Are any of these scenarios familiar?
• Declining numbers
• No time to plan
• Visible failure on critical projects
• A weak “bench”
There are TWO transition points that cause 90% of the problems in achieving business goals:
Within these transitions, you often feel like you’re hitting “brick walls” – the causes of which are not obvious.
Performance failure or success can be traced to how quickly you identify these “walls” and what you do to tear them down.
Few organizations are attending to this effectively. Read on.
Your Scenarios, Defined
Declining Numbers?
You have recently landed in a new leadership role or company, and there is some trouble brewing. Your assessment is a fairly significant change in strategy or direction is needed for the business, but people seem guarded to talk about it openly, and opinions on your team are all over the map. There is a “scattered” focus and energy about the place, and you are having a difficult time getting the true cause of the declining results. You are feeling urgent and wondering how to light a fire under everyone else.
Learn more about: Strategy Accelerator
No time to plan. (But where will you end up without it?).
You are inundated with “crisis management”. Your numbers are being squeezed – revenues, market share, profit. You have over-leaned and under-developed your people, and bench strength is low (that great “succession planning” process promised by HR has not materialized more number #1 players yet). Everyone is overwhelmed and working 10-12 hour days. Planning is non-existent – it’s all “seat-of-the-pants” fire-fighting. You are concerned about feedback from key customers on past-due deliverables and customer complaints are escalating. There are some signs that perhaps your competition is edging you out on price and your sales force is making noises about discounting again. You’re already too “lean” to cut more staff and costs so the hit goes straight to the bottom line. Where does the cycle end? Learn more about: Innovation Accelerator
Visible failure on critical projects? The solution is more obvious than you thought.
Your executive team has determined that to further improve efficiency and operating costs the organization needs to invest in ________________ (insert your version: Lean, CRM, BPS, Innovation, the latest Sales Training). As the chosen sponsor of this initiative, you are concerned about the well-documented 91% failure rate on projects in almost every organization, including yours. (Failure is defined as “over budget, past due, and didn’t perform as promised”). You want to avoid the common “trickle-down” effect – the further the project travels down the chain, the more priorities and commitment are under daily attack. But your “go-to” people are overwhelmed with several mission-critical priorities, and your contact in that group seems tight-lipped and resistant to moving priorities again. Your HR lead tells you the organization is under-staffed, even though you are running over the industry benchmark for payroll cost. Do you know the definitive steps to ensuring your project succeeds?
Learn more about: Project Accelerator
A weak "bench"
Performance within your department is spotty and inconsistent. There is great stuff happening, but it doesn’t seem to be replicable. Dealing with so many different generations in the workplace is like herding cats, and there are accountability problems. Feedback between managers and employees happens well with your more experienced managers, but not with weaker managers. That means your people are not being developed to their potential and your projects are at risk (see “Project Accelerator.”) You wish there were a visible, user-friendly system that could give you at-a-glance, real-time information on the progress you are making toward your goals. One that allowed for constant shape-shifting and re-prioritizing, without a full-time Excel genius by your side to create and decipher it. Wish granted!
Learn more about: Performance Accelerator
Assess Yourself
Every day, HOW your people show up and communicate has a direct relationship on accelerating or slowing down the most important business objectives.
Need proof?
Ask yourself, on a scale of 1-5 (5 = world class) how effective is your team or business in these areas:
• Decision-making is fast and smooth
• Accountability and feedback is happening well at every level
• Internal communication (top down and bottom up) flows freely and people understand exactly how their job connects to the bottom line of the business
• We have eliminated the “silo barriers” that limit communication, collaboration, and learning across functions and geography
• Meetings are run effectively to drive aligned action throughout the organization
• People have clear career paths and opportunities for learning and professional development
• We consistently deliver projects on-time and on-budget
• When we make mistakes or disagree, we have a clear process to ensure people learn but are not shamed or blamed for it.
Will your score accelerate your performance in the ways you need ? If yes, congratulations! Keep going.
If not, consider our offers below, or in any of the links above.
FREE CONSULTATION!
Call us. If you have an urgent problem, why not take a little risk, pick up the phone, and call us? We are happy to talk with you for 30 minutes or so about your business, with no risk or obligation. And we aren’t “trained killer” salespeople, so we won’t bug you afterwards unless you ask us to.
Email us at contact@jacksonandschmidt.com. Ask a question, ask for useful information. We’re pretty generous and responsive. If you are slower moving and want to read more first, be sure to check out our tools, articles, and blog in Free Resources.
We look forward to having you CALL US NOW!
(For a perspective that WILL make you think about things you haven’t considered)
Just do it.
Colorado: Lisa Jackson 303-898-3920
South Carolina: Gerry Schmidt 843-588-9286
