Do I Really Need the Big Picture?

http://scenerynature.blogspot.com/2009/11/forest-in-sun.html

Picture yourself in a thick wooded area around dusk. The light that is filtering through the trees is casting a lot of deep shadows, which are proving to be more hindrance than help in determining what is ahead of you. Not really a problem in most cases, but this time, I was carrying an M-16, body armor, a ruck sac, and was the leader for a patrol on a mission. Let's just say it wasn't a walk through a park...

As we moved we came into proximity of a favorite ambush point for opposing forces. Tanks wouldn't fit amongst the trees and we were trying to avoid collateral damage, otherwise the area probably would have been blasted flat by now. The platoon was spread-out and concentrating on the ambush point. After all, many previous patrols were hit from that exact point. This time we were ready.

One problem... Apparently the ambusher read Sun Tzu, because the ambush didn't come from the "known" point. Instead it came from the right while we were spreading out our lines in anticipation of the ambush. Basically, the entire platoon was spread out like a shooting range, with each member just slightly farther away from the new ambush point. Machine gun fire went off all around us, causing casualties and confusion in it's wake.

How to respond? We needed to swing the line, get people in position, and try to use the cover from the woods to position ourselves on the ambusher. It took a good 10-15 seconds just to get everybody to register what was going on, with the screaming, gun fire, and people crashing through the brush. By the time it was all over, it had turned into a nightmare and the number of casualties were HUGE! Just as the ambush was finally contained, I learned that a fellow patrol to the east was overrun and there was a force of infantry heading in my direction. How was I going to salvage the platoon and the mission?

Thankfully I remembered two important things. There was another platoon (alpha) only a 1/4 mile to the west, who hadn't seen any contact yet. Second, there were medivac helicopters available to get the casualties out and a clearing about 100 yards ahead of us. I called my company commander, had him order the platoon to the west to move up to my position and secure a perimeter while the medivac choppers came in and lifted the wounded out. The remainder of my platoon would then link up with alpha and move to contain the incoming infantry. It turned out to be a very long day...



The saving grace of this was that I was in the woods of Northern Washington State, leading a patrol of cadets through a training exercise. It was a disaster, but I received a pass. Why did I receive a pass? Because I remembered the big picture. The test wasn't whether or not we could respond to or even survive the ambush. The test was to determine if the leader had the presence of mind to remember the big picture and make sound decisions that would provide for the best survival of the platoon and the accomplishment of the mission. I was 21 years old at the time...

Why am I sharing this with you? Because people tend to be myopic, looking at only their piece of the puzzle without realizing how decisions and events can impact the bigger picture. As leaders we CANNOT afford that situation. We need to be aware of how our decisions impact the greater strategy, as well as how events can impact the tasks set before us. Don't believe me? Try asking the leaders at HP and Dell (let alone Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, the list goes on and on) how they feel every time Apple makes a new product announcement.

A couple more examples just to bring the idea a little closer to home. During one of my projects, the floor space was redesigned and the rail system for a large piece of equipment was moved. Now, the person working on that piece of equipment didn't care that it got moved, because the distances were the same. But I had to look at the big picture. The rail would cause interference with another piece of machinery. Thankfully, neither machine needed to be in the same space at the same time, so the solution was easy. A new sensor package was needed to prevent one machine from clipping the other. Change order? Yes. Big picture issue? Yes. If it hadn't been identified early on, would it be a MONSTER issue? YES!

Second version is one where I wasn't the lead. International software implementation going on. The system was already configured for US use, but now needed to expand to several locations in Europe. Here's the problem. The developers in Europe operated like they were in a vacuum. They lost sight of the big picture. Instead of creating a separate regional calendar for all the local holidays, they just added all their holidays to the GLOBAL Calendar. Since the system ran planning based on the calendar, it was now attributing European holidays to the US work tables. Big Problem? I would say so. Why did it happen? Because the developers didn't take into account the big picture. In their smaller tests instances there was no impact, because the US planning engine wasn't turned on. It wasn't until the configurations were being loaded into the Production system that somebody noticed and thought to ask. Thankfully a fix was implemented before the system went live with the updates. BUT, it could have been a much bigger problem, if some data entry specialist didn't stop and say "Wait a minute..."

As a leader, a person cannot afford to ignore the big picture. Managers can concentrate on the trees, but a LEADER needs to see the whole forest as well. Next time you find yourself wrapped up in the details (which does need to happen occasionally) make sure to take a step back and look for your impacts. Otherwise you might be relying on a $13-$18 an hour data entry specialist to find the mistakes.

How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking - Peter Bregman - Harvard Business Review

How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking - Peter Bregman - Harvard Business Review

For those of you in Houston during the PMI meetings in March, please join me for my presentation on "Multitasking - A True Path to Career Advancement?" I will be presenting during the pre-meeting. The article here covers a lot of the same material, but my presentation will cover tactics and techniques, as opposed to just a list of benefits.

The truth is, that multitasking is a scary fallacy. Human beings CANNOT Multitask, as much as my wife will argue differently. What we are really doing is rapid task switching (and believe it or not, woman are usually better at it then men). We only perceive that we are doing 2 things at once.

My generation and younger were raised on distraction. TV, video games, computers, cell phones... all of them vying for attention. Today it is only worse. Think about it: Laptops, netbooks, tablets, GPS, Instant Messenger, cell phones, smart phones, MP3 Players, Ipods, Ipads, Iphones, and ALL OF THEM SCREAMING FOR YOUR ATTENTION. Little wonder we feel pulled in a hundred different directions most days.

So what's the worst that can happen? After all, how do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE! Here's the problem, you don't get better at getting things done with practice of multitasking. Instead, you get better at being distracted, you loose focus!

I'll give one example that isn't in the article. I think it is safe to say we all would agree that using your phone in the car while driving is multitasking. Car and Driver in 2009 ran a test. They had an editor run a course at 70 mph, sober. At the end of the course he needed to stop based on a signal. He then ran the course legally drunk. It took him 4 extra feet to stop. When the same editor sobered up he ran the course again. This time he was reading an email on his blackberry. The driver needed 36 feet more than the initial stopping distance! The final run of the course, he was actually composing a text. Can you guess the final stopping distance?

70 FEET when going 70 mph!

So, the next time you are in a meeting and you reach for your phone, stop and think about it. Do you really want to be worse than DRUNK in that meeting? I didn't think so.

Wacky Wednesday

So which type of Co-Worker are you? This is the last weekof posting co-workers who are oh so much fun at work. Last week was the Icicle and this week is the 2-Hour Lunch Break! Let me know what you think!

Really,the reason to show these pictures is because, as a leader, these are the people who surround you and you will have to interact with. As a leader, I hope you are none of these. If it strikes a little too close to home, then no fear. Just work to correct it. After all, nobody is perfect!

Nothing is Ever Perfect!

Continuous Improvement seems to be one of those catch phrases for Leaders. Between Kaizen, Pareto, Six Sigma, TQM, and all the other systems out there I would imagine most business people are probably trying to provide as little thought as possible to improvement. Or if they are it's probably pretty close to:  "I believe that we can leverage our expertise along with a drive toward continuous improvement through (TQM, Six Sigma, whatever) to establish ourselves as a niche player in blah blah blah blah..." I can almost see the pointy haired boss pointing at a PowerPoint slide. Can't you?

The problem is that Continuous Improvement shouldn't be a catch phrase. If anything it should be the goal of a leader to constantly improve; whether it is self improvement, environment improvement, or employee improvement. However, too often we as leaders find ourselves putting out fires and being acted upon rather than causing the action.

So this brings me to "Nothing is EVER Perfect!" Think about it. Do you know everything you want to know? I'm hoping you answered no. So what do you need to do to improve? Read, experiment, learn, volunteer,  get out of your comfort zone. These are ways to improve (self-improvement).

What about with your team? Where are they spending the most time? Are you certain? Think about it, where is your team spending 80% of their effort? It's probably on only 20% of the activities and tasks you want them to spend time on. Is it the right 20%? Now that you know the answer to these questions, perhaps you should be redefining which tasks are the important 20%. Or more importantly, how do you make the 80% of the time easier for your team, so that maybe they can spend more time on something that isn't always on fire? Now that would be a true IMPROVEMENT (environment improvement)!


Just one quick example from the PM world (one I actually experienced). When a manufactured item is delivered to the customer, usually a Bill of Material or Packing List is delivered with it (unfortunately, I cannot always say "is" instead of usually). What happens when the Packing List says "Misc. Items" for a box? Does the customer know what's in it? Can you prove later that what was in the box was really in the box? This should be a moment of recognition that the process can be improved! Talk with the shipping/packing department and WORK WITH THEM to address the issue (don't just yell at them or drop it in their lap and tell them to fix it. As a leader you need to stay involved, otherwise the fix will never be Commanded or Completed). Once it was fixed, I spent less time tracking down pictures of material in crates and guessing what each item was and more time releasing the invoices because the customer accepted the item!

Finally, look at your team as individuals. When was the last time you talked with them about their career path? Or maybe what type of training they would like to attend? Or certifications they need to help their career (and your office, of course)? Or maybe just a good white paper or professional book? A lot of times, a leader will need to push their team to improve. If you don't then they will often get wrapped up in the day to day of life. Unfortunately it is that day to day that can sometimes cause you to miss your goals! Push your staff to improve, it will only help you in the end (employee improvement).

Continuous Improvement doesn't have to be a catch phrase, and it doesn't need to be a monotonous presentation set with PowerPoint. As with so much of leadership, it is the actions that matter; not the pretty pictures and language we see and hear. So start moving!

P.S. Sorry I snuck some Pareto in there. I couldn't help myself!

Wacky Wednesday

So which type of Co-Worker are you? Over the next 2 weeks, I will post a cartoon each Wednesday with a different co-worker who is oh so much fun at work. Last week was Chatty-Kathy! Let me know what you think!

Really,the reason to show these pictures is because, as a leader, these are the people who surround you and you will have to interact with. As a leader, I hope you are none of these. If it strikes a little too close to home, then no fear. Just work to correct it. After all, nobody is perfect!

Managing the Idea Monkey - BusinessWeek

Managing the Idea Monkey - BusinessWeek

The Idea Monkey, or the Good Idea Fairy; this thing out there is definitely a thing of wonder, amusement, and even exasperation. A lot of the time, the effects of the Idea Monkey will be prefaced by the phrase "You know what would be a Good Idea..."

In point of fact, one of the running jokes in the Army is that when a Captain or higher utters those words you immediately make yourself small and pray that you aren't the one chosen to execute the steps that are the aftermath of that monkey. Hell, for a while my job basically was Monkey Clean-Up Duty, as witnessed by the job title: Division Special Projects Officer.

So what have a I learned from my experiences? Well, usually I was on the receiving end of the monkey, rather than holding on to his leash, but the rules are at the least similar. Since this is a blog on Leadership, the ideas expressed in the above article are still valid. And besides, not all results from the Monkey are bad ones. Sometimes they can really advance your teams goals.

So, how do I avoid rewriting the above article? I'm not sure I can. Take a look at it, and tell me what you think. And don't forget that the leader can often be one of the best and worst Idea Monkeys. Personally, I think number 8 is the best... because that monkey can leave a mess when you give him/her enough time to sling the results from their efforts (smelling of roses or not!).

Wacky Wednesday

So which type of Co-Worker are you? Over the next 3 weeks, I will post a cartoon each Wednesday with a different co-worker who is oh so much fun at work. Last week was the Bride to Be! Let me know what you think!

Really,the reason to show these pictures is because, as a leader, these are the people who surround you and you will have to interact with. As a leader, I hope you are none of these. If it strikes a little too close to home, then no fear. Just work to correct it. After all, nobody is perfect!