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Excellence.
Always.
All You Need to Know.
(More or Less.)
My recent Shanghai seminar went from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (or so), three days running. In fact, as best I can recall, this was the first time I've ever done three straight days, all day, by myself!
(Yes, I slept on the flight home from Shanghai to Boston; at least, I think I did—I don't remember.)
As the last half of day three began, I wanted to summarize—very succinctly—what had gone before. I pulled together 25 slides (attached), making just six points:
Point #1/Aspiration.
I recalled a seminar in Siberia in April 2006. Given the unusual setting, I dug deep into my often neglected packet of Basic Beliefs about Organizations. So I issued a challenge, and have issued it a hundred times since.
At its best (alas, hardly the norm), an organization, any organization can be/should be:
... an emotional, vital, innovative, joyful, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that elicits maximum concerted human potential in the wholehearted service of others—e.g., Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners.
My question, as I said, repeated now a hundred times: What else—literally—could the point be of any collective human endeavor, grand or mundane? No, I can't imagine this as the norm on any given day, but I can imagine this as a very real, very pragmatic aspiration. I've discovered that, upon serious reflection, most people agree that this is indeed a pragmatic aspiration—an aspiration worthy of measuring oneself and one's mates against.
This is the point of organization.
This is the point of organizing per se.
Period.
(Right?)
Point #2/Listen.
I have become obsessed with "listening." (About time, some of my friends might add ...) I think it was Dr. Jerome Groopman's book, How Doctors Think, that tipped the balance. Groopman observes that the patient is unequivocally the best source of information about the patient's perceived problem. But to extract useful info the doc must listen to lots of noise along with some signal. Alas, research that the average doc interrupts the patient after 18 seconds! I'd say the average [know-it-all?] boss is in the same sorry boat.
Everything (!!—big word) proceeds from listening—to our spouse, our kids, our friends, strangers along the way (my forte), our students, our employees, our customers, etc. And yet, while we study accounting or history or piano for years and years, we seldom if ever study listening.
Study.
Really study.
Pursue Mastery.
Pursue Excellence.
Become a "professional."
When "six-sigma" quality became the rage, one of the accoutrements was a rash of training programs that allowed one to become a "six-sigma blackbelt." Companies of all sorts and sizes made a big fuss over this. Though it's a little much for me, I nonetheless want to steal shamelessly: I want organizations of every size and shape to start programs aimed at having participants work assiduously to achieve and then maintain "listening blackbelt" status.
Listening, to one and all, intently and constantly, even obsessively, may be/is the greatest of strategic strengths—the greatest of "sustainable competitive advantages."
100% "Listening Blackbelts"!
Or bust!
Point #3/Ask.
Dave Wheeler commented at tompeters.com that the "four most important words" in an organization are:
"What do you think?"
I agree.
Wholeheartedly and unabashedly.
Shouldn't "listening" and "asking" be combined? Perhaps, by some narrow logic. But remember my situation—trying to extract for my Chinese colleagues the most significant points in a 3-day seminar. It's my subjective judgment that The Big Four Words—"What do you think?"—must be singled out, put on their own separate and tall pedestal.
There is no greater honor (!!) that can be bestowed upon a person, peasant or prince, than "What do you think?" "What do you think?" automatically makes me a person of value, whose observations and opinions are of the greatest importance to the functioning of the organization.
Benefits are piled upon benefits! The person routinely asked "What do you think?" starts thinking about what to say when asked "What do you think?"!! This Virtuous Circle of Engagement literally ensures that the quality (breadth and depth) of engagement increases markedly over time.
The idea here—obviously, I assume—stretches beyond the borders of our formal organization. E.g.: "What do you think?" is also World's Best Customer Loyalty Program! The Web is, in fact, teaching us the limitless value of The 3Cs—Continuous Customer Conversations.
Get "Ask" & "Listen" right and you've taken a giant step toward Excellence—the Holy Grail!
Point #4/Fail.
Ask.
Listen.
Act.
"It" is all about attention-recognition-engagement. And action. None of the above, to state the obvious, matters unless something happens. Twenty-seven years ago Bob Waterman and I put "bias for action" at the top of our list of the Eight Basics of Excellence. As the speed of change accelerates exponentially, that notion increases in importance—also exponentially. I've often said that I've learned but one thing in my 40-year professional career: "He/She who tries the most stuff wins."
Well, I mean it.
But it is the corollary to "bias for action" that I singled out to my Shanghai colleagues, the more difficult-to-swallow Fast Failure Imperative that necessarily accompanies rapid learning, adaptation, and improvement. "Fail. Forward. Fast."—that was the advice from a high-tech CEO who attended a seminar of mine years ago. David Kelley, IDEO design: "Fail faster, succeed sooner." And the word/s according to Nobel Laureate (Literature) Samuel Beckett: "Fail. Fail again. Fail better."
My point to my colleagues: "IT IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH TO 'TOLERATE' FAILURE—ONE MUST CELEBRATE FAILURE."
To move fast, adjust fast, take advantage of the constant dialogue-conversation discussed above ("ask"-"listen"), one must be "trying new stuff"—all the time and at a ferocious pace. Tryin' new stuff means screwing up constantly—then adjusting fast with a new try ("Fail. Fail again. Fail better."). At the heart of the matter—yes, the heart—is the wholesale celebration (CEL-E-BRA-TION!!) of failure. As NYC Mayor/entrepreneur Mike Bloomberg aptly put it: "In business, you reward people for taking risks. When it doesn't work out you promote them—because they were willing to try new things. If people ... tell me they skied all day and never fell down, I tell them to try a different mountain."
Ask.
Listen.
Fail.
And: Succeed.
Point #5/Life Success.
Dave Liniger founded the real estate colossus RE/MAX. He says that putting the customer (home purchaser) first is not the way he looks at things. To have sustaining success with customers his field team must be learning, growing—succeeding. Making that field team a passel of superstars on the march is the principal point of the exercise. Hence he delightfully states of RE/MAX:
"We are a life success company."
Remember my initial challenge to make the organization: ... an emotional, vital, innovative, joyful, creative, entrepreneurial endeavor that elicits maximum concerted human potential in the wholehearted service of others—e.g., Employees, Customers, Suppliers, Communities, Owners, Temporary partners.
That comes, in the end, from a team hellbent for vigor-enthusiasm-growth-learning-service-life success. I'll go further and insist that over the long haul, Service Excellence (and every organization exists only to serve!) cannot be sustained unless those who are called upon to provide it day in and day out are fully engaged in a Quest for Excellence—my words for "life success." (I think, from my contact with him, that Dave L. would gladly sign off on that.)
I'll end this section by repeating an earlier message: Creating "life successes," like listening and asking, goes way beyond our borders. Our goal is an encompassing team striving for collective Excellence—staff, customers, vendors, etc. A great company aims not just to "satisfy" its customers—but to contribute to their individual and collective growth and success—to help its customers achieve Excellence. A great company aims to stretch its vendors in their quest for growth-success-Excellence. Creating "life success" sagas, then, is an inclusive adventure.
Point #6/Excellence.
Anonymous, from tompeters.com:
"Excellence can be obtained if you:
... care more than others think is wise;
... risk more than others think is safe;
... dream more than others think is practical;
... expect more than others think is possible."
Excellence.
Always.
If Not Excellence, What?
If Not Excellence Now, When?
So there you have it, or, rather, there they (my Chinese colleagues) had it/have it. Tom's "Six-step Program, Circa 2009."
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Comments
"I've often said that I've learned but one thing in my 40-year professional career: 'He/She who tries the most stuff wins.'"
This is so incredibly true. Embedded in this statement is also the complete refusal of not giving up. I have tried, oh, so many things since my early adolescence on purpose; I’ve had heartbreaks, some successes too. After writing a very lengthy novel some 12 years ago and after so many rejection letters from agents, I simply filed the work. I then wrote a collection of short stories of my travels which also did not go anywhere. Later I became a content editor of various works from business to self-help to philosophy and served as a ghost writer for another.
Eighteen months or so ago I had an ideal for a book. Someone suggested I begin a blog. I did so that very day and write anywhere from 80-120 posts a month. I check in with this guy occasionally by phone and email. "Am I still OK?" "Yeah, you're good. But... And... Have you thought of this?" "No, thanks!" I then try something else. I have quite a few people like this in various fields and I too am a sounding board for others.
This week I began writing the first 75 pages of a new work after having been asked to do so by arguably one of the finest agents in New York. I just kept trying stuff. The same can be said for the multiple businesses that I have started where some succeeded and others did not. But there are seeds remaining, however, in each.
What remains, what you keep after having tried, is also the significance of simply trying stuff. I never tire of trying stuff, even when momentarily I'm unsure or fearful. I tell myself courage is not the absence of fear; it is moving forward in spite of it. I press forward, anyway; clarity comes in trying stuff. I'm winning even when I'm not.
Thanks for the reminder, TP! This is why I visit frequently.
Posted by Judith Ellis at May 5, 2009 1:13 PM
Tom et al,
Why do we over complicate all this stuff? Are we worth more as consultants because we come up with obtuse descriptors for what is truly a simple ongoing process of life?
I am guilty - more guilty than most I suspect - of coming up with stuff about organisations that are interesting but provide no real insight. I have come to believe in a simple explanation of organistaions, with practical examples from everyone's lives, rather than those plucked from the lives of 'so-called' successful people. It goes like this.
People organise to get things done, full stop!
She or he who cares most wins.
He or she who dares most wins.
Want to see a successful organisation yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Go to a school yard at lunch time. Kids organise to get things done, full stop. OR go for a stroll in your local park on Sunday. Families and friends organise to get things done, full stop. Both sets of people have been running successful organisations for the last hundred years.
Want to start to find out what it is you need to organise to get done? Perhaps you can start by reading Suzy Welch's new book 10-10-10.....
Cheers, Richard.
Posted by Richard Lipscombe at May 5, 2009 5:56 PM
"Why do we over complicate all this stuff? Are we worth more as consultants because we come up with obtuse descriptors for what is truly a simple ongoing process of life?"
Richard - Amen to your words. How many people go to bed at night praying their work tomorrow will be more complicated? It never ceases to amaze me why some managers use words that ordinary people don’t understand. I suspect it is often pretentiousness. If you want a good laugh Richard I recommend this book that I've had on my shelf a few years. It makes me smile when I am required to read some stuff.
“The Little Book of Management Bollocks” by Alistair Beaton
One wonderful review as follows on Amazon: “This book is a "must have" for anyone who has been through the ridiculous double speak of seminars, improvement programs and other management performance-enhancing BS and wants to throw up immediately following. It is a great pick-me-up for the over-babbled manager.”
Posted by Trevor Gay at May 5, 2009 6:29 PM
Defile Excellence & Embrace Complexity.
Defile It - Always.
If Not Defiling It, What?
If Not Defiling Now, When?
If Not Defiling Soon, Why?
If Not Defiling Later, How?
If Not Defiling the UK, Who?
Complexity rules - ultra achievers go to bed chanting for more complexity in their careers - simple is far too boring.
Take $500k cash in this once in a generation March '09 complexity finance meltdown nirvana - invest it then, if not then, now?
The Oracle said WFC @ $7.80 was madness, put your life savings there - the simpletons missed the long call due to their manic toil & it has now tripled going to $50 by fall.
Ease into luck & luxury while the simple ones toil for their daily bread :>).
“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.”
Posted by C Love at May 5, 2009 7:26 PM
C Love - Love yer baby!! - greetings from simple and defiled UK :-)
Posted by Trevor Gay at May 5, 2009 7:34 PM
Trevor, et al,
viagra samples overnight Perhaps some "uppety" consultants think we're all dain bramaged, but I agree wholeheartedly.
A good consultant (worth his weight in gold to some):
Oh, and, one more thing I think is important:
Every good consultant I've ever had the pleasure of teaming up with or meeting did it as much (if not more) for the feeling of seeing the "magic" that happened along the road than for the money.
But it's nice to know the bills are paid, too ;-)
Posted by Dan Gunter at May 5, 2009 8:04 PM
C - The opening is simply hysterical! LOL! Regarding the Oracle, please drop by my blog and check out my recent post. Love him for many reasons, including the simplicity of his lifestyle and his enormous giving. But I haven't been feeling him as much lately. I guess the fact that he himself wrote complicated financial instruments and justified it by saying that "everybody was doing it" didn't sit terribly well with me, not to mention the seemingly collusion of credit agencies such as Moody's to go along with them. UGH! But the Oracle has admitted his mistake. This is honorable. I just find it very hard to believe that these very bright men who understand bubble and bust, having been in the business for years, were unaware of what was going on. Taleb has been speaking about these mathematical theories taught in business schools and practiced on Wall Street for years.
Posted by Judith Ellis at May 5, 2009 8:05 PM
Can I propose from experience the value of adding a small shuffle after the Listen step, which is Acknowledge?
Posted by RobCH at May 6, 2009 6:49 AM
Trying the most stuff is a recipe for success only within the context of "stick-to-it-ive-ness." Just starting a million things and never sticking to any of them is simply being a gadfly. I've always found it is easier to start then to finish. If a person has the self-discipline to keep going ahead once started that will lead to success.
Posted by Useless Sam Grant at May 6, 2009 8:46 AM
USG
I totally agree with you. I think a lot of this stuff works best when it gels with a deeper level (values level) in the person. It's much easier to get a humble person to listen than an arrogant one.
Posted by PaulH at May 6, 2009 9:03 AM
While I agree with the gadfly image and the necessity of stick-to-itiveness that USG spoke of, I wonder if the same was said of those like Thomas Edison, for example, or a host of other inventors, entreprenuers or innovator types. Most of us are simply not trying anything multiple times or other things anytime.
Posted by Judith Ellis at May 6, 2009 11:38 AM
For any UK readers of this piece, there is an event coming up which explores the almost taboo subject - the F Word - I mean failure of course!! :-)
Event details at http://www.open.ac.uk/oubs-alumni/Whatsnew/Events/detail.php?id=1524704953&return=page%3D2
Quite close to London and open to all, although booking is essential.
The event is hosted by the Chartered Management Institute in the UK
generic viagra free shippingPosted by Peter Cook at May 6, 2009 1:28 PM
Tom, well discerned and quite useful. Thanks.
Posted by Andres Agostini at May 7, 2009 4:03 AM
Great post Tom! I have chosen your post for inclusion in my weekly Rainmaker 'Fab Five' blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2009/05/the-rainmaker-fab-five-blog-picks-of-the-week-1.html) to share you message with my readers.
Be well!
Posted by Chris Young at May 10, 2009 10:03 PM
I appreciate the 6 steps and I agree with them except: Do you honestly think many people or organizations (not most people or organizations) feel as if they can celebrate failure in this kind of economic environment? Even with the emphasis on servant leadership ... is it naive to think that people can act as servant leaders in this economy? I hope so, but I am not hearing that this is the leadership being practiced. Thoughts?
viagra pack best buyPosted by Jann Freed at May 11, 2009 5:54 PM
Jann,
By and large "servant leadership" is not the leadership "norm" prevalent today. The current economic situation is not just some random event. As I shared in a comment on another of Tom's blogs recently, what puts us in a bad situation is always "Our best thinking." That may sound absurd, but ponder it for a moment. Have you ever told yourself that it was your goal in life to screw up as many things as possible and make as many bad decisions as possible? I seriously doubt it. So, if things aren't going as well as you intended for them to, you have to accept the fact that it was your best thinking that got you there.
As Einstein said, "The significant problems we face can not be solved at the same level of thinking that created them." Thus, we have to change our ways of thinking if we are to get out of the current economic crisis.
It does not take long to figure out that leadership (management) in this country has been stuck in the misguided view that they have all the answers and should make all the decisions, and that those "beneath them" are there to carry out whatever marching orders are given. Lack of two-way feedback and lack of involvement from the front-line personnel does not represent "servant leadership." Servant leadership involves listening to the needs and concerns of those you are supposed to be leading. In turn, that means you should be listening to their ideas and what changes they feel would benefit the organization and all stakeholders. Why? For one reason, being valued, listened to, and your thoughts given due consideration is a genuine need for all people.
There's more than mere "validation" and touchy-feely, feel good stuff going on in true servant leadership. There's a lot of untapped wisdom, experience, and creative thinking going on in the minds of front-line people and other stakeholders constantly. It can be the greatest source of problem solving information any leader can tap into. What makes it even more ironic -- correction: purely tragic -- is that it is the cheapest source of information to tap into, also. It's ludicrous that all that great information and thinking just gathers dust in a cubicle somewhere, because leaders forget somewhere along the line that leaders aren't really smarter than everyone else in the organization -- they're just more accountable. A servant leader taps into that information and gives credit for it.
It also has an amazing effect. The more a leader demonstrates that he wants to hear front-line concerns and suggestions, the more those front-line people start to trust him and confide in him. That yields even more ideas and more solutions. It becomes a virtuous cycle.
A former colleague and I used to do a program called "The Power of Suggestions," wherein we demonstrated why the Japanese could get infinitely more useful ideas from employees, yielding greater financial benefits for the company, and do so at a much lower cost than their American competitors. Very revealing material and numbers. I've actually seen a lot of eyebrows raise over a very profound discovery or two that gets revealed during the program, totally turning around what people assume to be the secret behind the success in this area for Japanese companies. It turns out to be a good example of a basic premise of servant leadership.
Posted by Dan Gunter at May 11, 2009 7:23 PM