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Define *your* achievable strategy in the next 15 minutes

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Out of the blue the phone rings, and a person I’ve never met starts to tell me about a great opportunity.

You see, there’s this conference coming up where strategic business leaders from Latin America will be available to meet personally with companies like ours, and there are just a few choice invitations still open. 

As he’s detailing all the reasons I should jump at this opportunity,  I begin to think: “We are planning a big North American launch in 2011, and have aggressive growth ahead to achieve those goals.  I guess we could work toward launching our tools in Latin America.   The business leaders in question are the target market for our solution.  Maybe we should do this.”

What just happened here?  Five minutes into a cold call from a sales guy and I’m starting to question our vision and strategy.

How do you come up with your strategy?  You probably already have an idea in mind, it’s just covered up by the mountain of careless thoughts and distracting emails in your inbox.  It’s not rocket science.  The key is to understand where you want to go. 

In the next 15 minutes you can S-L-O-W down and think.  If you work through this exercise you can have an achievable strategy which will form the guidelines of your operations for the next 36 months.

Picture yourself 36 Months from today.  Look at a calendar.  What is the date?

As you look back over those last three years, what will you have accomplished?

  1. Which personal relationship(s) did you grow?
  2. How did those relationships help you “lift the lid” that was holding you back? 
  3. Which customers did you land? 
  4. Which customers did you let go?
  5. What new product or service offerings did you create?
  6. How did you turn the corner to increase gross sales and net profits?
  7. What decisions did you make about new products or services to help you reach those clients?
  8. What new habits did you develop which were pivotal in achievement of these new dreams?

It’s key to re-establish your dream and see yourself achieving it.  Then you need to put it in writing.

Moreover, once you see yourself in that place, you can clearly evaluate every decision that you make today, and tomorrow to see whether the outcome of that decision moves you toward or away from your vision.

Now that you know what you are planning to do, the next question is when will it be done?  For each of those goals, think about what it will take to actually do it, and set a date for each one. 

When you have clarity about what you will accomplish, the things that distract you from the goal can be set aside and you can focus on what works.  You can stop doing what you did yesterday which was comfortable but didn’t get you to what you want.

We decided to pass on the Latin America opportunity.  It didn’t fit in the vision we were already achieving.

What are you going to do this year?  Post your thoughts below!

Setting and achieving your vision is a part of Raising Your Game.

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4 Lessons a doorknob can teach you about product management

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It’s a Saturday afternoon and I pop into the garage to grab something  -well, I try to go into the garage.  The doorknob won’t open.  Apparently some part of the latch is broken and it will not open.  I’m “harry homeowner” and am inclined to do repairs myself, so I took the knob apart to get the door open.

This was not on my list of things to do today, and I have the following goals:

  1. Fix the door as fast as possible
  2. Spend as little money as possible
  3. Have as few hassles as possible

To accomplish my goals I need a replacement part.  Of course, the convenient big box store doesn’t sell the brand knob that I have, and it doesn’t sell parts of doorknob sets, so I have to buy a whole replacement set.  RATS!  This means that I’m going to have to have a different key for that door than for my front and back doors – or I have to hire a locksmith.  More hassles.

What do I know about doorknobs?  There are a number of products available from Schlage, Defiant and Kwikset.  They look similar in terms of features and costs.  How can I decide which knob helps me achieve my goals?

I narrowed down my choices to one of two doorknobs when I saw a claim I found hard to believe.  I could re-key that knob myself – at home?  If that was true, I could skip the key hassle.  How much would that cost me?   As it turns out, that knob is about the same price as the other.  Would my existing key (from a different manufacturer) fit in the new lock?  It did!  They had me sold.  I picked it up and headed home.

Of course I didn’t read all of the directions before I started the installation.  If I did I’d have to turn in my “man card.” Overall the installation was smooth until I realized that the new striker was too short!  I was temporarily frustrated until I noticed that there was an adjustment lever to address that issue.

I got the knob installed in the door, and reviewed the “rey-key” instructions.  I was able to re-key the knob quickly, and it worked perfectly the first time!

My installation was complete in less than 30 minutes! SWEET!

What four lessons can a doorknob teach you about Product Management?
Here’s what Kwikset did to make sure I’d love their product:

  1. They understood their customer.  They knew my needs as “Harry homeowner” and provided information on the outside of the box and in the instructions
  2. They made it easy to use their product.  They understood I wouldn’t read the directions unless I couldn’t make it work on my own
  3. They engineered compatibility with standards/other brands – so I didn’t have an “oddball key” for one door.
  4. They sold me on the outside of the box with “You can do this” – making it easy for me to get that job out of my way with the fewest hassles.

Nicely done Kwikset.

Understanding your customers – really knowing their motivations and needs – is a key part of Raising Your Game.

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When is "done" actually, completely DONE?

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We’re sitting in a meeting about our next software release, and senior management asks:
“When will the product be done?”

At this point I pray that developers are not in the room.  If one of them is, invariably management hears “We’re almost done.  We’ll be done with this by the end of the day.”
 Is that right?  Well….. not quite.  The key challenge is knowing what is meant when each party says “done.”  We have to have a shared definition in order to communicate.

Developers usually mean “I’ve written the core algorithm and unit tested the happy path successfully”  This is probably the most interesting and intellectually challenging part of the process, but it’s far from including all of the tasks required to ship a product.  In fact, that’s likely only about 20% of the job!  Handling the “unhappy path” is about 60% of getting software ready to launch, and the remaining 20% is the documentation which developers consider as interesting as watching paint dry.

Product Managers usually mean “We’re all done with the software development part of the process and now have to finalize things like product marketing, sales support artifacts, channel support tools, training materials….”

Senior Management means “Sales can put the product in front of customers who will give us money for it.”

This divide can cause significant frustrations in the organization – so we need to agree on terminology.

When is “done” DONE?

I slightly modify the criteria that Jeff Sutherland uses when he says:

This is often one of the thorniest issues to iron out with a team, so I take it off the table until they have some shared success as a foundation

My initial definition of “Done” is this:

  1. Feature Complete
  2. Code Complete
  3. No known showstopper defects
  4. Approved/accepted by the Product Owner
  5. Production Ready

1. Feature Complete –
     The code is not yet final, but contains all intended features/functionality of the final version. 

2. Code Complete –
      No entirely new source code will be added to this release

3. No showstopper defects –
      There may will be known bugs, but they are within tolerance and are considered acceptable.

4. Approved by the Product Owner –
     Formal signoff by product management, which implies
         Demonstrated functionality in TEST and Staging environments
         Meets all defined business goals.

5. Production Ready – Acceptance by operations/support

  • Documentation complete, technical, support, user manuals, user tip sheets, on-line help
  • Config files delivered and tested
  • System settings in place on PROD
  • Demonstration that the processes and systems work with non-developer IDs

Of course, this doesn’t mean we’re ready to ship as soon as development is complete – but we agree that the software development milestones are done.  Product Management needs to work with the executive team on an appropriate Product Management lifecycle so that everyone is on the same page about when we’re ready for customers to see, love and PAY FOR the product!

Getting agreement on “When done is DONE” is a part of Raising Your Game.

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Oh no! It’s Uncle Fred! (How to talk to him at the family Christmas party)

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It’s Christmas time and we all are anticipating some experiences which will fall somewhere between It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

While I am blessed with a wonderful family and am looking forward to celebrations of Christmas with them, I think that we all are reminded of a few family members who can make this time of year a little more stressful.

The author of Crucial Conversations offers some tips on managing family conversations, and I wanted to share them with you.

Talking to Unruly Relatives
Follow these four recommendations for talking to unruly relatives about their bad behavior so you can strengthen relationships and enjoy spending time with your family this holiday season.
– Work on me first. To soften judgments, ask yourself, “Why would a reasonable, rational and decent person do what they’re doing?”
– Make it safe. When confronting bad behavior, first help the other person know you care about his or her interests.
– Just the facts. Start with the facts and strip out accusatory, judgmental, and inflammatory language.
– Tentatively share concerns. Having laid out the facts, tell the person why you’re concerned, but don’t do it as an accusation—share it as an opinion.
– Invite dialogue. After sharing your concerns, encourage the other person to share his or hers—even if he or she disagrees with you. One of the best ways to persuade others is to listen to them.

Of course, these principles apply to work relationships as well as family relationships.

During the next ten hectic days, make some “me time” to unwind a little bit, and some time to reflect on the successes, challenges and failures of the last year and what you have learned or can still learn from what went wrong.

Life is filled with relationships, and keeping track of family, work, and social commitments is a part of raising your game.  (And no, I don’t have an uncle Fred – but I do have a cousin who saw these tips and commented “Surely none of your relatives could ever be described as unruly!”  Nope – not you, Tim.)

Merry Christmas to you all!

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Radar O'Reilly project management techniques

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I know I’m dating myself when I say that I’m reminded of M*A*S*H’s Radar O’Reilly when I think about horse trading to get what you want.  Radar was the 4077th MASH company clerk and over time mastered the art of horse trading.  In one show he ended up trading a barbecue for a much needed incubator.

This was an entertaining episode, but what does that have to do with business success?  I remember learning from watching a master IT project manager as she worked her magic to get her project done.

I was working for a Fortune 500 company in the IT department.  There was a significant business transformation project going on and the implementation involved at least a dozen groups within the IT department.

Jean was the project manager, and she had called a project status meeting in a huge conference room filled with IT team leaders.

Jean (Project Manager): “In order to hit the date on the schedule, we need the server set up by the 15th.  Server OPS team – can you hit that date?”

Server OPS team: “We can’t do that.”
Jean: “Why?  What do you need?”
Server OPS team: “We don’t know how many U’s of rack space are needed, or what power configuration you need.”
Jean: “Server engineering team – can you give that to the OPS team?”
Server Engineering team: “Well, we could, but the guy on my team who can do it is tied up on project Mongoose”
Jean: “I know the PM for Mongoose.  Let me see if I can get him freed up.”

And so it went.  She masterfully worked her way around the table, clearing issues one person at a time, horsetrading her way to project success.

What did she do?

  1. She asked specifically for what she needed
  2. When she hit a roadblock, she asked “What do you need?”
  3. She worked to get that team what they needed so they would be free.

1. She asked specifically for what she needed.
This implies that she *knew* what she she needed, and by when.  She had the right people around the table.  Her plan was well thought out and included the right level of detail.  She was equipped to know, and was bold enough to ask directly and ask for a specific commitment from the team doing the delivery.

2. When she hit a roadblock, she asked “What do you need?”
Note that she didn’t complain.  She didn’t talk about her needs or what would go badly for her if they didn’t cooperate with her plan.  She didn’t threaten them with escalating to their management.

She simply and clearly asked what it would take to clear the roadblock.

She asked specifically how she could satisfy them.

Incidentally, this is an excellent skill to develop in all of your relationships – ask what the other party needs and work to help them get exactly that.

3. She worked to get that team what they needed so they would be free.
Jean was pretty transparent about “giving you what you want so I can get what I want.”   She used her relationship skills, communication skills, and leadership skills.  She went directly to the person with the authority to satisfy the dependency.

When they raised an objection, she did it all over again – all the way around the room until she reached the end of the chain.

The details of this technique are outlined in a readable and entertaining way in the “business novel” Critical Chain by Goldratt.

In all the years since then I have rarely seen a project executed as elegantly or efficiently as that one.

Negotiating well is a key part of Raising Your Game.

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Am I coachable?

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What does it meant to be coachable?

It’s not a reflection of intelligence, capacity, or talent.  Brilliant players frequently run into difficulty because they are not open to being coached.

According to Ruben Guzman, there are four stages of coachability.

  1. Not Coachable
  2. Selectively Coachable
  3. Reluctantly Coachable
  4. Completely Coachable

1. Not Coachable:

Someone who is not coachable is not interested in listening to a coach. 

When I think of “not coachable” I think of Winston Churchill who was quoted as saying  “I am always ready to learn although I am not always ready to be taught”

No one would question that Churchill had an amazing grasp of the English language and a compelling way of influencing people through seemingly impossible situations.  Yet with all of his talent and capacity he was unwilling to listen to others, unless it was his idea.

If you’re not coachable, hiring a coach would be like teaching a pig to sing.

 
2. Selectively Coachable

If you’re “Selectively Coachable,” you will listen to the coach when the coach agrees with you.

When I think about someone being selectively coachable, I think of  Randy Moss or  Terrell Owens 

Even if you’re not a big sports fan, you have probably heard of these phenomenally talented players who seem to run into trouble over and over again.  You might think they are “not coachable” but they must be coachable at some level.  There’s no way they would have made it to the NFL, and to that level of success without some willingness to be coached. If you’re “Selectively Coachable” I would suggest you wait before looking for a coach.  (Randy Moss has played for 3 teams so far during the 2010 NFL season.)

  3. Reluctantly Coachable

Someone who is “Reluctantly Coachable” is willing to listen to a coach, and do what the coach says even when he or she disagrees with what the coach has to say.  This person is uncertain of the wisdom of the coaches’ recommendations but is willing to follow their guidance.  To the extent that they trust the coach, they begin to see improvement. 

4. Completely Coachable

Someone who is completely coachable entrusts their success to the wisdom of the coach.  This is rare, but it can be seen in the lives of Olympic Champions. It is the foundation of transformational achievement and opens the doorway to possibilities which were previously unimagined.

 The question you have to ask yourself is “Where am I today in the levels of coachability?”

Even if you’re a 2 today, but are committed to moving to a 3, I’d think seriously about starting a coaching relationship. If you’re a 3 today and want to move to a 4, what are you waiting for? Give me a call for a free initial coaching session!
240–668-4799 
tom@brighthillgroup.com
 

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BrightHill Group
240-668-4799

PO Box 1561
Harrisburg NC 28075

info@BrightHillGroup.com