Five signs your planning is going well

Tigers have outstanding plans

Here are five signs that show if your organisation or division’s planning is going well:

1) The CEO picks up the whiteboard marker

The reason they were chosen for the job is because they were deemed to have the capability to create, communicate then deliver a future by focusing the efforts of hundreds or thousands of people.  While they need input from all the minds around the table, the final plan is theirs, and theirs alone, and this starts from articulating their initial thoughts.

2) The word ‘develop’ is not seen 

The purpose of a planning day isn’t to agree to develop a plan, it’s to actually come up with a plan. Read more…

The real job of middle management

Matt Darling invented a system called Smart Ward in the most tragic of circumstances.  It puts touchscreens into hospitals which look like the ones in hospitality where staff use wristbands to identify themselves then can enter and access data.  The result is less duplication and more reliable information, allowing nurses to do what they’re good at – nursing, and reducing mistakes due to admin overload.

ABC ran this article the day before Christmas, and a warning that the photo of Matt’s little girl may bring a tear to your eye.

Here’s the point:  the decision to implement a system such as this is why middle management exists. Read more…

Baby and bathwater

There’s a trend going on to reject managers and management, the latest being Zappos, a subsidiary of Amazon.  And fair enough when we get definitions of ‘manage’ that read like this:

“To direct or control the use of”
“To have control of…” 

I’m pretty sure you’re like me in that you don’t like being controlled.  Or used.  Or commanded for that matter.   So if we get too much of this, we leave, or even worse, just show up with a blank stare and look forward to lunch.

No wonder management has a bad name, and it’s enabler – hierarchy. Read more…

Good enough is good enough

Since November I’m now a father of two, and for me being a parent is a pendulum between trying to do it 100% right at one end then at the other getting tired and frustrated at the unrelenting inexorable workload that seems like it will never end.

I was discussing this with someone who gave me a great lesson in the old principle that you teach best what you need to know yourself.  He simply said “what’s wrong with good enough“?

A light bulb went on.  Not of the ‘I’ve had a great idea’ variety, but the illumination that says ‘wake up you idiot.’ Read more…

Do you actually rate employees on whether you like them?

Do you hire people and rate their effectiveness on whether they can do the work, or on whether you like them?

Before you answer, ask yourself who you rate as having the better playing career in tennis – Pat Rafter or Lleyton Hewitt?

Let me give you some information on actual performance on our two candidates: Read more…

The question for managers to answer

“What do you want your people to do?”.

That’s the question I often ask when I’m helping managers with their accountability to lead their people (not optional by the way):

I usually get pretty good answers of the activity variety – the various things that solid employees would be seen doing as they go about their work.  Things like “liaise with customers, build relationships, deliver sales, plan projects”, and the old chestnuts of “deliver a framework” or “develop a strategy”.  Which is why I then ask this question:

“And if they do a fantastic job, what does the company get?”. Read more…

Pay grades – how to make them work

ASO4, APS2, PSO3…and countless other classifications are all around the world, denoting the different gradings that determine what someone is paid.  Government is a common spot where this is found, but in no way is government alone.

The concept itself is fine.  The original work of organisational scientist Elliott Jaques studied pay levels and the findings were clear that it was believed to be fair that those doing more complex work receive higher levels of pay..

So why is it the case that government departments have the reputation for bureaucracy, frustration and an inability to deliver? Read more…

Not enough to just start them driving

“Start driving.  I’ll let you know if you’re going in the wrong way at the wrong speed“.

I see this a lot.  It might not look like this at first, but it’s exactly the same.  I see it in position descriptions:

• “This role exists to produce frameworks and strategies…”
• “The role includes analysis of reports and producing of recommendations….”
• “The incumbent will demonstrate their skill in influencing and negotiation…”

And I see it when people are given work:

• “Could you have a look at that article….”
• “Draft up a paper which looks at the options….”
• “Put together a policy on how recruitment will work…”

What’s missing from all of the above is what we are actually trying to achieve here, and why. Read more…

Improving processes? This first…

Processes in your business are what makes a customer requirement a non-surprising event – your people know what to do to hit the expectations that you’ve put out into the market.  They know what comes first, what comes next, who does what, what they use, and it all flows like a swift-moving happy river to the sea no matter what.

Right?

Right.

I know a couple of outstanding improvement specialists who have never come across a business process where they didn’t create significant ROI for their clients, and when I ask them how they do it, the answer is “we look”. Read more…

Behaviours, competencies and all that

I’m often asked about competencies, usually in the context of putting together clear role descriptions to create a work system that will deliver what is needed.

Competencies are to role descriptions what the mission statement is to organisational purpose – a well-intentioned beginning that has become a bland wishlist of generic points that will neither offend nor inspire anyone.

We need to be serve our people better than this.  Here’s a way to do it that makes life easier for everyone, using categories that are direct, actionable and treat people like adults

Put together roles that cover the below:

1) Unique Value-Add or Purpose – 1-3 sentences on what the role exists to do, including what level of work. Read more…