From Our Blog...

 

Inspect What You Expect

 

Let’s be clear – I am NOT advocating micro management.  No one wants their manager looking over their shoulder, directing their every move.  I am simply stating the importance of 1) clearly communicating your expectations AND then 2) following up.  Spot check.  Verify.  Confirm that the performance you expect is indeed what is happening. 

 

I sometimes hear “I trust my team.  We’re all adults.  I assume that when I ask someone to do something, it gets done.”  Hmmmm. . .  Yes, you trust your team, and yes we’re all adults (at least chronologically), but assumptions get leaders in trouble.  This isn’t about trust.  How do you know it’s being done?  Where’s the accountability?  I can cite quite a few instances where not “inspecting what you expect” has had significant repercussions! 

 

You expect that your sales people are calling on their top accounts at least monthly.  You assume that it’s happening.  You don’t spot check; there’s no accountability.  Six months go by and a top account is in jeopardy.  The assigned sales person hasn’t been there, but the competition has!! 

 

You manage technical specialists in the field, and you assume that they are following the most updated processes to maximize your product.  Then a customer eventually complains – loudly - that your product doesn’t “work.”  It never has.  After some investigation you find out that the assigned specialist has been using the wrong calibration for months.  Months!!

 

Let’s face it.  Human nature says that if no one follows up with me, then it must not be that important, so why spend time on it?  And if no one “inspects what they expect” then I believe that what I am doing and how I am doing it is acceptable.

 

“Inspect what you expect” is not to be done in a spirit of “gotcha!” but in a spirit of right focus, quality and accountability.  So if you “inspect” and it’s not being done (or is being done incorrectly), then it’s an opportunity to reinforce expectations and/or correct wrong thinking/wrong processes.  If you “inspect” and find that everything is on target, then that is a perfect opportunity to provide positive feedback and express your appreciation for a job well done!

 

Louis Gerstner, retired CEO of IBM sums it all up:  “People do what you inspect, not what you expect.”

Leadership Development

HOW WELL DO YOUR SENIOR LEADERS DEFINE, BUILD, AND MOTIVATE HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS?

To achieve big goals, you need leaders who are aligned, skilled, and confident in building and growing a culture dedicated to your company’s purpose.

Clarity of purpose comes first.  With the strongest teams, it’s at top of mind every day.  Others may have it, but maybe it’s been neglected or gotten a little stale.  We’ll work with you and your team to review and re-ignite it, and then to gain commitment at all levels throughout your organization.  Clarity of purpose is that important in a truly high-performance culture.

From there, working closely with you, we’ll custom-craft a “process approach” to building your leadership team.  What’s a “process approach?”  Becoming a more effective leader doesn’t happen in a single meeting – it’s a process of learning.  We focus on confidence, not just competency, and this development takes place over time – in the meeting room, on outside excursions, between sessions while working with direct reports, in coaching conversations – while actively engaged in work, or during those rare moments of reflection and re-energizing. 

  • Modular formats that allow intensive and participative work on the leadership skills that inspire and grow a highly-motivated, engaged team
  • Throughout, a center-stage focus on trust and personal accountability
  • Highly acclaimed, state-of-the-art assessment tools that guide leaders in using awareness to increase their own effectiveness

Always custom-designed for every client organization, key elements of an RCTaylor Group leadership development process will usually include:

  • Setting clear, inspiring goals, and critical expectations
  • Learning to be a great mentor and coach
  • Leading through periods of change and growth
  • Maximizing the engagement of team members at all levels
  • Becoming confident and effective at evaluating and improving performance
  • Addressing and resolving conflict
  • “Shared leadership” – spreading the learning through the organization

The RCTaylor Group designs and conducts leadership development processes for senior, high-potential, and “emerging leader” levels.  Processes include group learning as well as one-to-one leadership coaching along the way. 

Why is every client’s process different?  The simple answer:  every client’s needs are different.  For a large multi-national company, we crafted a process to address its purpose and strategic initiatives, tailored it for regional requirements, and then delivered it to leaders at multiple sites.  For another smaller company, we created a blended process that addressed the critical link between leadership excellence and employee engagement.  At the RCTaylor Group, we’ll take the up-front time with you to understand your organization and your leadership group, and then prepare just the right process for your people.