Jim Collins' To Do List for 2012

-Go to the Good to Great website and take the Good to Great Diagnostic for your business
-Make sure you have the 'right people in the right seats' on your company's bus
-Hold a 'Brutal Facts' meeting each quarter, in which the numbers for the company are shared with everyone
-Have a 15-25 Big Harry Audacious Goal for yourself
-Commit to consistency
-Calculate, then take a risk this year
-Make a plan that would allow you to go one year without revenue in your company – because some day you may need to
-Look for ROL (Return on Luck) strategies – what will you do with a stroke of luck
-Commit to values – ones that will still be relevant 100 years from now
-Make a Stop Doing List – then STOP doing unnecessary things






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What Do You Expect?

I boarded Direct Air flight #5915 on March 5th for a flight to the sunny south, fully expecting that the airline would fly me safely home again 10 days later. Ah - no! Six days after my departure, the airline went bankrupt and I was left to fend for myself. Feeling angry, disappointed and ripped off, I spent hours searching the Internet for a flight that wouldn't break the bank. It was the height of Spring Break in Florida and flights were hard to come by. After a few frustrating hours, trying to get a coherent answer from the airlines, and an assurance from VISA that they would refund my loss, I took a walk and found myself wondering...what exactly had I expected when I booked this flight? I fly a fair bit and haven't given much thought lately to my expectations for travel. Air travel certainly isn't what it used to be and, over time, we - the flying public - have been forced to lower our expectations incrementally. Slowly, we've traded our hopes for a hot, healthy in-flight meal, for a cold, starch-heavy 'snack'. At the last minute, we're now asked to hand over our credit cards to pay for that suitcase that used to fly free. And the free movie, that provided distraction on those long trips ...four dollars please! Truth be told, most of us have swapped the probability of a great flying experience, for a 'just get me there in one piece' prayer. Expectations are powerful. What we believe about what we 'should' be given, or how relationships and situations are 'supposed' to unfold, form the foundation of our emotional experience as consumers, parents and employees. The power of expectations is clearly evident when there is a change in our lives. Leaders often 'expect' employees to be excited about organizational changes, willing and able to grasp the vision. Employees expect that their leaders will keep them informed about every step of the transition, and understand their pain. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? So, why is everyone angry, frustrated and looking for someone to blame during the hard parts of a change? Simply put, the real expectations we hold are seldom explored, clearly defined or shared. How can a leader, parent or team member 'manage' their expectations? Here are a few ideas: Explore your own expectations before stepping into change; ask yourself: What do I think will happen, how quickly and to what degree? What do I hope or anticipate others will do in response to the changes I'm initiating? What have others encountered when attempting a change of this size and importance that can inform my goals and plans? What will I do if my expectations are not met, or even understood? And now for the really important piece...share your expectations. Talk openly with those people who are involved in your change, or from whom you will need some sort of help or response in order to be successful. You just may find out that, the very person, team or company that you are depending on to cooperate with you has a different view of their participation. Preparation will keep you from experiencing a whole range of unpleasant emotions. And, it just might help you prepare a Plan B that, when push comes to shove- and it always does in a change - could save your bacon! Planning a change? Want to clarify your expectations first? Call me... Remember, you can change it - we can help!  For a good read on expectations, pick up Brian Reynold's book, What Do You Expect?  March 2012

What are you Learning this year?

The trouble with making change is that it's hard. Sometimes it's really hard. One of the things that makes change so stressful is that it almost always requires people to learn something new. Even when the goal is of the, 'stop doing that' variety, people still have to learn how to stop! Let's face it - if you wanted to do something, and you knew how to do it - you would have done it already. Learning Spanish has been on my bucket list for years. I took Spanish in High School and it's held a fascination for me ever since. I marvel at colleagues who can flip between languages with ease. I confess that I've always attributed superior intellect to those with the ability to shift gears in their head, speak in another tongue and never miss a beat. So, this is my year to learn! But, as I sit in front of my newly acquired Rosetta Stoneä Language Learning System, I face the same concerns that all changers do. I chose this, and I still have angst. Being in the change biz is helping me recognize the territory I'm in right now - I've made a good first step, had some initial fun and now begins the real work, and the second - guessing. Is this really going to be worth all the hours? Will I be able to master this?    What happens if I can't do it? I know there will be other stages along the way too - when I get about halfway through, I may want to quit altogether. It's the mile in the middle that's the hardest for would-be changers.   Forewarned is forearmed - right? You bet, and my Rosetta Stoneä System has anticipated my reaction to the murky halfway mark by hooking me up with learning buddies, on-line games and little rewards. Good for them. After walking thousands of learners down this same path, the Stoners have learned that, like my fellow changers, I'll need a leg up, some hope and a bit of fun to get me to my end goal. Where are you and your team in the change process? Just starting? Dangerously close to the middle-mile? What are you doing to shore up the resolve and decrease the stress that your team will demonstrate - through missed deadlines, absenteeism, dips in moral and a general sense of dread - when it comes to pushing hard enough to cross the finish line with this change? And, what do you know that, if they understood, would help them come to the same conclusion you have and stay on the bus?  So, let's take a page from their book, shall we?  If change were easy, everyone would do it. Remember, you can change it.... we can help! February 2012