Bottle of Magic

in Reflectionslast year

Now back in Finland and at work, all of the points that were brought up during the global Sales Kick Off last week need to be collected and collated, then distributed to the right people. After that, next steps and plans are made on how to put these things into action throughout the organization and make an impact on sales targets and customer deliveries. It is a massive effort and is going to take weeks to get things aligned, but what is great to see, is that leaders are already making the right moves and diving in. There really does seem to be a renewed vigor and spring in the step of many people, including the facilitators like me.

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For me personally, there is going to be a lot of work coming from this on top of my usual work, yet I feel more motivated at the moment also, as there are things happening, not just words. Too often, these corporate events are a lot of smoke and mirrors to fool people into thinking that they have a say and things will happen, when in reality, they don't and not much will. The people I work with are experienced and generally pretty practical and even cynical, but even they are feeling that this time it is different.

And it is.

Because we designed it to be different.

Gone are the days where an information dump constitutes providing direction, as are the days where it is all top-down management. Instead, it is about discussion, development of ideas into a common framework, building processes and tools and then, enabling them to be used at a practical level. Knowing isn't enough, there has to be behavioral action.

And, while it is a discussion, the style of the leadership is vital in either facilitating or halting growth, where if the leaders don't walk the walk themselves, it is very unlikely anyone is going to follow their spoken direction. This means that there has to also be clear lines of responsibility and accountability, with division and repercussions in place for unfulfilled development. Again, I am lucky to work with most of the people I do, because in general, there is a willingness to not only take responsibility for actions, but also to be held accountable for underperformance.

Obviously, everyone would love it if all their wishes were granted without having to put in any effort or pay any costs, but that just doesn't work in management processes. To get things done, things need to be done, and that requires a systematic approach that enables people along the supply chain to do what they need to do, when they need to do it.

This is far easier said than done, because behavioral change (even for the better) takes time to develop into a habit. And to take the journey, most people need to see the benefit to do so, the incentive. In Sales, this is easier because there is a quantifiable impact that can be observed through the numbers, and using the systems, there are quite obvious areas of opportunity to develop, but how to develop them is not as easy, especially since individuals require different enablement activities to achieve the same result - it isn't a "one size fits all" solution.

I am not a sales expert by any stretch of the imagination and I can't see myself being successful in the role. However, I am pretty good at helping people develop the understanding and skills required for them to realize more of their potential, either through becoming more effective, or more efficient at what they need to do, even if they might not like having to do it.

We are constantly in a situation where there are things we should do, but don't want to, and building strategies that can provide the impetus to develop even if the motivation isn't there is imperative to success. Because, if we are only going to focus and develop what we like to do, we are going to be underdeveloped in many areas that complement our strengths. It is much like building a high-functioning body, you might only care about how you look above the waist, but consistently skipping leg day is going to limit performance.

There are so many things that I don't want to do, but have to in order to do more of the things I do want to do. Yet, I also feel that a lot of people are limiting their experience because they are unwilling to do enough of the disliked practice, the things that make them feel uncomfortable. For example, I have a client who wants to be able to push his ideas through his organization, but is largely unwilling to improve how he speaks with decision makers, which means he is ineffective at influencing them, even if he has a good idea. This costs him, as well as the organization.

Some people believe that it is up to others to act and change, but when considering this from the perspective of responsibility and accountability, it is up to each of us. Sure people can inspire us, but the motivation to act without being forced requires building internal motivation and generating the energy to actually move. It really isn't up to others to provide for us, it is for us to provide for ourselves. And when we don't, that is on our shoulders.

A lot of us get motivated to improve, but somewhere along the way, we often fail to turn it into activity. Instead of just saying it, if ewe invest time and effort into building processes to support it, we are far more likely to start the practical journey, align and improve and then, make the path our own.

There is no magic elixir.
Just the right actions, at the right time.

Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]

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I completely agree!
We need to act and we need to do it in the right way, planning first and then following up with actions.

Timing is also very important, as you also say at the end of the post; in the end it is said that you have to be the right people... at the right time; I prefer to add to it with the right ideas and ways of doing things, the fact remains that actions carried out at the wrong time may not have the desired effects.

actions carried out at the wrong time may not have the desired effects.

In organisations, they often introduce ideas and tools without fully enabling them, expecting faster results than are possible. Most don't fully understand how long it takes to change, let alone change a group - even though they themselves don't change easily.

Well yes, then we must always consider that group dynamics take longer to change than the dynamics of the individual.

In general I believe that timing is obviously very important in life, if it is valid in life, it is also valid in companies eh eh!

if it is valid in life, it is also valid in companies eh eh!

I think this is a good thing to think about when joining a new company. If you don't value what they do and how they do it, no money is enough.

Obviously, everyone would love it if all their wishes were granted without having to put in any effort or pay any costs

Just waking up one day to have 1000000 hive would be quite nice wouldn't it? But if it would be just given and not bought/earned it would not have the same value.

It wouldn't have the same value, which is why so many of the people who got theirs easily, don't have it now :)

We were just having a meeting last week and we were talking about implementing a new "corporate" behavior model in the district. One of the admins pointed out that if we were going to move forward it needed to be rolled out by the superintendent and it needed to be across all buildings not just one here and one there. Finally, there needed to be the expectation that we are doing this and it is important that everyone is on board. Who knows what will happen.

And then, there needs to be change management activities to ensure that there is understanding and support, then enablement activities to help the transition. What are the chances?

I think the new guy in charge really wants to do it. He seems to be pretty legit. I think the thing that will probably kill it will be the unions. They will say "nope, we aren't doing that" and instead of banging your head against the wall fighting them or holding them to a higher standard, it will probably just get dropped. There's no "teeth" to anything it seems.

Unions are good to protect the average conditions and mid to below average workers, but they can get in the way of a lot of progress that would benefit many.

I don't think that is as much of an issue now as it used to be in the past. At least not in the US. Maybe in other countries. My dad was in the union, so I can respect their history, but my current interactions with them doesn't leave a very favorable impression on me.

It's good to hear your company is doing it right. Or at least better than most others.

A lot of us get motivated to improve, but somewhere along the way, we often fail to turn it into activity.

Then forget about it and later make excuses. Human nature, eh? But on the opposite extreme many companies do endless motivational talk but without action so it is hollow.

But I know it's harder than then, so I shouldn't be glib. You end it well: the right action at the right time.

Then forget about it and later make excuses. Human nature, eh?

yeas it is. The next shiny thing comes along. Or, the next leader with "different" ideas. A lot of the conversation I have heard over the years working with various companies is hollow, but I feel that in some companies at least, this is changing, as it has to in order to keep people engaged. It is hard to hold onto good people these days.

I think putting what we know into practice is always essential for not only at work, but also many aspects of life.

I agree. Work is an extension of personal life, not something separate, no matter how much we try to compartmentalize.

I disagree - there is a magic elixir, it's called coffee but that's a completely different topic.

It's good that it sounds like it wasn't just an exercise for the sake of there being an exercise and that it may actualize into real stuff happening on the ground. There is a lot of growth when you're not in a comfort zone and it can be the most difficult thing to do when you've been in the swing of things for a while, but it's necessary and sounds like everyone is willing to come on board to make the changes happen.

The world runs on coffee. And taxes.

It was interesting during the workshops, as they were designed to let people both be the professional and subject matter expert, but also an opportunity to reflect on ways to improve. It was a decent setup.

Sadly, I taught in far too many schools where everything was too reactionary instead of preventative... so we made changes as an impulse to deal with complaints instead of solving the problems from the outset. Maddening working conditions, so I left education.

I think institutions also move so slowly that it gets even more frustrating. Like having hands continually tied.

In the name of being fair and equal to everybody, nearly nobody gets what they actually need. It was all a waste and a shame, so much ridiculous inefficiency.

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I was expecting some magic elixir or you are talking about all the emptied wine bottles from your trip lol.

Totally unexpected.

It is great to change it up and try out a different approach.

There are so many things that I don't want to do, but have to in order to do more of the things I do want to do. -- I'm certain you spoke the mind of some people. Life at one point or the order places us in situations we need to at all cost make a compromise to have a major headway .

Hi, sorry off topic.
Just saw that you have some slots free for witness votes.
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As long as everyone puts in the effort to get things done the entire business will benefit. Too many times I have been disappointed by people delegating their responsibilities and then they blame others for work not done which was their work. I hope it all works out for all of you as it is great when things do click.