How To Make More Than A Weeks Progress Each Week

At Xbox, my boss Don Mattrick used to ask me every time we met “Val, did you make more than a weeks progress last week?”

He would want to know what he could do to speed up how I delivered my goals, what’s in the way he can help move, is there anything at risk of not being completed on time, and what else do I need to improve the probability of success.

Ten years later I have never had an executive tell me “we are moving too fast!” It is always the opposite. 

Too often executives treat two-way-door decisions like irreversible one-way-door ones. During my corporate days at Amazon I learned that’s how Jeff Bezos categorizes decisions: either they are one way or two way. More on that next week.

You have to assess your Performance Progress Pace (The Triple P) so you and your executive team can have a realistic view of the probability you will achieve everything you have promised your board and shareholders.

I’ve worked with companies where the marketing team have a high PPP score but the technology team’s is low, so the company is not making a months worth of progress each month. I explore this more in my upcoming book The Innovation Trifecta, How to Build a Symbiotic Relationship Among Technical, Creative, and Business Minds.

If you want a copy of the Triple P evaluation I use with executive teams, let me know and I’ll send it you. 

I’ll be covering this in my forthcoming teleconference SAY WHAT?! - 17 Ways to Immediately Inspire Your Team. You can sign up here to listen live or for the recording.

Are you satisfied with your speed of progress?

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

When Did You Last Say Good Morning To Your Team?

Last week two of my favorite teachers stood at the school gates saying “good morning” to every student as they walked in. Except that wasn’t it, they were down on their knees, at eye level with the kids and making personalized comments to everyone. Whether it was something great they saw them do at recess, or reuniting with one of their former students, the energy and love was incredible. So much so, I jumped off my bike and lined up for a high five myself! (— and this is from a Brit who once had a client teaching me just how to high five without missing!)

In my other daughters school every morning and afternoon the head of school and teachers work the school car line. No it’s not a scene from Big Little Lies (!) but again a way the faculty are making brief but personal connections with their students and families. 

It reminds me of the video clip of the teacher who came up with a unique handshake for every single one of his classmates. You can find it here.

Now you may come to have known me as the Thoughtfully Ruthless one who is always telling you to be concise and selfish, this is where I will tell you the opposite is true. Not enough leaders are taking time to say hello to their teams. Especially when your team is remote.  

I’ve sat in my clients open plan offices and watched leaders arrive and walk through the cubicles with their eyes fixated on their desk or their phone without even acknowledging their team around them. I’ve heard from teams who rarely hear from their boss. I spoke to an executive last week at a major studio who had not had a single 1-1 conversation with his immediate boss, an SVP in the whole 18 months he worked for him. It’s no surprise he had just quit. 

At my first job running the training department at House of Fraser Department Store in Birmingham, every New Years Day, Rutherford Rabey the Store Manager would stand at the staff entrance wishing his 2000 employees Happy New Year (he was Scottish and there were bagpipes and whiskey —not sure I’d recommend that Today!) but his sentiment was well felt. 

It’s likely you are going through major changes at work, acquisitions, new products, new bosses, different ways of working. Which makes connecting with your team all the more important. 

I’ll be running a webinar on November 15th at 11:00am PT  “ Say What? - 17 Ways to Immediately Inspire Your Team” sign up here. 

As my coach Paolo at CrossFit says, “be real nice not fake nice!”

Dedicated to growing your business,

Val

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this week's VAL-uable Insights, sign up here to get them in your inbox each Monday morning: http://valwrightconsulting.com/newsletter-sign-up/

How To Tell If You Are Tolerating Mediocrity

I have yet to meet a leader who has regretted taking action too fast on a misfit in his or her team, but I often meet leaders who regret not taking action faster.
 
"I should have moved him out of his role sooner," said a CEO who wanted to keep giving one of his executives another chance to prove himself, but in that time that executive caused three other leaders to quit. Given the cost of replacement is 1.5 times an employee’s compensation (when you take into account the cost of hiring and loss of productivity), this delay cost that CEO over $875,000.
 
The issue cannot always be defined as underperformance. What you needed your team to deliver two years ago is likely different from what you need them to deliver today--but have you reset expectations and considered whether each team member is still in the right role given how fast your company is growing?
 
When hiring, Amazon always asks, "Is this person better than 50 percent of the people doing this role today?" This is a fantastic way to strengthen those who are coming into the company, but are your existing employees keeping up with the pace? Here are 10 quick questions to help you determine whether you and your company tolerates mediocrity:

• Can you immediately think of someone on your team you should have already dealt with?

• Do your managers clearly understand your expectations for how you want them to lead?

• Do you have frequent forums for managers to discuss, share, and learn outstanding leadership lessons?

• Do you hold up your strongest people managers as role models for others?

• Do you spend 25 percent of your leadership team meetings talking about your people?

• Do you review how successful your new hires are after 90 days?

• Does every employee have clear and challenging goals?

• Do employees discuss goals and personal development with their manager?

• Do you proactively consider how you can move people into roles that match business needs with what they are brilliant at?

• If all else fails, do you help people leave swiftly and with grace?

When I advise executives, I explain that the first step is to reset expectations. Every month you wait is a month when you risk that one of your best people will quit. Gather all of your employees who manage people, share your leadership values, and explain how you want them to lead.
 
Dedicated to growing your business,

Val