Leading vs Lagging

Clearly defining the outcome you want in clearly measurable terms is critically important so that you and everyone else knows exactly what winning looks like.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share

Consider this at all levels of a contracting organization from the high-level vision of where you want the company to be in the next decade then broken down to the operational level and ultimately down to the job description level.

Leadership Tools: Focus on What You Can Control. Profit and Success are results of relentlessly executing of a few critical leading activities consistently.

When you get down to the job description level defining the top 3-8 very specific measurable outcomes is incredibly powerful because ultimately your are trading a certain amount of compensation and benefits (inputs) for some very specific outputs.  This is very difficult to define clearly and to integrate the various job role descriptions together into a cohesive organizational structure.  

It is such a challenge that it is easier to define the job descriptions in either a very general terms or a concise list of routine tasks to be done.  Both of these lead to sub-par performance in the long-term.  

As challenging as defining clear measurable outcomes is; that is the easiest part.  What truly makes an impact is defining the 1-3 Leading Activities with Measurable Performance Metrics that will lead to the successful outcome you are looking for.  Managing these leading activities relentlessly every day is what drives truly sustainable performance.




Cash Flow Tip 4 - Delighting Your Customers
Delight Your Customers - Both Direct and Indirect. All other things being equal your cash flow will be better if your customer is delighted with the work you have done. They are more likely to:
Two Planning Dimensions
Some of the impacts you see on a project are not as clear as a design change, conflict, or obviously changed condition. Some impacts, such as poor project sequencing or congested work areas are hard to notice if you don’t have good tracking systems.
Enabling Hierarchies are Critical for Success
Almost everything in life and business follows a hierarchy—people, principles, policies, strategies, plans, processes, and projects. These must evolve with growth and changing conditions while avoiding excessive control and ego.