Jeremiah in Iceland

Jeremiah Josey

Category: Best Business Practices

  • How to Get and Assess Feedback from Your Team (S)

    In a democratic workplace, one of the most important requirements is transparency on performance. In particular transparency on the performance of managers, business line leaders and other people where they supervise, support, look over other people.

    If you are suppressing your people, there is no way they can perform at their best.

    Obtaining feedback tells you how well you are doing personally – essential for long term sustainability.

    Semco does this well (Ricardo Semler’s company) by using Upward Feedback forms. You can read all about it in his book Maverick (Maverick:  The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace)

    I took what is explained by Ricardo and turned it into a process that I applied several times with my team.  I do it about every 6 months or so.

    It takes courage to hear the results, and even more to do something about it, however the benefits expand you incredibly, both personally and as an organisation.

    Just remember the first rule: There is only one rule and it is that there are no rules! Work with your team and develop the tool with them. It benefits everyone.

    Here’s what I did:

    At the time of the first evaluation, my team about 35 people. I personally delivered the form to every person explaining what it was for (evaluating my performance as their leader) and inviting them to complete it. I made it clear that it was totally voluntary and would totally anonymous.  If and when they complete the form they are to give it to my secretary – not to me.

    To my secretary I gave clear instructions not to talk to me about who has said what or who has marked what. She had to simply compile the results into a score sheet, by counting how many As, Bs, Cs and Ds. I did the analysis afterwards. She throws the original forms away once she has extracted the results.

    She also types out the free field “Tell me What you think” section I have. I can’t tell who wrote what.

    Everyone in my team who is given the form is told that I will never know who wrote what. So they are free to say what they wish.

    I then present the anonymous results to my team so they know where I stand with them.

    The feedback analysis form is here:

    https://tinyurl.com/Semler-Supervisor-Feedback

    A result of less than 70% means work to be done. Under 50% means why are you even there?!!

    I scored 86% on my last evaluation.

    I pitched this to the CEO of the 40,000 person organisation I was consulting but the company wasn’t ready for widespread use of the process so I just keep it to myself and my team, nethertheless it worked really well.

    This is how I analyse the results:

    Not everyone answers every question. The analysis takes this into account.

    1. Give A, B, C & D a simple score. A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, D = 4.
    2. I have 36 multiple choice questions on my form. 14 of them have 4 answers (A, B, C and D), whilst 22 have only 3 answers (A, B and C).  Hence the top score is 122 (4 x 14 + 3 x 22).
    3. For every answer I work out it’s average score.  So for example for a question you had 3 x As, 5 x Bs, 26 x Cs and 5 x Ds, the average score would be:(3 x 1 + 5 x 2 + 26 x 3 + 5 x 4) / (3+5+26+5) = 111/39 = 2.84 (out of a possible maximum of 4)
    4. Add all these aggregated scores together.
    5. Divide them by the theoretical maximum score (in my case 122)
    6. Convert to % (divide the score by the maximum and multiple by 100)

    Easy.

    Should you weight questions? No, don’t do it. Why?   It makes it complicated.  Keep it simple.

    Develop the form with your team. They can contribute questions suited to the task at hand or are more relevant to your organisation.

    Good luck!!

    Jeremiah Josey

    This post was in response to a request from Tiago Andrade e Silva earlier this year when he read my Slideshow presentation on forming teams. You can see the presentation here.

    [slideshare id=1552971&doc=kw2-fs3usersjeremiah-joseymydocumentsjjsofficestuffsupervisorevaluationfeedbackvitalforselfdevelopment-090609035617-phpapp01]

    On 04/03/10, tiagonmas wrote:

    Hi Jeremiah!
    I read the Maverick book and knew about the Supervisor evaluation form.
    I just implemented it with my team. Do you know what are the rules to reach the overall % ? how is each question weighted ? what are the ratios ?
    thanks,
    Tiago Andrade e Silva

    Jeremiah Josey

  • Learning to walk again

    I’ve read the works of Robert Kiyosaki lately, two of his latest best sellers “Rich Dad’s Increase Your Financial IQ: Get Smarter with Your Money” and “Rich Dad’s Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money“.

    Both books stimulated and reminded me of my study and applying that study in the early 2000’s when I was heavily involved in property.  It also reminded me that I forgot most of it and put it aside when I became involved with folk who just don’t talk about that sort of thing.  That’s been for a few years now!

    I’ve also been playing the online version of Cashflow 101 and 202, the board games that very quickly teach you the financial vocabulary you need to get rich and stay rich.

    What a relief it has been for me to be back in the vocabulary!

    What struck me most of all was the reminder of the 8 elements required for a successful, sustainable business.

    There are many authors and many books on how to build a business and there are many ways of combining these factors together.  I like these 8 because they are simple and straight forward.

    BI Triangle
    Courtesy of www.richdad.com

    They can be applied to my personal life as well as my business.

    The 8 elements:
    1. Mission
    2. Team
    3. Leadership
    4. Cash flow
    5. Communications
    6. Systems
    7. Legal
    8. Product

    Robert does a very good job explaining these points in his book Conspiracy of the Rich.

    Mission – My mission must be one that encompasses both my physical and my metaphysical (spiritual) goals.  Be my passion.

    Team – Even rowing solo around the world needs a large team of people, leading up to, during and afterwards!  We are a social people, working and operating at our best only where we recognize and work in teams.

    Leadership – Every ship needs a captain. Someone that does not know all the answers, or gives all the orders and may do very little, except this: they can see the direction of the team, now and into the future, just by looking around them, seeing what others can’t (or often won’t).  A true leader is there for the success of the mission, for the success of the team. Not for themselves.

    Cash flow – With the first three founding structures in place, identifying, making and managing the cash flow is the key chapter of business integrity.  Know where it comes from, know where it is going.  Manage it. Make it.  This is the lifeblood of the operation.

    Communications – Talking.  We are talking social beings and business is between people.  We like to talk and learn most about our world from it. (Movies and music are testament to that).  Selling your services, products, benefits is what communication is all about.

    Systems – All the elements of the enterprise must run in synchronicity with each other, therefore reliable, repeatable processes must exist that “take care of business” all day, everyday.

    Legal – Following the rules is the only way to create a fulfilling long-term establishment. Learn them, understand how to apply and run according to my mission with the rules in mind.

    Product – Last and supported by all other elements of the business is the product or service that is created.  It must have integrity, and alignment with the Mission.  If not, no one will pay for my product.

    There. A helpful reminder.

    Thanks Richard!

    Jeremiah Josey

  • Fill Life with the Good Bits First: The Mayonnaise Jar

    When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, When 24 hours in a day is not enough; remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

    A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

    When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and start to fill it with golf balls.

    He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

    The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.

    The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

    He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

    The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else He asked once more if the jar was full… The students responded With an unanimous ‘yes.’

    The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

    ‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

    The golf balls are the important things – God, family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

    The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

    The sand is everything else — The small stuff.

    ‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
    The same goes for life.

    If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

    So…

    Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
    Play with your children.
    Take time to get medical checkups.
    Take your partner out to dinner.

    There will always be time
    to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

    ‘Take care of the golf balls first —
    The things that really matter.
    Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

    One of the students raised her hand
    and inquired what the coffee represented.

    The professor smiled.

    ‘I’m glad you asked’.

    It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

    Jeremiah Josey

  • Your time is limited…

    Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.

    Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

    You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

    You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.

    This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

    The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

    If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.

    Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me.

    Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.

    Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford Uni Speech

    Jeremiah Josey

  • EU and IMF will spend $40 billion to bail out Greece. What is your opinion on this issue?

    From Linkedin Discussion: All The Global Leaders in the European Developed Markets

    My comment:

    They are just extending the credit on their “credit card”, and using future tax income (from salaries) to pay for it. This drives the wrong habits – fixing inhuman balance sheets and ignoring the human element. It drives the ‘need’ to work, and not the ‘want’ to work. Quality of life will fall, ‘happiness’ measures will decline. This is evident across the world already.

    The fundamentals of the system has to change and a bail out does not address them.

    The measures I propose are drastic but effective: 1) eliminate personal income tax and use taxes on companies to provide for the infrastructure that we require; 2) Train our children to work collaboratively rather than competitively – demolish the military styled education system, which is more than 100 years old;, 3) drive democratic work environments.

    I discuss these topics here on my blog:

    http://jeremiahjosey.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/the-new-frontier-workplace-democracy/

    http://jeremiahjosey.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/jobs-kevin-rudd-taxes/

    http://jeremiahjosey.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/the-new-world-order/

    Jeremiah Josey

  • What is “business”

    Once you have decided that you want to do business and you have what you think is a customer, then a business is 4 steps:

    1) Find out what they want
    2) Go and get it
    3) Give it to them
    4) Make a profit from doing 1, 2 and 3

    If you are doing this yourself, it’s not a business, it’s a job – you just have many bosses. And you are probably very busy. ;o)

    Many folk are like this, but don’t get me wrong: there is nothing wrong with it at all. Just be clear about what you are doing all the work for that’s all.

    If you have a system (website, robots, people/employees) then you have a business.

    How to test if you have one or the other? Firstly you’ll know. You’ll just know. If you’re not sure, or you want to be really reminded of it… then leave for 6 months. Go to the other side of the world. Stay out of contact with it. If the business does better then when you where there, do something else! You have a business.

    The rest is detail.

    Jeremiah Josey

  • Jobs, Kevin Rudd, Taxes

    I met Kevin Rudd once a couple of years ago before he was the Prime Minister of Australia.  It was at a local restaurant in his electorate in Brisbane.  He’s a sharp chap.  Clean dress.  Quick mind.  Academic type.  I like him.  We spoke about general things and he asked me how many jobs my company would give.  I said about 30, but I was thinking to myself, “I’m planning to have the manufacturing done in either Malaysia or Singapore.  It’s much better there: lower costs, higher quality.  The headquarters I’ll be moving to the US just as soon as I can. That’s where the market is”.  But this didn’t need saying.  It was a pleasant exchange.  He knows what he is doing and the woes of Australian manufacturing industry is for another time, Insha Allah.

    I’ve been thinking about what he was most concerned and interested about in our conversation: jobs.  “How many jobs will I give?”  Why?  Why the focus on jobs, on money, on being busy?  Well there are two reasons that I have worked out.  One is cynical and other one is naïve.

    The naïve view:

    That people need to be busy to have a “satisfactory” life.  Really?  Working 40 hours a week doing something you don’t really have a say in, or doing the same repetitive task over and over?  Computers and robots can replace most jobs in the world now, and they will eventually – in manufacturing they already have.  So who wants a job where they’re just a robot?  No one.

    The cynical view:

    The present western system of social infrastructure (i.e. Government and the services provided) relies on taxes to exist – contributions from the people in the society served by the Government.  Tax on income (income tax) and tax on things you buy (sales tax) give all the funds needed to pay for the roads; the health care; the education and the entertainment.  Sell a few bonds to cover the difference when it’s needed.  Tax comes from peoples’ pay.  Pay comes from their jobs.  They pay their income tax before they get paid.  They pay their sales tax when they spend their pay.  So people need a job to keep the government going. Simple really.  Why is this cynical?  Because a “job” is no longer a “nice” thing, and a “government” is no longer efficient at providing what it’s supposed to give.  It’s a very expensive service.  Health care in the UK anyone?  Legal support in the US my friend?  Roads and communication systems in outback Australia?

    So where does Kevin Rudd get his view-point from?  Being cynical again,  “Jobs” is easy to sell to get votes.  “Job” is only a three-letter word.  It’s easy to explain.  It’s security for you and your family: if you don’t work you don’t eat; if you don’t eat you don’t shit, if you don’t shit you die!!  So: get a job or die!!!  Everything is set up for this: our education system, our financial system, our employment system.  Everything.

    A Job “works” in our current society.  It’s the basic fundamental unit that makes everything function. Get more jobs, and everything will be all right.

    However that only applies if you have an infinite amount of everything to consume, to make, to be busy in a “job” with!  We don’t.  We’re reminded every day about how small this little planet of ours actually is.  Global warming, water pollution, land pollution, overcrowding, slums, dying soils, E.coli deaths from hamburgers, anti-biotic resistant bacteria – super bugs, mad cow diseases from feeding cows dead chickens… and so on and so on… This is what has been created: the consuming, un-conscious monster, stemming mainly in the US in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, mainly to provide more jobs, mainly to provide more taxes, for more Government!  More, more, more.  More profit, more food, more cars.  More everything.  But is this still working?

    The average American – the average westerner – consumes about 90 kg of meat each year.  Such a high meat consumption is way above what a human body needs and leads to all sorts of long-term social health issues (besides being overweight, there’s slow bowel movements leading to bowel cancers, transferring diseases from animals to humans and I don’t want to go on).

    If the average western person simply halved their meat intake, all the current overproduction, animal mistreatment, pesticide pollution, over subsidization and everything else associated with this industry would stop.  Over night…..  So why doesn’t it?  The need for more, more, more, and the program we have in us that drives this. Besides, what about all those “jobs”  What will people do???  :o)

    To pay for government you need taxes, for taxes you need jobs, for jobs you need business, for business you need consumers…  So the western economic system, lead by America, has become the best consumer-job-tax-government model in the world.  Around and around and around we go!  What a ride!  Stop I’m getting dizzy and want to get off!

    It’s a dangerous little trap we have caught ourselves up in.

    The irony of it all: mediation, the key to a fulfilling, happy life, takes almost zero resources to carry out.  That’s the Universe laughing at us!

    “JOB” ends up being a pretty dangerous little word.

    Don’t get me wrong, I don’t worry about this stuff.  I just ponder it, working out how it all works.  How we work.  We, people, will always do what we have always done: our own thing.  So, don’t stress.  Just become aware, conscious – really conscious – of what you are doing and you can decide if you want to keep doing it or not.

    Oh, yeah, and the solution to all of this is two 2 things.  The first is to pay for government budgets entirely with tax on company revenues (not profit, revenue) and hence cancel all personal and sales tax. This will put the soul back into the company,  and give people the freedom to grow and expand as they wish, as we have always done.  The second thing is to create democratic, participation  workplaces.  This makes your job a nice thing to do.  Train people in what this means, at school, in companies.  Everywhere.  (BMW and GE already do it)

    Easy.

    My turn.

    Jeremiah Josey

  • Foundations of Leadership

    1. Ensure everyone shares a vision for success
    2. Ensure everyone knows the overall purpose and their individual purpose
    3. Create the space for clear conversations amongst the team, giving everyone meaningful choices. The team will form itself
    4. Allow the team to create their strategy, knowing the vision
    5. Do what is important
    6. Have fun, ensure the team has fun, giving the space for them to make choices that ensure this

    Jeremiah Josey

  • A Summary of Democratic Organization Values

    A summary of democratic organization values:

    1. Continuous feedback

    2. Continuous development

    3. Learn from past

    4. Improve for future

    5. Clear about purpose

    6. Clear about goals

    7. Transparent and open with everyone about everything

    8. Have conversations for connection and meaning

    9. Everyone is treated fairly and with dignity

    10. Individual accountabilities are clear

    11. Individual contributions are valued

    12. Individuals are valued for contributions to collective goals

    13. Everyone has meaningful choices

    14. Integrity

    15. Power is shared and distributed

    Jeremiah Josey

  • Quotes on Leadership vs Management

    “A leader is someone who helps improve the lives of other people or improve the system they live under.”
    Sam Ervin

    “The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude;
    be kind, but not weak;
    be bold, but not bully;
    be thoughtful, but not lazy;
    be humble, but not timid;
    be proud, but not arrogant;
    have humor, but without folly.”
    Jim Rohn

    “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”
    Kenneth Blanchard

    “The boss drives people; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says “I”; The leader says “WE”. The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss says, “GO”; the leader says lets, “GO!”
    H. Gordon Selfridge

    “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”
    Sam Walton

    The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point that they eventually surpass him or her in knowledge and ability.”
    Fred A. Manske, Jr.

    “Make no mistake, as you change your leadership style to one of a coach you will face challenges. There will be times when you question why am I doing this. However, you must at all times keep the long term benefits of being a coach at the forefront of your mind.”
    Byron & Catherine Pulsifer, from Challenges in Adopting a Coaching Style

    “A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.”
    Ara Parasheghian

    “A good coach passes on information quickly. They do not hold back information that affects my job.”
    Byron & Catherine Pulsifer, from People’s Expectations of a Coach

    “The test of a good coach is that when they leave, others will carry on successfully.”
    Author Unknown

    “You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within.”
    Bob Nelson

    “No person can be a great leader unless he takes genuine joy in the successes of those under him.”
    W. A. Nance

    “With all the information available today, the manager can no longer have all the answers. Whereas, in a coaching role, you are not expected to have all the answers. In a coaching role, you ask the questions and rely on your staff, who become the experts, to provide the information.”
    Byron & Catherine Pulsifer, from Why All This Talk of Coaching Rather Than Managing?

    “The highest of distinctions is service to others.”
    King George VI

    “You cannot manage men into battle.
    You manage things; you lead people.”
    Grace Murray Hopper

    “One of the true tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency.”
    Arnold Glasow

    “A good coach will make his players see what they can be rather than what they are.”
    Ara Parasheghian

    “The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack.”
    Wayne Lukas

    “The man who follows a crowd will never be followed by a crowd.”
    R. S. Donnell

    “My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
    Jim Valvano, Basketball Coach

    Jeremiah Josey

Jeremiah Josey