manage the seals

I once read an article which stated during a shark attack seals would leave ground and jump to the water to swim for safety ; despite the fact sharks cannot swim on land. I have not been able to find the article again nor know the validity of it.  I did, however,  find much truth if you apply it to humans.

If you think about how we handle things on average we tend to take the comfortable method for us. It does not matter that a better way may have been identified. We love the way we always have done it. Simple really.  Shoes  need to be broke in...  jeans have the stretched waist... and our jobs have that one nuance we refuse to let go of. Comfortable.

To be new and great may be uncomfortable at times.

creative hour

Daniel Pink, in his book DRIVE, mentioned an interesting concept that many companies have adopted. Free time.

Motivation is the fuel to invention. Consider the output if employees loved what they were doing. Well if you are struggling... we call that person an artist. We flock to see their art. Some companies understand this. Google has had many of its current projects created utilizing this creative time.

Consider letting employees get to the goal their own way using different paths.  Set aside time for people to work on passions - they can be work related. What could it hurt?

This was in USA Today:

From USA TODAY Treating employees well can pay off There's good evidence that companies who treat employees well see their stocks prosper. http://usat.ly/UEIrFg Get USA TODAY on your mobile device: http://www.usatoday.com/mobile-apps

sustainability

We are quick to problem solve and fix the situation. Whether it's at work or home we want to move to the next thing.

How often do we create a step in our plan to verify our plan is still in place? How many times have issues came up and someone in your group remembers the last time this was an issue? The problem is the completion of the circle.  As a part of your plan make sure that an additional step at the end involves coming back to the problem for a review later.  If your solution was embedded into the culture then the situation will have been addressed based on the original plan. If the issue came about again then the solution was not correct or being followed.

What are you doing to sustain your plan?

key process indicators are not perception.

The key to any process is the ability to measure the results. Not an opinion based, fan liking grade, but a measure that indicates your trend. Are you in the green - or in the red? If the desired output or goal of a task is not measurable then how can you create personal or team building plans? In the end the job is subjective only to the review. The performance is based on your boss or peers and the perception created by you.

When you create a KPI (key process indicator) you are stating the results in a measurable form. Maybe that will be a graph with desired numbers as the baseline and the weekly results from your team. The KPI allows reaction. When you are not making the goal - troubleshoot the process. Bring in the "big guns." In the end, it is very clear when action should have been taken and when results were going in the right direction. 

What are we waiting for? Re: Seth Godin's Blog

I do not know what we are waiting for (before we start something). There is no reason for waiting other than the... well nothing. We find reasons to halt, or postpone, or not do whatever it is that we "wanted" to. Sometimes people boast about an idea to bring purpose or quite possibly attention to his or her situation. The idea is just that - a mental image of creation with no roots. The planting of the idea is work and the non committal will let it cease at that. Stake your claim; name it and claim it. Take the idea and break it out of the box. Create a small process map - use some stickie notes... just get it down on paper. With a road map you are more likely to take a piece by piece until the idea is a reality. Take the road map and make some actionable items. Of course, there is more to it than just thinking about it, but without the inspiration to create and the dedication to start down the yellow brick road we will never make it to your Oz.

 

There is an old formula that I have always appreciated: Work = Force X Distance. It does not matter how much you push, or think about it the lack of actual movement does not create the desired solution.

Seth's Blog post can be found here.

Silently leading can be misleading

At a young age children kids will say and do the darndest things, which also stems from a show hosted by Bill Cosby. The things that they say may seem to be no big deal while they are little but remember that they will grow up. "What is not cute at 3 will not be cute at 13," my wife says to me.While on break at work one day I started to think about, what is called in the business world as, Silent Leadership. Silent Leadership is the type of leading, managing or supervising a person or situation where your lack of attention to a detail can actual send the wrong messages.

Consider a younger child and how we may take certain phrases or actions into consideration for their age. A three year old that hits or is mean to animals. A eight year old that continuously destroys his or her things. Or quite possibly a two year old that says "I don't like you." First - if you have older children - what would you say if the older child said that to you? "They're a kid...just let them be." This may not always be the case. By not acting at early stages in some cases we often let seeds grow that will be much harder to address later. The Silent Leadership, or lack of leadership, is accepting of the behaviors simply by doing nothing at all. As the child grows so does the forest that was planted prior. Behaviors are the fruits of seeds planted long before.The same theory would apply to sin. Most hideous sins as an adult do not start out grotesque but simple. In no way am I proposing that taking a piece of gum at the store at age two will end up at prison, only that we should take heed to much more than some do. The same way that I am not saying to be the office police. I am only suggesting that we either stand for the right - or accept the consequences later.

Speak the Same Language: Units of Measure

When having a conversation with someone it is imperative that you are on the "same page." When explaining the cost to your boss - or a team -  what is the common metric understood? If there are 10 pallets or boxes of product identified in this discussion will everyone understand the details? How many cases are on the pallet? How many units in the box? If you are the line manager or directly involved with that process or it is your product you most likely will know. However, in our complex operations that is a false assumption, that everyone will know. The other members of management  are not directly involved  and will not comprehend. Consider using pounds, or discussing dollars involved. Using those examples each member can relate to what a pound is, and everyone understand dollar significance. Once the same terms are levied an agreeable outcome can be determined with the same end in mind.