Saturday, May 24, 2014

Not Another Memo!

The road began to rise as I approached the mountains just east of Seattle. The skies were blue and the road was dry. Ahead, a readerboard warned there was construction ahead and to be prepared to slow down to 55 mph.

I was making pretty good time heading toward the pass until a pair of trucks pulled out in front of me. They blocked the highway and each truck displayed a sign: Do not pass. The trucks proceeded down the interstate going 20 mph. Traffic backed up quickly and stretched out as we traveled west at this slow speed.

We headed down the highway for 15 then 30 minutes in a procession. We passed more reader boards with the same message: Construction ahead, be prepared to slow down to 55 mph. Questions began to nag me. Why are we doing this? How much longer will this last?
This situation reminded me of a common complaint that I hear from both employees and managers. 

From the staff, I frequently hear such comments as, why are we doing this? What is it we’re supposed to be doing? From management I hear, why is this taking so long? Why is this is a problem? Typically the comments resonate with frustration.

When managers are asked how they communicated a new requirement, they will cite how they sent an email or memo explaining all the details. They will typically claim they sent the information out well ahead of time and in detail. In other words, they did their job.

In spite of this effort, many remain frustrated by a lack of understanding. Employees and managers alike want to know what is going on, to be informed. This want for being “in the know” was identified as a top priority for both employees and managers over 60 years ago.

Part of the problem is that few people read emails and even fewer read memos. Why? Because they haven’t found them to be very helpful or they are overwhelmed and can’t get to them. Another possible obstacle is that they resent the lack of personal interaction represented by written notification, which they may perceive as a lack of concern and respect.

Too often the solution to convey information is deemed simple. But in reality, it takes a lot of effort. To successfully get the word out requires going and talking with the folks with whom you want to communicate. Doing this in an informal manner allows you to see people’s reaction, answer questions and verify the message was received. People will feel respected, valued and be more inclined to help with whatever you’re trying to accomplish.

Sure, this takes time – but cutting corners by not making the effort to meet with people will invariably lead to frustration and challenges in what you’re trying to accomplish. This will lead to delays in accomplishing the objective. Going slowly up front by personally getting the word out will allow you to go much faster in accomplishing your objective with considerably less frustration.

After following the trucks for 40 minutes, they pulled over and the two lanes of traffic made it safely through a very short detour. As I sped up, I wondered about the return trip.

Don’t Put Off Problem-Solving

As I looked at my friend Al Koehler, we gave each other that “oh boy” look. We were knee-deep in receiving too much unproductive attention.

Koehler and I were Army lieutenants and each of us was responsible for a battery of six howitzers, a type of cannon. We shared the same problems with accuracy for our howitzers. This was critical given that we were firing at targets up to 10 miles away. After eliminating the possibility of human error, we decided to test the alignment of the sight with the bore of the howitzer.

This was an involved process requiring a large hanger, a plum line suspended from the ceiling and great attention to detail. When we tested the alignment, we found that 10 out of 12 howitzers had problems. Little did we know the host of other problems that would come our way that day.

Koehler and I contacted our battery commanders and explained what we found. Shortly thereafter my commander, Captain Nick Perkins, arrived at our location. After asking several questions and evaluating the conduct of the tests, Perkins notified our battalion commander of the test results. From that point on, we had too many high-ranking officers scrutinizing our process.

They examined every minor detail, repeatedly, with little attention focused on the real problem – that the howitzers were out of alignment. During this process, Perkins interjected himself into the discussion, championing the core problem. However, the higher-ups persisted in their efforts to focus on fixing accountability. After watching the discussion go around in circles, Perkins informed me that he would be available by phone and left.

Finally, the problem was identified: the alignment needed to be corrected. While we were packing up to leave, Koehler and I were directed not to test all the howitzers at the same time. Our test results had negative repercussions for readiness evaluation purposes and following such a schedule would minimize the impact of this problem.

Upon returning to the motor park, I informed Perkins of the decision to stagger future tests. He turned his head, sighed and then uttered an expletive in his drawn-out Southern accent. Perkins went on to explain that it was stupid, as it wasn’t solving the problem and conducting the test in this manner would require too much time. He shared that the problem was readily apparent and that too much effort was expended trying to avoid blame.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. When a problem comes up, focus on solving the problem first. Get it working. Then, if holding someone accountable is prudent, do that after the solution is in motion. I also learned that by using this approach, more problems were surfaced sooner.

Our howitzers were aligned properly by the support folks and delivered accurate artillery fire. Perkins retired many years later as a major general. I’m confident he continued to focus on solving the problem first and didn’t shy away from adding emphasis with his Southern accent.