[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference 7.286::digital

Title:	The Digital way of working

Moderator:	QUARK::LIONELON

Created:	Fri Feb 14 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	5321
Total number of notes:	139771

1801.0. "How do we get Schwarzkopf on the BOD?" by DUGROS::ROSS (Babelicious) Tue Mar 10 1992 15:13

General Norman Schwarzkopf on Leadership  
    
    {reprinted without permission from INC. magazine}

o YOU MUST HAVE CLEAR GOALS

	And you must be able to articulate them clearly.  One of the advantages
	we had in Kuwait, said the general, was the clarity of the mission:
	"Kick Sadam Hussein's butt out of Kuwait.  The goal was clear and
	simple, and something that every one of our troops understood."

o GIVE YOURSELF A CLEAR AGENDA

	Every morning right down the five most important things to accomplish
	that day.  Whatever else you do, get those five things done.  Insist
	that the people who report to you operate the same way.

o LET PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THEY STAND

	Everyone knows you do a disservice to a B student when you give him 
	or here an A+.   That applies not just to schools.  The grades you 
	give the people who report to you must reflect reality.

o WHAT'S BROKEN, FIX NOW

	Don't put it off.   Peoblems that aren't dealt with lead to other
	problems.  Besides, something else will break and will need fixing
	tomorrow.

o NO REPAINTING THE FLAGPOLE

	Make sure all the work your people are doing is essential to the
	organization.

o SET HIGH STANDARDS

	Too often we don't ask enough from people.  At one point in
	Schwarzkopf's career, he was placed in charge of helicopter
	maintenance.   He asked how much of the fleet was able to fly on any 
	given day.   The answer was 75%.  "People didn't come in at 74% or 76%, 
	but always at 75%, because that was the standard that had been set
	for them.    I said 'I don't know anything about helicopter
	maintenance, but I'm setting the new standard: 85%'"  Sure enough,
	within a short time 85% of the fleet was available on any given day.
	The moral: people generally won't perform above your expectations, so 
	it's important to expect a lot.

o LAY THE CONCEPT OUT, BUT LET YOUR PEOPLE EXECUTE IT

	Yes, you must have the right people in place.  But thgen step back. 
	Allow them to own their work.
	
o PEOPLE COME TO WORK TO SUCCEED

	Nobody comes to work to fail.  It seems obvious.   So why do so many
	organizations operate on the principle that if people aren't watched
	and supervised, they'll bungle the job.

o NEVER LIE.  EVER.

	Schwarzkopf said there had been a big debate about whether tto use
	disinformation to mislead the Iraqis during the Gulf War.  "We knew
	they were watching CNN.  Some people argued that we could save American 
	lives by feeding incorrect information to our own media."  Schwarzkopf
	vetoed the idea because he felt it would undermine the military
	leadership's credibility with the American public.

o WHEN IN CHARGE, TAKE COMMAND

	 Leaders are often called on to make decisions without adequate
	information.  As a result, they may put off deciding to anything
	at all.   That's a big mistake,  said Schwarzkopf.   Decisions
	themselves elicit new information.  The best policy is to decide,
	monitor the results, and change course if necessary.

o DO WHAT'S RIGHT

	"The truth of the matter," said Schwarzkopf, "is that you ALWAYS know 
	the right thing to do.   The hard part is doing it."

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
1801.1		PBST::LENNARD		`Tue Mar 10 1992 18:55`	2
	Yawwwwwwwn.........exactly the same stuff I was taught in Infantry NCO Leadership School at Fort Jackson, S.C. in 1952. No biggee!
1801.2	Few NCOs at DEC	ESGWST::HALEY		`Tue Mar 10 1992 21:42`	10
	re .1 Obviously we have very few leaders (managers) who went to Infantry NCO Leadership School at Fort Jackson, S.C. in 1952 with you. I would like to see even 45% [ :)] of his suggestions followed at DEC. How about if we start with: Clear Goals, Let your people know where they stand, Lay out the concept but let your people execute it, Never lie, and When in Charge, Take command? Matt
1801.3	it's NOT a ho-hum issue!!!	SWAM2::KELLER_FR		`Wed Mar 11 1992 06:03`	23
	re.1: I disagree; I don't think it is "ho-hum" stuff. It's probably the only thing that will save Digital. Some people seem to think that ALPHA will save Digital; that we can keep everything the same and not have our act together and that ALPHA will take us back to the good old days when we sold everything we produced regardless of how inefficient and poorly managed we were. BS! That's not how it's going to work. As I read the note on Sales Support time reporting I see how far we have to go. Major decisions are being made on poor information, both from failed management practices which purport to be reporting accurate information, and from a lack of input by those that have given up trying anymore. But there's some good too. Corporate is getting the message, although it may seem like they're not. A memo by Tom Colatosti summarizing the recent US TEam visits to the Field was one of the most encouraging memos I've read in a long time IF Corporate management follows up on it. It's probably too soon to expect anything, but maybe the next Sales DVN will comment on it. If they do, then possibly those people that have given up will try once more to have some impact and this time they'll succeed. Or at least get enough positive feedback that they'll try yet again.
1801.4		F18::ROBERT		`Wed Mar 11 1992 13:13`	4
	re.3 Do you have a copy that you can put it here? D
1801.5	Can't post; sorry...!	SWAM2::KELLER_FR		`Wed Mar 11 1992 15:54`	5
	Yes, I do have a copy. But I don't have the author's permission to post it, nor am I in a position to get his permission. Sorry. Fred
1801.6	Lead, Follow, or get out of the way...	TRLIAN::GORDON		`Mon Mar 23 1992 15:49`	1

1801.7		LGP30::FLEISCHER	without vision the people perish (381-0899 ZKO3-2/T63)	`Wed Mar 25 1992 16:53`	10
	re Note 1801.6 by TRLIAN::GORDON: > -< Lead, Follow, or get out of the way... >- I've never liked that -- it seems to imply that if you aren't leading or following, then you must be in the way. Life isn't like that. Bob
1801.8		SSDEVO::EGGERS	Anybody can fly with an engine.	`Wed Mar 25 1992 19:49`	4
	Not always; you're right. But all too frequently those who aren't leading or following are in the way. Another one says there is no such thing as an innocent bystander.
1801.9	I have other choices...	TPS::BUTCHART	TNSG/Software Performance	`Wed Mar 25 1992 20:07`	9
	re .7, and .8 I tend to have a problem with both the "Lead, follow" and no bystanders sayings. I've seen LF used fairly frequently as a blatant attempt to bully people into doing something without having to provide reasoning or explanation. And if I'm not allowed to be an innocent bystander sometimes, I can be your deadly enemy always... /Butch
1801.10	Why Bother.	LARVAE::NOBLE		`Thu Mar 26 1992 08:34`	7
	Why do we want Schwartzkopf on the Board. He did'nt fix the base problem in Iraq, and the life for the Kuwaiti under the Al-Sabah family is no better than it was before. N.
1801.11	goals and means - a hard tradeoff	REGENT::POWERS		`Thu Mar 26 1992 11:53`	17
	Most of the items in the list are sensible, but some are easier to state than implement. The one I have the most trouble with is the "set clear goals." Sure, we need goals, but tell me in a way that guides my direction without detailing every step. In a business sense, it has to be legal. Goal: "Dominate the xxx market by 1995." (Sorry, illegal - anticompetitive antitrust violation) Goal: "Gain 55% market share in the xxx market by 1995." (Better, but how?) Goal: "Write more code to generate more product." (Why? My job goals to to reuse stuff we've already written.) It all seems to come back to the "corporate vision" discussion we fall into from time to time. - tom]
1801.12	cliches, cliches, and more cliches	SGOUTL::BELDIN_R	Pull us together, not apart	`Thu Mar 26 1992 13:11`	30
	Re: <<< Note 1801.11 by REGENT::POWERS >>> "set clear goals", indeed! Clear to whom? Is it enough for top management to have them clear? Is it enough for middle management to have them clear too? Is it required that every Tom, Dick, and Harry also have them clear? What about consistent goals? Sometimes I think goal writers live in Wonderland! The formal planning crowd (of which I am a grateful graduate) try to separate planning from implementation. Sometimes, you can tell by inspection that two goals conflict, but sometimes, the only way we know if our goals are consistent is to try to achieve them and observe our failure or success. Swarzie and other good managers know that there is a lot more than the cliches they tell the press. But details don't make good copy. We should be smarter than to repeat these cliches here. fwiw, Dick
1801.13	Good Leaders or Good Followers?	MEIS::RYWAY::YAMAJALA		`Wed May 27 1992 20:13`	10
	Let's not forget that most of the people who were lead by Shwarzkopf were trained to follow. As for LF and innocent bystanders, LF excludes "Individual Contributors" Also in the original note I like the one about "People come to work to succeed". I've seen people where I've had to ask them if why they were coming to work everyday. This was before I realized the concept of "JOB SECURITY".