Getting Your Leadership Team Looking in the Same Direction

Beware the leadership team that has opposing views of the future!

Last week I was working with a client's leadership team that is beginning to use more formal process excellence methodologies -- for governing their operations, doing business improvement projects, etc.  We were going through "champion's training" and the lights really started going on when we started talking about their business transfer functions.

The concept is reminiscent of high school algebra:  Y=f(x).  In this case, Y is effective CRE management, or a good metro plan, or a strategic sustainability program.  The (x) is the critical drivers of success. 

A metro plan is an easy example -- an effective result is a function of sub-objectives such as reducing vacancy, staying on schedule, improving adjacencies, reducing cost/head, and meeting occupier satisfaction targets.  Although it's simple, the concept really focuses the leadership team on a common understanding of how success will be achieved, where to focus improvement efforts, and how to review the program.

Breaking down a new program such as a company's first view of their sustainability strategy is even a better application for getting the leaders to look in the same direction.

So keep it in mind -- when you're trying to align the team around the critical few drivers of success, create a transfer function as a brainstorm exercise and use it for managing the way forward.  Six Sigma is tailor made for achieving this.