Strategic Discipline Blog

Count me as naive or possibly someone who didn’t follow the Casey Anthony case close enough to be surprised by the verdict.  Just so you don’t think I’m totally out of touch I was stunned by the verdict in the OJ Simpson trial. 

The Casey Anthony verdict should remind you how frequently there can be a disconnect between your communication with your staff and the intended response and reception.  In a jury trial you are never aware of how the jury is responding.  The attorneys on either side are unable to question or receive feedback from the jury unless the jury specifically requests it.  Even then there is no direct back and forth communication with the jury.  How do you know how your employees understand your expressed communication unless you observe their response and ask for feedback?

Strategic Discipline requires meetings that provide customer and employee feedback.  The intention in these meetings is that the executive team is observing, listening and sensing the way employees are working and responding in the work environment.  These observations are to be reported on a weekly basis.   There should never be any surprises when this type of employee feedback is consistently provided.

If you were surprised by the Casey Anthony Verdict, asks yourself how well you feel your communication is working in your business.  Review the questions asked in Employee Engagement:  Answer These Employee Questions?  How well are you answering these important employee questions?  Do your employees know your top priorities for the year, the quarter?   Can your executive team write your strategy in one statement, let alone your staff? 

In Leadership’s Mission we discussed the critical need to satisfy spiritual resources first in building your business.  Win the hearts and minds of your employees and then the right strategy pays dividends.  The question becomes, how do you accomplish this and exactly what questions do my employees have that I need to satisfy.

Several of my clients and prospects have recently asked for my coaching help to elevate the management teams in their organizations.  The question often asked is how do you go about improving leaders and managers?

Having a vantage point over your competitor is always a good thing.  In war armies seek the high ground to provide an advantage over their enemy.  As we move toward another Fourth of July I’ve been spending some of my free time reviewing books on the greatest battle that occurred on American soil.  In the three days leading up to July 4th in 1863 the Federal army occupied the high ground around Gettysburg, turning it into an advantage that defeated General Lee’s confederate armies. The victory eventually led to the reunion of our nation.  At Gettysburg the high ground determined the victor.

Are you one of those people who says, “Whenever I hear “discipline,” I tune out—the last thing I want is bureaucracy mucking up my entrepreneurial business.”  How will Strategic Discipline improve performance without crushing creativity? 

Is it possible to cheat and still succeed? 

The popularity of shows like The Biggest Loser and ABC’s recent foray into this with Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition I believe stems from the encouragement and reinforcing belief in ourselves we receive by watching someone achieve success in reaching their goals.   It’s the same attraction that has us spend so much money on sporting events.  

Over the past week I’ve had the good fortune of working with a beverage distributor in my area.  We’ve broken up the Two Day Rockefeller Habits Workshop into four half day sessions.  In our first half day we defined their organizational structure to identify the key seats in their organization, where, if any, there are multiple people in key seats and where are their empty key seats.  At the same time I’ve been reviewing Jim Collins’ How the Mighty Fall.  It’s reminded me of Collins emphasis from the Dallas Growth Summit Your Company Key Indicator for People - Corrections.

Who do you admire most?  This is a question I frequently ask candidates in interviews.  I urge you to consider this question in your interviewing process if you aren’t already using it. 

Whether you’re a business person considering hiring a coach or concerned whether your employees will respond to your coaching there’s just one major factor that determines success.  The biggest challenge Marshall Goldsmith noted is selection.  If they don’t care or you don’t care don’t waste your time.  As a coach or a business owner you can’t change those who don’t want to change.  You can only help if the person you are working with wants to change.   Inner motivation is the key to successful coaching.