The LETTER:
Official Report Of The L Group

Well Known Secrets
by Lee J. Colan, Ph.D.

With all the forces of change in today's world of work, the basic principles for leading winning teams remain unchanged. These principles are clouded by a multitude of management fads and new packaging. An analogy in the Health field is the formula for weight loss—consume less calories than you burn. Pretty simple, right? Although this principle is very simple at its core, as it gets packaged and marketed differently, its complexity becomes absolutely dizzying.

So, let's cut through the complexity of leadership packaging to distill seven well-known "secrets". These are only "secrets" because of the knowing-doing gap. We know these to be true, but only the best of the best do them consistently.

Secret #1: FOCUS

Identify your market, your advantage, or your expertise, then STICK TO IT. To maintain your focus, consider automating, streamlining, or outsourcing areas that are not core to your team in order to:

• Increase focus (of intellectual, financial, and physical resources)
• Reduce liability
• Capture missed opportunities

A German study found that the most profitable companies sold fewer products and had fewer customers and suppliers. In others words, complexity leads to overhead that results in increased expenses. Added complexity generally leads to increasing sales with eroding profit margins. On the other hand, this study found that simple, focused operations were more profitable.

Secret #2: PLAN FOR SUCCESS

Planning is one of the most well-founded principles of personal and business success. Having a written plan significantly improves your chances of hitting your targets. Your planning should trickle down through your entire organization. Each level of planning provides the context for the next level, resulting in organizational alignment:

A solid strategic plan is important, but the devil is in the details. Companies who are diligent about translating strategies into specific, individual performance objectives operate more effectively and efficiently.

Read Possibilities vs. Performance: Turning your Strategy into Results.

Secret #3: SELECT & TRAIN RIGOROUSLY

Selection and training are your two best levers for boosting team performance. Here are actions to ensure you maximize your ROI:

• Resist the "warm body" syndrome. Hire a good fit for your team and do not compromise. Read Top 10 Employee Selection Mistakes... and Solutions
• Train continuously using a broad definition of training (mentoring, developmental assignments, special projects, building external networks, providing 360 degree feedback).
• Ensure that all employees understand your business—its cost/revenue drivers and how they can contribute to its success.

Secret #4: DEFINE PROCESSES

This "secret" refers to automated and manual processes. Underdeveloped infrastructure (systems, processes, and structures) is a common risk factor for growing companies. Effective processes are:

• Clear
• Replicable
• Documented
• Supported by tools
• Easily accessible

As an acid test for how well your processes are defined, documented, and consistently used by employees, ask yourself, "How easily could I franchise my business?" Effective processes will enable you to work ON your business rather than IN your business.

See Lessons from the Franchise World.

Secret #5: DESIGN YOUR CULTURE

Culture can be a complex topic, but we boil it down to one thing—BEHAVIOR. Simply put, you want to reinforce behaviors that support your strategy. Cultures are created and reinforced by:

• Rules and policies
• Goals and measures
• Rewards and recognition
• Staffing and selection
• Training and development
• Ceremonies and events
• Leadership behavior
• Communications
• Physical environment
• Organizational structure

These systems must be aligned with your strategy (vertical alignment) and with each other (horizontal alignment).

Secret #6: COMMUNICATE LAVISHLY

Today's most successful leaders argue that "Leadership is Communication". The payoff for lavish communication is increased:

• Commitment to changes
• Productivity
• Discretionary effort (ownership behaviors)

Communication sounds intuitive enough, but many leaders miss the mark. In spite of all of the employee communication efforts, lack of communication is predictably the #1 complaint expressed in employee opinion surveys. Employees really want to know four things—the Fundamental Four:

1. Where are we going? (Strategy)
2. What are we doing to get there? (Plans)
3. What can I do to contribute? (Roles)
4. What's in it for me? (Rewards)

Secret #7: MEASURE

You can do all the right stuff, but if you do not measure your performance, you are limiting your team's effectiveness and agility. Keep your measures simple. Measure only what really matters, then manage it. Remember, what gets managed gets done.

In summary, here are the 7 "Secrets" to boost your team's performance.

1. FOCUS on what you do better than anyone else.
2. PLAN for success at all levels.
3. SELECT and TRAIN rigorously.
4. Define PROCESSES.
5. Design your CULTURE with your strategy.
6. COMMUNICATE lavishly with employees about your business.
7. MEASURE what matters.

Turning these "secrets" into well-known practices with your team will create a winning edge that will mystify your competitors!