A friend of mine is an associate professor at NYU, and he asks me to come and guest lecture for his students. This class is focused on process reengineering.

People underestimate the importance of process. Processes are horizontal, but organizations are vertical, so there’s a tension. Processes are end to end, but because organizations are silos, they only see their piece of the process which is usually well managed…it’s the “white space” between the functions that is where the disconnects usually lie.

Here are the reasons why I think bad process happens to good people.

• The 80/20 rule: the 20% of your work that is exception-based will make up 80% of your effort.
• Manual processes get created as an interim “fix”, but never replaced with automation.
• The group “handing off to you” doesn’t understand your process.
• Process breaks are built into the process, requiring human intervention for fixing, which is usually in people’s heads, creating key person vulnerability.
• The metrics are silo focused: no metrics that measure the cycle time end to end because it goes across functions/organizational reporting lines.
• No one owns the end to end process.

Everywhere I’ve worked, I’ve found that processes are broken. Not people.

Hard to believe, but June is right around the corner…the midyear mark. Performance reviews can be awkward.  I felt like they were doctor appointments: the faster you were in and out, the better. But having a real conversation with your manager is more important than ever to make sure you’re both on the same page in terms of you. Continue reading →

When I was working at a large bank, I had a manager who said to me:

“When it comes to breakfast, the hen is involved, but the pig is committed.”

Now, I know he wasn’t telling me that I had to sacrifice my life for work, but I got his point. Continue reading →

I have confessed to people “I am the laziest person.” which surprises them because they see me as a hard worker with high standards.  Here’s how I define lazy:  I want to get the job done, but without a lot of wasted/non value added effort.  Here are the benefits of being lazy: Continue reading →

I recently had lunch with someone who is starting a new job, and wants to make sure she gets off the right foot. She asked me “How do you know what to say when you’re in a meeting? I don’t want to seem overbearing, or ignorant, but I know it’s important to speak up.”

Continue reading →

Someone had asked me about the best way to sign off on email. It got me thinking to the lessons learned re: electronic communications and the situations I’ve seen. Continue reading →

I got a great question from someone who asked “What’s the best way to sign off on emails to give the correct impression to your recipients?”  Continue reading →

I recently got together with some folks I had worked with in the past….we had worked on an incredibly difficult, multi year, high profile project together.  And as we were reminiscing, laughing, and telling stories about who did what to whom, one thing struck me.

We hadn’t necessarily seen each other or spoken in some time. But the moment we were all around the table again, it was as if time had stopped.

Hard projects are like that…you create bonds with other people unlike any other. You’ve seen each other during wins, during the failures, the mistakes. You’ve seen each other at his or her best and worst.

What it all comes down to is that we all stuck by each other to get through it and accomplish the impossible.  What we’re left with is the knowledge of what we did.  Nothing compares to that feeling: not money, title, or accolades.

So raise your hand for the tough assignments. Stay committed through the end. Care about everyone making it over the finish line. Never forget the importance of integrity. I promise you, you’ll never regret it.

You run the risk of really annoying people around you, but it seems to work.
The tactic? Ask “why?” until you get to the root cause. Five times. Continue reading →