Tag Archives: Resources

How Do You Supervise Without Being Bossy? Six Points

Situation: A CEO has received feedback “through the grapevine” that some of his employees consider him to be bossy. This isn’t the image that he wants to cultivate. Instead he aspires to be a collaborative CEO who is approachable by employees. Have others encountered this situation and If so, what have they done? How do you supervise without being bossy?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • When you hold morning update meetings keep them short and to the point.
    • Review updates on an exception basis. Go down the list and ask whether there are any challenges that need to be addressed to assure that deadlines are met. If on track, then no need to discuss, unless an individual anticipates a challenge coming up.
    • Don’t try to solve specific issues during the meeting – this wastes the time of those not involved in the issue. Schedule follow-ups to address challenges or just continue the meeting with a couple of people who have issues and who can assist each other in developing solutions.
  • Do 1-on-1 checks at end of day, as necessary.
  • Manage by walking around. When visiting specific employees ask: How are you doing?
    • If they are struggling, ask about the problem. Listen and perhaps suggest the next step. Take care to watch any body language for signs of discomfort that suggests that the individual is struggling.
  • When planning a project set milestones and timelines for each project.
  • When following up, ask how the individual is doing on their segment of the project and whether they have the resources that they need – including time and knowledge.
  • Have employees build the schedule for the project – assuring that their timeline meets the company’s delivery schedule. Ask for commitment to meet the timeline and hold them accountable for meeting it.

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How Do You Delegate on a Team Basis? Four Options

Situation: A CEO wants to develop a collection of skills within her team as an alternative to just having individuals with skills. For example, her role means that she must travel frequently, often for over a week at a time. How can she develop a system to temporarily reallocate the time of the team to cover her responsibilities while she’s away. How do you delegate on a team basis?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • If the team functions on a high level, this is not really a problem. They will step up.
    • Plan for the time frame during which the CEO will be away.
    • List all responsibilities to be covered and set priorities for response. Focus on the highest priorities first. Delegate them or use them as cross-training opportunities for team members.
    • Meet with team ahead of time. Go over what has to be covered. Ask who can cover this, and delegate first, second and third responders – not just a single individual. This is important so that they know that they are backed up as well. Ask: What concerns or questions do you have? Have the team develop solutions.
    • Where processes are involved, break down the process. Create a decision tree and work with the team on how to make decisions with resources available.
    • Set priorities for the time away before leaving. Ask the team how they would handle situations and coach them if they are not sure. Identify resources for them to use if needed.
  • Use the model that a special forces team uses to train and prepare for missions:
    • Know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
    • Know how to back each other up.
    • Set up situations that are likely to arise and rehearse.
  • Another good model is engineering decision trees.
    • Create decision trees for how frequently occurring situations are handled to help team members determine the proper course of action and how to utilize which resources to respond to these situations.
  • Note the difference between reactive and proactive responsibilities.
    • Train the team to respond to reactive situations.
    • Schedule proactive responsibilities around planned time away to facilitate involvement in these as necessary.
    • Flexibility is critical.

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How Do You Improve Resource Allocation? Three Suggestions

Situation: A company is so busy with ongoing projects that they are unable to allocate resources to major infrastructure development projects. The CEO wants to know what the company can do to make sure that these projects get the attention that they deserve. How do you improve resource allocation?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Most of the time, and in most companies, some slack resources exist for at least part of a day. While it may not be the most efficient solution, one CEO divides 2nd tier projects into chunks and assigns work to individuals who have time.
  • Consider hiring an outside contractor who is hired exclusively to work on infrastructure projects.
  • Design a long-term solution:
    • Look at actual downtime over the course of an extended period.
    • Review the opportunities, prioritize them with the most important having the highest priority, and sequence them.
    • As resources have free time, assign them to work on the top priority project available at that time. When this project is completed, queue up the next highest priority project for work.
    • Review the opportunity list on a regular basis and reprioritize based on current conditions.
  • Key Take-Aways from this Discussion
    • Be patient; let it happen.
    • Space and resources exist. Establish a process to focus on opportunities one at a time.

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Is Team vs. Individual Project Responsibility More Effective? Four Thoughts

Situation: In the past a company assigned R&D projects to individual employees who were responsible for shepherding the project through to completion, seeking input from others as necessary along the way. The CEO has instituted a new system built around teams of specialists. In this new system the team is responsible for the project, not just an individual. This leverages people to do more with fewer resources, seems to be increasing throughput rates, and may reduce the impact of the departure of a single individual. Is team vs. individual project responsibility more effective?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • This seems a positive move, particularly if the groups seem to be responding positively.
  • Factors that will help:
    • Assure that there are strong leaders within the individual teams; leaders who are sensitive to individual team member’s contributions and needs.
    • Try the following theme – there is no “I” in Team, but there is an “I” in Win. Individual contributions still play an important role and must continue to be recognized.
    • Be proactive and sensitive to difficulties arising within particular teams. Work actively to resolve these difficulties so that they do not harm the team.
  • Another CEO has successfully used teams in development projects. When it comes to bonus time, she assigns a lump total bonus pool to the team, and asks them to come up with the distribution scheme within the team, subject to management review. The review is to assure that nobody on the team takes advantage of the others.
  • Immerse yourself in the literature on team structure and dynamics, to understand both the benefits and pitfalls of team management. This will help the company move smoothly through the transition.

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How Do You Maintain a Healthy Work/Life Balance? Three Perspectives

Situation: A CEO finds that even on vacations he is obsessed with what is happening at the office. This keeps him from relaxing even during time off. Moreover, his family notices this and is unhappy that he isn’t spending his vacation time with them. How does he turn this around? How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • If an individual is still working most of the time when on vacation this has a number of negative effects.
    • It makes the vacation even more stressful than normal work. First, a vacation is meant to provide distance and perspective from the workplace, as well as to allow time to relax and recharge. Second, this is time set aside to enjoy being with family and focus on work robs everyone of this. Third, while on vacation, there are fewer resources at one’s disposal so solving problems from afar is more difficult that when in the office.
  • To address these issues, plan on the next vacation to be “fully unplugged.”
    • Designate a “substitute” to act as CEO during this vacation. Assure that this individual has their own “go to” person to work with if they encounter a situation that puts them in over their head. Perhaps this can be a member of the board or another senior officer.
    • Plan the next vacation for two weeks to test the substitute model.
    • An additional benefit is that this can provide assurance that even if an unexpected situation prevents the CEO from being present, there is an assurance that the company can operate without the CEO if necessary. This boosts the value of the company.
  • Remember that success as a CEO is measured partly on the ability to have a fully operational office when the CEO is absent. Build and conduct the role so that the company operates well when the CEO is not there. This is consistent with a healthy growth model and long-terms plans for building a successful company.

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How Do You Delegate Challenging Tasks? Three Suggestions

Situation: A company is creating new capabilities which require engineers to think beyond the limits of current capacity. Some are hesitant to take on these tasks, which are critical to the company’s maintaining its competitive edge. How do you create the tools or capacities to make these technical leaps? How do you delegate challenging tasks?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Encourage the engineers to expand their conceptual “boxes”. Encourage them to
    • Utilize web-based searches of existing research on technical boundaries;
    • Explore their own creative capabilities – encourage them to connect to science UseNets for solutions to technical challenges;
    • As solutions are developed using outside resources, have engineers document progress so that intellectual property rights can be preserved. Line up legal resources to assist.
    • Encourage them to use their unconscious processes to enhance the “Eureka” factor. Allow them to work on multiple related tasks that can spark creative solutions within the team.
  • Consider this challenge as part of the process – acknowledge the “point of despair” that is often encountered with new technical challenges. Encourage them to use their creative capabilities to move beyond their perceived limitations.
    • Understand that this will involve the use of scarce resources and that mistakes will be made in the learning process.
    • Be patient and treat these as the cost of progress.
  • Other options to consider:
    • Investigate resources at nearby universities. Faculty and students appreciate the opportunity to be involved in cutting-edge projects. Protect the company by signing intellectual property agreements with the individuals and institutions.
    • Invest in and expand the library of cutting-edge resources for engineers to use as tools to develop solutions.

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How Do You Focus on Doing Things Right? Seven Recommendations

Situation: A CEO is concerned that her company is not as efficient or effective as it could be. Of the key activities where the company is focused, few have any obvious connection to the customer or the customers’ needs. How do you focus on doing things right?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • Create a set of cost graphs to parallel the company’s revenue graphs. If these are put side by side, does it indicate that the company is doing some things that add relatively low value and profit? What happens if resources are shifted away from less valuable activity?
  • Concentrate resources on doing one profitable thing well. Become best in class at this one thing. This may both increase the value of the firm and help to focus future development.
  • Bring in a senior level marketing research person or marketing manager with marketing research experience to determine what the customer wants, how should the company compete, and what current customers may be willing to pay for its software.
  • Strengthen the primary product – it represents 90% of sales. This is where the company has the best understanding of both its customers and the market. Look at what it takes to become enterprise wide with the company’s largest customers. Expand vertical capabilities and build $1 million accounts to $5 million a year.
  • The company already has a diverse group of clients, many of whom are huge.
    • How deep is the company in each of these clients? It may be easier and less expensive from a sales standpoint to go deeper into these clients than to bring on new clients.
    • Look for ways to make current $1 million clients $5 million clients by selling what the company currently sell to more of their divisions and locations.
    • The key to executing this strategy is to listen closely to what clients’ needs are and adjust or customize the offering to better meet their needs.
  • Focus on solutions and reduce the cost of solution implementation. Consider becoming more vertical in one key implementation and become the best at that.
  • Create a relevant framework for the company’s strategy. For what purpose is it necessary to do the right thing? If the purpose is to exit in 2 to 3 years, this yields a very different strategy than if the objective to dominate the company’s market in a 5 to10 year period.

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How Do You Manage the Company’s Growth? Seven Solutions

Situation: A CEO is contemplating the company’s growth over the next year. One key manager is leaving, an aggressive target has been set for the year, and the company needs to fund this growth from planned cash flow. The biggest question is whether the existing team can handle this growth. How do you manage the company’s growth?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • All managers reach the limit of their abilities sooner or later. It happens on different timetables to different people. The critical question is how well does the team learn along the way?
  • It’s important to recognize first, what you don’t know, and second, to decide how to cover this deficiency.
    • The deficit can be filled through team learning, hiring someone with the need expertise, or bringing in a consultant with the needed skills.
  • If there are too many meetings, are they all necessary? Do they accomplish what needs to be done? Or might they be part of a routine or habit that needs review.
    • Beware the standing meeting.
  • Analyze the company’s infrastructure. Look at strengths and weaknesses of all departments. Determine the resources necessary to fill in the gaps.
  • Look at things that are being done now that perhaps shouldn’t be done.
    • Alternatively, are there things you are not being done that should be done?
    • What risks is the company assuming through current management behavior?
  • Don’t accept problems brought to the CEO for remedy without an alternative of some kind from the individual raising the problem.
    • The CEO can’t do it all; that’s why there’s a management team.
  • Choose with care those issues delegated to a peer or subordinate for solution.
    • Another CEO told of an issue where he delegated a critical project to the wrong person and the job wasn’t done.
    • Confidence must be established for effective delegation.

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How Do You Monetize a New Venture? Eleven Suggestions

Situation: An entrepreneur has created a new business offering a critical service but struggles with how to monetize it. The primary clients don’t have the resources to fund it viably. What alternative sources of funds or revenue can be found? How do you monetize a new venture?

Advice from the CEOs:

  • The venture’s brand name must carry the message – the name must describe the mission.
  • One of the core messages is reciprocity. Reinforce this theme all over the site.
  • Testimonials are critical. Testimonial videos of real users personalize the experience. These drive participant acquisition and contributions.
  • Make participants feel like they are a part of a community.
    • Consider a variety of landing pages – same database but different doors of entry.
    • Encourage even more communication within specific target communities.
  • Look at MySpace vs. Facebook to guide the model:
    • MySpace was already big when Facebook launched.
    • Facebook exploded by making itself a more closed community – all exclusive colleges and Universities.
    • Monetize via donation or advertising vs. subscription. Fees could kill the opportunity. Too many other resources are available for free.
  • The key appeal is enabling people to do something that makes them feel good.
    • Post stories from those who have succeeded as a result of the platform, as well as those who have helped on the site. This will inspire others to participate.
  • How do you recruit new participants?
    • Some CEOs joined LinkedIn because of peer pressure – after enough people asked them to join, they did.
    • Install a template to encourage people to invite new participants – allow new participants to tell their story and the need that the service fulfills for them.
  • Consider adding premium content to the site, but only for those who have made contributions – monetary or in-kind.
  • Consider Fremium to Premium. In the Fremium model include a banner ad for users, like a university Training Institute.
  • Consider creating an advice network. Post questions and ask for answers from the community. Include an option to click to become a contributing participant.
  • Online there are eyeballs vs. action – the action is what matters.

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