Ruthless Consistency

If you’re a regular reader of this blog you know my core philosophy regarding organizational performance, execution and change: ruthless consistency. Organizations that develop the right focus, get the right people and create the right environment are organizations that win.

Now some might think that ruthless consistency means doing the same things the same way all of the time, taking a mindlessly repetitive approach to whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish.

Let me be clear: what ruthless consistency means is that your intentions and actions, however varied they may be, always are consistent with winning.

Different situations call for different approaches. Organizations should be flexible. They need to experiment and innovate. And they should cultivate freethinking. If a reasonable expectation is that a different approach will produce better results, that’s ruthless consistency.

Both ruthless consistency and intentional flexibility are desirable. And consistent.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Ruthless consistency is in the details. Very small things, done right many times, can have a massive effect.

They discovered this at a GE plant where the phosphorous coating is applied to fluorescent light bulbs. After the coating is applied the suspended light bulbs are moved through a drying system. And because phosphorous is expensive, a trough system catches the drops of phosphorous that fall throughout the drying process.

But it turned out that at this plant the trough system wasn't quite long enough to catch the very last drop of falling phosphorous. One drop. No big deal, right?

Think again. By extending the trough system to catch that last drop, the plant saved ... can you guess? ... over $150,000 per year. This is what I call the multiplier effect. Very small things, multiplied over a large number of instances, can have a huge impact. 

Where does that multiplier effect come into play in your business? Where can you and your people find that one drop?

Your thoughts?

Michael 

Here's a formula for you. It's the motto of D.O.A., a hardcore/punk band: Talk - Action = 0. If you talk about something but don't take action then it means nothing.

Like the strategic planning charade. All strategy but no execution equals zero results. (It's actually worse as you've squandered time, money and effort.)

This is the touchstone for evaluating every strategy, every project and every initiative: What did I do versus what I said I was going to do? Hold yourself to this exacting standard and you will find that, like all of us, you commit too much in too little time. Your ambitions overtake reality.

Commit to less but do more. Under-promise and over-deliver. It enhances your credibility. D.O.A. has figured this out. Will you?

Your thoughts?

Michael

They might listen to what you say but they hear what you do. Make no mistake, you are constantly on stage. Your people are watching and judging everything you do. Everything you don't do. Everything. So how consistent are you?

If you expect your people to change, then role-model that change. If conditions force your organization to sacrifice, then be seen as the first to sacrifice. If you want to bring attention to a cultural norm, then be an exemplar of that norm.

If you're not consistent, you can't be credible. But you have to be credible for your people to follow you. And as I once read, if you think you're a leader yet no one is following you, then you're just going for a walk.

Your thoughts?

Michael

Your organizational change effort has failed. Why? Did it have more to do with the technical side or the people side of the implementation? The people side, right? Yet, what did you spend most of your time planning for? Of course, the technical side. I've heard the same from hundreds of executives. We plan for the technical side but fail on the people side.

So what's the solution? Total Project Management. Plan for the people side as rigorously as you do the technical side. That means making sure your people understand and buy into the what, why and how of change. Ensuring they are equipped, coached and supported to make the change happen. And that they feel valued - respected and understood.

Technical and people. Both are necessary. Neither is sufficient. Total Project Management. 

Your thoughts?

Michael

Inconsistency kills.  When you as a leader act inconsistently you kill your credibility. You demotivate your people. And you undermine your ability to win.

What does inconsistency look like?  When you say one thing but do another. When your work environment sets up your people to fail.  When you put the wrong people in the wrong positions.  When your strategy is out of touch with market realities.  Every example of organizational failure I have come across is a result of inconsistency.

What's the solution?  Ruthless Consistency.  If you are truly committed to winning - however you define it - then that commitment must be consistently reflected in what you say and what you do.  In what you don't say and don't do. The decisions you make, the actions you take.  All the time.  Every time.  Ruthless Consistency.

It means developing and sustaining the right focus for your organization.  It means getting the right people in the right positions.  And it means creating the right environment so your people can and will do what it takes to win.

Do you have the right commitment to make this happen?

Michael