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:
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 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:
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:
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:
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.
