Today’s post is a continuation from yesterday’s about why people get stuck.

3. Inertia:
The third reason why people get stuck is because of inertia. Inertia from a management consulting perspective is best characterized as blindly continuing to repeat a task, process, or behavior because you’ve been successful in the past doing so. Inertia at its core is about maintaining the status quo and remaining comfortable. While there are good reasons to repeat certain aspects of our work, preserving the past can become more valued than creating a new more desirable future whether for ourselves, our employees, and most importantly for our customers.

When it comes to remaining comfortable the vast majority of people have a peculiar ability to maintain the status quo even when the consequences for doing so can be deadly. For example, eighty-five percent of the people who have heart bypass surgery have returned to the exact same lifestyle and diet within two years of their surgery. That’s the same lifestyle that required them to have heart bypass surgery mind you. So, no matter how uncomfortable their surgery was; no matter how concerned they are for their future health and well being, the inertia of eating and exercising the way they did before surgery pulls them by the scruff of the neck back into their old habits.

Aside to reader: In order to counteract the negative aspects of inertia you’ll want to ask whether your perspective of the future is rooted in fear or faith. If you fear the future you will remain in the present even if your present results are not what you want. If you look into the future and have faith that your future will be more appealing, rewarding and even enjoyable, then you will jettison yourself from the present and embrace the future.

4. Incompetence:
The fourth reason people get or remain stuck is incompetence, which is an inability or skill to do a particular task. While most people are highly competent in either the task/technical side of their work or they are highly competent on the people side, the incompetence that is especially damaging to the customer experience is the incompetence surrounding working with people.

Your customers are screening you for both technical and people based competence. Let’s go back to the heart bypass surgery example. Imagine for a minute that you are a fifty year old man or woman who needs heart bypass surgery. The surgeon you meet with is not indifferent to your situation, seems to be well informed, has a good bedside manner and has a sense of urgency regarding helping you get on the right path to better health and wellness. Everything the surgeon says sounds good and is credible. But the one question that remains to be asked is “how good is the surgeon at what they do? What do their patients and or peers say about their level of competence and expertise?” Until you know the competence of your surgeon both technically and interpersonally you’ll remain stuck and be seen as indecisive.

Aside to reader: It’s completely normal to feel incompetent when you’re learning something new, especially if you care about the subject and or the stakes are high. Just remember that every great endeavor or achievement started with someone lacking the skills necessary to achieve greatness, but who was so engrossed in their idea that they acquired the skills necessary.

I believe the opposite of these four characteristics are required in order to get unstuck and to achieve something extraordinary. You have to care deeply about an idea, concept or ideal; you must immerse yourself in learning everything you can about your idea; you must slay the dragon called complacency and remain focused on progress – not perfection, and last but not least, you must remain on the path of greater mastery of both the technical and people oriented skills necessary to achieve your goal.

In summary, I have three questions for you:

1. When you look into the future, is your vision characterized by fear or faith?
2. If you were to strive for the extraordinary, which of the four characteristics would you need to address first?
3. Which of the four characteristics would your customers say you exhibit most frequently?

I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts on my blog.

…the “It” I’m referring to is cancer.

Cancer has been an all too frequent and unwelcome visitor in the lives of my family and friends. Five of my fathers brothers and sisters died of cancer; my former business partner, Linda Russell Callecod, is a breast cancer survivor; my friend Fred survived prostrate cancer, my sister has had a cancerous growth removed as have I, and now my old high school friend, Alison Large, from Birmingham Alabama, is having surgery this week to remove the cancer she was diagnosed with recently.

This post isn’t about work. It’s about how at the end of the day none of us will sit on our deathbed and wish to have spent more time at the office. We will wish to have had more time listening to children laugh, to spend time with those we love in ways that uplift our spirits, to sit quietly and watch the sun rise or set, to play fetch with our dog, and to hold the hand of the ones we love.

For those of you with cancer I salute your courage and send you my prayers. For those of you caring for family or friends with cancer, you are a life saver in ways you might not fully understand. And while Martina McBride may not be your cup of tea, her video “I’ll love you through it” is a wonderful reminder of how important we are to one another.

I was forwarded a video today from a colleague in Washington by the name of Seth Kahan. The video explains research conducted by the Franklin Covey Company on how successful teams are when it comes to achieving their strategic objectives.

After interviewing thousands of teams they discovered the Law of Diminishing Returns. Specifically, the number of strategic objectives you have will determine how successful you’ll be. The bottom line is:

1. If a team has two to three primary objectives they are likely to achieve those two or three objectives. (Who only has two or three primary objectives though?)

2. If they have between four and ten objectives they are likely to achieve one or two.

3. If they have eleven plus objectives they are likely to achieve none! (Now I know why I should only have two to three strategic objectives)

So, the question you have to ask is how many strategic objectives do you have for yourself, your team, or your business? If you have more than eleven you will really benefit from watching the video.

Just before you watch the video I have a disclaimer. I don’t usually recommend large box training companies. I see them as focused on the law of large numbers and less inclined to customize their content to fit a clients core strategic objectives. It’s typically an off the shelf mentality that believes one size fits all. But, in the case of this video I made an exception and believe you’ll benefit from investing seventeen minuets of your time. And besides, it’s a well produced video.

If you’d like to learn more about their program, visit them on the web.

This morning over breakfast I realized my friend Robert was accomplishing something truly extraordinary…he wouldn’t call what he does extraordinary, but I do.

Robert is a chapter advisor for his fraternity; a fraternity he’s been a member of for close to thirty years. Long gone are the days of seeing his fraternity solely as a place to party and imbibe in the fruits of college life. Yes, it does still fill that need, but now at forty-seven he sees his fraternity, and his role as a chapter advisor, as more of an incubator for personal discipline, responsibility for a larger good, and loyalty. And he does so with seventy eighteen to twenty-two year olds!

Some of my friends see Robert as cantankerous, opinionated, and best appreciated in small doses. For me that’s his charm, but especially because underneath the tough and no nonsense private investigator veneer runs a deep commitment to making the world a better place. And he’s doing just that.

This morning I learned that Robert was acknowledged by the University of Washington as the Student Advisor of the Year, and that his fraternity presented him with the Chapter Advisor of the Year award at their annual meeting. This reward isn’t awarded every year…only when someone warrants it!

As a management consultant, I’m fascinated by how ordinary people go about creating something extraordinary. Since Robert is creating something extraordinary for seventy young men I asked him what advice he would give to other chapter advisors. Here’s Robert’s list for chapter advisors as well as for anyone yearning to make a difference:

1. Let everyone know that the endeavor they are engaged in is not simply a glorified social club – it is a relationship that lasts a lifetime and carries with it a noble responsibility.

2. Don’t be afraid to show your shortcomings…be authentic and real.

3. Be present…you have to show up frequently not just for meetings.

4. Set high expectations…scholastically as well as personally.

5. Focus on the big picture…the well being of your brothers as well as your fraternity.

6. Role model credibility and loyalty…in every interaction role model the character necessary after college for both personal and professional success.

7. Make a difference…parents send kids to school in order to make a positive difference in their lives. Instill a willingness in to make a difference in the lives of everyone living in the house…if not make an exit from the house.

8. Remind every house member that they are never allowed to complain or be a victim…especially if they’re not doing something to fix the issue.

9. Cultivate a belief that mediocrity is a choice and never settle for the ordinary.

10. Make conscious choices…ask every house member what they want to be known for. Do they want to be part of the most successful fraternity on three continents? Or, do they want to be a member of a fraternity that is declining? Do they want to maintain the status quo? Or do they want to create something remarkable? Remind them that it’s their choice!

11. Be comfortable making mistakes… that’s the most powerful way to learn

The real story here is not what you can learn from Robert about leading seventy young frat kids. The real story is that everyday, in every walk of life, there are ordinary folks trying to achieve something important. For Robert, that’s giving back to his fraternity and seventy young men.

What is it for you?

Let’s face it. One of the most difficult questions a senior executive can ask is: where are we headed as an organization? This question has always been hard to answer, but in today’s world of work the factors complicating strategic direction have multiplied.

If you want to get clear about where you’re going I suggest you start with the following ten questions. They’re simple yes or no questions and will give you a glimpse into the level of strategic clarity you and your organization have.

1. Everyone in a key management position would cite the same strategy. Y/N

2. The strategy could be expressed and understood in two or three sentences. Y/N

3. The strategy guides day-to-day operating decisions. Y/N

4. The strategy is the basis for the organizations planning procedures. Y/N

5. All employees are aware of the organization’s basic business goals. Y/N

6. The implicit and explicit beliefs of the organization support the organization’s direction. Y/N

7. The strategy is the guiding factor in times of crisis or marketplace surprise. Y/N

8. Key decisions are made by using the strategy as a test bed. Y/N

9. Strategy is a proactive process, not a reaction to the marketplace. Y/N

10. There are formal meetings to set, debate, refine, and monitor strategy. Y/N

Add up your yes and no responses, and score the test using the key below.

9 to 10 yeses: Your organization gets an A+. Your strategy is probably clear and well-defined, and it is used as a framework for the daily operations of the organization.

7 to 8 yeses: Not bad, but room for improvement. There’s probably an operating strategy, but it may get shunted aside or ignored in crisis, with personal changes, or from inertia.

5 to 6 yeses: At best there is a mist that sometimes clears momentarily to reveal your direction. Strategy is left for special occasions and does not help in running the organization.

0 to 4 yeses: Your organization is in a hand to mouth situation, it’s purely reacting to its environment, and does not seriously attempt to develop a strategic view.

After you score the test I’d like to know the following:

What’s your score?

What are you doing well and why?

Where are you feeling challenged and why?

Tune in tomorrow for the Strategy Implementation Test

Test is reprinted with permission Dr. Alan Weiss

Commit to progress not perfection: Pursuing perfection is similar to trying to find a unicorn. You have a mythical understanding of what perfection is but you’ve never seen it before. I very rarely ever achieve perfection. But in my twisted thinking I strive for perfection even if it’s based on a subjective definition. Pursuing perfection keeps me frozen from taking a step toward the extraordinary because if I have to be perfect, not taking the next step insulates me from being wrong.

Progress is rooted in a maxim called the 1% solution. It says if you practice something and get better by 1% every day, at the end of seventy-two days you will have improved by 100%. Creating the extraordinary requires a shift in focus away from achieving perfection to making progress. The goal should be to take all of the talent, skill, time, and available resources available and achieve the maximum amount possible. That may not be perfection, but it is certainly more rewarding. And besides, progress role models the pursuit of the extraordinary for my coworkers, employees, and family.

Create a bigger yes support system: To accomplish anything that is noteworthy, remarkable and or extraordinary you must have a strong support system; a support system that is exemplified by people who believe in the pursuit of the extraordinary, care about you, and resoundingly say yes to your aspirations. Pessimists are not allowed in this group – yes, you need people who will challenge your thinking, but only in service of achieving the extraordinary.

Supplementation: Training for a triathlon is not simply about the disciplines of swimming, biking and running. Nutrition, rest, and supplements are integral to keeping your body at peak performance. In the world of work, supplementing technical expertise with interpersonal, relationship, and influencing expertise is foundational to achieving the extraordinary.

Periodization: Johnny Bench, the all century catcher for the Cincinnati Reds once said “a slump is like a soft bed – they’re easy to get into and hard to get out of.” Humans have a natural tendency to seek comfort and stability. The extraordinary will remain elusive however if we allow our natural tendencies to remain unchecked.

Periodization means that you look at your big yes in four-week periods. Your second week requires greater effort than the first, and the third week requires even greater effort than the second. The fourth week is a less intense week as it gives your body time to recover and prepare itself for another four-week cycle of greater effort than the first.

You cannot train at maximum effort all the time – especially those of you with an outdated definition of perfection and who see your recovery weeks as weak and unproductive. That’s why you need to train mentally, hire a coach, have a support group, and focus on progress rather than perfection.

Rituals and rewards: Last but certainly by no means least is rituals and rewards. Some endurance athletes are a little obsessive-compulsive, and frankly it takes an obsessive-compulsive type of personality to achieve anything extraordinary. The balance though is in finding ways to remain encouraged about your progress.

With all things that are worthy of increased effort and that retrospectively will be described as extraordinary, there will be periods of frustration and doubt. The most effective way to combat these low points is to have a series of rituals and or rewards that remind you of the progress you’re making toward your big yes and of the circumstances you’ve overcome. Rituals and rewards provide you with the breathing room to focus on your progress and to temporarily suspend your pursuit of the unicorn called perfection.

1. What four words would I use to describe our culture? Are the words used distinctive and or remarkable in any way? Or, are they simply the price of admission for being in business today?

2. Are we an organization that strives to create the truly extraordinary? What percentage of employees would agree with my answer? What if it’s lower than I think it is? How do I know what’s true?

3. How will I be responsible for ensuring the company culture, values, and behaviors are strategically aligned? How will I know I’m making progress?

4. Is my leadership reputation or brand generating commitment or compliance to our strategic plan? How do I know?

Most employees view performance reviews unenthusiastically. Why? For many the review process is a monologue by the manager and is devoid of a deeper, meaningful, and authentic dialogue. It is less about how both the manager and employee are creating the extra-ordinary, and more about staying out of trouble with human resources.

The riskiest aspect of performance reviews is playing them safe. Here are two ideas to give your performance reviews a makeover without betting the farm.

1. Do what hotelier Chip Conley does at Joie de Vivre. After three months, sit down with your new employees and ask them how your operations are doing. Ask them to give you a performance review both for the overall operation as well as for you as a leader. New employees have fresh eyes and will see things you don’t – you’ll walk away with some terrific ideas.

2. During your annual reviews, ask every employee to share with you their top three ideas for reinventing the way they do their work. Ask them to tell you how they would do things differently if they could start over from scratch. What would they do if their name was on the door? What would they do in order for their customers to be obsessed with their service or product? Yes, obsessed!

These questions might not work for you. What is important is that you change the conversation you’re having with your employees. If you do that you’ll change the level of engagement your employees have for making your team and organization noteworthy, remarkable, and extraordinary. Changing the conversation WILL transform your organization!