Learning - It Never Ends!

I have been researching organizational structure, vertical v horizontal, centralized v decentralized, processes, systems, operations and a host of other business practices and management characteristics.  Big words and immense research! This exploration into what makes good companies and good leaders into Excellent companies and Extraordinary Leaders has drawn me deeper in thought than perhaps at any time in my career.  What is the right process?  What has history taught us?  How should we move forward?  Dang, I have a lot to learn!

First of all, I am a big believer in “History repeats Itself”.  The theory that those who have excelled in the past will replicate similar behavior in the future….this has served me well over the years particularly in the hiring process.  On-boarding good people who have had a history of success in their career generally do the same moving forward.  I will never discount this principle however I am beginning to come to an eye-opener that perhaps I need to “re-think” my total acceptance of my understanding of “history repeating itself”.  There are not only good outcomes and actions (hiring scenario) that come out of history repeating itself but also failures.  (Fear of non action or non-change) If we are not open to new ideas, we are eventually going to fail.  The world today is spinning faster than ever before and those of us who do not adapt and try new things will be run over.

As I think about successes that I have personally encountered in my career, I sometimes wish that they may have come slower.  This is odd for anyone to admit but I believe that several early successes “slowed me down” in my development  as husband, father, coach and mentor. What I mean by this is that “quick” success is premature success.  It follows “old school thinking” such as “my way or the highway”. There is only one way to do this and this is how it must be. It causes one to “relax” and perhaps not develop to the next level.  When this happens, it is only a matter of time until the next person or competitor will come along and continue to develop on your idea or process eventually coming up with a much better solution.  When things are going well, why rock the boat?  By avoiding risk you can’t fail!  Work hard, come in early, stay late, be conservative and conscientious and things will take care of themselves…WRONG!

We are taught to avoid mistakes at an early age ~ Do we sometimes “carry” our children over the certain hurdles so they do not hurt themselves?  We don’t want our children to encounter those bad experiences so we tend to be a bit over-protective.  This really doesn’t teach them anything except “failure is not an option”.  I now realize that failure is an option and it is only through failure that we get better. It is through tough times when character is built and we need to experience both the "thrills of victory and also the agony of defeat". To try something new has only two outcomes…it either works or doesn’t work.  When something doesn’t work it gives us other options or feedback that may point the way to a better outcome.  The more open we are to trying new things, the greater the chance that we will find new creative solutions and become more productive.  Keep in mind that a “zero” in the trials folder means zero successes coming from your work!  Failures in one way or another is vital to potential successes down the road!   Always keep your core values close to the vest BUT also try new things!

The fear of making mistakes can be deeply entrenched in ones persona or the entire organization.  It often comes from the “top down” in organizations and can have a disastrous effect on the team.  When all the “little” things that make up a business become big things it creates a very powerful negative influence throughout the organization.  (think  micromanagement -  “Managing with excessive attention to minor detail”  March 15, 2012 blog)  Mistakes need to happen in order to move forward.  In MM, this simply is not allowed. Extreme, overzealous management watches every step in the process.  Certain forecast for chaos and ultimate failure!

As stated earlier we need to realize that we are in the 21^st century, operating in a very complex world that is changing by leaps and bounds everyday!  We will need to encounter challenges that are new to us and we may not have “in our history” ways to meet those impediments.  To be successful we need to learn quickly from new situations and be flexible in meeting challenges.  As leaders we need to be supportive and look beyond the “little things” for the global benefit of the company.  We obviously have to be organized and plan effectively but we also must have a vision and create core values where teams and individuals learn how to work effectively together and come up with emerging solutions to meet these new situations.

The more “blameless” and “open” environment we can foster - the more we will learn and adapt for the future.