Category Archives: Culture

#271 Sleeping in the bed you made

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From time to time, we create a difficult situation, leading to unpleasant consequences. Now we must endure the unpleasant consequences. Most people try to avoid the unpleasant consequences by denying all responsibility and accountability. They distance themselves from the problem and want to have nothing to do with it.

It is important that you are asked to deal with the consequences of your action. If your actions were accidental, no problem, you still have to pay the penalty for ignorance. The penalty must match the “crime” and you should get a second chance. If the penalty is unfair or you don’t get a second chance, your motivation to take responsibility and accountability will diminish even further.

There are two key takeaways. As an individual how will you balance the risk taking required for growth and advancement with the risk mitigation required for safety? As an organization, how will you build a culture where employees will be rewarded for risks and provide a safety net for errors?

Companies with a positive and vibrant culture will do this well. Study what they are doing and adopt the practices. It comes down to the leadership of your organization. Are they capable of building this culture? If no, then no amount of research is going to help. You need new leadership, or you need a new job. But don’t be too quick to dismiss or condemn your leadership without playing your part in fostering this culture.

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#268 Making exceptions

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Business processes are defined to streamline work efforts, lower costs, and improve customer delight. Some processes are standard and are expected to exist by customers. For example, if you mail a package, you expect to be able to track it. Some processes provide a competitive advantage via superior execution. For example, tight project management will differentiate professional services firms.

From time to time, customers and employees will ask for exceptions. Their reasons could be:

  • “I am valuable therefore I deserve an exception.”
  • “I am competent, please make an exception.”
  • “Your process does not cover this boundary condition, please make an exception while you figure out policy and procedure changes.”

As always, some requests are reasonable, others are clearly a lack of discipline. A couple of common examples:

  • Sales people don’t want to update CRM. They claim it takes time away from selling. The consequence is loss of intelligence on the buying/selling cycle for that prospect.
  • Software developers don’t want to document their design or code. They assert it interferes with their deadlines. The consequence is higher costs when debugging or enhancing code.
  • Business users don’t want to follow the governance model and want to rush their proposals into implementation. They worry that pointless objections will delay business benefits. The consequence is loss of trust and a power struggle.

Workarounds and exceptions make processes complex. Sensible managers pick their battles when granting or denying exceptions. It is never easy to decide whether an exception should be made, therefore mindfulness and wisdom, rather than logic is the best tie breaker.

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