Businesses are enamored with "metrics". Management wants to measure and graph everything possible. It's fun to look at colorful graphs and shoot at performance shortfalls at business meetings. Johnson, it looks like your sales aren't trending in the right direction! Smith, your time per call is getting out of hand! Jones, your expense 46 category is higher than budget, what's your plan?
Management by bullets. I suppose, if the boss is blind reports must be presented ... >>full...
[ Posted bymichael cardus, July 14, 2010 8:55 ] When you give power to the metrics you tend to explode the data results. Also the measurments do and will mis-lead because there is constantly an observer created reality. Once you measure the thing you are measuring you impact it.
I like how you mentioned that your best sales person may not have what the metrics are looking for.
China and India are in a race of very rapid development.
Europe is ripping at the seams trying to hold their EU together---the focus will be on survival of the EU. Greece, Spain....then?
Which brings me to the U.S. and my week in the San Francisco area. I attended a rather large "HR" conference. Note: I hate the term HR. Human Resource sounds like coal. "We need more humans in sector 8 ... >>full...
Why do some people go out of their way to prevent success? This is a destructive pattern I see at many businesses and organizations. Fix something, improve something, build something and someone wants to take it apart. Why?
There really is only one answer to this: emotional immaturity. I used to resist the idea that someone in management would want ideas to fail. Sure, some workers might resent someone who comes up with a great idea ... >>full...
A lot of businesses like to chatter about the importance of their people. This is little more than lip service to the minions.
First of all, the "HR" depart IS at the bottom of the corporate food chain no matter how many "C Level" meetings the HR [choose one: VP, Senior VP, Manager, Officer, Lord over all Associates] 'gets' to attend.
Face it. Does new product development start in HR? Does HR have input into ... >>full...
I had a conference call with a marketing firm today. They were looking for someone to do some business training for them. The call was set up after a couple of very pleasant conversations with the office manager and the submission of a written, then revised proposal.
A conference was required. Naturally, the management team wasn't organized enough to attend the first call they set up and canceled at the last minute.
[ Posted bymichael cardus, November 18, 2009 11:18 ] Chris -
I agree although I see this most often when I lead trainings for Experiential (team building, ropes course, camp) programs. These organizations work with children and some with corporate groups on establishing team work and most often just bonding as a team. There trainers are all knowledgeable about Learning cycles, theory, and philosophy of working external. And when you explore the internal workings of the organizations dynamics it is lacking. This fear of turning the lens inward for your own staff is very common.
Additionally many companies can fake it till they make it' although turnover is often very high especially at the executive level and the company, could be much more successful if they would focus internally some.
[ Posted byChris, November 18, 2009 13:26 ] Michael,
I agree. This company in particular has serious internal problems but they cannot see those problems from the inside. The better employees will not like the environment and tend to leave with opportunity.
This process concentrates the duds as with this "marketing" company.
You can't return to square one if you experience a project failure any more than than you can return to 2008. In fact, the entire expression of 'returning to square one' is invalid.
Seth Godin offers up a post today about returning to square one. Sometimes you must, posits Seth. I say you can't.
If you start over with anything, you start over with experience. That alone improves your chances of success. Maybe you start over ... >>full...
Let's set aside the recession for a moment and look at what we can control.
If your business has room for improvement, start with how your people interact. The goal is to develop total cooperation and support at every level of your company. I hate the term 'teamwork' because it sounds like chain gang. I am trying to convey something much deeper. Will accounting help sales get the order processed or are ... >>full...
