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September 18 - November 25, 2020
Anyone who says customers are #1 has lost their mind! Employees are #1. Employees are the source of all value creation. Culture (not jelly beans in the kitchen) is the source for engaged, turned-on employees.
There is always at least one person on a team who thinks he is immune to the culture transformation conversation.
You will attempt to do a “work-around” and find ways to accommodate or justify his behavior—all in the name of “We can’t afford to lose him.”
An unenforced rule is not a rule; it’s a suggestion. Coaching your employees is of no value without consequences.
Every failure of leadership has at its root a lack of courage.
What is the culture we have now? (Make a list of how people act and treat each other . . . both good and bad.)
(Make a list.) If this were the worst, most toxic place on the planet to work, what would the culture look like? (Make a list so you can start thinking about the opposites.)
become the “employer of choice”? What are the culture deficiencies in our business that are preventing us from being high...
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What are the simple rules of the game we must adopt to create a culture in which our people are truly engaged, committed to excellence, and do their best work?
Generalizations Kill Clarity
The primary reason most goals are never achieved and most budgets are never attained is because they are hollow, generalized statements of hope and not rigorous nonnegotiable standards, plans, and measurable drivers.
Most business owners and management teams are ineffective because they tend to use fluffy, glossy, generalized hand-waving as a substitute for a measurable, quantifiable plan.
to reach $2,000,000 in revenue this next quarter. These are the names of each lead in our funnel. This is who and how many I will call on this quarter. Here is the conversion percentage I will achieve. This is the monetary value of each transaction. Here are the exact things I will do and the specific results I will generate to make certain we achieve our $2,000,000 target.
We live in a world where accountability and measuring are feared and avoided.
“Keith, good intentions do not achieve results. You have just given me some great excuses, but no good reason for why you missed having this ready for
will remind you that creating the plan does not cause the outcome to miraculously materialize.
A delicious meal is a direct result of following a specific recipe during the preparation, not envisioning the guests’ applause after they’ve eaten
A plan without specificity of deliverables and dates is a fantasy. Accountability should never be feared; it is the mother of great.
Thinking Time
How do I need to rework our plans and budgets to make them gran...
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What are the specific activities and milestones we must hit in order to stay on track with our stated deliverables?
What are the dashboards I need to create to make sure we are measuring the critical drivers and making corrections based on our performance?
A CEO Should Never Delegate . . .
most of the academic focus is on the character traits, communication styles, or personality types of a successful CEO.
the reality is that a successful CEO has seven primary, non-delegable jobs. If these jobs are not successfully executed, the CEO will be ineffective, regardless of her charisma
Clarity on Point A an...
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understanding and articulating the reality of where the business is today (Point A) and the vision of where the business ...
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Business owners are fairly accomplished at describing the dream, but clarity...
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Identify the Gap and the Obstacle:
The obstacle is buried within this gap. There is some obstruction (defined as the problem) that is blocking the attainment of the desired outcome.
Understanding exactly what is obstructing your progress and defining this as a solvable problem (opportunity) dictates priorities and allocation of resources.
Design the Plan and Machine: With the obstacle clearly defined, a CEO can delegate and coordinate the design of the plan and the blueprint of the machine,
Allocate Resources:
A CEO’s job is to allocate the business’s resources in a way that permits the business to stay afloat and simultaneously overcome the obstacle that is preventing attainment of the desired outcome.
machine to overcome the obstacle in the way. In other words, the CEO must plan tomorrow’s breakfast while continuing to cook tonight’s dinner.
Anytime we announce new initiatives or change priorities, it requires a change in how we are allocating our resources (team, time, and money).
Top Grade for A Players:
The caliber of your team is the single most important component of successfully and efficiently operating the machine,
The players on your team are responsible for the vast majority of your levera...
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They have a scoreboard that tells them if they are winning or losing
They have a high internal, emotional need to succeed.
People often ask me how I motivate my employees. My response is, “I hire them.” Motivation is for amateurs.
They love to be measured
They have the technical chops to do the job.
They are humble enough to ask for coaching.
They see opportunities. C players see only problems. Every situation is asking a very simple question: Do you want me to be a problem or an opportunity? Your choice.
You know the job has outgrown the person when all you hear are problems. The cost of a bad employee is never the salary.
Interview rigorously. (Who by Geoff Smart is a spectacular resource on this subject.) Compensate generously. Onboard effectively.
Measure consistently. Coach continuously.
Build the Organization Chart:
