Question:  how’s the communication going in your firm today?

I’d say not well enough – and without knowing anything about you.  A safe  bet, for three reasons: 1) almost all AE firms and their leaders get by with way too little (and too ineffective) communication, 2) the recession has shifted the “story” in many companies from ‘good’ to ‘bad’ (or at least ‘not as good’), and 3) there’s frankly no such thing as too much communication.

But if you’re at all like me, the last thing you want is to have someone “harping” on the importance of good communication. Instead I’d like to try something different, comparing how another type of business uses effective communication to bolster performance success.

The ‘business’ I have in mind is football – American style.  I’m not referring to the real (and big) business of football – at the professional, college, and even fantasy level.  Instead I mean the game itself, as it’s played out on the field.  I’m comparing this game to the ‘game’ that you and your team play – leading, running, and growing a professional services firm in the architecture, engineering, or environmental consulting markets.  With me?

OK, here’s a list of some of the attributes of the game of football:

Mission To win the game. 

 

To move down the field, score points, stop the other guys.  To win consistently (sustainably), stay healthy, keep improving.  To entertain fans, bring in revenues, build and improve facilities, attract and retain top talent.

Vision To attain and win the “big one.” 

 

(Super Bowl, National Championship, Conference Title, Bowl Game (different for different teams).

Competition Specifically defined – a conference, group of teams, a schedule.
Operational Limits Specifically defined playing field – standard size dimensions, boundaries clearly marked.
Operational Rules Clearly defined and documented, generally well understood by participants.  [Operations are monitored by onsite quality control and compliance professionals (referees)].
Operational Strategy and Tactics Usually clearly defined and articulated – opponents’ strengths and weaknesses studied – strategies  employed to exploit perceived weaknesses; tactics involve a portfolio of set plays – defined, communicated, and (usually) well rehearsed.
Team Roles Role clarity within the team extremely high – positions well defined (reinforced with uniforms and numbering system); roles very clear – both in general, and also with specific (current) play.
Incentives Clearly defined and well understood.  Positive incentives include those for both end point goals (points scored) and interim goals (first downs), for both offensive and defensive movements; negative incentives include penalties accessed, turnovers, points scored against.

Get the point?

Football is obviously a much different ‘game’ from the one you’re running as an AE firm – in terms of clarity, consensus, and communication of what’s going on.  In football the mission, vision, and important objectives are clear. What to do, how to do it, and who’s in charge are very well defined.  The field is clearly outlined, as are accepted behaviors and expectations for individuals and teams.  Rewards – both good and bad – are spelled out, and everyone playing understands the opportunities, as well as the consequences, of performance.

By comparison, the professional services firm is a mess – often a complete mystery.  Mission may be loosely understood (clients, staff, profit), but is often not particularly well articulated or motivating.  Vision is frequently defined even less – leaving those in the firm to decide for themselves what the ultimate objectives are (and commonly resulting in an extraordinary lack of consensus among leaders).  Strategies, objectives, goals, key performance metrics, roles, and incentives – are usually (at best) well understood by only a subset of the  staff – and are often poorly understood by most.  Many companies have little structure around a number of their key business processes.

Still (and here’s the punch line of this analogy), despite the high relative clarity, understanding, consensus, alignment, and structure commonly found in the game of football [certainly a considerable amount more than that in the median AE organization]:

to improve the chance of performance success, more than 95% of all teams hold a meeting (yes, a meeting, and with attendance mandatory) before each and every play!!

Indeed, this meeting – the huddle – is not very long – just a few seconds.  But a lot is covered:  adjusting team membership, changing tactics, calling the next play, discussing concerns, motivating performance, building camaraderie.  All in a few seconds.

Wouldn’t your firm (or team) benefit from more and more effective communication?  How about a daily huddle?  Despite the (all too common) protest, the answer for most is of course an emphatic yes!

To really get this right – creating a robust communications architecture for the firm – requires a bit more depth than I’m including here.  [If you’re interested in the greater details of setting out in this effort, give me a call and let’s talk more about your situation].

Still, here are a few suggestions for improving communications in your firm, to get you thinking and moving:

1)      Daily Huddle – How about this daily meeting with your team (ten minutes) – to quickly review where everyone is, what’s planned, issues and concerns, and follow ups necessary?  Consider giving it a try, for the next month or two;

2)      Weekly Project Management Meeting–These are common in the AE industry – but commonly can be improved.  For instance, I suggest limiting duration to about an hour (and then hard stopping, regardless of what’s left), a pre-published or standing agenda, and required attendance of all key staff (more folks, not less).  Another hint:  discuss prospects and prospecting first, and then projects (to keep business development from always getting the short shrift);

3)      Weekly Client Update – Either by phone or email, send a project update to each of your active clients each and every week.  It’s OK if the project has little (or nothing) going on that week (unless the client expects otherwise).  Clients don’t always read these updates closely, but the implied message of care, connection, and active management will still come through;

4)      Monthly Operations Review – This gathering (live and/or by phone) should be for all staff – to connect, update, and share the recent performance of the firm.  It’s a great opportunity for senior leaders to review what’s happened, what’s changing, and what’s ahead.  Supplement the words with an easy to understand ‘open the books’ summary of results and key metrics.  This takes some effort, but being and ‘open booker’ leads to employees with a better understanding of the company and its situation, the business and market context, and (importantly) their role in the firm’s success.  Staff will trust leaders more, work more effectively, and better align themselves to the organization’s mission and vision.

5)      Quarterly Strategic/Business Action Plan Review – AE firms often do a better job of creating plans than they do of executing them.  Commonly the lack of execution issue boils down to focus – other priorities (or excuses) get in the way.  A quarterly (monthly even better) look at what’s happening (and what’s not) leads to more active management of the action agenda, usually working wonders for getting things done.

6)      Bi-annual Staff Development Days –Twice per year, shut down the firm for a whole day, and focus completely on developing the team.  Potential focus, themes, and topics are endless – a variety of technical subjects yes, but also project management, business development, marketing, leadership, general management and supervision – and many others. One of our clients does a version of this very well and quite successfully …imagine the positive vibe of this  ‘university’ or ‘institute’ day – with its themed agenda, and multiple sessions, subjects, experts, lectures, panel discussions, and such.

7)      Annual Strategic Planning Update – Each and every year the firm should look at its longer term plan and planning framework – reaffirming the critical and overarching stuff, adjusting strategies and tactics, and evaluating the organization’s progress on key action initiatives.  The level of effort necessary will be different in different firms – but all should be doing something each and every year with the strategic plan.

A few ideas – perhaps none new to you (I know, you’ve seen it, heard it, and tried it).  Still, keep in mind that (as with all things management) it’s not what you know, but what you do with what you know, that matters most.

Want to push your firm to a higher path and trajectory – towards greater success – and right now?  If so, then this: call a meeting, have a huddle, share some (real) information.  Beg for forgiveness (for your past shortcomings), proclaim a new day, hit the reset button.  In short, start communicating more (a lot more) with some of the most important people in your world – staff, partners, and clients – those folks who really can help you to achieve extraordinary outcomes in your firm – and in your life.

Cheers!

John

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