Management Coaching: Group Strategies & Objectives

This post is about my recent experience on coaching a team of mid-level engineering managers, responsible for functional areas of quality engineering / assurance (software testing, automation tools, user acceptance testing & field trials, quality assurance process). The engagement lasted just over two months. I was called in to mentor, guide and coach a group of four managers, working with them to create their group strategies such that they aligned with the overall company goals, divisional objectives, ultimately working through each line manager and team member. The result was an aligned strategy for each group, measurable and specific, simple and uncomplicated, that each manager could prove traceability back to overall divisional objectives and company goals.

This particular group of managers had just been through a big divisional restructure, fairly new in the management position, working with new people, new reporting managers as well. The team sizes these managers were responsible for ranged from 20-to-80 people. The challenge was not only in setting up the technical strategy, but also figuring out how to effectively manage the people challenges. My clients (General Manager GM & Head of Department HOD) were keen on getting the strategies drafted so they could carry through with the rest of the implementation planning, motivate for future budgets, as well as feedback to the business on the overall progress (and success thereof) of the recent restructure.

So the engagement was kept brief, short and somewhat fast-paced. We didn't have the luxury of time to spend days experimenting with tools & techniques. At first I was quite interested in adopting the Business Model Canvas as the template for each group manager. I didn't have much experience with using the canvas specifically for department strategies, but was keen to try it out. Whilst I've read the book and experimented with some models in my head, I was sure I could adapt the canvas for business strategies. But time was limiting, I did not want to confuse people, and after bouncing the idea with some peers, I figured this was going to be too much trouble, would need a lot of training and facilitation, mindsets would change as well -- something I didn't have time for. 

Note to self: Still pursue the business model canvas as a template for management strategies!

I also considered maybe taking Google's Objectives & Key Results (OKRs) process and applying similar principles. Again, I decided rather not, because I didn't want to come across as shoving down some other company's ideology onto this new team. OKRs would require a few roadshows and experiments to get right, and time wasn't on my side.

So I decided to use KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid - common-sense approach. Also remembering Chip n Dan Heaths SUCCESs criteria from their work on Made to Stick - Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Story, and of course throw in the classic management technique of SMART - Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-Bound -- we would be on our way to having a tangible strategy that management would approve.

With roughly just over 100 hours committed for this engagement, spread over a period of two months, the approach I took was the following:

1. Get agreement that when it comes to management strategy, it's all about being aligned to business goals. So my aim was to provide traceability top-down-up from Company Goals <<<>>> Business Unit Objectives <<<>>> Divisional Objectives <<<>>> Department Objectives <<<>>> Group Objectives <<<>>> Individual Objectives. 
   
2. Agree that any activity that does not have a direct link back to a goal, is considered waste and should be canned. 
3. Seek out senior management's expectations - what were they after really, via simple survey feedback mechanism.
4. Get the line managers to start thinking strategically by asking some thought-provoking questions - another survey.
5. Meet with each manager one-on-one. Walk through survey results, compare manager's results with senior managers. Talk about alignment issues. Touch on topics for further thinking.
6. Teach the concepts around measurement, visualisation, story-telling, envisioning the future, taking ownership, how to deal with bottlenecks, and HR/people challenges.
7. For each manager, iterate a few rounds of draft strategies
8. Get all managers to review jointly in a room, feedback and alignment from colleagues important.
9. Present and walk through strategies with senior management - get approval on priorities and overall acceptance.
10. Close the engagement & get feedback

Coaching Feedback

Both GM & HOD shared positive feedback - they were impressed by the level of detail, analysis & thought that their new managers applied.  The GM's asked me to extend my coaching to the rest of his groups on this journey, the next one he has in mind is his Project Management Office :-)

Here's some feedback directly from the manager's I coached:

Muhammad was really helpful and a pleasure to work with. His insight and knowledge was amazing.  Also, being on a Programme level gives him visibility from above end to end which mean that he can relate back the experiences and pain points of the different business units etc. What was great, was that he had the ability to ask all the right questions and in a simple form. The way in which he articulates the stuff that we are all thinking about but have no idea how to put together and say it or put it into simple words just leaves me in awe. I looked forward to every one my sessions with him. Without his input and guidance, I now feel, that my department's strategy would have been quite off the mark of where it actually should of and needed to be.

Muhammad's ability to convey his ideas and visualize something that's on his mind always amazes me. The coaching sessions were hugely beneficial and helped me think out the box. He has great insight and I believe a few sessions with him will greatly benefit your career. 

I have enjoyed working with Muhammad because he knows how to get the best out of you, he ask questions, he challenges your way of thinking, he makes you believe in yourself, above everything else, he knows what he's doing and he's definitely a complete Coach. 

Template for Strategies

Each manager crafted their strategy around the following:

1. Who are we and what do we stand for? Your one-line mantra.
2. What is the goal of [YOUR DEPARTMENT] & hence impact on [YOUR GROUP]'s goals?
3. Envisioning the future - i.e. Tell a story of the end-result "Imagine if..."
4. Table that shows your Aspirations, Expectations & Reality 
5. Targets to achieve: Short Term (Dec '15), Medium Term (Mar '16), Long term (Mid-16)
6. For each target, top 3 measurements - i.e. How are you going to measure progress?
7. Summarise your main obstacles and challenges (where senior management could assist).

On being Remarkable

From the back cover of The Big Moo...

Remarkable is ...

Remarkable is being unafraid to stand out.

Remarkable is having a fire in your belly and and idea that won't quit.

Remarkable is telling the truth, always.

Remarkable is knowing that a risky idea might fail, but a boring idea will definitely fail.

Remarkable is failing often and then trying again.

Remarkable is more doing and less planning. More testing and less waiting. More dreaming and less sleeping.

Remarkable is when you stand for something and make it happen and change the world - or your business or your life - along the way.

Remarkable isn't up to you. Remarkable is in the eye of the customer. If your customer decides something you do is worth remarking on, then, by definition, it's remarkable.

Three Rules of Life

Here's another bite from The Big Moo that helps me re-remind myself about the bigger picture, and is quite apt in terms of the journey I now find myself in, with both my personal and professional life:

Three Rules of Life (and everything else)

1. Your Attitude Is Your Life

You can choose your attitude. And your attitude changes your life and the lives of those around you. rarely does a bad attitude solve the problem. Typically, when something goes wrong or feels unpleasant, we get crabby and yell at the wrong people. We may solve the problem, but the crabbiness is an unnecessary extra. Solve the problem without the crummy attitude and everyone wins.

2. Maximize Your Options

When we lock ourselves into one possibility of how things must be done, our businesses, our lives, and the lives of those around us get stuck. Maximize your options. Before you settle on just the right thing, play out a few more possibilities. In all things, big and small, open yourself to the possible options. Then trust yourself to choose the right one for the moment.

3. Don't Let the Seeds Stop You From Enjoying the Watermelon

Tell this to yourself every day. It will help change your attitude. ;-)

On Leadership

Here's another snippet from "The Big Moo" on the philosophies of leadership that promotes my own value system:

Philosophies on Leadership

• Be impatient, don't tolerate mediocrity.
• Be confident in your ability - you CAN make a difference in the world.
• Have extreme passion for your work and those your are working with.
• Never compromise your integrity.
• Risk is the only reward - without risk, there is no benefit.
• Expect isolation, separation, and intolerance.
• Take the time to know and connect with worlds that are vastly different from yours - your greatest discoveries reside there.
• Dare to be different.

Extracted from chapter "The student becomes the teacher".

What, exactly are you afraid of?

Here's another snippet from the Big Moo that resonated strongly with me...

What, exactly are you afraid of?

Here's a list. You pick:

• getting yelled at by the boss
• getting fired
• having your company close down for lack of business
• your company gets acquired and you get fired
• not getting promoted
• making promises you can't keep
• doing the wrong thing
  
• getting caught using the copy machine after hours
• not knowing the right answer

Here's the big news: If your strategy is to lie low, do your job, follow instructions, and hope that nobody notices you, (a) nobody WILL ever notice you, and (b) you're actually increasing the chances of something bad happening.

If, on the other hand, you develop a reputation as the person who is always pushing the envelope, challenging the organisation to go to the next level, and using your influence to get good stuff done, you've got the world's best job security. If you never pretend to know all the answers, nobody will hate you when you say, "I don't know." And if you surround yourself with a team that depends on you to lead them to the next big thing, you all benefit.

You can't shrink your way to greatness. 

-- Extracted from the Big Moo, Seth Godin

They say I'm Extreme

Here's another snippet from the Big Moo that was written just for me :-), and sums up pretty much of my own life & work experience thus far:

They say I'm Extreme

They say I'm extreme.

I say I'm a realist.

They say I demand too much.

I say they accept mediocrity and continuous improvement too readily.

They say, "We can't handle this much change."

I say, "Your job and career are in jeopardy; what other options do you have?"

They say, "What's wrong with a 'good product'?"

I say, "Wal-Mart or China or noth are about to eat your lunch. Why can't you provide instead a fabulous experience?"

They say, "Take a deep breath. Be calm."

I say, "Tell it to Wal-Mart. Tell it to China. Tell it to India. Tell it to Dell. Tell it to Microsoft."

They say the Web is a useful tool.

I say the Web changes everything. Now.

They say, "We need an initiative."

I say, "We need a dream. And dreamers."

They say great design is "nice".

I say great design is necessary.

They say, "Effective governance is important."

I say bold, brash boards that are representative of the market served - more than a token woman or two and an empty seat for the "forthcoming Hispanic" - are an imperative. Now.

The say, "Plan it."

I say, "Do it."

They say, "We need more steady, loyal employees."

I say, "We need more 'freaks' who routinely tell those in charge to take a flying leap...before it's too late."

They say, "We need Good People."

I say, "We need Quirky Talent."

They say, "We like people who, with steely determination, say, 'I can make it better.'"

I say, "I love people who, with a certain maniacal gleam in their eye, perhaps even a giggle, say, 'I can turn the world upside down. Watch me!'"

They say, "Sure, we need change."

I say we nee revolution now.

They say, "Fast follower."

I say, "Battered and bruised leader."

They say, "Conglomerate and imitate!"

I say, "Create and innovate!"

They say, "Market share."

I say, "Market creation."

They say, "Improve and maintain."

I say, "Destroy and reimagine."

They say, "Normal."

I say, "Weird."

They say, "Happy balance."

I say, "Creative tension."

The say a favor a "team that works and lives in harmony."

I say, "Give me a raucous brawl among the most creative people imaginable."

They say, "Peace, brother."

I say, "Bruise my feelings. Flatten my ego. Save my job."

They say, "Basic black."

I say, "Technicolor rules!"

They say, "We need happy customers."

I say, "Give me pushy, needy, nasty, provocative customers."

They say, "We seek Harvard M.B.A.s"

I say, "I seek certificate-free 'Ph.D.s' from the School of Hard Knocks."

They say the want recruits with "spotless records."

I say, "The spots are what matter most."

They say, "Integrity is important."

I say, "Tell the unvarnished truth, all the time... or take a hike."

They say diversity is a "good thing."

I say diversity is a breath of fresh, creative air - absolutely necessary for economic salvation in perilous times.

They say it's "daunting."

I say it's "a hoot."

They say, "Zero defects."

I say, "A day without a screwup or two is a day pissed away."

They say, "Think about it."

I say, "Try it."

They say, "Plan it."

I say, "Test it."

They say, "Radical change takes a decade."

I say, "Radical change takes a minute."

They say, "Times are changing."

I say, "Everything has already changed. Tomorrow is the first day of your revolution... or you're toast."

They say, "We can't all be revolutionaries."

I say, "Why not?"

They say this is just a rant.

I say this is just reality.