Show me the direction, I will find the way!!!
Hi guys, lately I have talked a lot with some of my friends from various companies and industries, and I have found a common trait: People spend too much time in fire fighting mode!!! I have been thinking about this topic, and I guess this is time for me to express my ideas and get your feedback.
I believe there are several reasons that force people to spend most of their energy on fight firing mode. Nevertheless, the one that I believe is one of the most important one causing the biggest problem, is the absence of a strong vision. People must feel connected to something bigger, greater, something that makes sense to them but this is not enough… They must know what is an ultimate vision, otherwise they will be lost within their daily activities.
So what can we do in order to improve this situation?
Define Vision:
First, we must define a simple vision/mission. Something that is so simple that even a 6 year old kid can understand. Let´s take a look into Toyota’s example: “Produce cars using a process that is 100% efficient without any waste”. Simple but powerful.The company knows that this vision is impossible to reach but keeping this vision in mind allows all employees to follow a direction. Employees know that their job is to improve the process continuously until they reach 100% efficiency, this will never happen, yet it´s a good way to keep a continuous improvement culture.
Give Small steps towards the Vision:
In the book “Drive” written by Daniel Pink, the author refers that SMART goals might have a negative impact on people’s performance. When we create SMART goals, human brain tends to do just what is necessary to reach that goal. Most of the time we could achieve much better results, but because the goal states a “Specific” part, we put just enough effort to reach that part, not doing any effort to go further. If you want to know more about this topic check my previous blog here. A second trap from SMART goals is the fact that often these goals are imposed by a management, instead of being created by people who perform a job without creating an ownership feeling.
Because of previous reasons, I believe Toyota´s approach is more adequate. Toyota uses a different approach: “Target Conditions”. These conditions are small increments that are defined by employees in order to pursue a big vision. These are not goals imposed by managers, these are experiments created by employees. Since the approach was created by them and not imposed by someone else, they will have a stronger ownership feeling allowing them to perform better. When a current target condition is achieved, they will create a new target condition to pursue a big vision. This is a fantastic way allowing people to work on their own solutions. Many people are extremely smart, they do not need to have managers telling them what to do, they just need to have someone showing the direction. “Show me the direction, I will find the way!”.
Conclusion:
Naturally, this is not enough to change a company or an organization, but with a help of this post I hope to create an awareness of the topic. When people do not have a vision and do not perform small steps towards that vision, I believe, that it will be extremely difficult to go out from the fire fight mode within a company. I am looking for volunteers that are able to try my ideas in their own companies. I would love to know if you are able to implement a bit of this idea at your company :) If not at your organization, maybe in a department where you work.
What do you think guys? I would love to hear more from you.
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Thanks guys,
Luis
D5 Creation
Hey Luis, I totally agree with you. Lack of vision leaves your team(s) unfocused and running around like headless chicken. One of the mysteries for me still is how to find a good vision, what the process or way could be to get to a good vision.
For a product it’s quite “easy”, you do a vision workshop define the product box, create an elevator pitch, think about why it would sell and then you’re there.
But defining a vision for a whole company like Toyota has it? Maybe you need a visionary like Kiichiro Toyoda or Steve Jobs?
There is a very large and unproven assumption here: that we can know what Vision to set.
Just like when we do small steps, learn and adjust. So does the Vision need to be tested, improved and adjusted.
I know that you are referring to the “first” Vision setting here, but how to iterate that Vision once it is set? I found “Beyond Strategic Vision” to be a great book to explain how we can both communicate and improve the Vision at the same time.
http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Strategic-Vision-ebook/
Vasco - thanks for your book recommendation … it’s next on my list ;-)
Vasco Rules :D
Well said, however I feel having ability to know and set the vision is not everyone’s forte. I have worked with many people, very good at work and knows technology quite well but when it comes to vision - it seems alien to them. Same is applicable to managers. I feel best way to inculcate such mature abilities (like vision) is to overhaul education system in such a way that people at grass root level (students, kids) develop cognitive to understand things like vision at early stage. I guess many people hear about vision only after entering corporate world and by that time, it is generally to late to develop vision leave apart realizing vision.
In the agile management innovations (http://agiletrail.com/2012/11/08/agile-management-innovations-a-primer/) they call it to have a True North - something to orient on, that you can’t reach but it helps you to check that you’re on the way.
To be honest - I think it’s important and helping to move a step forward out of the fire fighting mode but I agree with Vasco (thanks for your book recommendation … next on my list) that after finding and setting it (what it already not that easy) - constantly aligning it is I guess the challenge (who knows that this vision is not leading to the wrong way? And if I invested much up front in the vision - am I not biased to hope).
For me it’s even more important to define core values that we would like to work with - this aligns how we work together. Next to choose a proper supporting environment - using agile approaches that can adapt to situations, have good leading and lagging indicators and work with management 3.0 approaches to build this environment. Building trust and a high communication bandwith - to enable fast feedback and necessary adjustments without hidden agendas is important too.
Maybe I’m biased at the moment by Steve Tendon’s “Tame the flow” - describing what support becoming a hyper productive organization. There you can find already a lot about things to consider.
BTW - what do you define as fire fighting mode? E.g. disturbing day to day changes and unfocussed task switches should be handled with Scrum(Ban)/Kanban.
I regularly use this approach when coaching Scrum Masters. I sit down with them explaining the expectations that are placed upon them. Next I ask them how they see themselves measuring up to those expectations. This naturally leads onto them identifying some areas that they want to improve. Lastly we work together to identify some small steps that will help them with their journey to better themselves. With regular check ins, they are able to make progress then adjust their self improvement plan.
Hi Andrew :)
Yeap that is a good way :) I do exactly the same :) Thanks for your nice feedback.
Luis
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