want. If it’s $1M, fine. If you’re just looking for a co-founder, make that clear too.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

Boss vs. Coach (Round 1 Goes to…)

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Management

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Vince Lombardi

Sports metaphors are so tempting. They are almost unavoidable when trying to explain how a particular something in business is much like something in sports. Who among us hasn’t heard, “Home court advantage,” “Slam dunk,” or “Break your duck”?

And, why is it that college and professional coaches are so often used as examples for business leaders to follow; and what explains the popularity of consultants calling themselves “coaches”? I think the reason is partly explained by the very nature of knowledge work.

You see, knowledge workers, e.g., scientists, software programmers, marketers, engineers, et al. are experts. They are unresponsive, or at least respond adversely, to being controlled, directed, and disciplined. The nature of their work requires three things for them to perform at a high level and to be effective: Meaningful work, feedback, and continuous learning. Of these, feedback, which needs to be timely, relevant, and actionable is the fastest way to help a knowledge worker improve her performance. When management provides knowledge workers with information, perspective, actual vs. projected performance, etc. it is acting much more like a coach than a hard-nosed task master trying to direct the action using rewards and punishments.

In sports, it is easy to see the way coaches give feedback to their players—experts in their own right—and the impact that feedback has on the individual or team. The coaching is often televised right there on the sidelines and the results are just as immediate. So, next time you’re thinking about how to elevate the performance of your team remember why coaching is a better perspective for you. Give your people the information they need, tell them how they’re doing compared to others and other groups, and give them the chance to develop new knowledge to do their work.

After all, it’s not like you have the time, or ability, to run out on the field, hike yourself the ball, fall back, make a difficult throw—and then go catch your own pass. You need players for that—and they need a coach.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

R.I.P. Customer Experience

13 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Customers

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

rip

Customer experience is dead! I’m not talking about businesses that only give lip service to creating a valuable experience for their customers. Or about those that put their own interests ahead of their customers’ or even those that treat customers as transactions instead of individuals. Although, as I’m sure you’ve experienced, all of this is often true.

What’s on my mind is something our greatest living psychologist, Daniel Kahneman, points out here. Apparently, each of us has an experiencing self and a remembering self. The experiencing self is the one who lives in the present moment—the one who is reading this sentence. The remembering self is the one who is in charge of memories—and it’s the one who is the boss with a B. Kahneman observes, our memories are all we get to keep from experiencing life so our only perspective is that of the remembering self. But its power doesn’t stop there. The remembering self also makes the decisions about which future experiences we’ll choose. The way it does that is by evaluating our future experience options and then simply selecting the one that’s likely to produce the best memory.

This knowledge has profound implications for business. It compels us to adjust our attention from creating and marketing “the customer experience,” toward creating what I’m calling, Memory Marketing.

I am creating Memory Marketing to help my clients develop memorable customer experiences. This opens up new perspectives for businesses and gives them new ways to transform their customers into loyal advocates.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

Can You Decide?

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Effectiveness, Results

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Question_Mark_Box

Executives make scores of decisions every day. Cumulatively, organizations make hundreds and thousands of decisions daily. How do you ensure the quality of your decision making measures up to your own high standards?

An earlier post explored how divergent opinions must be considered before the best decision can be reached. But your decision-making process must also be explicit if your decisions are to be efficient and effective—and subject to improvement. Drucker’s philosophy is that a specific decision-making process is essential. In summary, he calls for us to:

  • Make as few decisions as necessary. Many issues, when raised, have already been settled. Don’t waste time rehashing old decisions—unless there is new information or the context has changed. Many things that come up are just exceptions to decisions that have already been made. They don’t require new decisions so much as simple problem solving.
  • Before making a decision, establish what the decision must accomplish—including how it is to be measured and how stakeholders must be aligned for it to succeed.
  • Set aside enough time to make good decisions. Fast decisions are often bad ones.
  • Start with what’s right—not what’s acceptable—and realize many good decisions go against the grain and “The same old way.”
  • Convert decisions into action. No decision is a good decision until it has been fully implemented. Otherwise, it is just an intention.

Organizations large and small are prone to drifting. A small nascent organization is just as likely as a corporate behemoth to “fly by the seat of its pants, or rely on gut feel.” Implement a decision making process and you’re less likely to wake up one day with a mess on your hands wondering, “How did we come up with that?”

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved

How Confident on a Scale of 1-10?

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Management

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

self-confidence image

I recently touched on the notion that most organizations encourage, and even pressure, members to display confidence. To expand, I’d like to summarize some of Daniel Kahneman’s, work in Thinking, Fast And Slow because it has a lot to say to executives. In a nutshell, overconfidence can cause a world of hurt if we misunderstand how it works in decision making vs. how it works in implementing a course of action.

In decision making, overconfidence leads to a host of potential problems. First of all, we forget how little we really know about any given situation and we overestimate how much control we have over our environment. This alone creates a tendency to take more risk than we realize or should. Then, compound it with norms surrounding executive behavior. Imagine how successful Marketing Executive A would be if she were to admit how little she and her team really know about market trends over the next five years. Compare that to Executive B who confidently tells a very coherent and compelling story about how events will unfold over the same timeframe, backing up his story with selected information, imagery, and the swagger to match. Even if both executives were completely aware that each knew very little, still they would usually be penalized for admitting it. Because most organizations prize the stories of overconfident experts it leads them to take much riskier positions than a more thoughtful decision making approach otherwise would; where everyone is heard from and all must support their opinions with facts.

In implementation, however, confidence and optimism are true friends because they increase our resiliency. Even excellent and/or lucky decisions require implementation, and things never seem to go smoothly. We encounter setbacks. Funding comes in fits and starts. We lose or transition key personnel. Competitors react or anticipate our moves.

Confidence and optimism are essential to weather the ups and downs of putting our decisions into action but should be regarded skeptically when making those same decisions.

Jim

Lucavìa
gojimlucas@lucavia.com
www.lucavia.com
(925) 980-7871

Tweet
© Copyright Jim Lucas 2007-2013 All Rights Reserved