Developing Execution Capabilities

Thank you for your feedback last week on my request. When i analyze the input, most revolves around "how can one be effective in a professional life and how we achieve result in work or business." Some concerns about bringing ownership to the young generations to achieve organizational goals.Something related to the family business, conflict management, and delegation in general.

I observe a gap between what we intend or plan to do and what we achieve. That gap is due to execution capabilities. We want to get things done but struggle to get them for various reasons.

                                  

 
Hence, we initiate a new series on "Developing the Execution Capabilities" in a professional environment as an individual and an organization.
 
Why do we need to develop the execution capabilities?

1. One of the studies says that only 8 % of the leaders are good at planning and delivering results. The remaining 92 % of the leaders are either good only at planning but lacks execution skill or struggle with both effective planning and execution.

We may relate these findings with our experience as well.
 
For example, we might have experienced many times that we plan to follow some good habits but give up soon. That is an execution discipline problem at an individual level.
 
Similarly, we may plan to achieve some level of business growth every year at an organizational level. Still, for many years, we may be stagnant at the same level of growth performance. That is due to execution problems at the organizational level.
 
 Execution problems may be a common phenomenon for any professional and organization. Unless we understand the execution process and develop the capabilities, there will not be much progress in professional life.
 

2. Success and Growth come from implementing actions and delivering results, not just from planning or strategy or simply ideas. Execution is the critical differentiator between performers and nonperformers. The world admires performers only.

 
However, developing the execution capability is not as easy as learning concepts, tools, and techniques. It is a mix-up of managerial process and art.

Execution capability encompasses the following.

1. Personal Leadership or how we organize ourselves
2. Inspiring and Influencing others to get things done
3. In-depth knowledge about our work or business environment
 
Let us discuss developing the capabilities, the set of behaviors in each aspect, and some insights from effective personalities in this Series.
 

Summarising- Developing decision making skill

 

For the last 40 weeks, we have discussed the topic "Developing Decision-Making Skills" in the workplace. Let us summarise some key points before moving on to the next topic, as this will help you to recall.

 

1. One of the primary responsibilities of a manager/ leader is to make decisions on any workplace challenges at the right time, given the facts and assumptions. Whether the decision is right or wrong, time will decide. It is better to make decisions rather than be indecisive.
2. When we make a series of decisions that yield results, it eventually improves our self-confidence.
3. As emotions overdrive logic, we need to be aware of emotions vs. reasoning in decision-making situations.
4. Everyone will go through a decision dilemma, and one of the approaches to overcome it is to go through the " Decision Vs. Consequence" matrix, as it will give clarity to move forward.
5. Understanding the problem and defining it RIGHTLY will be the first step in problem-solving
6. As a manager/leader, which problem do we solve most of the time, " Adhoc or Chronic"? The answer will tell our managerial time spending and effectiveness.
7. All chronic problem needs structured problem-solving methodologies, and everyone should learn the process of the structured problem-solving process.
8. Prioritizing the problem itself is an art as there are numerous problems one has to solve. One approach we discussed was using the " Complexity Vs. Impact" matrix.
9. Developing the "Data Skill" is a must for professional development. This skill includes the ability to collect the suitable data set, analyze and remove noises, see some patterns, converge on root causes, and sell the ideas to others and implementation.
10. Most technical and managerial problems result from a lack of people and processes. Please be sure to look for the root causes from this perspective as it helps you to reach the solutions quickly.
11. Selling ideas to others is essential apart from data analysis. We discussed some of the hurdles like self-doubt, fear of rejection, and fear of failure. We also discussed the solution approach to overcome the limitations.
12. Developing Action Plan is a managerial art; developing the skill will improve communication.
13. We discussed the checklist for decision-making, and one profound list is putting the highest stakeholders as a focal point to make the right decision.
14. We also discussed the leadership patterns in creating a conducive decision-making environment in the organization where people love to work for the manager/leader.
15. Ultimately, a senior professional is paid for deciding at the right time for the challenges. It calls for probelm solving and decision-making skill development. It can be acquired by awareness and practice.

You can read all the articles in the below link.

https://lifeexcellenceinsights.blogspot.com/


 

Book Introduction

 

I had read the book " What Got you here won't get you there" some years back and did not get many insights from the book. When i recently browsed the same book, i could quickly relate much of the ideas. The reason could be that i was not ready then to absorb the insights or lack of experience.

This book is meant for working professionals with experience and business heads who would like to know themselves better and how their behavior affects self-growth and relationships with others in the professional environment. Each chapter represents some of the challenges/dilemmas one face in the workplace, and the author recommends his perspectives to overcome them.

The Author, Marshall, is a famous executive  & CEO coaching coach worldwide; he clarifies each concept with his personal experience while dealing with them rather than explaining behavioral psychology from a theoretical point of view.

This book is not meant for a one-time read to absorb the contents but requires in-depth assimilation to get insights on behaviors in the workplace, as i realized. This book needs to be in our library; you will get different insights whenever you read it with your experience.

Recommend to the professionals who would like to prepare themselves for next-level development and to be aware of themselves much more.

https://amzn.to/3Tnlsz2

Happy learning, and 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 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 for a positive decision-making environment

 

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 "clarity and delegation level" last week, let us understand more about communication 
 
Communication and expectation setting on solving problems:
 
Effective managers are good at setting their expectations from others on solving problems and decision-making through their communication process.
 
One of my colleagues always asks his team members "what can be done "and "what else can be done" when someone approaches him with a problem. He is good at his functional domain and intends to solve the problem; however, instead of giving brief instructions, he prompts others with his communication style and encourages people to think and generate alternative options for solving the problem.
 
No surprise that everyone regards him as one of the best managers as everyone is comfortable working with him, and most of the time, the problems are getting resolved quickly.
 
My observation of his communication style and the impact are as follows  

• The team  is aware of  approaching him with options than merely elevating the problem
• When the team thinks and generates the options, they conclude the suitable options most of the time, and issues are not elevated to his level
• Since the team approaches him with multiple options and when he endorses some options, that behavior reinforces the team's confidence in solving the problem and decision-making capability

This way of expectation setting is far better than taking an extreme stand of solving problems self or expecting the team to come out with the solutions.

The effective manager creates a "positive  and  inclusive problem-solving and decision-making environment through this communication process."
 
Let us discuss other patterns of "Micro vs. Macro detailing" next week.
 
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.

Managerial style Vs. Team's decision-making capability

 

  

One of the concerns most business heads/managers have is how to bring the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities among the team?

This genuine concern comes from the reality that they spend more time giving instructions/ decisions on many routine tasks as people approach them and also from the feeling that they could not devote time to significant problems or value addition where they can only do it.

The concern needs to approach from two aspects. One is on more profound education or awareness of the importance of problem-solving competency, methodologies, tools, and techniques. Learning to some extent helps the team to improve their problem-solving & decision-making abilities.

However, as a second aspect, to a large extent, it is the business head/manager’s managerial style that determines the organizational environment for the team to take the lead on problem-solving and decision-making in any situation.

Hence the first aspect can be more straightforward than the second aspect of relooking the manager’s style of getting things done.
 
For example, consider the type of managers/leaders we might have come across in the organization.
 
Category 1:

The type of managers/leaders who do not want to hear any problem or bad news and used to say to the team, “Don’t bring me the problem only, come with solutions.”Sometimes they spend time with the team to resolve the problem. They display both distant and friendly behavior towards problem-solving. Uncertainty in predicting the behavior.

In this environment, the team is likely reluctant to take the lead in solving the problem independently and clueless about the expectation of problem-solving and decision-making.
 
Category 2:

The type of managers/ leaders who enjoy solving the problem themselves. Their pride is in solving an issue of any kind and operating with the belief that their core responsibility is to solve the problem irrespective of assigning ownership. 

Likely, in this environment, the managers will resolve all the issues, and the team will be open enough to escalate the problem. They think problem-solving is all about escalation to the boss, and the scope for enhancing problem-solving and decision-making competency will be limited.
 
Category 3:

These managers/leaders believe in the larger goal, define the escalation process and ownership, good at delegating and empowering the team to make decisions. They pitch only when there is an escalation to their level and is also disciplined enough to make the people accountable for the task through clarity and periodic reviews.
Likely, in this environment, people are reasonably good at problem-solving and decision-making and enjoy learning more from the boss.
 
In all the categories, the managers/leaders have a good intention of getting things done, and no one will resemble the same type all the time; it will be a combination of all styles depending on the situation.  However, what category or style one demonstrates most of the time determines the team’s problem-solving and decision-making capability.
 
If the managers/ leaders are aware of their style, delegation, communication process, and change in style lead to change in the organizational environment for enhancing decision-making capabilities among the team.

We can talk about some of the strategies for each type of category next week.

Until then, you relate to your managerial style in most of the time and how good your team’s capability in problem-solving and decision-making.
 
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.