subject: Successful Leaders Make Continual Small Adjustments [print this page] Think about it, how often do your plans go perfectly from the get go? Well; hardly ever. So what do the best leaders do? They are constantly asking this question.
What adjustments can I make?
Leaders know that they are there to steer the ship, to guide the team to the objective. Steering the ship mean just that, to make constant adjustments guiding the ship in as straight a line as possible. Continuous adjustments are to be expected.
Here's a real world example in my area of expertise as a construction superintendent. We have a tool we use for making small corrections and also to ensure that we proceed as per are overall construction schedule and that is the two or three week lookout schedule. This is a schedule we make every week which contains a lot more detail than the overall schedule that is hanging on the wall. From the overall schedule you know what tasks are on the critical path. These are the tasks that if they start later or last longer than scheduled, will delay the finish date on the job. So on the two week outlook you are looking at several things. One is the tasks on the critical path, you are always looking for a way to get those tasks started sooner and to get them finished in a shorter period of the. An important thing is how the work flows through the job. Certain tasks have to be complete before the next trade starts. But on most jobs you want a flow starting in one corner or a certain floor or where ever and working through the job in a sequence of areas to the last area. This is how you get the workers following each other along the sequence of areas. This increases the workforce on site and speeds up the schedule without the trades working over top of each other. The most important thing I look at is what I call the number one question. That is - What has to be done to be 100% complete and ready, in order for the next subtrade on the critical path to start in a certain area? These are often small tasks my crew needs to do or involves chasing certain subcontractors to complete certain details of their work. Combine those with productivity issue such as access to the site and where to store materials so you don't have to keep moving them and you can come up with your 2 week outlook schedule. This is the plan that contains all the small weekly adjustments to keep you on track with the overall construction schedule.
As you can see on a large job this is a complex process, whereas on a small job you may not even put it to paper but just verbally communicate it to those concerned. Really small tasks just require you to ask yourself periodically - What Adjustments Can I Make?
When the astronauts went to the moon they were off course over 90% of the time but though continuous small corrections they made their goal as planed within seconds.
Often a curvy road has to be followed to a successful goal. That path to the objective will be shortest the more often you make corrections and refocus on the objective. Restating goals often and knowing what step is next and getting feedback allows the team to make corrections often and in the right direction.
The smaller the correction you make the more successful and confident the team will be about the plan and the next steps. Instill that confidence.
The big secret - You can't help but succeed if you continually make adjustments towards your goal.
Always ask.
What adjustments can I make?
"Daily ripples of excellence - over time - become a tsunami of success" Robin Sharma
by: Lee Coates
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