Peak Performance

According to Codie Sanchez there are three reasons small companies don't scale and ultimately fail. We talk about all three and how to resolve the problems they present.

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Strategy sessions are a popular end of year event where leaders convene to determine what the strategy should be for the next year to achieve the organization's highest objectives. But if you turn an "event" into a "process", the results will be a strategy that is more robust, an organization that is better aligned, and a timeline that will waste a LOT less time at the start of the year.

Implementing the SPORT process typically assumes a settled and agreed upon strategic intent. But a new article by HBR talks about how AI might help organizations create that strategic intent.

In this episode we examine how AI can be used both to create strategic intent AND evaluate and uncover the right objectives, goals, and KPAs needed to accomplish an organization's most important priorities.

We often fixate on productivity and feel that urgency and continual effort leads to the most output. But the truth is actually counterintuitive. Just like any great sport team needs a break to review and adjust, whether it's a timeout, a halftime, or after game review. In each case the team is able to catch its breath, review performance, and make adjustments.

Our teams are no different. Being intentional about when we take breaks as an organization and what we do during those breaks can dramatically improve our productivity AND create and strengthen a performance friendly culture.

In this podcast, we review some ideas about how to do "pauses" the right way.

AI is taking the world by storm. Whether you love it or hate it, it's here to stay. You can put your head in the sand, like the buggy whip manufacturers, or you can figure out how to drive this new car.

There has a been A LOT of discussion of the jobs AI will replace, and there is truth in this. But there has been less talk about how leaders might use AI to improve their leadership. Notice we didn't say how leaders could get more out of their employees. Rather, this podcast focuses on how leaders can use AI to get more out of themselves!

Only 2% of the front line knows the vision in any organization. What?! 2%?

One issue is what we talked about last time, leadership is not communicating well. But perhaps the bigger issue is whether the front line CARES to know the vision. This is a bigger problem.

In this episode we address exactly how to fix the "care" problem from the front line. And, spoiler alert, it happens by fixing leadership!

Everyone recognizes that communication could be better in their organization. But did you know that only 2% of the front-line team members can accurately restate their organization's strategic vision?! How can an organization successfully reach their strategic objectives if no one knows what they are?

In this episode we talk about the three steps to better communication in your organization. And if you can get better communication, you can get better outcomes.

We've been talking about the disconnect between leaders and frontline, which reflects a natural disconnect between strategy and execution. The gap we've been discussing, however, is really a chasm. It's deeper than we initially thought and the disconnect is causing change management to crash and burn more often than it succeeds.

Once you understand what the chasm is, it's easier to take steps to resolve it.

Most leaders know that change is necessary to survive and that the right change drives innovation, productivity, and competitive advantage. What they don't know is that change is destined to fail for a reason that is not well understood.

In this episode we examine the hidden cause of change failure and the assumption that hides its destructive power.

As leaders we often spend a great deal of time working with individuals or resources to improve outcomes we desire. But this can lead to getting "wrapped around the axle" or worse, "caught in the whirlwind."

When is it better to step back and fix the system or culture as opposed to tinkering with the bits and pieces?

This episode dives deeply into this question and helps leaders understand when they have a people or resource problem and when they have a systems and process problem, and how to deal with each.