This blog assumes that blind spots of power come with the CEO role no matter how good or true or well-intended you are. You can't afford to have them. So I give reminders of what I have seen in my experience to help you see. Or try to see. Monday morning practical tips will help you sharpen up and see what tweaks you and your blind spot. A little whack on the side of the head with your Monday morning coffee.

Monday, August 1, 2016

WONDERING ABOUT WASTE


It's actually hard to distinguish what is waste in an organization and what is a kind of investment. And the definition is very different among a start-up, a high growth company and a huge old dinosaur organization.

Each on has its own particular agony. An older industry will work hard to be lean and mean and cut costs to gain new footing or keep Wall Street on their side.
A fast growing company often doesn't have a good picture of what kind of  looseness produces and what is just chaos. And the poor start-ups usually have both problems--trying to be lean and loose at the same time.

When I was an EVP in food retailing heading up learning and leadership development and talent planning among other good stuff, I hated that time for learning and development was called 'non-productive' time for budgeting.
Waste!

So I'm wondering what constitutes 'waste' in your company:
--casual conversations to explore or complain or enjoy?
--a meeting that runs over by half an hour?
--using too many people for a decision?
--board presentations that take weeks to prepare?
--involving too many people in a meeting?
--not involving enough people in a meeting?
--the organizational grape vine?
--too many check lists?
--too many people checking up?
--elaborate reports?
--decisions made too fast/too slow
--bad hiring?

Others?????????

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