Working In Silos

I cannot believe how many organizations are misaligned in their direction and focus.  Over the past several weeks I have been meeting with employees and owners of companies where they are suffering from continued underperformance.

As I ask certain questions, I quickly find out that there is no alignment between the top, middle and bottom of the organization.  The vision and mission of the company have been lost even though they are displayed prominently on the office wall and proudly on the company’s website.

This lack of alignment and collaboration has lead to many of their employees working in proverbial silos.   As you can see in the photo, silos are individual compartments--although in close proximity to one another, they are separate.  Now, in farming, silos perform a specific function, but in business, silos can be detrimental to maintaining a team environment.

Departments, along with their employees, who work in silos, are not connected to the whole.  They do their work and only their work.  They’re not concerned so much with what the other departments are doing, only about their department and how it performs. Individuals can also work in silos; they too can find themselves only concerned about their own job and couldn’t care less how anyone else is doing.  The danger here is that even if one department meets the goals of its department and the others fail, then the entire company fails.  Departments, as to function, must be kept separate, but the focus and reason for the company’s existence must ever be in full view.

It is the job of the leader to make sure silos are not constructed, either departmentally or individually, and where they exist it’s the leader’s job to tear them down.  How?  By making sure everyone in the organization understands that if the company is going to meet its goals and deliver for its customers, they are all interdependent upon each other.

Tear down those silos and build a team focused on collaborative efforts and you will see a dramatic turnaround in your organization.  Simply put, it’s called working together.

Leaving a Legacy

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

John Wooden

I would like to dedicate this post to one of the greatest men and leaders to have walked this earth.

This past Friday, the man who was voted the greatest college basketball coach of all time passed away at 99 years old, John Wooden. Mr. Wooden coached UCLA college basketball for over 27 years, won 10 National Championships and was the first person to be inducted into the hall of fame as both a player and a coach. As word of his death spread across the sports world, former and current basketball players who either played for or knew Coach Wooden expressed their condolences. It was quite apparent by the words expressed that this was an extraordinary man. They used phrases and words like great leader, loving husband, loyal, disciplinarian, inspirational and a tremendous human being.

John Wooden lived by his Seven Point Creed, given to him by his father Joshua upon his graduation from grammar school:

• Be true to yourself.

• Make each day your masterpiece.

• Help others.

• Drink deeply from good books.

• Make friendship a fine art.

• Build a shelter against a rainy day.

• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

It was said by everyone who knew him that there will never be another like him. His life exemplified uncompromising character and strength. Although I never met him, I learned so much from him by the way he coached and the way he treated people. Sometimes the world waits until a person dies before trying to think of something good about the person's life, and then may have to exaggerate or fabricate good things to say. This is not so with Coach Wooden. The people whose lives he impacted have said the same words of gratitude, admiration and love about him all throughout his life--there is no need to exaggerate.

When I look on his life I come to realize even more that life is not about wins and losses, but how you treat people. What I have learned from John Wooden is that leadership is about caring for people. It is about being concerned with both the personal and professional growth of the people you lead. It is about holding the people you lead accountable for doing the right thing.

One of the best comments I heard was from a sportscaster who stated that today the world is a little worse off now that John is gone. He truly left a legacy that will never be rivaled.

Room To Grow

Like most men I know I am not really into taking care of plants. However, in my office I had a plant and for a long time it thrived and gave me a lot of visual pleasure. Over time I noticed that the leaves on the plant had begun to turn brown. I continued to water it, but to no avail. The leaves had a burned look and then began to wilt. I thought about whether I should throw the plant away.

One day a woman with a floral printed smock and a floppy straw hat came by my office bringing new plants. I asked her what she was doing and she said her company provides plants for offices and maintains them on a weekly basis. I asked her if she could take a look at my plant and let me know whether it could be saved. She took one look at it and told me the plant had outgrown the planter. All that needed to be done was to place it in a larger planter with new soil and it would recover. At my request, she placed it in a new planter with new soil and shortly thereafter the plant gradually showed signs of new life. Over the next few weeks the plant was back to full health.

As a general manager I was responsible for leading a team of over 70 salaried staff. Part of my responsibilities was to work with the various supervisors in evaluating the individual performance of their team members. During one such evaluation we were discussing one of our once-excellent employee’s work. We noticed that over the previous few months his performance had not been up to standard. In spite of our best efforts we could not turn him around and as such we had to make a decision on whether we would need to separate him from the company.

I kid you not, while sitting in my office one day I glanced at that plant that had once been dying and was now completely restored and thought of that employee. We brought him into my office and had a different conversation this time. The result was we determined that he had outgrown his position. He felt stagnated and unchallenged. It so happened that we had a manager’s position opening up that we believed he would be a great fit for, and would do an excellent job. We promoted him and sure enough he became one of our best managers.

When I look back, I think of what a shame it would have been to throw both the plant and employee out simply because I did not understand the importance of environment. As leaders it is our responsibility to mentor, coach, and challenge our employees to grow and play bigger within our organizations. When we do, we all win and we have the pleasure of watching the growth of our potential replacement.

Have you ever been in a pot too small or given someone an opportunity to grow, and how did it turn out?

Building a 9+ Team

”Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.”

- Henry Ford

The 2010 NFL draft was held this week and there was a lot of tremendous football talent available. When selecting players, teams drafted players based on the organization’s need and what they wanted to accomplish.

As a leader it is essential that you build a team you can rely on to help your organization achieve its business goals. Establishing a profile of the kinds of team members you will need in order to execute your business strategy is critical to the team meeting its goals. For example, if you are running a fast-paced organization it will be important that you find members that have experience and a proven track record for operating in that type of environment. Do not compromise!

While working for a small construction company, I was able to develop a team of high-performing people that allowed us to double our business for 4 straight years. How? By assembling a 9+ Team with the following characteristics:

Adaptability
Adaptability is essential to growth and development as a leader. When I started my job at the construction company, I started as a project manager and worked my way up through the organization. Adaptability allowed me to respond to the demands at each level.

WIT (“Whatever It Takes” to get the job done)
Although a balanced life is the goal, sometimes it takes an investment of early mornings and late nights to achieve the objectives of the organization. It is not about working from 9-5.

Communication
Follow up communication in writing is important. This way all parties involved in the conversation have a clear idea what is expected. I once had a manager who took notes at each of our meetings. Before the end of the day I would receive an e-mail with a list of the things she had committed to and what I had committed to, including deadlines.

Preparation
Always be prepared and you will never be scared. Success is not an accident, it comes through diligent preparation.

Accountability
There are a lot of people who make excuses and look to place blame. All of us make mistakes. The true leader is the one who will accept the responsibility for their actions.

Passion
“Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life.” Confucius
People who love what they do possess an inner drive to be the best!

Problem solving
The ability to come up with creative solutions to challenges of the business is essential.

Championship attitude
Champions are dependable, (They show up). Champions are committed to the team. Champions never give up in the face of the obstacles. Champions are disciplined.

What are the characteristics of your 9+ Team?