I really liked your article and what I liked is that you walked the talk and made the article simple and to the point. I am going too pass it on to our senior management team. I feel they are following some of your advise but need to change in a few ways that you have outlined. Well done.

Rick

I have managed to carve out some time to get at my email back log and was able to read your article.

My first reaction was that this was another “quick fix, sound bite” approach that is so common in todays media. Lot’s of great snippets, but is it really this simple? ( Okay, yes, but not easy! ) I know that might sound a bit harsh, but I have often wondered how to get from your ten points to real actions in the business that are consistently followed up on until one has results. You know, the executive push of the month fad.

I would offer that less is more – ONE of these ideas, with practical steps of how to actually accomplish the step would be useful. I think linking to the web for tracking and measuring would be very useful. We could brain storm ideas on how that might work. You could model it on “Motley Fool” where fools group together to support each other with ideas and advice. Or take your O&A online….

My other comment is that I think your 10 ideas could be built into a top down plan – you have strategic ideas, tactical ideas and cultural ideas that I think could be grouped together vs. 10 separate points. There is a 2 day workshop ( at least ) in these ten points.

How about “10 months to a recession make over” – you use the mag and the web to take your readers – interactively – through these 10 ideas with much more depth. I would always push for “what does success look like” and ” When will I know I have accomplished this goal” to drive clarity.

Maybe folks that want more coaching or don’t want to wait 10 months, will get you to work with them on a paid basis.

It is a solid article. If someone does what you say – they will succeed. Of course what I “know” and what I “do” are separated by a gap. A very interesting one in fact. ( Mind the Gap…. )

stay in touch,

dave

Hope you are doing well, excellent article, very timely. I’d say I have already done or are actively doing about 7 of them.

If you want my input and it can somehow be valuable in the future I’m happy to share my observations. The article is killer, but here are a couple of points that would be in my top 10:

I am a massive fan of the one page strategic plan (we live ours and re-visit every quarter) and on the plan you have quarterly, annual, 3 yr, 5y and BHAG goals. I would condense your Jim Collins point with the be candid point. They are valid but similar… it’s all about being honest with yourself and not being afraid to share internally that things are bad and it’s important to be optimistic about the future, but don’t understate the severity of the situation.

I like the term ‘Lean’ and the management style around that. It isn’t about cutting costs, it is about getting the most value out of your spend and eliminating waste and re-work. We have a heavy focus on FTQ (first time quality). It is a productivity killer and potentially a moral killer. Do your job right the first time and eliminate wait time and re-work and everyone is happy and your company gets super-charged.

I borrow from the Who methodology (fabulous book on hiring http://www.whothebook.com/ ) that focuses on hiring the right person … but in difficult times (or good times) when you may not be hiring, we use it for setting detailed outcomes for every employee … if ask, ‘if we were to re-hire this position today would we hire this person? What we would expect from this position?’ In very hard times, especially after a round of layoffs, employees have fear and uncertainty… if you lay out detailed outcomes you expect of them they #1) can feel that if they accomplish these things they will help the company through these times… so you get engagement and #2) those that are not contributing to helping you though these difficult times (C players of B players that aren’t getting better) then you can easily remove them and replace with the right talent.

You missed one on core values … we all can say we will be a company that acts with integrity in the good times… but can you in the bad? In the worst?? Review your core values quarterly with your staff… ask yourself and them if this is still what you believe in. Did you say your core value is to be innovative… are you still? Etc, etc.

Over communication in hard times internally can help employees sleep better at night and can keep everyone rowing in the right direction.

Great article Mike, well done.

Cheers
Rob