Message Board for Discussion with Francie Dalton

Metrics Based Management

Francie — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:58:09 GMT

http://www.asaecenter.org/Marketplace/BookstoreDetail.cfm?ItemNumber=35493&Topic=&WebFlag=Upcoming&TitleAlpha=&AuthorAlpha=

So...how is your organization managed? Based on the whim of senior management? Based on the most recent complaint by a board member? Based on a gut feel or on outdated traditions?

What if there were a way to manage the structural, behavioral and procedural components of your organization that could both improve business outcomes and ease their achievement?

There IS such a way. Its called Metrics Based Management and its a way of managing based on measures that have been customized to the documented needs of your organization.

I. WHATS WRONG WITH TRADITIONAL METHODS OF ASSESSMENT?

Lets begin with a definition of the term assessment. Within the context of organizational management, we assess, evaluate or appraise, so that we can judge;

so that we can form an opinion. Making assessments enables us to define whats so

at the moment. Traditionally, managers use two methods for making these assessments: observation and communication, both of which are frequently inadequate and misleading. Worse still, the degree to which these methods permit fictions to masquerade as facts is likely to remain perpetually invisible to management.

The result? Managers dont know what they dont know.

Consider the following:

Observation: Imagine you have two subordinates, Dick and Jane. In walking down the hall, you observe Dick leaning back in his chair with his feet up on his desk, hands behind his head, staring out the window. You shake your head in disgust, labeling Dick a goldbricker. Youd dismiss him immediately if you could, but instead make a mental note to see HR about taking action. Continuing down the hall a bit further, you observe Jane. Shes on the phone, switching back and forth between two calls, typing into her laptop, covering the phone receiver to give instructions to her assistant, taking notes, and filing, all at the same time. Your chest swells with pride. You cant help but smile. Youd clone her immediately if you could. Jane gives new meaning to the word multi-tasking, setting an example you wish everyone would follow.

Lets be clear here. Theres no debating what you saw. Its an absolute fact that Dick

was relaxing and Jane was multi-tasking. No argument there.

What you cant know, however, based on your direct observations, is that Dick just closed the biggest deal of his career, and is taking a few moments to savor it, while Jane, having

missed 6 deadlines in a row, is trying frantically not to miss another.

So much for observation as a valid method of assessment.

Communciation: This time, imagine your two subordinates are Joe and Sally. Lets say youve assigned them a task on which they must work together, and that the task will take

several weeks. About 10 days have passed when you see Joe in the lobby. In an effort to make casual conversation, you inquire about the progress of the project. Joe hesitates in responding to your question just long enough to give you pause. Ummmm...its going fine, boss. Itll be just fine he says, with a brave smile on his face. Suspicious now, you

ask Joe if theres a problem. Much too quickly, he replies that Everything is fine - just fine. Not to worry. Everything is going to be all right. Something in his tone is

unconvincing, and shortly thereafter, you set a meeting with him. As he settles into the chair in your office, you once again ask whether there are any problems with the project.

Once again, Joe hesitates just a fraction of a moment too long. You ask the next logical question: Is Sally pulling her fair share of the weight? I didnt say she wasnt! he replies hotly. Look Joe you continue; something is clearly awry. Lets call Sally in and see if we can get it worked out. As you move to the phone to call Sally in, Joe begs you not to intervene, saying that, for the sake of his future working relationship with Sally, hed rather handle things on his own. He assures you that hell come to you if he isnt successful.

Because Joe resisted your probing, and because he rallied to the defense of his co-worker, you dont doubt him for a moment. So, you come away from that conversation thinking the world of Joe, and being apprehensive about Sally.

But take a moment and realize what actually occurred during this conversation. Joe never actually said that Sally wasnt pulling her weight. You merely inferred as much from Joes artful intimations. Were you played? Could Joe have had his own agenda??

So much for communication as an adequate method of assessment.

Just as the assessments made in these stories were flawed because they were based on mere observation and/or communication, so too is decision-making flawed when it is based on these traditional methods of assessment. Compounding this already two-tiered problem is the fact that when managers make these flawed assessments, theyre unaware of their error, so theres no motivation to change the method of assessment.

If managers cant trust what they see, and cant trust what theyre told, how are they to

manage effectively? What tools can they use to assess fairly and accurately?

Forum: Francie's Blog

Welcome!

Francie — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:13:15 GMT

This forum is provided for attendees of our workshop "Show Your Deserving Without Sounding Self Serving" to post questions or comments and to allow interaction with fellow participants. I'll check in periodically to respond to your questions.

Remember: all of us can learn from the experiences of others, so please be sure to let me know how you have applied the material in your workplace!

Click "Post a Comment or Question" at the top of the page to ask your question. Click "Reply" at the top or bottom of the page when responding to others.

Forum: HRA-NCA

Applying the material in your workplace

Francie — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:37:03 GMT

Have you changed the way you communicate with a co-worker? Are you suddenly getting results? Are those weaknesses slightly less annoying when viewed as over-deployed strengths? I want to know how your interactions have changed since the workshop. Please click "reply" to share your experiences.

Forum: Women In BIO

Welcome!

Francie — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 18:32:24 GMT

I enjoyed meeting everyone before my Chameleon's Edge presentation at Women In Bio. Please read my blog for more on the same topic. If you have questions or comments regarding the material, please post them in this forum. Click "reply" to respond to this post or from the Women In Bio page click "post a comment or question" to start a new topic.

Forum: Women In BIO

Congratulations to our contest winner!

Francie — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:34:18 GMT

Congratulations TNiemann! You are our contest winner! Your $50 American Express Gift Card will arrive tomorrow.

Forum: General Discussion

Inspirational Leaders: Motivating the Unmotivated

Francie — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:16:19 GMT

If you're frustrated in your efforts to elicit the best from each of your subordinates, chances are it's not that they can't be motivated, but that the wrong methods are being used to motivate them.

The secret is to package what you want from each individual in a way that makes them want to deliver for you. There are 7 classic work styles, each of which is motivated differently: Commanders, who need control; Drifters, who need flexibility; Attackers who need respect; Pleasers who need to be liked; Performers, who need recognition; Avoiders who need security; and Analyticals, who need certainty. Now here's how to use this knowledge to better motivate your staff.

Forum: Francie's Blog

Share your stories: Challenges in the workplace

Francie — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:26:31 GMT

Please share the toughest workplace challenge that you are currently facing.

Forum: General Discussion

Questions?

Francie — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:19:58 GMT

Please post your questions regarding my article "Harness the Power and Utility of 360 Degree Feedback" here.

Forum: Harness the Power and Utility of 360 Degree Feedback

Share your advice.

Francie — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:16:50 GMT

Please share your advice for the optimal use of 360s.

Forum: Harness the Power and Utility of 360 Degree Feedback

Overcoming Obstacles

Francie — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:14:44 GMT

How did you overcome obstacles to the use of the 360s in your organization?

Forum: Harness the Power and Utility of 360 Degree Feedback

Obstacles

Francie — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:12:53 GMT

What obstacles are you facing to the concept of using 360s in your organization?

Forum: Harness the Power and Utility of 360 Degree Feedback

Errors in Delegation

Francie — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 02:46:50 GMT

Ever wonder why its so tough to get desired outcomes from those highly paid, well educated, poised and polished senior executives of yours? Is it that they keep turning in work products that arent ready for prime time? Or is it that their stellar work outcomes are delivered at the cost of tremendous collegial discord? Are they truly short-staffed and overwhelmed, or are they just unwilling to acknowledge that it's time to prune incompetence from their staff? Whatever the dimensions of suboptimal performance in your organization, chances are at least one of the causal factors is the way you (and they) delegate.

Poor delegation can easily be categorized as either Inadequate or Disabling. Within these two categories are no less that 12 classic and discrete errors in delegation. This article describes each, and provides easy-to-implement tips for how to avoid or correct them.

INADEQUATE DELEGATION is so because it lacks a qualitative and/or a quantitative dimension. Usually unintentional, inadequate delegation is characterized by sloppy processes, visible in hindsight, that result in rework after rework. Use the tips provided below to avoid inadequate delegation.

1. Failing to Identify Higher Purpose Served: Caught up in the rush of doing business, its easy to delegate on the run, without articulating how the assignment enables the organization to achieve its strategic initiatives. There are 3 important benefits to taking the extra minute or two required to articulate the linkage between assignments and their higher purpose: 1) It increases the perceived importance of the assignment, thereby 2) increasing emotional commitment to stellar execution; and , 3) it equips the recipient of the delegated task with tools to motivate the performance of and increase the morale of his/her staff. The technique to easily isolate and identify the higher purpose of an assignment is to ask yourself why the assignment is needed, what other outcome its accomplishment enables, and why that other outcome is needed. Include this information when making the assignment.

Forum: Francie's Blog