The "No Excuse" Management Style

Arising out of "the a Safe environment to Fail" management tactic came my...

"No Excuse" Management Style...

Let's put this into perspective...Organizations and managers quickly grabbed upon "the safe to fail" cliche without realizing the ramifications for doing so...

The astute survivors (those who chronically fail) breathed a sign of relief and interpreted this tactic to their advantage and held their leaders to the letter of the effort rather than the spirit!  Think about what a blessing this was for chronic failures...I don't have to produce and I don't have to worry about it!

They would come to a deadline and simply apologize...saying, "I know...I failed...but it is so cool that you are a boss that promotes that cutting edge "safe to fail" environment...Sorry!"

They failed and expected forgiveness...heck, let's get real...they demanded understanding and believed they were entitled to forgiveness...and criticized great managers who made them "feel bad" for failing again and again!

That bothered me...people should not have or deserve that authority...even worse is when they believe that they are entitled to it...

The only thing that a person is entitled to is that which they negotiated and earned...

You are safe to fail...if you negotiated failure into your performance goals...

Then...if you fail at failing...you succeeded...

Then you are safe...

Smart organizations reward success...

I can only remember once when a person was laid off by a REALLY poor boss and leader for succeeding and that was because the boss was trying to save his own "behind"...it simply bought him a salary for a while and he ultimately lost his job because he was seen for his incompetence...

The bottom line is...

One should NEVER fail at delivering to a customer's expectations...

You are getting paid to do that...when you fail at that...you are robbing from the company...and the customer...

There is nothing safe there!

The conditions upon which it is safe to fail...

If a person delivers what is required (is successful) and goes one step further (in a separate effort) and fails...it is safe!

You tried and fell short...but it was your own expectations...not the customer's...

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The question that I asked...and answered was how do I rectify the "Safe to fail" management concept that my organization wants to promote and yet not be raped by incompetent people?

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From this question, an interesting concept (my own management tactic) took shape...although I fell upon it early on in my career...as we entered the 21st century, when the children of the "everyone is entitled to a trophy" generation moved into the workforce...it became less of a tactic and more of a requirement.

It became known as "No Excuse Management."

Those who have worked with me have often heard me say...

"Don't bring excuses to the table...bring results..."

An outsider would perceive this as the furthest thing from a "safe to fail" environment...

Those who have experienced it...realize that it is 100% safe to fail...

...but...let's talk about failure...

Failure can occur in...

Delivery time (When it is expected)

Volume (How much was expected)

Quality (What was expect)

Cost (Effort required on the part of the recipient to get what they want) 

...Failure is a BAD thing after one makes a commitment...A REALLY REALLY BAD THING!

When is it safe to fail?

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The History Channel

Ever since grade school...I hated listening to whiners!

I had to stay up late to get my homework done...WHAT ARE YOU THAT STUPID THAT YOU COULDN'T GET IT DONE IN AN HOUR?

I lost it on the way to school...YOUR WORK DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?

and on and on! 

All these kids wanted was sympathy for failing to deliver!

Not from me!  AND I definitely didn't want to hear it!

Quick fast-forward...

I entered the workforce and "the dog ate my homework" got worse...

But always the same excuses!!!

WHINERS!

So I came up with the "No Excuses" management concept...

It was my philosophical reconciliation of "safe to fail" and "paid to perform"

Many of those with whom I worked captured the essence of it...

Others jumped upon it like vultures on rotting flesh!!!!

Fact of the matter is...you are either one or the other in that environment! (vultures or successes)

The purpose of my using this concept was to teach people to be realistic with what they can do and when they can deliver...and teach them to negotiate this...prior to their commitment...

After one commits...failure either means that you are incompetent...or you were lying!

...or "the dog ate your homework" or "your grandma died" for the 4th time

...or my "kid is in jail again" or "in the hospital"...

or...

Stop the craziness...how stupid do you think I am?  If anyone has that terrible of a life...commit suicide!  (I do not really mean that...but get real!  Who really has that many problems and is not taking Prozac?)

I have heard them all before!

I have had individuals come to me after failing...and say "I know...no excuses...and then go on giving me an excuse"...and expecting me to say, "OH...that's alright...it is safe to fail here!"

They expect me to forgive and forget and let things go on as before...

What this really points to is that these people are the vultures (the users!)...it is all about their own agenda... 

Failing a customer or anyone that you are committed to is not safe!

You failed!

Were you lying?

or

Just plain incompetent?

Acts of God are acts of God...

He doesn't visit here that often...and definitely doesn't sit around working on making your life miserable!

It is a statistical improbability that He is going to come down and mess with you so that you do not get your job done...

An interesting thing...I have extensively studied most religions and in every one the God wants you to be successful...not a failure...

If you are failing...it is your problem...Not some Act of God!

Stop blaming Him or Her...

It is you who are the loser not a product of a God!

(Do you get my point?)

An emergency is just that...rare!

Some people seem to have daily emergencies!  WEIRD!

SO...

You failed...

Did you lie?

Or are you just plain incompetent!

Or have you not been honest and accurate about who you really are?

or what really happened?

No excuses!

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The "Safe to fail" tactic is applicable only in specific instances...

The bottom line is that is is safe to fail...only when you never fail!

or...

you fail when the only person that you are letting down is yourself!

Otherwise...failure is a "career determining decision."

A NEGATIVE CAREER DETERMINING DECISION!

The "No excuses" counter-tactic is better suited to the 21st century...and the personality type of people that occupy it...

I have worked with people that have emergencies one time or more per week!

How many grandparents does one person have die?  or how many sick children?  or...how many car accidents or flat tires?  The list is endless...

I often have to make retention decisions around information...

When people are "disaster magnets"

I do not want them related to my efforts or my reputation...what if it rubs off?

No excuses...

If you fail...you are either incompetent or a liar...that is the message that needs to be sent!

If you want a job...shirk the disasters...if you are committed to disasters...give up your job!

These are strong positions...but if they are kept in mind...it is absolutely "safe to fail!"

Enough Said!

Idiosyncrasies do not make it a Priority

Everyone has idiosyncrasies.

Leaders (because of their position) often have unbridled quirks!

For some strange reason leaders (celebrities) believe that they deserve special treatment and accommodation of their quirks!  That is a very self-serving behavior!
 
"Giving in" to a leader's idiosyncrasies is often an effort in quelling an immature or uninformed need...and often one that actually disrupts real progress.

It is like...throwing a fit and saying...nobody works until I get my chocolate covered raisins!   How childish!

I have seen leaders with some strange quirks!  Examples include:

I need 3 cups of coffee before I meet with anyone...

Every one's "In Box" must be on the left-hand side of the desk...

Everyone on my team will only wear black shoes...

Evey person must address each other by their full given name...no nicknames...

I bet you can think of even some better ones!

Although most are, at most, a bother...they ultimately will spell the demise of the leader or worse...the team, a department, or an entire organization...

Effective leaders recognize their idiosyncrasies and put them into the proper perspective...

Idiosyncrasies are powerful drivers...but most of the time...they drive people in the wrong direction...unless they add specific measurable value...and are directly related to the needs and goals of the greater good! Do they take you closer to what you want to achieve...or are the efforts that they drive related to satisfying a weird hunger?

I have always reminded the people who work with me...that my idiosyncrasies should and will not make it some other person's priority...

If it bothers me...and it does nothing more than quell some weird psychological need and adds no value to the overall effort...

The only one who needs to be motivated by the idiosyncrasy is the person who has it...

Most idiosyncrasies are of little or no value!  They should not become part of setting the priorities of tasks...

A good leader recognizes when something is really important and when it is just a quirk!

The acid test is simple..."Does it matter to anyone else?"

If not...then it probably is simply a quirk!

If it matters so much that the leader needs ti get it done and they divert progress to accomplish it...they should...

Seek psychological help...
Submit their resignation...or
Do it themselves and let their team finish what they set out to do...

Idiosyncratic needs of a leader does not make it a priority...and the great leaders recognize that!