tempotest is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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You see, accountability isn’t about blame. It’s about establishing clear boundaries around results, and in the process defining who is responsible for the delivery of those results. When accountability becomes a synonym for blame, the organisation changes from one with a culture of learning from mistakes to one with a culture of defensiveness and blame shifting. I certainly know which I prefer.

By the same token, accountability isn’t about motivating staff. It doesn’t have some type of magical power to make people perform. It follows, then, that using accountability as an excuse to club people with a nightstick isn’t very useful. This stems from the false assumption that fear of the consequences will motivate people into achievement. A very unlikely prospect indeed.

To properly use accountability within your organisation you need to really understand its purpose. As I said above, it’s about establishing clear boundaries around results, and in the process defining who is responsible for the delivery of those results. Implicit in this definition is an open and transparent culture, where employees are not afraid of accountability, but embrace it and use it to direct their team and individual actions. Don’t fall into the blame trap.

Blame it on Accountability is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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It’s a great time to look back over the year that’s been, and I thought I’d cast my mind back over the most popular five posts of 2011.

1. The Importance of Interpersonal Skills

2. Are Acquisitions or Greenfield Investments Better for International Growth?

3. Motivation is Internal but Demotivation is External

4. True Boundaryless Organisations

5. Why Scope Creep can be a Good Thing

Top Ten Posts of 2011 is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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Consider a team of ten professionals, all high performers, more than capable in their positions. Despite that, the team doesn’t perform. Why? Quite simply, there is no mission. No overarching purpose. It’s a bit like getting into a limousine with a race car driver and not knowing where you want to go. You’ll look the part and get somewhere quick, but who knows where.

You might argue that some teams don’t need a mission, they’re too simple. Maybe, but if it’s so simple, why don’t you spend the time on a mission – it’s sure to be quick. Likewise, if you think your team does perform, and so doesn’t need a mission, how can you tell? I mean, if you have no real overarching objective how do you know what to measure?

Regardless of the size of your team, you need a mission. I don’t mind much if you call it something else, perhaps a purpose statement, as long as it sets the broad purpose of the team. Start at the beginning, then think about where you wish to end.

The Mission Makes the Team. is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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Is it really that simple though? From the start, the idea of designing work and structures without reference to your people is crazy. Treating people as transient resource with limited value causes you to deprive yourself of one of the most priceless resources around. If you design a job based around the task requirements, the result will be a well defined but generic role. Probably one that’s not well suited to the occupant.

Instead, design positions so that they maximise the specific talents showcased by your people. Don’t pigeonhole those people with exceptional skills into a generically designed job. If you’re worried about the next person who’ll be in the role, you’re borrowing trouble. Perhaps one day you will hire somebody new, and that’s an exceptional opportunity to design the job around them.

Designing Organisations — People or Tasks? is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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When I first saw this, I thought it was perhaps the most ridiculous gimmick this year. But, look at the buzz it’s generated. Across Facebook, Twitter and any other social media, people are posting pictures of themselves with Coke bottles. Every time somebody does so, they’re pushing the Coke brand, and it costs almost nothing! Each impression improves brand recall, and quite frankly I’ve seen at least 100 posts of this type myself.

Not content with the Facebook possibilities, Coke have also developed iPhone and Android apps for the campaign. God knows what those do, but presumably they leverage on the same “customise and share” mentality that the Coca-Cola website does. It’s about giving people the chance to customise a virtual product, and publish it for all to see.

If ever we needed an example of a traditional, brick and mortar company utilising social media to the fullest, this is it. My hat goes off to Coca-Cola, but also Wunderman, whom I believe are the agency behind this.

Social Media and Coca-Cola is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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What’s key for managers to understand is that they need to find those people. While it might be hard for some to place their fears or ego aside, imagine the possibilities. Surrounding yourself with people whose skills are exceptional can really only lead to exceptional performance.

Looking from the opposite direction, what happens if you “protect” yourself by surrounding yourself with those who can’t ever hope of being exceptional? That’s essentially dooming your position, and organisation, to failure.

For some, surrounding themselves with adulators and backslappers is a way of life. They might provide you with all the praise and applause you need, but that’s not enough to make the organisation succeed. What you really need are those people who will challenge the status quo.

There’s Always Somebody Better Than You is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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The typical process involves obtaining multiple quotes, and selecting the “best offer”. A solid idea? Sure. Unfortunately, for most companies the “best offer” is chosen solely based on price. To be truthful, this process is perfect in some circumstances. In particular, when purchasing commodities like pens or paper or televisions, the end product is the same – the price is all that counts. For everything else, though, basing the decision solely on price makes no sense.

If you take a broader look at the purchase, you can make your decision based on vale. For example, rather than purchasing cars, you might really be seeking a solution for staff travel. If you compare several suppliers purely on price, you exclude all the non-price aspects that differ between vendors. Compare the features and benefits each supplier brings as a proportion of cost – that’s value.

It might sound simple, but you need to know where to start. If you want to buy fruit, how do you decide between apples, and oranges? With a clear definition of the need, of course. Understanding the problem is where it all begins. If you clearly define what you need to buy, value stands out.

Seek Value, not Cost is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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You see, a rushed solution isn’t really a solution at all. The best solutions are like fine red wine. They get better as time goes on. With time, ideas and solutions develop in many complex ways. With an aged, mature wine, you get to taste the many nuances, whilst with ideas and solutions you get to understand them.

In simplistic terms, you spend more time thinking about how to do something, and less time actually doing it. The more preparation you do, the better your end results are likely to be. A wise executive once told me that he found eighty percent of his time should be spent in contemplation, any less found him too involved in operational tasks. That’s a considerable slice of time, but it results in some wonderfully well thought out results, a little like a fine Burgundy.

Of course to make the best red wine, you need the very best grapes. If you try to age a terrible wine, you’ll only end up with a terrible wine. The same holds true for any solution. Time doesn’t turn a bad idea into a good idea, so don’t mull over your bad prospects for too long.

The point isn’t to procrastinate over everything, but rather to take time out for thinking. Allow time for your ideas to mature, and they’ll be much better for it.

The Best Solutions Are Like Fine Red Wine is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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Some time ago, I read the book “The Leader Who Had No Title”. The fact that it’s an interesting book aside, the title alone got me thinking about authority. Who has it, and who should? It’s easy to think that managerial roles are the only source of authority.

While it’s true that people in those positions often hold the formal reigns, to believe that they are the sole source is preposterous. Consider the front line staff who, through consistent display of ability and knowledge, have built up a loyal band of followers. Those staff who, despite their position, set the tone and direction. Every workplace has them, but it takes an excellent manager to open their eyes and recognise them.

The truth is, that’s what we call authentic leadership. It carries with it a level of authority all of its own. And authentic leadership always wins out over formal authority, no exceptions. Staff might pay lip service to formal authority, but those authentic leaders always set the tone.

So, is there a problem? Only if you let it become a problem. You see, authentic leaders should be harnessed and used to drive your business. Why would you squander that talent?

Formal Authority versus Authentic Leadership. is a post from keyXI Consulting, who provide premium consulting services to business owners and executives to improve their business.

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