The moment of truth is a moment of decision.

Every day, people make decisions. Customers choose products. Clients choose services. 

Meanwhile, employees can choose to follow the rules or to bend them. Senior executives can choose to define the organization’s culture through clarity and accountability, or to let it be defined by lack of attention. Managers and front line supervisors can choose to focus on quality and service, or simply to focus on control. Every day there are choices and decisions to be made.

Our challenge as leaders is to make sure the moment of truth, the time when the goods and/or services of the company are delivered, to be one based on a thoughtful and proactive decision rather than a reactive response. 

Given the challenges within society and the economy at this time period, we as leaders need to start talking and exploring again the subject of decision-making in greater depth. We need to help people utilize the strategic nexus, i.e. the sum of the mission, vision and core values in combination with their clarity about the strategy and strategic direction of the company, as a vital part of decision-making. All involved need to reference this framework and make sure they are making the right decisions for the right reasons. 

However, in the rush to get more and more things done in shorter and shorter time frames, most people make reactive decisions rather than thoughtful decisions. They do not grasp that the choices we make today create the future we will have tomorrow.

This week, sit down with your team and discuss how people can make the right decisions at the right time and with the right information. We can not afford to be getting sloppy around the moment of truth.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Leverage the Power of the Strategic Nexus

We were eating lunch at the most delightful coffee shop. There were papers and reports spread out across the table. There were graphs and charts poking out from a file folder, and there was a line of sugar packets reflecting a possible new way of organizing the division so it could be more nimble and agile.

She looked up at me from the line of sugar packets as I pulled out a paper with their mission, vision and core values on it. “I think we need to review this document,” I said. “We have to be sure that what we are discussing is in alignment with this page.”

She nodded and said “Yes. It always comes back to the strategic nexus.”

I smiled. She was right.

In the trough of chaos, it is easy to forget the strategic nexus. We are often focused on dealing with resistance, endless problems and making sure everything is still on track given the strategic plan. With our heads down and pushing forward, we rarely pause for reflection.

However, the best leaders routinely pull out the strategic nexus and review it. First, they make sure they are not compromising the mission, vision and core values. They understand that this is the foundation of all that gets done. It is the non-negotiable elements of the organization.

Second, they review the strategic plan. Tactical action can at times be so consuming that we forget where we are going and why. The strategic plan offers direction and metrics to measure progress. These are vital to overall success of the company.

During these interesting times, make sure you are routinely checking your company’s strategic nexus. It will provide on-going clarity and focus. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How Successful Companies Institutionalize Culture

When you visit successful companies or work within one, they all have a special feel to them. It is unique and very noticeable. One element that makes this take place, from my perspective, is that successful companies institutionalize their culture without bureaucratizing it.

Struggling companies always have a system of administration marked by bureaucracy and red tape. They lack flexibility and initiative due to excessive adherence to regulations. This is particularly visible in the behavior of those in management and leadership positions, and how they interact with key systems.

Patrick Lencioni in his delightful book, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, Jossey-Bass, 2012, writes “Human systems are tools for reinforcement of clarity. They give an organization a structure for tying its operations, culture, and management together, even when leaders aren’t around to remind people.” Lencioni notes that this level of clarity takes place when leaders engage in the following activities:

- creating collective focus and clarity through out the organization

- cascading clarity 

- reinforcing clarity through human systems, i.e. performance management

- developing cultural consistency

As to performance management, he explains it this way: “Essentially performance management is the series of activities that ensures that managers provide employees with clarity about what is expected of them, as well as regular feedback about whether or not they are adequately meeting those expectations.”

From my vantage point as a consultant and executive coach, I observe that successful companies practice what they preach. They also constantly reinforce it on a day-to-day basis. For them, the brand promise is a set of core behaviors rather than just words. While we all recognize that the culture is the strategy in successful companies, the key is to not let the dark side of bureaucracy to slip in and take over, thus neutralizing the strategic advantage of a clear and focused culture.

In short, successful companies stay focused on their strategic nexus, the union of their mission, vision and values plus their strategic plan. This depth of clarity and attention allows them to handle the normal internal and external challenges that surface in any business day without having to resort to developing a bureaucracy that tramples creativity, commitment and effectiveness. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How Do Leaders Prioritize? Part #1

Last fall, I had the opportunity to sit down with a group of young leaders and engage in an extended Q&A session about leadership and organizational change. It was a lively and very thought-provoking afternoon. In the middle of our time together, I got asked the following question: “How do leaders prioritize?”

I replied by asking a clarifying question, “Operational priorities or strategic priorities?”

Their response was “Both!”

My first thought as I pondered the question was a quote by the late Stephen R. Covey: “To set and work toward any goal is an act of courage.”

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Here was my initial response. 

“First, I know that defining priorities is not a linear process but instead a more dynamic process with multiple things happening at once. 

Second, discernment, which is the first step to defining priorities, happens when there is a framework that is guiding the organization and the person. 

Third, successful leaders understand that defining a priority is not the same as actually executing a priority. It is the later that makes the former a true priority.”

The hard part about defining priorities is that we, as leaders, need to balance the focus on short term results with the constant pressure to position the company for the future. Understanding the complexity of this balancing act makes a major difference when prioritizing.

Still, the big question is: How do leaders actually do it?

The simple answer is that they have a framework for thinking through what is happening. This framework comes from their understanding of the strategic nexus, their interaction with their boss, and their past experiences. Yet at the core of this framework is a drive for excellence.

At this core of excellence is an innate drive to constantly want to get better. It overrides any measure of mediocrity, complacency, or even failure. It means adjusting to normal changes with technical precision and artful grace so that every client or customer has a mission driven experience. 

Our job as leaders is to teach and reinforce this core of excellence, and to help others distinguish between excellence and non-excellence. I recognize that working from this place is harder in the beginning. It requires dialogue, education, over-communication, coaching and constant reinforcing clarity. At times, “my way or the highway” would be faster but in the end, it is not better.

This week, reflect on whether or not you and your team are working from this core of excellence.  If so, support all people who are moving in the right direction. If not, build it. This foundation is mission critical to prioritizing.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

The Role of the Leader - part #3

Along with being a Scout, I believe we as leaders need to get better at being a Translator, namely one who can explain something in a way that is easy to understand. While an Architect of Meaning focuses on building clarity about the strategic nexus and why the work we are doing within an organization is important, the Translator focuses on building clarity about the outside context. 

When acting as a Translator, we need to remember that experiences create beliefs and that beliefs can create experiences. In the end, however, I have learned that beliefs, nine times out of ten, impact actions, personally and collectively. This is so important because a big part of leadership is about driving results through others. This means we as leaders need to use systematic and symbol communication. Sometimes we have to systematically communicate what is happening outside the organization to the inside of the organization, other times we have to do it symbolically.

Yet, in order to be effective in our communication, we must teach whole -> parts -> whole thinking. By teaching others to zoom out before zooming in as a disciplined approach to thinking, communicating or problem solving, we create a framework for people to process all that the leader is translating for them. Over time and when done well, this leadership act of translation will play a critical role in shaping values and standard by which people focus, work and collaborate well with others.

This week make sure you are building clarity about the strategic nexus and  clarity about the external context for change. This combination will be a powerful force multiplier.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Making Sure They Come Back In The Morning

With the national unemployment rate continuing to drop and many company leaders sharing with me about their challenges around recruitment and retention of staff, I am continually reminded of this quote that I read many years ago: "Our intellectual capital walks out the door every night, so the key is make sure they come back." - Aart de Geus, CEO of Synopsys Inc. 

Right now we need everyone to come back in the morning, ready, willing and able to embrace today’s problems and tomorrow’s challenges. We want them to bring their depth of commitment, clarity and connections so that they can generate effective new solutions.

However, David Dell, research director of The Conference Board's Capabilities Management and Human Resources Strategies area, offers a unique perspective to this situation: "The challenge to employers is to not only make potential employees aware of the company as a good place to work and bring the best applicants successfully through the recruitment and hiring process, but also to retain them and ensure their understanding of the company's goals and commitment to them." 

The moment of commitment that I discussed last week in this blog begins by creating clarity about the company’s strategic nexus, i.e. the sum of the mission, vision and core values plus the company’s goals. Yet, from my experience, there is a subtle but important difference in the best companies I have seen handle this current situation. These companies understand that their strategic nexus has to become cultural, namely it needs to translate into a specific way of working. When the nexus is no longer just ideas but also a distinct set of behaviors of how we work together, solve problems together and deliver services together, then the company becomes a magnet for recruitment and retention.

This week transform your strategic nexus into a culture that permeates the whole company. Then, when people go home at the end of the day, we know they will be back in the morning.

FYI: Due to the complications of my schedule, I am not going to post anything on this blog for the next two Mondays. I will be back on Monday, 9/14/15.  Feel free to read past blog posts in the meantime.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Doing It Right The First Time

When I was growing up, I often heard the following statement: “If you are going to do something, then do it right the first time.” This was just the way it was in my young life. For example, if you wanted to go on a hiking trip, then you went and got the best gear you could afford, mapped out the route, and prepared for all contingencies like rain, heat or an accident. If it was worth doing, it was always worth doing right the first time.

The challenge this winter is that people are moving so fast and rushing about so much that many just want to solve a problem, i.e. get it past them so that they can get on to the next thing on the list. They are not thinking about what is the right or best way to do it. The goal is simply to do it and move on. Thus, they approach every thing and every person in a binary fashion, namely done or not done. And, of course, the goal is to solve the problem fast so you can then jump on to solving the next problem.

However, I think the key in successful organizations is not to simply get everything done. It is to make sure there is alignment between the solutions and the strategic nexus of the company. The nexus, as many of you know, is the sum of the mission, vision and values plus the strategic plan. If we do it right the first time, then we will have action based on the mission and core values in alignment with the vision and the strategic plan. Alignment is not always easy and may initially take more time. But the short and long term impact of doing it right is always worth the effort.

My challenge to you this week is to solve the problems before you in the right way every time. And to remember that alignment is both the goal and the method.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

The Strategic Nexus

Strategic leadership begins and ends with comprehending, utilizing and committing to a fully functional and completely aligned strategic nexus.

The strategic nexus is made up of two parts. One part of the nexus is the mission, vision and core values. The other part is the strategic plan. The former does not change and preserves the core of the organization. It is the source of stability and perspective during organizational change, especially when moving through the trough of chaos. The later is designed to prevent stagnation and, in essence, pushes the organization into the future. This part creates a sense of urgency and focus to the choices that are being made.

Strategic leaders understand the purpose of the strategic nexus and recognize how mission, vision and core values are interconnected. They also know that this interconnection and the clarity around it is the foundation of the organization’s day to day culture. 

At the exact same time, they recognize that strategy is a choice and needs to support the on-going evolution of the business given the continual changes in the needs, wants and desires of those it serves. Furthermore, when the culture is clear and rooted in the mission, vision and core values, then it will also become a strategic asset in the design and implementation of the strategic plan.

Full alignment within the strategic nexus is mission critical to strategic leaders. They know that once they have it and once people comprehend it, that they have a powerful force for forward momentum.

This week, take more time to understand your organization’s strategic nexus. You will then be able to leverage it toward a more positive and effective future for you and your organization.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

When Change is the Only Constant - part #2

Given change is the constant now and people are reacting in a normal and dynamic manner to it, leaders at all levels need to routinely engage in strategic level dialogues with their people in order to create the continuous clarity and focus they desire. The challenge is that few people understand what is a strategic level dialogue and why it is important. 

In the beginning, think of a strategic level dialogue as a free flowing conversation about context, strategy and operational excellence. The goal is to help people improve their capacity to build, define, share, and engage at more strategic and holistic levels. When employees better understand the why and how elements rather than just the what to do next elements of their job, they can then make new and better strategic choices and transform those choices into consistent communication and action at both the strategic and operational levels.

Nevertheless, many executives and leaders say they are too busy to spend time visiting with people about such topics. Now I know that many of them are getting caught in the trap that things are more important than people, but few recognize that the time spent visiting with people in a strategic level dialogue allows their colleagues and partners to better transform awareness and understanding into commitment and responsibility.

Still, I can hear someone in a management and supervisory position telling me that it would just be easier to simply tell people the strategy rather to engage in a dialogue about it. Here, I refer them back to the work of James Belasco and Ralph Stayer from their book, Flight of the Buffalo: Soaring to Excellence, Learning to Let Employees Lead. As they wrote, "The primary purpose of strategic planning is not to strategically plan for the future, although that's an important purpose of the exercise.  It is primarily to develop the strategic management mind-set in each and every individual in the organization. The purpose of the process is not only to produce a plan. It is to produce a plan that will be owned and understood by the people who have to execute it."

We as leaders have to recognize that in most companies there are two operating systems functioning every day, i.e. one for day to day business and one for the design and implementation of strategy. It is the second one that is focused on the continual development and communication of strategy. This is the one that will create a strategic mindset, the unification of understanding about context, strategy and operational excellence. When this takes place, we have the potential for creating more strategic ownership.

So, how do we actually do a strategic level dialogue? First, it can happen any time and any where. Over coffee or over food, the key is to start with some excellent questions. I like the following slightly modified ones from Robert Simons’ article called “Stress-Test Your Strategy: The 7 Questions to Ask,” the November 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review. As he wrote:

- Who is our primary customer?

- What critical performance variables are we tracking? 

- Are they making a difference in the quality of our actions?

- How committed are our employees to helping each other?

- What strategic uncertainties keep you awake at night?

Once you have asked the questions, listen carefully to the answers. As the late Stephen Covey reminded us, “seek first to understand and second to be understood.” Build a common ground and perspective, and remember to connect everything back to the strategic nexus.

Given constant change is the new normal, now is the time to hold more strategic dialogues. Remember: you need to have more clarity rather than less clarity in your organization at this time period.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

The Source That Ties It All Together

I have the delightful opportunity each month to visit with numerous leaders and managers in different companies through out the country. Given my long term working relationships with these individuals, we quickly get past the superficial and end up in the deep end of the pool, dealing with complex and often unique adaptive situations and problems that cross their path. Working at this level with so many people, it becomes abundantly clear that the best leaders and the best managers all rely on their company’s strategic nexus to make the appropriate decisions and actions which will move the company forward in a successful manner.

The strategic nexus in each company is unique to that company. First, nexus comes form the Latin word, nectere, which means to bind or hold together. In successful companies, the strategic nexus is the sum of two things, namely it’s core ideology and it’s strategic plan. The former is defined by the company’s mission, vision and core values. The latter is defined by the goals and metrics within the strategic plan. The goal of the former is to preserve the core of the company and the goal of the later is to constantly stimulate progress. When these two are utilized well, then an organization can move forward confidently and consistently no matter what is taking place around them.

However, many young leaders and managers are not clear about what the basic elements within the nexus mean. Often, when asked about these elements, I like to explain them in this manner. First, the vision of the company is the destination we are seeking to get to over time. Second, the strategy of the company is the path we choose to take to get to that vision. Next, the mission of the company is what we do along that pathway and the core values are how we act with each other and our customers along the path. Finally, the tactics are the decisions and choices we take along the path to the vision. While I recognize that this is a simplistic way to explain some very complex concepts, it is, nevertheless, a good beginning.

In short, the best leaders and managers that I have have met during my wonderful life journey all utilize a well defined and well communicated strategic nexus to make their organizations highly successful.  It is the source that ties it all together. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Plan Your Work: The Intricacies of Strategy - Part # 2

THEME: Fall 2010 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable Report

FOCUS: Plan Your Work: The Intricacies of Strategy - Part # 2

Monday morning: October 4, 2010

Dear friends,

When confronted with complexity this year, many executives are succumbing to a mentality of “We were successful in the past so we will be successful in the future.” This level of corporate arrogance is not serving them well and will cause major problems during future strategic planning. They forget that strategic planning is a really two major processes happening at the same time.

First, strategic planning is the creation of a document that will define short and long term plans to guide the organization into the future. Second, it is the process of generating strategic dialogues throughout the organization about the emerging trends and whether or not the organization will have the capacity, i.e. skill and mind set, to deal with these trends in the future. If both elements are not in place during the planning process then the document and those who will implement the document will not be adaptable to unforeseen variables. Rather the result of the process will be a rigid set of instructions or tactics which has the potential to create organizational vulnerability.

Therefore, when wanting to improve the development of strategy, we need to remember five key points. First, as leaders, we must invest more time in explaining “Why?” and “How?”. If unaware stakeholders are going to move to aware, and if awareness is going to move to understanding, then we need to keep repeating why the organization must change and how it will change. We must, as William Bridges wrote, vigorously “sell the problems.” We also, from my perspective, need to explain how today’s success or current challenges are a reflection of past decisions. Many employees this fall can not see how the decisions of the past are connected to the outcomes we are experiencing today.

Second, we as leaders need to clearly define what is negotiable vs. non-negotiable within the strategic planning process. It is important to remember that the strategic nexus is made up of two parts, one half is the mission, vision and core values and the other half is the strategic plan. The former preserves the core and the later stimulates progress.

Third, strategy is not a laundry list of big projects. It has to indicate a sense of direction and generate short term wins which will build confidence in the people, the strategy and the company. A laundry list is not flexible but instead results in strategy feeling like a burden, thus reducing focus and commitment. A laundry list also can not always be translated into SMART goals which position the organization for the future.

Fourth, when developing strategy, remember to differentiate between ripe, ripening and unripe issues. I was working with a company this summer on a strategic plan and when we came to a certain issue, one of the people in the room noted, “while this is a growing problem, we are not ready to deal with it yet. Our solution to this issue should be in the next three year plan after we have overhauled key systems in this plan.” I was so proud of them for they recognized that all problems need not be dealt with at the same time and in the same manner.

Finally, when developing strategy, Jim Collins is absolutely correct. It will always be “who before what.” Too many times in 2010, I have wondered why certain people were involved in the development of strategy. Their presence may be politically correct but not strategically smart. As one who has observed and worked with groups for many decades, one bad apple can spoil the whole barrel. Be very careful about who you invite into the process.

This week, plan your strategic planning more carefully and remember to think more broadly about strategy. If you need any help, do not hesitate to call.

Have a great week,

Geery

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257