An Old-time Principle You Can Take To The Bank

Harvey LaReau — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:10:24 +0000

As a boy I would listen to “Grown-ups” talk. I didn’t really understand much at first, but as I grew more and more of it began to have some meaning. My dad would look someone right in the eyes; shake their hand and say, “You can count on me”. My mom would talk about Mr Slowgun (who ran the local grocery store); “If he said it is so, IT IS SO!

Just as then, one measure of success is a business that can keep its commitments. That accomplishment, in turn, requires that each individual within the organization also keep their commitments. With today’s demands, everyone having to do more with less, meeting commitments both individually and collectively is a formable challenge.

One way to get a commitment driven organization off on the right foot is with the Declaration of Commitmen

Declaration of Commitment

The Declaration of Commitment is a document written by an individual to express his or her commitment to the company. This document is initially used during the new-hire process. Once hired, the Declaration is then displayed in a location where everyone can read it (i.e. outside door, under the individual’s name tag; on the outside cubical wall…).

A new Declaration of Commitment is also created when an individual accepts a new job position.

The primary purposes of this document is help ensure success of the job applicants. It’s not unusual for an individual, in their haste to accept a new job or position, to not fully understand the commitment necessary to be successful at that job or position.

Experience has taught me that those I am looking to hire always have very high expectations of their contribution to an organization; usually higher than I do. If the individual’s commitment is not up to your expectations, then this individual is probably not the right person for the job.

Using the Declaration of Commitment as part of the new hire process brings to the attention of the new applicant a level of accountability that he may not have been subject to in other companies. Because “individual accountability” is the foundation on which all corporate commitments are based, it is important to make this understanding clear in the new-hire process.

Public display of the Declaration of Commitment is important! I’ve noticed that the commitments that are private seem to have the least impact on individuals. Declarations of Commitment are of great interest to everyone in the organization. Peers find them great talking points when first meeting new employees.

There are many paths to an organization’s success. Regardless of the path, the ability to look your client in the eyes, make a commitment, and see in his eyes, that he can totally and unequivocally rely on that commitment, is success that you can take to the bank.

_____________________________________________________________

This B2B Blog is sponsored by RightFoot Technology, Inc.

RightFoot Technology has over 5 years experience in helping small and medium size organizations improve their execution excellence. Our unique web-based dashboard application allows organizations to accelerate the delivery of their strategic objectives by implementing a goal-centric vision of success. Click here for more information on how to receive your FREE Vision-2-Value Checkup.

Winning in the Trenches

Harvey LaReau — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:29:29 +0000

How can an organization obtain the unobtainable – execution excellence? This path requires a continually improving process that drives an organization to the next level of execution discipline while on a quest to reach their Strategic Objectives.

My experience is that the organization must embrace a set of principles, which I have named The Five Pillars of Execution Excellence. Lets take a quick look at each Pillar:

Strategic Goal Driven: Every Strategic Objective has a set of measurable goals whose creation is driven by the leadership of the organization and are clearly understood across the organization.
Tactical Initiative Managed: Complex goals are driven by a tactical initiative that includes deliverables with commit dates and execution metrics to keep these initiatives on course.
Value Focused Metrics: Execution metrics MUST be able to show the effect of the organization’s actions on their related strategic goals. These measures must show value by promoting actions and behavior that drive individuals and teams to the organization’s desired end.
No Single Point of Failure: There is no single point of failure within the execution process and, as much as possible, both team and individual results are open and easily available across the organization.
On-Course Correction: Execution metrics are reviewed on a predetermined schedule and corrections are initiated as necessary. Reviews of execution results across strategic objectives are also conducted to ensure resources are applied appropriately to maximize corporate results.

Adherence to these principles will result in a goal-centric view of success across the organization.

To learn more on how to deliver results, use the Web Site Information links to the right to view an organization that has a goal-centric view of success.

_____________________________________________________________

This B2B Blog is sponsored by RightFoot Technology, Inc.

RightFoot Technology has over 5 years experience in helping small and medium size organizations improve their execution excellence. Our unique web-based dashboard application allows organizations to accelerate the delivery of their strategic objectives by implementing a goal centric vision of success. Click here for more information on how to receive your FREE Vision-2-Value Checkup.