How Credible are You?

A previous posting on Self Trust has brought up some interesting conversations, including the whole concept of credibility and ethics.

I'll say first that ethics hass gotten distorted because of the technical teaching of how to be ethical without lying and cheating...or at least not technically.

So, how credible are you? On pages 50 - 53 of the book The Speed of Trust there are a serious of questions that form an assessment you can take and grade yourself. If you are honest with yourself, it will give you a fairly good idea of where you stand with yourself. After scoring yourself, and if you have others that will be honest with you, have them score you. The gap between your personal score of yourself and their score of you will give you a good idea of how much you need to improve.

If there isn't a gap; someone is lying.

Pay Attention to Other's Strengths

Leading well means a lot of things, including the awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of those in the box with you.

It's ok to develop strengths, or hire others to balance your team, but you can only work with what you have in your box; success comes from the box.

To train, that means you have to determine what to train and it takes time and money. That time and money is part of what is in the box.

Leading in the box, thinking in the box, means you're searching the matter out and not wishing for things to be different. It leads to positive results and not worrying about what is out of control anyway.

Staying in the box is real; it's being sure you're looking at the reality, getting better, staying focused, talking straight, and learning from mistakes.

To that end....

Communicate, But Connect First With Your Credibility

John Maxwell is writing a new book titled Everyone Communicates, Few Connect and he is posting chapter drafts of his manuscript for comments at http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/.

He is asking for comments and stories, even corrections. Here is a bit of my comment to Chapter 8; The Connector Creates an Experience Everyone Enjoys.

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Credibility. To truly connect with an audience it takes credibility.

When I hear John Maxwell speak, I'm connected to the credibility he's built with me as I've tested the principles from his books and tapes over the years.

On a more personal, and closer to home level, the communication (words out of one's mouth, or fingers), is altered by the credibility the communicator has with us. The connectivity is more real, more often, we see them in real-time. Such connectivity causes problems when you have someone you deal with on a daily basis, especially when the results of their work is not up-to-par; that connectivity will affect the communication because of the credibility. They might laugh and even be encouraged, but due to the credibility issues, the connectivity is short-lived.

Because of that erosion the communication and connectivity was only good for momentary grins. The communicator’s credibility is tied to their level of leadership and the lower the level, especially the Position level, will cause serious damage if the others are being driven by management to learn from the communicator.

True connectivity has to be grounded in credibility.
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I listen to a new pastor and he sticks to what I’m familiar with; credible. He brings up something I’m not familiar with……I’ll have to check out what he said, and get to know more about him, his past, and his doctrine before I connect well with him; he doesn’t have good credibility with me at-this-time.

Yet, I listen to John Maxwell, or Tim Keller, or John Piper and I have few filters engaged. They’re credibility with me already assumes a higher level of in my connectivity. I expect to connect with them because of the credibility they’ve built with me over the years.

Similarly, at work, whether communicating in person or email, my connectivity to the other person is driven by the credibility that person has with me, and even how I feel my credibility is with them. Much like Covey describes in The Speed of Trust, credibility and connecting well spins around how we walk the talk, our behavior, how capable we are, and the results we get.

Communicate, but connect first with your credibility.

Note: go to John Maxwell's link and read more about Everyone Communicates, Few Connect

Counterfeit Credibility

Googling counterfeit brought up over 7 million hits; counterfeit behavior 948,000.

Counterfeit means; made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged: counterfeit dollar bills. Pretended; unreal.

Credibility means; capable of being believed; believable: a credible statement. Worthy of belief or confidence; trustworthy: a credible witness.

Counterfeit Credibility then means that one's credibility, or credible statement, or credible witness is an imitation, deceptive, not genuine, and deceptive.

Normal counterfeit behaviors that destroys others trust in us, AND one's trust in oneself include:

Technically telling the truth
Legally splitting hairs
Spinning the real issues
Withholding information (well, they didn't ask the right question)
Hidden motives and agendas
Passive-aggressive behavior
Being driven by circumstance and not conscience
Being two-faced; pretending to care
Pretending to pay attention
Being busy to look busy and not getting results
Not accepting the blame when it is your fault

To that end....

How Deep is Credibility?

Credibility is deep and I have no doubt that I'm not even scratching the surface on my understanding of it. In other words, I'm sure I have HUGE blind spots about my credibility, what I know about it in general, how my own credibility is perceived by others, and how well I trust others' credibility.

In The Speed of Trust, author Stephen M.R. Covey lays out "the 4 cores of credibility;" Integrity, Intent, Capabilities, and Results. He uses as an example how, in a court of law, the opposing sides will try to either build up, or tear down the witness by strengthening or weakening these 4 cores (page 43).

Life is much like that court of law; we treat others many times based upon what they can do for us, or how well we like them.

It's about credibility; always talk about people as if they were there, don't distort facts, tell the truth in ways it can be verify.

To that end...

The Heart of Excellence Video

Following Well resource: http://www.heartofexcellence.com/HoE-Videos.htm (video #2)

Essential Leadership Discipline: Following Well

Following Well simply has to be an Essential Leadership Discipline, and what my reading so much has to do with both.

I read more than the average person and naturally run across very little about following. By little I mean almost never. In the last year, and I keep up with stuff like this, I've only ran across about following in LindedIn (one article) and the Bible. Nothing else, yet without followers, without following, without following done well we can't have good leadership.

The first time I remember reading anything of substance, written by man, about following was in a discussion on LinkedIn http://tiny.cc/gMgQM. This discussion, in May of this year, led me to the article mentioned in the discussion, that led me to the book http://tiny.cc/2YWMV.

Now, I've researched and found some other things written about following and Ira Chaleff, Courageous Follower, has written and lectured extensively about the subject. Yet, and I know I'm grinding an ax, what is up with leadership leaders not talking about and writing about it?

Having said all that, maybe this is just another blind spot I've got. But one thing I do know, following well is not something that comes easy and everyday I hear someone talk about being a good leader, or developing leadership, or some such very important discipline. Yet....

Ponder the thought of how well people follow you. Think about how important it is to follow well. You can find more on "following" by yping "follow" in the search for this blog.

Read Well, Follow Well, Lead Well

Life and Circles

I like circles, even imperfect circles. Life is full of circles; what goes around comes around, and such.

Robust Evaluation and Correction is about circling. The Bible says something to the affect of "what you don't get right, God will circle it back to you; again and again and again, until you do get it right.

Covey, in The Speed of Trust, uses a "back-and-forth" circle as visual to better describe his five waves of trust and their intersecting aspects; See, Speak, Behave.

This is a great way to show that while life is not a list of things to check off, but it's not a trip around the block either.

In this circle of life, as this diagram shows, we speak, behave, see or behave, speak, see or speak, see, speak, behave, see, or.....you get the idea.

Collins, in Good to Great, had a similiar idea in mind with the whole Hedgehog thing. I picked up the Robust Evaluation and Correction in Dennis Bakke's Joy at Work.

In any event, we can't coast around the circle, or check things off our list(s), and think THAT'S IT - DONE!. Doesn't happen that way. I'm reminded of a woman I once heard say, "I don't do housework because it never stays done."

Nothing stays done, not in an earthly since anyway.

God Bless, pay attention, and circle-back.

To Trust, To Follow

To trust another person, doesn't that mean you have to follow well? Don't you need to be a good follower? Don't you need to be followed well?

Hmmm. Something to be pondering.

Staying in the Box

Watching MSNBC's "Your Business" this morning I saw a great example of someone staying-in-the-box and succeeding.

A small business billard manufacturer had experienced a 50% drop in their production and while they had expaned to other typed tables and cabinets they were still not near capacity and I'm sure profitabilty was done.

The answer to their decrease in production turned out to be laying at their feet. The sawdust! At the suggestion of a customer, the small business began turning the sawdust into 'wood pellets.'

Wood pellets are used in some fireplaces instead of traditional sources.

This is a great example of 'staying in the box.'

The Box's Most Important Ingredient

Laying in bed this morning, telling myself to get self's lazy butt up, it hit me...."I haven't talked much lately about the second most important ingredient in the box; people."

Seriously, I really did have that thought HIT my thoughts.

People are the second most important ingredient of our box's contents. Remember what the engineer said when he dropped, or threw, all that stuff on the table; "here's what they have to work with." He said THEY. The rest is just stuff.

For me, THEY include some incredible people and I thank each and everyone of them for the deligence and prayers over the past few months. We've had some rough times in many ways but the core has proven itself well.

The box...it's all about what's in the box!

...and the glory of kings is to search matters out (Proverbs 25:2)

Case Study: Unwillingness to Accept Accountability

I believe it is appalling to be involved in a problem, yet, being unwilling to accept some level of responsibility. Actually, I find it shameful. The word Teflon comes to mind - some people just don't want anything to stick to them.

The case in point:

• an underwriter found suspected fraud in a file
• paystubs were not consistent and a verbal and then written verification of employment was sent to the employer listed on the loan application
• HR personnel at employer/medical center claim the paystubs are not the type they use
• letter of explanation, from employer (a doctor), was not on letterhead
• letter of explanation had the office phone number that was a cell phone

Note of Interest:

• It is probable that the applicant and applicant's employer are in fact legitimate. Google search of the records show facts of both as indicated in loan file

The problem:

• lender, nor Alethes, is unable to prove that employee in fact works for stated employer
• HR personnel at medical center has indicated, in writing, that applicant does not work there
• LO and processor insist it is a different doctor/manager with same name, yet have not produced any evidence to support; only emails and phone calls explaining that the lender and I have got it wrong
• the lack of acceptance by LO and processor to accept responsibility for not noticing and properly correcting the problem, or denying the loan, prior to submitting the loan to the underwriting

Assumption:

• if an underwriter or compliance person can find a potential problem, others involved with the file can find the potential problem and stop the file from going farther until the problem is eliminated

Results:

• day 1 - the lender initially suspended our ability to do business - not just this loan officer and processor, but the entire company
• day 1 - I suspended the loan officer, processor, and manager while the investigation is conducted
• day 1 - I requested all information sent to me by all parties
• day 2 - discussed matters with LO, processor, and manager
• day 2- based upon our overall track record, lender is allowing us to maintain a relationship with restrictions
• day 2 - confirmed documents that indicate inaccurate documents with HR Manager. HR Manager has tried to call the number on suspicious letter from employer given by processor - the phone answers and then immediately hangs up
• day 3 - the lender sent a representative to my office to discuss the problems. Lender is going to keep company's relationship but with additional restrictions
• day 4 - continue to investigate matter
• day 4 - processor has sent denial to borrower and there has been no expressed concerns from borrower
• day 4 - I went to San Antonio to meet with doctors but phone calls were not returned
• day 4 - reverse search of phone number shows that it is a wireless number
• day 5 - attempts to call phone number on letter is still unsuccessful. Number does not ring..goes to a fast busy signal

Excuses:

• there are multiple doctors with the same name and the lender, nor I, have contacted the correct people
• it's normal with people with new phone numbers to not have a voicemail
• the applicant is working for a doctor

As serious as this problems it, it is equally alarming is the processor, and to an extent the LO and manager's unwillingness to accept responsibility for any part of this problem. The processor is angry at me for the suspension of employment. I've been specific about with processor about the fact that I do not believe the processor did anything wrong other than not being diligent enough in working the file and succumbing to an LO's urgency to get a file submitted.

In a discussion with the processor on Day 4 about the conditions under which the processor would be reactivated, the processor let it be known that I had a law suit headed up my lower exterior (butt) and that the processor would never do business with that lender again.

So, while I've been mulling over all the ways I could have prevented this problem and what to do about the problem, others just want to claim it wasn't a problem and go on about their business.

A severe unwillingness to accept accountability.

How would I ever trust people like this to work for me in the future? In order to have trust, I have to be able to hold them accountable. I have to be able to check their agenda and their agenda seems to be; 1. submit file, 2. if some thing's wrong, lender will catch, 3 if lender catches, whoops, 4. next deal.

The lender in this case has added a quality control task to the process in order to do business. If I choose to allow these employees to work for me, I have to add processes or risk the same bad results.

This is a prime example of 1. decreasing trust = 2. increase costs = 3. decrease profits. The speed of trust slows down to a crawl with all parties.

All due to Unwillingness to Accept Accountability

Follow First

I continue to search out what it means to follow and yet, I find out more about leading that leads me back to being a better follower. And the loop continues...more of that robust evaluation and correction!

Through following I'm becoming more patient and I find that while I'm practicing patience others around me are grasping a better hold of their responsibilities. Yet, most of these that I'm following are subordinates on the org chart. And that's a good thing. Waiting, allowing others to lead has been refreshing, even a bit nerve racking!

I can see where many problems have stemmed from; people don't know how to follow. Or, at the least, they don't know how to be a good follower (Ira would say "they don't know how to be a Courageous Follower). Now, to have had more courageous followers like Cathy Smith in the past...today's results would have been much better.

Much of following has to do with behavior and if practicing Smart Trust has taught me anything it has taught me how to me watchfull of my followers' agendas and motives; which are played out in their behavior. Specifically, I've learned to look for passive-agressive natures. It's refreshing to have people like Carrie Hartwell that walk their talk. People like that are easy to trust; they allow themselves to be held accountable and their behavior matches up with their agendas.

So, slowly I practice the discipline of Following; learning what it means to be a good follower; a courageous follower; a follower that is working to make the best of where he is; getting good results of the box.

And hopefully that leads me to becoming a better leader; learning through change.

To that end...

No doubt, if you've been reading much of this blog, you know that I believe that the Bible is the ultimate truth and to search out it's meaning is the deeper than we can imagine.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-9 is the epitome of this truth yet depth.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.....what gain has the worker from his toil?"

This is an excellent verse for keeping one in check while trying to stay in-the-box.

Here is what some of what the old guys have to say about these verses:

Gregory of Nazianzus - at all times you should be engaged upon the work of your salvation, because every time is suitable for a life pleasing to God.

Basil the Great - for prayer and psalmody, however, as also, indeed, for some other duties, every hour is suitable, that, while our hands are busy at their tasks, we may praise God sometimes with our tongue; or, if not, with our heart....thus in the midst of our workbwe can fulfill the duty of prayer, giving thanks to him who has granted strength to our hands for performing our tasks and cleverness to our minds for acquiring knowledge, and for having provided the materials, both that which is in the instruments we use and that which forms the matter of the arts in which we may be engaged, praying that the work of our hands may be directed toward its goal, the good please of God.

Managing Tightly

Thanks Brandon Dady for the Good-to-Great reminder: "the moment you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you've made a hiring mistake."

Courageous Follower: Taking Action

A leader leading leader is not the only one leading. A leader leading leader attracts people that follow and lead well and empowers both to take action.

Courageous Follower: pg 35 - "leaders want their staff to assume more responsibilty, initiate ideas, and take action of their own."

Some positive examples this week of a leader leading leader; Curtis staying after me for a meeting (it took 2 tries to get me in the meeting) about settings on a new piece of software that we're trying to implement, Jamie going beyond her normal responsibilities to get a problem fixed, and Austen developing a new market awareness program.

This is type of work that energizes a leader and leave him refreshed at the end of a hard day instead of worn down.

We must all learn to do the job we're hired to do and accept that the job is not all laid out on a policy or a checklist. We have to think and take action; ask questions, insure we have the knowledge and keep asking ourselves and others questions until we do.

Don't be the weakest link, take action and be a leader leading leader.

Follow well.

Teamwork and THE Box

Learning to work in the Box is not easy. All of us want something we don't have and have to be reminded to be content.

Content. Contentment. Not something we normally think of in a positive way. But, working in the box, succeeding in the box, is about being content that that you have to do with what you have. And succeeding with it.

Let's take the team I have to work with right now. I'm content with this team and it is maybe best team I've ever had. Everyone is focusing on their job duties, accepting responsibily, and striving to do their best with what we have.

Our industry is in a state of turmoil. At best, it is deep in paranioa and it should be with the results of the past few years. Defaults are at all time high and losses continue to mount.

I salute people like Carrie Hartwell, Kelley McCutcheon, Kandy Dinkins, Natalie Gaston, and Austen Smith that continue to come to work everyday and plug away at what is thrown at them.

Own Your Own Role as Followers

"It's wonderful that Henry Ford built Ford Motor Co., but so did the other 3 million people working with Henry Ford. So, yes, we all greatly need to own our own role as followers."

Ira Chaleff @ http://www.exe-coach.com/follow.htm

Deception

I read Ludlum's "The Bourne Deception" today and was struck by the author's (Van Lustbader) story line. Maybe not the story line itself as much as his sub-line; the real deception.

From Pages 128 and 129: "Human beings, it became clear to him, thrived on lies; they needed them in order to survive, be happy, even. Because the truth is often unpleasant, and people didn't care about that. Furthermore, it didn't suit many of them. They'd much rather lie to themselves, have those around them to lie to them to perserve the illusion of beauty. Realty wasn't pretty, that wasn'tthe truth."

Ponder that a bit.

There is more of this throughout this sometimes hard to follow read. Hard to follow because of the multiple plots that come together in the end. Sort of.

Though my intent was to just escape into a good novel this weekend, I really wanted it to be one that I couldn't remember when asked what I did this weekend. For sure something I wasn't looking for a pen to underline. Instead, I've been pondering how Van Lustbader's connectivity with deception, truth, and lies fits so well into my inside the box theory.

Think about it! Thriving on lies, thinking you/we have to lie to be happy or even survive is because we/they/you have to live outside the box we're all in. You/we don't want what we have, or rather, we want it, but more. You want something better

It goes all the way back to Genesis 3.

To that end.

What is difficult about Teamwork?

LinkedIn Discussion: Linked 2 Leadership: "What is difficult about Teamwork?"

Too much hope and not enough smart trust; people that aren't willing, or unable to have good conflict; leadership is unable to get real commitment; team members aren't willing to hold others accountable, nor be held accountable; desired results aren't continuously being cast and re-cast.

But, if I had to put it in 10 words or less, 'uncommon agendas that lead to bad behavior and poor results.'"

Taking Inventory of What I've Got To Work With

We're continuing to experience changes in the mortgage business that makes it more and more difficult to close loans. Even really good loans.

Everyone is extremely frustrated at not know the changes to the guidelines, yet, the whining is not near what it was a year ago. We've grown so accustomed to changes that we've come to expect it.

It is all some much out of our control with appraisals management companies, new time lines for collecting money and strict guidelines imposed by congress on estimating the "good faith" estimate.

So, everyday we need to take a good inventory of what who and what we have to work with. It changes too fast to set back and relax.

What's in our box? What do we have to win with? What agendas are with us, and what's against us?

Practice Allowing Accountability

For others to trust us, we have to allow them to hold us accountable. It's absurb to believe that we should be trusted for any other reason.

I had someone say to me once, "all that I've done for you and you question me?" The fact that there's questioning at all shows a couple of things.

First, it could be that the questioner simply wants to verify what he trusts; that's smart trust.

Or, it could be the questioner has gotten bad results and is attempting to understand what happened.

Not practicing smart trust will get bad results because agendas change and when agendas change, behaviors change. When behaviors change, results change.

Be agreeable to either accountability or questionable behavior and bad results.

Your choice.

Clarifying the Box

Having a clear understanding and acceptance of you and your company's limitations AND abilities are a must if you want consistant good results.

Let me clarify....you have to keep moving around and asking questions.

Let me clarify some more....you have to ask questions of what people's understanding of their expectations.

More clarification....ask questions to be sure what you've asked of people is what they heard you ask.

Hope is not a strategy.

You have to clarify, and to clarify you have to ask questions, and when you ask questions, let people answer, and when they answer differently than your understanding of the answer you expected, ask more questions. Understand why they think what they think.

Stop assuming.

Clarify what's in your box working for and against you.

Learning and Not Changing is NOT Learning

Though I'm finding myself with some new behavior traits, I'm still battling hard agaist habits/tendencies that have brought about bad results in the past. Here four bad behaviors I have to continue to fight:

• I want to trust people without accountability


• I tend to "hope" too much


• I don't follow through on requests I make; I don't inspect what I expect


• I don't have enough meetings and/or I don't lead and manage by walking around enough

While I've written previous about meetings and why they HAVE TO HAPPEN, it recently "HIT" me why people don't like meetings; they don't like the accountability. And GOOD meetings have a basis of accountability; during and/or after the meetings.

Ok, their are plenty of meetings that are "bad" meetings (bad bad meeting - shame on you), but right now I'm referring to those people in management and teamwork positions that come to good results-driven meetings. Yet, when someone leaves a meeting with an attitude of "well, that's an hour of my life that I'll never get back," that is an indication of a passive-aggressive behavior that is doing nothing but tearing at the heart of the entire organization.

What does this have to do with "Succeeding Inside the Box?" We have to know who is in the box with us. We have to know what is driving behaviors? What is each teammembers' agenda, their motive for being at work? Is it just to earn a paycheck? A bigger paycheck?

Or are they trying to make a real difference? Do they want to be part of something bigger than themselves? Are they trying to make a difference of make a bigger money? Do they just have a more, more, more attitude and agenda? Or does he throw out the "What's best for their family" bomb?

If your meetings are good meetings, something is really happening. Agendas are being sat, accountability is enforced, and planning is talked about. There's probably some drama, and that's good (see Death by Meeting...Lencioni). That person that constantly struggles to come to the meeting undoubtedly knows that he is going to come to the meeting, participate, even have good dialog, but will go back to his desk or out into the field and do what he wants, is killing your mission and purpose. Values are being trampled on. This person, regardless of what was previously agreed upon, will do only what he wants in the long run.

This is someone that doesn't belong in the box with you. Forget about the bus. Forget about a seat on the bus. Just get him out of the box. And quick.

Me....I want people that are part of a Team. I want a Together-Everyone-Achieves-More mind-set. Teamwork is a reality of Success, inside or outside the box, but we'll never succeed for the long-term without good Teamwork and people that talk about together-everyone-achieves-more and yet runs his own agenda is conning himself and others that depend upon him.

Look at the past, learn from it, and change. Know who's in the box with you.

Get out of your rut, learn from the past, and quit trying to change everyone. They're not going to change and you'd better.

Learn!

Every Good Con Man is a Great Guy

I rankles me to no end when you have someone you've caught with character defects, deep into lies and manipulation and he's declared to be a "good guy."

So WHAT he's a good guy? Why make the statement? What's the point?

Good grief, you catch someone manipulating facts, lying, behaving poorly, with hidden agendas, and then you hear that others are having the same problem.

And then its declared "but he's a good guy."

So what...all good con men are good guys.

More on Following...

Resource: http://www.courageousfollower.net/aboutirachaleff.html

Whew!

June is over and we’re half way through the year! Amazing…isn’t it?

Whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or have just joined in the past few weeks, I’m sure you recognize that the Alethes/Overland train has been on steep and sometimes treacherous grade. God tells us to not be worried about tomorrow and I know many of us have just paid attention one day at a time and this has gotten us through.

This is a tough time we are in and not just in our own industry. We’ll need to pay particular attention to “just today,” let’s be sure and remember the trip. Let’s remember where we’ve been on, and let’s know where we are going.

Over the next few days we’ll be -

1. recognizing accomplishments we’ve made this year

2. setting some goals for July and the rest of the year

3. determining needs to accomplish those goals


I’d like this an event that we all participate in, so feel free to come at me with ideas, suggestions, concerns, etc.


Thanks for all the hard work.

God Bless,

Danny

Teamwork minus Good Conflict is NOT Teamwork

I've been helping a friend with identifying the cause of a problem he's been having within his company.

The problem; bad results of the timely deliver of products to the customers.

As I asked him questions, participated in conversations with the players involved, put-forth some suggestions, and continued to watch the results, here is what came out of this tough, but real-life problem;

1. there is a key vendor involved that has personnel on site at my friend's company

2. these vendor personnel are responsible for a very critical component of the product.

3. the vendor personnel are told by their management to not "complain" to their client (my friend's company)

The result..........bad delivery of product due, in a large part, because of the dysfunctional teamwork.

Teamwork

Lencioni, in his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, describe Teamwork as having the following disciplines; building trust, mastering conflict, achieving commitment, embracing accountability, and executing for results.

I'll back into them...To have good teamwork you must execute for results. To execute for results you must embrace accountability. To embrace accountability you must achieve commitment. To achieve commitment you must master conflict. To master conflict you must build trust.

Lencioni claims that all five of these must happen, and essentially in this order, to do teamwork well.

My first read of Five Dysfuntions....... was some 7 years ago and I've very deligently practiced and tested Lencioni's "theory" since, and find him to be extremely accurate. It is obvious to the non-casual observer that this is more than theory. Lencioni writes from experience and I concur from experience after experience after experience.

Build trust to master conflict to achieve commitment to embrace accountability to execute for results.

In case there is any confusion on what I'm trying to get across....thinking outside the box, or anything along those lines, will lead to disruption, confusion, and not only unsuccessful results but an unhappy workplace.

My statement, I'm told, is very bold and that I realize, yet this comes from Experience-not opinion, evaluation and correction - not pipedreams and hope. Give me one person that is learning and changing from their experience over 10 that just want to set around a come up with new ideas any day.

Leading and Following is HARD

Leading AND following is difficult, if not just down right hard...yes, it is HARD, when the box is undefined.

Learning from the past tells me that I have to have procedures written down and then I have to use those procedures to make the changes that comes from the learning from the past.

So...

1. write the procedure
2. get everyone involved to acknowledge the procedure
3. talk about the procedure
4. live the procedure out by holding people accountable to the procedure
5. evaluate the the procedure on a passive and aggressive basis
6. be prepared to correct the procedure (start at #1 again)
7. keep the robust evaluation and correction going

This defines the box and allows leading and following to live well.

Define the Box

To lead well, we must have the box well defined.

Know your people.

Know your budget.

What do you need to make your numbers?

What numbers do you need to make?

You have know to what's available to you. What's in your box? What do you have to work with?

When this blog started out Alethes (our company) had 400 loan officers and 70 corporate employees. That started changing in mid to late 2008. Along with the mortgage industry's whoas, we've had our own; some due to what's been imposed on us, other self-inflicted.

Googling through the archives you'll find a maturing format in this blog. It was originally titled "Focus and Reflection," and there was a great deal of focus and reflection, but not near enough inside-the-box THINKING and BEHAVING. We, or at least I, talked a lot about leadership, but not near enough about following, and there were some unhealthy passive-agressive agendas among those on my leadership team. And we talked and acted out too much outside-the-box thinking.

Hopefully, I've learned a lot and will use this knowledge to change. I'm patiently working each day to learn where I'm going with my life, and my business. Still plenty of hurdles and slamming doors to deal with, but what doesn't kill you, will make you stronger. There are alot of opportunities out there for the survivors and I just need to remember that changes need to be s l o w .

Besides, if it does kill me, I'll be in heaven!

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The postings on this blog will vary in nature. Some can be very direct, others a “positive attitude” message. It is often a mixture of numbers, thanks, where we are at, some possibilities of the future, and/or uh ohs. I regularly attempt to draw myself and others to the past; from there we learn from our mistakes and victories.

While many of the original posting were primarily about corporate specifics, the intent will be to push and pull more from the overall culture of Alethes and include branch agendas.

One of my disciplines is Vulnerability; this, in part, means transparency and is a behavior for living out the core ideology of our Mission and Value Statements. At times, I’ve been accused of disclosing too much, but, I want you to trust there is little I'm holding back. If I have facts, and I deem them appropriate to disclose, I talk about them. I’ve been as vocal about the facts and changes as legally possible. I will always separate the facts from the speculation.

With the consistent industry changes, I'm constantly running scenarios and considering possibilities. While most never come to play, some have. I've also said, many times, "I don't know."

I look back at the many changes at Alethes and some of the announcements I've made don't seem so harsh, today, but they were hard at the time. And we've had some real surprises and disappointments. All-in-all, some have called it a cleansing while others have thought of it as a "purge."

I'll just say it has been a real growth experience and while I would rather have had better results, I'm personally a better person because of it. Alethes' mission statement says that we will glorify God and looking back I can see how we did not do that very well in a lot of ways. Now, in the tough times I'll have to concentrate on how to lead well and glorifying him. My manual for that is the Bible and specifically the book of 1 Peter.

To that end....

"The Simple Truths of Service" by Johnny the Bagger

The Simple Truths of Service....check it out -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neW6NZyucZw

Following Well: Peter....and not so well

The largest part of my study the past 4 months has been on Peter; the New Testament book and the man who wrote it.

Peter is a great example of someone that's willing to do his calling poorly until he learned to do it well. Originally a follower of John the Baptist, his brother Andrew led him to Jesus where he both embarrassed and distinguished his role.

Peter followed well because he was not detered by set backs (like denying Christ), but collected himself and continued to strive for the vision. He reached for the prize.

To that end.....

Competitive Advantage Nots?

What is not a competitive advantage?

1. your competitors lack of performance

2. stories about your competitor

3. trying to make your competitor look bad

4. comparing yourself to your competitor

Except on a rare occasion you should not even mention your competitor. Yes, you need to know how you are in comparison to your competition, but please...don't use that as a selling point. Don't try to tell someone on how good you are by telling them how bad the competition is.

Tell YOUR story - Tell YOUR competitive advantage.

Every time you mention your competition, you loose.

What are your COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES? Do you know? Are they written down? Do you talk about them?

To that end.....

The Courage to Follow

I've written and talked over the past three years about leaders leading leaders. The church community I'm a part of, Austin Ridge Bible, has grown well over the past 4-5 years and our senior paster, Brad Thomas, mentioned yesterday that it is in part because the members follow well.

That's an example of leaders leading leaders and doing it well. A good leader follows well. Not blindly, but purposefully, and with integrity.

Along those lines, I ran across the following post on LinkedIn recently. It was the title that struck me: The Courage to Follow....

http://linked2leadership.com/2009/05/01/the-courage-to-follow/

Follow well.

What does the box look like?

The box, if we're talking about Alethes, and I am, is incredibly smaller today than a year ago. Ha - it's incredibly smaller than it was three months ago.

Today, the box has eight corporate employees comprised mainly of accountanting and administrative types. We are closing down our mortgage banking facilities and are going back to being a pure broker.

We are consentrating on being the best-the-business at paying loan officers rapidly and letting them broker out their business. The box is well defined on the first part of that concentration but not so well on the second.

Brokering loans has become a subject of concern over the past few months and some believe it will become a thing of the past in the next few months. I am one that differs considerably on that opinion. I emphasize opininion because I they, opinions, don't make good strategies. Exeriences are much easier to sink your leadership teath in to.

Experience shows me there are ways to manage the controlls on our mortgage brokering business.

Experience shows me that loan officers want choices.

Experience shows me that we need good loan officers, working with good processors, on good loans.

Experience tells me that the leadership at Alethes needs to step up and pay attention.

We truly need to be a company of Leaders Leading Leaders - Well.

To that end!

Great Performance Comes From.......

Used with permission.

Thanks to Skip Carruth, VP, McLane Advanced Technologies - for the email of his notes from a presentation by Geoff Colvin, Editor-at-Large for Fortune Magazine at the Central Texas Economic Conference.

Geoff told this story to highlight what he thinks will be critical for businesses during this recessionary period:

In the 2004 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was attempting the impossible – a 6th win of this most prestigious event. Through the first 4 stages, the winners of each stage changed hands but for the next 10 stages, Frenchman Thomas Voeckler never lost first place and led the field by 22 seconds. The next 3 stages were the most brutal and demanding of the tour - the Alps stages. Battling through a series of three seeming impossible ascents, Lance sprinted ahead on the first mountain stage and already led the field by 1:25. On the last day of the mountain stage, Lance was caught off guard by the sprint of a German rider, Kloden with only a half mile to go. Lance knew his teammate did not have the stamina to threaten the leader. The German rider led by 110 yards with only 600 yards to go. In what is arguably the most exciting finish of any stage in Tour history, Lance gave it all he had, passing and ultimately beating the German by a few inches. By the last stage of the mountains, Lance had extended his lead to 4:09. Never again was anyone a serious threat to beat Lance who went on to win this Tour as well as a 7th title.
Geoff’s point was this – we are in the mountain stages of our business life. The recession is looming and the battle will be difficult. But those that rise to the challenge and work hard during this most difficult time will be so far ahead that, when we come out, no one will catch up.

With that in mind, Geoff gave us 5 things that leaders do in difficult times:
1. Focus on the most critical things and reset the targets. If there’s a freight train bearing down on you (like the recession), don’t pull out the strategic plan. Put all the stuff aside, roll up your sleeves and tackle the challenges head on.
2. Focus on the core – for example:
a. Dow Chemical during the depression believed that chemical research was its core and it invested in that research. Coming out of that, among other things, were NYLON and NEOPRENE.
b. Coca-Cola knows that its BRAND is its most valuable asset. When economic conditions are difficult, they INCREASE advertising and marketing funds.
3. Protect your most valuable assets – people, relationships and culture. The first 3 budget items cut in a downturn are travel and entertainment, advertising, and training and development. The leaders train, develop their workforce and out-brand their competitors. These times are the best times to evaluate your people – “You don’t know who is swimming naked until the tide goes out.” Get rid of those folks that EVERYONE ELSE knows are deadwood and develop and even hire the underappreciated best from elsewhere. What you do with your people will be remembered for a long, long time.
4. The best leaders communicate like crazy – far more than when things are going well. Your people are nervous and anxious. Be honest, be realistic and be encouraging! Don’t “hunker in the bunker” but get out and share optimism and enthusiasm.
5. The best companies realize that we need to increase the value of what we’re offering. Redefine the value and develop new solutions for the new economy. For example:
Verizon saw a dramatic increase in households that were cancelling their landlines at home. They weren’t going to let go of their cell phones so, drop the home phone. The copper leading to these homes was paid for 50 years ago – that revenue is very profitable. Verizon changed their message and encouraged people to keep their home phones – pay only $5/mo ($5 is greater than $0!!!) but they can only call Verizon (of course) and 911 in an emergency and the home phone will still work when power to the home goes out. They salvaged what would have been a significant loss by changing the value equation.

Geoff’s final message – “Great performance comes from deliberate long-term practice and skills developed over the long-haul.”


Skip Carruth
Vice President – Commercial
McLane Advanced Technologies
Office: 254.791.8300
eMail: skip.carruth@mclaneat.com
Web: http://smb.mclaneat.com/ http://www.mclaneat.com/

LeadingWell Disciplines

A person that intends to lead well recognizes that he/she must be a leader leading leader. LeadingWell is about the desire of developing other leaders.

Author, mentor, and internationaly recognized speaker John Maxwell describes a Leader as "anyone who influences; period-the-end." Dr. Charles Swindoll is reported to have said, "give me one word to describe leadership and I say 'influence,' give me two and I say 'inspiring influence.'"

LeadingWell disciplines recognizes the disciplines of a Leader Leading Leader as one who strives themselves and equips others to be;

1. Purposeful - you approach others to purposefully add value to the relationship;
2. Relational - you are warm and inviting and work at relationships;
3. Objective -you assess strengths and weaknesses objectively;
4. Vulnerable - you model self-disclosure and honesty;
5. Incarnational- you live out what you teach;
6. Dependable; you are consistent and responsible with your actions and promises;
7. Empowering - you give power away and facilitate growth in others;
8. Resourceful - you use every tool you have to grow people and improve processes.

There are many parts to an organization's culture and these P.R.O.V.I.D.E.R. disciplines are something we can daily use to assist us in the fulfillment of our Vision, Mission, and Value Statements.

Back on my Inside the Box Soapbox

John Miller's idea of thinking inside the box success continues to resonate so much with me. As I've said in other blog posts, the best success is when we work inside the box we have and stop looking for greener grass.

Expand the box? Sure.

Get better in the box? Absolutely.

I look at Alethes today, versus where it was a year ago and there very obvious changes. Yet, there are other changes that are not so obvious. And it is those changes that matter the most. These changes have found the soul of Alethes; the strenghth, the patience, and the resolve.

These changes have brought about some gut wrenching results, yet, we've survived.

Alethes is not a stronger company financially today than it was a year ago. But Alethes is a stronger company spiritually. Alethes' management is wiser and more prepared for continued changes, good or bad, that will come our way.

Alethes' mission is, in part, to glorify God and that is not just in the good times, but during the not so good times also. We intend to get better at our business principles, our investing in our people, and how we impact the communities we serve. We intend to continue to learn how to live out our values of being Trustworthy, Respectful, Uncompromising, Teamworkers, and Healthy.

We intend to make a difference and make a profit and help others do the same.

To that end....

Danny

Trust vs Hope

See posting at Alethes' Values Statement blog....

http://alethes-values.blogspot.com/

Just Plain Do A Good Job

As I move into a new era of Alethes and think about the past; mistakes, successes, record high months, record low months, people hired, fired, layed-off, run off - it is apparent to me that we did best when we just did what we did well.

And with people that wanted to just plain do a good job. People with agendas that matched the company's mission and values.

Not people who had their own agendas and motives. People you could trust to just plain do a good job.

Not people who come to work everyday because they were going to make a bunch of money, but because they want to do a good job.

I can talk about being good leaders, what our mission statement means, how to live out values, etc, etc, etc, until I'm blue in the face and with worn knees. But if those I'm talking it to just want the money, just want to get in and get out.....waste of time.

And, for the most part, if the people I'm talking to are the right people, I don't have to do much of that other anyway.

To that end....

Danny

Head-Down, Chin-Up

Update, 4/10/2009: This blog is taking on a new format, I'm just not sure exactly what is as yet. Let's say though that it is "maturing." I'm considering a change in the name also; TableTalk, or To That End....

Or, Thinking.....Inside the Box.Things change, though my mission remains the same, my values are unchanged, but my vision is a bit impaired at the moment.

That'll clear up in time. For now, Head Down-Chin Up!

Inside the Box, Outside the Box? What's up with either?

This has brought up some interesting conversations and some people have been surprised that I think of myself as an inside the box kind of guy! LOL, I've even been accused of trying to create an "out-of-the-box" type culture.

Case-in-point: Alethes and how we pay our loan officers - quick, fast, and everyday. Literally, we do a W-2 payroll daily. That is nothing but "out-of-the-box." Right?

Not true. It is as purely in-the-box. Creative, but IN-THE-BOX. There was a need - loan officers wanted to be paid fast - we could fill it. In the early days, that was easy - loan would fund, we would get a call, Paul would go pick up the check, and cut the LO a check; 1099 type compensation, nothing about bills being paid - real simple.

Today, it is a bit more complicated; W-2 wages, bills paid for proceeds, splits with managers, copy of file, uploaded and QC checks, etc, etc, etc.

But still, it was and is inside-the-box thinking; what's the need, can we fill it? Can we improve on it?

And outside-the-box? What's up with that? I love the idea, but it lives out too much as wishful thinking and leads to volatility. It reminds me of a horse my Dad had named Paco. That horse was never satisfied with anything on his side of fence. He had to have the grass on the other side and constantly got cut-up in the barbed-wire getting to it.

Our culture is about finding needs that we can fill and filling them to the best of our ability. As those abilities improve and/or deteriorate, we evalutate and correct to the best of our abilities.

Dream, but don't live in a wishing world. My Dad use tell me to wish in one hand and fill the other with sand and see which one filled up the quickest. Let's be creatively inside-the-box successful.

Head down, chin up.

Danny

More thinking....Inside the Box

Most of us have some sort of goals, aspirations, missions, values, etc. Yet, we want things to be just right, if not perfect, before we concentrate on achieving them.

When things get tough, we start wishing they'd be better and that wishing comes across as whining.

In the books QBQ and Flipping the Switch, Miller teaches the reader to learn to ask What and How questions; What can I do to make money with what I have? How can I succeed without spending money marketing myself? What does this company have that can help me succeed? What makes me think the grass is greener elsewhere?

Thinking outside the box has been a big thing over the past few years. It was probably 10 or 11 years ago that a former colleague gave me one of those little contraptions that sets on your desk; it was a stick figure of a guy setting outside a box with the caption - Think Outside the Box.

I realize that he gave that to me because I seemed to be a "think outside the box kind of guy." But, I'm not. I can dream with the best, but I like to work with what I have and improve on it. There's not much I've ever done that wasn't a continuation of something else.

And when I've stumbled? I pick myself up, brush myself off, and get going again. And I pray I learn from that previous stumble.

Learn? That means to change. Learning without changing is some kind of useless head knowledge.

Work well, Pray well, and succeeding where we are - in the box, improving on what we have, but not looking for something greener.

To that end.....

Danny

Being Creative...Inside the Box

John G. Miller, in his books QBQ and Flipping the Switch, writes about being successful while working with what we have. Hense, "in-the-box."

On page 39, of QBQ, he writes - Every organization has imperfect systems and finite resources. We may wish we had newer tools, better systems, more people, and bigger budgets. But thinking too much about what we'd like to have is another cause of procrastination.

I liken that to "the grass is always greener on the otherside."

There are a lot of things in life we don't have control over, and then there are times we've made bad decisions. We can't fall into the "I wish...." discussions with ourselves.

We have to learn to succeed with what we have. As some wise person once said, "have lemons, make lemonade."

And we can be creative while "thinking inside the box." Miller points out we can employ Creativity when we ask the QBQs:

• What can I do to succeed with the tools I have?
• What needs can I fill?
• How can I help develop the products I have?
• What action can I take to move forward?

To that end....

Danny

An email from John McCully, AE, Flagstar

Used with permission: an email from John McCully

As a valued customer, who I want to protect and educate, I need to discuss the most recent changes with rates, locks and future turn times.

I am sure you are aware, the Federal Reserve put a tremendous amount of money into the market yesterday, to buy mortgage backed securities. This is going to have a noticeable positive impact on interest rates over the next week.

See Below Mortgage Market Commentary, provided by RateAlert “Mortgage backed securities (MBS) prices have held nearly all of the gains from yesterday afternoon's dramatic rally following the Fed's announcement; FNMA 4.5% coupon 102.44bps, -6bps. MBS and Treasury yields plunged yesterday as the Fed surprised investors with additional plans to lower consumer borrowering costs and lift the economy from recession. 10yr note yields tumbled 47bps yesterday, most since 1962, while yields on FNMA 4.5% coupon fell 27bps; widening the spread from 210bps to 230bps, up from an average of 175bps the past decade.

The central bank is trying to lower rates by reducing the supply of outstanding mortgage bonds, boosting the prices and thus lowering the yields. Lower mortgage rates by themselves may not be enough to spark demand for home purchases. Slumping stock prices, record foreclosures, falling home prices and job losses are reducing demand for new & existing homes.

Consumers are also having difficulty obtaining mortgages as banks tighten lending standards. Jobless claims fell 12k to 646k and the number collecting benefits swelled to a record 5.47 million. The index of leading economic indicators fell in February reflecting worsening conditions and the Philadelphia Fed index at minus 35 showed manufacturing shrank as orders and employment weakened.”

I am sure your customers are pushing you to get them locked at the “perceived” 4% interest rate! I have already heard this rate being quoted on several news stations and consumers have little knowledge of what this really means. You are in the position to educate your customers and I strongly suggest you do so! So given that statement, here is what I want you to pay close attention to.

Rates have come down or better, YSP has increased in relationship to rates. In my last pricing, 40 day lock, on an Agency Fixed indicated 4.625 <.104> but 5% was paying <1.134>. This is usually an indicator that yields/margins are higher but the market still has some adjusting to do in the next few days. Now, we hope that means rates will continue to lower, but only time will tell. Make sure you do not get swept up in your borrowers panic based on what they heard on TV.

You still need to manage your lock policies to protect your relationships with your lenders and to mitigate your financial risk of having to pay a Pair Off fee. Loans that are locked with a lender presently need to stay with that lender and close! I do not want to loans moved to Flagstar that have locked somewhere else and conversely I do not want to see you bust a lock with Flagstar and be charged a Pair Off Fee because it closed somewhere else.

If you are not sure what our Pair Off Fee Policy is then go review memo # 09044 dated 03/04/09. It is located under the Sellers Guide Tab along with our lock & extension policies, Doc #’s 4101, 4104, 4121 & 4122. If you have not read these documents then I suggest you do so. When you are looking at rates and making quotes, please quote the 40 day lock period! This will give you and your customer enough time to close.

We are going to see Underwriting Turn Times increase as the new flood of loans come into the system. Look at our posted Underwriting Turn Times on the bottom left-hand corner of our website. They are updated every morning and are monitored estimates that are available to you 24 hrs a day.

Also, make sure your borrower will qualify by running AUS and give a written quote (GFE) to your borrowers prior to locking. Your borrowers need to share in the responsibility of locking their loan. Get a verbal or written commitment that they understand what it means to lock. Consider charging a lock fee if you are not comfortable with their commitment!

Bottom line, keep your lock fall-out at <25%.

So, let’s watch the market and make good sound decisions! I encourage you to use this logic with all your lending relationships. We, remaining lenders, are watching these issues closely and we are less tolerant of abuses within underwriting and with lock fall-out.

Flagstar will be issuing internal communications on our offering to renegotiation rates with loans that are presently locked. When we do, I will make sure you know what that looks like. Keep breathing and stay smart!

Thanks!

John.McCully@flagstar.com

Habits and Winning

Wikipedia defines Habits as routines of behavior that are repeated regularly, tend to occur subconsciously, without directly thinking consciously about them.

Dictionary.com defines Winning, in adjective form as successful or victorious acts, or the noun as the act of a person or thing that wins.

So, Winning Habits would be something like subconscious behavior that routinely brings about successful acts without consciously thinking about them.

What Winning is not;
1. Winning is not about talent or IQ
2. Winning is not necessarily about more money
3. Winning is not about luck
4. Winning is not about education
5. Winning is not about being in the right place at the right time

Winning is the self-management of attitudes and actions that become daily habit patterns. Losing and winning lifestyles are reflex habits, like brushing your teeth and driving your car.

There is a fine line between success and failure. Whether it is golf, football, or wall street, it is only a few strokes or points that seperate the winners from the rest of the field.

Successful people win by developing good habits and disciplines...and never giving up.

Ben Franklin, at the age of 19, felt there were 13 virtues important to him and until his death at 76 he worked on improving one each week. His virtues were self-control, silence, order, determination, economy, productivity, truthfulness, justice, moderation, cleaningness, peace, chasity, and humilty. For 57 years he worked on developing better habits surrounding these virtues; 228 times he paid specific attention to each of his virtues. No doubt that his success was heavily weighed against this discipline, nor is there doubt that this discipline developed subconscious habits.

Here are suggestions for some habits that will help with winning;

1. Develop the Habit of remembering that success, and life, is a process
2. Develop the Habit of dreaming your own dream
3. Develop the Habit of turning your dream into a mission
4. Develop the Habit of turning your mission into a plan and a purpose
5. Develop the Habit of aligning your motives, agenda, and behavior - don't be a faker
6. Develop the Habit of working at what you do well
7. Develop the Habit of dropping the excuses / stop blaming others and yourself
8. Develop the Habit of trusting AND verifying
9. Develop the Habit of polishing your shoes - make a good impression
10. Develop the Habit of treating failure and problems as fertilizer - learning experiences provide growth
11. Develop the Habit of focusing your energy on one thing at a time
12. Develop the Habit of realizing things are not usualy what they seem; seek clarity, ask questions, and accept advice
13. Develop the Habit of increasing your knowledge base
14. Develop the Habit of never giving up
15. Develop the Habit of developing a reputation for being early
16. Develop the Habit of acting like you're self-employed
17. Develop the Habit of being honest with everyone, including yourself - your reputation always precedes you
18. Develop the Habit of not compromising your integrity for the sake of winning
19. Develop the Habit of working with people that have the values and character that you strive for; don't compromise
20. Develop the Habit of looking over your shoulder and evaluting your performance; looking back at today, yesterday, last week / month / year.

You're going to be the same 5 years from today as you are today except for the habits you change; you change habits by who you associate with, what you watch and listen to, and what you read.

The world is changing; you win by changing and/or improving your habits.

To that end.......God Bless,

Danny

Anchors

I heard a story recently about an old crusty sea captain trying to teach a new seaman the "ways of the sea." The story went something like this...

Captain: "ok, there's a storm coming! What do you do?"

Seaman: "throw out an anchor!"

Captain: "good. There's another storm coming! What do you do?"

Seaman: "throw out another anchor!"

Captain: "good....OH NO, HERE COMES ANOTHER STORM!! What do you do?"

Seaman: "I throw out another anchor!!!"

Captain: "THERE'S ANOTHER STORM!!! NOW WHAT DO YOU DO?"

Seaman: "I throw out another anchor!!!"

Captain: "WHERE ARE YOU GETTING ALL THESE ANCHORS?"

Seaman: "WHERE ARE YOU GETTING ALL THESE STORMS?"

You've got to wonder where all the storms have come from these past few months. And just when we think the wind and rain is letting up, here comes the blow again.

There's a song by Ray Boltz titled The Anchor Holds.

How's your anchor holding? What are you anchored to?

Let's all be sure it's anchored to Rock and not sand.


God Bless,

Danny

What Happened to January?

Ok, what happened to January?

Heck, what happened to 2008?

If you know much about me, you know I don't like to ask, or be asked, "why" and "when" questions (whywhen...whyen..whine...get it?). Instead, I ask "what" and "where." What and where is productive and stops the blame game while acting as a tool to bring the point to accountability.

John G. Miller, author of "QBQ" and "Flipping the Switch" states don't blame anyone, including yourself.

So, what happened to January? What did I learn in January that helps me in February and throughout the year? What could I have done different in January, and the months prior to January, to have been better prepared for these times?

In reflecting on January I can honestly say much of it was spent on being responsive and working hard not to react; the discipline of "respond-don't-react-expect-the-best-seek-clarity."

Alethes is changing and much of it is being forced upon us by industry changes, constrictions, and mandates. But, we weren't near as prepared as we should have been. Thus, many of the changes are therefore products of our making...err...mistakes.

One thing that hasn't changed is our core ideology. Our Mission and Values Statements. While in hindsight, I can clearly see where mistakes have been made in these areas, I can also tell where some disciplines connected to our Mission and Values have been used very well as our changes have come about.

These disciplines come out of books many of us have read and studied over the past few years such as The Bible, Good-to-Great, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, QBQ, Joy at Work, E-Myth, Developing the Leader Within You, Hand Me Another Brick, Life at Work, Execution, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, The Five Most Important Questions...., Time Traps, and The Speed of Trust.

Very importantly, I look back on January, and 2008, and ask myself questions out of Behavior #8 in The Speed of Trust (page 183)....

What, or how, am I getting better?

What is one thing I'm now doing that I think I should continue doing?

What is one thing I'm now doing that I think I should stop doing?

What is one thing I'm not now doing that I think I should start doing?

What people do I have around me that I can trust to help me with these questions?

Now I can see January and last year with more clarity.

God Bless,

Danny




Other

Points to Ponder on "The Five Most Important Questions You Will Evere Ask About Your Organization" (segment 2)

Book: The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization

By Peter Drucker, with Jim Collins, Philip Kotler, James Kouzes, Judith Rodi, V. Kasturi Rangan, and Frances Hesselbein

(These notes are from the Audio-Tech Business Book Summary)

Question 1: What is Our Mission?

A mission cannot be impersonal. It has to have deep meaning, be something you believe in – something you know is right. A fundamental responsibility of leadership is to make sure that everybody knows the mission, understands it, and lives it. (page 3)

An effective mission statement is short and sharply focused. It should fit on a T-shirt. The mission says why you do what you do, not the means by which you do it. The mission is broad, yet directs you to do the right things now and into the future so that everyone in the organization can say, “What I am doing contributes to the goal.” It must be clear, and it must inspire everyone to say, “Yes, this is something I want to be remembered for.”

Demographics change. Needs change. You must search out the accomplished facts – things that have already happened – that present challenges and opportunities for the organization. Leadership has no choice but to anticipate the future and attempt to mold it. (page 3)

The question of mission has become even more important as our world becomes increasingly disruptive and turbulent. (page 3)

Every truly great organization strives to preserve the core mission, yet stimulate progress. The core mission remains fixed while operating practices, cultural norms, strategies, tactics, process, structures, and methods continually change in response to changing realities. It is the glue that holds an organization together as it expands, decentralizes, globalizes, and attains diversity. (page 4)

In fact, the great paradox of change is that the organizations that best adapt to a changing world first and foremost know what should not change. They havea fixed anchor of guiding principles around which they can more easily change everything else. They know the difference between what is truly sacred and what is not, between what should never change and what should always be open for change, and between “what we stand for” and “how we do things.” (page 4)

One cautionary note: Never subordinate the mission in order to make money. If there are opportunities that threaten the integrity of the organization, you must say no. Your mission provides guidance, not just about what to do, but equally about what not to do. (page 5)

Keep the first question – What is our mission? – in front of you throughout the self-assessment process. Step by step, you will analyze challenges and opportunities, identify your customers, learn what they value, and deliver your results. When it is time to develop the plan, you will take all that you have learned and revisit the mission to affirm or change it. (page 6)

…..start with the long range and then feed back and say, “what do we do today.” The ultimate test is not the beauty of the mission statement. The ultimate test is your performance. (page 6)

Points to Ponder on "The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization" (segment 1)

Book: The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization

By Peter Drucker, with Jim Collins, Philip Kotler, James Kouzes, Judith Rodi, V. Kasturi Rangan, and Frances Hesselbein

(Notes, at this time, are from the AudioTech Book Summary)

Explore….the five simple, yet essential questions first posed by Peter F. Drucker, who is widely considered to be the world’s foremost pioneer of management theory. (In this issue column)

Analyze….your organization’s mission, which should be a short, sharply focused statement that tells everyone why you do what you do, not how you do it. (In this issue column)

Assess….who your target customers are, who and what influences them, what they value, how you can create satisfying experiences for them, and which customers you should stop serving. (In this issue column)

Determine….what specific results your organization should be striving to achieve, and where you should focus for future success. (In this issue column)

Develop….your organization’s plan, which must define the particular place you want to be as well as the budget and action steps that will enable you to get there. (In this issue column)

These five simple questions will help you to assess what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you must do to improve the organizations performance. (page 1)

What is our mission?

Who is our customer?

What does our customer value?

What are our results?

What is our plan?

The questions then guide you through the process of assessing how well you are doing, ending with a measurable, results-focused strategic plan to further the mission and to achieve the organization’s goals, guided by the vision. (page 1)

The ultimate beneficiaries of this very simple process are the people or customers who are touched by your organization and by others like you who have made the courageous decision to look within yourselves and your organization, identify strengths and challenges, embrace change, foster innovation, respond to customer feedback, look beyond the organization for trends and opportunities, and demand measurable results. (page 2)

The danger is in acting on what you believe satisfies the customer. (page 2)

All the first-rate decision makers that Drucker observed had a very simple rule: If you reach consensus quickly on an important matter, don’t make the decision. A fast agreement means nobody has done the homework. The organization’s decisions are risky and important, and they should be controversial. (page 2)

Every organization needs a healthy atmosphere for dissent if it wishes to foster innovation and commitment. Open discussion uncovers what the objections are. (page 2)

Self-assessment should convert your mission and your knowledge into effective action – not next year, but tomorrow morning. (page 2)