Free Glide

Use Time-based Competition as one of your most powerful strategic weapons! Drive down the time it takes to develop and deliver new products, dramatically reduce inventory and manufacturing time. Slash the cost of quality, and win back market share. This article tells you how top-flight companies are doing it.

Substantial market share has been lost over years to foreign competitors. No industry is immune. The pressure is on to be the nothing less than the best. Reducing cycle times in your company is a new way of tackling the problem. It’s a new world-class manufacturing strategy that is making companies fiercely competitive. Companies who are doing it are cutting out 50 percent of the time to develop and introduce new products. Some have already reduced factory throughput time by 98 percent.

Time based competition is one of the most powerful strategic weapons to emerge in the last 20 years! It allows you to drive down the time it takes to develop and deliver new products, dramatically reduce inventory and manufacturing time, slash the cost of quality, and win back market share. Today, and for the next 10 years, speed kills the competition. Time compression can result in consistently producing happy customers: a great formula for success. Why? When given a situation where costs and quality are similar, customers will choose delivery as the deciding factor.

Compressing time has a cascading affect on quality and cost. As cycle times are reduced, productivity increases proportionally. A fifty percent reduction in cycle time and a doubling in work-in-process inventory turns causes productivity to increase from 20-70 percent. As productivity increases, resource capacity is freed. Two things happen: costs decline, and the organization becomes capable of producing significantly more output with less resources: a winning combination

Most manufacturing companies spend anywhere from 5-10 percent total time actually adding value to the product, i.e., transforming the part or moving it closer to the customer. The rest of the time is waste, resulting in higher costs occurring with loss of time.

Inducing velocity throughout a business has a profound effect on time and cost. The need for nonvalue-adding functions disappears, and the functions designed to accommodate exceptional circumstances fall out. The organization chart becomes flatter. Following this is a dramatic reduction of overhead.

How to Reduce Total Cycle Time

Understanding the way an organization functions is key to the redesign for time-based competition. The structure dictates how labor is divided and how power is allocated. Physical proximity normally follows structure, both of which have a direct impact on ease of information sharing and time.

In a traditional functional organization, communication walls begin to build as the organization grows. Over time, functional entities develop and become self-serving, losing sight of the mission of serving the customer.

Sequential decision-making becomes prevalent, coupled with poor or non-existent communications. The organization develops functional empires, fraught with politics and narrow points of view. The result is an organization slow in decision-making, heavy with vertical layers of management, bureaucratic in nature, low in productivity, and generally ineffective.

Every business has basic cycles that govern the way that paper is processed, product is manufactured, and decisions are made. They may be documented in the form of procedures or routings. Examples of business cycles are customer order, product development, production, and procurement.

A customer order cycle begins with the placement of an order by a customer. It ends when you are finally paid for goods or services rendered. But there are activities in between the two events that consume time. Some add value, such as packing and shipping, and some are non-value adding and delay time, such as moving the order around the building from mailbox to mailbox, sitting on a desk, or repetitive motions.

When a cycle ends, a lot of non-value adding time has been consumed that may constitute 90-95 percent of total time. Some of the time is lost in travel, some is lost in the processing backlog, and some may be lost diverting a customer’s order to a credit department for release. If you can identify the non-value added time in the cycle, you can devise ways to eliminate the causes.

Long sequential strings of cycles make up the mainstream order flow and contribute to long throughput times. Poor physical logistics worsen the time delays; i.e. when distribution is physically separated from the main assembly plant, or engineering is separated from sales, etc. Component plants located overseas add even more to the overall throughput time of the service chain of events.

Mainstream value-add activities are identified on flow process charts. Flow process charts are analyzed for activities that delay mainstream activities. Delays can be moves, slow operations, inspections, as well as waiting time. Cutting cycle times fifty percent per established period of time is a good goal. The process is continuous.

It is not uncommon for the manufacturing time to only consume 40 percent of the total time a customer has to wait. Yet the value-add time in the plant is generally 5-8 percent of the manufacturing throughput time. The way to identify the activities is to use process mapping.

Mapping process flow is a fundamental step in reducing total cycle times. Mapping the flow and tracking time for each of the events provides a basis for analysis. The process is not difficult, however it is time consuming. It provides a step by step image of work flow, systems, procedures, and volumes. It reveals the relationships between the tasks.

A process is any series or combination of tasks or activities which produce a result. The result could be a machined part, a drawing, or a requisition for materials. Cycles are sequences of recurring successions of processes or events. The cycle time is the time from the beginning of the first step of the process until the beginning of the first step of the next process. Processes can be decomposed into smaller activities. Traditionally those activities may be performed in a sequential manner. In this situation each step is completed before the next one begins.

Once cycles are mapped, the opportunities to compress time can be pursued. The goal in compressing time is not to devise the best way to perform a task, but rather to either eliminate the task altogether or perform it parallel with other tasks so that the overall system response time is reduced. A basic premise of reducing total cycle times is to separate activities between in-line and off-line.

Extending this approach to the entire supply chain and focusing in on the mainstream activities that add value is key. Each of the steps can be further decomposed into smaller activities. By providing the output, such as transferring information, from smaller activities much sooner to the subsequent smaller activities, time can be compressed.

No sacred cows exist. Functions, tasks, jobs, and parts of organizations that stand in the way of value-add are removed from the mainstream to off-line positions. Off-line functions and positions perform preparatory work for in-line activities. Examples of off-line work are pre-engineering, pricing, credit-checks, and purchasing negotiations for just-in-time supplier contracts. Credit and accounting are not allowed to delay orders.

Summary

Time-based competition is a powerful strategic weapon to counter stiff foreign and domestic competition. Reducing cycle times throughout your company can makes you fast, flexible and a fierce competitor. Its implementation requires an attack on the basic company infrastructure. Focusing on streamlining physical flow of parts and information and compressing time in the basic business cycles can make it happen.

It gives you the capability to get ideas off the drawing board and into the market place faster. It enables you to move parts through your plants with turbo velocity. It gives you the means of becoming world class, and provides a new approach to competing globally in the next century.

BIOGRAPHY

Richard G. Ligus is President of Rockford Consulting Group, Ltd., located in Rockford, IL., with over 30 years experience in manufacturing, procurement, transportation and distribution. He specializes in developing and implementing supply chain strategies. Rich is an author and a speaker, and has developed seminars with the American Management Association. He is certified by both the Institute of Management Consultants and the The National Bureau of Certified Consultants.

Rich has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a master of business administration degree from Rutgers University. He is a member of CASA/SME, and has been listed in Jane’s Who’s Who in Aviation and Aerospace. He has been a speaker at IMTS, USCTI, APFA, NEPMA, MCAA, Hand Tools Institute, CASA/SME, and others. He has appeared several times on WREX-TV, Mid-Morning Magazine.

Gas costs are soaring and this causes company cash holdings are spread to the limit more than even in the 1970s. With an nations economic output lumbers along slowly and capital stays scarce, prudent businesses acknowledge unnecessary accounts must slashed. Business people everywhere must make more than a couple weighty decisions to lower unnecessary spending. Perhaps the best option to reduce business expenses is to hack away at unneeded travel expenses, and the secret is online conferencing.

Internet conference calls enable business people to speak with clients wirelessly in a conference in another metropolis, on a distant coast or even more significantly in a distant shore. Most online conference calls put to work state of the art networking technology. Because that they usually conducted on almost any computer, they only consume sunk company resources. Only by looking to the web, can anyone make a distant conference from almost any locale offering a high-speed connection. Its not just everywhere, it can save travel costs thousands.

Advancements in digital technology make Internet conferencing a good choice for businesses to exchange presentations and information in real time. Web conference attendees can see and hear as though they were really there, despite the fact that on the other side of the world. The look and sound of the video, audio, and presentation can be without flaw through the highest standards in streaming video.

Clearly just about any business will reduce expenses by switching to Internet conference calling in place of blowing thousands dispatching a team on a long-distance trip. Your company won’t throw away money on meals, hotels and even transportation costs. Big savings that can amount to thousands. Any dollar saved is more flexibility for your business. It’s not surprising that many businesses are deciding on online conferencing calls to save overhead on unnecessary company journeys.

This story is about my little boy. He was kind of funny as a tyke in that he loved to memorize hotel and motel signs. He was a little funnier when he wanted to watch the same shows over and over.

Then at two he got onto my computer and ordered me a printer! I still have the printer in the box because I intend to give it to him when he is older and can appreciate the story of purchasing the printer from AOL.

He took an immediate liking to the computer and would stay on it until he was made to get off it. When I say made that is what I mean! He would never just get tired of it and want to do something else in our home.

Over about a year from two to three years old I noticed he would pay minute detail to objects and follow the clean lines of cars or shelves. I knew there was a potential problem one night when I was working in my office at home and my son walked in and said “Dad, where did you get that book?” I said “what book?” To my surprise he was pointing to a book I had added to my computer books on the second shelf from the top of my left side book shelf.

If my definition of where the book was located seems a little too detailed it is because I have learned to talk in his language which is minute detail!

Maybe I am dreaming a little too much but I can’t help thinking he has some special abilities that will become especially important in the social or business world.

You see I had to take him in to get tested because he would get very upset regarding watching our big screen TV. He would actually go hit the screen when somebody was talking loud or mean on the particular program in progress. It turns out that it did not matter whether the show was a cartoon or whether it was a drama. The conclusion reached with the assistance of several doctors over about two years was that he had a mental condition called Asperger. He actually felt he was part of the TV show, not merely obsessed with the people or cartoon characters! It was not a show to him but real events.

Obviously I was upset to hear that he had some problem when he appeared to be so bright. I started to consume the material I could find on the condition and talked to the doctors as I could about what was going on in his mind.

The best characterization other than Asperger’s Syndrome I could get was that he was like a high-functioning autistic. Not that it sounded any better but the tem at least could be better understood when talking with anyone about him.

The more I read the more I realized that he was more normal than not normal. He seemed very adept at some things where other things just did not seem to matter to him at all.

I started to make up a list of all the things I thought he did very well and the list scared me at first! I saw me in the list as well as seeing him!

It dawned on me that we were a lot more alike than I had imagined. I had the same condition he had. We both have what is defined as a neurological condition!

I found out that a lot of people inherit Asperger’s Syndrome (A.S.) but in this case my son is not my biological son. This author found out that among their qualities of personality the A.S. person is loyal, reliable, has a strong moral code, and sense of justice. Their cognitive abilities are somewhat unreal too as in having exceptional memory. My son knows the names of the people who bought our older home three years ago and can describe them immediately if he thinks of our other home (his first home).

His enthusiasm, knowledge, way of thinking and ability to think using pictures are truly remarkable. I had to try to come up with my own list of qualities or attributes that I thought my son exhibited which are very positive. That list follows:

1. Focus. He exhibits strength of focus that you can only appreciate. He blocks out all other activities going on or other people or noise. Yet when he is not in that zone he shows that he has little patience for “noise”, “smells”, music or singing. He will stand up and tell you to stop singing “happy birthday”, etc.
2. Internal Motivation.
3. Attention to Detail.
4. Independent Thinking.
5. 3-dimentional Thinking.
6. Logical Decision Making.
7. Cutting Through the Smoke Screen.
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8. Global Insights.
9. Honesty, Integrity, Sincerity, and a Keen Sense of Justice.
10. Unique Insight into “Things”.

The weaknesses such as social queues, making friends, playing with others, understanding what others feel or think, and difficulty talking with others about something they did will get much better over time. There are occupational therapies that will substantially increase the speed at which my son will mainstream and grow naturally into a first class citizen in our society!

In turn I have become very thankful for the public school system and especially the folks who share their knowledge and training with him. I am also thankful for all he is teaching me. Moreover, I have a new perspective on living and the possible today!

Martin Floyd 2005, all rights reserved.

Martin Floyd is a retired computer scientist who worked for several public and private companies including Centers for Desease Control, DOD, City of Newport News, Space and Warfare Command, and Sam Solomon Co., Inc. Martin holds an AS in MIS, a BS in CIS, a certificate in project management. Currently Martin is the webmaster for MMB&T and writes on business and computer topics. Martin started working in the grocery business when he was 8 years old. He worked from 3-11 P.M. Monday through Friday during school and Sundays. He worked for his grandparents for one dollar a day stocking, running the cash register, performing inventory and closing out the day’s business receipts.

Visit MARTIN FLOYD at www.mmbandt.com

If you can say “yes” to all of the following nineteen statements, you are a leader of others in the ways they want and need for you to be. However, you would only be a second tier leader. If you can say that you are helping others to be able to say “yes” to all of these statements, then you are the best possible leader of others that there can be.

How effectively are you leading? How effectively are you “leader-ing” (making leaders of others)? Your responses to this leadership checklist will determine the answers you can give to these questions.

A Leadership Manifesto

1. I am striving to think better thoughts about myself, my work and other people.

2. I am looking for ways to exceed my previous “best” at work and at home.

3. I am searching for ways to make my work and home environments supportive and encouraging.

4. I am expressing appreciation to my coworkers, employees & family every day.

5. I am seeking ways to think more efficiently and accurately.

6. I am looking to identify beliefs I have that sap my energy and desire to move forward.

7. I am focusing on what’s going right with me and with others at home and at work.

8. I am celebrating my successes and the successes of others on a regular basis.

9. I am learning the causes for our successes.

10. I am keeping my objectives and my organization’s objectives clearly in view at all times.

11. I am helping clarify for myself and others the benefits of achieving our objectives.

12. I am searching for creative ways to move closer to our common objectives.

13. I am looking for reasons to say “Yes” rather than “No.”

14. I am asking specific questions of myself and others to help us gauge how effectively we are moving forward toward our objectives.

15. I am asking specific questions of myself and others to help us focus on the positive.

16. I am allowing structured time for myself and others to think and to record our thoughts & ideas.

17. I am willingly sharing what I know with others.

18. I believe that I am at my best (and can move beyond my best) when I help others do — and exceed — their best.

19. I am asking my co-workers on a daily basis, “How can I help you do your best work today?”

Ken Wallace, M. Div., CSL has been in the organizational development field since 1973. He is a seasoned consultant, speaker and executive coach with extensive business experience in multiple industries who provides practical organizational direction and support for business leaders. A professional member of the National Speakers Association since 1989, he is also a member of the International Federation for Professional Speaking and holds the Certified Seminar Leader (CSL) professional designation awarded by the American Seminar Leaders Association.

Ken is one of only eight certified Business Systems Coaches worldwide for General Motors.

His topics include ethics, leadership, change, communication & his unique Optimal Process Design® program.

Tel:(800)235-5690 Claim your free eBook, “How to Do Better Than Your Best in Anything You Do” by visiting the Better Than Your Best website.

An instance from the life of Moses teaches us about an essential tool for any leader – the art of delegation.

Exodus 18: 13 – 24 (From the King James Version of the Old Testament)

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?

And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws.

And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.

Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.

So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.

Moses and Delegation

In ancient history, Moses stands as one of the most influential leaders of the ancient world. Raised as royalty in Egypt, he later became the leader of the Hebrews who were enslaved by Egypt. Ultimately, Moses led his people from Egypt, and into the surrounding wilderness.

From a leadership perspective, Moses had a great deal on his plate. He led more than a million people, in matters religious, political and even in day to day activity. Because of his prominent position as a religious figure, his counsel was sought as a judge in almost all matters. We read in Exodus 18:13 that “Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.” So many people sought his advice that it filled his day completely, leaving no room for any other activity, regardless of how important.

We read further on that Moses did so out of a perceived obligation. Because he was their prophet, he felt compelled to address every request for his time and attention. This is a common feeling among leaders. Not wanting to ignore the needs of those they lead, it is easy for new or inexperienced leaders to be overwhelmed by the demands placed upon them, and to try to do too much themselves.

Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, watched all of this one day. Whether Jethro had past leadership experience is not made clear, but is likely, given the pointed advice he gave to Moses. Jethro saw clearly that Moses was seeking to do too much, and told him so, “The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.”

When placed in a leadership position, one has to keep several factors in mind. There is of course the need to meet individual wants and needs, but this is a secondary concern. When leading a group, the needs of the group come first. A leader is committed first to the group, then to the individuals that comprise its members. Next, a leader must be in a position to lead, to meet the needs of both the group and its members. If not, then both of those concerns go unaddressed. So we see that as a leader, one has to also take care of oneself. A failure to do so is a failure to care for the group. These three interests – the needs of the group, the needs of the leader, and the needs of the individuals in the group – must be kept in balance. Any failure to meet these three is a failure to effectively lead.

Moses had made this same mistake. By focusing on the needs of individual members of the group, the needs of the entire group went unmet. The personal cost to the leader created a situation that couldn’t sustain itself; eventually, the strain placed on Moses would be too much. Without their leader, the group, both as a whole and on an individual level, would be lost, and would likely fail.

How then can these three important interests be balanced? Jethro teaches his son-in-law, the answer to this problem is delegation. Alone, one person cannot do it all, not for such a large group. There is simply too much for any one man to do. There needs to be a clear idea of what role the leader must fill. Moses, being the prophet of the Hebrew people, was the only one capable of speaking the will of God to those he led. This was a role he needed to fill. There were other matters that were more mundane in nature that others could deal with. Personal disputes, division of labor and goods, and the day to day difficulties that arise in any group – these could be taken care of by others.

Jethro outlined for Moses a simple hierarchy of managers – some in charge of groups of ten, then fifty, some over hundreds, some over thousands. On the lowest level, individuals were dealt with ten at a time. The leader above them had responsibility for five of those small group leaders. This structure continued upward to Moses, creating a simple organization, but one perfectly capable of organizing the million or more people that Moses was responsible for. Should a crisis arise that required the involvement of Moses, he was free to do so, no longer weighed down by lesser concerns.
In our own lives, delegation can be a powerful tool. As a coordinated group, people can accomplish great things, but it is uncommon for great things to occur without the influence of one who acts as a leader. Someone must bring the group together and point them in the right direction. Someone must coordinate the efforts of the group, and must keep things running smoothly. You can be that leader, but to do so, you need to realize you cannot do everything. Let others assist you, and you will find yourself doing so much more.

Brian Westover is an author specializing in personal motivation and growth. He is the director of Project Superhero, an exploration of human growth and potential. To learn more about the author or Project Superhero, visit the Project Superhero website.

I just delivered a free speech. I am a great believer in free speech, but an even greater believer in paid speech. However, there are good reasons why someone like me would deliver free speeches. For instance, to support a charity or a cause I believe in. Or if the audience is full of people who hire speakers.

If you’ve ever spoken at a dinner or ran a workshop at a conference, you’ll wince when I mention the dreaded “token of appreciation” presented to the speaker. In your head you think, “Oh no, not another T-shirt.” I have my share of T-shirts, golf shirts, letter openers, books that do not interest me, sweets, ball caps, and pens. I don’t need any more.

Sigh. I suppose that’s the price of free speech.

Which brings me to my recent free speech, at the end of which I braced myself to face Dreaded Token. I was presented with a lovely gift bag brimming with colorful paper — the perfect camouflage to conceal Dreaded Token until he was ready to pounce. Mercifully, Madam Group President did not make me open the bag in front of everyone.

As I was preparing to leave, I sneaked a peak inside the bag. To my surprise, there was a candy jar with dozens of tiny plastic smiley faces glued to the lid. Around the lid were foam-rubber multi-colored letters that read “Happy Guy”. Wow! It was hand-made. Madam Group President took the time to craft a personal gift. How thoughtful. Dreaded Token, you have met your match. Meet Happy Jar.

If you have ever been a parent, valuing more the hand-made card your little daughter scribbles for you than any present she could buy, you know how I felt when I met Happy Jar. I can’t wait for my daughter to be old enough to draw so I can feel that way more often.

In life, little things really do count. You might be tempted to dismiss them, but they are the seeds that grow up into the garden of your life. Not all little things are good, but yours can be … if you are willing to make a small effort. Madam Group President could have handed me a T-shirt or a ball cap or leftover fruit cake from last Christmas. (Yes, I was once presented with left-over fruitcake.) But she invested her effort instead and I have something wonderful to write about today.

You can make someone’s day just by making that same little effort. I sent an encouraging e-mail to lift a friend’s spirits today. It worked. Those carefully chosen words brought her mood right back up. I’m sure you can guess how great that made me feel, too.

When Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the epic This Is The Place raved to me about the writing in my book, I felt on top of the world. (It’s not the huge $75 royalty checks every three months that inspire authors to write.) She then raved to Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com and a dozen other book review web sites. Do I have to tell you how her little extra effort made me feel?

I know I am blessed to be surrounded by so many thoughtful people, but I also know that we reap what we sow. What are you sowing? Are you making the time to give a little extra to people around you? Are you sowing seeds of happiness in your garden of life?

With the right seeds and a little extra effort, you may find more Happy Jars in your life than Dreaded Tokens. And of course, let us not forget the magic words to keep those Happy Jars coming: “Thank you Madam Group President.”

David Leonhardt is The Happy Guy. He is a motivational speaker and author of Climb Your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness. Buy the book at Amazon.com.

About The Author

David Leonhardt is The Happy Guy, and author of Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of maximum happiness.

Visit him at http://www.TheHappyGuy.com

David@TheHappyGuy.com

“Our conduct is influenced not by our experience but by our expectations.” George Bernard Shaw, 19th century Irish playwright, critic, social reformer

“Tell me about the people at the organization you just left,” said the senior manager who was screening candidates to fill a key leadership role.

“They were uneducated and lazy,” the candidate responded. “You always had to keep an eye on them because they were constantly trying to goof off or rip off the company. They were lousy communicators, resisted change, and only cared about themselves.”

“That’s too bad,” replied the senior manager, “I am sorry to say that’s the same type of people you’ll find here. This doesn’t sound like a job you would enjoy.”

Once the next candidate was seated, she was asked the same question. “Oh, they were great,” she said. “Although many of them couldn’t read and we had some trouble communicating with each other, they were very driven to succeed. Once we all got to know each other, they were constantly helping one other and working together.” “Great,” the senior manager responded, “That’s the same type of people you’ll find here.”

Everyone who becomes, or aspires to be, a leader of others (whether that’s as a manager, project leader, teacher, coach, or parent) should be required to read the 1969 Harvard Business Review classic, “Pygmalion in Management” by J. Sterling Livingston. Pygmalion was sculptor in Greek mythology who carved a statue of a beautiful woman that was later brought to life. George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion (which was the basis for “My Fair Lady”) used a similar theme.

In the play, Eliza Dolittle explains, “The difference between a flower girl and a lady is not how she behaves, but how she is treated.” Livingston goes on to present a number of his own studies and cites other research proving “if a manager’s expectations are high, productivity is likely to be excellent. If his expectations are low, productivity is likely to be poor.”
Years ago, Zenger-Miller co-founder, Jack Zenger used a metaphor to describe “The Pygmalion Effect” that’s always been very powerful for me. He explained that goldfish will grow larger, or stay smaller according to the size of the fish tank or pond they’re in (someone later told me whitefish do the same). I’ve since come to think of the influence and expectations of leaders as the Fish Tank Factor.

If leaders expect mature and responsible, adult behavior, that’s what they generally get. If managers expect “their people” to behave like immature, irresponsible kids, that’s what they generally get. Whether we think they’re eagles or turkeys, they’ll prove us right. Many people don’t believe in or understand the power of self-determination. So especially in their formative years, they grow large or remain small according to the environment their managers, coaches, teachers, or parents have put them in. But it’s never too late to help them grow by expanding their environment and teaching them self-leadership.

The research on the Fish Tank Factor is powerful and compelling. Doctors can affect the success of medical treatment by their expectations of their patients (positive or negative conversations overhead, suggestions made, or attitudes conveyed while patients are asleep, in a coma, or under anesthesia have proven to influence treatment outcomes). Teachers’ expectations of the students have a dramatic impact not only on their marks, but on their IQ scores as well (The title of Livingston’s article was inspired by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jackson’s book, Pygmalion in the Classroom, describing “the effect of expectations on the intellectual development of children”).

Parent’s expectations and reinforcement of their kids (especially before age eight) strongly influence their character and behavior. A study by David Upton of Harvard Business School on the billions of dollars invested to increase manufacturing flexibility concluded, “Plants that managers think are flexible tend to get a lot of practice and get better at it. It’s a self-fulfilling belief. We’ve found that flexibility is determined much more by the people in the plants, their industry experience and the practice they get than by the use of a certain type of technology.”

It’s a values issue that’s very closely related to visioning or imaging the behavior we get in those who look to us for leadership is often shaped by the picture we have of them. They become what we expect.

Jim Clemmer is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, workshop/retreat leader, and management team developer on leadership, change, customer focus, culture, teams, and personal growth. During the last 25 years he has delivered over two thousand customized keynote presentations, workshops, and retreats. Jim’s five international bestselling books include The VIP Strategy, Firing on All Cylinders, Pathways to Performance, Growing the Distance, and The Leader’s Digest. His web site is http://www.clemmer.net/articles

The stock market gyrates with unpredictable and heartburning results. Icons of solid companies become straw figures before balance sheets. Children are abducted from their front yards and networks of terrorists spiral throughout the world. Religious institutions cast shadows of duplicity while El Nino brings strange fish to the California coasts and out-of-control fires head toward ancient Sequoias.

Tough times. It’s enough to cause all of us to stand like the proverbial “deer in headlights”, mutter “the sky is falling”, or else spring into action. The latter would be fine but it’s often a knee-jerk response based on what we’ve done in the past. Trouble is that the present doesn’t look like the immediate past.

Whether you’re leading a Fortune 100 company, a small department, or an enterprise of one, now is the time to hone your resiliency skills. But first, let’s update the definition of “resilient”. In 1824, Webster defined it as: “the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused especially by compressive stress.”

That definition works for explaining metal but not for the mettle of the human system. Consider this: The compressive stress to an organizational body can be the result of bloating mergers. Mergers now meet mania and layoffs distort the workloads and customer care. If this is the case, the resilient organization must carefully think what size and shape will serve it for the long haul. Recovering its size and shape might be the worst thing!

At the risk of insulting Webster, I define resiliency as ” the capacity to cultivate strengths to positively meet the challenges of living; the ability to bounce back from adversity while maintaining personal and corporate integrity.”

Some key resilient strengths are found in using HOPE as an acronym:

• Head talk and Heart walk.

• Optimism.

• Purpose, passion and persistence.

• Energy and Enjoyment.

Head talk asks that we critically explore our thinking process. Are we stuck in out-moded patterns of behaviors that no longer serve us? What assumptions are we making and what actions can we take if the assumptions are confirmed? What resources can we call upon? How have we nurtured our relationships and support network? Are we being truly HONEST with ourselves about our own fears? What voices do we need to listen to-even if we don’t want to?

Heart walk is truth in action. It means we keep our word. Trust is the password of our time. It is also the cornerstone of relationships. Since an inability to get along is the single biggest reason for failure, heart walk builds relationships through connecting at more than cerebral levels.

Optimism arises from our anticipation of a positive outcome as well as our ability to help produce that outcome. Dr. Martin Seligman’s decades-long research indicates that optimism can be learned by listening carefully to our internal dialogue and challenging negative beliefs. Learned Optimism is a book that should be on everyone’s reading list.

Purpose, passion and persistence work like a three-legged stool in holding up a resilient leader. Purpose implies that you have a reason for being on this earth and it is not “all about you”. Since the odds of a human egg being fertilized are 220 trillion to one, you are NOT a mistake.

If purpose is the “why” you are here, passion is the “what”. It’s that activity that gets your juices flowing. Somehow, somewhere it must be in your life. Find a way to put it there and then persist in the doing. Pablo Casals knew he was put on earth for music. His passion was the cello. Even severely crippled with arthritis, his resilient spirit persisted through the pain and he played like an angel.

Energy and enjoyment spark up the human engine. In complex time, our energy sources need to be renewed and refreshed. Sleep, exercise, solitude, and meditation pump the exhausted spirit with the octane of resiliency. Play and laughter are birthrights of the human spirit. Laughter is the canary of hope. If the laughter has died, so too has your resiliency. Lighten up. Find what’s zany about life. Watch children at play. Don’t take life so seriously-you won’t get out of it alive.

Philosopher Howard Zinn wrote that to have hope, one doesn’t need certainty, only possibility. In an upside down world-there are lots of possibilities for positive change and growth. Let H.O.P.E. support YOUR resilient spirit.

(c) 2002 by Eileen McDargh. All rights reserved.

About The Author

Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE, is an international speaker, author and seminar leader. Her book ‘The Resilient Spirit’ is the companion piece to her talks on resiliency and spirit. For more information on Eileen and her presentations, please call 949-496-8640 or visit http://www.TheResilientSpirit.com

McDargh@aol.com

I know what I need to do; why do I need to write it down? You may have fallen into the trap of thinking this way. And hey, if it works for you, that’s great!

I find, however, that many people with too much to do, or with large projects looming in front of them get into a state of complete overload because they haven’t prepared themselves by keeping very simple action-item lists.

What’s an Action-Item List?
There are many kinds of lists, and each is useful in its own way. A list can range from “100 things I want to do before I die” to a list of reasons that you want to stay in your current career (hopefully you have 100 reasons for that, also.)

Here is my definition of an action-item list:
An action-item list consists of discrete actions, broken down into the smallest reasonable behavioral steps that you need in order to finish a project (or even a portion of a project.)

A Peek Inside Your Brain
Let’s say that you are a writer who has just gotten back an article you had submitted to an editor. You intend to begin at the beginning and just start revising. Unfortunately for many of us, our brains don’t function well in this mode.

Here is a peek inside the brain of a typical person in this situation:

“I can’t believe there are so many corrections.”

“He/she’s an idiot – these are ridiculous suggestions.”

“I’m an idiot. I can’t believe I wrote such a terrible article.”

“Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

“No matter what pathetic drivel I manage to write, it won’t be good enough.”

“Just that first suggested revision will take me hours, no, days to complete.”

“I really need to run some errands. I’ll get to it next week.”

Your brain can be a scary place.
How can you stop this maelstrom of negative thoughts and get started accomplishing something? One way is to make an action-item list.

Here is an example of such a list:
1. Rewrite paragraph introducing Concept A, being more specific.
2. Check accuracy of 3rd paragraph.
3. Create more elegant connecting sentence after Concept A on page 3, paragraph 2.

By breaking down the overwhelming, negatively-charged project of revising the entire article into discrete tasks, you can get over the avoidance hump and start on task number one.

Why Action-Item Lists Work
Why can such a simple act as making a list work? A list can do the following:
Make an overwhelming task seem doable by breaking it into discrete written parts
Calm you because it’s no longer floating in your head – it’s there in black and white
Prove to you that the task will end some day
Be a touchstone for when you feel unclear about what to do next
Provide that all-important feeling of accomplishment when you put that check mark next to an item, or cross it out!
If you are working in 15-30 minute increments, as I often suggest, you will have your work already broken up into separate items, so you are oriented as to where to start no matter how long a break you’ve taken

Make sure you add the action-item list to your repertoire. It’s those little techniques that build the good habits that add up to being productive!

Gina J Hiatt, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, tenure coach and dissertation coach and enjoys helping faculty and graduate students complete research, writing projects, and publish, while maintaining high teaching standards and other commitments. In addition to dissertation coaching, she teaches workshops and teleclasses on time management, writing, career planning and grad student/advisor relationships. Sign up for my free newsletter at http://www.academicladder.com or call me at (703) 734-4945.

What is the leadership zone?

For purposes of this article, think of “The Zone” as an emotion you feel when you are at your very best.

For example, think back to a time when everything seemed to be going just right, just the way you had intended – or perhaps even better than you had intended.

The Zone personifies “the thrill of victory”. The zone is a place where great leaders live every day – on purpose. These leaders ensure that they stay “in the zone”, but at any point that they are not in the zone, it doesn’t take them long to recognize and remedy the situation.

They do what’s necessary to get back into the zone because they know that that is where all the action is.

Once you live in the zone for any length of time, you become quickly “addicted” to living there. In this particular case “addiction” can be considered a good thing.

Okay, let’s get more specific now about how each of us can live in the leadership zone.

First, we must identify what high-leverage activities we need to be putting our time and energy towards, in order to achieve the results we seek. These high-leverage activities must take up the bulk of our time so that we can experience the ultimate rewards.

We must shun unnecessary email, paperwork and any other “low-result activities” that can easily be addressed by others – leaving us free to maximize our time on the activities that truly matter the most.

The following activities are examples of “zone activities”, where the rubber meets the proverbial road: I.e., making prospect calls, developing new referral sources, marketing your product effectively, ensuring quality delivery of customer service, planning for expansion of your business, etc.

The preceding examples of high-leverage activities are what makes the difference in ones success- they take a salesperson and/or an organization from simply being good, to truly being GREAT.

This is what we mean when we say you must “LIVE where the rubber meets the road”. Ensure your total fulfillment in your work and in your life, by maximizing those high-leverage activities that makes the difference in your results.

In doing so, your passion for your work will grow and you will experience and enjoy more fully the fruits of your labor.

Your feelings of success, of pride, of accomplishment and of joy – will be the signals you will quickly come to recognize as “Living In The Zone”.

Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today’s aspiring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.