In the Zone!

One of the hardest tasks for an organization to accomplish is the identification of its core strengths.

Companies tend to be egoic–championing every accomplishment without regard to consistency in achievement.

Real and tangible progress occurs when the strategic minds of the organization come together to ask questions like:

What business are we in?
What sets us apart from the competition?
What do we possess that others would be hard pressed to replicate?
If our largest customer were to leave tomorrow, could we survive?
Where are our blindspots?

The idea in asking these fundamental questions is to whittle the elements of the business down to the simplest moving parts. These are the gears that churn out innovation and they are most critical to the functioning of the organization.

There are many ways to approach this exercise, but the best methods utilize open-ended questions, a diverse group of thinkers, honesty without reprimand, and accountability to the results.

The benefits gained are numerous.

1. Re-allocation of valuable resources in the direction of those areas with highest ROI.
2. A better sense of purpose and direction with new vision for the future.
3. Realization of new markets and customers (in chop shops, we call this selling the car for parts).
4. Establishment of a true “niche” with calculated, consistent successes and achievements.
5. Extended shelf life by removing barriers to innovation and avoiding or delaying substitution.
6. Identification and protection of intellectual and human capital central to organizational success.
7. Ability to compete more effectively (when you know who you are, you better understand who is your competition).

Companies that operate “in the zone” do so by undertaking tremendous, calculated risk. They properly assess their strengths and weaknesses, identify their core, realign their business to function within that core, educate, equip and empower their employees to function successfully within that core, and then step out with their best foot forward.

I have read of companies reporting upwards of 20 to 40% increases in profitability as a result of such a process. But it is, indeed, a process. One which requires full commitment to the results. Sadly, many companies are unwilling to set ego aside to face hard truths until the market contracts upon them, forcing such an action. By that time, the change is painful and the trust of the employees is difficult to regain.

Get “in the zone” while there is still time for your organization to maintain influence over the vision, direction, and message of change.

Making Plans

Every business plans.

Plans are useful in that they serve as roadmaps to follow. They are the anchor for our visions. Visions tell us where we want to go; plans tell us how we will get there.

Too often, however, we follow plans without a corresponding vision.

When I first tried to navigate the subway system in New York I was completely overwhelmed. I knew where I wanted to go, but there were multiple ways to get there–or get lost. When time is a luxury, you can afford to make a few wrong turns. The wrong time to try a new route is when you’ve got to be somewhere in a hurry. It is even scarier when you have to go somewhere you’ve never been before. Your turns can become erratic as you chase the ever-elusive street that brings you back to sanity and the familiar. To quote from The Lord of the Rings: “It’s a dangerous business, going out of your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” How true.

The things we work on today have an impact in the future. Therefore, we must be discriminating about what we are attending to–where our efforts are focused. The plans we make today must lead toward the vision we have crafted.  This is often why plans proceed forward, but the development of those plans proceeds backward. We begin with the end in mind.

A well-crafted vision takes into consideration the unique footprint of the organization–its workforce, capabilities, market position, competencies, resources, and culture. Once the vision is cast, then the plans that are developed must also be reflective of these same considerations. Those responsible for the development of such plans must answer the following questions:

1. What does our workforce look like?
2. What are our current capabilities?
3. What is our position in the market?
4. Are we functioning within our core competencies?
5. Do we have the resources we need to fulfill our objectives?
6. Is our culture a help or a hindrance to our success?

Two competing objectives lead to an unrealized goal. Anytime we experience disconnect or a misalignment, we have either pursued conflicting plans (lack of focus), developed shortsighted plans (lack of foresight), diluted our strengths (lack of concentration),  stretched ourselves beyond our means (lack of provision), set the wrong course (lack of direction), or tried to be what we are not (lack of identity).

On the other hand, when we make plans that are aggressive, accurate, authentic, aligned, and aware, we can be sure that we will experience ACHIEVEMENT.

Casting the Vision

Without vision, the people perish.

One of the responsibilities of leadership is the casting of vision. Vision should not be confused with mission (although it often is). Mission is why your business exists. Vision is what you want your business to become. The fundamental purpose for your business might not ever change, which is why mission statements are largely static and unchanging. But vision should constantly change just as what you see on the horizon becomes clearer.

Meeting sales goals, expanding business territory, and acquiring a new product line do not represent vision. These are merely operational tools used along the way toward a vision. Yet businesses will construct operational goals without a corresponding vision to guide the productivity.

This is similar to the traditional parenting style that instructs children to follow the rules “because I said so.” Well, any parent will tell you that you might get some cooperation out of the child, but you will not get an enthusiastic helper. In fact, you will probably spend time going back over the work the child was assigned to do. Why? Lack of motivation.

Vision is inspiring. It meets the WIIFM test (What’s In It For Me), but it stretches the capabilities of the workforce to a new dimension that requires everyone’s input. Vision cannot be rolled out at an annual meeting, or read in the company newsletter, without a corresponding effort to make the vision tangible for everyone being asked to buy into it.

Vision often charts a difficult road, because it paints a picture with inherent gaps. The gaps represent where the company is today in the fulfillment of the vision down the road. Change must occur to fill the gaps. Any leader can tell you that the most difficult form of change is the changing of minds. People must be convinced that what will be achieved is worth the effort to do things differently.

Vision is risky, so there must be frequent communication and “map checks” along the way to celebrate small successes and detail how much further the company has to go. Companies have heartbeats; the vision caster must regularly nurture the company so the heartbeat does not fail.

• Don’t set a vision with such stretch that the company will burnout before it reaches the goal
• Don’t forget to celebrate achievements and recognize efforts along the way
• Always check the map; small adjustments are easier to achieve than large ones (Ref: Titanic)
• Be alert to groupthink and the dismissal of the dissenting voice

Leaders must become employee champions. I had a supervisor once tell me that his entire job was to make me more successful at mine. When employees are motivated toward a vision, not just one for the company but one for their personal and professional development as well, then everyone wins.

Be bold in casting a vision for your company, and a vision for your department that supports the overall corporate objectives. Ensure that everyone understands their contribution, the risks, the rewards, and your commitment to their success. As a parent, I’ve seen my son reach incredible heights with this simple formula. But it all starts with the vision.