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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Why Not?

by Rick Baker
On Aug 21, 2014

Why not aim for excellent performance?

Why not strive for task and process mastery?

Why not strive for craftsmanship?

Why not aim for minimal errors?

Why not aim for clear communication? 

Why not aim to deliver on all the commitments we make to our clients?

Why not meet the time deadlines we agreed to?

It’s an issue of character.

It's an issue of culture.

Why not aim for a culture of excellence?

Meetings, Communication, & Culture

by Rick Baker
On Aug 12, 2014

Business Contains Only 3 Things: People, Process, & Situations

… and …

People Do Only 3 Things: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things

Meetings should be treated as opportunities to grow good habits: good habits about people, good habits about processes, & good habits about situations.

Culture Statements should contain many general statements about good habits. That will help people understand how Culture Statements can be applied during their workdays…i.e., specific real-work applications.

An excellent way to start is to:

  1. Talk about one or two Culture Statements at every regularly scheduled meeting and
  2. Do New Things that show people how they should act

When you hold meetings, talk about the Culture you desire. This could be as simple as having the chair of the meeting start the meeting with a 30-second personal story that fits the culture. Or, start each meeting with a round-the-table ‘getting present’ question like…”How are you feeling right now and why?” [People would need to learn how to be very concise with their answers]

Or, ask questions like, “How have you used your talents & strengths since our last meeting?

These sorts of questions help people get engaged. If a person struggles to get engaged then that person’s boss can coach and train between meetings.

People do their best when they are engaged…not just engaged doing tasks but engaged feeling like they are part of a winning team that is determined to build terrific things and do terrific business. [I know that can sound hokey…and it is hokey when it is done via lip service only…however, it is energizing when it is done in synch with Culture Statements.]

Show people how you want them to act:

  1. Company leaders need to buy into the Culture Statements and ‘best practices for meetings’ and, where required, make changes to how they act in meetings [replacing bad habits with good habits]
  2. Company leaders need to do new things to expand their ability to Influence other’s behaviour. Leaders need to illustrate their accountability – leading by example.

Linked to this, ensure ongoing communication that promotes good meeting practices [good habits]:

  1. People should feel comfortable talking about errors/problems [this means everyone; nobody should leave a meeting angry/annoyed]
  2. Learning from our errors [like that excellent Battler follow-up session]
  3. Celebrating our education [not silly or excessive…but little things that breed comfort in communicating about errors so we maximize our ability to minimize them not repeat the same ones, etc.

Change is Constructive Only When People are Comfortable.

Communication, when pre-planned to fit situations and delivered with confidence, helps people be more comfortable and more productive.

 

 

Sometimes it seems you just can’t win.

by Rick Baker
On Jul 7, 2014

Sometimes it seems you just can’t win.

Sometimes, every action seems right and feels right. Yet, when we add all the actions together we do not get a productive result.

That, in a nutshell, is a common small-business problem.

Often, this problem exists because of one or more of the following:

  • The small-business Culture is not aligned with personal Values
  • The Rules are either not clear or not aligned with personal Values or not enforced
  • The overall Goals are either non-existent or ambiguous
  • The consequences for performance failure are either not clear or not taken seriously
  • Personal accountability takes a back-seat, assuming someone else will do the driving 
While sometimes it seems you just can’t win, that's simply wrong-thinking.
 
The ways to win are clear.

 

Tags:

Goals - SMARTACRE Goals | Solutions & Opportunities | Values: Personal Values

INTEGRITY: there's a word that may go without saying...but not with just saying.

by Rick Baker
On Jun 26, 2014

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

After all these years...I still have a beef with people who spew out the word Integrity. [see May 23rd, 2013 Thought Post]

Tags:

Beyond Business | Humour | Thought Tweets | Values: Personal Values

Why would a boss not enforce a company policy/rule?

by Rick Baker
On Jun 24, 2014

Here are some reasons:

  1. The boss does not know the company policy/rule.
  2. The boss does not remember the company policy/rule.
  3. The boss doesn't agree with the company policy/rule.
  4. The boss is a rebel at heart...believing rules are made to be broken.
  5. The boss feels too busy to deal with things like adherence to company policies/rules.
  6. The boss struggles when dealing with difficult situations.
  7. The boss lacks the self-confidence required to deal with difficult situations.
Have I missed any?

Does it bother you when bosses do not enforce your company's policies/rules?

Do you think company policies/rules are of Value?

Personal Values and Strengths are wonderful ingredients…when they are put to good use.

by Rick Baker
On Jun 10, 2014

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

People can lead extremely happy and fulfilled lives when those two personal things are aligned and put to good use. That use does not have to be leadership. Leadership introduces another layer of complexity. To illustrate this, we added a wrapping called Vision – the Leader’s Vivid Vision. If you want to lead then you owe it to your followers to provide the Leader’s Vision. And – that Vivid Vision has to include the delivery of value to real clients. That way, the followers have at least a fighting chance to succeed. You expand that chance for success by making your Vision vivid. And, communicating it with sticky stories….real stories…personal stories. You are able to do that when you know how to apply your Personal Values and your Strengths and you can envision the end point and the generation of value…ie, the business value that must be exchanged if you are to get to that desired end point.

Copyright © 2012. W.F.C (Rick) Baker. All Rights Reserved.