Slide1: Developing Your Core Leadership Team Marv McCarthy President andamp; CEO I-Four, Inc.


Slide2: Contact Information: Marv McCarthy I-Four, Inc. (480) 710-5352 marv@i-four.com www.marvmccarthy.com www.i-four.com Note: you may freely copy information in my PowerPoint presentation for internal use at your own company but the copyright information must be left intact and the content must not be modified. 'Monday Morning Practical'™ Marv McCarthy, I-Four, Inc. The Role Preference Inventory and Stop Setting Goals are © 2000-2005, Bobb Biehl, Masterplanning Group International, Inc. 'Monday Morning Practical'™ Marv McCarthy, I-Four, Inc.


Slide3: Where Are We Going? Circle of Culture – team and company health Thinking Levels – influences team expectations Basic Task Approaches – 3 ways individuals approach work Basic Project Approaches – 5 project role preferences Team Building Tips – forging a strong unit Questions/Answers – time permitting


Slide4: Company Culture Culture – the predominating attitudes and behaviors that characterize the functioning of a group or organization Transmission – Top down – starts with you and then your core team Application – maximize your organization’s health not detract from it; be conscious and intentional about the culture you create Best Practice – The best cultures successfully fuse high accountability and high heart


Slide5: Accountability v. Heart Accountability High calling, performance standards, measurement, excellence, continuous improvement, professional interaction, etc. – fill in your own 'Raise the bar' 'Do something – lead, follow or get out of the way' Heart Respect, concern, encouragement, recognition of talents and gifts, open communication, etc. 'People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care'


Slide6: Accountability v. Heart (cont.) Presupposition You have to have the right team members – get the right people on the 'bus' (see Jim Collins 'Good to Great') Caution – As a leader, you deserve what you tolerate Barometer 'I want to come in early and leave late' vs. 'I want to come in late and leave early'


Slide7: Cultural Feedback System Every signal you send as a leader, whether verbal or non-verbal, serves to enhance or detract from your company’s culture


Slide8: Circle of Culture


Slide9: Circle of Culture (cont.) Vision/Priorities Reporting Measure- ment Achievement Behavior Process


Slide10: Clarity Clarity – free from obscurity; easy to understand; what is your vision?; where are we going? Alignment – People, strategy and operations must be aligned; what are your priorities? Tip – What is your hedgehog? (Collins); one word focus Tip – Establish guiding principles 'This project is so important, we can’t let other things that are more important interfere with it.' – Advertising/Marketing Manager, UPS


Slide11: Clarity – Cost/Benefit Complexity obscures Clarity


Slide12: Clarity – Assumptions Most misunderstanding is a result of differing assumptions


Slide13: Consistency Process – work instructions; standard operating procedures; maps or charts; how do we get things done around here? Tip – iterate toward success; take ground and hold it; fail forward (Maxwell) Tip – apply to business processes not just shop floor control 'Effectiveness is putting process between opportunity and deliverables' Behavior – both of the organization and of the individual


Slide14: Confidence Confidence – 'a feeling of trust in someone or something' Confidence is a by product of predictability Predictability is a by product of consistency Achievement – a confident team will achieve much more than a talented team that lacks confidence in their leadership Moves from interpersonal squabbles to common goals Moves from transactions to transformation


Slide15: Command Reporting – shop floor vs. core team Measurement – shop floor vs. business processes Observation – many manufacturing/technical people focus almost exclusively on command vs. the other three Cs; if you invest in your 'influence' factor by focusing on clarity, consistency and confidence, command will more easily follow


Slide16: Command Sample Reporting Format (weekly) – one page, bullet points only, no long narratives Decisions – what decisions do you need from me this week? Problems – what problems are you having that are preventing you from achieving our agreed upon objectives? Plans – what plans are you making that we haven’t discussed yet? Progress – What progress have you made on our agreed upon objectives? Personal – How are you doing personally?


Slide17: Culture Circle Summary Clarity – clear vision and priorities assist in creating… Consistency – uniformity of process and behavior develops a sense of… Confidence – which spurs achievement and enables more effective… Command – which fosters organizational and personal success and allows you to enhance… Clarity – Even further Start with your core team and then push this down through your organization


Slide18: Four Key Questions Thinking Patterns – how does each member of my core team think about each other? Basic Task Approach – how does each member of my core team think about approaching tasks? Basic Project Approach – what role does each member of my core team prefer to play in a project? Organizational Level – what level of the organization does each member of my core team operate most effectively in?


Slide19: A Solid Structure


Slide20: Thinking Levels Thinking Levels – each of us, at a conscious or sub-conscious level, think of other people in one of four ways…this influences expectations of and interactions with others Level I – everyone is basically like me, or they will be when they grow up Level II – everyone is not like me Level III – no one is like me Level IV – it is OK for me to be myself, and for others to be themselves Note – if it isn’t ILLEGAL, UNETHICAL, or IMMORAL, it is a matter of STYLE


Slide21: Thinking Levels (cont.) Implications – so what’s the big deal? We force others into a zone they aren’t comfortable operating in We force others to rely on their weaknesses instead of their strengths We ascribe motivation to others when they don’t behave as expected We begin to judge their actions, leading to misunderstandings and conflict Bottom-Line – conflict increases, achievement decreases


Slide22: Basic Task Approaches Typical Corporate Behavior SET GOALS, SET GOALS, SET GOALS, SET GOALS We are trapped in a quarterly mentality We are bound to our annual reports and financial statements We sacrifice innovation, quality and customer service to meet the numbers We are BRAINWASHED! My recommendation…


Slide23: Basic Task Approaches STOP SETTING GOALS!! Guess what? Most of us don’t want to set goals anyway…


Slide24: Basic Task Approaches Priority Goals = 15% Problems = 80% Opportunities = 5% Organizational PRIORITIES can be expressed in terms of goals, problems or opportunities


Slide25: Basic Task Approaches Why are all 3 important?


Slide26: Basic Task Approaches (cont.) Extremes Goal Setter – 'Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule!' – (Delco) ~COLLATERAL DAMAGE!! Problem Solver – 'What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter.' (Lykes Lines Shipping) ~ BIG PICTURE, paralysis by analysis!! Opportunity Seeker – 'Of course I spent my investor’s money on nice offices. They expected to be treated well when they visit, and I figured the technical people would get it done.' – (Bankrupt Entrepreneur) ~ EXECUTION


Slide27: Basic Project Approaches


Slide28: Basic Project Approaches (cont.) Project Role Preferences Designer (DR) Designer/Developer (DD) Developer (DV) Developer/Stabilizer (DS) Stabilizer (S) These roles make up the instruments in your orchestra – your charter is to blend them harmoniously into an effective team


Slide29: Basic Project Approaches (cont.)


Slide30: Basic Project Approaches (cont.)


Slide31: Basic Project Approaches (cont.) Project Role Preferences


Slide32: Organizational Level Level Preference Presidential Captain Middle Captain Strong Player


Slide33: Key Role Questions What is their thinking level? How do they approach priorities? How do they approach projects? What organizational level do they function most effectively in? Do I have them in the right spots? What adjustments do I have to make?


Slide34: Team Basics Teams need to be balanced, but… Individuals do not There is no 'I' in TEAM There is in WIN!! It takes time to build an effective executive Year 1 = Orientation Year 2 = Experimentation Year 3 = Evaluation Year 4 = Acceleration By extension, then, it takes time to build a team


Slide35: Pillars of Team Success


Slide36: Team Basics – Trust Building Trust Get to know each other Take an assessment and share results – many instruments are available, some for low cost (Meyers Briggs, DISC, TTI Atlanta, Kolbe, Caliber, Assessments.com, Profiles) Team effectiveness exercise (Lencioni) – share the most important contribution and the one thing to either improve upon or eliminate for the good of the team Lead the pack – team leader must be vulnerable and set a positive, open tone


Slide37: Team Basics – Conflict Engaging in Conflict Ideological NOT personal – concepts and ideas, not surrounding personal behaviors, style or direct attacks. Purpose is to move the TEAM forward Bring it to light – don’t let a known disagreement stay buried Send positive messages – reinforce the behavior when it occurs well Make sure all opinions are heard and considered – don’t shoot them down prematurely Resist the urge to 'make peace'


Slide38: Team Basics – Commitment Building Commitment Consensus – good or bad?? Certainty (i.e., lack of risk) – good or bad?? Work with a low risk project first Work on a worst case scenario together and develop contingency plans Pick a deadline to make a decision and give it your best shot’ Monitor fatigue levels, build in regular time for encouragement 'Fatigue makes cowards of us all' – Vince Lombardi


Slide39: Team Basics – Results Focusing on Results Publish your deadlines! Clearly define what is expected, including deliverables and/or outcomes Develop a communications plan for all team members Hold regular design and/or progress reviews Design appropriate rewards for the team when results are achieved


Slide40: Wrap Up Exercises for Your Plane Ride Home What are the top 2 or 3 things that I need to do in the next 90 days to make a 50% difference? Complete a 'Focusing Your Team' worksheet (Biehl) for each of these and begin to make appropriate adjustments when you return on Monday What tasks or activities am I regularly involved in that one of my staff members can handle at least 60 - 70% as effectively as me? Consider delegating those items to that team member and work with them on acceptable levels of quality


Slide41: Good Books Stop Setting Goals – Bobb Biehl The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni (Jossey-Bass) Execution – Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan (Crown Business) The Fiefdom Syndrome – Robert J. Herbold (Currency Doubleday)


Slide42: Thank You!! It has been my privilege to be with you today…