I "Hope" This Makes a Difference

My family is in Austin visiting friends for the weekend and I noticed a valuable language pattern one of my friends used. Instead of strongly encouraging (in other words "telling") me to read a book that he's very excited about, he used the word "hope".

While I pride myself on helping people come around to answers themselves without "telling" them, every once in a while something excites me and I want to "tell" everyone about it. An example would be a restaurant "you must go there, it's great!". What if instead I started using the word "hope" when I get excited about something? It feels completely different. It feels like it is more influential. 

Like writing poetry, a choice on the use of a word or two can make all the difference when communicating.

I hope you'll consider using "hope" the next time you want to tell someone "they must or have to" do something that will benefit them.

 

Change Your "Behavior Diet" Today

Collaborative Behavior is Long-Lasting and High-Protein

The industry has evolved quickly in regards to its view of integrated project delivery. It’s no longer bound to the type of delivery as it is behavior; collaborative behavior.

The following metaphor is being used to make a point – I’ve carried 10 pounds of “bad weight” around my midsection for the last 15 years because my diet was filled with too many carbohydrates (i.e. I love sweets). This year I didn’t make a drastic change, but what I did do was replace quick, short-term carbohydrates with longer-lasting high-protein alternatives at a few key intersections in my daily eating behavior. For example, I switched my breakfast from a big bowl of oatmeal squares to scrambled eggs and eliminated late afternoon snacks - cookies, granola bars or left-over cake from last-night’s dessert... As a result, I’ve shed 10 pounds effortlessly while increasing lean muscle mass. What if I addressed my food portion sizes next?  What if I formalized these weight-shedding definitions, strategies, skills and behaviors in writing and made it available as a weight-shedding support system? Well, that’s really not my thing.

Instead, what if my weight-shedding system could be translated into a waste-shedding support system for organizations? What if this system could help organizations shed “bad costs” or fat from a few intersections in the middle of their budgets that has been knowingly carried around for years?

Increasing collaborative capability fuels this waste-shedding support system. Just like shedding weight, many know what to do. It’s a matter of doing it. Increasing collaborative capability helps you close your organization’s knowing-doing gaps.

Increasing collaborative capability is applicable to any industry that is fragmented, labor-intensive and complex. It will help you do more of what works by looking inward first (long-lasting, high-protein, collaborative behavior) and less of what historically doesn’t work such as looking outward first and assessing what others should do differently (quick, short-term, selfish behavior which is instinctive, reactive, self-preserving and tends to produce negative results, or fat).

For example, in the commercial design and construction industry, quick and short-term behavior has added bad weight (waste) over time to our once leaner and healthier construction projects. According to public data, there is $400 million of waste in this trillion dollar industry. This waste comes in the form of fatty contingency costs, unnecessary insurance coverage and non-discretionary changes due to mediocre design coordination, avoidable regulatory requirements and dysfunction. This waste is a result of looking outward first & protecting ourselves from what others might do or not do. Whereas to shed waste, the industry needs to look inward first. This requires changing working relationships from the inside-out, understanding what problems to solve, how to solve them and the benefits.

“Project Management is 80% Communication” – Project Management International Book of Knowledge

OK. I understand. What’s next? How Do I Specifically Start Looking Inward?

Assuming you’ve determined your readiness for increasing collaboration, first you need to answer some collaborative capability audit questions and second you need to design and build your waste-shedding support system.

Three of several key collaboration capability audit questions

1. Are you focusing on increasing collaborative capability because of an external factor, such as the economy, or is it a strategic decision? If increasing collaborative capability is not a strategic decision, stop here.

2. Is increasing collaborative capability a decision or a problem? In other words, if it’s a decision, you know the answers. If it’s a problem, you are looking for the answer.

3. What do you want from increased collaborative capability and what if you get it? How will you use it? Who will use it?

Design & build your waste-shedding support system using these collaborative capability pillars:

• Define the meaning of collaboration in your organization in behavioral terms. Determine where you are and where you want to be and attach them to a 10 point scale to measure improvement.

• Add “increasing collaborative capability” as a strategy to reach your organization’s objectives. This signals the importance of collaboration to the organization’s leadership.

• Is increasing collaborative capability a question of skill and/or behavior? Commit to installing collaborative skills & behaviors in your team to walk your collaborative talk. It won’t suddenly happen by itself or because you request everyone to try harder. You need a venue in order to practice, research, test and grow in a safe environment.

• Evolve your culture with intention to one based on collaboration. This creates the environment necessary to effect long-term, meaningful change.

As mentioned, a fragmented, labor-intensive, complex industry like commercial design & construction has 400 million in waste with materials accounting for only a small percentage of that waste. The rest of the waste is labor. Technology and improved processes will help reduce labor waste, but the biggest opportunity is to change behavior.

Incremental behavior change is doable. Choose a few intersections in the middle of your organization and start closing the knowing-doing gap with increased collaboration. It’s not like you’re being asked to make green vegetables smell like bacon. Yet, it will help create a renaissance in the design & construction industry.

The World America Made

Robert Kagan's book takes the position that without one dominant power in the world, the policies, norms and order that support the last 60 years of peace and prosperity evaporate. I agree for many reasons. Some of which I will list. 1. Someone has to lead. Most people/nations are stuck in "neutral." There has to be a standard set by someone. Someone has to lead. 2. Democracy doesn't work if the stakes are high.

The Masters of Collaboration

I recently lead a Collaboration Leadership Lab and made a discovery....

After the Lab participants and I spent the whole day working on collaboration, we went to a dinner called "Cooking-up Collaboration" to complete the learning for the day.

The objective of the dinner was to experience collaboration while preparing the meal we were to eat for dinner. The "Cooking-up Collaboration" staff briefed us, shared the recipes and turned us loose in the kitchen.

Some people were tired, others had a long-drive home ahead of them and still others had work from their "day jobs" waiting for them that was due the next day.  

The Lab participants barely shared the recipes with each other, quickly split-up duties (including duties for the cooking-up collaboration staff helping-out with the cooking) and almost immediately they went into their silos preparing our individual parts of the dinner.

After five minutes or preparing, someone suggested comparing the recipes side-by-side and looking for common ingredients to prepare for each other. We started to collaborate while preparing dinner! The chatter increased and everyone lifted-up their head occasionally to see what was going-on around them. This increased communication and awareness lifted collaboration to an even higher level as people started cleaning-up after each other.

The Lab participants felt very satisfied with their collaborative effort until someone pointed-out we had not included the "Cooking-up Collaboration staff" in our collaborative effort. We left them alone in their silo....

Ouch.

Reflect on collaboration. How could I be better. Restart your awareness.

Remember What It's Like to be a Doer

If it's been a long time since you did the job that your team members do and things don't feel as "tight running" as they should, maybe you should re-engage as a doer for a while to observe, notice and discover how to tighten-things up again.

Maybe just the fact you rolled your sleeves up is enough to lift your team's productivity.

Why We're Not "Built" for Collaboration

If our eyes are not up and we're not looking around us it's difficult to collaborate. It's sort of like running a race while hopping on one leg.

In soccer, a key behavior is keeping your eyes up so you know where to run with or without the ball (as well as where the options are to pass the ball or possibly shoot on the goal).

It sounds easy enough until the ball arrives at your foot and opposing players descend on you like bees on honey. The same thing happens in business situations. A deadline is approaching, we're over budget on a project, we desperately need to achieve this quarter's revenue target or we're working with someone that has a history of difficult behavior.

Other examples

I played my worst game of the soccer season a few weeks ago. The key reason? I forgot to keep my eyes up. In turn, I didn't keep moving with the ball, I didn't know where my team mates were and subsequently lost the ball or made bad passes many times.

Another example of "it sounds easy enough" - not "seeing" while looking. It sounds easy enough until you're in front of 500 people. I was a lector at Mass this past Sunday at St. Monica Catholic Church. I have served in this role for years and this past Sunday, I stepped-up on the pulpit and I looked at the lectionary with the Old Testament readings without "seeing" and I proceeded to read the wrong reading for that day. If I would have looked and seen, I would not be writing about this right now.    

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

In 13 years of marriage, I can say my wife and I have only had two "real arguments." On the other hand, we average a a "dust-up" or two a year. We had a dust-up recently and a few days later, I noticed my 9 year old son talking in a loud, disrespectful tone to my wife. I corrected him within milliseconds and then thought to myself "where did that come from?" Well, it came from me....

As leaders, we're being observed all the time - at work on projects (with issues), socially while interacting with those not easy to get along with, personally playing/coaching sports, helping children with homework, doing chores and we're demonstrating how to behave whether we like it or not.

Sharing these thoughts reminds me of the old saying "if you would be uncomfortable with your behavior or something you said being on the front page of the newspaper, it's probably not a good idea." 

More Thoughts on "There's Nothing New Under the Sun"

I had a conversation today with two different people in their seventies. They've seen a lot in their lifetimes.

Observations:

• Every decade, the people living at that time believe the current political situation is the worst ever
• Every decade, the people over 40 years old believe the young people have it wrong (and vice versa)
• Every decade, everyone, regardless of political beliefs or age has a responsibility to DO SOMETHING

At any point in time, your situation is never as good and it's never as bad as you think it is. You were born for a reason. Figure out your purpose and DO SOMETHING

MUCH Easier Said Than Done: Saying Good Bye

I played my last soccer game last night. It was the semi-final of the North Texas Premier Soccer Association "Over 40A" division spring season playoffs.

I've been talking with my wife about "retiring" for several years and sharing a hobby like tennis.

I realized last night that while I still have a few years left in me to play at that level, I've probably reached my peak in my ability to contribute, it's important to listen to your instincts. Your instincts know what is in your long-term best interest.

What does that mean? In my case, I'm in the prime of my family life, our kids range in age from 3 years old to 12 years old and I love my wife very much.

Amateur soccer championship glory is certainly a dream I can give up.

Knowing it's time to move-on and not wanting to do so at the same time is my signal. If you feel torn. If you feel you can keep doing something a little longer yet you feel a pull from another part of your life, that's the optimum moment in time to progress to the next season in your life. You leave one season of life on top and enter another season on top.