Nelson - Companies Dont Succeed, People Do

Copyright 2016 by Dr. Bob Nelson

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Contents

IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST, GO ALONE. IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, GO TOGETHER.

African Proverb

Even the most talented individual soon realizes that the secret to achieving more in business and in life is through mastering the art of motivating others. No one is an island; we are each dependent upon others throughout our lives to get things done that are important to us. In fact, my former professor, the late, great Peter Drucker, defined management as getting things done through others.

As obvious as this sounds, motivating a team of divergent individuals, each of whom has different talents, personalities, goals, and ambitions, is much easier said than done. This is why Companies Dont Succeed, People D o is so valuable for you. In it, you will find real stories, techniques, and examples from successful leaders who have all tried to do the same thing: increase the motivation, performance, and success of their teams.

Reflect on their advice and successes, and try what has worked. If you could do two things to make your teams more effective, what would they be? Or, better yet, share this information with members of your team, and challenge them to think of ways all of you can enhance your team performance. Use the ideas in this book as a starting point for discussion about improving your teams, achieving more, and being more successful.

Best of success,

NO ONE IS AN ISLAND; we are each dependent upon others throughout our lives to get things done that are important to us.

The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world.

Steve Jobs

Holy Cross Hospital in Chicago uses a multifaceted approach to hiring new employees. Applicants are interviewed by teams of employees, including potential coworkers, department leaders, and human resources staff. Candidates are then divided into teams of four to eight people, and they are asked to take on a joint problem-solving exercise. The highest-rated applicants are then hired.

To succeed in business it is necessary to make others see things as you see them.

John H. Patterson

Its been said that the three keys to purchasing real estate are location, location, location. Here are the three keys to inspiring change: reinforce, reinforce, reinforce. In times of change, many leaders grossly underestimate the need for continuous reinforcement. Once the management team has signed off on the change message, the challenge is to keep it alive until behavior is consistent with your goals. It wont happen on its own. You need to have a plan in place to make it happen.

Answering these three questions is the first step for success:

How do I keep it simple? Less is always more.

How can I make it memorable?

How many times can I communicate it on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis?

To some this may sound like simple, commonsense stuff. But to do it right, its anything but simple. It takes creative planning and input from everyone involved. But, most of all, it takes tremendous discipline to keep the train on the track. A lot of little things will make a big difference in convincing the team youre 100 percent committed to making change happen. So sweat the small stuff and remember: reinforce, reinforce, reinforce.

COMMON SENSE IS NOT SO COMMON.

Voltaire

Communication works for those who work at it.

John Powell

Contribute your ideas early and often in a team discussion. According to research presented in a book I wrote with Roger K. Mosvick called Weve Got to Start Meeting Like This!: A Guide to Successful Meeting Management , when an individual engages in a team discussion within the first five minutes, that person is more likely to have greater influence in the meeting. When you wait fifteen or twenty minutes before making your first contribution, you will have much less influence on the discussion (about half as much as the early speaker). If you wait to speak until the middle of the meeting, your contributions will usually be ignored and have virtually no influence on the teams decision. Make an effort to contribute early in the discussion, even if it is only to ask a question or clarify a comment, to show that you are an active part of the discussion.

Team player: one who unites others toward a shared destiny through sharing information and ideas, empowering others, and developing trust.

Dennis Kinlaw

IT consulting firm Akili Inc., based in Irving, Texas, involves employees right from the start. In their orientation program, new recruits are issued mock passports and must acquire at least twenty stamps from fellow workers. New employees receive the stamps for attending a company event, recounting company folklore, or drawing the organizational chart correctly. This unique orientation process helps people become steeped in company values and culture quickly.

Catapult Systems, headquartered in Austin, Texas, has a boot camp program for new hires led by Chairman Sam Goodner to immerse them in the company culture before they take on any tasks. The topics include the roles of different departments in the company, customer service policies, and job responsibilities. New hires are given pop quizzes to check their retention of names and job titles of people theyve met.