“Data is like garbage. You’d better know what you are going to do with it before you collect it.”  ~ Mark Twain

The last several months’ insights have been discussions on how to “look in the mirror.” Here’s a quick summary:

• In March, we recognized that looking in the mirror includes evaluating what an organization is doing well,
• In April, we discussed the value of learning from mistakes as it encourages identifying weaknesses so those mistakes can be converted to ongoing improvements.
• In May, the importance of obtaining input from your Customers was suggested as part of looking in the mirror.
• In June, asking your Leadership Team provides an unique view of how effective your organization is, and
• In July, we suggested you pause and consider your rolein the successes and failures of your organization.

Now what? In our February insight, we emphasized why taking the time to look in the mirror is so valuable.

Sherlock Holmes (in “A study in Scarlet” by Arthur Conan Doyle) said “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.” Hopefully, you have gathered a lot of valuable information as you performed our previous months’ recommendations as you “looked in the mirror.”

Yet, that data is useless if you do not take the time to assess what you have learned. A critical mistake an organization can make is compiling data and failing to evaluate it so it can be effectively used moving forward. The Cambridge Innovation Institute did a study that determined that businesses are missing out on $5.2 million in revenue by not assessing and evaluating available data.

With this in mind, what should be evaluated based what you have learned over the last several months? Here are some hints:

• Focus on the data identified. Avoid jumping into a resolution (we will discuss that next month). Take the time to really evaluate what you have learned.
• Consider: Are there trends of the data compiled? What are the majority conclusions to be made based on that data? And what about the “outliners” (those one or two exceptions)? How should they be further assessed?
• Does the data compiled align with Executive Management’s existing belief systems? Or, are there surprises (both positive and negative)? What should be considered with those disconnects?
• Are there general/universal issues identified, or are they specific? Understand and learn from the differences and the nuances between the two.
• Intentionally look for “surprises” compared to data that supports assumptions previously made.
• Mine the data identified. As Peter Sondergaard, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Research at Gartner, Inc.has said: “Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine.”

Truly “looking in the mirror” requires rolling up one’s sleeves and assessing what data has been compiled. It is the next step forward to continuous improvement and operational effectiveness.

“Whenever I could not get the results I wanted, I swallowed my temper and turned inward to see if I was part of the problem. I asked myself three questions: Did I clearly articulate the goals? Did I give people enough time and resources to accomplish the task? Did I give them enough training? I discovered that 90 percent of the time, I was at least as much a part of the problem as my people were.”             

Retired U.S. Navy Captain D. Michael Abrashoff  

Thanks to Julie Chance of Action-Strategies-By-Design for sharing her insights.

The leaders I work with often express frustration that their team members do not take enough initiative, make poor decisions (or fail to make decisions at all), are focused on the wrong priorities, deliver sub-par work products, and look to them as the leader to solve all the problems.

The irony is that as leaders our approach and behaviors are often discouraging the very outcomes we say we want. We are stifling initiative, discouraging decision making, and causing confusion around priorities. How are we doing this? And more importantly how do we avoid these pitfalls?

Here are four of the most common ways I see leaders get in the way of what they say they want and what you can do instead:

Failing to set clear expectations: According to a Gallup Poll, almost 50% of U.S. employees need clarification about their work expectations. There are a variety of reasons leaders fail to set expectations. Sometimes the leader lacks clarity themselves. Often hiring managers aren’t upfront about expectations during interviews because they feel desperate to hire someone. And all too frequently we simply assume that expectations are obvious.

To make sure expectations are clearly set and understood, it is necessary to communicate and document the expectations, provide the reasons behind the expectations and hold people accountable to the expectations. You cannot put expectations on autopilot.

Neglecting to provide the “Why”: If you want people to take initiative and make good decisions, they need to see the big picture – they need to know where you are going and why. Not having the big picture is like following GPS directions without looking at the overall route. Without the big picture of where you are headed all team members can do is follow step-by-step directions.  

It is also important that you as a leader take the time to explain the “why” behind the decisions you make and how the decision fits in with the big picture.

Having too many or shifting priorities: If you provide your team with a list of 10, 15 or even 20 priorities when as humans we only have the capacity to focus on two or three priorities at a time, you almost guarantee a lack of alignment around the most important priorities. Add to this constantly shifting priorities that are a reality in many organizations and you end up with total confusion over what’s most important.

Give your team two to three priorities to focus on at a time. If priorities shift – and they will – acknowledge the shift and provide the reason for the change.

Not giving team members space to take initiative: All too often I hear leaders proclaim they want their team members to take initiative and then prescribe every detail of the actions team members are to take. Or they say they want to hear their team members’ ideas, but only ask for them after outlining their own ideas.

If you want your team to share ideas and take initiative it is critical that you refrain from sharing your ideas until after your team members have shared theirs. Then find an idea or two of theirs and give them the space to try and succeed (or fail).

Next time you become frustrated because your team is not performing the way you want, look in the mirror and ask yourself the three questions Captain Abrashoff asked himself:

• Did I clearly articulate the goals?
• Did I give people enough time and resources to accomplish the task?
• Did I give them enough training?

Julie Chance, Founder of Action-Strategies-By-Design is passionate about helping create workplace cultures where everyone – leaders, teams, individual contributors, and organizations – thrive. Her vision is a work environment where every single person can contribute at their full potential and where people are working together toward a common purpose to achieve better results with greater ease and flow. If you would like to learn more subscribe to her blog, follow Julie on LinkedIn, or visit the Action-Strategies-By-Design website. 

Leaders working together

“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” – Reid Hoffman

Have you noticed that a 4-year-old will be candid, forthcoming, and comment without filters or concern about your reaction to his/her comments? There is something both unsettling and joyful about a young child’s insights. The good/bad news is that you will hear honesty from them.

What does a 4-year-old’s candid comments have to do with Looking in the Mirror? Over the last several months, we have suggested effective methods to “look in the mirror” by identifying what is going well, learning from your past, and asking your Customers.

Now it is time to obtain input from your Leadership Team. There are advantages (and disadvantages) from asking your Team. They present a perspective that you may have been missing and they have a vested interest in ensuring future successes. And, ideally, they will be as forthcoming and candid as a 4-year-old. The goal is to learn from the Leadership’s perspective and insights.

One obstacle to asking Leadership for their opinions is they may be uncomfortable providing their perspective and/or provide honest, forthright responses. It is recommended that a safe, confidential, and objective method be used to allow for the responses desired. There are a multitude of methods to do this, including:

• Engage an external Resource (like Aldridge Kerr) to obtain the input
• Utilize a software Tool (like Survey Monkey or Aldridge Kerr’s proprietary software)

Regardless of the Resource or Tool used, the desired result is that the Leadership Team be able to provide candid, honest, and useful input.

The questions asked of Leadership should be designed to provide further insights from the information identified from learning from your past and asking your Customers. Leadership’s input can empower your organization to excel. Ken Blanchard’s comment: “None of us is as smart as all of us” effectively summarizes why asking your Leaders for input is so valuable. Aldridge Kerr can help your organization design meaningful questions to ask your Leadership and assist in obtaining objective and confidential information.

“In business, the idea of measuring what you are doing, picking the measurements that count like customer satisfaction and performance… you thrive on that.”

Bill Gates

As we continue our discussion on this year’s theme of Looking in the Mirror (https://mailchi.mp/5f69c0941fc6/lookinginthemirror2024), let’s dive in and assess the value of asking our Customers their assessment of how we are doing.

A few thoughts as you consider this:

• Obtaining input from your “best” Customers will give you insights as to why they keep coming back.
• While asking a 1st time Customer whether he/she will want to use your services or products in the future provides valuable information on first impressions.
• Reaching out to inactive/previous Customers will explore why they are no longer engaged with your Company.

What should you ask your Customers?

• Create a list of objective, thought provoking questions that will provide you with insights into what your Customers really think.
• Ask every Customer the same questions and ideally, send them the questions ahead of time so they can ponder them.
• Limit your list of questions to no more than five.
• Include questions related to what your Company does well and suggested areas of improvement.

Consider the most effective methods to ask your questions. Utilizing an external resource – either a software tool or Company engaged to do this – allows for more candid, honest answers.

Once you have compiled the input, assess the findings looking for commonality, trends, etc. Determine how to continue to incorporate the positives or make necessary changes based on what you learn from the input obtained. Looking in the mirror to see what your Customers think allows for ongoing improvement.

“Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” – Colin Powell, Former U.S. National Security Advisor, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired 4-star general 

Edinburgh, Scotland has founded a Library of Mistakes that has compiled a collection of 2,000 books that help the next generation avoid future mistakes. The Curator has stated that this collection proves that “smart people are doing stupid things” and he believes that the only way to strengthen an organization and the economy is to learn from prior mistakes.

As we continue our discussion on this year’s theme of Looking in the Mirror (https://mailchi.mp/5f69c0941fc6/lookinginthemirror2024), it is valuable to occasionally pause and learn from our past: both successes and failures.

This is so important to the ongoing success of any organization as it:

• Identifies areas of weakness and improvement opportunities
• Encourages an environment of ongoing improvement
• Allows for the establishment of a formal methodology to routinely assess the performance of your organization

In John C. Maxwell’s book, Failing Forward, he emphasizes that the challenges are not that we are going to have disappointments and failures (because we will). Instead, he states “Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success.” As we look at our past, we can learn that failure actually is a roadmap to success by encouraging us to continue to take risks and learn for the failures when we make them. By embracing our failures and allowing ourselves to “fail forward,” we instead position ourselves for greater opportunities than we originally imagined.

Maxwell continues his insights within Failing Forward, by saying: “Successful people have learned to do what does not come naturally. Nothing worth achieving comes easily. The only way to fail forward and achieve your dreams is to cultivate tenacity and persistence.” So, he encourages us to “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.”

As John Wooden said so well: “It takes time to create excellence. If it could be done quickly, more people would do it.” As we look in the mirror, stop and consider the following:  

• When is the last time you took a look at a failure to assess what can be learned from it?
• Are you so afraid to fail that you are not taking risks – and the right risks – to propel your organization forward?

Embrace those mistakes and failures so that you can propel your organization forward.

“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives – choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” – Aristotle

In January, we introduced this year’s theme of Looking in the Mirror (https://mailchi.mp/5f69c0941fc6/lookinginthemirror2024). Then in February, we summarized why Looking in the Mirror is so important (https://mailchi.mp/5f69c0941fc6/lookinginthemirror2024).

Looking in the mirror requires an honest assessment of what is working well …. And what is not. Unfortunately, there is often an emphasis only on the negative. As Leaders, we can be guilty of focusing on fixing, improving, and enhancing the organization. However, there is excellent value in pausing to assess what your organization does well. Understanding this is a key step in assessing your organization’s strengths and the value you are able to bring to your Customers and Team.

How does a Leader identify your organization’s strengths? Ideally, performance management has been established within your organization and you should be able to easily identify areas where you excel. This allows for a quantitative method of understanding those strengths.

In addition, assess the not-as-quantifiable aspects of your organization’s strengths to better understand why a Customer chooses you versus your Competitors.

Why is understanding your Organization’s strengths so valuable? It highlights what you do extremely well. Amazingly, Leaders may not have defined these strengths. Taking the time to define those strengths equips Leaders in building on an established foundation. Looking in the mirror to see where your organization thrives allows for further assessments that we will discuss throughout this year.

“In business, the idea of measuring what you are doing, picking the measurements that count like customer satisfaction and performance… you thrive on that.”

Bill Gates

In January, we introduced this year’s theme of Looking in the Mirror (https://mailchi.mp/5f69c0941fc6/lookinginthemirror2024). As we begin our discussions on this, let’s initially focus on why this is so important to the ongoing success of any organization. This includes:

• Identifying areas of strength and improvement opportunities
• Providing a formal and objective methodology to routinely assess the performance of your organization
• Establishing the baseline for creating operational effectiveness
• Positioning an organization for continuous improvement, which is the process of making regular, small changes and improvements that reap long term results

As we look at the importance of Looking in the Mirror, begin with establishing what needs to be assessed and the measurement for that success. In other words, the method in which to “look in the mirror” to identify how the organization is performing.

Think about baking cookies or building a deck without utilizing specific measurements to create the desired results. Adding too much or too little to the cookie batter or not having specifications for the design of the deck can almost guarantee failure.

In the same way, defining the measurement for assessing successes or failures is critical to evaluate how your organization is performing and position it to achieve desired improvements. These measurements should be as quantitative as possible! A danger is establishing incorrect measurements that do not reap desired results. EXAMPLE: If the Customer Service Department’s success is defined based on how quickly they can close an open item may result in quick turnaround. However, if the turnaround does not actually resolve the issue, then the result only creates Customer frustration and continued follow-up with Customer Service.

These are some hints as those measurements are defined:

• Identify when a process or task is being performed well: As the example above summarizes, a common mistake is not measuring the outcomes that produce excellent performance. Ensure performance is measuring the desired results.
• Consider expectations of results: Ensure assessment includes timeliness, quality, expertise and knowledge of Staff, and other KPI’s. These KPI’s (key performance indicators) define what is being assessed and why they matter.
• Establish monitoring and reporting methodologies: These should be designed to effectively assess the established KPI’s.
• Determine frequency of review: Consider the timing based on frequency of processes or tasks performed, those that require more frequent review if it is a process that has been identified as an area of improvement, etc.

Over the coming months, we will discuss action to take based on this Looking in the Mirror process.

“There is immense value in consistently examining the health of an organization.” Charlene Aldridge of Aldridge, Kerr & Associates, Inc.

What do Eastman Kodak, Montgomery Wards, RadioShack, Borders, and Blockbuster have in common? They were thriving, successful companies that went out of business!

How does this happen? What causes this to occur? We at Aldridge Kerr believe there are several factors that can be summed up as follows: they failed to routinely look in the mirror to see how they were doing!

I had several interesting discussions over the holidays related to organizations that do not seem to have any idea that they have issues. These typically reflect a variety of shortcomings, including, for example: poor customer service, ineffective processes, inadequately trained staff, or poor quality.

With this in mind, our insights for 2024 will focus on encouraging you to step back and do some self-reflection to see what your organization does well and where there are operational challenges that need to be addressed.

There is immense value in consistently examining the health of an organization. It can create ongoing excellence and avoid the outcomes of those thriving companies that did not survive. We look forward to walking through this year of discovery to identify where we can improve and increase sustainability and growth.