Minor Changes?

Three stories from real people in real businesses this week:

• An engineer was plagued with constant ‘minor changes’ requested by a client. The engineering needs to be precise because of the loads on the structure. Relatively minor changes equal a full redo of the calculations and drawings.

• A highly customised vehicle had to be upgraded. The old model was no longer available. When the new one finally arrived, it didn’t fit in the shed.

• During an approval process a commitment was made to do things a certain way. When regulators made their inspection something completely different was happening. The original commitment had not been passed on to the operational team. The project may be suspended.

• A piece of public paving near my place was completed and dug up 6 times in one year because roads were changed, trees were planted, cables were shifted, water pipes were replaced etc.

We’ve all had experiences like these where one part of an organisation seems really badly informed about decisions others are making. At worst this leads to massive do-overs and significant frustration. I reckon it’s a compounding situation right now.

People’s to - do lists are so hectic, that they are focussed on what is right in front of them. Taking the time to ask for input from others and/or keep them informed can easily feel like a distraction from our primary focus. It’s false economy. I wonder what percentage of work across the planet is caused by a lack of cohesion, collaboration and communication. It must amount to a massive cost in time, dollars, resources and energy.

If you lead, take the time to slow down and facilitate the connections with people. Everything will go faster.

All the Answers?

Leaders sometimes feel as if we should have all the answers. A ready solution to every problem. There are times when our expertise and experience is exactly what the other person needs, but even then it’s worth creating the space to DISCOVER. Ask more than tell. Explore more than solve. A good ratio to aim for is 60:40. Ask or Explore more than you solve or instruct.

This creates thinking space. It invites the other person to be an active part in the answer or solution, rather than a passive recipient. You also get insight into how they think which sometimes makes for a deeper conversation. Rather than solving the immediate problem, you might be able to discuss some higher principles, values or strategies. This makes the conversation valuable beyond just the situation at hand. It gives people support and tools to make decisions that line up with the organisation.

A few great questions to ask are:

• Imagine you already had a great answer to your question. What would your answer be?

• How would you solve this problem? What do you think the best outcome would be?

Reflections on Perception

I’m foolishly recovering from a fortunately small and easily removed metal fragment in my eye. Reflection number 1 is “all the gear, all the time, no matter how short or quick the job is”.

I work a lot on my own in my shed, and have a pretty high standard on safety gear. And I took a “shortcut” which has taken a lot longer to resolve than slowing down for the couple of minutes to get my safety specs from where I used them last. Working in company, we can keep an eye on the safe practices of others around us. Alone, not so much. If you work alone a self prompted review (preferably without a GP) is well worth it.

The perception of shortcuts and too busy pop up regularly in the coaching work I do with leaders. Themes like:

• It’s faster to do it myself

• I haven’t got time to give people the reasons for what I'm asking, they just need to get on with it.

• I know I should do more about health, exercise, sleep, food, etc, but I don’t have time.

There are many like these, and I can relate to all of them. The short term may show a tempting illusion of being faster, but ultimately all these “shortcuts” involve do-overs or repairs of some kind. A couple of useful questions are:

• How can I build capacity and strengthen relationships as I do this? While doing so may take a little longer, in the long run the trust and capacity built will speed us up.

• What are the negative consequences of this “shortcut”?

• What are the actual risks of rushing this?

Not surprisingly, today I’m feeling more one-eyed about this than I might otherwise…And I’m counting my blessings.

Prioritise for Certain

My palms prickled and my throat ran dry as I stared into the valley. I felt like running - fast and without a plan. Verging on panic really. Running was the last thing I should be doing. I was on day one of a multi-day solo survival challenge in a hot and arid area. My biggest uncertainty was where my water resupply would be. I sat down in the shade for a while and focused on my priorities. Conserve and find water were top of my list.

There’s a ton of uncertainty as we launch into 2022 (at least in Western Australia). Many leaders I have spoken to seem a bit bunkered down. Waiting to see what comes. It’s a reactive state. Seeing what comes and then trying to make the best of it. Not being overwhelmed in the process. 

Back when I was instructing survival skills, clear priorities were a major key to success.  The environment is no less uncertain, but the priorities give certainty about what to focus on. Focus informs action. Certainty reduces the amount of time spent second guessing how to respond. 

Priorities inform an approach - Moving in the cool of the day, minimising losses from sweat. They also make opportunistic action possible - Keeping an eye out for bird and animal movements indicating water nearby. Moving like that means we might head off the planned route to take advantage of water along the way. 
In times of uncertainty, direction and targets may not work to plan. We’ll have to adapt and deviate. Priorities help us to maintain positive momentum, rather than being entirely reactive to circumstances. They also minimise wasted effort.

In my business, one of the biggest priorities is maintaining great relationships with current and potential clients. Having certainty about that assists greatly in decision making and setting direction for the team.

What are the key priorities for you and your business/leadership? How can you use them to create certainty for yourself and your team in an uncertain environment?

Who's involved?

The group sat in the shade and discussed their options. The campsite wasn't great. There was very little in the way of soft sand. In survival mode - literally sleeping on the ground -no soft sand means a hard nights sleep. The problem was it was also getting dark, and the group was walking in a gorge. Walking after dark was not a safe option. The group had almost decided to sleep here for the night. The trouble was not everyone had agreed. 

The group dispersed. Some people got busy collecting wood and water. Others began setting up a place to sleep. Two people were convinced that a better option existed just down the river. They decided to go check it out, recruiting another person on the way. They found a spot they preferred. Two people stayed there, replicating the effort of others upstream. The last came back to get the rest of the group. The trouble was no one else wanted to move. Not only had they not been involved in the revised decision, but they had also invested significant time and effort preparing this spot.

Eventually, the whole group got back together at the original spot. There were lots of disgruntled people, who remained dissatisfied for several days.

Over the past few weeks we have been looking at ineffective loops of behaviour. There are two here.

1. The majority of the group flew into action too quickly. They thought the decision had been made, but others were not convinced. Spending a few more minutes coming to a firm decision would have stopped the problem before it began.
2. The others made the subsequent decision without everyone present, and failed to communicate what they were doing and why. If they had gathered the group together for the discussion, or been more assertive in the original decision making process, they too could have headed it off at the pass.

Get clear before taking action. Involve all the key players.

Back Tracking

Once a survival group has decided to move, and which way to go - they get moving. In situations where there is a track to be followed, this is easy, but in wild bush it's a constant negotiation between the group and the terrain. As in life, there is seldom a well paved and clear path ahead. Making your way requires effort, thought and consistent forward movement.

The most effective groups will use game trails where they can, because the animals have cleared the way a bit. Walking on a game trail is always easier than pushing through bush. In the absence of a game trail, effective groups will negotiate obstacles by looking well ahead and choosing the route that takes them as close to the right direction as possible. A straight line in the bush just doesn't happen and sometimes the best way is longer but easier. 

The very best of groups will make every step a step forward if they possibly can. They'll go sideways if they have to, but they'll avoid going backwards at all costs. Having to turn back is energy sapping and mentally tough. You quickly feel like you are going nowhere.

Less effective patterns see groups charging ahead, getting stuck and having to back track, sometimes over the exact the same ground they have just walked. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but that's rare. Usually back tracking is caused by these factors which have strong parallels in business:

• Not having a clear enough plan.
• Taking action too quickly resulting in confusion.
• Spreading the group and resources out so far that they lose touch with each other and have to invest time getting back together.
• Not looking far enough ahead to anticipate potential issues.
• Taking short term easy options, that reduce or eliminate options further along. (one group walked down a wide sandy river bed, rather than cross a 50 metre mess of tangled trees at a river bend. 500 metres on they were stuck between a gorge wall and a 300 metre tangle of the same kinds of trees - it was back track or fight through.
• Wanting to confirm in great detail exactly where they are, rather than just heading for the next obvious check point.
• Not being proactive with resources - filling water bottles whenever it is possible, takes a little time, but avoids having to backtrack for water. 
• Leaving critical gear behind.

Sometimes it is worth deliberately backtracking. It's useful when you want to learn more about something you have passed along the way, or want to avoid making a similar mistake in the future. Otherwise the most effective pattern is to keep moving forward.

Decisions, decisions.

My last blog post stirred up a few questions from readers. People wanted to know what specific loops of behaviour were more or less effective. Over the next few weeks I'll unfold some of the more common ones.

The group sat around their morning camp fire. Debate raged back and forth about which way was the best way to go. They were partway through a 200km survival walk. Fatigue and hunger were beginning to play a part. Over the past days, the group had worked out that wasting effort took a toll on their energy and motivation. This morning's debate was about the most efficient route to take to their next check point. They had two clear options and opinion was divided about which was best.

It's a classic ineffective decision making loop. Just when a decision seemed to be made, the alternative was re opened for exploration. The decision making process dragged on and on. Neither party had enough information to mount a definitive case. By the time the group had settled on a decision, the day was heating up. They ended up walking through the heat, taxing their energy even further. The discussion had used up the cool of the day - the ideal time for action.

By the end of the walk, the group was operating as two fractured sub groups. They were making decisions by default, and sometimes taking action without even being clear about what they were doing, or why. The more decisions they made, the less decisive they became. People began second guessing themselves, and some pulled back from the process entirely.

They definitely did it tougher than they needed to.

By contrast groups that have effective decision making loops show these attributes.

• Explicit discussions about how they will make decisions, and resolve differing perspectives. They revisit these discussions often to ensure their process is working.
• Clear priorities. For example, taking action while it was cool always beat discussion at that time of day.
• Listening, openness and curiosity. They had ways to hear the quieter participants. Rather than just arguing they were keen to know what others were thinking and why.
• Deciding in advance. If the plan was to walk at first light, all decisions were made the night before, enabling action as soon as there was enough light.
• Reviewing decisions on the fly. In any situation, as you move forward, you get more information. Some of that sheds new light on your decisions, and may even mean they have to be changed. Rather that regretting the old decision, they simply made a new one and moved on.
• Group commitment. This is perhaps most important of all. Once decisions were made, the whole group committed to executing it. Whether they ultimately agree or not, effective groups take action together.

What's the situation?

There's three types of situation we can be in.

1. A survival situation - If it is a physical situation life or limb will be at risk. In relationships or business the impact might be measured in loss of business, finances, or relationship breakdown. Survival situations are characterised by immanent and often dynamic threats which need to be dealt with decisively and quickly.
2. Just living - Things are neither extremely good, or extremely risky. These are great times for considered, proactive change or a deliberate, intentional rest.
3. A thriving situation - Life (or business) is going very well. Opportunities abound. Many aspects of the environment are aligning to create positive alliances, growth and possibilities. Make hay while the sun shines.

If we know what situation we are facing, we can intentionally and deliberately respond to it. It's amazing how often people think or react as if they are in a different situation to the one they are actually in. Sometimes people think, feel and act as if they are in a survival situation when they are not. It adds stress, they miss opportunities, and potentially they create a survival situation where there wasn't one.

The reverse can also be true, that we are in a survival situation, but think feel and act as if we are not. Very risky!

One of the clearest examples I see of this is on the road, but it happens in business and relationships as well.

 Every day I see a driver pick up their phone to check or send a message. It’s a clearly established fact that the instant you do so you massively increase the chances of crashing your car. 

Recent research by Professor Dingus in Virginia quantified this. He says, “Taking your eyes off the road to dial a cell phone or look up an address and send a text increases the risk of crashing by 600 to 2,300 per cent.”

If people were genuinely aware of this risk, they would never pick up the phone on the road. It is a genuine, life-at-risk survival situation. To be able to do that, there’s got to be a lack of acknowledgement of the real state. Either a sense that ‘I’m so bloody good at driving, this risk doesn’t apply to me” or “The traffic is cruisey, I’ve got heaps of space and time”.

There’s only three possible outcomes. 

1. A near miss. - This is the best possible outcome. It might shake the driver out of their complacent denial.
2. A sudden, violent reminder that Phone + Driving = Accident - This is at the very least destructive, always traumatic and in the worst case scenario, fatal. Definitely a bad outcome.
3. The driver gets away with it, reinforcing their delusion. - This actually significantly increases the future potential for 1 or 2 to occur. The fact the driver got away with it increases their sense that they are not in a survival situation, making it more likely that they will txt again, perhaps in increasingly busy traffic conditions, and for longer periods of time. 

All survival states are like this. The risk may not be directly to life or limb. It might be measured in financial or relationship terms, but ultimately lack of decisive and timely action will inevitably lead to a confrontation with the risk.

How do you determine what situation you are facing?