4 steps to Achieving Organizational Bipartisanship

Bridging the gap between warring parties (or factions as they are called in organizations) is a tough managerial challenge — but one that most leaders face at some point in their careers. Here are four steps for bringing disparate parties together:

Get consensus on the problem, but avoid getting into the solution right away since it's likely the source of the disagreement.

Identify multiple solutions. Bring the group together to brainstorm ideas. Encourage all ideas without judgment or analysis.

Assign cross-faction teams to assess solutions. This helps break down divisions while laying out the costs and benefits of each solution.

Get quick wins. Take one or two of the ideas developed by the teams and implement them right away. These shared successes will build momentum for future collaboration.

adapted from HBR article by Ron Ashkenas “Could Your Organization Be Bipartisan?

ASK for Success!

You already know the formula; "Ask and you shall receive." And, you already know that it's not just another good idea. Asking is the only way to get what you're seeking in your life, in your relationships, or in your business.

Asking may not be your forte, and it might not even be a whole lot of fun. In fact, I have found that most people prefer to do it all themselves rather than ask somebody for help.

Think about this, asking the right question at the right time, of the right person can bring you to success faster than you could ever hope to get there on your own! So why are you not out there asking for what it is that you really want?

What keeps you from asking for what it is you really need and want?

I have found that it's our desire to be independent that keeps us from asking. It's our ego. Our desire to take all the credit when something finally does work that keeps us from doing it the easy way.

Think about it in your own life.
What has stopped you from asking for help in the past?

For some people, asking is a sign of weakness, so they do their best to do it all alone. Sometimes things get so bad that these people actually lose it all, yet they still won't ask for help! Have you known a person like this in your life?

I share this with you here because it's a lesson that I too had to learn. I was one of those people who was raised thinking that being independent was the only way to be. I believed that asking for help was a sure sign of weakness and I didn't want to be perceived as weak. So I was tough. I never asked for help and went out there and did it all myself.

Then one day, I gave it some thought. Was it really a sign of weakness to ask for what it was that I really needed to build my business? I began to study people who have achieved greatness in their lives and I asked, "Did they do it alone or did they have help?"

For instance, did Bill Gates build Microsoft by himself, or did he have a team working with him? Obviously he had a team, each of whom today is wealthy beyond imagination. Not only did he have a team, he asked for help and made deals with other companies to help him realize his dream. This is a practice that Microsoft continues to use to this day.

Do you look at Bill Gates and see weakness? I sure don't.
The more I considered it, the more I began to understand what it really meant to ask for help.

Then I had yet another realization. Asking for help is really GIVING an opportunity to another person. That's right, asking is giving at the same time. Think about it.

When somebody asks you for help, and you are willing to help, do you ENJOY the process of giving? You bet you do! We're wired to give! Giving is a basic human need and each and every one of us receives great joy when we give to another human being.

So not asking is actually denying other people the chance to give and feel pleasure. You wouldn't deny another human being the pleasure of giving would you? I doubt it. So then you will learn to ask, right? Great!

Let me share with you some strategies for asking that could make all the difference in getting what you are asking for. First, you have to be very clear on what it is you are hoping to receive. If you are not clear, then how can you expect another person to know what it is you need? Get crystal clear and write it down on paper! Next, make a list of people who can help you.

You want to make sure the people you ask are able to give you what you want. For instance, you wouldn't want to ask for a $100,000 loan from somebody who is having a hard time paying the rent each month. You could ask all day long and never get the loan!

Ask people who can help you.

Before you ask, think about what value you will provide to them. For instance, you can get a person to give you a million dollars if you bring them more than a million dollars in value first.

You could ask for a loan, and you could say to the person giving you the loan that in return for the loan, you will give them partial ownership in your business. This is essentially what the stock market is only the companies are public as opposed to private.

Or you could say to the lender that you will give them all the net profits from the company until the loan is paid in full, plus interest. Would you invest in such a company with this kind of deal? Many people would, and do!

What about those smaller things you need to build your business? Can you ask for help there too? Of course you can! And you must!

It makes no difference how much you know about your industry, your products, or even your business, there is always room to learn more! I realized this early on when I would meet business owners all the time who were not making any money in their businesses, yet they appeared to be very talented at their craft. Something wasn't making sense.

I studied them and discovered that while they were true experts in their chosen field, they had little or no knowledge or experience in many other areas of running and building their business. Most of these people will hang on for dear life or simply close after a short time and all they had to do was ask for the help they needed.

You see, we all need help.

Even the top people in our society have a team. They have advisors, they have mastermind groups, they have coaches, mentors, role models. They have help and they are not afraid to ask for it!

You and I are too close to our businesses. We miss some obvious distinctions that could result in windfall profits because we try too hard to know it all or do it all alone.

What if you were to get a mentor? What if you were to ask somebody who knows marketing down cold, for example, to help you with your marketing? If you are struggling in that area, asking for help is the fastest way to go from being in pain to enjoying hefty profits!

And, the good news is that YOU get to enjoy the benefits, the credit, and the lifestyle of success because you made the decision to find out what you wanted help with, who could help you, and you reached out and asked for that help.
Success does not have to be hard.

Success does not have to take decades.

And success can and should be yours starting right now if you are willing to open up and ask for help.

My business today is successful because I have learned how to ask for help. I know what I am building. I know where I am headed. And I know what I will need along the way to make my dreams a reality. Wouldn't it feel great if you could help me get what I really want out of life? I know it would feel great for me to be able to help you.

All you have to do is ask.

Success really is only a question away. The question is, will you ask?

© copyright 2001 By Robert Imbriale. Robert Imbriale is an internationally known speaker, author, and consultant who has helped sell well over $100 Million online. He is a top-rated Internet marketer, the author of two books, and a powerful speaker on the topic of on Internet marketing and motivation. Robert may be reached via e-mail at Robert@ultimatewealth.com and his web site is http://www.ultimatewealth.com.

In a turnaround, put Culture First

Faced with failing businesses, most leaders tighten the purse strings, take strict control over the organization, and put strategy first. However, in the famous words of Peter Drucker, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." To right an organization headed for trouble, you need to build a culture that supports strategy implementation. Give employees a reason to care about your customers, their colleagues, and about how to do business right in a world that rewards cutting corners and compromising values. During a turnaround, don't focus exclusively on distinguishing yourself from the competition; find what brings you together as a company. It may be values, a vision, or a set of shared emotions. Articulate this sense of unity well and the business will follow.

Adapted from HBR article by Bill Taylor "How one Company's Turnaround Came From the Heart"

Inspire Accountability - by Kimberly Kniveton MBA

Recently I noticed how often my clients started a sentence with the words, “If only . . . ”

If only I could keep good people.
If only they would listen to me.
If only we could finish that project.
If only I had more hours in a day.

What’s your if only . . .?

When I really listened for these kinds of statements, I realized they all point to the same issue – a lack of accountability within their organizations. As business leaders it is our duty to produce an environment where accountability can flourish.

As Leslie Hart says, “The brain does not need to be motivated any more than the heart needs to be motivated to pump blood.” Meaning that people are naturally motivated and want to be accountable – but often obstacles get in the way of the desired results.

How can leaders Inspire Accountability?

Have Clear Expectations and Goals

Every one in your organization must have written goals and plans. As I say in my workshops, “You can’t be accountable for nothing!” Yet time after time I see teams operating without a clue about what the end goal is. People cannot be accountable unless it is absolutely clear what result they are responsible for achieving.

Be sure that your team or organization has SMART Goals – specific, measurable, attainable relevant and time bound. But just because you set goals doesn’t mean that people are aligned with them. To help others buy-in to the goals and plans, enlist their help in constructing them. As we so often say to our Best Year Yet clients,

People will not destroy that which they helped to create.”

Pull your team together to create the goals for the organization. Then ensure each member of the team has their own set of goals that align to the organization’s goals.

Create a Compelling Why

Recently I was working with a client whose “If only…” was “If only they (her employees) would do what I ask them to do.” My question for her was “Why Should They? What purpose does their job serve? How do they fit into the vision/mission of the organization? How do they make a difference?”

To generate accountability, give people a reason to believe in the goals of the business.

What does the organization value? Are your goals aligned to these values?

Imagine the people in your organization living these values in their daily work. Would it make a difference? Remember the story of the three bricklayers? When asked what they were doing the first bricklayer responded, “Laying bricks”; the second responded, "Providing for my family”; and the third responded, “Building a cathedral.” Which response has more power? Creating the compelling why and living our values appeals to people’s sense of higher purpose.

Eliminate perceived boundaries and limiting mindsets

There are boundaries around teams when it comes to achieving goals. Some of the obvious are policies, procedures, systems, laws, and lack of resources. While those boundaries can be managed, the boundaries that will most affect accountability are the perceived boundaries or limiting beliefs that inhibit others from accomplishing the goal.

During a recent workshop we were discussing engagement when one of the participants said, “it is hard to be engaged when my employer doesn’t want us to be innovative.”

I responded, “Really? What makes you say that? Is that true or a belief you have about that?”

When we drilled down, we agreed that her belief was an imagined boundary or belief that constrained her from taking action. You will often hear imagined boundaries in the excuses that people make for why they can’t complete a goal or task. What excuses do you hear in your organization? Eliminating the limiting beliefs will allow accountability to soar.

Encourage Open and Honest Dialogue

Too many organizations are afraid of the kind of open and honest dialogue that’s necessary to ensure accountability. To avoid this pitfall have a system for giving you data how each team member is contributing. Best Year Yet clients use our Producing Results Online® software to measure the Say/Do ratio of each team member. Using this tool generates the ultimate in accountability through the natural process of what we call Positive Peer Pressure.

Generating accountability through such open and honest dialogue generates performance cultures rather than blame cultures. When a performance culture thrives, people are able to measure where they and others are not accountable and give one another immediate feedback. When people can be candid with each other, they create an environment in which achievement flourishes and fear dissolves.

Maintain Focus and Discipline

Remember the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

To inspire accountability help others maintain a focus on what matters most. When our attention is scattered, performance suffers. When we are focused on the few vital results, performance soars. To maintain focus regularly set aside time to review progress on your goals and plans. Have the discipline to stick to the schedule for these meetings – no matter what.

Be a Role Model

As Albert Einstein said,

“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.”

Ultimately walking the talk inspires accountability in others. As a leader be willing to ask yourself, ‘how well do I practice the adage Know Thyself?’

Am I accountable?
Do I follow through on my promises?
Am I taking personal responsibility for my actions and attitudes?
Do I confront my own perceived boundaries or limiting beliefs?

Taking responsibility by developing yourself as a leader to the next level automatically expands and grows teams. When your team grows and expands, they begin to take accountability for their actions and your results transform at the same time.

Instead of focusing on the “If only’s...”in your organization, take responsibility to shift your attitude and actions to creating a culture where others are inspired to be accountable.

Kimberly Kniveton MBA, is owner of Ascent Coaching & Consulting and a partner in our global organization Best Year Yet Partner Coaches.

From Powerless to Powerful One Word at a Time

I received this week's "Monday Morning Coach" letter from Betty Mahalik at Dynamic Solutions, and wanted to share with all of you as a reminder of how POWERFUL WORDS can be!

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I’m often amazed at how easily we get off track, start following someone else’s path or simply talk ourselves out of doing what we know to do.  I’ve discovered that usually at the core of the distraction, disengagement or desertion is a word, maybe a phrase that has started running itself in the background like computer malware.  The disempowering word is usually one at the lower end of the “power continuum” I’d like to share with you today.

As you read through the short descriptions going from powerless to powerful words, ask yourself where you are on the power continuum.  Then make the decision to shift forward.

Should.  At the bottom end of the power continuum is a word I hear dozens of times a day.  If I’m talking to a coaching client who is “shoulding” on themselves, I will usually stop them and bring it to their attention.  When you use the world “should” it is a red flag that you have given your power away to some past or present voice.  The question to ask yourself is:  “According to whom 'should' I do this or that.”  Rarely are we motivated by shoulds, and if it appears we are, we often find ways to sabotage the plan. Until you’ve decided what you want (see below) you’ll continue to give your power away to others who will indeed should on you all day long.  On the power continuum scale of 0-10, powerless to powerful, should is a 0.

Can’t.   Henry Ford had it right when he said, “If you say you can or you can’t, you’re right.”  I can’t is a guarantee that you won’t.  The moment you say the words you’ve literally proven your point.  This also gets a 0 on the power continuum.  Just shifting from what you can’t do to asking, “what can I do?” moves you from powerless to powerful.

Try.  Ah the famous, “I’ll try.”  We might as well say “I’ll try not to” for all the power in this one!  “I’ll try to make it to your party,” is a thinly disguised cover for I’m not going to be there.  “I’ll try to exercise more.”  We might just as well say “when hell freezes over.”  “Try” is just a nano-step ahead of “should” in terms of its sad lack of power.  Next time you find yourself “trying” just give it up.  As the oft-quoted Yoda would say, “There is no try.  There is only do or not do.”  One other cautionary note about the word “try”:  it sets us up to struggle, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t need more struggles in my life.   Either do or don’t do, but don’t try!  Score: 2.

Could.  One step up on the ladder toward powerful is the word could.  At least with could we begin looking at possibilities instead of staying stuck inside someone else’s rules or wants for us, or sabotaging our efforts with “can’t” or “try.”  If I say “I could exercise today,” it simply means I have the option of doing so.  I still have not stepped into the real world of action and power but at least I’m giving it consideration.  On the power continuum could scores 3-4.

Want.  Let’s kick it up a notch and look at the word “want.”  To go from a could to a want is a significant shift forward.  It takes you from standing in the lane of broad generalities and moves you into the faster track of meaningful specifics.  If you don’t know what you want, you’re vulnerable to the shoulds, coulds and oughts imposed by others.  Deciding what you want is like the fulcrum that shifts you from powerless to powerful.  It tilts the continuum forward.  On the power scale I give it a 5.

Will.  To go from want to will is next up on the power continuum.  It’s sometimes easy to get stuck in wanting.  I want to be thinner.  I want to have more money.  I want more success.  But what “will” I begin doing more of, perhaps less of in some cases, to have what I say I want?  Your will is a powerful tool.  Last week after a day in which I found myself munching on junk food throughout the day, I gave myself a good talking to, starting with a reminder of what I want (health, vitality, a strong, slim body), followed by a reminder of what I will do to get that (exercise, limit access to munchies and exercise some discipline!).  My will and mine alone determines what I do next.  How about you?  Score:  6-7.

Choose.  I choose to exercise the discipline necessary to have the (fill in the blank:  business, body, lifestyle, home, bank account) I want.  I choose to show up every day and do what I can to further my goals.  Choice is filled with power!  Choice is about coming from a powerful paradigm.  Choice is about being my best self even before I’ve created all the results I want.  I choose confidence.  I choose action.  I choose life.  I choose joy.  Choice comes from the heart as well as they head.  Choice rates a 9 on the power continuum.

Am.  The most powerful, most creative word in the human language is the word “am” usually preceded by the pronoun “I”.  “I am powerful.”  “I am successful.”  “I am creative.”  “I am talented.”  “I am persistent.”  “I am pursuing my goals and dreams!”  Can you feel the power in those words? 

It is equally creative and powerfully destructive to use the words “I am” followed by a negative description:  “I am a failure.” “I am not good enough.”  “I am not smart enough”  You get the picture. 

On the power continuum, the word “am” ranks a 10.   Here’s a simple way to remind yourself of the power of this one-syllable word:  “That which I repeat often enough becomes true for me.”  Repetition builds belief, and belief coupled with consistent action will always produce results in perfect alignment with it.  This word gets a 10 for its powerful punch.

Stop today and listen to your words.  Where do they fall on the power continuum?  By the way, the words I’ve identified are only some of the more commonly used powerless and powerful words.  There are many variations on these themes.  My point today is to challenge you to find out where you most often use language.  Is it on the powerless or the powerful end of the spectrum or somewhere in the middle.  Remember, that which you repeatedly say and do becomes a part of you.  Become conscious of whether your language is taking you closer or further away from your goals.  Then commit (another very powerful word!) to shift your language to begin programming yourself for success.

You can do it!  Have a powerful week!

Gold Time – an end to overwhelm!

Gold Time is probably the most ‘used-but-misused’ of the fundamental principles underpinning the Best Year Yet® system. Thousands of us say we practice Gold Time, but in reality few of us do it really well, all of the time. Of the hundreds of executives I’ve coached over the last 15 years, individually or in teams, the really impressive ones have, without exception, become Masters of Gold Time. Their secret is investing time in attending to the topics that matter in the long run.

Gold Time is the space in your schedule devoted to activities, tasks, projects and projects that are important but not urgent — at least not yet urgent. It’s what happens when you stop saying to yourself,

I’ll get fit, fix my finances, book the family holiday, study for the MBA, do the staff appraisals, attend to my Best Year Yet plan, have a staff meeting etc. when I’ve got the time. Just now I’m busy looking at my e-mails.

Gold Time distinguishes between the urgency and the importance of the tasks with which life presents us. Think of what fits into each of the following categories from your own to-do list.

Category 1
This is urgent and important; that’s why I’m doing it now.

Category 2
This is important but it’s not urgent, so it will have to wait.

Category 3
This isn’t important to me, but somebody else may want it urgently, so I’d better do it now.

Category 4
This is neither important nor urgent – so why the heck am I doing it?

Although it’s hard to argue with a proposition that offers top-drawer results simply by becoming more discerning about how you spend your time, it’s lamentable how few of us make that transformation: “I’ll do it when I have the time” is what we say to make our shortcomings sound OK. “Can’t you see I’m a busy person?”

The people who garner the real benefits from Gold Time are following some time-proven rules:

Have the right paradigm about the value of Gold Time, because it can be risky

“Why are you doing that stuff,” says the boss, “when you’ve got all these urgent things to do?” It can also be seen as selfish. “Why are you going to the gym when the kids need you to play with them?” Gold Time Masters have the unshakable belief that investing time now will reap ten-fold benefits in the future. And one-time critics will very soon become admirers when the mother lode of Gold Time is revealed.

Be a Gold Time junkie — an opportunist

Gold Time comes in two varieties: it can be planned and in your weekly schedule. Or it can be ‘gifted’, which happens when a meeting is canceled, a plane delayed or appointment turns up late. You’ve got a slug of free time you weren’t expecting. Treat it as a gift. A Gold Time ‘entrepreneur’ will know what’s currently on the agenda by having a Gold Time list: calls to be made, texts to read, goals to update’ gifts to be bought, supportive messages to be sent, expenses to be claimed, appraisal forms to completed thoughtfully.

Be in the right place

Allowing yourself to be distracted is a major impediment to the successful practice of Gold Time. Typically it doesn’t succeed at a busy workstation, or the breakfast table or with work buddies in the pub – although it can in itself be a GT activity. You need to expose yourself to the danger of having some serious, unobstructed thought, itself an ‘out of the comfort zone’ experience for many of us. Where can you take yourself off to that guarantees uninterrupted time for thinking, reviewing, deciding and taking action? Starbucks? Your parked car? The city library? Your silent home when the family is out?

Take action

I’ve lost count of the people who tell me ‘I do most of my thinking when I’m driving.’ The problem here – apart from the lack of attention to the road – is the absence of subsequent action. It’s absolutely vital to take out of your Gold Time session wherever it takes place, a record of whatever you’ve committed yourself to do.

And then do it.

1. Adopt an empowering paradigm towards Gold Time.
2. Both plan for and ‘snatch’ your Gold Time.
3. Have a ‘Gold Time List’ always in your ‘back pocket’ ready for the snatched opportunities.
4. Put your self in the right place.
5. Commit to and take the actions your Gold Time decisions demand.

“The crucial role of top management is to create the conditions in which individual managers can thrive”.~Peter Baxter

Written by Best Year Yet Partner Peter Baxter. Thank you Peter for this overview of Gold Time Management!

Peter Baxter’s career has been spent predominantly in financial services, initially in sales and more recently in marketing and product development. Peter Baxter is a UK-based partner of Best Year Yet LLC, a global organization, headquartered in Colorado, USA and operating on five continents.

He works within the Best Year Yet community as a program facilitator and business coach. In the ten years since the launch of the business, he has facilitated upwards of 75 teams and their leaders, in a range of large organizations.

Mind the 3 Cs of Simplicity

Complexity is one of the largest problems plaguing organizations, and most leaders yearn for more simplicity. But don't confuse simple with easy. Ridding your organization, department, or process of unnecessary complexity requires careful attention. Remember these three Cs when trying to restore simplicity:

1. Collaboration. Silos are the enemy of simplicity. Work across the organization to identify where the complexity is and together improve the way business is done.

2. Coordination. Smooth coordination is critical to finding simple solutions to the problems you're trying to solve.

3. Communication. Once you've gotten rid of complexity, you can be sure it will try to find its way back in. Open and regular communication will allow you to identify it before it takes hold.