Two years ago, I wrote a piece about things that ought to be done to close out the current year cleanly, and get a strong start in the new year. Since this is the time of year to do those sorts of things, I thought it would be appropriate to post a similar piece. So
“At the end of the day, you bet on people, not strategies.”
The Filene Research Institute is a think tank aimed at helping credit unions find ways to operate smarter, more efficiently, and more effectively. An acquaintance of mine who manages a credit union shared one of Filene’s reports with me. The title of the report is “Attributes and Skills of Highly Effective Credit Union Managers,” but
Outstanding organizations have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission.
Mission, vision, and values are the three legs of a stool we call “culture.” The leg we call “mission” is about purpose. It answers the questions, “Why are we here? What are we doing and why are we doing it? Who are we trying to serve?” Without a shared sense of mission, an organization is
Why can’t we ever get anything done around here?
Our last posting talked about BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) and we asked, “What’s Your New Year’s BHAG?” But achieving a BHAG is just like keeping a New Year’s resolution: it’s all in the execution. It’s all in the doing. It’s one thing to dream up a BHAG, it’s quite another to put the wheels
What’s your New Year’s BHAG?
At the start of the year, everybody ought to have a BHAG. For the uninitiated, that’s a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal or bee-hag. And why does everyone need a BHAG? Well, if you’re one of those rare businesses that blew the doors off last year and all you want to do is let the good
“Everyone has a number.”
While monthly financial statements are essential to effectively managing your business, they are historical documents. They tell you what’s already happened when it’s too late to do anything about it. So in addition to monthly financial statements, you also need measurements that are predictive in nature to serve as early warning signs that something may
“Make no little plans.”
Sometime around the last holiday season, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced a plan to home-deliver merchandise within 30 minutes of the order being placed . . . by a little helicopter drone. That’s right. He claims, when the system is ready some years in the future, you’ll call Amazon, place your order, and 30 minutes
To-do’s Before Year End
January is a time of renewal. It marks a new beginning, a fresh start. But there are things you should be doing now, before December 31, to get you out of the blocks fast when the year turns over. If you’re on a roll, you need to think about how to keep that roll going.
Oh, and another thing (about showing initiative)
Our last posting talked about the oft-heard complaint, “Why doesn’t anyone ever show a little initiative around here?” In it, we suggested that a company’s culture needs to make it “safe” for people to take some risks, be creative, and “show some initiative.” We also noted that a company’s values, that collectively make up its
Accountability: the Secret Sauce of Business
Accountability is at the heart of every well-managed organization. It is essential to implementing plans, installing changes, or rolling out new ideas. Without it, things become chaotic . . . deadlines are missed or ignored, and results are below expectations. If accountability is an issue for your organization, if you don’t have a good system
