Optimize

Another favorite term used very loosely in an organization. "Optimize" the process. "Optimize" the system. "Optimize" the strategy and so on. Everyday we hear this and act upon this.

So when do we say we have "optimized" enough and cannot optimize any further. How do you decide this? Who decides this?

A favorite term that us used to answer this question is - "Industry Benchmarks". You always try and optimize a process / system to line up with the industry benchmarks. But having said that, it does not always articulate into defined deliverables that can line up with the industry benchmark.

I see this happening a number of times - "Let us optimize our process to match that of Motorola" (since they invented the concept of Six-Sigma). Very well said. However, we as strategists need to also understand the pain that underwent in making it happen (see my bog on Simple). They want to go to a place with no pain and frustration however they forget that "Change" is the most painful thing for an organization.

So, we embark on a journey to achieve optimization and the team in the trenches feels the pain - the strategists are oblivious of this in their ivory tower. The optimization process continues at a price of employee morale / job-loss etc. etc.

Then comes the moment of truth - the strategists realizes the pain that the company has already undergone to achieve the most optimized process which by the way is far more elusive than what it was at the start of this project. That is when he / she realizes and say "We have optimized enough"

So, the next time around, one of your employees comes to you with a suggestion for some level of optimization without tearing apart the walls of the organization -please embrace that and support it. Such small optimization activities are are better than some large optimization projects - think about it !

Leadership

There is plenty written about what is leadership and who is a leader. We are not going to go there and reinvent the wheel. Have you ever sat and wondered what does it take to identify a leader? What are the qualities on needs in order to be able to identify a leader?

Take the example of a typical work-place, irrespective of the size of the organization, with a manager and a few teamleads and of course a lot more employees. How does one go about identifying a team-leader - is it just by virtue of the time spent in an organization? Or, is it just by virtue of qualifications / trainings an employee has? Or is it by the respect an individual earns from others?

A logical answer is - the respect an individual earns from others. A realistic answer in almost every organization is typically based on the time spent in an organization or experience..

So how do you go about identifying a leader? What do you look for? Every employee is out to prove his / her worth so they are all performing to their 100% effort. They are all trying to overcome challenges in their respective work areas. They are all delivering on-time, on-budget and in-scope. So what is the differentiator between an employee and a potential leader?

The key differentiator is Proactive Ownership.

A leader always has a keen sense to see the end-to-end picture, foresee problems and takes ownership of issues as they arise. Once they take ownership of issues, which are many times outside their expertise domain, deliver resolution to the satisfaction of the stakeholders. Over a period of time, these individuals are transformed from being a deliverable oriented to initiative oriented, in a way, become the go-to person for all issues. This is what we need to search for when we look for a potential team lead. This is the REAL leader.

There is an unsaid rule - a leader spots a leader. If you spot a great leader a number of times, go with your gut-feeling. You know your traits. I am sure, your traits would equate to something like what I have written above, search for them. You will find that the potential leader matches the way you work and deliver.

So, the next time around, you are looking for a team lead, are you go to butt-heads with HR in appointing a team leader based on the number of years in the company or you will appoint a real team-leader - think about it?