‘How to get your enterprise moving ’
Photo supplied by Bob Quinn
The same problems pop-up again and again. You ask for new approaches but are continually disappointed. Your direct reports are tied up in meetings while subordinate managers wait for direction. If you want to change performance, you must be bold …you must change the way you do things. I believe there are three fundamental components to get your enterprise moving:
The Foundation:
- Leadership involves everyone who manages others. Teach them the difference between managing and leading (the best do both), give them real authority and tools. Leaders are high energy, optimistic, face-to-face. They inspire others performance.
- Communication is all media, continuous, formal and informal (informal walk-around's deliver valuable insights from customers, staff, suppliers, and share holders.) Communication must be two-way ...listen to understand.
- Alignment is the process of small adjustments to keep leaders, the organization, customers, strategy, and the leader’s vision synchronized. Consistently high-performing businesses are never still.
- Vision, or leader’s intent, is where the CEO is leading the business now. It is not the framed mission statement of the founding fathers. It must be easily understood so that everyone knows what it implies for her/his functional unit.
- Values are “how we do things here,” the hallmarks of a business’ culture. They’re bottom-up and approved by management. In a merger, defining and living the values of the new entity are keys to seamless integration and to the “lift” its people should feel.
- Customer focus must be to delight the customer. Knowing the whole story about your clients is key to creating a meaningful vision and critical to sustaining the customer loyalty. Ask frequently your best ones and those who threw you out.
The Mortar:
- Strategy is not an annual ritual but a work in progress that guides the business to the leader’s vision in an always-moving customer and market space. It is best created and executed by those who “see” the customer.
- Measures & Metrics are best when timely so you can change the trend, significant to show only meaningful gaps, and have realistic comparisons to avoid quibbling. When ranking is consistently too high, raise the bar.
- Rewards & Recognition encompass the gamut of celebrations and have value for both recipients and also-rans. The corollary is that consistently poor performers must be replaced to achieve significant, continuous improvement.
This Feature Article was submitted by Robert Quinn, Coordinator, Department of Applied IT CapStone Program at the Volgenau School of Information Technology & Engineering. Mr. Quinn is also Chairman, Gateway Management Group Inc. His professional credentials include twenty-five years of leadership in corporate management consulting. He held corporate officer positions in Operations and Strategy for three Fortune 10 companies and incorporated two privately-held businesses. You can reach him at RTQuinn@gatewaymg.net