One of the most intriguing leadership questions I've ever come across deals with what causes an organization to produce breakthrough results or not. I say people are what make the difference - especially people on the front line. So how do we maximize their effectiveness?
Over the past several years we have studied the nature of outcomes and results, arid the impact that information has on results produced by people. We've discovered that the form and content of the information people see every day has a profound impact on the results they produce. It's fascinating to observe how simple changes in the way information is presented can dramatically alter people's behavior When you alter people's behavior positively you produce greater results.
I believe the key to transforming results in an organization lies in presenting the right information at the right time. This actually alters people's behavior, which in turn can cause breakthrough results to be produced. Sounds simple, doesn't it?
Let 's try an example. One area I think we can all relate to is selling goals. Most of us have been trained to set goals of one kind or another. In fact, budgets are a form of goal setting. And, budgets are used as a critical piece of information in most organizations. Action Plans are designed around them. Results are measured against them. People's careers (and sometimes compensation) are based on their performance compared to them. Budgets are meaningful pieces of information, to say the least.
The issue is that setting goals, or creating budgets, rarely produces unprecedented results (results that have never been achieved before). The reason is that most budgets use past performance as a reference. "We did X last year; so we ought to be able to achieve X + 10% this year" There is really no vision of something outside of what has been achieved in the past. Consequently, the information generated from budgets, and the thinking that occurs in response to this information, is all based on the past - on what has been achieved already There is no "new information", so there is no "new thinking" that occurs in response to the information. if there is no new thinking, there is no new behavior. If there is no new behavior, there is no new (or unprecedented) results. It's the same ol' thing.
To achieve breakthrough results - results that weren't going to automatically happen - We have to be able to see that something else is possible outside of a budget. What I'm talking about here is committing to pro-duce results that might at first seem impossible to achieve. What we refer to as unprecedented results. Information generated from unprecedented possibilities would cause unprecedented thinking, which in turn causes unprecedented behavior. This, naturally causes unprecedented results.
As a visionary leader in your organization. if you understand the nature of results and how the people you are influencing in your business relate to them, you can be more effective at producing the results that weren't going to happen. Understanding how information is used by the people who work for you can greatly impact the profitability of your company, and will make a big difference in your future.
In my next Report to CEOs, I will elaborate on how to produce break-through
results with transformational information. If you can't wait that long,
feel free to call me directly at 713-621-7979, ext. 211. I'm always happy
to share our new thinking.
Daniel F Prosser is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Telman. Begun in 1986, Telman creates technology partnerships with hotels and hotel management companies that maximize the return on their technology investments. Prosser in on the board of advisors for Hotel & Motel Management Magazine and has written several articles for industry publication. He also makes regular presentations for hotel and technology conferences and associations.
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