[Editor’s Note: The decision to become
an extraordinary company is not coincidence or happenstance. Rather it is a
conscious choice. Shouldn’t you be great at what you do? Shouldn’t you decide
to become the company your customers can’t live without? –dpm]
Author
and speaker Joe Calloway opens many of his presentations with a story from the
movie Apollo 13: “The movie opens with a gathering of astronauts to watch Neal
Armstrong who is about to become the first human being to walk on the moon. As
we hear Armstrong’s immortal words, ‘One small step for man; one giant leap for
mankind,’ the mood becomes quiet, even reverential. …Shortly after the
broadcast, the party breaks up and everyone goes their separate ways, Jim
Lovell, who is played by Tom Hanks, is alone with his wife, Marilyn in their
backyard. Looking up at the moon, Lovell says, ‘From now on, we live in a world
where man has walked on the moon. It’s not a miracle. We just decided to go.”
Calloway
makes the point that the first step that great companies make is the deliberate
decision to pursue greatness. Many organizations talk about change. Sometimes
companies will orchestrate management retreats, spending two or three days at
some resort developing great ideas in a sea of flip chart paper and white
boards. Six months later, everyone wonders, “What happened to those great ideas
we had.”
Strategic Planning without a “Decision to GO” is a waste of
time
Decide
to go… or go home. Strategic planning without a “decision to go” is a waste of
time. You might think it peculiar that a company like ours would make such a
statement. After all, The Mead Consulting Group helps companies develop and
execute strategy. But, after more than 35 years helping companies, we have
learned that it is the commitment to ACTION that determines success. “Deciding
to go” is the biggest differentiator among companies.
What
many people don’t know (or probably are too young to remember) is that when
President John F. Kennedy made the statement in May 1961 that the U.S. would
put a man on the moon by the end of the decade, it was simply not another
political speech. He rallied support in all sectors of government and the
country. He helped us all see that this was a major commitment that was worthy
of our time, resources, and commitment. He helped us “decide to go.” You might
say that President Kennedy created what Jim Collins (“Good to Great”) calls a
BHAG – a Big Hairy Audacious Goal.
Processes Institutionalize commitment
Motivating
the populace was just the start. We needed processes and plans to achieve such
a feat. After all, at the time of Kennedy’s statement, the U.S. space program
had not even managed to orbit the earth. To speak of going to the moon struck some
as an impossible task. It would have been an impossible task if significant
changes were not put in place. NASA and the other key organizations worked
together to put organizations, plans, people, and processes in place.
Research
shows that not a day went by that at President Kennedy did not inquire about
some facet of this commitment – notes to the Vice President about funding from
Congress, encouraging commitment to math and science education, speeches to
keep the issue in front of the American people – making us all feel proud to
play a part in this journey.
Along
the way, it became OUR goal. It was
the processes and daily commitment of many people – at all levels - that made
it work. Kennedy was alive for only the first 1000 days of the journey. During
that time he helped us make this BHAG ours. Then we took it the rest of the
way.
Become the best at what you do
Organizations
define themselves – set their own limits. Leadership helps paint the picture
for greatness. It is too easy for small and mid-size companies to say that “we’re
only a small company” or “we sell undifferentiated, unglamorous products.” With
that attitude, why bother getting out of bed in the morning. A mentor of mine
once told me, “There are no boring jobs, only boring people.” What he meant was
that people need to be inspired. If you have an undifferentiated product or
service, whose fault is that? Do something to transform the customer
experience.
Develop
a big goal. Then go make it happen. The successful companies are focused on the
daily details to accomplish that big goal. Everyone wants to be part of
something great.
Become
the best at what you do – whatever it is. Make the Decision to Go!
___________________________________
The Mead Consulting Group has been helping
clients develop and execute Strategic Growth& Execution plans for many
years. Check out our website for descriptions of some client success stories.
