The Little Big Things
Page 19
SCHEMIN’ THE NIGHT AWAY
Many years ago, Al Smith, who became New York’s governor and the Democrats’ candidate in 1928 for the presidency, arrived in Albany as a freshman state legislator. While his colleagues drank and caroused the night away, very junior Representative Smith pored from dusk to dawn over every line in the state budget. His subsequent Mastery of the State Fiscal Process led him directly to power in astonishingly short order.
Lesson: Master the “dreary” details of arcane processes (especially financial processes) that others can’t be bothered with. (Master = Master. You know my drill by now.)
5. Found material. (And found people.)
Don’t reinvent the wheel. It costs too much, takes too much time, and requires too much bureaucratic hassle. Again and again, Charlie and Gust took advantage of extant “stuff”—unwanted stores of less than state-of-the-art hardware, for example—that was immediately available for use, rather than waiting an eternity for “perfect” (expensive, scarce, visible) equipment.
And don’t stop there. Search out disrespected oddball groups that have done exciting work, consistent with your aims, without being fully recognized for it. In this case, that meant teaming up with a band of absurdly talented “crazies” in the Pentagon’s lightly regarded (“bothersome” to the hierarchy) Weapons Upgrade Program.
6. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Hold your nose—and get the job done.
Charlie did this on numerous occasions. So, too, Gust. So, too, you—if you’re smart.
7. Real, Visible Passion!
Create compelling evidence of the source of your passion. Charlie Wilson had one apparently insuperable hurdle to his plan—a cynical old congressman who dismissed Charlie’s crusade out of hand. But Charlie did have enough chits out to enable him to cajole the skeptic into visiting an Afghan refugee camp. The live, graphic evidence, as Charlie had imagined it would, turned the foe into an emotional champion of the cause—in the space of a single afternoon. If you desperately believe in a cause, figure out some way (perhaps a little less than a 10,000-mile journey) to expose would-be converts to startling, live demos of the problem, replete with testimony from those who are on the losing end of things.
(NB: Wilson’s passion about his beliefs were further and visibly magnified by tactics he shamelessly employed to make it personal—and to make sure that others knew it was personal. For example, on every visit to the refugee camps, Wilson donated blood on the spot.)
8. Passion as Deterrence!
Passion works for a lot of reasons—it is indeed infectious and attracts supporters. But one of its often ignored, incredibly strong side effects is its deterrent power. Passion suggests exhausting “staying power”—“I might as well not waste energy or chits blocking him, he’s not going away and he’ll hound me and absorb my time till hell freezes over.” (I’d add, it worked for me in my Washington stint—I was pretty powerless, but annoyingly tenacious. The “annoying” was part of the drill.)
9. Cut red tape.
“What we did in one month with Charlie would have taken us nine years to accomplish.”
—Gust Avrakotos
“Ninety percent of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to get things done.”
—Peter Drucker
These two quotes are in keeping with my longtime definition of a boss: CHRO … or Chief Hurdle Removal Officer. Which (again) means the boss must be a Master of the Intricacies and Arcania of the Interior Systems and the Political Process. In a business project, this means, among other things, Total Mastery of the Client’s purchasing process—including Total Comprehension of the power politics in that “outside” organization, from top to “bottom.”
More often than not, the best way to get “over” the hurdles is to bypass them—it reduces energy consumption. That is, when a project is truly odd, like Charlie Wilson’s campaign, waste as little time or capital as possible going directly “up the chain of command.” Aversion to the unusual, despite protestations to the contrary, rises as one nears the top. Instead, constantly devise and try and discard and re-revise end runs that (1) build a lush “horizontal” (rather than formal vertical) network, a(2) add to your knowledge, and (3) eventually create a blizzard of “small wins” that start and build momentum behind the project. Be polite to your bosses (do not gratuitously give offense), but do not waste time on them until your Small Wins and Demos and Network of Avid Supporters constitute an Irresistible Force for Change.
10. Create a small, insanely committed “band of brothers-sisters” to act as mostly invisible orchestrators.
When all was said and done, Gust Avrakotos and his tiny (never more than a half dozen!) nerve center in the nether reaches of the CIA never got a smidgen of recognition for what was arguably the Agency’s biggest success ever. But his little team did the work of hundreds—and reveled in their very invisibility and keen puppeteering skills. The fact that they were out of sight, out of mind, and bringing the Soviets to their knees was the ultimate turn-on.
(Rules concerning the Wee Band of Brothers: Take chances on unusual talent, regardless of formal rank—a couple of Gust’s best players were ridiculously junior. Recruit peculiar talent that has no investment in conventional solutions and no conventional “ladder climbing” aspirations.)
(NB: “Dress [your freaks] for success” axiom. You may well recruit “weirdos”—their ideas may well be offensive to the regnant authorities. Hence the need for the “atmospherics” to be as conservative as the ideas are radical. When I undertook a contrarian mission at McKinsey, one old pro advised, “Wear the most conservative suits in the place, never be late to a meeting—don’t give them any tiny excuse to dismiss or devalue you.” Good advice!)
11. Keep the long haul in mind, too.
Think subconsciously … long haul. You learn from Charlie Wilson that a small act of recognition toward a major in an ally’s military pays off Big Time … 15 years later … when the major has become chief of staff of the_____Army. Passion for today’s action is paramount—but always, always, always think consciously about … Network Investment.
(NB: Thinking about Network Investment/R.O.I.R./Return on Investment in Relationships should not be a “catch as catch can” thing. It should be subject to the same … planning, attention, discipline, accountability, and evaluation … that goes into the likes of budgeting. Relationship/Network Development should be talked about openly and constantly, and it should be on every agenda as a formal item for review and discussion—i.e., “R.O.I.R. Maximization Activities.”)
12. The game ain’t over until the fat lady sings.
“They” (lots of “theys”) call it the Law of Unintended Consequences. In this instance, after the Russians had withdrawn from Afghanistan, the United States once again returned to benign neglect of the region—the result was, indirectly, 9/11, orchestrated from Afghanistan by some of the people we had supported a decade earlier; and the continuing mess in Afghanistan today.
Of not finishing the chore, Charlie Wilson said that the defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan, their first in the Cold War and a spur to the unraveling of the Evil Empire, was a … “glorious accomplishment that changed the world. And then we f$@#ed up the end game.”
SURVIVAL OF THE UNADAPTABLE
In Honor of Charlie and Gust and their ilk:
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
—G. B. Shaw, Man and Superman
“Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done, I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission.”
— Peter Drucker
Passion
84. I Second That Emotion!
Emotion matters.
What else is there?
Ever heard of a success story featuring a
… dispassionate symphony conductor?
… bored painter?
… apathetic self-made billionaire?
… 9 to 5 entrepreneur?
That’s a joke, right?
Emotion and the leader’s role?
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee put it this way in The New Leaders:
“Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through the emotions.”
Acknowledge emotion.
Hire for emotion.
Evaluate for emotion.
Promote for emotion.
Lead by emotion.
(Follow by emotion.)
“Sell” emotion.
(As I said: What else?)
(NB: Emotion is as important in a two-person accountancy as at Apple. The successful two-person accountancy lives “to be of service” to its Clients. The two-person accountancy aims to “partner with” its Client to improve the Client’s understanding and appreciation of the “business equation”—along with making sure that 1+1 = 2. “Emotional accountant” doesn’t in any way imply abrogation of fiduciary duties—it does imply dedication to the true meaning of service and partnership and, frankly, indispensability.)
85. One Rule! Much Gold!!
Enterprise, public or private, small or enormous, is all about humanity—about humans serving humans, about human growth and community. That’s obvious, or should be. But it’s always worth a reminder—far more than usual as we reflect on the thoughtless shenanigans that delivered to us the worst financial crisis in 75 years.
Thinking deeply about these fundamentals for good times, bad times, all times (“humans serving humans”) reminded me of my old friend, the late John McConnell, founder of Worthington Industries. A pragmatist to a fault, as befits an Ohioan, John believed that growth and profitability flowed from fairness and trust. In fact, he went further, and insisted that the Golden Rule makes for a complete “policy manual”!
As far as I’m concerned, he was onto something, and Worthington’s continuing success in very tough times in a very tough industry (steel!) is testimony to the validity of McConnell’s “simple” beliefs, lived for decades with a passion by a cast of thousands.
Musing about McConnell in turn recalled a showstopper of a quote I recently happened upon. By Dr. Frank Crane, it goes like this: “The Golden Rule is of no use to you whatever unless you realize it is your move.”
If that doesn’t bring you up short, I don’t know what the hell would—it surely leveled me!
And talk about something that is … immediately operational!
Message: It’s your move!
So …
Consider … right now … one thorny people problem or customer problem that is driving you nuts. Operational guidance: It’s your move. What’s the right thing to do? What are you going to do?
Lights!
Camera!
Action!
Now!
IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE: THE MCCONNELL LEGACY
Twenty-five+ years.
One idea.
Hard is soft.
Soft is hard.
Aiming for profitability?
Aiming for organic growth?
Answer: People committed to supporting one another—through thick and thin.
Answer: People relentlessly committed to personal growth—fired up by rather than fearful of change.
Answer: People determined to consistently be “of service” to their bill-paying customers.
Answer: Decency.
Answer: Kindness.
Answer: Fairness.
Answer: The Golden Rule!
Answer: Your move!
(Thank you, John McConnell.)
(Thank you, Frank Crane.)
86. Seize the Moments.
Business (“life,” too, of course) rises or falls on the nature and character and lingering memory of what the legendary airline (SAS) boss, Jan Carlzon, called “moments of truth”—those fleeting fragments of true human contact that quite literally define our enterprise’s perceived Excellence—or lack thereof.
Thus our goal, perhaps our primary goal, in every flavor and every size of business, is to “MTMMOT”—Manage to Memorable Moments of Truth.
Every decision—about hiring, firing, supervision, training, systems development, etc.—should be designed for and brought immediately and directly to bear on the “production” of Memorable Moments of Truth.
Start by recognizing “their” importance. Finding “them.” Defining them. (Pre-cise-ly!!) Mapping them. (Pre-cise-ly!!) Testing them. Measuring them. (Pre-cise-ly!!) Incentivizing them. Etc.
Most important: I’d urge you to use “it”—that is, lift Carlzon’s term as slightly modified by me, “Manage to Memorable Moments of Truth” per se.
Most important (Part II): Pass every (e-v-e-r-y) decision through the “MTMMOT Filter”—how does this system, this hiring practice, whatever, affect our MTMMOTs? If an issue on, say, a weekly operations meeting agenda is not somehow related to improving our MTMMOTs, ask why the issue is on the agenda in the first place, or how it can be made relevant to our MTMMOTs. If an issue under discussion does or may negatively affect MTMMOTs, reconsider it or reconfigure it.
Relative to the latter—negative impact—one CEO (his name and company slip my mind) is adamant that positive MMOTs are far more important, not less important, in a downturn, when every customer counts X2. So, regardless of the pressures, beware of excessive cost-cutting that degrades MMOT quality for our Blessed Remaining Customers!
(Let me be clear: Carlzon achieved stunning success by organizing-measuring-incentivizing-managing the whole enterprise around its “production” of “Moments of Truth.”)
Show starter: Immediately begin an inventory of MMOT opportunities relative to this process or that service rendered. Evaluate, quantitatively, your MTMMOT performance at this instant. Big Idea: Engage everyone (literally) around the MTMMOT mind-set.
(I might ordinarily be inclined to lay off the MTMMOT abbreviation—seems a bit over the top. But I think this is an exception. If you buy this notion and if you get working on it, I strongly urge you to Manage to Memorable Moments of Truth. This one—MTMMOT—may just be worth the initial derision associated with “yet another acronym.”) (I like the verb “Manage to,” because it suggests that almost all our work will be directed to producing and enhancing those MMOTs.)
ENTITLEMENT REFORM
Tongue only slightly in cheek, I invite your attention to the more or less proposed job titles below. And, yes, I’d actually suggest you take them more or less seriously. They are “fun”—and deadly serious. Words (e.g., job titles) scream “We take this seriously and intend to single it out for ‘strategic’attention.”Maybe these are informal titles; and obviously you’d not use anything like all of them. The idea here is mind-set and flavor.
Herewith:
Magician of Magical Moments!
Maestro of Memorable Moments of Truth!
Recruiter of Raving Fans!
Impresario of First and Last Impressions!
Wizard of WOW!
Empress of EXCELLENCE!
Captain of Brilliant Comebacks!
Princess of Perception!
Sultan of Social Networking!
Conductor of Customer Intimacy!
King of Customer Community!
Queen of Customer Retention!
Managing Director of After-Sales Ecstasy!
I’m sure you get my intent …
Presence
87. Managing By Wandering Around—It’s All Around You!
Back in 1982, as my In Search of Excellence coauthor, Bob Waterman, and I were preparing in our Manhattan hotel room for our brief appearance on the Today show to talk about “the book,” we got into a friendly tussle. Turns out we both most loved the same thing in Search—and both wanted to utter the word/words on national TV. Having no du
eling pistols at hand (even though we were right across the river from the place where VP Burr had killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel in 1804), we flipped a coin. Bob won … and I’m still frustrated almost three decades later!
The bragging rights at stake?
MBWA, or “Managing By Wandering Around,” a concept we learned about from what was, in 1979 when we began our research, a much smaller, more intimate Hewlett-Packard.
Well …
Welcome to 2010. MBWA still works. And an absence thereof will still and forevermore herald … doom.
With MBWA, “What you see is what you get.” I could go on for pages (I have in the past) about the benefits of staying intimately in touch with employees, colleagues, and the world around you. But I’ll keep it simple here:
Get the hell out of the cube! Unplug the terminal! Put your iPhone/BlackBerry in the drawer!
Chat up anybody whose path you cross … especially if they are not among your normal chatees.
Go strolling in parts of the organization (your neighborhood? your city?) where you normally don’t stroll.
Slow down.
Stop.
Chat.
(“Stop. Look. Listen.”—My shrink’s advice to me, courtesy old-time railroad-crossing wisdom.)
NB: Email/IM/Tweets … DO NOT COUNT … as “chat.”
“Wander” = Wander.
One-foot-in-front-of-the-other-foot.
(I ran into a senior health care exec who’d attended a big-league leadership seminar. The prominent instructor asked the group, “Who is your #1 enemy?” Answers, no surprise, included “competitors,” “execs who play politics,” “clunky systems,” “thoughtless regulations.” “No,” the instructor snapped, “it’s your desk—getting stuck behind your desk and slowly, or not-so-slowly, losing touch.” Amen!)