dispatches from the new world of work

100 Ways to Succeed #172:

Rigidity Watch!
Start Today!

"Rigidities" is not just the problem of Giants. Rigidity is a disease in 3-person accountancies and 11-table restaurants only one year old.

Stop what you are doing.
Right now.

Call your best customer.
Ask: How are we doing compared to a year ago? Six months ago? Are we making your life more complicated? Are we more bureaucratic in any way, shape, or form? Are we slowing down? Do we ever say, "I'd like to do that for you, but ..."? Etc.

Call your best vendor.
Repeat the above.

Visit your newest employee.
Ask: Have you run across procedures since you got here that you think are silly or over-complicated? If so, have you passed your concerns along? If you haven't, why not—do we make it intimidating to surface such concerns? If you have passed such concerns along, have you been praised for doing so? Has anything happened?

At every Exec Group meeting, set aside a 15-minute block to discuss a "dumbest thing we've done lately" item—insist that members bring a case along for discussion.

There's nothing special about my suggestions here—they are not necessarily meant to be followed, but merely to get you thinking about some anti-rigidity rituals you might invent.

Tom Peters posted this on 06/04/09.

Comments

Tom, just because they "aren't necessarily MEANT to be followed" [emphasis added] doesn't mean they shouldn't. There's nothing wrong with asking and answering the question "What things are we doing that qualify as just plain STUPID???"

Posted by Dan Gunter at June 4, 2009 11:41 AM

I really thank you for sharing this. It opened my eyes to the travesty that happens in today's corporate environment. There isn't any interested in hearing from employees and it seems they don't ask themselves what improvements are needed and act on them.
I have sent requests to encourage my former employer to make some necessary adjustments and they sent an arrogant fool to speak with me.
He was so condescending I told him nothing.
I have the experience and specialization to make the necessary corrections and they didn't want to hear it from me.
So needless to say they are current in bankruptcy right this minute.
Because arrogance breads contempt.
I started my own business and I will save these thoughts so I won't follow the poor leaders I have had in business.

Posted by goldie09 at June 5, 2009 9:28 AM

goldie, best wishes for you business venture. Learning from the failures of others is the only thing better than learning from your own. Even though they didn't realize they were doing it, it was kind of nice of them to invest so heavily (and fatefully) in your business leadership education, wasn't it? Be sure to send that (most likely unemployed) arrogant fool a handwritten note of appreciation and gratitude on one of your company's custom printed "thank you" cards.

Who knows, he might need your address so he'll know where to send a resume to (when the indigestion from the humble pie subsides.)

LOL.

Posted by Dan Gunter at June 5, 2009 10:00 AM