Clear, focused reminders, developed over a career
A set of guiding principles is necessary to achieve excellence.
You might call them core values, us-statements or guiding principals, we call them operating priorities.
- People are more important than tools
It’s the man, not the machine.
-B. General Chuck Yeager- Transparency and follow through are table stakes
There are no hidden agendas, no meetings after the meeting – just clarity and a common understanding of where we are and where we’re going.
- Bias towards action
A good plan, violently executed now is better than a perfect plan next week.
– General George Patton- Hope is a terrible plan
Hope is wonderful, it has the power to lift us up, help us dream the unimaginable and endure the terrible – but it is not a plan. In other words, we do not wish our future into existence, we meticulously define goals, set tasks and relentlessly execute.
- Plan backwards
The target comes first – its in our name. Once we’ve defined our objective we then work backwards to define our roadmap to achieve our goals working towards today, our start point.
- Fight problems, not people
We tackle problems directly, without prejudice. We recognize that in order to solve problems we must work with each other and not against each other. Therefore, we fight the problem, not the person, at all times.
- You get what you measure
We have defined the objective, we have planed our roadmap and now we must understand the building blocks of the business and accurately measure them to ensure we’re moving in the right direction. Experience has taught us, if you want a specific outcome… start measuring it. As a result, people more often than not will give you the results you’re looking for.
- Decisions are better with data
We are data driven. Defined goals, accurately measured and confidently reviewed daily and weekly allow us to rapidly make decisions at the speed of business and stay action oriented. Therefore, while decisions are necessary, they are better with data.
