When it comes to organizational “operating systems”, the most common thing that companies get wrong is they don't consistently use their systems–especially the leaders. Sometimes, at bigger companies, the company has built a process but the leadership team doesn't really participate in the process; whether that's performance feedback, goal setting, or something else. That lack of participation undermines the whole thing.
As a leader, you have to believe in the way you're going to run things and you’ve got to do it yourself. It’s not rocket science here; It's about adherence, consistency, a belief that this is the way we run things above all.
There are two parts to my operating system. Part one is the foundational stuff: your mission, your vision, your long-term goals document. Every team should know why they exist and what they are going for in the long term. A lot of teams start with our quarterly goals. Well, your quarterly goals don't matter if you don't know where you're ultimately trying to get to.
The second part is your month-to-month, quarter-to-quarter, year-to-year, tracking. Google uses OKRs (objectives and key results) as their tracking methodology – and it worked so long for Google because the leadership team really believed in it and used it.
You have to have measurement metrics that matter. The world is moving so fast these days, plans will evolve and you’ll have to revisit your operating system and metrics. There are many ways you might structure what I call your operating cadence, and even your internal comms cadence around that, but the most important thing is that you have one and that you actually do it. That's it. The secret sauce is actually doing it.
Reflect: What is one change you can make based on the above insight in the next 30-days?
Connect: Who would benefit from hearing the above insight at work and at home, and when can you connect to share your reflections?
