Picture a company you really admire. Why do you admire them? What do you see? Do you see the individual jobs people do each
and every day? Or do you see the
possibilities of what your company could produce or become in time? Why do you admire that organization?
Now describe this company you have pictured in your mind. What
do they do? Who are they at their core? What kinds of words do you use? Do you describe this organization by the
roles people play, the routines people perform, the rules people must adhere to
or how they turn a profit? Do you describe
this organization in terms of who holds which position, who makes the rules or
how to navigate their hierarchical ranking?
If you are like most people, of course you don’t describe a company you
admire in these terms. There is a great
chance that you don’t even care about any of these descriptions. Rather, you probably describe this
organization in terms of their capabilities or what they do best.
If you admire Disney, it is more likely because of the
magical memories they create for their guests.
If you admire Proctor and Gamble, it probably has something to do with
their ability to build leaders and products across very divergent
industries. If you admire Apple, it
probably has something to do with their innovative products. If you admire CHEP, it is probably because
you admire their dedication to the customer experience. If you admire Google, Microsoft, IKEA, BMW or
Harley Davidson, it is undoubtedly because of whom they are, not just how they operate.
Dave Uhlrich once wrote about the five major categories of
capabilities.
1.
Talent - the ability to attract, retain and
deploy people to assure their competence and knowledge provides a competitive
advantage to the organization.
2.
Leadership – the ability to develop future
leaders, turn customer expectations into employee actions, guide an
organization through a predetermined set of values and to increase the
leadership brand of the company.
3.
Agility – the ability to respond quickly, change
rapidly, demonstrate flexibility and transform continuously.
4.
An outside-in connection - an ability to turn
outside expectations and experiences into internal organizational actions.
5.
Strategic unity – the ability to create a shared
vision and common set of behaviors in an ever increasing work environment.
Taken together, these capabilities describe the essence of
what a company actually does, why it is admired and what sets it apart from its
contemporaries.
Now think about your organization. How much time do you spend on these
capabilities? How much time do you spend
with your head “in the clouds” dreaming of what could be? How much time do you spend looking for the
next opportunity, for the next change to blindside you or how to ensure your
company lives by a shared vision?
Compare this list to the amount of time you worry about how
your company adheres to “the rules”. How
much time do you stress about someone not doing things like you would do them
or not following the same structured approach you would adopt to solve a
problem? How much time do you fret about
whether or not someone came in five minutes late, took a “shortcut” to perform
a task in a different manner, whether or not a customer followed the rules on
what they expect from you? How much time
do you spend on administrating the operation compared to building your overall
capabilities?
If you are like most people, you probably find it is rather
easy to get stuck in what needs to get done today. And don’t get me wrong, there will be no
tomorrow if there is not a successful today.
But there needs to be a balance.
You need to spend time reflecting on what you are doing, not just how
you do it.
So I encourage you to spend some time this week, thinking
more about your company’s capabilities, not just about its capacity. Your capabilities allow you to reach your potential
and to define your value to your customers.
The time is perfect to start focusing on what you want your organization
to be famous for providing, rather than worrying so much about how well you
follow the rules.
Best regards,
Scott Brown
Chief Engagement Officer, The Hardie Consulting Group
Scott Brown, MSOL, is the Chief Engagement Officer at The Hardie
Consulting Group, an Orlando based consulting firm specializing in leadership
development, employee engagement, and
transforming organizational potential into organizational performance. He
is an award winning speaker and an internationally recognized thought leader
who has helped countless organizations learn how to meet shifting customer and
employee expectations. Follow him on
Twitter @ScottBrownMSOL
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