I have been trying to get my daughter back on my group health insurance plan. I have been dealing with problems related to her insurance for well over a month. I have dealt with her former employer and multiple insurance organizations and it has taken hours and hours of my time--on the phone listening to really bad music and talking to people who cannot make decisions.
This morning I was told by a person at my insurance company that they received my latest fax, notice I said "fax", on Wednesday, it was logged on Thursday, and that it would take 5 to 7 days to process and they would send me a letter, notice I said "letter", once they review it and make a decision. I asked if there was any way to find out if everything was in order and I was told that they have to work their work flow!
Amazingly I stayed calm this time. What a lesson in basic management. Besides being on the cutting edge of the 19th century, they have a total inward focus. You would think that they would be a little more concerned about satisfying customer needs--I have a daughter whom I am not sure is insured and that concerns me a great deal.
I have been talking to this company for some time, have had numerous conversations, and they previously told me that everything was in order. When I found out that everything was not OK, I was told that it was another department that said that--now I am getting upset just typing this post!
A company that has an internal focus and does not focus on customer needs will ultimately fail. Over time we find ways to meet our needs without having to deal with these companies.
We are drawn to those who are committed to serving and solving our problems. There is a person at another insurance organization that I also have been dealing with who has gone out of her way to assist me. Imagine how I feel about her compared with the person and company I dealt with this morning.
Customer focus and meeting customer needs is at the core of every successful organization.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Four Elements of Great Communication in Organizations
To some extent great communication depends on the context--a salesperson talking to a client over lunch, a board meeting, a social gathering, a keynote presentation, a presidential campaign debate or a blog post. But there are a few things that are fundamental to all effective communication.
- Passion - If the person speaking or writing doesn't really care enough to communicate with passion, why should I put in the time and energy to hear or read. Passion covers up a lot of other deficits, unfortunately sometimes in a negative sense. If I am drawn in only by how a person speaks or writes without attention to what is said, I can be badly misled. Passion certainly is not sufficient, but is necessary. The best points often are missed when there is no passion.
- Listening - It may be hard to get passionate about listening because it seems like the passive part of communication. But ask yourself, who are the people you know who are the best listeners and how do you feel about those individuals? Effective speaking and writing follows focused listening, whether it is a social setting or sales presentation or editorial column--are there still editorial columns? Listening may involve attention to the other person in the moment of the exchange or it may be attention to and understanding of the needs of broader audience you are addressing. In either context, it is fundamental to great communication.
- Argument - Argument may seem like the opposite of effective communication, but all great communication has a point, even in a social context. Some would point out, or should I say argue, that all communication is persuasive and that argument is how we learn. Argument can take many forms. It can be subtle or aggressive, but it always is aimed at moving a person or audience to agree with my position, or to accept and maybe even like or love me, or to take a particular desired action. All great communication has a desired outcome.
- Authenticity - Communication can be passionate, grounded in attention to the other person or audience, and have a clear point, but if it is not authentic, it will fall flat. This means that great communication will be different for each person. We cannot copy another person and be a great communicator. Great acting is just that--acting. Great communication must be you and perceived as you.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Four Basics of Leadership
While leadership is very complex in so respects, in my experience there are a some basics things that have to be in place and must be priorities for leaders.
1. You have to have a shared vision of where you are going. It cannot just be the vision of the leader. It has to be shared by the key players in the organization. Without shared vision you simply have activity.
2. You have to have the right people in the right roles. If you do not have the right people in key roles, the leader becomes overwhelmed trying to make sure the basics get done. It does not matter if you are the CEO or a department supervisor, you have to have the right people in the right roles.
3. You have to have processes in place that allow you to accomplish the work of the organization and achieve the vision. Once you have a clear shared vision and the right people in the right roles, a leader can spend time refining and improving how the work is done.
4. You have to develop a supportive and positive culture. If you have a shared vision, the right people in the right roles and are focused on improving, you probably will have a healthy culture. But a leader must constantly monitor and assure that things do not come in from the environment and poison the culture.
Now of course, anyone who has ever been a leader knows that it is not always easy to achieve these things, but at its core, this is what leadership is about—a shared vision, right people in the right roles, continual improvement of processes and a positive culture.
1. You have to have a shared vision of where you are going. It cannot just be the vision of the leader. It has to be shared by the key players in the organization. Without shared vision you simply have activity.
2. You have to have the right people in the right roles. If you do not have the right people in key roles, the leader becomes overwhelmed trying to make sure the basics get done. It does not matter if you are the CEO or a department supervisor, you have to have the right people in the right roles.
3. You have to have processes in place that allow you to accomplish the work of the organization and achieve the vision. Once you have a clear shared vision and the right people in the right roles, a leader can spend time refining and improving how the work is done.
4. You have to develop a supportive and positive culture. If you have a shared vision, the right people in the right roles and are focused on improving, you probably will have a healthy culture. But a leader must constantly monitor and assure that things do not come in from the environment and poison the culture.
Now of course, anyone who has ever been a leader knows that it is not always easy to achieve these things, but at its core, this is what leadership is about—a shared vision, right people in the right roles, continual improvement of processes and a positive culture.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Fail Wisely, But by All Means, Do Not be Afraid to Fail
While this may be difficult to hear, in my experience failure is fundamental to being an entrepreneur. The truth is, the odds are not real good when you start a new business. While we have all heard the stories of people who have an idea, start in the garage and end up on Wall Street, we hear about those stories because they are so rare and they are news.
The untold stories are those who have an idea, start in the garage, and end in the garage. Failure is a part of being an entrepreneur. If we are afraid to fail, however, the ideas never get to the garage.
If failure is fundamental to entrepreneurship, the the key is learning how to fail. If you spend a lot of money and a lot of time on an idea and it does not work, then you have lost a lot of money and a lot of time. You may have learned a lot, but at a great cost. While this sounds so simple, for most entrepreneurs it takes a while to figure out.
What I have finally learned is that if you invest a little money and little time and the idea is not successful, you still have learned but have not lost a lot. I like to call this Rapid Cycle Failure. Develop an idea and get it going as quickly and for a little money as possible. Most will probably fail, but if you do several you have a chance that at least one will be successful.
This is really a hard lesson for entrepreneurs. I believe the reason is that most of us have a dream of hitting a home run. And home runs must require a lot of planning and obviously a lot of money. Most of the time we never get the idea to the garage, and if we do, our odds are not very good.
Learn to fail quickly and inexpensively. Always learn from the failure and occasionally you will hit that home run.
The untold stories are those who have an idea, start in the garage, and end in the garage. Failure is a part of being an entrepreneur. If we are afraid to fail, however, the ideas never get to the garage.
If failure is fundamental to entrepreneurship, the the key is learning how to fail. If you spend a lot of money and a lot of time on an idea and it does not work, then you have lost a lot of money and a lot of time. You may have learned a lot, but at a great cost. While this sounds so simple, for most entrepreneurs it takes a while to figure out.
What I have finally learned is that if you invest a little money and little time and the idea is not successful, you still have learned but have not lost a lot. I like to call this Rapid Cycle Failure. Develop an idea and get it going as quickly and for a little money as possible. Most will probably fail, but if you do several you have a chance that at least one will be successful.
This is really a hard lesson for entrepreneurs. I believe the reason is that most of us have a dream of hitting a home run. And home runs must require a lot of planning and obviously a lot of money. Most of the time we never get the idea to the garage, and if we do, our odds are not very good.
Learn to fail quickly and inexpensively. Always learn from the failure and occasionally you will hit that home run.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Solutions
Is it ironic that the first post on this blog comes on the the day that GM files for bankruptcy? Wow, do we need solutions!
This blog is focused on exploring solutions related to management, leadership, communication, organization, quality, customer service, strategy and entrepreneurship.
The lessons learned should be applicable in any environment--from large corporations like GM to small mom and pops. And yes, entrepreneurship is applicable in large companies like GM! They also apply beyond business to volunteer organizations, religious organizations, schools and of course government.
I personally have had the opportunity to work in both large bureaucratic organizations and start ups. I have had the privilege of working with entrepreneurs as a principal in a seed investment firm. I have learned as a staff person and sat in the CEO chair. And I have trained and consulted with organizations from healthcare to manufacturing. My graduate studies were in organizational communication and I have taught organizational behavior and strategy at the MBA level.
Experience on a foundation of theory can be a powerful teacher, but I by no means begin to have all the answers. I have, however, learned a lot of the questions to ask.
Join me in this exploration, add your questions to mine, and let's learn together.
This blog is focused on exploring solutions related to management, leadership, communication, organization, quality, customer service, strategy and entrepreneurship.
The lessons learned should be applicable in any environment--from large corporations like GM to small mom and pops. And yes, entrepreneurship is applicable in large companies like GM! They also apply beyond business to volunteer organizations, religious organizations, schools and of course government.
I personally have had the opportunity to work in both large bureaucratic organizations and start ups. I have had the privilege of working with entrepreneurs as a principal in a seed investment firm. I have learned as a staff person and sat in the CEO chair. And I have trained and consulted with organizations from healthcare to manufacturing. My graduate studies were in organizational communication and I have taught organizational behavior and strategy at the MBA level.
Experience on a foundation of theory can be a powerful teacher, but I by no means begin to have all the answers. I have, however, learned a lot of the questions to ask.
Join me in this exploration, add your questions to mine, and let's learn together.
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