Strategic Discipline Blog

A 14 hour travel day can get pretty boring even if you sprinkle in the occasional joke, predictable encounter with rude motorist, and share it with family members.  This past week I traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to scratch off an item from my bucket list: Gettysburg Battlefield.  On the way there I unleashed a practice on my two sons I’d learned in Dale Carnegie training many years back. It is absolutely guaranteed to raise the self-esteem of the people who participate. 

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Topics: Employee Recognition, People, People/Relationship Drivers, human behavior, human behavior performance, superior human relations

With the Growth Summit starting Tuesday and our Gazelles Coaching meetings not beginning until Monday this is a modification of a blog (Subjectivity & Objectivity – Required Business Disciplines) written in September of 2010 and another (Critical Numbers - People/Relationship Drivers)in December 2012 .  Flying on Delta to Las Vegas reminded me of an example we often provide on the critical need for balance in setting priority for your business.  I’ve updated the content to reflect the emphasis to balance the two drivers, people and productivity, in your business.

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Topics: One Thing, Balanced Priorities, Process/Productivity Drivers, People/Relationship Drivers, Balance, Balanced Metrics

In the first or second grade I recall being in a parade of students ushered into our small home town theatre to watch the movie Ben Hur.  Going to a movie back then (circa 1960) was a big event.  The theatre had provided our Catholic Elementary school the entire theatre to show the movie Ben Hur.  Watching a movie on the big screen, before there were big screens in every home for TV, was awe inspiring.  I’ve grown to love the movie.  One of the conflicts in the movie is Judah Ben Hur’s rivalry with Messala, a roman tribune. 

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Topics: Balanced Priorities, People/Relationship Drivers, Balance, Strength Based Leadership

Working with our client’s one critical element to make sure a business does not get out of balance is making sure when you choose your priorities you balance your productivity measures with a people or relationship measurement.    It’s your critical number that assures your effort to build more productivity doesn’t hurt the relationships with your customers, employees or shareholders.

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Topics: Acute Myeloid Luekemia, One Thing, Process/Productivity Drivers, People/Relationship Drivers, Mono Somy 7, Balance, Balanced Metrics, Michelle Wick

Most businesses have some solid metrics in place to monitor their Process/Productivity Drivers.  Productivity/Process Drivers include Make/Buy, Sell, and Recordkeeping. This blog will focus on Process/Productivity Drivers and the need to set Critical Numbers to balance this driver against your People/Relationship Drivers in your business.

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Topics: Process/Productivity Drivers, People/Relationship Drivers, key performance indicators, Critical Numbers

Priorities are essential to create alignment and initiate growth for your business.  You need to establish One Thing as the most important priority for the quarter and the year.  However you must realize that in doing this step you need to also create a balancing critical number.  Otherwise your business will get out of proportion.  “All work and no play make Jack a dull boy” is a good quote to remember.  All focus on productivity and no focus on relationships (or vice versa) can make your business operate as if rolling on 4 flat tires.  Despite achieving success in one area the business fails to achieve significant progress.

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Topics: One Thing, Process/Productivity Drivers, People/Relationship Drivers, priorities, Metric Balance, Critical Numbers