Monitor
Early Warning Signs
by: Joyce Friel, Peak Performance Consulting
Life is full of early warning signs. Unfortunately, we all too often overlook them or ignore them altogether until it is too late. We all know about health indicators which give us warnings, weather forecasters forewarn danger, any number of financial indicators give us warnings, but what warning signs do you have as organizational barometers or warning signals? This article is about the barometers in your organization.
If you answer ‘No” to any of the questions below, consider these ‘early warning signs’ of potential organizational weaknesses or areas where problems may emerge in the future. Hopefully you are able to response with a “Yes” to all these statements. If not, don’t despair. Select one or two of the items you answered ‘No’ to that are of most importance to your organization and work on closing the gap. Then work on the next one or two until you’ve made progress. Exceptional organizations focus on doing a 1,000 things 1% better, not doing 1 thing 1,000% better. Best of luck on your self-assessment!
WARNING SIGNS
Strategy and Governance
- Do you have a written statement of the organization’s Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles or Values?
- If you have a Vision, Mission and Guiding Principles or Values statements, how do your employees know what these are?
- Do you have a strategic plan?
- If you have a strategic plan is it shared with everyone in the organization?
- Do you have stated target goals for this year’s critical performance initiatives?
- Do you have metrics which track organizational performance throughout the year against these targeted goals?
- Are the targeted goals and metrics shared with everyone in the organization?
- Are the organization’s financial goals integrated with internal processes, customer needs and the development and growth of employees?
- Does the organization have a governance policy which the Board and senior manager must follow?
Communication
- Does everyone in the organization know what they have to do to help the organization reach its goals?
- Does the organization have all employee meetings or another method of keeping everyone informed of organizational results and progress, as well as, challenges as they come up throughout the year?
- Does the organization tailor the style, method and frequency of communications to the audience and message content?
- If the organization expects mid-managers and supervisors to communicate information to their units is there a communications strategy and method for ensuring the message gets delivered consistently and to everyone?
- Does the organization have mechanisms and processes for employees to communicate up the channel?
- In the organization does information flow freely both up and down the channel?
Leadership Development and Training
- Does each employee receive a performance review at least annually?
- Does each employee have a personal development plan which is reviewed at least annually with their supervisor?
- Do employees receive training each year which is specific to their current job or a position they are preparing for in the future?
- Does the organization track the results of training so that what is learned gets applied on the job?
- Does the organization have both supervisory and management training for people in these roles?
- Does the organization have a succession planning process which identifies key positions and emerging leaders?
- Do those individuals in the succession plan get specific mentoring, coaching and development in order to be able to step into key roles when needed?
- Does the organization have a specific methodology for leading significant change?
- Does the organization spend intentional time developing the ability of the senior leadership team to work effectively together?
Accountability
- Do employees (including managers and supervisors) take responsibility for issues when they come up or is it “someone else’s” problem?
- Does the organization have job expectations and standards for all positions?
- Are people held accountable for achieving results?
- Are employees rewarded and recognized for work well done and coached when they fall short?
- Does the organization proactively eliminate those employees who infect others with negative attitudes and who don’t contribute?
- Do those employees who truly are exemplary get the recognition and promotion they deserve?
Certainly the above list is not exhaustive. There are hundreds of things that can be warning signs of impending peril. However, if you were able to honestly answer ‘Yes” to the vast majority of these statements, you are well out of harms way and likely doing much better than your competition. Congratulations! If you had a lot of ‘No’ responses, what are the one or two items that are most important to your organization? What actions are you going to take very soon to eliminate these potential dangers?