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Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
 Earlier in the month, I posted on Corps Leadership Principles. If you remember, I was pretty impressed with the eleven principles the Marine Corps teaches, and reflected on how those same standards apply to you and me today.
This week, I’d like to introduce you to another Marine Corps teaching that I think applies directly to our personal and professional lives.
As you might imagine, the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School places a great deal of emphasis on taking charge and acting decisively. Its objective is to teach future officers how to take command and act decisively with incomplete information.
While the decisions a Marine Corps officer may have to make on the field of battle and the decisions you and I make on a daily basis may not be the same, the premise of making quick decisions without having all needed information is a concept worth considering. Incorporating the “70 Percent Solution” might be a tactic you’ll want to incorporate into your management play book. Click here to continue.
It’s always a good idea to get consensus on decisions that will impact an operational initiative or our team. In most cases, we have the time to think through an issue and get input from colleagues or those working for us, but that’s not always the case.
Some situations, however, require a quick decision. In these instances, incorporating the concept of the 70 Percent Solution might not be a bad way to go. When we’re in the 70 percent decision making mode, we simply don’t have all the facts, but we do have a clear understanding of the problem or challenge.
With an understanding of the bigger picture, seeing what needs to be accomplished, we’re able to communicate what we want to achieve. After doing so, we can communicate the challenge to subordinates or other team members, who’ll determine how the problem is to be solved.
At this point, however, we must have a tolerance for mistakes being made, or an acceptance of the understanding that the problem may not be solved the way we’d do it.
Here’s the point: we don’t need all the facts to make a calculated decision. What we do need is a good understanding of the challenge and a bias for action. If we make a calculated decision based on limited but accurate data, we’ll probably be just fine.
Dr. Warren Bennis, a recognized authority in the field of leadership, believes effective leaders are driven by (1) a desire to achieve a stated objective, (2) the ability to generate trust, communicate optimism and have a bias for action.
Focusing on the bigger picture, having a clear understanding of the overarching challenge, is the primary role of the leader. But a leader must be a realist as well. That means there are times when an individual or an organizational leader must move forward without having all the necessary data to make the perfect decision.
What we’re looking for here is direction, not perfection. The 70 Percent Solution is one way to move in the appropriate direction – to demonstrate a bias for action – and show those following us we’re not going to suffer “analysis paralysis.”
Tags: challenge, decisions, decisively, direction, leader, management, management development, Marine, Marine Corps, mistakes, problem, realist
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
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Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
 Last week I asked you to reflect on a number of aspects of 2010. As I mentioned, reflecting on the ups and downs of the year just past gives us the opportunity to build on the successes and learn from those things that didn’t work so well.
This week we’re going to take a different approach. Instead of reflecting on the year gone by, I’d like you to ponder on 2011 from the standpoint of what could be.
So, as we did last week, find a quiet place, a hot cup of coffee or tea, and take some time to plan the year you intend to have in 2011.
What successes are you anticipating in 2011?
How will you make better decisions next year?
What do you need to learn or relearn in the year ahead?
What piece of unfinished business needs your focused attention in 2011?
What project/program do you need to initiate?
What risk(s) do you need to take next year?
What surprise would you like to experience?
Name three people you want to positively impact in 2011. Why?
What important relationship needs to be improved? When will you start?
I want you to start 2011 believing you have much more control over your circumstances that you might realize. Life isn’t something that happens to us. Life is a series of events. The outcomes in our lives are the result of our response to those events. E + R = O
Event + Response = Outcome is a long-standing mantra for those of us believing we can affect our circumstances by controlling our response to both the opportunities and the challenges life throws at us.
Peter Drucker was right when he said: “The only way to get the future you want is to create it.” So let’s get busy planning for a year of success, significance and prosperity. Let’s control the controllable – and that means controlling our response to the events life sends our way.
Tags: ahead, decisions, future, goal, impact, learn, life, reflect, successes
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Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Ever hear the adage “knowledge is power?” Unfortunately, like so many other modern day myths, this one isn’t true either. While it is true that knowledge is a source of power, the reality is only knowledge APPLIED is powerful. It’s not what we know that counts, it’s what we do with what you know that really matters. You and I live in the Information Age. There’s more information around today than there has ever been on any topic you can imagine. Not only is information available, it’s at our fingertips via the Internet. The Web contains information you can use for improving every aspect of your life. I don’t know about you, but I have yet to stump Google or Yahoo.
With all the information available to us today and with increasing educational levels, you would think we’d connect the dots between knowledge and application. Ah, but such is not the case. Why the disconnect? Because we’ve come to believe that learning and collecting information are one and the same. The reality, however, is we must take what we’ve learned and translate it into meaningful actions. It’s not what you know, it’s what you do with what you know that matters.
Doris Lessing, a novelist and playwright of the last century, once said:” What matters most is what we learn from living.” Life is a great teacher, if we do something with what we learn.
If you’re familiar with my six-step process for improving performance and productivity, you know that the last of the six steps is ACTION, or what I refer to as STRATEGIC DECISIONS.
While taking action is critical to being a person of success and achievement, I’m not talking about just doing something for the sake of doing it. I’m talking about doing those things that matter most – and doing them first! Here are some thoughts on taking action you might find helpful:
1. Develop the habit of being action oriented. Don’t think about finishing the project or getting the degree, finish the project and get the degree!
2. Get creative in figuring out fun or interesting ways to take on an important project. Make a game out of it or offer yourself a nice reward when the project’s finished.
3. Make a habit of breaking down projects into tasks that can be completed in a relatively short time. Our attention spans aren’t very long – sad but true, so deal with it and break the task down into doable 15-20 minute segments.
4. Use worst case scenario thinking to stimulate action. You’ll end up there anyway if you don’t get the project finished or earn the degree.
5. Do the hard stuff first. Once you get that out of the way, you’re on the downhill slide.
6. Use momentum to your advantage. Once you get going on a task, stick with it until it’s finished.
Remember, it’s not what you know that matters, it’s what you DO with what you know that really counts. Success and achievement are about DOING, not DREAMING.
Tags: action, decisions, education, knowledge, learn, life, myth, performance, power, productivity, project, reward, strategic, teach
Posted in 2010, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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Thursday, May 6th, 2010
 This article is for those of you who have been recently promoted to manager or maybe have been managing for a while but have become a bit stale. It serves as a reminder that good management doesn’t just happen. Good managers develop certain skill sets that enable them to help make their respective companies a success. It also serves as a reminder that sometimes knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what is.
Here’s a short list of mistakes managers can make that will derail their efforts to move their organizations forward.
Mistake #1: Not getting the right people involved in decisions
In my opinion, this is the number one mistake managers make. Those of us who’ve been around management for a while know that the best decisions are made with the input of those folks actually doing the job. They know what works and what doesn’t. Get their opinion on operational decisions before moving forward. You may save a lot of time and money.
Mistake #2: Not creating a stable work environment
We live in a chaotic world, a time of tremendous change on almost every front. One of the smartest things you can do as a manager is to create a stable work environment. Don’t constantly change direction. Develop a plan for getting from where you are now to where you want to be, and stay with the plan. Make necessary course adjustments but don’t create a new plan every time you have a new idea, or jump into a new management fad.
Mistake #3: Not taking time to explain “why”
The days of “just do it because I told you to” are over. Two of the four generations in the workplace today were raised in the Information Age and have a burning desire to know why. It takes very little effort to give some background or context to a particular decision and will go a long way in gaining the support needed for successful completion of a project.
Mistake #4: Ignoring the value of training
Just because employees are a great workers, show up every day – on time, and have great attitudes, doesn’t mean they’ll be successful managers. It just means they’re good people! Add to their value by training to the position they are now in. Also require that they, in turn, pass that training along to the people they’re are working with. Create a culture of training and reward those who respond.
Mistake #5: Not having or utilizing clerical support
Managers need to focus time and attention on management. The primary role of a manager is to move important projects forward – not to spend a significant part of the day copying and collating. Good managers make very expensive copy machine operators.
Mistake #6: Underestimating the importance of work areas
Work areas are important to people. The more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing an employee’s work area can be, the more productive that person will be. Providing staff with clean, comfortable work areas only increases performance and productivity.
Mistake #7: Not promoting teamwork, collaboration and cooperation
Ken Blanchard, author of the business classic, The One Minute Manager, often reminds his audiences that: “None of us is as smart as all of us.” Pitting one work group against another is a recipe for failure. Successful companies understand the value of collaboration and, in fact, insist upon it.
Tags: business, clerical, decisions, effective, manager, managers, support, team, training, work environment
Posted in 2010, manager's minute | No Comments »
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