Excellence Takes Time

So, you listened to those external consultants who told you that you can have results if you followed their recommendations. They also told you that you can get the results you want in the short time that you said you needed it...

What they did not tell you was that the results were temporary and usually only last until they leave the project...or, shortly thereafter...and, since you did not understand, or want to understand the measurement strategy, you can not duplicate the measurements or results without bringing them back...When they return, they find other things wrong and want to "help" you improve the rest of your operations...slow down, don't jump in yet...take your time...

Take your time and learn. Learn what the "expert" consultants tell you is going on in your organization before you trust their techniques for improvement. Learn the measurement strategy they will use and how you will continue it when they leave. Learn the objectives, both general and specific, on what they will be accomplishing and how it benefits your organization. If they can not provide this, they are not the experts no matter how many people they have "helped" or how many projects they have undertaken before. They are simply consultants who have experience, not necessarily "experts." An individual who makes burgers at a local fast food place for 10 years has experience in cooking, but they may not be an "expert" chef...think about this for a minute before you just let someone else impact your organization, especially if you think you are just too busy.

If you are a leader in a publicly traded company, you have a commitment to your stockholders to maintain long-term equilibrium. This means that your decisions are good for the long-haul, not just the short-term. If someone sells you quick quality, ask how good it really is and how long it can be maintained. Remember, you have to maintain it. Your company deserves the best. Focus on delivering excellence not numbers. Numbers drive more numbers...Excellence drives loyalty...Loyalty drives results that are good for the organization and the stockholders.

Even if you get results, make sure you can duplicate them. You can duplicate them if you understand them. Good luck and lead well...

Reinforcing learning is the most important component to changing behavior…

On-the-job training and application is essential to understanding what needs to be accomplished for a role. In fact, adults learn effectively by doing. With on-the-job training, a skilled person shares his/her knowledge with an unskilled person within certain responsibilities. The results of this situation are positive in the short-term only if the person who shares the knowledge is available to consistently answer questions about the tasks needed to be accomplished.

As a leader, you will need to understand the resources available to you and your team. You will need to remind them of the importance of their tasks. You will need to reinforce the content within their training. Work with training and/or your communications teams to create job-aids or key messages to share with your staff at planned intervals after the initial training takes place. These resources should center on gaps identified in knowledge and skill assessments as well as application assessments.

This is the importance of each step within the evaluation process. Take part in and encourage your team to take part in all aspects of the measurement process. By supplying information to the training and marketing teams as well as your
executives, your job becomes easier. The executives will be able to adjust their expectations. The training team will be able to work on continuous learning projects rather than focusing on the get-them-in, get-them-out philosophy. The marketing team can share more of the story or reinforce the key messages about the item. This helps increase knowledge and enables you to lead your team rather than managing resources.

Agreement, if stated in a vacuum,
gets whirled around and dusty just like the rest of the debris..