The Process Ninja

The Church of BPM

I see a lot of "Process Evangelists" out there in linkedinland. Some of these guys seem to have almost cult-like following. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that's a bad thing at all - in fact it gave me an idea.

A few weeks ago I had a coffee with a fellow BPM enthusiast - a recent convert to the process way of thinking. After he was finished with his enthusiastic speech I said to him "Finding Process must be a bit like finding God..." - he agreed. We'd both had that lightning bolt moment when suddenly the way that we saw business had changed forever - and it was a powerful moment.

So maybe what we need to do is not to educate the world in BPM, not to send out white papers, not to hold conferences - maybe what we need is to be fundamentalists, preachers and pilgrims. Maybe we need to start shouting, singing and clapping our hands and saying "praise be" to the church of BPM. So what I say to all of you out there that feel the need to spread the word - let's stop being timid and let's start making some noise.

If the brothers out there aren't a listenin' yet, then they'll be a hearin' the callin' a real soon...

Ninja Tip: Separate work and personal opinions

It is fine with being friends with people at work, but to maintain a healthy balance it is important that you are able to separate your personal and professional opinions. If you have a colleague at work who isn’t performing, it needs to be addressed, whether or not they are your friend. Vice versa you shouldn’t cast aside a good friend because you are embarrassed by their ability to do their job or that you don’t like the work they have given you to do. It may help for you to think of each person as having two sides – a work side and a personal side – and one should never tarnish the other.

 

This is a hard leap for some people to make and it may sound harsh - but ultimately you will be the one looking bad for protecting an underperforming staff member. The converse is true; just because you don't get along well with someone personally, you must not let this come in the way of a professional work relationship.

 

If they're good, they're good. If they're bad they're bad.

 

- TPN

Some Process Wisdom from My Dad

My dad's a very smart guy - he's an accountant. Don't hold that against him. He's worked for a ton of top firms around the world and ocassionally throws me a nugget of wisdom like he did today:

 

"Just remembered something from the days when I managed Budget-rent-a-Car for Appleyard 35 years ago.  The UK MD of Budget used to talk about the telephone being the "money machine".  The call was an enquiry about the product - car rental.  The call had to be handled properly and turned into a rental.  There was no point in the phone ringing if some dumbo answered it and lost the potential client.  It might have been less costly for it not to ring in the first place.  Today's equivalent is wider than the phone - it still includes the phone, but is much wider.  Anyway the moral of the story is that enquiries have to be handled timeously and correctly to turn someone's interest into a sale".

 

What dad is saying, essentially, is that there is is no point in having a million ways that the customer can easily communicate with you if you don't get your entire sales process correct. Think about it. If you have a shop in the busiest street in the busiest town, you'll still sell nothing if your salespersons stand around chewing gum and talking.

 

So think long and hard about communication methods in your company, but don't think that's the be-all and end-all. Making a sale is still making a sale, whether that's an automated system or someone in the flesh - there is no margin for error.

 

- TPN

EVERYTHING is Process

My favourite band of all time, Oasis once sang "You're all part of the Masterplan..." and that's how I think about process.

What a lot of people seem to forget is that everything we do is a process. When you get up in the morning you follow a process, when you brush your teeth you follow a process. A lot of what we do has become routine and habit, but once upon a time they were new to you - you probably just don't remember when the switch from being a new process to being "just something you do" occurred.

How is this relevant? - well we have to stop thinking of process as being a thing that we fix or we tweak or we control. It is all of those things, but it is so much more - process IS everything that we do, and the sooner we can make decision makers understand this way of thinking, the sooner we'll change the world.

Process is rock n' roll. They just don't know it yet.

TPN

Process Tip: Don't become "one of them"

After a while in an organisation you will get a feel for which of the staff are one of “those people”. They are the whingers, the complainers, who revel in negativity but are prepared to do absolutely nothing to improve their situation or others. They love to wallow in misery like a giant impotent hippo. Don’t become one of them. Always stay positive, and if you find yourself feeling down, in a rut or negative, just think “what can I do to change this”, and then (the most important part) actually do something about it. And what about them? Do everything you can to get rid of them – they don’t just bring the organisation down, but like a giant grey snowball of depression they gather momentum by bringing everyone else down with them.

 

Don’t let the snowball start rolling. Melt it in its tracks.

Ninja Tip: How to Crush it at Interviews

This is a bit off the process topic but since there are a lot of people out there at the moment feeling the pain of the financial crisis I thought I would share some tips on how to nail that interview (or CRUSHIT as Gary Vaynerchuk would say). Here's how:

Quality Not quantity

12 months ago, if you were 80% right for a position you'd probably have a good chance of getting it. Now, with the glut of candidates on the market employers can be ultra picky about what they want and can hand pick candidates that are 99% right for the position. The lesson is, go for positions that are very closely aligned with your skills and experience rather than those that are a loose fit. Otherwise you are just wasting your time.

Change your price

The market is paying 10-20% less than it was 12 months ago so make sure that your price expectations are not unrealistic. There are many people living in denial that are still trying to get the same rate they got 12 months ago. Again, as employers can afford to be picky they won't even look at you if your price is too high. Work out what is the lowest price you can afford to comfortably live on and go for that. Just get yourself employed - and stay employed.

Look the part

When you are going for an interview make sure you look a million dollars. Your old suit with the giant lapels from 1977 won't cut the mustard. Guys - Go out and buy a classy suit, a hot tie and shirt with cufflinks. Take someone female with you (we men are useless with clothes, and if you don't agree you are probably gay). Spend some money on it. Your suit you wear to work eavery day isn't good enough. Get a haircut. Shave (if you are a man, of course!) Do not smell BAD. Smelling good is a bonus, but don't overdo it. Girls, you are usually good at this stuff but be careful with the amount of cleavage. Try not to look like a high class...I won't say it. Aim for classy. Buy Trinny & Susannah's The Rules or get more tips here.

Be prepared

Print out all the address details and contact numbers for the interview. Take 3 copies of your resume with you to the interview. If someone has been called in at the last minute and you can hand them a resume they will be most impressed. Also, take along any documentation that you can use as examples (be sure to blank out company specific information). Prepare a list of questions to ask at the interview and provide a copy to each of the interviewers when they ask the ubiquitous "do you have any questions?" question. They will love it. If you would like to see my question list e-mail me.

Before you go in

Drink an espresso coffee with sugar 30 minutes before you go to the interview. This will be just enough to get your brain fireing without making you look like a crack whore who's just had a hit. Make sure your resume, notes and examples are all in a neat folder. Turn up early, but not too early. 10 minutes early is acceptable, anything more you will appear to be a paranoid schizophrenic. If you are early just sit in the foyer, relax, check your outfit is presentable and for god's sake please go to the toilet. A fart in an interview? - let's not go there.

Don't look like a puddle of Jelly

When you meet your interviewers give them a firm handshake. Firm - not a fishy little girl's handshake and not a bone crushing "I've got a bigger penis than you" handshake. Something in between. Look them in the eye with your shoulders back. Be confident. Repeat to yourself "I ROCK!!!" When you go into the interview wait to be offerred a seat. If they don't offer you a seat, sit down when they do. At all times, sit forward, use eye contact with ALL the interviewers and show interest by nodding and responding (Yes, I see, etc). As hard as it may be, try to enjoy the interview. Look at it is a learning experience.

It's a 2 way street

Don't think of an interview as you trying to impress them. They also have to impress you. An interview should be a two way process where you assess them. Don't be afraid to ping questions at them during the interview. It shows alertness. And balls. Not many people have balls.

If it isn't right, say so

If you think the position isn't for you, kill the interview. It isn't fair to waste your time or theirs. Poilitely say that you don't think the position is a good match and that you don't want to waste their time. Keep the door open by saying that you appreciate their time and that you would be more than happy to work for them if a suitable position arises.

Don't be a stalker

After the interview, under no circumstances should you harass the interviewers with multiple phone calls and e-mails. It smacks of desperation and makes you look like you are psychologically imbalanced and needy. Wait for them to come back to you. Give them a week and follow up with a polite e-mail or phone call.

Remember that above all, if you get to an interview, you have every chance to get the job. Just don't blow it!

Good luck!

TPN

How to make process change smoother – 5 simple communication tips

Process does not operate in a vacuum. Process is not all about systems. Process is about people. People need communication.

 

Here’s how to oil the wheels of process change:

 

1.    Plan

 

Before you do anything, draft a communications plan. This should include the messages you want to communicate, the mediums you will use to communicate and the timeframes for the communications. But who are you communicating with…?

 

2.    Identify your audience.

 

Who will be the process owners? Who is involved?

You need to ensure that these people feel loved from day 1. More communication is better than less. Explain to them what you are trying to do, what help you need from them and how you are going to perform the work.

 

3.    Start off big.

 

You may think that by identifying your key audience that you have covered all your bases, but be sure to expand your communications to as many people as you can (within reason). There are always people who are left out of the loop who feel that they should be involved. It’s important to make these people feel that their opinions are being heard or they can inflict negative PR on your process change. Remember, however, that the bigger the audience for communication the more general your communication should be.

 

4.    Build Rapport.

 

By this I mean that you should get to know your audience personally. The more you can break down barriers and understand personality types the more likely they will be to co-operate with you. Don’t be afraid to ask them about their lives outside of work. They may even start to think of you as a human being!

 

5.    Make it regular, consistent.

 

Whatever communications you are performing you need to make sure that it is regular. This is because it often takes time for a message to sink in. The world is so filled with communication “noise” that it may take a number of communications before people start to “get it”. This is why the communication needs to be consistent, in order to hammer home the message. It’s like beating a drum over and over – eventually people will hear it and start to walk in step.

 

The Benefit of Hindsight and Why We Shouldn't Take the Media Seriously

I came across this magazine lying in our lunch room at work. The fact that our only source of entertainment in the lunchroom is a magazine from December 2007 is an altogether different topic for discussion. I just found this cover to be hilarious (with the benefit of hindsight) and another classic example of why we shouldn't believe everything we see, hear or read.

Ninja Tip: How to present effectively and avoid "Death by PowerPoint"

Unless you want to give the impression that you have the intellectual Kudos of a 14 year old girl who spends all day on Myspace you should make some effort to improve your oral skills. If you can’t stand up in front of a group of people and deliver a presentation without looking like a jelly on top of a washing machine then you need to take action. Unfortunately the best way is simply to do more and get used to it. But if this is too confronting do yourself a favour and get some professional coaching. Being able to talk confidently to a group of people is a fantastic skill and one that few people do well.

Here are some tips for successful speaking:

• Practice. Stand up in front of a mirror and practise your presentation out loud. Be aware of your mannerisms. Keep your head up, shoulders back and chest out. Say to yourself “I am the B*llocks!” Don’t be afraid to use your arms!

• Use crib notes if you have to, but cut them into bullet points on small cards. Don’t stand up with a sheet of A4 paper and read everything out like 5 year old.

• Project your voice to the back of the room (imagine you are talking to the chap in the back row)

• Dress appropriately for your audience

• If you are using a PowerPoint presentation, try to express what you are saying with a simple picture and no more than a couple of words. People’s brains can’t take in any more.

• Be interactive, don’t just talk at people – ask questions and challenge the audience (it will keep them alert).

• Inject humour. Everyone fears death by powerpoint with slides filled with gobbledigook spouted by some boring GM. Make it interesting by creating a theme with a bit of humour. People will enjoy it and more importantly will remember it.

Process Tip - Stop using Jargon and improve your communications

 

Digging facilitation tool?

 

Or in other words, stop talking Bizspeak because you sound like a d*ckhead. We have this wonderful thing – it’s called the English language and it was invented so that we can communicate with each other – simply and effectively. However some people don’t seem content with this and like to make up their own language where everything is more complicated than it needs to be. It’s a world full of words like “granularity” and puke inducing expressions like “let’s take that offline” and (my favourite) “value proposition”. If it’s a spade, call it a spade. It’s not a digging facilitation tool. In a world full of complexity the last thing we need to make more challenging is our ability to talk to each other.