Be Different or be dead

December 25, 2017

How does a leader become insanely effective at executing?

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How does a leader become insanely effective at executing?

If the leader of an organization can’t successfully execute, it will languish and eventually die.

It really doesn’t matter how intellectually brilliant their strategy is, or how cleverly the composed plan integrates the toolset advocated by the pundits,  if it can’t be implemented it’s worth nothing.

Leaders can’t assume that execution will happen by declaring the new direction to the organization and expecting that people will know what to do, they they will want to do it and that they will do it.

WHAT TO DO - the strategy needs to be translated right down to the individual who requires an intimate understanding of what actions they need to take to execute on the organization’s chosen path.

It’s one thing to shout out the intent to “unleash the power of the internet” to marketing, for example, but without providing the product, customer segment and application focus, marketers won’t know what specific programs to develop to make it happen.

And furthermore, if clarity around what marketing should stop doing is not provided, the move forward will be dysfunctional, inefficient and unproductive. Hanging on to the past while at the same time trying to take on a new future is an impossible role for anyone to assume.

WANT TO DO - the leader must provide the motivation for employees to want to adopt the new course. Rather than tell everyone “this is where we’re going”, the leader must sell their decision if they want people to be personally invested in supporting it. Employees must see the new future as exciting and cool in a way that gets them emotionally hooked on the idea.

They need to be more than intellectually convinced; they need to be emotionally “all in” because that is where they raw energy comes from to willingly take the action needed to move forward.

WILL TO DO - the leader must be the strategy hawk that takes personal responsibility to see that results are delivered through their teams in the organization. This is all about monthly measuring key performance indicators, taking immediate action to close any gaps and celebrating any successes where target have been exceeded.

This is the time to recognize the achievements of the heroes who have gone above and beyond expectations to deliver results.

It is Interesting that a leader is expected to have an academic pedigree that can be paraded around to shareholders and public with the implied message that these credentials will take the organization to lofty heights. That “knowing stuff” will drive superlative performance.

This is not the case.

Organizations perform well when they execute well in an environment where randomness, unpredictability and chaos govern the agenda and where nothing turns out according to plan.

It’s about time we started describing the brilliant leaders of the day in terms of their execution credentials and the power they have demonstrated to harness the hearts and souls of individuals to drive forward in uncharted waters.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 12.25.17 at 04:49 am by Roy Osing
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December 4, 2017

How an average leader can become a remarkable one

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How an average leader can become a a remarkable one.

Why are some leaders mediocre while others are wildly successful? Exactly what differentiates the leader that their followers “love” from the one who may have subordinates but no followers?

Over my 30+ year business journey I have witnessed and reported to many different leaders; some brilliant and some not so much.

My conclusion is that those who constantly deliver superlative performance through passionate and turned on teams have a very specific profile.

1. They are of average intelligence; NOT superstar intellectuals. Their academic pedigree satisfies the entry requirements to climb the ladder and they view it that way - the ante to play the leadership game.

2. They acquire a repertoire of practical skills from their experience. They build it by actively engaging in the implementation activities of their organization’s strategy. This allows them to be able to solve a range of problems that others without implementation depth cannot.

3. Their stable of mentors is broad and deep. They are able to draw on a vast resource base of skills and experience to support them and provide advice.

4. They are micromanagers. They pick and choose the hills that require their personal involvement as the leader and they dive in. They don’t believe in across-the-board delegation; particularly in matters dealing with serving customers. They personally paint a picture in great detail to all employees of what they expect the customer experience to look like.

5. They spend copious amounts of time with the frontline. Gathering feedback from the people who are key to executing the organization’s strategy is a top priority to them, and frontline employees continually witness the leader’s presence in their workplace - listening, asking questions, taking notes.

6. They are consummate communicators. They are able to draw emotional support from people by presenting their vision and values in a compelling and passionate way. And they are in the faces of employees regularly, reporting on the progress of their strategy and stressing what action needs to be taken in the short term to improve performance.

7. They never break a promise. They do what they say, and influence others to adopt the same behaviour as a fundamental organizational value. And ultimately this treatment is manifested in how customers are served and forms a vital component of their competitive strategy.

8. They are effective at letting go. They treat eliminating work that is no longer relevant to their strategy with the same priority as adopting new challenges. They close the doors on new hires until they can be satisfied that no further CRAP can be eliminated.

9. They thrive on imperfection. They understand that seeking the perfect solution consumes time and energy that could be applied to implementing and learning. They emphasize that doing stuff and learning on the run is more important than over-studying and risk aversion.

‘Made to lead’ is not for everyone; it requires noncompliance with many accepted norms of leadership. The thing is, its fundamentals create vibrant cultures and brilliant performance.

So why would any leader want to be normal?

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 12.4.17 at 03:44 am by Roy Osing
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November 20, 2017

Successful business people do these 10 simple things best

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Successful business people do these 10 simple things best.

Successful business people focus on ten things that others don’t.

They:

▪️Understand that the way to serve customers in an exemplary way is to serve employees in the same manner. If employees don’t provide exceptional service to one another in their daily roles, they are unlikely to provide customers with caring service that goes above and beyond what they expect.

▪️Have a business plan and they use it as the context for everything they do. They are guided by strategy, not tactics. They avoid chasing anything that doesn’t have direct line of sight to their strategy.

▪️Don’t over-analyze everything. The degree of study depends on the risk associated with the decision to be made. They don’t get mesmerized with the tools of analysis; they use them appropriate to the level and risk inherent in the decision to be made.

▪️Don’t look for perfection. The quest for the perfect solution (which doesn’t exist in any event) only takes valuable time away from execution. They understand that success is a function of making tries, and doing lots of imperfect stuff fast.

▪️Are the champions of change in their organization which gives them currency among their peers and colleagues and the ability to garner the resources required to get things done. They get nervous with the status quo and always look for opportunities to create a discontinuity to force the organization out of its comfort zone.

▪️Are crazy about execution. They are comfortable with loosening up on the development of their plan and not trying to make it perfect. They believe in getting the plan heading west and focusing on execution.
They understand that performance depends on how well they execute, not on the theoretical cleverness of the business plan.

▪️Spend copious amounts of time with the frontline; people in the organization who deal directly with customers. This is the way to find out what’s really going on.
They want to discover the issues personally to make meaningful change, and not be jaded by what others want them to believe. They don’t have a stay-in-the-office mentally.

▪️Have a contrarian belief system by nature. They believe that the source of opportunity lies not in copying what others are doing, but rather charting a course that no one else is on. They are true 180 degree thinkers who look to go in the opposite direction to others.

▪️Place a priority on meeting with customers regularly. There is no substitute for getting feedback on performance directly from a customer.
They make it a priority and schedule it weekly on their calendar. And if faced with a conflict between attending an internal meeting or keeping a customer commitment, the customer wins.

▪️Are relentless and voracious learners. Standing still intellectually isn’t an option in a world changing every instant. Value added to the organization depends on business people keeping up. They are ‘learning leaders’  who believe staying ahead of the learning curve is essential to success.

The smart generation of business people know that success doesn’t come from an academic pedigree.

They know that brilliant performance is the result of practising the fundamentals of being different than the competition, staying close to customers, serving employees and executing strategy in the trenches.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 11.20.17 at 01:06 am by Roy Osing
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November 6, 2017

Why execution is the best thing remarkable leaders do

Why execution is the best thing remarkable leaders do.

What defines a remarkable leader; what single thing separates the average leader from the standout leader

There is no silver bullet to becoming a remarkable leader; rather it is the result of practising a number of little things consistently, with unrelenting commitment and passion.

But there is one role, however, if performed well, enhances leadership effectiveness and also enables a leader to stand apart from the crowd who practice their art from theory and textbooks.

Business plan execution is the key role that brilliant leaders apply most of their energy on

Great leaders are defined by their accomplishments not by their intellectual prowess alone.

A great idea that dies on paper and can’t successfully implemented defines failure regardless how clever the idea is.

How does a leader build the competence to execute that others view with awe?

They spend their time in the frontline trenches where individuals serve customers and deliver, maintain and support the organization’s products and services.

And their message to the troops isn’t a declaration of lofty intent; it’s a down-to-earth question they ask of each team member constantly: “How can I help?”.

“How can I help?” releases superlative execution because it leads to the removal of the barriers that prevent individuals from performing their roles effectively.

When there is pervasive smooth and seamless role performance, systems and procedures function well, promises to customers are consistently kept, product and service breakdowns are minimized, customer service perception is high, mistakes are reduced and rework costs are avoided.

In addition to enabling effective execution, “How can I help?” offers other key strategic benefits.

▪️It promotes quality improvement and cost reduction. Front-liners know how things should be done right the first time as well as what needs fixing.

▪️It drives innovation by pulling up and shining a light on the creative ideas of every employee and particularly frontline employees closest to the customer.

▪️It stimulates employee engagement by reaching out to people and using their ideas to make the “internal world” of the organization easier and more productive.

▪️It facilitates competitive advantage by out hustling others who are plagued with ineffective procedures and systems, dumb rules and dysfunctional execution.

▪️It leads to a reduction in employee turnover. People are less inclined to switch employers when they feel they are making a positive contribution and are valued for doing so.

One simple question.

Numerous strategic benefits.

If you’re looking for the ONE action to take to become an amazing leader like no other, start with asking the question.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 11.6.17 at 04:19 am by Roy Osing
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