Last month we applied some concepts from the
athletic realm to the area of increasing
managerial effectiveness. This month we
return to the ideas gleaned from the
Olympics and relate them to building
organizations that excel, or go beyond
"ordinary" performance.
Just to review, we noted
last month that both Olympic athletes and
"Olympian managers" have the ability to
envision the results they desire, and that
the vision is articulated in very concrete,
vivid terms. We also noted that peak
performance individuals in any domain have
learned to use mental rehearsal to hone
their performance in competitive or
demanding situations. The third component
discussed related to skill building. High
performance people are constantly building
their skills in the areas in which they
perform. Finally winning performers have
extraordinary ability to focus their
energies on achieving their vision and
goals, and tuning out distracting issues and
events.
Visioning
Results
The winning organization
requires that every member have a clear idea
of what the organization is trying to
achieve, but more than those members of the
organization must see that vision in very
vivid concrete terms. This is because the
function of the visioned results is to
energize people to strive for higher
performance in their own domains, and this
energizing will only work when employees see
the connection between their own needs and
the dreams of the organization.
Many organizations assume
that if they go through a strategic planning
process, producing a role & mission or
mandate, that this supplies the vision and
energy needed to excel. While a role and
mission statement may help add clarity to
purpose, it is too abstract to excite the
dedication needed for the organization to
excel. That is why we suggest that a
strategic planning process kick off with a
visioning process which is concrete,
colourful and engaging, resulting in a
narrative or story about the organization
and its future and the results that are
sought.
Rehearsal/Preparation
If athletes are able to
rehearse to prepare for their competitive
events, and managers need to use this
ability in a similar way, organizations need
to prepare for the future by anticipating
events, conditions and opportunities, and
preparing for them. Peak organizations
respond quickly and correctly to changing
contexts, and they do this by playing out
"what if" scenarios before the fact. Not
only does leadership consider contingency
planning, but employees, in their work, have
considered their reactions to challenging
situations, and are prepared with proper
responses and actions.
Skills,
Talent & Ability
Athletes and superior
managers are constantly striving to learn,
and to add to their ability to do their jobs
by adding to their skills. The superior
organization sets a climate that promotes
the enhancement of employees' skills and
talents. Even if formal training is
unavailable, successful organizations have
employees that learn from their leaders,
from each other, and from their clients.
Simply put, there is no substitute for
knowledge and skills.
Focus
Athletes are able to
tease out the relevant from the irrelevant,
effective managers need to focus their
attention on the important, and
organizations focus on their function and
purpose. Employees are clear that their
focus is on the substance of their jobs.
What does this mean? It
means that effective organizations spend
less time discussing and dealing with
tangential issues. Typically an unfocused
organization will spend a great deal of time
wrestling with issues like internal
structure, organization of work, who does
what, and numerous administrative processes.
In fact the unfocused organization is the
organization that "has meetings to discuss
how to have meetings".
The focused organization
is able to keep in mind that how it does
things, is important, but not the critical
component of its success. What is important
is producing the result, the service or the
product, and that the procedures to create
the results are subordinate to this goal.
Discussions of procedures are always linked
to results, and have no value in and of
themselves, and organizational members
understand that.
Role of
Leadership
Perhaps the main thing
that distinguished leaders from managers is
that they are able to inspire organization
members to peak performance. Leaders set a
tone and climate that supports the building
of real visions, supports the notion of
planning and preparedness and continuous
skill building and learning, and constantly
helps employees focus on what is important.
Without this leadership, an organization may
be able to function adequately, but will not
be able to move with changing contexts, or
to excel in its endeavors.
Post your comments at
amin@aiminlines.co.th
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