Scenario One
During a recent presentation, a business owner was given the following challenge. If 10 of his 100 employees were asked to name the top 3 organizational goals for the current year as they perceived them to be, would he receive the same 3 goals from everyone or would he receive 5, 10 or even 25 different goals? The business owner shook his head and thoughtfully responded, "No, I am sure that I would receive more than 3 goals." He was then asked to consider what these misdirected actions from his employees were costing him in terms of missed opportunities.
Scenario Two
At another presentation, a business owner was asked if she set goals? She responded quite enthusiastically, "Of course, I set goals." She was asked a follow-up question: "Can you state with 100% conviction that your employees know how to consistently achieve both their personal and professional goals?" After a few moments, she replied "No." She was then asked how this lack of knowledge potentially affected her bottom line?
Scenario Three
A president of a company was asked: "Have you ever seen behavior inconsistent with your strategic plan?" He quickly answered "Yes!" A second question was asked, "What did you do about it?" "Well, we sent them to training and within 6 months we had to send them back again?" A new question was then posed to the President. "Are these performance failures a result of a lack of knowledge or skills or due to poor attitudes and habits?" The president immediately said "Why bad attitudes and poor habits." Again, the facilitator asked another question: "What are all these re-do's costing your company?"
Scenario Four
During the annual meeting, the CEO of a manufacturing company informed her executive team that she wanted to achieve a 10% growth during the next 12 months. The VP of Operations made plans to purchase new manufacturing equipment for some new products while the VP of Marketing & Sales began to implement a plan selling existing products. The CFO decided to cut budgets to capital improvements and marketing. All three executive team members believed that their actions would help achieve the 10% growth.
These scenarios shared four critical success factors (CSF's) that impede all organizations from achieving consistent results: communication, goal setting and goal achievement skills, attitudes and alignment.
Critical Factor #1: Communication is the key to unlocking the potential within businesses as well as individuals. When the goals are in alignment with the vision and consistently communicated from top down, then performance excellence is much more likely to happen. Inconsistent communication contributes to missed targets and lowers the performance for the entire organization.
Critical Factor #2: Goal setting and goal achievement are learned skills. Unfortunately, many presume that these skills are acquired during the K-12 educational experiences through the "Osmosis Process." Also, these skills are not actively taught in the corporate setting. Yet, consistent goal achievement or the results are what every organization seeks.
Critical Factor #3: Attitudes drive behaviors that result in change. Many companies focus on trying to change negative behaviors because they are experiencing negative change. However, when the negative attitudes are replaced with positive attitudes, those attitudes will drive positive behaviors creating positive change. By failing to address negative attitudes, new trends, changes or initiatives, the result is wasted resources creating a negative drain on the "KASH Box."
Critical Factor #4: Alignment is necessary to ensure that the desired results are achieved. Performance excellence happens when the strategies, systems and people are working together to build loyal internal customers that drive loyal external customers. The much heard adage about "Getting everyone to row in the same direction" is true, but probably should be amended to include the following "by using the same paddles."
When these four CSF's work together, results happen quicker and create a culture of working "smarter and not harder." The following questions may help you to achieve the consistent results that you desire as you work your strategic plan:
1. Do I know with 100% accuracy that every employee can clearly articulate the top 3 goals for the organizations?
2. Does every person within the organization consistently sets and achieves all of his or her personal and professional goals?
3. Does everyone within the organization at ALL times consistently demonstrate positive attitudes?
4. Are the strategies, systems and people in alignment to build loyal internal customers?
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, is the Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she builds peace and abundance by connecting the 3P's of Passion, Purpose and Performance through process improvement. Her ROI driven process solutions affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation with a variety of industries. She aligns the strategies, systems and people to develop loyal internal customers that lead to external customers. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for June 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or email leanne@processspecialist.com if you are seeking amazing results.
Copyright 2005 Leanne Hoagland-Smith, leanne@processspecialist.com
Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).
rental limo Atlanta .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareWhen looking at Akron carefully one cannot help but notice... Read More
With the help of balanced scorecard strategy map, it is... Read More
Franchised companies often require what some believe to be excessive... Read More
Writing a business plan to help you direct and manage... Read More
Human beings are rational agents. Rationality endorses one to take... Read More
People often ask "What makes a good business plan? Or,... Read More
Every business experiences slower periods. For some, they sell more... Read More
Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word... Read More
I. INTRODUCTIONThe term resilience, which is of frequent use in... Read More
The current state of the available technology at the disposal... Read More
Writing a business plan can be tricky when all the... Read More
Want to become more strategic? Add these traits to your... Read More
When someone mentions business planning we have been conditioned to... Read More
Mobile auto detailing equipment becomes very inexpensive around March each... Read More
If you're a solo professional like I am, you know... Read More
Business rises and falls on leadership. According to business guru,... Read More
There are no "rules of thumb" in the pursuit of... Read More
The first task before hiring a contractor for home remodeling... Read More
A well known, national chain of restaurants discovered that certain... Read More
A significant advantage of some business ideas is that the... Read More
Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and... Read More
"Bozo" ? A clown with a forlorn look, always finding... Read More
Does the competition drive you crazy?Are they relentless about taking... Read More
The format of a Business Plan is something that has... Read More
Q: A key investor in my business has suggested that... Read More
Bedford Park taxi to Midway ..One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized age... Read More
"I don't need a business plan."Neither did Alice in Wonderland."Would... Read More
Does the competition drive you crazy?Are they relentless about taking... Read More
There's nothing automatic about corporate growth, particularly in the information... Read More
The University of Exeter in the United Kingdom recently published... Read More
Every business experiences slower periods. For some, they sell more... Read More
Business planning is widely acknowledged as one of the keys... Read More
GETTING STARTED WITH SUCCESSION PLANNING: PART IA survey of 4,300... Read More
People often ask "What makes a good business plan? Or,... Read More
The Accountability/Alignment Process: Three Steps to an Accountable Organization Generating... Read More
If you are a successful franchise of a large franchise... Read More
This week I coached a wonderfully lovely woman I'll call... Read More
A focus group is a group of employees or current... Read More
Is there a 'magical' way to exponentially grow your business?It's... Read More
Business owners and entrepreneurs are, by nature, risk takers and... Read More
How are you feeling today? Good, not so good, great?... Read More
Imagine spending the same amount of money on marketing and... Read More
No matter what product or service you provide you will... Read More
Although North Americans were the dominant population on the Internet,... Read More
If you've ever listened to Warren Buffett talk about investing,... Read More
We all agree Strategic Planning is a critical part of... Read More
Have you been in a "brainstorming" session where each person... Read More
When you start your program to purchase your "ideal" company,... Read More
Where would your business be without a proper plan? A... Read More
Franchised companies often require what some believe to be excessive... Read More
Strategic Planning |