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Managing Upwards – News, Not Gossip!

In this video series we’re talking about 3 things any organization can do today to increase resiliency in their work space through better communication, starting with the power of 1-on-1’s. The next step from 1-on-1’s is managing upwards. It’s rarely done because it can be incredibly uncomfortable for both leaders and contributors! Done correctly, it’s incredibly liberating for both parties and further enables psychologically safe workspaces that you can have those brutally candid conversations in.

We covered the importance of knowing yourself & your leader and now we’re going to discuss the importance of focusing on news – not gossip and we cover it in this video.

Workplaces aren’t reality shows – much like it might feel like it some days. Unless you’re at an Initech or a Dunder Mifflin. In which case you’re definitely on set. Most places though a simple rule can really help cut down the drama – and the laugh track.

Focus on news, not gossip. 1-on-1’s are about HOW you’re doing and feeling yes, but managing up is where the WHAT comes into play. Focus on results, on outcomes and if you have bad news, make sure it travels fast and you keep your leader informed. Surprises are always a bad thing. It’s ok to work the issue but fire that flare and make sure you bring tangible information. If you don’t know the full details, it’s ok to say you don’t know – but always make sure to follow-up with what you’re doing about it.

In a fluid situation, keeping your leader in the loop is important to continuing to build that trust -and trust is at the center of resiliency and healthy relationships. It’s what moves firms away from inspection and monitoring to celebrating results.

It’ honestly funny when mangers and contributors understand just how easy and straight forward managing up means. We’re not managing managers, not at all. We’re ensuring clear, concise, consistent communications that have value, that have facts. We’re showing a focus on results, and when we just don’t know, we can be honest and say so, because we know it’s a safe environment.

Done consistently, managing upwards is part of the effort in building those critical connections of trust. That trust leads to clearer communication, which reinforces those relationships. When the next crisis hits, the focus will be on coming together and persevering in a way that is mutually beneficial and accountable. This is when, we say, fires end up putting themselves out because they don’t get a chance to consume the tinder and oxygen and grow.

Start managing up if you’re doing 1-on-1’s, and if you’re not doing 1-on-1’s, start already! Take a look at our video, chime in below or drop us a note and let us know about your experiences managing up!

Managing Upwards – Knowing Yourself & Your Leader

In our prior posts we talked about 3 things any organization can do today to increase resiliency in their work space through better communication, starting with the power of 1-on-1’s.

We posted a video on the next step from 1-on-1’s – it’s managing upwards. It’s rarely done because it can be incredibly uncomfortable for both leaders and contributors! Done correctly, it’s incredibly liberating for both parties and further enables psychologically safe workspaces that you can have those brutally candid conversations in.

Let’s start with focusing on the importance of knowing yourself & your leader.

Leverage those 1-on-1’s to understand your leader’s work styles, habits and values, while they’re understanding yours. Understand which communication style works for them, and be clear on what works for you as well. Communication is tough in the best of circumstances. When you speak the same language, you’ll both be find a new concise clarity with each other. By communicating in a style and at a level that is mutually amenable, you reduce the natural friction that arises when any two parties are having a conversation. As an added bonus, you’ll continue to add to the trust bank of your professional relationship.

It’s also important for each of you to understand your goals for yourselves and at the organization. Understand how you can help each other achieve those goals. Working towards them together creates a strong, supportive rapport. This is one way you can create strong bonds through better communications from a place of authenticity & vulnerability. It’s wonderful to see goals align and leaders, contributors and teams work together to everyone’s mutual benefit.

Few things enhance happiness (and productivity!) and job satisfaction than when organizations shift from toxic competitiveness to cooperative effort, replacing fears of recrimination (oh shit!) with a culture that encourages and propels (you got this!)

Done consistently, managing upwards is part of the effort in building those critical connections of trust. That trust leads to clearer communication, which reinforces those relationships. When the next crisis hits, the focus will be on coming together and persevering in a way that is mutually beneficial and accountable. This is when, we say, fires end up putting themselves out because they don’t get a chance to consume the tinder and oxygen and grow.

Take a look at our new video and start managing up if you’re doing 1-on-1’s, and if you’re not doing 1-on-1’s, start already! Chime in below or drop us a note and let us know about your experiences managing up!

ESG at 1Focus

We wanted to share a brief deck on how 1Focus is approaching Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) with and for our clients. There’s a lot to consider with ESG – and our Founder & CEO happens to also teach Sustainable Development & Corporate Social Responsibility at the University level. Bonus!

If you’re wondering what ESG is, it is a set of criteria that set’s standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments – and actions ranging from activism to deciding who to purchase from. Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits and internal controls, and shareholder rights.

As ESG grows in public awareness, there is recognition that standards are not quite gelled yet and in many cases vary from country to country even within, for example, the EU. The same goes for reporting on ESG. While we’re seeing much of this start to come together quickly, there is equal pressure from non-governmental public interests that is driving for greater transparency and responsibility.

ESG is here to stay. If you’re not sure what your organizations role is, we’ve got some key pointers that build on this deck that we would love to share!

You can find the deck here.

Why Communication is a Cornerstone for Success

I’m going to share video on a story about why communication is a keystone for success.

One of our regional customers was having a challenge releasing a pair of mobile apps. Over 100 years old, with a 12B USD market valuation they were established and highly capable.

Once we dug into what was going on we helped them get to their first release in 30 days. Now while we did address a lot of significant technical and process issues, the biggest challenge was restoring communications and rapport and trust. We would not have been successful had we not done that AS WELL.

What had happened is that with the first failed release, everybody had stopped talking to each other. Tech teams weren’t talking to each other, Project management couldn’t get a straight answer and their customer was left with more questions and answers.

By reinitializing those communications we re-established trust and were able to quickly negotiate what was needed as opposed what was nice to have and what bugs they could live with as long as there was a remediation period for it.

Not only did we get our first release in 30 days but our client went on to have a release every other month with a target of getting to the 6-week schedule.

This is why the work that 1Focus does is more than just technical or process work. We really emphasize culture and mindsets because once we adjust those, what we teach, what we do will stick and become habitual.

This is how fires put themselves out. Leaders get an opportunity to lead again. Contributors feel empowered to act. When everyone has the trust to talk candidly and in a safe environment – the results almost write themselves.

Check out our case study and our video, and share your experiences below. We love learning from our customers and every interaction is an opportunity to learn.

Start Your 1-on-1’s Today!

In our prior update & video we talked about 3 things any organization can do today to increase resiliency in their work space through better communication.

We posted another video and today we’re going to go deeper on 1-on-1’s and give you some tangible guidance you can implement. 1-on-1’s are a fundamental building block to building brutally candid but psychologically safe work spaces which is a key component to enhanced resiliency. We want to start here.

Here’s 3 actions you can take today to start.

Frist, well, start. Start having 1-on-1’s if you’re not. I would say a great many organizations don’t do 1-on-1’s or at least do them as a replacement for or supplement to status reports.

That’s not what they’re for. These sessions are for HOW not WHAT. How is your team member, your contributor, doing. These are opportunities for you, as a leader, to build rapport and trust. It’s also an opportunity for vulnerability and authenticity with your team. When you break down stiff, hierarchical boundaries, you’re breaking down barriers to transparent, honest conversations.

See where this leads to?

Second, try to keep them to at most 30 minutes and have them at a consistent time and day of the week. Look, emergencies happen, we all know this, but this is one of those activities that has to be a consistent focal point for your leaders and contributors. Aim for 98% consistency across a twelve month period. Again, you’re trying to build that trust that leads to clear communications.

Remember, while it’s ok to get personal – respect professional boundaries and know when you’re touching areas you don’t have expertise on. Nothing empowers a conversation more than for one party to say “I don’t know, but let’s find out…” No one can know all things at all times and have all the answers. We’re here to remove stress, not add to it.

Third – take notes! And follow-up! Regardless of who makes the commitment, the next time you meet, start there and follow-up. What you’re doing is not only showing you remembered, but also building in some strong accountability to go along with that transparency. That establishes the pattern of what we’re setting up.

These sessions, done consistently, are what builds up those critical connections of trust, on which any kind of relationship is built. That trust leads to clearer communication, which reinforces those relationships. When the next crisis hits, the focus will be on coming together and persevering in a way that is mutually beneficial and accountable. This is when, we say, fires end up putting themselves out because they don’t get a chance to consume the tinder and oxygen and grow.

Take a look at our video and start your 1-on-1’s or let us know what changes you’ll make based on these tips. We would be really curious to find out how this works out for you!

What Does Your Work Space Communication Look like?

We just posted a video on LinkedIn describing how, as we work on tech & process projects with our Clients, we’ve had some really cool & insightful conversations with our Clients as they debate what their return to work space looks like. They’ve asked us what we think – and, regardless of hybrid, on-site or permanent remote\home, we like to ask them what communications in their workspace looks like today.

We’ve all got challenges.

Here’s 3, proven, things we ask them to try.

First – Implement One on Ones and make sure they’re about HOW someone is doing not WHAT. They’re not a supplement or replacement for status reports, they’re an intentional weekly 30 minute opportunity for peers, leaders and contributors to connect, build rapport and build trust.

This leads to the second ask – create a brutally candid and psychologically safe work space. This is about leveraging that trust and rapport to move away from recrimination and inspection to really focus and drive solutions, especially when crisis or disruption hits.

Finally, the third ask. Learning to and accepting managing upwards. So very few organizations do this but, combined with the above, it’s an incredibly powerful method that leads to cost avoidance, increased efficacy and surprising insights. It’s also a great way to make tribal knowledge locked in people’s heads common knowledge.

These three asks can really supercharge your work space, regardless of what form it takes today, tomorrow and in the future.

Take a look at our video post on LinkedIN. We would be really curious to find out what you think – or how this has worked for you if you’ve tried it.

Case Study: Global Logistics Harmonization

We’ve got another case study up today.

One of our customers is a ecommerce fulfillment company based in South Asia. In 2015 our Client embarked on a global acquisition run, significantly expanding their ecommerce fulfillment operations globally. Their goal was to grow into a dominant global fulfilment arm – and they had the expertise and experience to do so.

Our Client ‘s IT leadership was tasked with bringing multiple logistics systems into harmony.

Multiple Systems, Multiple Cultures
Multiple Systems, Multiple Cultures

There were six different regional systems, each with their own unique local connections to other systems, such as transportation management, customer relationship management and payment systems. Our Client was not clearly aware that they were dealing with managing multiple, very disparate corporate cultures. Communications, and cultural differences, were significantly hampering progress and creating tension in staff. This was creating delays in an already complex harmonization project. Unfortunately, leadership was attributing this to technical complexity, not clashing corporate cultures.

1Focus pitched our people-centered approach around our technology & process capabilities. We created a strong scope covering logistics technology vertically and cultural harmonization horizontally. This included driving collaboration across international & cross-functional leaders & teams. Our Client decided to move forward with 1Focus and our 3+3 product.

Within two weeks of landing our team and presenting our findings, we clearly identified three very specific keystones that would be significant levers for people, process & technology. Our insight, candor, and firm commitment to stick to our 3+3 plan and scope, established a high level of trust & respect with our executive sponsors across functional areas.

On the technology front, we uncovered complex integrations that our Client believed called for whole-sale rip & replace – a very complicated and expensive effort. By relentlessly focusing on root cause, we traced these gaps back to a single, non-technical cause. The teams were marching to a global executive directive that had not been decomposed into a unified plan. There was a significant gap between the directives and the paths being pursued to accomplish them.

Multiple Transaction Translations
Multiple Transaction Translations

We showed significant time and monetary savings could be achieved by focusing on a series of off-the-shelf cloud-based message hubs & busses that would provide translation, out of the box, on 78% of the transactions. Being cloud based would also address the needs for a global system at a fraction of the cost. Of the remaining 22%, 12% were deemed localized, leaving 10% that would require any sort of custom development

On the process front, our Client was in the middle of evolving to more modern, Agile, processes. In fact, each of their acquisitions was at a different point of the maturity model on the Agile roadmap. They were using the same tool around the world – Atlassian’s software development management suite – but differently in each of the six regions.

There simply were not enough resources to go around to focus on multiple major projects, post-acquisition, with the busy season mere months away. Harmonizing the different installations of Atlassian was left for another effort, the following year.

While this remained an on-going thread through the project, working with our Client we were able to create a more unified team and a training program within 45 days, with the clearest outcome being more consistent, clear insight into where components of global projects stood, especially the logistics harmonization project.

On the people front – leaders and teams were starting to fall into crunch mode. This was especially concerning as the busy season for fulfillment (November through February) was three months away. During this period, systems were typically locked down and teams focused all efforts on ensuring the orderly flow of all types of transactions. No progress for four months was not palatable.

1Focus had experience working with creating and managing global development teams, with the largest having spanned 12 time zones. Fortunately, we had already established a foundational set of tools, methods & products for global collaboration, and this was one step further on that path. We continued to encourage safe, candid conversations, nudging the teams together and focusing on incremental, achievable progress.

The final landscape, including process & tools, went from being an ad hoc approach to a consistently, clearly communicated and agreed upon set of outputs and measurable progress. The teams could now more easily identify hurdles and gaps and address them.

In each case, we drove a tandem path. Focusing on root causes of people, process and technology issues and teaching, showing, and doing alongside leaders and contributors. In creating this momentum, Our client, like all our customers, quickly latched onto this new modality and was able to increase their momentum, going from peak to peak.

Over the next three months, right in time for their busy season, our Client was able to harmonize all but a few transactions. The teams, globally, expressed confidence that they would be able to finalize those last few transactions before busy season got in full swing – by the end of November.  Too, they were able to instill confidence and clarity in their leadership chain.

Our Client had spent nearly a billion dollars on its various acquisitions.  The estimated price tag, just for logistics harmonization, was close to $25M and expected to take two years. That was, widely acknowledge, an optimistic estimate given the current state of our Client even before we landed. 1Focus would, in working with our Client, ensure that the groundwork and foundation would be laid to ensure that project was more realistic and reasonable – and that it would complete.

We continued to track with Client and their final tally for such a complex project was 26

Accelerating Robotics
Accelerating Robotics

months, just short of two years. Their final all-up cost came out to $27M. The cost savings brought about by our improvements were realized across the board, allowing our Client to get a jump start on their investment into warehouse robotics and automation. They expected to make that additional investment back in two years, just on cost-savings for order fulfillment alone.

This is just one example of the success our customers have with 1Focus. We’re sure there’s a familiar sounding project where we could collaborate on at your company, addressing process and technology challenges, with people, your people, firmly at the center of any effort.

You can access the full case study as a PDF here.

Case Study: Mobile App Launch

I’m going to share a case study with you.

One of our Clients was struggling with releasing a pair of mobile apps for their service providers and customers. This app was focused on driving a higher level of engagement between the service provider and their customer. For example, enabling scheduling of services and sharing service outcomes with their customers.

Our Client is a highly successful, $12B a year North American organization that has a history that goes back 132 years. They have robust leadership, capable technology teams and proficient global technology solutions partners. Yet they had missed six releases and were at risk of missing a seventh. What had started out as an innovative effort was causing no small amount of heartburn and risking confidence in their leaders, teams, and partner.

A Project At Risk
A Project At Risk

Within two weeks of landing our team and presenting our findings, we clearly identified three very specific keystones that would be significant levers for people, process & technology. Our insight, candor and firm commitment to stick to our 3+3 plan and strong scope established a high level of trust & respect with our executive sponsors across functional areas.

45 days in from the start of our relationship, our Client soft-launched the first version of their mobile app to great celebration and fanfare. They proceeded to release three incremental versions over the next six months, building confidence and demonstrating the necessary capability to make this repeatable. Each release also brought additional capabilities as a bonus to implementing our methods and product – rather than leaving them on the roadmap for weeks or months out

In each case, we drove a tandem path. Focusing on root causes of people, process and technology issues and teaching, showing, and doing alongside leaders and contributors. Our Client, like all of our customers, quickly latched onto this new modality and was able to increase their velocity, going from peak to peak and showing measurable ability to deal with dips and surprises.

A Successful Launch
A Successful Launch

Our Client saved $3M USD in additional costs over the those six months – resources they were able to redeploy into productive outcomes. Their delivery went from zero success rate to an 85% success rate over the next 12 months.

This is just one example of the success our customers have with 1Focus. We’re sure there’s a familiar sounding project where we could collaborate on at your company, addressing process and technology challenges, with people, your people, firmly at the center of any effort.

You can access the full case study as a PDF here.