I had a further conversation with Dan Markovitz of TimeBack Management yesterday regarding Lean Conversations and how to begin designing a rigorous assessment instrument. The objective being to give users a way to focus their actions on the most effective leverage points for reducing friction and waste in their everyday conversations and increasing productivity and effectiveness. Dan had recently returned from a major annual Lean conference by the Lean Enterprise Institute  One of his observations was that there is a fair degree of frustration in the community around “why haven’t we seen more progress over the last decade than we have?” 

While not pretending to have any global answers to this question, I believe a significant portion of the issue likely comes from the paradigm in which the work has been done. Here’s what I mean:

1)   Most of the “Lean work” in the United States  has dealt with the physical and financial dimensions of productivity; with much less attention to specific interventions in the way people think and interact with those around them, (what we are talking about when we say “the human dimension.”) If you change processes, physical environment, and finances you also need to give people a new “operational paradigm” for how to upgrade their interactions with each other.

2)   Much of the work around Lean is reported and exchanged in relatively academic terms, almost “theroretical,” but ”the action” goes on between people on the shop floor, in their offices, on the phone and now with email and text messaging. It’s real life experience which tends to get messy.

3)   Generally writings and discussions address how to get other people to change their behaviors. From the perspective of the work we do at 2130,  it all really starts with “Self Generated Accountability.” This means the starting point is understanding “my role” in what is happening and taking responsibility for the changes I need to make. Self-observation, self-awareness and incorporating feedback from others is key. This is very different than looking at the team and consistently providing feedback to them about the changes they need to make. It doesn’t mean that if you are a leader you don’t make assessments of others, but it does mean you start with yourself first. 

4)   Working with the effectiveness of our conversations and interactions involves working with things we can’t see or touch. Furthermore, the nature of conversations is much different than that of physical objects.  Brian Regnier taught me the crucial difference, which is that physical objects persist whereas conversations disappear.  The fact that many of us treat conversations as if they also persist leads to many failings in shifting thinking.

5)   There are few best practices for conversations that lead to highly productive interactions.  For example, it’s easy to observe a group of people behaving in a continuous “fire-fighting” mode and we have a term for it.  It’s less clear in every day shared language what the descriptor is for highly productive group interactions.

6)   For many of us, any attempts to increase the effectiveness and productivity of our interactions starts with a complaint about the way that it is and attempts to fix it.  Our approach is to learn to describe the “Yonder Star” or ideal outcome.  What would our interactions and work together look like if we were performing at a very high level and enjoying ourselves to boot?

Our invitation to you is to reframe your thinking about those interactions you have that involve a lot of friction and waste.  Create your Yonder Star for the conversation. Invite the other(s) to share your Yonder Star, examine what’s missing from that picture today, and engage in discovering new practices or ways to interact that are more productive. Let us know where you get stuck, what you learn, and any results you are having.  If you come up with any best practice statements that are “Lean Conversations,”  by all means, please share them.

Our recent blog post about “Lean Conversations” connected us to Dan Markovitz of  TimeBack Management  and provoked a great dialogue about increasing our own productivity and that of white collar or “knowledge workers” in general. Dan’s slogan “working at the intersection of personal productivity and lean manufacturing” really captures his offering. For those of you interested in looking at office productivity through the eyes of “lean,” we urge you to check out Dan’s blog posts.

From 2130’s perspective the opportunity starts with recognizing that there actually is an opportunity for huge breakthroughs in productivity for all of us. Unless you start your thinking from this possibility, you will never put your energy and intention into capturing the available gains for your associates and yourself.  The “urgent” will continue to distract you and draw your focus.  As Markowitz says, “you’ll never get off the fire truck!”

The second step is to create a vision of what your work practices would look like if it were the “golden era.”  In other words, if your work life were all working perfectly, what would you be getting done and what would happen to all the rest of it?  This means you have to identify a clear picture of what is important and valuable and what you are committed to, (what we would call your “Yonder Star”).  Easily said, and yet we find many clients who struggle mightily with this seemingly simple notion.  The critical point is everything builds from this starting point so if you aren’t willing to take this on, stop reading.

The next step is to track your practices, (see Markovitz’s blog for more on this).  Find those things that are necessary, predictable, and/or repetitive, amid all the unique activities in your week. Pull them out and put them on your calendar at times that are convenient, with plenty of lead-time to get them done.

Now compare your vision to all the stuff you have been doing and see if much of it really forwards you on your path to your vision and highest priorities. Now be rigorous and drop as much as possible of what doesn’t fit.  This may mean delegating or sub-contracting or it may mean you just stop doing it. Notice who you are afraid of offending or don’t want to disappoint. Is there a way you can re-negotiate? Can you just stop? Why not? What is it costing you to keep doing things that are not leading to your vision? Are you willing to keep paying that price? How much time have you got left?

Now ask “what’s missing today from my vision today that would be the most valuable thing I could put my attention on?” “What, if I/we got to work on it would give us the greatest leverage in fulfilling the vision?”  By leverage we mean getting the greatest result for the least effort and investment of resources. Pick one, and no more than three, activities and build time into your calendar for them. Share your new focus with others so that they ask you how you are doing.  They may even look to see how they can support you!  That’s real accountability – holding yourself accountable in a public way through your declarations.

Start practicing your new design.  It will take practice to break your old habits and build sustainable new ones. It does take the initial effort of the analysis above and building a new practice, but the outcomes will be worth it.

 Let us know how you are doing!

Many of the statements and conversations that pass for normal today are filled with words and phrases that have no power and fill the conversational space with the false implication of action. This type of communication seems to keep the speaker from being present to his or her own experience and commitment, (or, more likely, lack thereof). 

Let’s start with the word “like.” Admittedly this overused word is mostly in the younger set. It seems to be a substitute for being articulate enough to share one’s own experience accurately and authentically.  As an example, the phrase “it’s like I’m cold,” – does that mean you are? You aren’t? Why not just state “I am cold?”  Including “like” seems to allow a lot of talk without much real connection to personal experience. The words speak to an experience that is similar or “like,” rather than a statement that owns one’s physical state in that moment.

Another set of words and phrases we hear quite regularly are: “try,” “need to,’” “want to,” “should,” “ought to,” and “would be nice if…” Our view is that these, and many more phrases like them, occur constantly in every day management conversations and are worse than meaningless. In fact, it could be said that in these types of conversations both the speaker and the listener are “deluded.” They are deluded because there is an implication of action where there will most certainly be none. We call these words and phrases the “said” portion of a statement. Underneath the “said” is that which is “unsaid.” We find the ”unsaid” is usually some version of, “but I can’t.”  For example, the “said might be” – “we should put a budget together on that.” The “unsaid” might be, “but we don’t have time.” Another example of the “said” might be –  “I’d love to go with you guys.” The “unsaid” might be, “but my wife would never stand for it.”

The third, even subtler phrasing we hear is some version of “my opinion would be…” or “my idea would be…” Said in this way, the speaker never seems to be questioned and yet, what does he or she mean?  “”My idea would be…” but, it turns out what they’re saying isn’t really their idea? Or is it? Another example is “my opinion would be…” So does that mean it’s that person’s opinion unless it meets with criticism in which case they’ll change it? As listeners we really don’t know where the speaker stands. It’s easy to wonder if the speaker knows their own point-of-view or whether they are just testing the waters to see what is acceptable, popular, or meets with approval from the top of the hierarchy in the conversation.

It seems the culture of many organizations today encourages this type of “soft pedal” speak. It leaves people latitude to shift to what is acceptable and to recover more easily if they “step in it.” The issue is that people aren’t encouraged to have a real point-of-view, nor are they encouraged to articulate it if they genuinely have one. From a leadership standpoint, we don’t believe this builds leadership skills, confidence or a healthy cultural paradigm in which team members can bring all that they are and have to the table.

The antidote to all of this unreal or deluded conversation is taking the risk to say directly and succinctly what you are really experiencing/feeling, what your truth is, what you are committed to, what you promise, and what you can be counted on to do. If you are a leader and you begin to communicate in this way, those around you will recognize the authenticity of it. You will likely build more trust within your team. Particularly if you encourage them to also take on this style of communication. An important key is that it will only succeed if people see that they will not be punished, criticized, embarrassed or shamed for doing it. A strong leader builds a safe container for those around them to bring their best thinking knowing they can articulate it and it will be received with respect even when others disagree.

If you take this on and find yourself uncomfortable, make note of what your mind is saying is going to happen to you or how your internal dialogue is criticizing you.  Use your self-awareness skills and you will likely find what’s stopping you is a limiting belief.  Once identified, you can go to work on letting go of it.  Check out Kimberley Heart  or Morty and Shelly Lefkoe  if you need help working through your limiting beliefs.

To become a clear, powerful, and intentional leader, listen to your statements over the next few days and make a record of all the times you say things from one or more of the above groupings.  You probably have your own favorite versions of each!  If you are having trouble self-observing, keep going for it and also start recording what you hear others saying.  What is the “unsaid” in each conversation? Are you willing to restate your comments with real self-awareness, authenticity, and commitment? 

This is an opportunity to multiply your and your team’s productivity and effectiveness!

While much attention is being paid to the current and expected rate of unemployment in our economy, another longer-term trend is hardly being noticed or measured. Over the last several decades the number of people working as freelancers, consultants, and contractors has risen to 20 – 23% of U.S. workers and is expected to continue to grow.  Fast Company magazine talked about it back in a December 1997 article as the “Free Agent Nation” and urged everyone to wake up to the new reality.

For our client companies, this trend is great news as it means you can hire highly qualified talent for many of your needs on a short-term, project basis. You can have top quality talent that you can’t afford and don’t need on a regular, full-time basis as virtual members of your teams. This gives you more ability to focus on what you do best while outsourcing many important functions that are not really part of your core competence. If you do it well, you will soon discover the advantages and learn to base most, if not all, relationships around contracts for performance.

For you folks who are out in the market, it means opportunity, if you are willing to create the right attitude and practice a few key disciplines.  A Wall Street Journal article Monday, February 8, 2010, entitled How to Succeed In the Age of Going Solo, by Dr. Richard Greenwald is a useful guide.

Whether you are still employed or have recently been given your freedom, realize that your old world of stable employment with full-time jobs and defined career paths is dying. We originally addressed this isssue in our post  on May 18th, 2009 about Mike Cook’s book Thrive: Standing On Your Own Two Feet in a Borderless World, in which Mike urges you to recognize and shift your paradigm about employment from one of “entitlement” to one of “engagement.”   He offers the formula: Technical Competence + Collaborative Skill + Good Reputation = Potential Performance as a guide on your new path.

Dr. Greenwald provides specific actions to take along with a valuable discussion around each one of the following key steps:

1)    Think long-term – take on your new life as you would any profession

2)    Pick the right skills and keep them fresh – keep educating yourself

3)    Join a network – from social media to shared office space, find ways to connect with others with common interests

4)    Have your own space – most need space away from the activities and seductions at home

5)    Think like an entrepreneur –set yourself up as a business with a clear vision, mission, values, business plan, marketing program, & accurate financial statements

To the wise counsel of these two authors we add “enjoy your newfound freedom!” You have escaped and are in a new world where your creativity and passion need have no bounds. You can work to your highest value. In our firm, we challenge our associates to “be all you can be, fully self-expressed, and let the world choose how much of you it wants and the price it is willing to pay for your gifts.  You are the offering.  The world has waited for eons for your arrival, get busy.”

With this post we are introducing a set of ideas we have been evolving for over two years, that we call Lean Conversations. The fundamental notion is that academicians, consultants, leaders, and managers in our culture have focused on and accomplished tremendous gains in productivity through process improvement, supply chain management, IT, and a host of manufacturing concepts including Lean Manufacturing. The area that has been largely overlooked as an opportunity for improvement in productivity is the friction and waste that occurs in the conversations people have with each other as they go about their daily work together.  By friction and waste we mean the upsets, resistance, broken promises, undelivered communications, failed intentions, etc., etc. (You get the picture.)

We have long felt the single biggest key to productivity gains in our economy today is to identify and clear upsets, first in ourselves, and then in others. Over many years with our clients we have conducted a sort of “informal qualitative survey,” by asking them, “ if people in your organization just came to work, did their jobs, and went home without having upsets, issues with each other, their work, etcetera, what time could you go home?” Consistently we would hear they could go home between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m. This answer used to surprise us until we heard it over and over again. Let’s allow for gross overstatement and cut that savings in half.  Even with this modification it appears there is at least  two to four hours of time savings available for the leaders, (and presumably everyone else in the organization), if there were less upsets, less confusion and fewer issues in people’s interactions with each other.  Bottom line, this means ther are potentially enormous opportunities for gains in productivity right in front of us, largely unnoticed, (or framed in that way), and largely unleveraged.

We have written a white paper on this subject which we are making available as a free download in this blog post and, (which we will also post on our website in the Articles section), with ideas as to how you can get started reducing the friction and waste in the conversations in your organization. 

We invite you to download it here [Download].pdf, study it, and take on the practices that most apply to you.   Please comment on this post, add to our ideas in the white paper and let us know what you think. Let’s start an open source movement for Lean Conversations!

Being powerful in translating intentions into reality and sustaining them requires presence and adaptability in the face of life’s circumstances – circumstances that can change every moment.  Where can we turn for tools to support ourselves?

The United States military has long taught our special ops teams and fighter pilots a thought process called the OODA Loop.  These teams function in relatively small units who have large assignments with very limited time and resources.  They train incessantly and plan their missions in incredible detail.  Yet, no plan survives its collision with reality and conditions in the field often differ from those on the planning table.

Adherence to the original plan would sometimes mean immediate capture or death and certain failure.  Given their commitment, failure is not an option and “all or nothing” is often the choice.  They must be able to make sometimes dramatic adjustments to achieve mission objectives and extract themselves with minimal to no casualties.

The OODA Loop thought process is an excellent antidote to holding onto the way it was supposed to be, the resources they were supposed to have, and the unfairness of the situation.  The acronym simply means:

1)     Observe the actual “ground truth” – the way that it is and the way that it isn’t rather than how it was supposed to be. 
2)     Orient to the actual situation, the observable roadblocks and potholes, the unknowns, and the resources available.  Consider the options and strategies that are available.
3)     Decide on a path and how long you can go before reorientation is required.
4)     Act on your plan
5)     Immediately start the process over

In Organizational Development circles the Action Research people would be most comfortable with this thought process. 

In your world, how can you apply this simple, clear process to return yourself to working on your purpose and priorities?  How can you use to deal with the ”Tyranny of Push Content” we addressed in our last post?  How can this OODA loop concept benefit your leadership development?

Are you overwhelmed with the “tyranny” of emails, newsletters, Facebook and LinkedIn updates, tweets, and phone messages coming at you by the hour?  Do you have a feeling of guilt that somehow you are accountable for responding to all of them, even though you didn’t ask for most of them in the first place?  Is the e-stack in your inbox getting deeper and deeper?  Do you feel like a slave to your Blackberry or iPhone?  Are you spending longer hours responding and giving yourself less quiet time?

 Virtually everyone we work with is concerned about this issue, not only for themselves but also for those who work with and for them.  If everyone is sending and responding to the stuff shoved at them all day, when is there time to think and be proactive and who is doing the work?

When we engage clients in conversations for solutions around this issue we hear several categories of reasons why they are complaining yet not able to get a handle on this:

1)   Fear & defensiveness.  There is a message in the stack that has a real zinger in it and they can’t take the risk of missing it. Key people will judge them harshly as being non-responsive or irresponsible.

2)   Beliefs & judgments. “Good people” answer all their emails and messages. If they were just more organized they would have time to be successful at responding to everything.

3)   Addiction. They are hooked on Facebook, Twitter and the like.

4)   Absence of clarity. Vision, goals and priorities are subsumed by the sheer onslaught of “incoming.”  “What I started out to get done when I headed for the office was lost within a half-hour after I got there.”

To me, (and I struggle mightily with this as well), the antidote is:

1)   Remind myself that I did not ask for much of the incoming and never promised to answer it.

2)   Refocus on my strategic priorities regularly throughout the day and ask if what I’m doing is forwarding any of them.

3)   Choose to let the email and networking site updating slide and just sit with the discomfort.

4)   Keep looking for practical processes that support my intention to be the most productive I can be while also being reasonably responsive.

5)   Insist on setting out quiet times and free times to think, relax, and restore, even if I can only fit in a 15 minute break at times.

6)   Insure I get at least my minimum exercise and yoga practice in.

How do you handled the onslaught of incoming? What practices and processes are you employing to keep yourself sane, productive, and on purpose?

As we observe our clients,  and business trends we believe now is the time to renegotiate and ”re-contract” all of your relationships.  In our  post called the New Rules from early last year we said, “all bets are off” and “all the rules have changed.”  Given all of the big pictures changes to doing business in the last 18 months or so the New Rules gave us a way to work with our clients to help them navigate the unprecedented challenges. With the new year, new decade and the passage of time we now believe we have reached the next level and it’s an important time to re-evaluate and re-contract.  (We also consider this the third step in developing your approach to the year. First step we blogged about was to complete 2009, second step was to create a plan for 2010.)

It seems to us almost everywhere we look since January 1^st there is a new, refreshed attitude, (although we do recognize many are still struggling and we offer our compassion and empathy to those still in the midst of major issues).  We see companies “cleaning their closets,” making  final changes to their rosters and negotiating to buy or merge. We  observe people leaving, (or getting ready to leave), their current employment,  and starting new jobs. Overall there seems to be a general shift to action mode with a “let’s get to it” attitude.

We just attended a workshop for Vistage Chairs, (www.vistage.com), in the Orange County area this week led by a wise teacher, James Newton of Newton Learning Corp.  During the discussion, James brought up the concept of “re-contracting” with our CEO groups for 2010.  His presentation connected with what I have been experiencing and it has lit a fire to “re-contract” in every area of my life.

There are three fronts to this effort.  The first is to “take the offensive” in areas where your suppliers or partners may be planning on re-negotiating your existing relationships and just haven’t gotten to you yet. Take some time to review these relationships and make sure you are clear on what you want, what you are willing to pay, and how you want to move forward in the future. Be proactive so you aren’t caught off-guard and unprepared.

The second is to review and update expectations about how things are being done inside your firm. Work with team leaders, department heads, and/or your executives. Get their take on how things are going in their various areas of responsibility and what they see can be improved in 2010. Make as many areas visible and mutually agreed upon as possible in order to have the greatest level of effectiveness and velocity possible. 

The third is to re-contract your relationships in the rest of your life.  Having authentic conversations during quieter moments regarding mutual expectations and arriving at agreements for who will do what, and how you will solve any breakdowns will take a lot of friction out of your relationships. There will be much more opportunity to enjoy your relationships this coming year if you have taken time to work some things out in advance.

I suggest a very simple formula for re-contracting your relationships:
1) Take some time to clearly articulate “what I want from you.” Make sure you have reflected before the conversation and are very clear about your priorities. Producing a verbal laundry list is likely to be received with overwhelm so be specific.
2) Take time to listen to “what you want from me.” It’s critical to be open, curious and receptive. You can’t fairly expect to successfully re-contract if you aren’t able to really hear what people want from you. 
3) Discussion - make sure you have allotted enough uninterrupted time for some thorough discussion. 
4) Counter offers – this is critical. Be ready and willing to negotiate.
5) Agreement – the goal is to end the conversation with mutual understanding and acceptance.

We’d love to hear about your re-contracting experiences. Let us know how this works for you!

If you have done the completion work we recommended in our last post, it’s time to move on to creating and documenting your 2010, (or longer), Yonder Star(s) and creating plans for fulfillment.

If you have never taken the time to sit down and map out your Yonder Star, you might start by doing some thinking about real, meaningful New Year’s resolutions. You don’t necessarily have to think of something new and different that you have never tried before. Most of us have “chronic resolutions,” which are ones that we promise ourselves every year and at some point they get lost along the way. The difference this year should be to create an action plan and a timeline to go with your resolutions/goals. Breaking your vision down into the action steps you need to take to make it a reality will help you see each step of the path. Often big visions are not as daunting when you break them down into manageable pieces. The other key is timing. Create timeframes for your goals that are realistic for you. After you have written it, take your plan and keep it somewhere visible where you can refer to it often. If you bury it in a drawer or file somewhere it will just slip away beneath the current of your life.

One way to help yourself succeed is to make your resolutions “public” to others. To put more wind in your sails, promise others that you will deliver! You can ask someone you trust to be a “committed listener.” This involves a commitment from them to listen to you as you talk about the status of your plans, your struggles and your successes. It does not involve them giving advice or telling you what to do next, (unless you make a specific request for it).

Another way to succeed is to hire a coach. Someone who is trained to support people in achieving their dreams and plans.

If you are a bit more experienced at this process, take a step up in rigor and create a set of goals for the different areas of your life. Categories you might include are:
1) Career/Financial
2) Well-Being or Health
3) Relationships
4) Spiritual
5) Personal
6) Wild Card

How bold are you willing to be setting your goals? If you are completely certain you can make the goals, are you stretching yourself enough? Focus on designing the most catalytic, highly leveraged action steps you can. By catalytic we mean that your actions produce the intended results without your being used up in the process. By highly leveraged, we mean you produce very big results with minimal resources.

If you’ve been successful at this level of work and/or are ready to take on your first effort at a Strategic Plan for your company or affiliation, we suggest using what we call our “2130 Partners Hot Wired Strategic Plan.” We call it Hot Wired because it covers many of the levels and topics of an elaborate plan and yet you can produce a decent draft in a couple of hours. The first pass can then be developed to whatever level of detail you wish. The key, however, is to get the initial draft knocked out in as short a time as you can so that you shift your paradigm about goals and actions as you develop the more detailed plans. You can download the worksheet for our 2130 Partners Hot Wired plan by clicking here.

It’s the time of year when many of us conduct annual rituals that may include everything from strategic planning sessions for business to making New Year’s resolutions or setting Bold Goals for 2010 and beyond.  We’ve found any such process to be much harder to do when we haven’t completed and let go of the past.  It’s very difficult, (impossible?), to really move forward when we are carting the past along with us. The process of letting go can include changing your attitude and perceptions about what the economy did to you, to digging very deep and letting go of some of the childhood stuff that shapes your life.

On the fun end of the spectrum, we have for many years put flip chart paper all over our walls when we have a New Year’s Eve party with a simple question on each, such as “What did I start and not complete?” or “What did I accomplish that I haven’t been acknowledged for?” or “What did I screw up that I didn’t get caught for?”  Guests write on the charts all evening with colored markers and sometimes get even more creative with a touch of artistic display as well.  On a number of occasions we have taken them all down at midnight and symbolically burned them.

On a business note, we just completed a week of group meetings with our executive clients where we passed out an exercise with questions for them to fill out and discuss that explored accomplishments and failures in their businesses, practice of leadership, and lives.  One of my favorites is “What must I communicate to be complete with 2009 and to whom?”

A few of the highlights from the executive discussions included discoveries of attachments participants did not realize were holding them back, people around them who they had failed to acknowledge, and places where they were not leading by example.  For a couple of clients who have transitioned into the next phase of life after full-time CEO work, they discovered that there is not much useful and generally accepted language in our culture to describe someone who is no longer working full-time and yet intends to offer a contribution.  This opened up an exploration of advisor, teacher, mentor, sage, and wisdom roles. 

We also were reminded that for many folks the holidays can include a lot of upset, ranging form anxiety around gift giving and office party attendance to remembrances of lost loved ones or unhappy childhood experiences related to the holidays.  The latter is fertile ground for completion work, of course. 

One of the participants in our completion work summed up the experience of working with the exercise as “transition/transformation is a lot of work!”  If you are intending to be powerful in 2010, have big goals, and produce great results, we highly recommend you spend the next couple of weeks completing and letting go of 2009, (and earlier if you need to), in order to create fertile ground for your 2010 vision to come alive.

If you would like to try our exercise format we have included it here as a free download.

Wishing you a happy ending to your 2009 and a fabulous 2010!

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