What leaders do to achieve World-Class Results

Posted on August 14, 2009 by - Newsletter Articles

This is the first of series of articles on practical and proven keys to getting world class results. The practices described are proven practices of Pal’s Sudden Service, applicable to all organizations.  To learn more, attend Pal’s BEI “Achieving World Class Results” class.

Leadership is the key to excellence. No company has achieved it and sustained it without the right leadership.  Let’s examine what Pal’s manager’s do to sustain world class execution and results.  Pal’s managers have three roles:

  1. Assess Processes: Determine if processes are being run exactly to the standard. Is there any problem with any process? Execution Hints:
    1. Pal’s manager’s are able to do every job exactly to standard; thus they can see even small variations from standard.
    2. Pal’s managers spend most of their time in the front of the store where all the processes are taking place, thus they have a lot of opportunity to observe.
  2. Teach and coach: If there is any variance from standard, provide this feedback to the employee.    Execution Hints for World-Class:
    1. Find out why the variation and what can be done to prevent it in the future.
    2. Look for what managerial system that failed? (Training; staffing; culture that does not stress doing the job right every time and may even reward employees for taking short cuts, etc.) 
    3. Provide immediate coaching in a helpful and caring way that maintains self-esteem.
    4. Look for things done right that can be praised.  Try to have 3 praises for each corrective feedback.  Spent most of your time praising your best employees not with your poor performers or “squeaky wheels”
    5. Remember: ALL errors are management’s responsibility.  What do you have to do different to keep the error from reoccurring?
  3. Interact One-on-One with customers:  Nothing replaces first hand contact.  Execution Hints for World-Class:
    1. Managers should position themselves to come into first hand contact with their customers.

 Further Execution Keys for Leaders:

  1. Leaders get the behaviors they exhibit and reward
  2. Link all the reward and compensation to strategy and goals
  3. Leader’s behaviors must support the strategy and goals