Voltaire Had It Right

The shoemaker's child syndrome has struck again.  You know that story, right? The shoemaker's children are those who walk around town without any shoes. That's me. I sit down to write - and discover that I'm writing about a topic I know all too well.

It has been a while since I've been back here to blog.  As I sat down to write, I recognized that I have been a victim of the exact issues I've chosen to write about - Perfectionism and Making Choices.

Over the last several weeks, I have struggled to come up with the perfect blog topic.  I generated several ideas and debated which was the best.  As a result, I have not written anything. Instead of getting something good done, I sacrificed making any progress at all to the alter of Perfectionism and Making a Choice.  My guess is you've done the same.

Right now, RedZone is working with a client that is trying to do it all right. And that's a big part of their problem. There are two major challenges imbedded within the concept of "Doing It All Right."

1. Doing it All, and
2. Doing it Right

"I Can't Make a Choice - So I Won't Do Anything"

When you were younger, was there ever a day when there were so many things you wanted to do, you'd end up not doing any of them?   Have you ever sat in front of a "To Do" list, feeling overwhelmed by all the items on it - so you just sat and looked at it?  

You've met the enemy:  "Doing it All."

We know that we can't get it all done, all at once.  We don't have the resources, the time, the ability.  But somehow, we end up wanting it all anyway.  So we try to figure out what to do to get it all done.  We build a plan.   We see we will need to make choices, do things one at a time, in a sequence that makes sense and builds one activity on the last.  It will take time, effort, investment, and little steps leading to our final goals.  We know all this!  Yet we keep looking for the "magic wand," the way to get it all, all at once. 

The smart ones among us shrug our shoulders and say "Let's get started."  And they do.  One task at a time, checking it off the list.  Things start getting done.  You experience little successes. You get closer to finishing the list, and reaching your goal.

Sometimes, the tasks you choose to do aren't the most important, but they're quick, give you a sense of accomplishment and success.  On occasion, the choice is because of prerequisites - you don't really want to do this one (say, priming a wall) but you have to because it is needed to complete the more important activity (painting the wall).  Frequently, things fall off the list.  Others get added.  The list never seems to end - but things are getting done.  And you continue to get closer and closer to your goals.

RedZone is all about getting things done.  "There's a big difference," we say, "between deciding to succeed - and doing it."  Our focus is on "doing it" - getting it done.  But we don't get the chance to get anything done if we don't "decide" first - we have to choose what to do, then do it.

"The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good"

The original quote in French is "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien.", from Voltaire's Dictionnaire Philosophique (1764) Literally translated as "The best is the enemy of good.", but more often cited as "The perfect is the enemy of the good."

Pursuing the "best" solution may end up doing less actual good than accepting a solution that, while not perfect, is effective.  General George Patton stated a current version of the same idea: "A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow."

Our client wants a perfect solution.  It wants one that is painless, riskless, costless, easy to implement, agreeable to all, and guaranteed to succeed.  As you might imagine, it's pretty tough to come up with a solution that fits these criteria.   Alternatives get discussed, but none are perfect.  And management's concerns about the solutions proposed are reasonable:  There is risk.  Some people won't like the solution.  It will be difficult to implement and may not succeed.  And so, in pursuit of the perfect solution, nothing gets done. 

This is a problem that has been recognized through the ages, not just by Voltaire and George Patton:

• A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done.--John Henry Cardinal Newman


• A person determined never to be wrong won't likely accomplish much.--Ken Wisdom
  


• Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.--Robert Schuller
  


• Everything that grows holds in perfection but a moment.---William Shakespeare
  


• Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.--Ghandi
  


• Have no fear of perfection. You'll never reach it.---Salvador Dali
  


• In order to go on living one must try to escape the death involved in perfectionism.--Hannah Arendt (Rachel Varnhagen)
  


• It is reasonable to have perfection in our eye that we may always advance toward it, though we know it can never be reached.--Samuel Johnson
  

(Source for quotes: http://www1.bbiq.jp/quotations/perfection.htm)

Perfectionism ("Doing it Right") and Making Choices ("Doing it All") are enemies of getting worthwhile things done.  Would it be nice to be perfect, and get everything done at once?  Of course! But that's not real, resonable, or a strategy on which to succeed.    We need to make the best choices we can, given the information we have, and do.  We have to do the best job we can, given the time, resources, capabilities we have, and get things done.  

We'll discover new requirements along the way and add them to the list.  We'll work hard and have to make more choices.  But every step takes us closer and closer to our true goals.

Getting a lot done very well is much better than not getting anything done at all.  We won't be perfect.  We won't get it all done.  But we will get a lot done very, very well.  And we will succeed.

Strategy Execution = Google Maps. What?

Three key concepts in successful strategy execution are "Line of Sight," "Milestones," and "Leading Indicators."  And one of the best metaphors for explaining what they are and how they contribute to reaching goals is Google Maps.

Going someplace new, there are people who will just jump in the car and start driving.  "I'll find it."  And often they do - but after taking wrong turns, a longer time, and probably spending more money than necessary.

A New Destination

When does someone use Google Maps? When going somewhere new, somwhere they haven't been before (or, at least, somewhere they haven't been recently).    Using Google Maps is pretty simple - you put in your starting point and your destination, and Google provides the directions. Google even offers an estimate of how long it will take to get there.

The secret, of course, is in the directions.   You wouldn't use Google Maps if you knew exactly how to get where you want to go.  And what are directions?  Well, directions are a collection of line of sight, milestones, and leading indicators.

When you start a journey, you can't "see" your destination.  All you can do is follow directions, using milestones, leading indicators, and line of sight, and eventually you reach your goal.

Start from point A.  Travel north (line of sight) 3 miles (your odomoter at 2.8 miles is a leading indicator - you're getting close to a milestone).  Turn left onto Clairemont (milestone). Go east on I-85 27 miles (using the signposts along the road and your odomoter provides leading indicators and line of sight - you're on the right road, going in the right direction, and getting closer to the next milestone).  Take exit 44B (milestone), go straight 3 miles (line of sight).  You are at your destination.

When you started on the journey, you knew what you wanted your final destination to be - but you couldn't just "get there."  (Don't we all want the ability to "Beam me up, Scotty," and just get to your goal without having to take the time and do the work to get there?)  No, you followed a path that you charted out in advance.  And you knew, if you followed the path carefully, you would eventually reach your desired destination.

Sometimes, you take a wrong turn and have to adjust to get back in the right direction. Sometimes it turns out the plan isn't right (have you ever read the fine print on the bottom of a Google-recommended route?) and you need to make changes along the way.  Sometimes the plan has unexpected delays - but you know, if you just get through them, you'll still get to where you want to be.  Perhaps delayed, perhaps it will cost more than you had originally planned - but you will get there.

And sometimes, while on your trip, you decide that where you wanted to go originally has changed.  So, the plan has to change - because you're now headed for a new destination.

Line of Sight, Milestones, Leading Indicators

Yes, taking a trip is a lot like undertaking a new initiative.  You know where you are at the start. You know where you want to be at the end.  And you've got to figure out how to get there.

Just like a trip, successfully reaching goals requires a map.  It's not always easy to navigate from here to there.  You need milestones, line of sight, and leading indicators.  You need the signposts that tell you you're going in the right direction; you need the indicators that tell you it's time to turn.  Sometimes you need to review the map, and decide that a different route is needed.

Frequently, we know the goal - but we can't easily or quickly get there.  We certainly can't "see" the final destination from the starting point.  So build your map.  Decide your route.  Identify the milestones and indicators that will guide you along the way, that will help assure you that you're going in the right direction and on the right path - or those that will warn you if you're not. "Google Map" your strategic initiative.  And you will greatly increase the odds of reaching your goal.

Strategy Execution - in verse!

Limericks and haiku. Who knew?

There once was a leader inept

Who laughed while his teammates all wept

Their goals not aligned

He missed all the signs

And the team? They all left while he slept.

Follow the framework

Forget not nor ignore risk

And success will come.

It is easier

To plan what you want to do

than to get it done.

Mitigation of risk is the goal

When you survey and measure each role

Try to note all the schemes

That could fracture your team 

Or your efforts will slide down the hole.

If it's different results that you need

You must plant the behavioral seed

With clear reinforcement 

And gentle endorsement

There is no doubt your plans will succeed.

He got to the red zone so fast

The rest of the team couldn't last

He forgot what he learned

About "leaders get burned"

When the team that he's leading has crashed!

A goal focused team

Concentrates every action

On the end result.

RedZone Consulting

is the perfect length for the

start of a haiku.

And also for it's end.

There Is No Try

The best insights may come from the most unlikely places.  

This morning, on a National Public Radio show that I rarely hear, was a conversation about fortune cookies.  (Did you know that fortune cookies are Japanese in origin, not Chinese?)  As part of the conversation, the author mentioned that the source of many fortune cookie sayings, in the early 1900's, was Confuscious.   Made up and inaccurate sayings, yes, but attributed to Confuscious.  

One hundred years later, a more relevant source was needed.  Who is it? Yoda.  Yes, George Lucas's/Luke Skywalker's Yoda.

So, as I prepared to turn off the car and walk into the Men's Breakfast, I heard this reference.  In many ways, it reduces the entire science of Strategy Execution to eleven words (click here to get the quote directly from the Jedi master himself):

 

"No. Try not. Do or do not.  There is no try."

Simple, direct, and oh, so right.  Successful Strategy Execution has nothing to do with effort or good intentions.  Yes, there are times when effort and desire may be as if not more important than results.  But rarely in Strategy Execution.  In Strategy Execution, it is about results.  Reaching your true goals.

I had not realized, before this morning, that Yoda was a Strategy Execution master as well as a Jedi one.  But it is now so obvious:

• Sponsorship & Consequences:  "Always two there are, a master and an apprentice."
  
• Realistic Communications: Luke: "I'm not afraid."  Yoda: "Ohh... you will be, you will be."
  
• Commitment: "A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind."
  
• Clarity of Vision & Focus on the True Goal: "If you end your training now, if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil."
  

Strategy Execution is a discipline.  It requires commitment, leadership, a realistic understanding of the challenges, clarity of vision, a focus on achieving the ultimate goal - and unwillingness to accept anything less.  

When executing a critical business strategy, Yoda knows:  "Do. Or do not.  There is no try."

Thank you, master.

Focus on the Red Zone

We're into the heart of the NFL playoffs and, of course, my Brownies are nowhere to be seen. This weekend's AFC Championship features my worst nightmare: the hated Steelers against the even more hated Ravens (i.e. the former Browns). In the other conference, the perennial underachieving Falcons made the playoffs; the Arizona Cardinals are still playing, this weekend in the championship against the Eagles. (Has anyone else noticed that 3/4 of the teams playing are birds?)

What is it about these teams? Let's look at their performance in the Red Zone.

Twelve teams make the playoffs out of 32. There are two primary aspects to performance in the red zone. One is offense, the second is defense, and, yes, the metrics are the inverse of each other. On offense, you want to score touchdowns when you get into the red zone. On defense, you want to prevent the other team from scoring. So, frequency of scoring or allowing touchdowns when you or your opponent get into the red zone are important measures. In addition, the frequency of getting into the red zone at all is relevant.

So, I've developed a RedZone Index (RZI). This index combines both offensive and defensive performance. It takes into account all the relevant statistics and combines them into a single ratio. And the result is clear: Red Zone performance - on both sides of the ball - matters.

Nine of the top 10 RZI ranked teams (and ten of the top 12) went to the playoffs: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons. The Arizona Cardinals are number 12 on the RZI index. The Minnesota Vikings were #17, the Miami Dolphins #21. Both Minnesota and Miami lost badly in the first round of the playoffs.

Clearly, Red Zone performance makes a difference. The teams that perform best in the red zone - 1) they get to the red zone, 2) score when they get there, 3) keep their opponents out of the red zone, and 4) keep them from scoring when they get there - are the winners. They finish the job. They reach their true goals.

Oh, and my beloved Browns? #23 on the Red Zone Index. A pretty good indication of how poorly the team played. The bottom four teams? Oakland, Cincinnati, Detroit, and St. Louis.

Yes, Red Zone performance is a good indicator of whether you're a winner - or not.

It's Time to Finish the Job.

Welcome to 2009. Sitting at my desk a few days before the end of 2008, I find myself fully and unapologetically looking forward to the start of 2009.

I won't spend much time dwelling on 2008. The press and the holiday parties have that responsibility well in hand. My conclusions fall in line with others:

• The economy is bad and will get worse before it gets better;
• Consumers don't have money to spend. We will continue to see the impact in housing, automotive, and retail which, in turn, will impact nearly every other industry;
• We're in a downward spiral that will require significant government intervention and spending to break.

Yet, for all the negative news, I go into the new year remarkably optimistic. I'm not being a polyanna, nor ignoring facts. I continue to believe, however, in the ambition, drive, dedication, and determination of us.

RedZone Consulting is all about helping organizations "reach (their) true goals." To do so, we use a structured process, a methodology. And a critically important part of that process is at the very end. We call the activities: "Finishing the Job." It's a set of activities that you don't see in most (if any) other methodologies. And the concept behind "Finishing the Job" is what makes me optimistic about 2009.

You know the story. The first 80% is the easiest. The last 20% is the tough part. That's the "red zone" - the 20 yards before the end zone. But getting into the red zone isn't the goal. It's getting into the end zone. It's scoring. It's winning the game. It's finishing the job.

We use "Finishing the Job" in our methodology as a reminder, as an opportunity to revisit and confirm our original goals. And, if those goals are still valid, to re-focus our efforts on achieving those goals.

"Finishing the Job" is something we (collectively) do. Sometimes we need prodding or reminding. Thus, the activities in the RedZone framework. But, when reminded, we rarely say, "naw, I don't want to do that..." We get up and we finish the job. We get it done.

Consider 2008 our reminder. 2008 was the wake up call. 2008 was the kick in the pants.

So we head into 2009. Heads high. Determined. Focused. It's time to finish the job. It's time to get through the red zone to the end zone. It's time to score. It's time to win.

Happy New Year. Now, let's get it done.

What if you gave a party....

....and nobody came?

That's what it feels like right now. We're sitting smack dab in the middle of "tough stuff." (I refuse to say "bad economy" or "worst economy in 40 years" or "Dang, what the heck is going to happen next?!?") And during tough stuff like this, every company should be very actively doing things - i.e. making changes! So where is everyone????

I can't believe it's just the holidays. "That's okay, I know it's a crisis and my business is on the cusp of failing - but we've got a Christmas lunch to attend. I'll deal with the business stuff after the first of the year."

C'mon people! Almost every assumption people made about business growth and the economy at the beginning of 2008 have been proven WRONG. And what are you supposed to do when your core assumptions turn out to be wrong? (Remember your lessons from Strategy Execution 101!).

That's right - you need to update your assumptions, assess the new assumptions impact on your goals, reset your goals, and then develop a new plan of attack based on the new goals. And what happens after the new plan is established? That's right - you EXECUTE! You start doing things differently - immediately! "Don't do ANYTHING that is not fully aligned with reaching your goals." Period. (That's also from Strategy Execution 101).

So, with all of our assumptions turned inside out, I would expect this huge buzz of activity, of companies changing direction, taking on new activities, eliminating others. Instead, what do I hear? Layoffs.

Layoffs! People losing jobs. In some cases layoffs are an appropriate and necessary activity, required to align a company to its new goals. But layoffs are NOT the full answer. That's a short-sighted, knee jerk approach.

Instead, companies should be using this market weakness as an opportunity. Since expectations are so low right now, companies should be using this time to invest, change, reposition for the future. And the future will come. The question is simply who will be ready to take advantage of the future the minute it shows its face - and who will just be starting... I'll bet you know who the ultimate winners will be...

Happy Holidays, everyone. May 2009 be a year of health, happiness, and success - in all senses of that word - for you and yours.