Posts in Meandering Genius

Own the problem, not the process

Meandering Genius

All too often we are involved in the finger pointing game when there is a problem. It is very easy to shift the blame or point out what someone else isn’t doing / is doing wrong to transfer focus away from yourself.

This should be a golden rule: Own the problem, not the process.

When there is a problem, stop being the one to point at others and shift blame or even look to others to discover the cause. Simply say to yourself, “This is my problem and I’m going to help fix it.”

In a culture that practices transference of blame, this is a very difficult concept, but it can be a very powerful concept as well. Some of you might already be saying that if it’s not your problem, why would you own it?

Owning problems is what it means to be a solution provider. When something is wrong that you’re aware of, how can you help fix it?

Think about this…in your company, there are a lot of people and organization (teams) that deliver integrated and non-integrated services. Right?

Your company is delivering these services to one ultimate person–your customer. Right?

So, when there is a problem that you are aware of or part of, why would you spend your energy shifting the blame to someone else instead of fixing that problem? Is the customer not important to you?

Let’s say that the blame for this problem definitely belongs with another team…so what? Are you so focused on your own process and only worrying about what you control that you ignore problems that affect your customer?

If I were the CEO of your company, you wouldn’t work there anymore. Customers don’t care where the problem resides, all they care about is the service they receive is less than expected.

So, when I say Own the problem not the process, what I mean is to focus on the customer. If their is a problem that you are aware of, more than likely, if you are aware of it, you are part of the integrated process that delivers it. Stop pointing fingers and highlighting the failings or another team and step up and see what you can help do about it.

However, don’t do this–don’t step in as another process owner that is going to “save the day.” Come in as a problem owner with the desire to help truly fix the problem.

If we spent half our time focusing on fixing problems that we focus on assigning blame, we would have significantly less problems.

Let’s talk about organizational structure

Meandering Genius

Have you ever given thought to how you are organized in your company? I mean real thought. Everything seems like it should be working just fine, but it isn’t.

Organizational structure plays a huge role in how you deliver on your mission. Organizations that are structured into silos and those built to provide people jobs will probably suffer or fail.

You’ve spent a lot of time building the right strategy for your organization, but your organizational structure keeps the strategy from materializing.

This is why strategy comes before organizational change and “form meets function.” If you don’t know what you do as an organization–you mission–then it really doesn’t matter how you’re organized because you’re not focused. Thus, you must develop your mission, vision, and goals first.

One of the first objectives in your strategic plan might be to reorganize. But not to simply reorganize, but to reorganize to deliver on your purpose and eliminate redundancies.

Your mission should clue you into your core purpose and process. Many organizations organize around what they deliver and in this case you need to focus on how–not what. Recently I worked with an organization that was focused on what they did. They organized into five separate departments to perform the work. In reality, how they did the work was one of two ways. Once they realized that they were able to organized around how they operated. That took them to two teams focused on the how and not the what.

Second, you need to do a high-level process inventory to understand the redundancies that exist. When you are focused on what, often the same processes are replicated across several or all teams. Specifically, you will find administrative and support type functions often reside in every team at the management levels.

Again, with the team I worked with, we discovered these redundancies and reorganized into two operational delivery teams and a support team. This took their organization from five separate operational teams to two operational teams and one one small support team.

This may seem like radical change, but the result, once the dust settles is an organization, can be phenomenal. Managers get back to leading the work that they couldn’t focus on and similar processes get streamlined to operate more efficiently and effectively.

You’ll notice that I never once mentioned people in the decision. Deciding where people (leaders) fit is the last action once you have decided what the organization looks like. Determine who can deliver the new required activities and has the capabilities to perform. In all cases, this new design will provide opportunities ( some will see as challenges) that will allow them to grow.

In the recent case I was discussing, a new director was created, a director had more responsibility, two managers were able to be at their desks more for their people, and several new job growth opportunities opened up for members of the organization.

As you can see, first comes strategy and then comes organization. Once you have the organization aligned then you can start focusing on other things.

Energized by a business plan

Meandering Genius Strategic Planning

Ever been interested in starting your own business, but wasn’t sure where to start? Have you started to build that new business and lost some drive floundering on the next step?

Well, I’m in the process of building a new business, which requires writing a new book, an assessment tool, creating a website, developing extensive training materials, and creating a consulting approach and appropriate certification program.

I have the idea, but what gets me jazzed and on the road is writing the business plan. Maybe this isn’t for everyone, but I just can’t see anyone risking all the effort and potential money in the development of an idea as a business and not have a plan.

The best part about writing the plan is that it documents everything running around in my head, which gets in the way of other stuff I need running around in my head.

The first task is to outline the plan. Like any good paper, you need a framework. If you plan to seek funding (loans or investments) you will need a good business plan–ideas without plans are just that. Few will financially support that. So this is where you start.

I’m at the second step…the fun part. Describing the idea–the business–and writing out the mission and vision. This is what truly frames out what you are trying to do. Many people think that “Making Money doing something” is their mission–if you start there, you’ve failed. Chances are that your business will fail too, probably in the first six years. Your mission is really WHAT you do–the purpose and part of the why you exist. Your business will either plan to make something or to provide something (product or service); possibly both. What is the expected outcome of these products and services.

I always thought that Booz Allen Hamilton had a pretty effective mission statement.

We solve our clients toughest problems.

That in itself is powerful–we weren’t there to make money off whatever job you needed, no you were calling in experts to focus on the hardest things you had to deal with. Yes, we made money at it, but that wasn’t the purpose of the company.

Next is the vision. This is really powerful and can send a definite message as to what you are all about. Throw out the statements like being best, being world class, etc… Think big and think about what effort you are willing to put behind your vision. Being the best at something means devoting time and money into becoming the best. Are you willing to do that, because if you are not, your vision will be empty.

Consider Booz Allen’s vision:

Delivering results that endure.

What this meant was that we came in, solved your toughest problems and then taught you how to keep the problem solved. We didn’t build a position or a technology that required regular financial support to keep it running. Many contractors do that–they create solutions that you have to continue to fund or they will collapse.

This was very empowering to me–it meant that I had to be so good that I was the solution that they couldn’t live without. Basically, I would become their trusted provider and the person they constantly turned to for their toughest problems.

Your vision should reflect that. It should scare you and excite you at the same time. It should represent a belief that puts you at risk, but promises much more.

This is why writing a business plan jazzes me and motivates me when thinking about starting a new business. Not only am I clearing my mind by fully documenting my ideas, but I’m really framing out the why in my new business endeavor. This is exciting.

Implementation of strategy is barely visible by the naked eye.

Change Management Meandering Genius Strategic Planning

I think that one of the reasons most people see strategies as a failure is because they don’t ‘see’ them unfold when implemented.

Strategy is not about massive change, it’s about strategic change. Massive changes are tactical activities that slowly bring about the vision over many years.

Honestly, the best vision is a lasting one that you don’t have to change every three to five years. The Air Force Sergeants Association’ purpose is to fight for Air Force enlisted benefits on Capitol Hill. Their vision is simple, To be the professional organization of choice to Air Force and the families. This is a measurable long term vision that AFSA will strive to, but may never achieve.

So, why do I say that strategy is invisible?

Strategy is about placement and preparedness. To implement a strategy, normally, you are (to use a military term) prepping the battle space for operations. The strategic actions in themselves are seldom that noticeable, but what they do is prepare you for opportunities that are sure to reveal themselves–opportunities that probably would not have shown themselves if you were not prepared.

Recently, I had a senior leader tell me that all the successes the group I’ve been working with was happenstance (i.e., luck). I disagreed. The strategic activities that we were intertwining over the last two years allowed for the successes to occur.

This is why people who are implementing strategic plans seldom see the forest through the trees. They have to go on faith that what they’re doing will have impact. Even to the employees, they seldom see the subtle changes taking place in the organization.

It is the leader and the strategy experts job to watch for these changes and to stand on the mountaintop and scream out these changes so everyone will know what has happened.

Strategic programs being put in place, strategic organizational changes, strategic development of employees… These things happen over time and when something happens over time, it is often. Viewed as ‘normal operations’ — just part of the daily routine.

This is so far from the truth. In my current role, we started two years ago to “improve document management.” Today, everyone in the document management space meet once a week under a developed governance structure. Today their is a six-person team that matures the do unenthusiastic domain slowly every day. Today there is a 26-page document strategy that highlights how we got here and where we’re going. Today there is an end-to-end understanding of the document life cycle. Today there is a robust document metrics program with accompanying metrics collection strategy.

Those things were strategic in nature and have produced tactical actions, which will lead to us moving closer to our vision of being the leader in document management.

Strangely enough, after two years of discussing and working with ten to twenty industry consultants, we are beginning to think that we are already a leader in this space. The beauty of our strategic effort is that we see how far we have to go and if we can achieve that over the next several years, we will not only be a leader, but ‘the leader!’

A year ago, we researched the only book written on document strategy–written by Kevin Craine. Kevin is a nice guy, who wrote his book based on a Master’s program. Today, he has a blog and regular pod casts about document management and strategy. That’s the authoritative leader in this space.

The harder you look at your strategic implementation the clearer it will become that you are improving. Take the time to understand why you are doing the things your are doing and look for the subtle outcomes. You just might find out you’re well on your way to your vision already and you just can’t see it.

Getting to know your customers

Business Consulting Meandering Genius

Knowing the customers that you provide goods and services to is key to delivering what they need before the know they need it. That’s pretty obvious for most people who run a company, but how do you get to know your customers?

Go to them…

In USAA, our customers are US Military active, reserve, retired, veteran, and their families. Our HQ is in San Antonio–always has been. Every Friday, a new crop of Air Force basic trainees graduate at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, TX.

Last year, I took our leadership team out to a graduation and this year we’re going again. Today is special because the son of one our employees graduates today!

Look for opportunities to get out amongst your customers and learn more about them. For us, that is easy, but with a little thought, I’ll bet you can figure out ways to get to know your customers.

Employee Engagement, Organizational Commitment, and Dedication

Business Consulting Meandering Genius

Yesterday I shot out a blog about being dedicated to what ever you do. It got me thinking about (which I do a lot) employee engagement and organizational commitment.

Several years ago in a self-directed Bachelor’s class, I did a study and research paper on Organizational Commitment. Over the last few years, Employee Engagement seems to be the new buzz word. I think; however, that they are slightly different.

Clearly when we talk about commitment, we’re talking about how dedicated the employee is to the organization and maybe a little of dedication back to the employee. I always like the analogy between the chicken and the pig. The chicken is dedicated to breakfast and the pig is committed.

My paper focused on the level of commitment that military members have to their job (i.e., their country) and how they are willing to sacrifice their lives for that commitment.

Engagement is much more a two-way street and doesn’t even sound like dedication to me. If the pig is committed and the chicken is dedicated, then the orange tree is engaged. Engagement seems more about involvement and choice versus an expectation to come to work and give it your all.

Have we sold out our expectations to employee engagement over organizational commitment? I want heroes at work who will work hard and dedicate themselves to the company and the mission. I’m not looking for the ultimate sacrifice, but clearly I would more desire employees that are willing to invest in their jobs versus ones that are simply more involved.

Just a little consideration on a thoughtful Thursday about the bar we seem to be lowering when it comes to employee expectation.

How dedicated are you to what you do?

Meandering Genius

Some people are extremely dedicated in what they do and many others clearly appear to not be. But what tells you that someone is or is not dedicated?

Part of my long term professional and personal plan is to be an established writer with several books written on multiple business topics. I also have ideas for golf instruction and fiction, like my first book, One Dead Marine.

Is dedication measured through the writing of books or something else. I would suppose that if I talk about it enough, you might deduce that I’m pretty dedicated even if I never published another book?

However, I don’t believe the act of actually publishing some books demonstrates my dedication to writing. At this time, I don’t even think I’m as dedicated as I could be, but that is because I temper my level of dedication with the other aspects of my plan. Otherwise, if I focus too much in one area I won’t have time in another. Right?

So, dedication, in my mind is involvement in the thing(s) you do. Not just putting in overtime at work if it’s your job, but to really get involved.

Take out a piece of paper and right down the big things in your life: family, work, church, kids school, sports, etc. just list them on the page. Chances are you don’t have too many and today the list may have some items that might be replaced next year.

Now,poking at each item, if you regularly talk about that big rock in your life, put an X by it. By regularity talk about it, you often bring it up in conversations with your family and friends. When you go to dinner with the in laws and they ask you what’s been going on, it is often on your short list to talk about. This demonstrates a level of commitment to tell people what we are actually doing, which makes us vulnerable. People could challenge what we are doing and if we’re not too dedicated, I might not be prepared to discuss or defend my decisions. Perhaps it’s not as important as other things in your life that you would rather talk about, so it just doesn’t come up. Maybe it’s a stretch for you to do this–you’ve never done it before, so you’re afraid of failing and it’s best not to tell people that you are doing it at all.

If you have some kind of plan; perhaps a short range New Year’s resolution or maybe a long range, multi year plan that involves this big rock, put an X next to it. Committing something to a plan is a level of mental dedication that something is going to happen this year, or over the next few or several years. Let’s say you want to go back to school to get a higher degree. Is this something you simply talk about, or have you sat down and thought out where you want to go, what you want to study, when you’re going to start, and how you’re going to get it paid for? Plans don’t have to be written down to be a plan, but written plans are a little bit more solid. Regardless, if you have a plan, then your dedication level just increased.

If you are actually doing the big rock today, then put an X by it. By now you may have noticed that this is not necessarily a progressive growth assessment. For example, Work might be one of your big rocks. You are clearly doing it today, so you get an X. However, you might never talk about work with your family and friends and you might not have a plan written down or in your mind for Work. So, just because there are no X’s for the first two items doesn’t mean you don’t put an X here. Doing something demonstrates a level of dedication.

If you research and read about your big rock, the. Put an X next to it. If you get magazines, are subscribed to blogs, buy books, etc. that are related to your big rock, then you are demonstrating a level of dedication to that item. You may have noticed by now that I’m not asking how many or if you even read them, just that you get them. In everyone of these questions, you can see that there could be a sliding scale of dedication from say 1 to 5. However, for now, if you are research around your big rock, you get an X, regardless of how much.

If you participate in some way to the advancement and development of your big rock item, then put an X next to it. If one of your big rock’s is your son’s education, do you participate in things like PTA or do you regularly tutor your son on his homework? If a big rock is work, do you active in your union, or do you teach others regularly about how to do things. Basically, do you work with your big rock to make it more than what you found it?

So, this was pretty simple, huh? You have a list of big ticket items that are in your life. For each of them you might have anywhere from 0 to 5 X’s next to it. This demonstrates your basic level of dedication to each item. One item maybe you think is important, but really all you’re doing is talking about it right now. Perhaps you think something is important in your life, but all you do is “do it.” How dedicated is that?

Looking at this list–this very simple tool, can you think of some things to do to demonstrate and prove your true dedication to each of these items, or maybe you’re happy with your level of dedication. At least now you have a better idea of how dedicated you are to your perceived big rocks.

With that knowledge, you can now do more if you desire.

Mapping your process

Business Consulting Meandering Genius

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, process mapping is very important. Their are many reasons to map your process to the step-by-step (I have never liked talking about mapping at a “level”–just map the steps.

1. Take out a pad of paper. Yes, we’re going old school here.

2. Determine what starts and write it down. If this is a process that you do over and over, then break out the startup procedure as a separate one time process. For example, maybe you have to run a specific workflow program and once it’s opened and you’re logged in, you work out of it. That startup procedure is actually a deprecate process done at the beginning of work on the key process–map it separately.

2. Write down every single step on your paper, one line at a time. If you have to open computer files, write down where they are located. Take screen shots if you are using software or opening programs.

3. Group steps into an action. For example, you might need to “Run Operations Report,” but the steps start with opening the reporting tool, getting to the appropriate report, selecting the parameters for the report, running the report, and saving the report to a specific directory with a specific name. This activity, “Run Operations Report,” becomes a process step and how you do it are the steps you listed.

4. If at any point in your process, you have to determine what something is or if it’s this way or that, that is a decision. On a process map, decisions become diamonds–what I call, “The Dreaded Decision Diamond.” These become exceptions in your process–things that work differently. Usually they are based on defects in something your received to work on. They stop your flow of thought and make you do something different–not normal. Make sure you account for all of these what if situations in your written process and show each other process as a separate process.

5. Determine the stop of the process–when the work is done. Starts and stops are ovals on a process map. Walk through and combine activities into process steps and decision diamonds and type it all up in an outline format.

6. Now find someone with the software to put it on an actual process map and store it. The cola map and underlying process should be on your desk for you to refer to as often as needed.

It is really just that simple.

And then the magic happens…

Business Consulting Meandering Genius

Process improvement always starts with process mapping. Honestly, it amazes me the number of times I start working with a process that has a problem and the first thing is either it’s not mapped, the current map is horribly out of date, the map they have is wrong, the map isn’t followed, or (and sometimes and) the map isn’t mapped low enough.

If you haven’t written down the step-by-step of how you do something, you are bound to have a “magic happens” moment in your process.

I don’t care what it is–even if you only do it a few times a year, you need to write down your steps.

I do a lot of strategic planning for my clients and even I have a three-step model, which in reality are three phases. Within each of the phases I have a list of steps and deliverables and for each item I have a process. And this is a very fluid type process.

If I didn’t write Dow. The phases and steps to a level of detail, I would probably forget key pieces of the strategic planning process until it was too late. You can’t be standing before the senior leadership facilitating and discover that you forgot to conduct that assessment you need.

Even one-time processes I write down the steps to a pretty significant level of detail–this is called a project waterfall.

When you have a process that hasn’t been mapped sufficiently and isn’t used and referred to regularly, then their are parts of your process between the start and stop where the magic simply happens.

I don’t really care to hear about how difficult or how little you understand about mapping, this should be a skill everyone should have.

Come on, it is really simple–write down every single step of your process on a lines piece of paper. You will be amazed at what it actually takes to get the job done. You will probably need to use more than one price of paper.

Make sure, if you are using a computer that you write down everything to include what directories you open, the web addresses you go to, and the files or programs you open.

Simply saying, “Run an Operations Report,” is too little of information. The box on a process map might be that simple, but the steps should be step-by-step. Using screen shots can certainly help.

“I don’t have time to map my process to that level of detail.” Really, you didn’t just say that to me did you? If you ever use this excuse, you should be fired! That’s like saying, “I’m too busy to ensure I do my job right every time.” I really don’t see how anyone would accept an answer like this. Honestly, you just don’t have the time not to take the time to get it right the first time and every time–there, now you have too much time on your hands!

Leaders…if I hear one of you say, “We don’t need to map our processes to that level,” I’m going to vomit! Do you know why we invented “levels” of mapping detail? It was for leaders. This way consultants could scope out process mapping work to a level of detail that the leader will pay for. Hey person in charge, if your people who are doing the process don’t know how they do it step-by-step, what are you paying for. Oh wait, I know–Magic!

Ok Harry Potter, how do you ensure more than one person does the job the same? How do you train new people? Seat of your pants operations. There is a place waiting for you in the Knowledge Management Blunders Hall of Fame.

To summarize, map your processes people–know what you do and how you do it. You might just learn something about what you do every day.

Working on One Dead Marine II

Books Meandering Genius Publishing

One Dead Marine

One Dead Marine

In May of 2012, I published my first fictional novel, One Dead Marine.

This book takes you into the world of The Savage SoulTM and Scorched EarthTM, which was created by a close friend of mine, Kevin Bogucki (Bogo).  Bogo worked on the world of The Savage SoulTM since we were kids in school.  Today, Scorched EarthTM is the planet Earth born out of an advanced society in the twenty-first century that died a painful death–and the killer’s name was Yellow Mike.

One Dead Marine follows Anthony Moon, a Native American U.S. Marine, who finds himself 150 years in the future, where old-world technology, magic-wielding demons, flesh-eating zombies, and monsters of every imagination populate the environment like the air he breathes.

Moon guides us through his journeys and experiences as you follow along in his own personal journal of his arrival to this new post apocalyptic world.  His journal outlines where Lance Corporal Moon learns to survive–barely–in a fanatical environment built out of the madness of a twisted drug and an ensuing great disaster.

The time for One Dead Marine II is upon us.

I have slowly worked on this second story, which picks up where the last book ended.  Lately, with the help of blogging, I have been getting wore into writing and this book is taking shape.

One Dead Marine II (true name yet to be announced) takes our unlikely Native American Marine hero to Las Vegas, Nevada.  Expect to see more of his struggles, to learn more about Moon, that he doesn’t even know himself, and battle lots of zombies–ugh!

This installment of The Savage SoulTM and Scorched EarthTM series will push Anthony Moon’s psyche to its limits with the madness that makes up planet Earth.

My goal is to release this installment by the end of the year.

Additionally, I’m working to reformat One Dead Marine, which was only released in paperback, in e-book format available for Kindle and Nook.  I hope to have this version released by April of this year.  It was very exciting to publish my first paperback and taught me some things about self-publishing that will help me when I release my first non-fiction business book, Overcoming Organizational Myopia.  I expect to also release that book by the end of May, beginning of April.

This second book following Moon will not be a journal, like the last book.  This one takes us into the more traditional approach to book writing by putting it in the first person view.  Also, I expect this novel to be longer than the first, which was just under 29,000 words (130 pages).

Well, back to writing…