About Anne and Outcome Thinking^® Training

 

The power in evaluating your thinking is not just in looking at a situation and understanding what happened. The power is in distilling why it happened and what you can do next to time to ensure different results.

I can't tell you how many teams I see go through what they call a "debrief" process and it is really only a "here is what happened" dialogue that doesn't result in a change of thinking or a change of doing.

So if you are going to Debrief using Outcome Thinking® you need to make sure you have a solid system that causes people to do the following...

1. Analyze what happened and why
2. Really look at pinpointing the ROOT of the problem not the symptom
3. Think about what caused you or the other party to act the way you did
4. What can you do differently next time in order to get different results and why do you think that will work

Once you get your entire team used to Debriefing they stop being defensive about mistakes. I have found if you operate under a "no mistakes" culture you end up with a lot of tactical people. If you operate under a "no surprises" culture you end up with more Critical Thinkers who challenge the status quo.

-Anne

Outcome Thinking® training works to shift the brain from the defense to the offense allowing more focused, creative and effective long term solutions and outcomes. It will allow you to stay positively focused and in alignment with other's needs and perspective instead of lapsing into negative assumptions, and reacting from a limited and more narrow point of view. As a leader, you want to access your full brain power to creatively handle and address challenges and needs that arise and spark innovation.

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Anne's Outcome Thinking® Insights

"What is Outcome Thinking®?"

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Quotable Quotes

“Commitment is that turning point in your life when you seize the moment and convert it into an opportunity to alter your destiny.”

- Denis Waitley

Outcome Thinking^® Solution

How to Handle Restructuring of a Division With Positive Results

Situation:

I head up a large division for my corporation. Due to restructuring a year ago we eliminated 30 positions in my area. It sounds like a lot but it is actually less than 3% of my team.

The problem I am facing is that I need to do another restructuring in order to make us more competitive. This restructuring will not eliminate jobs but it will require people to do their jobs differently and for many, they will have a new reporting structure.

The last restructure did not go well. People felt lied to as originally the company said we would "probably" not eliminate positions but then they did come back and ask us to cut positions. So I know this time the team will be leery and fearful that it could mean elimination of more jobs.

How can I reassure the team, get them up and going immediately, and move people from dwelling on the past?

OUTCOME DESIRED:

You want your team to run smoothly and to remain focused on their present jobs with as little disruption as possible.

OTHER PERSON'S PERSPECTIVE:

First of all you need to realize that you have a unique inside track that none of the other people on your team has—you have been privy to many conversations that allow you to securely know that no jobs will be eliminated (I am assuming you securely know this, if you don't that is a different story). You have probably known about this change for months and have dealt with it.

For your team though, this will be the first they have heard of it. There are basically three questions your team will want answered from you.

They are:

1. Why are we doing this?
2. How will it be different from last time?
3. What does it mean for me?

You need to answer all three of these questions so frankly with them. Remember your role is, not to dispense information, but rather to give CONTEXT to that information. This means you need to not only tell your team jobs will not be eliminated, but WHY you can say that and HOW that differs from last time.

Don’t skip over what happened last time, try to be all cheery, or dismiss the feelings of anxiety people may have but do focus the group on HOW they can best deal with this situation in order to get the best results.

HOW TO HANDLE:

First of all, I am going to assume that you are doing this in a large group meeting that has you face-to-face with people and for those who are in remote locations that you are on video conferencing so all are getting the same message at the same time.

Here is a sample of how you might phrase this:

“In the last year we have seen tremendous change in our industry in our company. We moved to a new leaner format that focused more on the customer and streamlined our organization. For the last year we have all seen the positive effects of this change as we have driven stock up (share the % here) while achieve sales of (put sales number in here). I know for many of us this initial change was uncomfortable but we all went through it together and I applaud the success all of you in this room have achieved. (Here you can clap for them)

Today I stand before you to share our new goals, visions, and how we will accomplish them. As you all know we have been challenged to do (list what goals they have to achieve). My job is to review what will give us the greatest path to success to achieve these goals. One of the things that became clear to me is that our present structuring will severely limit our ability to achieve those goals.

So we will be doing a restructuring in order to make things run smoother for all of you. The first thing I want to be clear about is that this restructuring will NOT, I repeat NOT, have any one of you losing your job. You may be asking, “How can I believe that? Last time we were told that as well and then jobs were eliminated?” Last time jobs were eliminated because we were too heavy in certain areas and we outsourced an entire area which made those jobs disappear.

That is not happening this time. There will be no outsourcing and there is no spot where any team has not been functioning at its full capacity. Therefore, there is no need to even look at any job eliminations. You all have a place in this restructure. It is more like a Rubics cube where we each have a spot but right now we have some of the green team on the white team’s side and we need to move the squares around until we have a perfect cube.

I realize that creating change is not fun for any of us so what we need to focus on is how to make this change as smooth as possible for all us in this room. I will now layout for you what changes will be happening, why we are making these changes, and how it will personally affect you so you can be actively involved.”

(Then give a detailed layout of what is happening, the time line, etc.)

If you can NOT confidently say jobs will not be eliminated then don’t even go there. People have to know they can trust whatever you tell them. Your word is the most important part of your integrity, don’t ever give it up.

Deal of the Month!

How To Get Your Messages to Cascade Down

This question and answer style book includes valuable How To's for Leaders.

For the last fifteen years, Anne Warfield has trained executives from around the world on "HOW TO" communicate, negotiate, and present so they are compelling, concise, and engaging.

This process has generated questions from our clients that have resulted in some of the most insightful, inspiring, and invigorating parts of the Outcome Focus® Approach. What you hold in your hands is a compilation of those questions on how to understand and interact with your team in order to become MORE productive.

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Outcome Thinking^® Guest Column
Lighting your way with new perspectives!

Sam Walton's rules for success
by Harvey Mackay

Sam Walton, the legendary founder of Wal-Mart, had 10 rules for running a successful business. They are simple and straightforward, but guess what? I would bet the farm that a great many businesses don't follow them—and they'd be better off if they did.

Read these (my comments follow) and see how they might fit into your business plan. Take note that even in this tough economy Wal-Mart is prospering.

1. Commit to your business. Believe in it more than anyone does. Passion is at the top of the list of the skills you need to excel. When you have passion, you speak with conviction, act with authority and present with zeal. If you don't have an intense, burning desire for what you are doing, there's no way you'll be able to work the long, hard hours it takes to become successful.
2. Share profits with your employees. If you treat them as partners, they will treat you as a partner, and together you will perform beyond your wildest dreams. Employees are the life-blood of any good company. Many companies seem to have fancy incentive programs for the big wheels, but smart companies have bonuses and profit-sharing all the way down the line. It was recently announced that this year, each Wal-Mart employee will receive a "bonus" check for more than $900!
3. Motivate your partners. Money and ownership are not enough. Set high goals, encourage competition and then keep score. Competition makes you better and stronger. You should not only welcome stiff competition, you should actively seek it. You'll never realize your full potential unless you're challenged. Similarly, if you don't set goals to determine where you're going, how will you know when you get there? You must stay focused on your goals above all else. Truly dedicated individuals won't let anything interfere with attaining their goals.
4. Communicate everything you possibly can to your employees. The more they know, the more they will understand. Information is power, but it must be used to empower your workforce. You will be amazed how a few snippets of information can transform a business into a powerhouse.
5. Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. In addition to point #2, find ways to let your employees know that you value their contributions. Invite your customers to share their stories of great service and post them for all to see. Catch people doing a good job and let them know you notice. It keeps everyone motivated and does wonders for retention. Remember that your successes result from a group effort.
6. Celebrate your successes. Find some humor in your failures. Don't take yourself so seriously. Maintain a positive tone, even when things don't go as planned. Although a failure may not be funny at the time, there's always a lesson to be learned. Often, the lesson learned is humility.
7. Listen to everyone in your company, and figure out ways to get them talking. Many people think that communication means getting others to do what you want them to do. For them, good listening means, "I talk, you listen." These people have forgotten the basic truth about being a good listener: Listening is a two-way process. Yes, you need to be heard. You also need to hear the other person's ideas, questions and objections. If you talk at people instead of with them, they're not buying in—they're caving in.
8. Exceed your customers' expectations. There's one thing no business has enough of: customers. Take care of the customers you have and they'll take care of you by coming back—and bringing their friends. On the flip side, disappoint customers, and they'll disappoint you—and then disappear.
9. Control your expenses better than your competition. Wal-Mart tries to help its customers follow this rule. If you aren't already watching pennies, start now.
10. Swim upstream. If everyone else is doing it one way, there is a good chance you can find your niche by going in the opposite direction. Following the crowd leaves you with very little room to maneuver.

Mackay's Moral: If a business can survive and thrive in these times, they must be playing by some smart rules.

Harvey Mackay, is the author of the New York Times best sellers Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt. Mackay's books have sold 10 million copies worldwide. He also writes a nationally syndicated column and is a popular business speaker named one of the top five speakers in the world by Toastmasters International.