Managerial Moment of Truth - Book Notes & Review

The Managerial Moment of Truth:
The Essential Step in Helping People Improve Performance

By Bruce Bodaken and Robert Fritz
Published in 2006

Book Notes by Wendy Kincade – April 2009

The Managerial Moment of Truth (MMOT) defined:

It is the moment when you are AWARE that there is a difference between what you expected and what was delivered, combined with having made a CONSCIOUS DECISION as to whether or not you are going to do anything about it.

The MMOT approach is one of mutual exploration and learning—together we are backing up and studying reality. “Are you seeing what I am seeing? Am I seeing what you are seeing? And where we are seeing reality differently, how are we to understand why we are seeing it differently?”

What the authors mean by TRUTH:

The word “truth” (small t) refers to that which is objective, factual, and observable. For example, a deadline was made or it wasn’t. Speaking the “truth” is about stating what reality actually is and how you know it.

INSIGHT into conflict-based behavior correction:

A behavior that is corrected solely to avoid or remove conflict will eventually reemerge.

MMOT is based on four basic factors:
1. The manager’s ability to see the unvarnished reality
2. The manager’s ability to bring people into the process of analyzing that reality
3. Creating a better designed managerial approach for the future
4. Establishing a system of follow-through as a mentoring process for improved performance

RULE OF THUMB:

Be direct. Be clear and straightforward.

MMOT asks and answers these questions:
1. What happened? (Literal description—A deadline was not met)
2. How and why did it happen? (Reality based on process; no excuses or deflecting)
3. What can we learn that we will use next time? (What actions need to change?)
4. How will we know that it’s working? (Literal description—Did we meet our deadline?)


STEP ONE: Acknowledge the Truth/Reality
State the facts and work toward agreement on these facts. Do you agree that today was the deadline for the task to be completed? Do you agree that the task is not yet completed? Simply stating reality will not move you any closer to a resolution. Only after everyone has acknowledged their agreement to the same reality can you move on to Step Two.

STEP TWO: Analyze How It Got to Be That Way
The spirit of this step is to explore the decisions that were made that created the actual results. What were the assumptions? Did they turn out to be true? What was the actual planning process? It’s important to bring the person into a true process of analysis, not into problem-solving or a listing of excuses. In other words, we want to help the person track the thought process that lead them to the decisions that were made.

As the person verbally walks through their thought process, help them recognize and acknowledge the consequences (good and bad) of each decision and/or action. Continually stating and requesting acknowledgement of reality is key to a successful analysis.

STEP THREE: Walk Away with an Action Plan
As ways to adjust the process are discovered and agreed upon, put them in writing. Create an action plan that clearly states what these adjustments are and how they will be used to successfully fulfill expectations. An agreement is being made, so it is important that everyone knows what they are agreeing to. The action plan will naturally lead to another moment of truth:

· The actions will or will not have been put into place
· The person will or will not begin to produce the desired results

STEP FOUR: Create a Feedback System
Do not assume that having had “the talk” is all that is needed to put a correction into place. Frequently, corrections need further adjustments and/or the person may need additional support. Work with them to create a feedback system that includes a timeline and specific milestones.

Wendy’s Book Review:

On the surface, the ideas in this book may seem simple and intuitively logical, which might encourage a leader or manager to minimize the book’s potential impact. I created this document because I recognize how powerful each of the four steps can be when used to positively influence performance, whether it be my own or someone else’s, and I wanted a summary of these ideas to refer back to. This document is not intended to replace reading of the book. Its purpose is to provide a summary of the key steps of MMOT to those who have read the book and who now want to put them into practice.

The Key to Facilitation is Trust

Word count: 330 - Estimated read time: 3 minutes

When I go into a company, the first thing people want to know is ‘What are you doing here?’ and ‘Why are you asking me questions?’ What they quickly realize is that I am there to help improve their work experience. I am there to help them create a work environment where they can be happy, healthy, and productive. They learn that I am on their side, that they will be heard, and that they will be taken seriously. They also learn that I am there to provide these same things to everyone else.

Facilitation is about trust. It’s about creating a safe place where people can share their concerns, their ideas, and their hopes. Trust doesn’t come easy, and it must be earned. For someone to share their concerns, they must believe that the facilitator:

1. Can help them

2. Won’t embarrass them

3. Will keep in confidence anything said in confidence

4. Will not use what they learn about them against them

5. Will give them advice that is about them, not about the facilitator (or anyone else)

In a group facilitation, it is also important for the individuals in the group to have trust in the process; especially since they will most likely be encountering individuals in the group who, through experience, they have learned to distrust.

There are several ways a facilitator can help a group overcome experiential distrust. First, focus on processes—how things get done, how products and paperwork flow, etc. Second, encourage people to speak from their own experiences within these processes—focus on the what, not on the who. Third, make sure everyone participates, especially the most reluctant—if a safe environment has been created, this won’t be hard to do.

Finally, the facilitator should share stories that help group members recognize that many of their issues also exist in other organizations, and that most of these issues have been happening in companies for as long as there have been employee/employer relationships.

Originally written on March 31, 2009

Why "BlueSkyMorning?"

Word Count: 750 - Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

I get asked a lot how I came up with the name, BlueSkyMorning. So here goes.

Back in 1998, when @Home first introduced high-speed internet cable access to the community where I lived (Buena Park, California), I was all over it. I had gotten so frustrated with dial-up that I even paid the $50 installation fee instead of waiting for the free installation offer I knew would be coming.

Then, @Home became part of a national scandal (kind of like Enron) and was picked up by Comcast. Eventually, Comcast was picked up by someone else, but by then I had made the switch to my own domain. Prior to registering my own domain, however, I had had at least five different e-mail addresses: two in North Bend, Oregon—harborside.net and ucinet.com; and three in Buena Park—worldwidewebinc.com, @home.net, and comcast.net. I even think I had Earthlink and Juno accounts for a while.

During the Comcast era, I decided that I never wanted to change my e-mail address again, and so I embarked on a search to find the “perfect” domain for myself. First criterion—it had to be something anyone could spell without asking “How do you spell that?” Second—it had to be easy to pronounce and hear so that no one would say “Eh? What did you say?” Third—it had to create a visual in people’s minds so that they would remember me. And finally, it had to be something I could live with forever.

Yeah, I know. Forever is a long time. But really, what I mean is: when you check in with a word or phrase that is used to describe you and/or what you stand for, you know that you have found the right one when your instinctual response to the word or phrase is always “YES!” and never “ick.” I knew that in order for me to always be able to say “YES,” I needed something that captured my essence—something I wouldn’t outgrow. It is the act of outgrowing or moving on that causes me to say “ick” to things that seem so perfect at the time I first embrace them.

I played around with lots of ideas over the next three months before coming up with BlueSkyMorning. At that moment, I knew I had found it—it was love at first thought. However, because I have a propensity for falling quickly in (and out) of love with ideas, I spent the next couple of months waiting to see if I would outgrow it. In other words, I kept checking it for the “ick” factor. That was ten years ago and I am glad to say that I still say “YES!”

But why do I say “YES?” Because it is impossible for me to think of a blue sky morning without thinking positive future thoughts and without feeling positive future energy all through my mind and body. It is this emphasis on the positive and on the future that is my essence. Everything I believe and all that I stand for can be embodied in the phrase BlueSkyMorning.

Interestingly, however, BlueSkyMorning was never intended as a business name. In fact, I didn’t even have a website for the first five or six years. It was strictly for e-mail purposes. When I started my consulting business in 2005, my business cards read: Wendy Kincade, Business Consulting & Training – E-mail wendy@blueskymorning.com. But when I tried to sign up for things (meetings, parties, chamber events), the registration people didn’t know how to complete their forms—they had a field called “Company Name,” and damn it, they needed something to put in it. Some tried using “Business Consulting & Training.” Others figured it out and used my name. But somewhere along the way (I had a website by then) someone assumed that if my domain and website were blueskymorning, then blueskymorning must be my company name. They entered it into their company name field and the rest is history.

Side Note 1: It took me a while to get used to using my essence as my company name (another long story), but eventually I did. Obviously.

Side Note 2: Blue has always been my favorite color; I have always dreamt of having the power of flight; I like the limitlessness of the sky; and while I have never been a morning person, I like light and the quality of it during the first hours of the day.

How to keep your best and brightest employees happy and productive

By Wendy Kincade - October 2008

Estimated read time: 5 minutes

You know who these people are in your organization. They are your GO TO people. You depend on them constantly to keep things together. They know where things are, and they get things done. They are, however, also the employees who get the most frustrated when chronic problems exist in the organization. They spend countless hours passionately complaining about what is wrong and about what should be done, and they will work long hours, if necessary, to make things right. They are also the ones you will miss most when they are gone.

So how do you keep these best and brightest employees happy and productive? Especially since keeping them is KEY to the success of your organization.

While they tend to be high-maintenance individuals who require a great deal of time and understanding on your part, they are also the ones who are most passionate about doing a great job. If you can provide them with what they need to do a great job, they will be your most dedicated and devoted employees.

In fact, they are already your most dedicated and devoted employees. You just need to figure out how to keep them that way.

So what do these best and brightest individuals want from you in order to be happy and productive?

First and foremost, THEY WANT YOU TO LEAD, not manage – Owners and executives frequently make the mistake of leaving their best and brightest flailing away without guidance. This is an easy pattern to fall into since the best and brightest are highly competent in task completion, and they appear to prefer independence. But they still want guidance from you on “what you want;” even if they rarely need advice on how to do it. And while they don’t need to be managed, they do need a strong underlying structure from which to operate. And they thrive on knowing and contributing to the big picture.

They want to WORK IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF HIGH INTEGRITY, where everyone works hard and pulls their own weight. They want you to recognize your power and responsibility to drive and influence the cultural environment. And they expect you to actively use that power to create an environment that is both positive and productive. And they expect you, as the leader, to deal with the slackers.

They want to WORK FOR SOMEONE THEY RESPECT as an individual and as a leader – Because they want to do a great job, and have an impact on the world, they want to know that they are giving their efforts to someone who shares those values, and who practices them in all aspects of their life. When they go out into the world, they want to be proud to talk about where they work, who they work for, and what role they play.

They want you to LET THEM BE BETTER THAN YOU at what they do better than you – You don’t have to be an expert at everything. They have their areas of expertise. Let them be experts in these areas.

They want FORMAL RESPECT FROM YOU in the eyes of their peers and subordinates – It is not enough for you to just tell them how much you respect and appreciate them. They need a formal title that truly represents the authority and responsibilities they practice in their daily work. They need an accurate and respected place in the organization’s hierarchy. And while they are, most likely, already your organization’s informal leaders, they also need formal authority, granted by you, and acknowledged by you throughout the organization; only then will they feel they are being taken seriously.

They want opportunities for PERSONAL GROWTH and CAREER ADVANCEMENT – Your best and brightest have an intense fear of stagnation. They must always be moving forward personally and professionally. If this need is not being met within your organization, they will look elsewhere. Creating and implementing a human resource development plan, and combining it with the philosophy and practice of promotion from within, will keep them motivated for a while (as long as they see themselves as serious participants), but what they really want from you is a mentoring relationship. They know you have a wealth of knowledge that can help them advance, and they want you to share that knowledge with them. They want you to teach them those important things about the organization that can’t be learned in a classroom.

And finally, they want CASH – The inability to get one’s basic financial needs met is a powerful anti-motivator. And while the best and brightest aren’t generally motivated by money, the embarrassment and loss of self-respect associated with financial insolvency can be enough to send them on their way. They have a strong need for pay equity—equal pay for equal effort expended. They need a sense of ownership—they want to work for “our” organization, not “yours,” and they are willing to ride out financial hard times (as long as everyone else is) in exchange for real profit sharing during good times.