Helping You Prepare for the Unexpected
                                                                                                               December 2012

Blog

Team Scorecards
When the stakes are high, how do you and your team perform?  Is there a concentrated effort to think of new ideas and services that will knock it out of the park?  Does the team take risks?  Do the best and brightest perform?

In these pressure situations, we would all like to think that we are capable of high levels of accomplishment.  The truth is quite the opposite.  When teams are asked to deliver at exceptionally high levels in pressure situations, the decisions they make typically result in average results.

The pressure creates anxiety among team members, and they then gravitate to what is safe.  To counteract that move to safety, make sure you are encouraging everyone to perform, and measure each team member's performance with diligence.  All contributions are important.  Don't simply allow the team to make decisions based on the expert's opinion, or do something that has worked in the past.

Here's a simple tool to ensure the team stays engaged, productive and on track.  In a recent issue of Harvard Business Review, there was a scorecard that I thought was a very effective tool.  It started with the questions to ask each team member at the kickoff meeting, and then a list of questions to ask during the course of the project.

Questions to ask at project kickoff:

Development Goals
What are your development goals?
What competencies do you want to learn? 
What proficiencies do you need to demonstrate?

Steps to Take to Reach Goals
How will you gain experience to reach your goals?

Knowledge You Bring to Project
What prior projects have addressed similar issues?
What experience do you have with this issue?

Ways to Leverage Your Knowledge
What do you know about the product, industry, market, culture, etc?

Then during the course of the project, ask these questions:

How much progress have you made against your goals?
What areas do you need to work on?
List concrete ways that you have made contributions.
Have you contributed as much as you expected?
If not, why?
What kind of knowledge have you shared?
How has that knowledge helped the project?

This is an amazing scorecard!  It really forces the team member to focus, participate, and build his or her skills.  The questions that you ask during the course of the project promote true reflection and honesty, both of which will lead to better team performance.

Personally, I wish I had used it years ago.  The feedback from team members is invaluable, and provides a strong foundation for establishing and staffing future teams. Give it a shot.  If you need help with getting it started, contact Ignite today.

Process Improvement Program
If you focused on 3 things you could do better, and improved them, what would it mean to your bottom line?

That's what process improvements are all about.  You make improvements continuously - in small chunks.

Ignite's Process Improvement Program (PIP) focuses on:
1. Getting ideas and input from the right people (those who have insight into the process)
2. Understanding & documenting the current process (As-Is Stage)
3. Developing the new process (To-Be Vision)

After we go through the first three steps, we monitor results, make changes and go live with the new process.  PIPs become part of everything you do - from the front lines to the back office.

Call today, and let's get started on giving you the tools you need to better lead your business. It's easier than you think. 

3 Great Business Books of 2012

If you are looking for something to give as a gift or read over the holidays, here are a few suggestions:

Take the Stairs - 7 Steps to Achieving True Success - Are there shortcuts to success?  Learn how successful people create success.

How Will You Measure Your Life? - Why are we here, and how do we know how we are making a difference?

The Power of Habit - Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business - The importance of identifying patterns in our lives, and when necessary, changing them.