Let the River Flow
Let the River Flow
How to unlock true Business Potential
Olive Tree Learning
Sat beneath an olive tree in ancient Greece, Socrates may
have been the first to formally introduce his students to the idea
of making personal choices about destiny. Rather than trying to
make the best of their often poor circumstances, he might have
encouraged them to think about what 'could be' rather than
what is. He might have urged them to see themselves as having
potential to do more than merely bend to the will of those who
believed that 'might was right'. He probably caused some of
them to recognise in themselves the power to challenge the
status quo, something that may well have been responsible for
his trial and death.
Such was the power that Socrates threatened to unleash
in people. It was enough to cause not only his own demise but to
launch a philosophy that is as powerful today as it was back then,
founded at least in part on the notion that the removal of
barriers clears the way for something new. The contemporary
followers of this philosophy in the business environment are
those trained extensively in the skill and art of asking Socratic
questions. They are Professional Coaches.
Some practice in the Executive Suites of the corporate
world, others in the board rooms of growing businesses and yet
more at the coal-face of leadership and people management in
all manner of enterprise. They all hold a common principle, that
the performance of a person or an enterprise is not wholly
determined by circumstance, ability or application, but instead
may be considered representative of the potential of all of its
constitute elements, minus whatever interference, impedance or
barriers that have prevented that full potential being manifest.
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This however is not an easy concept to convey. It is as
threatening to some as it was back in the days of Socrates.
Surely if a person has a job to do and a reasonable quota
to achieve, then they should be expected to achieve it. Should
they exceed that quota then there is a cause for celebration.
Should they fail to achieve it then there is cause for investigation
and possibly criticism or worse. More often than not this is seen
as the natural order of things, the status quo. A situation in
which each person knows their place and is required to perform
in accordance with it. A state of affairs where a person failing to
perform at the required level is replaced by another who, it is
hoped, will.
Just like Socrates, today's Professional Coaches question
this status quo. They do not hold with awarding praise simply
because an arbitrary quota has been achieved, nor do they
sanction criticism of individuals who might find themselves in a
situation where such measures have not been met. Instead they
want to know what the potential of each element in the 'mix' is
capable of achieving. They want to know what performance
might be like if all of this potential were to be achieved, and then
they want to help establish targets and quotas that are relevant
to the reality of the context or circumstance. In some instances
this may suggest that the old arbitrary quotas were far too soft
and could well have been delivering more for a long time.
Coaches are therefore both a means to achieve higher
productivity outputs and a razor sharp tool for determining the
real potential for productivity levels.
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Let the River Flow
Takeaways:
1. Asking better questions is powerful a powerful tool that
challenges the status quo. It will be looked upon with
suspicion and fear unless those with whom it is applied are
engaged in a shared outcome. It pays therefore to ensure
that the introduction of coaching as a means of
performance improvement is considered strategically as
well as tactically. It is a potent means of creating change
but requires a skilled application to make it so.
2. By asking better questions better responses will be
elicited. New thoughts can only be generated in the
absence of old ones and questions are a means of 'wiping
the slate clean' to allow for more creative approaches to
emerge. Organisations are made up of people with
emotions, and it is these emotions that dictate their
behaviours and responses, therefore think through how
new and better questions may be applied and avoid any
downside of upset feelings.
3. Coaching is a hard edged tool. A tool that when sharpened
and applied with skill can rip through years of
unrecognised complacency and open up new possibilities
and higher levels of performance. This will challenge the
most senior of managers because it casts doubt on what
might once have been considered good performance. It
must therefore be treated with care and those likely to be
affected must be properly engaged before challenging the
status quo.
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Refusing to merely go with the flow
The River as a metaphor for Performance
Performance is real and measurable. It can be good or
bad, better or worse than before or be set to get better or
become worse than it was. We are much like a person standing
on the banks of a river gazing at the level of the water. We may
look back upstream and notice that before it reached us here it
was flowing more freely and faster, or that it has gained more
momentum and is now flowing more freely than it was. We can
also look ahead to where the river is going and speculate as to
how it might change depending on what it's heading toward.
This is analogous to the performance of a business. The
business performance 'now' is the river. We can see it, touch it,
feel it, hear it and engage with it in all manner of ways. Just like
the river we can dive into the business now and connect with it.
Just like the river, we can look back to where the business has
come from and notice that there were times when it flowed
more freely and performed better, as well as times when it might
have been restricted and performed less well. However our
noticing of these things will not be enough to change the way the
river is performing right now today. The business situation is the
very similar. Knowing why the business is performing to its
current level may be useful but that knowledge alone can't
actually change it.
The level is what it is right now because the things that have
caused it to be at this level have already happened. This is the
key difference between the problem solving approach of most
managers and the use of better questions by managers skilled
and practiced in coaching. The former want to dive in and fix
things while the latter want to determine if the potential exists
to have avoided the problems in the first place, and if it did to
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track back upstream and remove the barriers that prevented it
from manifesting.
The river 'is what it is' at the time we interact with it, just
as the business performance also 'is what it is' when we interact
with it. Jumping right into it, thrashing around making plenty of
noise and creating waves may do something, but as soon as the
activity ceases so the influence ends and the river goes back to
flowing just as it did before.
Once in a while the thrashing around may happen upon a
genuine cause of significant and lasting change to alter future
performance and perhaps the removal of a blockage or the
dredging up of buried interference may achieve some
sustainable improvement from now on. As for performance
now, what's done is done and if the intervention 'splash' has in
truth only been about making noise and being 'seen' to take
some action then it will achieve nothing of real value.
It's worth noting that rarely is performance addressed
when it's considered to be good. Performance 'measures' are
much more likely when the flow is worse than it should be, or
the level has dropped below that which it ought. If performance
were a river then it's flow may have been restricted by barriers
and dams further upstream that reduce its level. Jumping into
the water at its new low level will do nothing but create a few
ripples. After which the river might flow into yet more dams and
even more barriers that restrict its flow. By which time things can
look really bad. What was once a mighty river may now be just a
paltry puddle.
In the world of business the worse a situation gets the more
emotion it stimulates. It's scary to watch the water level fall and
fall. When business performance ends up as the equivalent of a
puddle, the situation can feel desperate. It is little wonder then
that the leadership splash around in the trickle that remains,
screaming for the water to flow and the levels to rise.
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Unfortunately for them it can't, because the problem isn't where
they are putting their attention.
It is not possible for the levels to rise and the river to flow
if it has been dammed up before hand. Most of its power and
potential has been left upstream, so leaping around franticly in
what's left will do nothing but expend energy that could be put
to better use elsewhere.
The Current as a metaphor for Potential
If the river is a metaphor for performance then the current
is a metaphor for potential. The current can determine the
strength of a river in the same way that potential can determine
the strength of a business. The current is the hidden powerhouse
that drives the flow of the river. It is the strength of the current
that determines the speed with which the river flows, the levels
to which it might rise and the collection and distribution of things
it picks up along the way. Similarly the potential of a business,
both the potential of the business proposition itself and the
potential of all those that work to make it a success, is the source
of power within the business.
Every rivers current is different and all currents can change
depending on what is added and taken away. A business also has
a current because it holds within it the potential of every person
that works there. The collective potential of all those people is
the equivalent of the collective impetus of the rivers current.
Their combined potential is the hidden powerhouse that will
drive the flow of the business and determine its destiny.
When allowed to flow to its full potential the river will storm
away getting faster and more powerful, but put barriers in its
way and it will lose some of that power. Allow lots of small dams
to get in its way and it will get slower and less powerful with
each interference. These small interferences may be seemingly
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insignificant in their own right but cumulatively they are
devastating.
A business flows in much the same way. Allow the potential
of every person working within it to flow freely without
interference and the whole business will move faster and
become more powerful. Put barriers in its way however and the
creative force of the whole is weakened. The more dams that
appear, the less powerful the whole becomes. The small
insignificant interferences in the business environment will
become just as devastating as their counterparts in the river.
By the time a business has reached the critical stage of low
performance and severely restricted flow, it is just like the river
that's become a puddle. Jumping around in it and trying to make
a splash won't achieve the goal of improving performance but is
more likely to simply waste whatever energy is left. The only way
to increase the power of the business 'current' is to engage with
the business 'potential'. If the leadership recognises the potential
that already exists in each and every worker, and then pin point
all the little dams that are getting in the way of it flowing freely
then performance will inevitably improve. There is little point in
spending time on analysing performance as it stands without
also going back upstream and seeing what dams have been
allowed to form.
Not all Rivers are equal
Recognising that the power of the river to carve a path for
itself depends on the strength of the current is a major
breakthrough in leadership thinking. The curriculum of most high
level leadership programmes will feature marketing, ethics,
accounting, organisational behaviour, forecasting, financial
management, operations management, strategic approaches
and the economy. They may even make mention of coaching as a
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means of effective performance management but they will not
simplify the whole thing by stating the blindingly obvious. Which
is that all the tweaking in the world of marketing and sales,
commitment to ethical processes, clear and honest accounting,
efficient organising, clever forecasting, smart financial juggling,
detailed project planning and accurate aligning with the bigger
market and wider economy will come to nothing if the business
potential is not there, or if that potential is not being accessed.
It is counter intuitive to shift focus away from current
performance and move instead to an analysis of potential. This is
because most leaders have reached their lofty positions of power
by becoming excellent problem solvers. The better they are at
solving problems, the more likely they've been to be promoted
or to have leveraged the funds to start their own business.
Problem solving is revered and applauded in business because it
is a necessary skill but like anything it can be overused. When
problem solving becomes the default position over and above all
else the benefits can be outweighed by the problems it causes.
The desire to be 'right' to be 'in control' to be 'involved' are less
than useful facets of problem solving. It is therefore logical that
the problem solving managers' first response to any challenge is
to treat every situation as a problem waiting to be solved. They
want to figuratively leap into the river and find what's slowing it
down by paying attention to what it is doing and how it's
performing now.
Yet the answers are not in the 'now' but are in the past. They
are not where the river is now but where the river has been. This
is not a comfortable position for problem solvers to be in
because how can they solve a problem that's already happened?
Their intuition tells them that what's done is done and only the
future will make a difference. Their education points them
toward making adjustments to the mechanisms they believe
control performance. In one sense they are of course correct but
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in another are completely wrong. The past does matter because
it tells us two things, firstly it can allow us to determine the
potential of each person involved, and secondly it can show us
the barriers that have got in the way of that potential flowing
freely. Without being aware of those blockages any future
focused action may be ineffective. The past certainly does not
equal the future nor is it an accurate indicator of performance,
but if you know what you're looking for it can be a source of
invaluable information.
Some rivers, like some businesses, start with magnificent
potential. The river may surface under pressure high in the
mountains and by the force of momentum carve a mighty path
for itself. A good business starts with a business idea with huge
potential and then hires magnificent people with just the
potential to deliver what it needs. The higher that potential in
both the more initial momentum it has. If however it doesn't hire
people with high levels of potential then it isn't going to gather
very much momentum. If it keeps on adding people with limited
potential then it will keep on lowering the level of performance it
can ever achieve.
Not all rivers are equal and neither are businesses. If the
potential just isn't there then looking for barriers won't achieve
very much. If the potential is limited and in addition there are
dams across its path then low levels of performance are a given.
The role of leadership must be to equip the business with the
highest levels of potential and then ensure that nothing gets in
its way. Then and only then do all the other leadership tools and
techniques add value.
Notice that fast flowing rivers with strong currents brush
aside minor barriers that could have become a dam if the river
had less power or momentum. The same is true in business. An
organisation that taps into the full potential of its people and
generates momentum towards an agreed and aligned goal will
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naturally sweep aside any rocks that fall in its way or branches
that fall across its path. A truly unfettered organisation can
become practically unstoppable in achieving its goals. However
the same organisation with the same people may perform very
differently if the potential of its employees is stifled, its flow is
restricted and slowed, and barriers are allowed to dam up its
progress.
Takeaways
1. Performance now is not determined only by what is
happening now. The flow of a river, like the flow of
business performance is influenced by current
circumstances but has been patterned by what
happened upstream. Therefore look first at potential
and establish if you already have what it takes in the
team to get the job done the way you want it done.
2. Success or failure is not determined by comparisons to
competitors, the market or the budget, but by
comparing potential performance to actual. The real
opportunities for performance improvement will
appear when the barriers and interference to the
achievement of each and every persons' potential have
been removed, so start looking for them and getting rid
of interference.
3. Some barriers are self-inflicted. Systems and processes
that were invented for good logical reasons may be
doing more harm than good. Be careful not to discard
everything because some will be essential safeguards,
but equally be sure to challenge everything and
anything that acts as a barrier to the achievement of
individual potential.
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Rivers and Inundations
Spreading Creativity, Energy and Enthusiasm
In Ancient Egypt the people living along the banks of the Nile
relied on a yearly inundation. The rains in the high plains of
Africa would eventually cause the Nile to overflow. The power of
the mighty river would collect rich sediment and minerals and
then spread them over the fields that line the bank of the Nile.
Without the inundation and the distribution of the nutrient-rich
sediment the fields would not have what it takes to grow crops,
and without growing crops people would starve. The inundation
was a big deal.
The river was therefore of huge importance to these
people and naturally they wanted to do whatever they could to
ensure their survival and prosperity. In many instances this
wasn't by taking any practical action but by trying to 'encourage'
the river to deliver the goods. This was a desire similar to that in
business of wanting to achieve the full potential of employees
and allowing their energy, enthusiasm and creativity to overflow.
Now, as back then there are some strange ways of encouraging
this to happen.
A business needs its own inundations to take place for other
people within it to grow. In the same way that the Nile current
carried with the necessary elements for food to grow, the
powerful current of unfettered potential carries with it the
necessary elements for businesses to grow and prosper, and
unlike the ancient people of Egypt, the leaders of businesses do
not have to wait for an annual event and simply hope that it's a
good one. Business inundations can happen every day from
every employee if they are allowed to. The cross fertilisation of
ideas and energy can cause a business flow to improve
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massively, and like the Egyptians everyone concerned can
prosper as a result.
When in doubt people make 'stuff' up
In Ancient Egypt they apparently didn't know what caused the
inundation to happen nor what might get in the way to cause it
to be prevented. The chief problem solvers of their day, who just
as in modern business had risen to leadership positions, were
probably frustrated by this and therefore likely as not needed to
be seen to do something - after all, they needed to at least look
like they were in control. The result was a combination of
emotionally driven activity falling into three categories; firstly
appeals to a greater power, secondly appeals to the river itself as
if it were sentient and thirdly a relinquishing of any notion of
control whatsoever. As strange as it may seem, these three
groups represent a similar approach to the way business
inundation is considered today.
The first group imagined that gods were responsible for
the flow of the river and that these beings were more powerful
than mere mortals. As such they were to be worshipped in
specific ways and specific steps in that worship had to be
properly followed. Rules of behaviour were established and
people forced to behave in accordance with them, for any
deviance would be noticed by the gods and would lead to
everyone being punished. When the inundation was good this
group assumed that they had been good at obeying the rules.
When the inundation was poor they deduced that some people
had not been adhering to the rules and as such should be sought
out and punished. Whatever happened they would feel justified
in having their rules, and before long people forgot just who
made them up and when they were made. They were the rules
and the rules have to be obeyed.
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The second group determined that the river itself had a
mind of its own and should therefore be treated in a very specific
ways. They chose to pay attention to it very closely as a form of
worship and obedience. Tossing bouquets onto the river while
chanting would certainly give the impression that progress was
being made and provide some kind of emotional certainty that
they were at least 'doing their best'. Hence they would interpret
whatever they noticed and act in accordance with their
interpretation. When the inundation was good they assumed
that their actions were being rewarded. When it was less good
they looked to themselves to do better.
The third group could not perceive how they might have
any influence on the river at all. These were the pragmatists only
interested in making the most of whatever situation existed.
They did what they could with whatever they had and if more of
less were to be available in the future, then so be it.
The similarities between these approaches and leadership
positioning in business are obvious. With regard to the first
group, business leaders may not pray to a higher power
necessarily but they do create rules and systems that are
designed to put a form of higher power in control, often
themselves. These rules and systems may be logical and
intellectually well thought through but have nothing to do with
the real cause of business inundations of creativity energy and
enthusiasm. Often the rules were established in a different time
when attitudes were different. The business rules of a post war
western democracy struggling to cope with growth in demand,
when communication depended on typed correspondence and
fuzzy phone calls will never be appropriate in a technologically
advanced society. Hierarchies of command and control suited to
the battlefield are not suitable in a world of instant messaging
and social media. People involved in business today may think in
terms that are the polar opposite of tight systems, rules and
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controls. The coaching approach of releasing the potential of
each individual and every work group when clearly focused on an
aligned goal is far more likely to resonate. Whereas if a person
says 'it's not my place to say anything' or something similar, then
it is a clear indication that rules are getting in the way of natural
business inundation. It is a warning sign that the leadership is not
only failing to remove barriers to the flow of potential but is
actually putting their own dams in place.
Those leaders whose focus is always on the performance
of today are exemplified by those demanding weekly figures,
daily detailed analyses and the like. They are the modern
equivalent of the river worshipers and like their ancient
counterparts want to be seen as 'doing their best', often under
difficult circumstances. They are deluded into believing that their
own frantic actions will somehow affect the course of the river
inundations. In reality they do nothing to release untapped
potential, they have no intention of constructively identifying
barriers to the flow of potential that already exists but merely
want their own actions justified. This is not confined to only
larger organisations but is very prevalent within them. The
organisation may not set out to create mini fiefdoms or to hire
control freaks but anyone who has ever worked in an
organisation of any size knows they exist. These are the river
worshipers. They can be fanatical and as such can be dangerous
because they will believe their own fantasy and come to see
themselves as an integral and necessary component of business
success, when in reality they are merely splashing about in the
river making noise.
The third group are the scariest of all. Those who for
whatever reason have come to believe that no matter what they
say or do nothing can be influenced. These fatalists are unlikely
to take the same attitude to their private life, but when it comes
to the working situation they are just like their Ancient Egyptian
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counterparts who got on with their job, kept their heads down
and let what was to be come to pass. This is such a waste when it
happens in the business environment. Assuming that the right
people have been hired, each person holds within themselves
the potential to do better, achieve more and contribute to the
overall goal. To be allowed to pretend that this potential doesn't
exist is a disservice to the business and the individual. When
people are heard to say 'It doesn't matter what I say because no
one will listen anyway' or similar, then it's a clue that the C'est la
Vie attitude is being allowed to flourish.
It's understandable that people have an innate need to feed
their own emotional desire for control and hence in the absence
of a solid foundation of facts will simply make things up. When a
river is dammed its flow creates a reservoir. If the constraints
around that reservoir are solid and the water is held firm then it
can be of use at some later date, but if it simply overflows and
ebbs away then the potential it once held is lost forever.
Unblocking long established dams achieves one of two things. It
either allows the river of potential to flow and prevents it being
wasted, or it unleashes the potential held in a reservoir causing a
huge inundation in the business. There is no downside to being a
dam buster in business.
When business inundations become the norm then potential
will be allowed to flow and momentum will be unleashed. If
performance is a river then the levels of that river will grow and
occasionally overflow for everyone's benefit. If the current of the
river is the combined force of every person's potential then
releasing it will push the river along faster and with more power.
If the barriers to performance and the restriction of potential are
the dams that are allowed to form or are not removed when
they appear, then they must be constantly addressed. The dams
need to be busted and natural problem solving leaders must
learn to look elsewhere to find the real solutions. Not necessarily
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specific solutions to the problems being experienced but the
solution to removing the causes of them and any repetition in
the future. Problem solvers must also become dam busters.
Takeaways
1. Business rules were not god given, someone made them
up. So challenge the rules that you are working with
because if they are getting in the way of releasing the full
potential of your people then they are costing you
inundations of creativity, enthusiasm and energy.
2. Performance is not determined by someone or something
else. Your business performance is determined only by the
potential you have in your people and your business
proposition, minus the barriers that are getting in the way
of that potential being reached. If your business
proposition has poor potential expect poor performance,
and if you hire people with poor potential again expect
poor performance, but if you hire good people and have a
good business proposition then you have it within your gift
to generate good performance.
3. Fate has no place in business. Things will not simply 'be
what they will be' because other people are trying to
change them, often successfully, and to manipulate the
business world in their favour. You can either have a plan
for your own destiny or accept that you'll be living with
someone else's plan for yours as well as their own. The
choice is yours.
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The curious case of the 'Gas Monkey' and 'Restoration'
Garage
TV Research
For many people like me that love classic cars and all
things driven by a petrol engine the internet has opened up a
world of new material. Popular video hosting sites are a source
of great entertainment and information. They are also an
inadvertent source of comparative material that demonstrate
different approaches to the organisation and leadership of
similar working situations. Gas Monkey and Restoration Garage
are two such examples.
Discovery Channel host a show called 'Fast n' Loud' that
features the 'Gas Monkey' Garage in Texas. The show traces the
weekly activities of Richard Rawlings, the owner, his chief
mechanic Aaron Kaufman and his team. It makes a feature of
their outgoings and revenue in relation to restoration projects
and car sales providing the viewer with an indication of their
success and how that success has been achieved.
The National Geographic Channel is home to a Canadian
programme featuring the 'Guild' classic car restoration garage in
Ontario, with each programme following the activities of its
owner David Grainger, Paul Franklin the garage manager and his
mechanics in relation to a particular set of projects. They both
rebuild and restore cars, either to an improved standard or to 'as
new' condition, they are both privately owned by a businessman
entrepreneur and they both have a skilled team of mechanics,
fabricators, paint specialists and upholsterers. However they are
presented as operating very differently.
The Ontario operation has a strict hierarchy with a garage
manager and distinct teams of in house specialists. They manage
the business by determining the hours spend on a job. The
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longer it takes, the more the customer will be charged.
Customers are provided with a broad estimate by the garage
manager however if the mechanics or fabricators have a
problem, make a mistake or for some other reason take longer
than the original estimate, the customers' bill simply increases.
There is nothing underhand or odd about this and it their system
is made clear to their clients beforehand. It is simply the way
they do business and is apparently the way they have been
successfully doing business for the 25 years or so that Grainger
has owned the 'Guild'.
Even though this approach is made clear to clients in advance
and all parties agree before work begins, it is not without its
problems. In more than one episode a restoration project has
been stopped dead, and the partially constructed car either
returned to its owner, if the bills are paid up to date, or stored in
the 'Guild tomb of unfinished vehicles' because the escalating
costs reached a level that the owners can no longer afford to
fund. Cars are reported as being in the garage for months or
even years before they are ready for their impatient owners to
collect them and pay the considerable bills that have accrued.
The show presents the customers as being delighted with the
work and appreciative of the considerable skills of the 'Guild'
mechanics. A cynic might question how balanced and
representative this is of reality, particularly as Grainger had been
reluctant to engage with the TV production company because of
a previous bad experience with another reality show. It is
therefore wise to take everything presented with a generous
'pinch of salt'.
In Dallas Texas however the situation is very different.
When a car is being restored by the gas Monkey' garage it is
normally being done for resale and as such the costs and time
spent on it need to be minimised. Richard Rawlings agrees a
budget and time frame with the chief mechanic Kaufman and
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then he and his team of mechanics and local external suppliers
do their best to achieve it. A notable difference is in the systemic
approach they take to the job in hand. Unlike their Canadian
counterparts they do not appear to do a detailed projection of
the number of hours each will need to complete their portion of
the job. Indeed, it'd be easy to imagine one of them scornfully
rejecting such an approach and suggesting that they could
already have got a considerable amount of work done in the
time it would have taken to figure out how much they might
have to do. Such is the nature of this more dynamic and fluid
approach to car restoration where mechanics appear less
concerned with their position in a hierarchy and are more
focused on the particular job in hand.
This is exemplified by the manner in which problems are
addressed. If they make a mistake they will work through the
night to fix it. If a supplier delivers a wrong part they will do
whatever it takes to get another one from wherever they can
and still get the car finished on time. If a client wants them to
restore a car to 'Concourse' then a price and time frame is
agreed up front. It's then up to them to get it done - whatever it
takes.
Much attention is paid in the show to the stress carried by the
owner Richard Rawlings. Although a larger than life character
and clearly a successful entrepreneur, it is he who agrees a price
and time frame for a job and he who sets the prices for a sale. In
those episodes where a restoration to 'as new' have been
required he has guaranteed his price and time frame with the
client up front as a contract. Whereas in the Canadian show the
owner David Grainger rarely appears stressed, and then only
because of an unanticipated problem with a build or to put
pressure on his manager or members of his team. In the
Canadian approach the stress is carried by the client or by the
mechanics. Whether the result of the filming style or the
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actuality there is a definite sense of urgency in Dallas and a lack
of it in Ontario.
Challenging the Status Quo
They both appear to achieve great results and clearly both
are profitable businesses, however I know which of them I'd be
visiting if I had a car to restore, and I would not be taking a trip
to Canada for a very straightforward reason. If I had a car to
restore I want the focus of everyone involved to be on achieving
a terrific result on time and on budget. I'd therefore need to
have an agreed time frame and an agreed budget. For that to
happen someone with the requisite skill must look at the
potential of my vehicle as it stands prior to restoration. They
must then evaluate the potential of each member of the their
team in respect of the desired outcome. They must also evaluate
the potential of each of their suppliers to deliver whatever is
required on time and for a fixed price. Having taken these into
account I want this person to then identify and barriers that
might get in the way of that potential being released, and do
whatever is necessary to remove those barriers. Then and only
then do I expect that person to negotiate a price and a time line
for the job. For me to place my trust in them and become their
client I want them to take the most effective approach to getting
the job done in the least amount of time and for the least
amount of cash. of course I'm happy for them to make their
living but I want it to feel fair. This calls for a coaching approach
as opposed to a problem solving approach.
The latter would require my vehicle to be stripped down,
something that I would be required no doubt to pay for. Then
would need them to estimate the time and costs to overcome
each of the problems they can find in bringing my car up to the
required restored standard. The problem solvers would then
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expect to go about their work and be paid for each hour they
spend on the job. Their pace would of course be determined by
themselves under the supervision of their management. For a
problem solver, the longer a job takes the more it costs because
all that matters is the problems are solved...eventually. It may be
disingenuous to suggest that the skilled mechanics of the 'Guild'
take their time and therefore take longer to do the same job
than their 'Gas Monkey' counterparts. It is always worth
reminding ourselves that this is just a fly-on-the-wall TV reality
show and is therefore stylized and edited. Even so, to the casual
viewer it is difficult not to come to this conclusion because most
of the 'Gas Monkey' mechanics just look more motivated than
many of the mechanics at the 'Guild'.
Outcome Orientation as opposed to Ego Focus
The 'Gas Monkeys', as they call themselves, are an outcome
oriented group with an aligned goal, managed using a coaching
approach by their chief mechanic. He's no angel by any means
but he is always clear about the specific goal in respect of each
car and communicates that clearly to his team. They all buy-into
that goal and work together to achieve it. Each of them has the
potential to deliver the skills necessary to achieve the required
output and collectively they see any interference as a barrier to
be removed so that the job can be completed on time and as
close to budget as possible.
Outcome orientation means that the unspoken question a
person asks is always 'Is what I'm doing now taking me closer or
further away from my goal?'. Having an aligned goal means that
all the people on a team not only share the same goal but also
know that reaching that goal serves their own needs and desires
at the same time. So when they come up against a problem their
unconscious response is 'What do I need to do right now to take
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me closer to the goal?'. This is a very different attitude and
response that having an 'ego-focus'. A ego-focus does not
necessarily mean that someone has a big ego, all it means is that
they interpret every event as if it were 'about them'. Hence an
ego-focused person faced with a problem may unconsciously
respond with 'how can I show everyone this isn't my fault?' or
'they should have given me more help, this isn't fair!' or 'this isn't
my job anyway' or 'what the heck, it's not my money, the
customer can afford it!'. Having an ego-focus does not a
someone a bad person, it does however make them a potential
liability. The ego-focus is a dam getting in the way of releasing
their potential. Therefore any organisation that supports the
maintenance of ego-focused thinking is systematically placing
barriers and dams in the way of achieving higher performance.
The Canadian operation is presented as being far more
'traditional' and operates with a command and control structure.
Each person has a set of tasks to complete and is asked to do
them as effectively and efficiently as possible. However when
barriers appear they are collectively seen as a reason to extend
how long a job is going to take. The show presents them as if
they are fearful of taking any decision outside of their specific
remit and that internal relationships, organisational politics and
engagement only in their particular piece of the puzzle is the
norm. Hence costs appear either very high to begin with or
escalate dramatically as soon as any unseen barriers get in the
way, all of which suggests that an ego-focused approach is alive
and well in Ontario, which is such a shame because clearly they
are a talented and highly skilled group of workers. One can only
imagine how much more they could produce if only their full
potential were released.
I would therefore choose the Dallas garage for two
reasons. Firstly as a customer I want to have a fixed price and a
reasonable time frame. I do not want my car held hostage with
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escalating costs and time frames and no matter how great the
reputation or how wonderful the finished product. I want the
people working on my pride and joy to take responsibility rather
than expect me to foot the bill every time they do something
that adds to the time or cost of the job. In summary I want an
outcome driven crew working on my project and not an egofocused group of hourly paid employees.
Clearly in reality I would not be trusting the edited highlights
of a TV show to make my decision, however editors can only
work with what they see and hear, so there will always be some
truth to what we see, even if it might be exaggerated.
The case is curious because it is patently obvious to any
viewer that the approach of taking ownership, having an aligned
goal, being outcome driven, being supported in taking decisions
for the benefit of the project, and being less of a hierarchy and
more of a team - even when that team includes external
suppliers, is always going to deliver a more productive outcome.
If an employer is already paying for the potential under their
control what reason could there be to suppress it?
It's curious because the Canadian owners only have to open
their eyes and look around at the effects of a coaching style
approach elsewhere to see for themselves what a difference it
could make to their business. If they are successful now, one can
only image how successful they would be if they applied those
approaches. If they have happy customers now, how many more
of them might there be if the potential they are already paying
for and already have access to were actually put into play?
Finally it's curious because this is not a secret. It's not new
and it's happening everywhere. So why would they stick rigidly to
their old ways? What prevents small and medium size companies
like this one from benefiting from a coaching approach? The
answer is not likely to be a lack of awareness or a lack of desire
for business improvements, but a lack of any understanding of
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how to make it happen. There is likely to be a defensive attitude,
particularly as they are already successful and it's easy to
imagine anyone in their situation being dismissive of suggestions
for change because things are fine as they are. This is precisely
why so many businesses like them underperform to their
potential. Of course they do well. Of course they already make
money. However from a coaching perspective that is only a
snapshot of where they are now, and not where they could be.
The Garages as Rivers
Gas Monkey garage is a river with a strong current. The
way it is presented on TV suggests that much of the potential
from each person within the restoration teams is being accessed
and that as a result small barriers that could turn into huge dams
are recognised and dealt with by their own momentum. A simple
instruction from Aaron during a rapid strip down of a vehicle for
each mechanic to make a note of what piece they take off
because they will be responsible for putting it or its
replacements back on when the car is reassembled, is a terrific
example of asking a better question and removing a barrier
before it becomes on. It is a smart coaching style approach that
works most of the time. It saves time and prevents the need to
be a problem solver further down the line.
Conversely the Guild garage appears to unintentionally
restrict the potential of its employees because of its systems of
operation. Their team members may have the potential to get
the job done in less time and for less money but if their progress
is monitored by a supervisor rather than themselves then that
potential will not become realised. They may have the potential
for ideas outside of their hierarchical position within the
organisation but will not think of them because they're not
stimulated to. In one episode a young apprentice tasked with
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taking the lead on a project seeks advice from a number of
colleagues. However rather than being encouraged to take on
board as much vicarious experience as he can access and then
make his own decision, a supervisor takes an ego-focused
approach and takes offence because his particular advice was
not immediately acted on. He further restricts potential by
emphasising the 'fact' that minutes spend asking for advice were
dollars lost to the organisation. Such attitudes and approaches
will have an effect, the likelihood of others engaging the
combined expertise of the crew will be diminished, the chances
of costly mistakes occurring as a result will increase, and the
potential for an inundation of energy, enthusiasm and creativity
that might help them all to grow will be highly unlikely.
On the other hand the Gas Monkeys appear to have regular
inundations as team members show off their skills and
knowledge for the benefit of the project. There are many
examples of them learning from each other and enhancing their
own skills as a result. They appear willing to take advice and even
when they take the initiative and get it wrong, they rarely
complain or come across as feeling in any way negative because
their boss has them change it. If Aaron comes along and explains
that an exhaust would be better placed here rather than there,
they evaluate what he says in an outcome driven way, and then
get on with the job of making the change.
All is not always wonderful in Dallas however and they have
had their fair share of examples of poor performance. Yet when
those significant barriers have appeared, as they did when two
long standing staff members were refusing to perform to their
potential, then those barriers were removed for the benefit of
the whole team. When a team member behaves in a ways that
start to look ego-focused the natural approach of the leadership
appears to be to 'reel them in', figure out what's going on and
then get back to the job in hand.
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While again acknowledging the fact that the research
material are TV shows and therefore not representative of the
whole situation, they do provide a good example of unexamined
potential and the development of barriers in the workplace.
As an independent observer and viewer of the shows, the
performance at the Guild garage does not appear to include
inundations of creativity, energy and enthusiasm. Clearly this
isn't because the people there lack any capability, indeed some
may be more skilled than their Dallas comparisons, but they
don't appear as engaged.
The apparent strict adherence to managing projects by the
hours spent on them and the silo nature of the working
environment are barriers to any inundation. When employees
joke about not including someone in a conversation because
they are from a different 'department' it sends out a clear
message that divisions exist, and divisions are not naturally
conducive to higher levels of performance. They are constructs
of control designed to restrict activities to only those authorised
and specified by the boss. If a system has been designed to serve
the needs of a controlling elite then that's exactly what it will do.
It will serve but it will not contribute beyond that.
The owners of the Guild garage may be dismissive of any
perceived criticism because they have a wonderful reputation,
have been in business a long time and are presumably quite
profitable. All of which is completely irrelevant when considering
what it could produce and what it might achieve. On the other
hand they may be curious as to what the introduction of a
coaching culture might do to their performance. Improved
performance and higher levels of productivity, employee
engagement and success are not mandatory in a privately owned
business. Decisions about their future approaches will, as I'm
sure they always have been, be the sole remit of David Grainger.
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Equally the team at Gas Monkey may be pleased to note that
they are apparently making more use of their potential and
aligning the team with goals that inspire them. However they too
need not be complacent. The question of their true potential has
not been addressed, nor have they yet done everything possible
to maximise their own business flow. It may be that the
'common sense' approach underpinning a coaching culture
simply sits well with a dynamic and savvy entrepreneur. The true
measure will be how the Gas Monkeys maintain this approach as
their business expands. The real benefits of having a planned
coaching culture come about when enterprises grow and are
desirous of maintaining the energy, enthusiasm and creativity
that was there from the start. As in Ontario, the decisions about
the future of Gas Monkey garage belong to their owner Richard
Rawlings. Time will tell if their successful approach is maintained.
The garages are high profile, easily accessible examples of
the business as a river and there are millions more like them in
countries the world over. There are millions of employees with
potential that is not being fully utilised, and there are millions of
frustrated leaders wanting to be problem solvers when what
they really need to be doing is to act as coaches. The
introduction of a coaching culture secures all the benefits of
having experienced problem solvers but shifts their thinking from
being ego-focused to outcome oriented. The more driven a team
are to achieve an outcome and the more aligned they are, both
personally and as a team, with their goal, then more of their
potential is likely to be realised. More realised potential equates
to higher levels of performance and productivity. More realised
potential also equates to engaged employees who inundate the
business landscape with their energy, enthusiasm and creativity.
A coaching culture is not just a nice thing to have, it's a must
thing to have.
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Takeaways
1. There is always truth is every aspect of what you do.
Just as a TV show only airs edited highlights and doesn't
give the whole picture, it's easy to make excuses for
some aspects of your own business 'because there's
more to it than that'. It doesn't matter if there is more
to it, if what's seen could be improved then it can be
improved. Be aware that making excuses is just another
way of creating your own barriers.
2. Avoid the 'Yes but' syndrome. In real life cases there is
always a logical and intellectual explanation why
something that was less than brilliant had to happen
that way on this particular occasion. 'Yes but' is just
another way of creating barriers to performance
improvement.
3. 'The truth is our friend' is something the iABCt teaches
all our professional coaches and is a good lesson for all
business owners, managers and leaders too. Whatever
the performance is right now, is what it is. Explaining
why, finding examples of other organisations doing just
as badly, blaming the economy or some freak storm is
just a way of wasting time and diverting energy from
the real job of finding the barriers to potential and
removing them.
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Become a Dam-Buster
High Potential equals Potentially High Performance
The answer to achieving improved performance is clear, it is
the establishing and maintenance of a coaching culture. Leaders
need to hire people with high levels of potential and then allow
that potential to be met and to occasionally cause inundations of
energy, enthusiasm and creativity in the workplace. They will not
be able to do that by remaining as 'chief problem solvers'. Even
those who purport to have an open door policy, to have broken
down silos between workers and have their teams working well
together still need to face the real question. That question being,
'Is the full potential of my organisation running unfettered and
performing to the full extent of its capability'. In the unlikely
event that the answer to that question is yes, then they just need
to keep on doing whatever they are doing. For the majority there
is a need to add to what is already being done well by
introducing the means to identify barriers and remover them.
They need to introduce a coaching culture.
Coaches are barrier identifiers and removers. It would be
fantastic for every person in an organisation to develop a
coaching approach and to constantly look for barriers holding
back potential. This utopian desire is unlikely to be achieved for a
very good reason. The reason is that becoming a coach and a
dam-buster requires a consistent and sustained change of
behaviour. It is not something that can be done quickly. It is not a
piece of knowledge to be learned, a skill to be assimilated or a
tool to be examined. It is a permanent and irreversible change in
the way a person thinks and acts. Dam busters are not people
using a specific set of skills or tools in a controlled way but are
people that have 'become' dam busters and who by their very
nature are now the simply the kind of person who cannot help
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but help identify and remove barriers to performance. Real
coaches don't 'do' coaching, they have become 'a coach'.
Learn to Drive instead of Sheep Dipping
This is not to suggest that problem solvers are no longer
necessary, of course they are. They simply do not need to be the
dominant and controlling approach. A balance between effective
management, supervision and leadership with coaching is the
ideal and achievable option. It is therefore unnecessary and
inappropriate to try and 'sheep dip' all managers through a coach
training programme. Some of these so-called coach training
sessions take just a few hours and are part of a wider leadership
training programme. Some are stand along sessions that may be
up to whole day. None of which will do any harm but neither will
they deliver dam busting coaches in an organisation because
knowing 'about' something is entirely different to being able to
'do' it.
Most people these days have learned to drive. Some after
passing their test may even have become reasonably good
drivers but none of them would be safe on the road if all they'd
had was a few hours tuition about driving and perhaps a short
'go' in car in a controlled environment. To pass the mandatory
basic test the learner driver must demonstrate they've learned
an extensive set of new material and must be able to show that
they can use it. They must practice under supervision until they
are safe to be allowed on the road and they must prove that by
actually driving an examiner in real conditions.
Even after successfully passing the test a new driver does
not yet drive 'naturally'. For a while they will still behave as if
they had their instructor beside them and they still need to think
about what they are doing. Everyone who has learned to drive
knows that it's practice and a few close shaves that shape fast
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and appropriate responses. The experienced driver also knows
that complacency is never a good idea and they also know how
'second nature' driving gets to become after a while behind the
wheel. There really is no substitute for experience. After a while
things that used to be conscious just happen naturally.
Psychologists call this a move from conscious competence, 'I
know I can do it when I concentrate', to unconscious
competence when 'I'm doing it without thinking'.
Four Stages of Learning
The learning curve is the same for anyone becoming a dam
buster as it is for the learner driver. Organisations must
recognise the importance and necessity of taking a person
through the essential learning stages if they want to achieve a
sustainable coaching culture.
They don't know what they don't know. They start off
unconsciously incompetent in that they unaware that there is
anything to learn. Like Paul, the manager in the Guild garage
they think they're doing a good job by doing what they know. He
may be unaware that there is more potential and improved
performance available over and above the good results he
already gets. The unconsciously incompetent will defend the
status quo because they've become comfortable with the flow of
water in the river as it is. As far as they're concerned it's never
had a faster current so it can't possibly be capable of having one.
To suggest otherwise may be perceived as maligning their
effectiveness and so is avoided, either because they're bosses
are also comfortable with the status quo or because their
subordinates do not want to bait the big dog who may bite.
They begin to realise that there are things they need to
know. The fortunate then become aware of the potential for
higher performance levels and the possibility of performance
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inundations. They become conscious of their incompetence and
at this stage of conscious incompetence develop a desire to
learn. Much like they were when they wanted to drive their own
car, what at first looked easy as a passenger suddenly took on a
different dimension when having to sit behind the wheel
themselves. The business equivalent is much like driving in that
at this stage there is a choice, to either learn by trial and error or
take lessons. Trial and error may hopefully provide enough
learning to gain competency. Choosing to take lessons and going
to an expert or reading books or using e-learning to acquire the
skills necessary to be competent is the alternative. The smart
learner driver acquires the best education and training possible
rather than learning by trial and error, so does the smart
business leader desirous of a coaching culture.
Look at me, I'm doing it! After much learning and frustration
the learner driver moves to the third stage of learning when they
are consciously competent, and as long as they remain focused
can drive safely enough to pass a mandatory test. Managers
learning how to coach will reach a similar level of conscious
competency after enough training. However as with driving their
competence only is apparent while they concentrate. If they get
distracted then competency is lost resulting in a nasty accident.
In the workplace there is every chance that they will be
distracted as a matter of course. Unlike the driver who is
reminded of their driving responsibilities by being sat behind the
wheel, a manager trained in coaching skills goes back into the
workplace without any reminder of what they've just learned.
Distractions happen, accidents occur and quickly any possibility
of them developing new patterns of behaviour are lost. The
distracted manager may know all about coaching and in certain
circumstances may be able to hold a perfectly adequate coaching
conversation, but that will not shift them to the final stage of
learning.
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They forget that they once weren't able to do it. The
sustaining of a coaching culture takes repeated practice over
considerable time before anyone becomes unconsciously
competent. Then, and only then has the person who knows
about coaching actually become a coach. Only then will they look
for barriers and interference as a matter of course and only then
can they rightly claim to be business dam busters.
Takeaways
1. You will already have people with high potential.
Identify those who will make excellent dam busters and
imagine them as the means by which a coaching culture
can be maintained in your organisation. They do not all
need to be managers, indeed many of them will not
necessarily be the most senior leaders, but they will be
the backbone of your new higher performance
achievement.
2. Make sure you have at least one or two really senior
dam busters. It's dangerous not to have some at the
top of the organisational food chain. Dam busters are
key influencers as they elegantly keep the momentum
of dam busting going without it appearing to be
anything but business as usual.
3. Having chosen the first few dam busters make sure
they are properly equipped to do the job and are
practiced enough to be unconsciously competent. As
with driving instruction there are lots of instructors to
choose from but choose carefully. The programme at
the iABCt is designed to give you exactly what you
need, it speaks your language, it offers exceptional
value for money and has a track record of producing
exceptional coaching dam busters.
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Find out more about the iABCt and how we
can help unlock the true potential of your
business at
www.herocoachingculture.com
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