Leadership patterns for a positive decision-making environment (contd..)

 

Last week we discussed some of the leadership patterns effective managers/ leaders display to create a positive environment for problem-solving and decision-making in the organization.
 
Some of the patterns listed as i observed from many outstanding managers/leaders. 
 

• Clarity on the problem & delegation level
• Communication & expectation setting on solving the problem
• Switching between micro & macro management of detailing 
• Space for risk-taking & learning attitude to deal with failure 

 
 Having discussed the three patterns, let us understand how leaders create space for risk-taking and failure. 
 
Space for risk-taking & learning attitude to deal with failure :
 
Some managers and leaders, as i  observed, insist people take new initiatives apart from routine activities even though any new initiatives have the probability of 50 % success.
 
My first manager in my career always engaged himself in new initiatives, and half of it turned into failure only. Despite he did experiments and also encouraged others to do something new. More than that, when the initiatives failed and cost the organization, he always defended the team's intent and effort than the results. Hence, he was among the outstanding managers regarded by peers, and people loved working with him.
 
Also, some leaders encourage the team to learn from the failure and perceive it as experience. My friend, an entrepreneur, always uses the phrase " it is part of learning" whenever his effort fails in any new initiatives, and he moves on to the next.

When the leader always insists on learning and encourages the people to experiment, the people would show interest in solving the problem and dare to make decisions without fear.
 
Nowadays, large-size organizations encourage innovation projects by rewarding people for daring to do new experiments. A classic example is the TATA Group's initiative promoting innovations through the "Tata Innovista " program. Through this program, teams are recognized and rewarded every year for success and failure in innovative projects. The Management believes in experimentation and risk-taking.

To sum up,

• It is the leaders/managers who create a conducive environment through their behavior, communication, and process for the people to take the lead on the problem-solving and decision-making enhancement.
• Creating such a conducive environment is what leadership is all about and expected from managers and leaders.

Let us analyze ourselves and become a better version of ourselves as managers/leaders in the organization.
 
Have a great week ahead.

Leadership patterns for a positive decision-making environment (contd..)

 

Last week we discussed some of the leadership patterns effective managers/ leaders display to create a positive environment for problem-solving and decision-making in the organization.
 
Some of the patterns listed as i observed from many outstanding managers/leaders. 
 

• Clarity on the problem & delegation level
• Communication & expectation setting on solving the problem
• Switching between micro & macro management of detailing 
• Space for risk-taking & learning attitude to deal with risk and failure 

 
 Having discussed the first two patterns, let us understand the ability to switch in and out on the management of details. 
 
Switching between micro & macro management :
 
Influential managers/ leaders are aware of the management process and can converge and diverge on the problem-solving process.

                     
 
Some people take an extreme stand on macro management and leave the execution of tasks to others, assuming they empower others. Some people try to get into all the nitty-gritty of the job, thinking they help others get things done. Each stand affects the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of people reporting to them.
 
Consider the case, as i  observed,

One of the business heads is balancing the micro and macro level of management. His style of leadership makes his team get things done with little effort.
 
For example, when he wants to conduct an event, he calls his team, explains his end objective, and leaves it to the team on execution details (Macro management). He is disciplined enough to review the progress. When the team raises some concerns, say cross-functional conflict, he gets into detailing (micromanagement) and clears the path (macro). It looks like he is nowhere connected to the team, and at the same time, he is available for guidance when required. His style is a standard management process, but there is a subtle difference between being in and out of the task and empowering the people. It is an art.

Because of his switching between macro and micro-management styles, the team feels comfortable working with him and problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities are enhanced among the group, as i witnessed.
 
Balancing macro and micro-management calls for introspection of our thought process towards work and people. However, the ability can be learned.
 
 Have a great week ahead.
 

Leadership patterns in a decision-making environment

 Leadership patterns in a decision-making environment

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)
 

In continuation of last week's discussion on how different types of managerial styles affect the people's capability in problem-solving and decision-making in the organization, let us understand some leadership patterns in creating a positive environment for problem-solving and decision-making.
 
Managers/Leaders create an environment by their functioning and style, which determines the organization's decision-making capability.
 
Let me summarise some of the patterns i have observed in many outstanding managers/leaders.
 

• Clarity on the problem and delegation level
• Communication and expectation setting on solving the problem
• Switching between micro  &  macro management of detailing 
• Space for risk-taking and  learning attitude to deal with risk and failure 

 
Clarity on the problem and delegation level :
 
Effective manager/ leader is good at developing clarity on what needs to be delegated and what must be solved by themselves. They create clarity based on the intensity of the problem and its impact, timeline pressure, and the team's competency level.

                                                            

 

 For example,
 
In a good case, in one of the organizations, a manager makes the decision every day on what needs to be produced and how much needs to be produced and just delegates the team to comply. He is not delegating the production planning. Since he is only aware of the big picture of change in customer preference, internal capacity, team's influence on each other, and the impact of the delayed decision on business deliverables, he makes decisions himself.No more complexity in the system on decision making.
 
Whereas in another case, one organization always runs with a crisis on the working capital issues, and the business head expects the production head and finance head to take decisions on priority. Since the impact of the decisions would affect the deliveries, the functional heads either delays the decision or are indecisive most of the time. The environment becomes chaotic as each one points out others for their problem-solving and decision-making speed and quality. The cause of the problem is over delegation of critical issues to inappropriate people and expecting fast decision-making and problem-solving.
 
In both cases, the underlying factor is getting clarity on which problem we need to delegate and setting the expectation on problem-solving and decision-making at the team's level. 

 
When we do not have the clarity to distinguish, as a manager/leader we create an environment with unrealistic expectations.
 
Some effective managers/ leaders are good at differentiating the problem, the impact of the problem, and the level of delegation by which they set the right environment for timely decision-making and problem-solving.
 
Let us discuss other leadership patterns next week. 
 

Have a great week ahead.

a simple guide for the right decision making

 a simple guide for the right decision making 

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)
 

In line with our topic on "problem-solving and decision making," recently, in one of the management reviews, one manager asked the following question, which i thought was relevant for the topic.

The question was, " how to balance the boss and the junior colleagues?".

He seems to find it challenging to manage his boss and junior colleagues as some of his decisions went against him. This situation is common as most middle-level managers go through in a day to day life in the organization.

My view is as follows.

We do not need to balance any stakeholders with our decisions other than how to make the right decision so that the impact would be more significant and we will not feel guilty about the consequence.



When we make a decision and consider the impact of our decision at a higher level in the hierarchy, as shown in pic, it helps us to make the right decision most of the time.

For example,
as a manager, if you want to do a favor for one of your junior colleagues and the decision will not affect other people in the function or the organization, the decision will be right. If the favor to one person will affect the functional team or even the organization, then the decision may not be the right decision.

i know an entrepreneur with high creditability among his customer's circle, not due to the quality or craftsmanship of his product, but because he always decides in favor of the customer than his organization's short-term expenses. For example, when the customer approaches him for doing the rework in the product due to the customer's mistake of mentioning the wrong specification, he never hesitates to do the rework, and he does it at this expense than arguing with the customer on who is right and what needs to be compensated etc. His generic decision-making thought process puts the higher purpose first than his organization in the short term. In the long run, his decision-making process pays him well as he gets repeated orders from the customers.

My key learning is when we make decisions when we put the higher stakeholder as a priority, likely we will make the right decision, even sometimes, in the short term, we face criticism or pain.

Above all hierarchy of consideration in decision making, listen to your inner consciousness before making any decision, which is more powerful to guide you to make the right decisions than anything else.

Have a great week ahead.

Checklist for better decision making

 

 

As we have been discussing "problem-solving and decision making" in the professional front for solving chronic issues, we have outlined some insights on data, analysis, converging to solutions, selling to others, and making the action plan. The next step before execution is timely decision-making.
 
I have observed in many organizations that despite the leadership teams being presented with data analysis and the approach to solving the problem, many managers/leaders struggle with indecisiveness.
 
Indecisiveness can be defined as the inability to take any decision or delay the decision despite given facts and knowhow.

The reason for indecisiveness is that we are stuck between emotional and logical bais.
 
Decision-making is one of the key attributes of effective managers/leaders. We need to learn to strike a balance between emotional and logical bias in the decision-making process.

One logical approach some effective people use is the checklist for making decisions.
 
The typical checklist will help you to think clearly and go with conviction with the decision.
 
Given below some of the checklists for taking business decisions for solving chronic problems
 
1.What is the decision's impact on Productivity, Quality, Delivery  &  Cost aspects of the business? (will give clarity on which one you are solving as a compelling issue)
2.How the decision will affect the people at the function and organizational level? ( give clarity on decision impact on small or majority of the people)
3.How this decision will help the customer at large?( will give more clarity and conviction as your purpose is higher than you )
4. What other alternatives I have for this decision? ( will help you to revisit your existing decision and to find something better)
5. Am I missing any aspects in this decision? ( final check on assumptions)
6. What is the impact of this decision in one year / three years down the line?( give clarity the importance or significant of this decision on time frame…if it is insignificant, why to break our heads now? )
7. What are the opinion of the key stakeholders on this decision? ( to check the majority's pulse, sometimes others may be right !!)
 
 You may use the above checklists when you are in a dilemma in making important business decisions, as this helps you to overcome your emotional bias.
 
Have a great week ahead. 

Developing Action Plan skill

 Developing Action Plan skill 

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)

On the topic of structured problem solving for chronic issues in the organization, we have discussed the importance of data, data analysis, getting into causes, and selling the ideas to others. In selling ideas to others, each manager must learn one critical skill: "making an action plan."

Action plan :

• An action plan is planning the action in terms of what, who, when, and sometimes explaining by how.
• The action plan is about articulating what needs to be done to solve the problem, who is supposed to be accountable for the action and when the action is to be completed.
• It is all about setting the direction for others to solve the problem

Making an action plan is nothing but the manager's conviction on the solution part.

 
One typical pattern i observe in many young managers is that they are good at data collection, analyzing the data, and identifying the causes, but stuck at converging on the solution part with conviction.
 
Why are we stuck in making the action plan stage? 
 
The simple reason is uncertainty about the future outcome, fear about the consequence of failure, and worry too much about others on rejection. That is natural for anyone, but one who overcomes it emerges as a  better manager/leader in their profession.
 
There are many techniques/formats available like 5W1H / 3W1H, which can be learned as knowhow.

However, the lack of courage is pulling us into making the consolidated action plan skill, which we can develop with awareness and by practice whenever the opportunity comes.
 
Benefits of developing the skill  :
 
When we improve the craft of making an action plan,

• our communication or articulation ability is increasing even in day-to-day conversations
• enhances our comprehensive skill  in any complex situation  
• Team perceive us as a leader as they need someone to guide them on things to be done

 
Hence, developing the skill of making an action plan is an art that can be developed by learning the techniques and practicing.
 

Have a great week ahead.

Overcoming fear of failure with REASONING

 

                                                       
 

On the subject of fear of failure in selling our ideas or solutions to others in a professional setup, we discussed the reason for fear and its impact. We listed the following approach to overcome the fear.

1. Redefine the failure
2. Imposing Logical / reasoning over emotions
3. Learning attitude
 
As we have discussed "Redefining the failure" last week, let us discuss the "Imposing Logical / reasoning over emotions" now.
 
As we are aware that fear is just a feeling or emotion and it does not have any logic or meaning in it, however, it has the power to control our actions.

One of the approaches experts suggests countering the feeling with reasoning. 

What is meant by reasoning?

It is the action of thinking about something logically, sensible way. The reasoning has more facts and logic.

For example, when you take some initiative in the organization, you may worry about the consequence of failure as it may affect you in terms of creditability, or you may lose time or money. During those moments, when you counter the feeling with logical thinking or questions, that is called reasoning.
 
The following logical thinking or questions will help to manage the emotions of fear.
 
How many times in the past have we failed in our new initiatives?
Even if it failed, what were the changes in the assumptions and in the environment made to fail?
What would worst happen if we fail again?
What are the options available to correct even if we fail?
What benefit would happen if we move ahead and succeed in the initiative?

So, countering emotions with logical thinking will help to overcome the fear to some extent...

The other approach is getting into action, fail and perceive the failure as a learning experience.

The point is that as professionals, we may encounter many situations to deal with emotion, and how we manage and move ahead differentiates us from others.

Have a great week ahead.

Redefining failure to overcome the fear of failure

 

 

On the subject of "fear of failure in selling our ideas or solutions to others" in a professional setup, last week, we discussed the reason for fear and its impact. We listed the following approach to overcome it.

1. Redefine the failure
2. Imposing Logical / reasoning over emotions
3. Learning attitude

 Let us further understand each approach
 
Redefine the failure:
 
Smart people are using this approach to redefine their success or failure in any event when they have a fear of failure and progressing further.
 
For example,

let us consider the following situation.
 
Your organization has shortlisted you and other colleagues to elevate to the higher roles and assigned a challenging task that you have not done so far. To get finalized, you need to go through the assessment and interview. You have fear inside whether you will succeed in the new role. You have a dilemma to go for an interview or not.
 
In this situation, how you define your success or failure will help you to overcome the fear and progress to the next step.
 
Completing the new assignment will be a function of many factors like team dynamics and changes in external and internal business environments. Those factors may not be in your control. At this moment, you have control only over how you do in the assessment and interview process.

In this kind of situation, smart people redefine their success in such a way that "doing well in the interview is success" at the moment. Again in the next step, they redefine their success or failure in new assignments as how they perform well using the experience and giving their best. That mindset and focus on their performance will help them navigate the interview process well and to the next step.
 
This way of redefining will help to manage the fear factors.
  
You can relate this approach to M.S Dhoni's style of leadership. When captaincy came to him to lead the Indian cricket team, someone asked him whether he feared failure in the new role. He responded that "success or failure in a cricket match depends on how other players do their job; let me focus on what i can do best during the game." 
 
We do instill that mindset of defining success or failure in any event.
 
To sum up,
 

• Effective people break up the event in multiple steps.
• They focus on their performance/influence in each step and ignore the external force. 
• That mindset of redefining the success or failure helps them manage the fear of failure.

 
Let us discuss other approaches next week.
 
Have a great week ahead.
 
 

Managing "Fear of Failure" in selling ideas

 Managing "Fear of Failure" in selling ideas 

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)
 

 

As we discussed the emotional aspects preventing us from selling our idea or solutions to others, we have discussed the fear of rejection last few weeks. The next fear most of us go through is fear of failure. Let us understand the insights on fear of failure and the approach to managing the fear of failure.

Whenever we have some idea or suggestion to offer, internally, we fear failure. We worry about the negative outcome and the consequence of failure. That is fear of failure.

Why this fear of failure comes to our mind?

1) The experts say the origin of fear may be our experience or our environment. We might have experienced some failure or bitter experience in the past in similar circumstances.

For example, in one of my client organizations, the management is reluctant toward low-cost automation. When we go deeper into the reason for that behavior, we realize that they had invested money in many automation projects in the past and have not succeeded as expected. That bad experience prevents them from thinking about any future investments in automation.
 
2) Also, when something goes wrong, most of us associate the experience with a personal failure and blame ourselves. The more we have past bad experiences and blame ourselves, the more we get the feeling of fear of failure.
 
We might have observed that the younger generations take more risks in any adventure in business or career since they do not have any past references. In contrast, the experienced people would think twice in any venture as they might have experienced both positive and bad outcomes in the past.

Hence, the reasons for fear of failure are our past bitter experiences and the tendency to personally associate ourselves with the outcome.

Impact of fear of failure?

Since the future is unknown, fear of failure is common and natural. When we realize the fear and take action, there is an equal probability of winning and failure in any event. If we do not overcome, we end up with the status quo, and progress will be muted.

How do you overcome the fear of failure in selling the ideas to others?

Fear is just emotion, and this can be managed with the following approach

1. Redefining the failure
2. Imposing Logical / reasoning over emotions
3. Learning attitude

Let us discuss the approach and insights next week!
 
Have a great week ahead.

How to sell ideas with EXECUTION clarity?

 

We have been discussing the emotional aspects that prevent us from selling our idea or solutions to others. Last week, we discussed one approach to overcome the fear of rejection by bringing the business sense to any solutions. The next approach to overcome the rejection possibility is to provide clarity on the execution.
 
When will other people say "NO" to your idea or solutions despite realizing the business value? Only when they are uncertain about the execution because it is natural for every human being to avoid complexity or risk aversion.

If the solutions seem to be complex, anyone tries to delay the decision-making process by citing many practical reasons.
 
For example, if someone offers you advice to improve your skillset to enhance your professional growth. What would be your reaction? Even though you are aware of the importance of skill development, if you are not sure about the area in which you need to improve your skillsets, the method of developing a skillset, and affordability, you will not take the advice seriously. The reason is the lack of clarity on the execution. That is normal human behavior.

Likewise, in professional dealing, others will accept your solutions or idea only when they are sure about the execution plan in simple terms.
 
For example,

i witnessed in one of the organizations that the business head wanted the team to improve the product rejections by 50 % in a year. Everyone understood the importance of the initiative; however, the business head was not comfortable spending money due to a lack of clarity on the execution by his second-level reportees.

With many iterations, one of the senior managers presented the different approaches or paths the team was going to adopt to improve the quality with a timeline for each approach, say through supply chain improvements, awareness creation to the team, inhouse process improvements, design improvements, educating the customers on handling the product and so on. In each approach, he presented with clear timeline and challenges in each step and mitigation plan. By sensing the clarity of the execution plan, the business head approved the solution and funded it for implementation. The organization achieved what it had planned in less than a year.

The key to getting the acceptance of your proposal is giving clarity to anyone on how we are going to execute it. The clarity could be on the approach you adopt or the phasing/timeline plan and the risk mitigation plan during execution.

The more you provide clarity on the path, the more likely, you will get the success in selling your approach to anyone.

Breaking the complexity into simple, multiple steps and sequencing is the key to bringing clarity. The art of bringing clarity can be learned with practice.

Have a great week ahead.

Selling solutions with a business sense.

 

 

As we discussed the emotional aspects that prevent us from selling our idea or solutions to others last week, let us discuss the practical approach to overcome the emotional derailers when selling the solutions to others.
 
Generally, two fears pull us down to sell our solutions to others with conviction.

1. Fear of rejection 
2. Fear of failure

Let us first discuss managing the fear of rejection, i.e., the fear in our minds about whether others will accept our solutions or not.
 
How do we overcome the fear of rejection? 

To answer this question, we need to understand the decision-making process of others to say YES or NO to our idea or solution.

Anyone will accept the solution only when they see benefits, either removing their pain or enhancing their pleasure. Generally, we always look for “what is in it for me? in every situation as human beings.

For example,

someone is offering a free webinar session on health and inviting you to attend. When will you accept to attend the session even though there is no commitment on money? When you see some benefits and a real need to learn something related to health, you agree to spare your time. That is nature in every decision-making.
 
If you understand this nature of emotions and decision-making, when you suggest an idea or solution in the professional environment, bring the  "business sense" to it.
 
Business sense means the solution should contain some VALUE for anyone to accept without much second thought.
 
At an individual level, the value could be eliminating or reducing the pain or increasing the pleasure, or revenue maximization or loss prevention from a business perspective.

i learned this insight from one of my managers some years back. We used to pack the materials in gunny bags, and a new trend was then catching up on using plastic containers. The same idea was discussed many times before, and considering the initial cost and risk of failure in a new idea, the proposal was rejected. During one of the management reviews, my manager presented to CEO  in a simple line stating what would be the overall cost of implementation, the overall cost-benefit, and the payback period. The way he projected the solution with cost vs. benefit, the management accepted the solution immediately.

For me, the key learning was that we need to sell our ideas with business sense either to any individual or any business professional.

In the absence of business sense, any idea or solution would be perceived with confusion and skepticism. There is a chance of rejection.

You may relate with your experience in selling ideas to others, and you may test it with a business sense approach next time.

Next week, let us discuss another approach to managing the fear of rejection by bringing clarity to the execution.
 
Have a great week ahead.

Selling your ideas or solutions to others.

 

As we have been discussing the structured approach for solving any chronic problems in the organizations, last week, we discussed the holistic vs. countermeasure solutions. The next important step is selling the solutions approach to others.
 

Whether we find a holistic or incremental solution, the solution will get value only when it is accepted and implemented by others.

As i observed with many managers/leaders, they find it challenging to sell their ideas or solutions to others and convince them. The others could be junior colleagues, peers, bosses, or even customers.

Why do we have the challenge of selling the idea to others?
 
Based on the data and analysis, we might have arrived at some solutions to any problem. However, we may not be sure whether the solutions will work or deliver results. There is always self-doubt within us.

Also, assumptions will vary over time in a complex environment and uncertain future. That leads to an internal dilemma and thinking about what would happen if our solution fails..? Fear of failure!

Also, we have apprehension about whether others will accept our solutions or not. As human beings, we tend to mix the acceptance of self with acceptance of solutions by others. Fear of rejection! 
 
The above reasons lead to personal / team challenges to sell the idea to others with conviction. The emotional aspect of fear of failure and rejection is quite normal, and everyone needs to go through it in our lives whenever we propose or suggest an idea or solution. That is a natural process.

We need to develop the skill of selling the solutions when we grow as managers and leaders.

Why do we need to develop the skill of selling ideas?

As managers or leaders, we are measured by delivering the result only, not on the data collection, analysis, and root cause finding capability. If we do not convince others of our solution approach and move towards implementation, we are halfway through problem-solving, which is almost equal to not solving the problem.

When we develop the skill of managing emotions through a logical approach, we evolve as successful problem solvers. Since every one of us will go through emotional aspects, the one who overcomes it will be perceived as the winner.
 
Next week, let us discuss the practical approach to overcome the emotional aspects of selling the solutions!
 
Have a great week ahead.

Countermeasure Vs. Holistic Solution

 

As we have discussed the importance of data, finding a pattern, and converging to the root cause for solving chronic problems, the next step is proposing solutions.

In my observation, most managers are stuck in this step as proposing solutions calls for conviction on the outcome. Let us discuss the softer aspects of developing the conviction later.

The quality of solving the problem depends on the approach we take.

Generally, there are two approaches to proposing solutions.
 
1. Countermeasure approach
2. Holistic solution approach

Countermeasure approach :
 
When a problem arises, to counter the negative impact, we take some action that may be temporary or eliminate the problem.

For example, when we receive a customer complaint, we either do rework or segregation or replace defectives immediately to avoid further damage. That is a countermeasure that may solve the problem at that moment.

This approach calls for a quickly reacting mindset and belief in incremental or continuous improvement.
 
Holistic solution approach:
 
In the same customer complaint problem, we intend to solve the problem by looking at all the factors and trying to fix the problem from recurrence. The solutions could be from different perspectives and time-consuming. 
 
Both approaches have their pro and cons and which one we use most of the time determines the quality of problem-solving and our time management.
 
In the countermeasure approach, the intention is to avoid further damage, urge to react fast, and mostly the solutions come from authority..some time this works. In this method, there is a belief that when we do more countermeasures or improve incrementally, we may avoid the problem from recurrence.
 
Whereas the holistic solution approach calls for detailing the causes, going in-depth into all the factors causing the problem, and is time-consuming. The approach calls for a participative process from all the stakeholders, and likely the engagement will improve in the organization.

There is a different school of thought on quality management and lean management perspective . It suggests encouraging more incremental, countermeasure improvements as there is always scope for change in the ultimate solutions.
 
Most chronic problems, when we approach through a holistic solution approach, bring tremendous results and engagement among the team, as i witnessed in most of my client operations.
 
From an individual perspective, as a manager/leader, we need to do introspect where we spend time, whether on incremental, countermeasure, or holistic solutions approach, that will answer the quality of self and team management in the organization!
 
Let us discuss some insights on the holistic solutions approach next week.
 
Have a great week ahead!
 

A quick way to find the root cause

 

 

Having discussed the importance of data collection and finding a pattern for solving chronic problems in a professional environment, the next step is to fix the root cause by removing all the noises.
 
What is meant by root cause?

Among many causes that we assume contribute to the problem, only a few causes contribute to the problem significantly. That causes are called the root causes.
 
In quality management, we have been taught different tools and techniques to arrive at the root cause of the problem, like a tree diagram, why-why analysis, and cause-effect analysis. Those techniques, when we apply, eventually get into the likely root causes of the problem. However, it is a time-consuming process.

One thing i learned by working with many organizations on solving business or people-related problems is that ultimately we end up with either PEOPLE or PROCESS as the root cause for any problems.
 
Either people are unaware of the approach or do not adhere to the rules, or we have not yet defined the process. There is no other root cause than people or process,

We may argue that money, materials, and equipment may be contributing to the root cause. When we go deep beyond those causes, we only end up with either people or processes.

That is what i realized in many organizational problems.
 
For example, for the poor business results, the business head and their team used to point out lack of equipment capacity, lack of conducive business environment, lack of funds, etc., as the root causes of the problem.

When we work with them to improve the business performance, eventually, we all come to the realization that either we do not have business processes for solving capacity issues, handling the external environment and fund flow, or the people are not engaged or not aware of the business processes. That is the root cause, and when we fix it, we see a business improvement.
 
My personal experience and firm belief is that in all the technical or managerial or business problems, the root cause lies in either process or in people.
 
How this insight will help you for solving the problem?
 
As a manager or leader, you need not reinvent too much on finding the root cause for any chronic problem, just use the filter of people and process. You can quickly get into the root cause of the problem. This will save your time and effort.
 
Always look at the problem by fixing either the process or people, by that way, you are very close to the solution to the problem.
 

Have a great week ahead.

The 80-20 Principle- Book Review

 

 

To our last week's discussion on " finding a pattern" in any situation or problem, the book 80-20 Principle is relevant to get more perspective about cause and effect.

In the best seller book " 80/ 20 Principle", the author Richard Koach tried to interpret and expand the findings of the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto's work in the 19th century.

The Pareto found an observation that in Italy, 80 % of the country's wealth was with 20 % of the population. He found similarities in many economic relationships, and later, this principle was named after him as the Pareto principle. Eventually, the Pareto principles were further extended to all professions  and fields,

Although the 80/20 principle has long influenced the business world, the author reveals how it works in personal and professional life and shows how we can use it systematically and practically to increase our effectiveness and improve our career success with many examples...



If you want to get more perspective on cause and effect or pattern findings, i suggest reading this book.

As the book was published 22 years ago and in many languages; it is now available in many formats to read/download.

Happy learning.

https://amzn.to/3rtXRjO

Have a great week ahead.

Developing data skill-finding a Pattern

 

As we have discussed in developing the data skills, the first step is to clarify what data we want; the second step is to look for patterns.
 
What is meant by pattern?

The pattern is something that is repetitive and follows a rule.
 
For example,

You are commuting from home to the office daily…If you plot your arrival data to the office, you can see some patterns like arriving in the office on time with a variation of + / - 5 min or some other patterns.
 
Likewise, if you consider your product variety and volume, you may observe a pattern that a specific product set contributes to high volume.
 
If you have many customers for your products/ service, you may observe a pattern that only a few customers contribute to sales growth, or you may find a pattern that a few customers give you troubles like non-payment on time, complaints, etc.

If you have many reporteees, you may observe a pattern that very few people are consistent in delivery and relationship, and others are mediocre and low performers.
 
The key insight we need to learn is that in any situation or in any set of data for a longer time duration, you can find a pattern…The pattern will never change until we make some improvements or disturbances to the situation.…

How will this insight help you?

•  You will realize that any complexity of a situation or data can be made simple if you find a pattern and take action on it.
• Finding a pattern in any situation or data will help you remove the noises or non-repetitive instances from the population, and you can progress towards the next step in solving the problem.

How can we develop the skill of finding data in any situation or data set?

By breaking the complex project or data set into multiple small  GROUPS, you can find a pattern. By practicing with many situations, you eventually get to see patterns in any complex case..Anyone can learn this skill...

Have a great week ahead.
 

The first step in developing Data skill

 

 

As we have discussed developing the data skill, one aspect is to avoid the tendency of bias toward your opinion on the data. The second aspect is to be aware of what you want from the data.

By nature, some data is registered in the system every second or every transaction.

For example, consider any equipment in your organization. Every second, it gives us data like the energy spent, cycle time, idleness for various reasons, and many such data.

Similarly, consider your product or service, or customer. Much data is being generated in every transaction like volume, value, complaints, quality or service feedback, etc. 

What do you want from those data? 

When you want to improve your data skill, the first step required is CLARITY on what you want to solve from the data. What data do you want from the pool of data mine, and how will it help solve the problem?
 
How will this clarity help you?

As a manager/leader, if you know what you want to solve or what information you want, you can design your FORMAT, TEMPLATE, or FILTER the unwanted data.
 
Today the problem is not on the data availability; As Managers/leaders, we need to learn to ask the right questions about the correct data required to solve the problem.
 
In one organization, i observed that the team spent resources like software and human resources to capture the plant data, organize and send the report to all. Still, the organization struggled to know the exact reason for delivery failure. The reason i found was that the leaders/managers were focusing more on technology on capturing the data and engaged in the data storage and retrieval process than on finding the right question on which data or insight they have to look for to solve the business delivery problems.
 
The point is that technology is an enabler, and it is the managers/ leaders who need to know how to use the technology to filter out the RIGHT data for solving the functional or business problem.

Clarity on what you want from the data pool or what data is essential from the gold mine will help improve the data skill of the practicing managers/leaders.

Have a great week ahead.
 

Developing Data Skill

 

Unlike crisis moments, all chronic problem-solving requires an essential ingredient: DATA.

In an organizational setup, the data is created in every transaction or moment, and the data is considered a hidden treasure or gold mine. The way the managers/ leaders access the correct data, refine it for decision-making makes a difference in their problem-solving capability. That is data skill.

Data skill is the ability to get the correct data and interpret and use the insight to make decisions.

Generally, most of us tend to either give immediate solutions based on the data or give our opinion about the data, which leads to a different direction. If you are at the influencing level, your opinion counts much, and the truth from the data will drift.


 
For example,
 
You have data that say that the "machine breakdown on an avg 3 hrs per day".
Here, the opinion could be "our machine is old, thereby we get this trouble," or "Maintenance service provider is not providing good service,"
 But, the truth could be that machine lubrications are not ensured at the right time or periodically.

Your opinion strongly drifts the data far away from the truth, and the data may not be helpful.
 
The data skill is how you collect RIGHT inputs, identify some of the noises, remove them, and finally get into the TRUTH. That is a skill every manager needs to learn for better problem solving and decision making.

In one of my client organizations, the delivery was not consistent, and when the team collected the data, they found some supply chain partners were not supplying on time. This is DATA as registered in the system.

The team shared the OPINION that the cash flow was the primary reason, as the firm could not pay to supply partners on time; in turn, they could not deliver the material on time.
 
Later, the team found the truth that there were planning and communication issues like forecasting, coordinating with supply partners and the cash flow was a relatively minor cause for the problem.

That is learning data skills for using the data, removing the noises, and reaching out to the truth. 
 
The point is how we collect the right inputs, filter out some of the noises, weigh down opinions, and get into the truth.It is essential in data analytics as a skill.
 
We need to introspect our bias towards data, opinion and truth in solving chronic problems or even in data to day interactions.

Let us discuss some more insights on data analytics and skill development next week.
 
Have a great week ahead!
 

Why should we define an Objective clearly before solving a problem?

 Why should we define an Objective clearly before solving a problem?  

(Emotional Management for Personal & Professional Growth Series)

As we discussed the insights in structured problem-solving methodology, first, we have discussed how the business managers can choose or prioritize the problem in the organization. The next step after selecting the problem is         " Defining the objectives clearly."

What is meant by Objective?

Objective means aim or goal or target or where our effort should go towards solving the problem.

For example," Reduce the customer complaint by 50%" is an objective, goal, or target.

Why should we define the Objective clearly?

First, it gives clarity to all what we intend to solve
Second, it sets the boundary condition or scope under which we are going to work 
Third, it improves the focus as we define the end and the scope clearly at the beginning.
 
Without a clear objective definition, the team may divert the focus in many sub-problems related to the main problem and go endlessly without achieving the goal.
 
For example,

As a business head, you set the goal to increase the business profitability by 25% in the next financial year.
 
To achieve this goal, you may have multiple options, and you can pursue all the possibilities. In the process, you may be chasing many options, achieving the goal, or failing to achieve it.
 
When you define your Objective clearly, like by specifying the result and the focus area, like
to increase profitability by 25 % by introducing new customers or new products, it sets sharp direction and clarity to you and the team on which path you want to pursue. By establishing a clear objective, you are certain to focus your energy on building new products or new customers, and most likely, you may achieve the result.

Likewise, instead of defining objectives like reducing rejection by 50 %, if you define clearly, like, reducing the supply base rejection by 50 % within three months timeline, you are giving more clarity and direction to the team, where they suppose to focus. Otherwise, the team can choose to work on supply rejections, inhouse manufacturing rejection, customer rejection, and so on…
 
The point is that articulating the objectives clearly helps to reduce ambiguity and improve the focus. 

Suppose managers and leaders learn to articulate the objectives with a clear target, timeline, scope, which will likely improve the team's effectiveness in solving the problems. Also, it helps them become better problem solvers in their careers.

Have a great week ahead!