I heard an illustration a few years ago about time management and making the most of the time we have.  The speaker said that when you turn 50, place 1000 beans in a jar.  The 1000 beans represent one week each or about 20 years.  The speaker indicated that the 1000 beans would get a 50 year old to age 70.  Anything beyond that would just be considered a bonus.  If you are 40, you would place 1500 beans in the jar.  If you are 60, you would have only 500 beans in the jar (e.g., 50 beans per year).

Now, every Monday morning, remove and throw away one bean.  And, as you do, ask yourself these questions:

• Did I make the most of last week?
• Did I accomplish what I needed to accomplish for my team or my family?
• Did I make an impact on anyone’s life?
• What do I plan to do differently this week to impact those around me?

The mere act of physically removing the bean and throwing it away (not keeping it because that week is gone forever) makes us consider just how precious time is and that the window of opportunity is slowly closing.  Today, I only have 448 beans left in my jar – a pretty small pile, actually.  My objective is to make the most of each bean I have left.  How about you?

Have a fabulous day!

 

 

On my desk, I have a small piece of the Berlin Wall that someone brought to me a couple years ago.  Though I can hold this piece of concrete in my hand, its importance is more symbolic than real.  This small rock can no longer keep one group of people isolated from another.  However, it does symbolize those days in the past when isolation and separation were very real.

Functional groups in companies often create very real walls between them.  When such a wall exists, needed information is not shared.  Collaboration to correct problems and make improvements does not occur.  When this occurs, you rarely see individuals from one area involve those from the other to be innovative, creative, responsive, or proactive.  One group works in its vacuum, while the other does the same.

In the same way, people build walls around certain elements in their lives.  Some try to build a wall around their past because it is too painful.  Some try to wall off their personal lives from friends.  Some build walls around individuals fearing to share too much or get too close.  In all of these situations, the walls do more than keep things in – they keep other people out.  They prevent us from developing those deep friendships that each of us needs to survive and thrive.  Do you have a wall that is preventing such a friendship in your life?

So, it might be a good day to take a frank and open look at your own life.  Have you intentionally constructed your own version of the “Berlin wall” that prevents you from getting too close to someone else?  Or, can you help someone else recognize and remove their own wall?  To me, I am reminded every time that I look at that small piece of concrete on my desk, that walls can be good, but they can be inhibitors in our lives.  What wall have I started constructing that needs to be torn down?  Or, how can I help someone else today that simply cannot “tear down that wall”?

Thanks for what you do and for working to keep things positive.  Do something to make today special for someone else in your life.

It is probably obvious from previous posts that I work in the pharmaceutical industry in the areas of quality and compliance.  Today’s edition of The Porch talks about the value of our work producing high-quality and compliant pharmaceutical products.  What is the payback for all our work?  How do we make a difference in the lives of our patients?  This is an attempt to describe the fruits of our labors.

Most of us are functions that involve compliance to GMP’s, DEA regulations, OSHA requirements, and all their associated global regulations and laws.  These regulations are often ambiguous and can seem to be onerous and drive rigamarole (see previous post on Rigamarology).  I have often heard individuals question the value of correcting documentation errors with “a single line through with the new value recorded and initialed/dated.”  Others ask, “What is the value of doing three process validation lots to prove the process is in control?”  We have probably all wondered whether we go too far with redundant steps, double-checks, % verification, inspection schemes, risk assessments, report re-writes, etc., etc.  Individuals not as close to this want to understand, “What is the value in all this extra work we call quality or compliance?”

Value is one of those popular terms used in business circles these days.  Everyone wants to know the value of our latest acquisition, the value provided by a consulting arrangement, the value we expect from a significant Capital investment, the value drivers for a particular initiative… Understanding “value” is important for us to ensure that our direction is correct and that our priorities are properly placed.  Value is synonymous with “return on investment” or “payback”.  When someone asks about value, they are really asking, “When and what will be the payback for this?”  So, it follows that many want to know, “What is the payback for all of these GMP activities?  When will our extra effort to qualify that equipment, document that activity, repeat that step, or marry the science-with-the-regulations in a way that allows us to release that batch?”

Well, I would like today to share my thoughts on “when we’ll see payback for all our efforts in quality and compliance”:

• We get a payback during an FDA inspection when the investigator asks to review 10,000 documents and we have confidence that every page of every document will be done right, documented well, and properly tell our story of quality and compliance
• We get a payback every week when our complaint reports, representing literally millions of doses of products distributed, show only minor issues with product shipped to patients – it is gratifying knowing that the products our patients receive are right, safe, and will fulfill the mission and life-changing impact intended
• We get a payback every month when we see double-digit improvement in those critical quality metrics that define how we’re doing
• We get a payback when someone asks where we work and we can tell them proudly – more often than not, the individual will tell of a relative or friend that works or has worked for us or their own story of using our products
• We get a payback every night when we walk to our car knowing that we did our very best work to make a difference in the lives of others
• We get a payback when we encounter someone like Sammy, a little 5-year old boy I know that has struggled with cancer for the last three years – he is now in remission, but must get a scan a few times a year to ensure that the cancer has not returned – knowing that we might play a small role in Sammy’s life makes a difference to me

If you will take the time to consider all we do and why we do it, you’ll easily see that quality and compliance have a payback.  Thank you to everyone in our industry for making our compliance and value story a positive one!

You will recall that yesterday we reviewed lessons from the conductor on leadership.  The genesis for this was a session I attended a couple of years ago involving a professional orchestra led by Roger Nierenberg, the author of Maestro.  Today, we look at this session from the perspective of the orchestra members…that is, team members.  There is much we can learn by observing highly effective, high performing teams and I can attest that this orchestra was both.

First, if you have not already done so, you might listen to the link below.  This piece was the highlighted orchestra piece in my session.  Try to hear how all the individual musicians blend together to a terrific final result:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecHh_aNNVxA

There were several lessons on teamwork that I derived from my session sitting with the orchestra and observing the leadership of the conductor that day:

1. You must see and watch the conductor – each orchestra member was seated to allow them to see the conductor.  If they could not see, they shifted their seat.  And, they were situated to allow them to watch the conductor most of the time during the performance.  This ensured they were following the direction and intent of the conductor.  Similarly, we must ensure that we can see and follow the leader of our team or organization.  If we do not continually know the direction, we may become mis-aligned.
2. Your work must blend with the work of those on your team – it is important that each orchestra member listen carefully to others to blend the sounds properly.  One member cannot play so loudly that they drown out the sound of others.  In the same way, each team member must carefully consider how their work fits into the overall work of the team.  We should not individual over-power others on the team.
3. A team is no place for a showboat – an orchestra does not allow for individual interpretation of the music.  This might be good in jazz, for instance, but not classical music.  Similarly, we must be careful as a team member that we remain collaborative and do not use our own abilities to get our team off track.
4. You must do your individual job well – as with any team, the members of the orchestra take accountability for their own job.  They practice and work diligently to achieve perfection with their own part of the music.  As team members, we should also strive to be the very best that we can be in our own job.  A group of individuals that each performs well and aligns their abilities with each other is the definition of a great team.
5. Count and follow – it is imperative for members of the orchestra to follow their music and count the beats, otherwise, they will lose their place and fail to play when needed.  Similarly, members of our teams must work to stay connected to the project or function.  You cannot thrive individually or as a team unless members know the status of activities and when they must play their part.
6. You may have to sacrifice for the good of the team – though members of the orchestra may be among the very best in the world on their instrument, they remain under control and participate as a collaborative member of the orchestra.  It is the same with us.  We cannot “do our own thing” when we want.  And, we may have to “play second fiddle” even when we know we are fully capable to play the lead role.
7. Timing is critical – in music, it is essential to play exactly when needed – when the music says to play.  Similarly, we need to be aware of our part, when it is needed, and in the way expected.
8. Preparation is critical – orchestra members spend hours each day practicing and preparing for performances.  In the same way, we must do our own preparation to fully participate as a team member.  Just showing up is not synonymous with intentional preparation to do our best work.
9. Try to enjoy, not simply endure – knowing that practice can sometimes be tedious, the orchestra members know there is a pay-off when the performance occurs. Likewise, though our efforts may not be recognized every day, we need to work with the end in mind.  We are serving critical needs for patients in difficult situations.  Knowing that we serve them should help us serve with a better attitude.
10. Celebrate successes – at the end of the concert, the crowd always shows its appreciate for a job well done.  We need to celebrate more.

We can make beautiful music together if we are willing to follow these key principles.  Thanks for reading.  Have a “top ten” day!

A couple of years ago, I was able to participate in a management meeting with about leaders from across my company.  I have been in the corporate world well over 30 years and have experienced literally hundreds of events and experiences at those events.  However, there was an event at this meeting that impacted me personally more than any experience before or since.  We had a session with a professional orchestra led by Roger Nierenberg, the author of Maestro.  In this session, we were able to experience the key attributes of a good leader from the perspective of the conductor.  What made the experience amazing was that we actually sat in the orchestra beside and among the instrumentalists.  We were able to observe the conductor from the viewpoint of the instrumentalists and experience how his leadership as a conductor made the difference to the music.

There were several observations from this experience that have stayed with me even two years after the event.  Let’s take a look and see if these resonate with you either as a leader or member of a team with a leader.

The conductor (or good leader of people) must:

1. Have a vision for the end result – the conductor must have a good sense for what he/she plans to achieve in the end.  It is amazing how different a single score of music can be depending upon the vision and interpretation of the conductor.  Knowing where you want to go is critically important for a leader.  And, communicating that vision to your team will help them understand why you do what you do.
2. Be visible – the conductor must be visible to every musician in the orchestra.  Everyone must be able to see the conductor’s instructions for pace, volume, and energy.  In the same way, a good leader is visible to the team members.  Certainly, he/she must not be overbearing.  However, allowing every team member to routinely have contact with the leader is important to ensure you remain “on the same page”.
3. Understand the capabilities of the team – the conductor cannot ask for more than the individual or collective musicians are capable.  It is possible that a high school orchestra could play the same piece as a professional orchestra.  However, the conductor cannot ask for the high school musicians to play with the same level of competence as the professional musicians.  Knowing how much you can expect and when to stretch your team members is important to ensure that expectations from all parties align.
4. Work with team members individually – the conductor in our session spent some time with individual musicians refining and perfecting the approach or timing for certain elements of the piece.  This individual time was important to create the musical vision of the conductor.  As leaders, it is often important that we connect one-on-one with team members.  This will help ensure that we are aligned on vision, limitations, timing, hurdles, and approaches.  It also helps create a sense of partnership that is important for success.
5. Be emotionally connected with the team – the conductor must express the proper level of emotion into the musical piece as needed to obtain a good final result.  In our session, the conductor spent considerable time demonstrating his commitment to the process.  As leaders, we must invest in the team and the process.  Team members must see our personal commitment.  We must be personally involved if we expect a great result.
6. Blend the various parts into the end result – the conductor must spend time ensuring that the individual pieces and parts blend together well.  For example, we saw one demonstration where the violins were perfectly aligned as a subteam and played their part perfectly.  However, when they combined with the woodwinds, some time and effort was needed to ensure that they blended together well.  This blending process occurred throughout the orchestra until all were perfectly aligned and mixed.  The same occurs with our teams.  We cannot assume that if the individual parts perform well, the end result will be good.  We need to take the time to ensure that the efforts of one component are blending well with the others.
7. Deal with wrong notes – the conductor must not accept wrong notes.  Failing to deal with wrong notes or off-key violins will result in a bad final performance.  In the same way, leaders must not allow “wrong notes” to continue.  Whether these wrong notes are people, perceptions, performance, or processes, they must be dealt with – the earlier, the better.
8. Set the pace – the conductor alone sets the pace for the orchestra.  You can observe how the movement of a simple white stick can change the tempo from slow to fast to loud… just with the movement.  The good leader also sets the pace for the team.  The team members often look to the leader for hints on timing, objectives, etc.  Thus, good leaders must recognize this and re-set the pace and activities, when needed.
9. Motivate the members and team – the conductor was constantly praising members for good work.  This praise was contagious and led to a seemingly energized orchestra.  In the same way, good leaders recognize and acknowledge regularly the good work of his/her team members.  It is important for all of us that we feel that our efforts are important and valued.
10. Share the success of the team – the conductor was quick to praise his orchestra members in our session.  Sharing the team’s success is an important leadership attribute that is often forgotten.

At the end of this session, we were allowed to sit anywhere in the orchestra we wanted or to stand on the podium with the conductor.  The orchestra then played, concert-style, the entire piece that was used to illustrate the important elements of conducting and leadership.  It was an amazing experience to sit among world-class musicians playing this masterpiece by Mozart and observe how all the key leadership principles had driven the final result.  One of the movements played that day was Mozart’s No. 34, second movement which can be heard at the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecHh_aNNVxA

Have a magical day!  And, remember, this is the only day we’re promised.  If we get another day tomorrow, we’ll look at Lessons on Teamwork from the Orchestra.

 

Today, we look at another of the 17 elements of my series I call Building Skills for Great Leaders.  Today’s element is:

“Support without Strategy leads to ambiguity and lack of focus”

When I was in graduate school, I was housed in a small, messy laboratory with 4-5 other students.  Some of us had a specific plan (as dictated by our spouses) to obtain an M.A. degree, then get a job.  However, there were a couple other guys that had been working on their PhD degrees for nearly 10 years.  They loved being students and claimed their spouses were 100% on-board with their approach to remain professional students.  In talking with at least one of these PhD-candidate students, he said his approach was to continue his research, then at some point in the future (perhaps, when he had cured cancer), he would write-up his work and finalize his PhD degree.  He completely lacked focus on the task of finishing his degree and, as a result, his research meandered from one topic to another without hope of attaining that ultimate prize… his degree.  In short, he had support from his family to continue his pursuit (believe it or not!), but his failure to develop a strategy led to complete research ambiguity and lack of focus on the finish line.  Other students with a clear strategy were able to complete their degrees in half that time.

We can have complete support in what we do, yet never accomplish anything.  As leaders, unless we can articulate a clear final destination and the pathway to arrive there, we can work aimlessly until we lose focus and, more than likely, hope.  Someone once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will do.”  So, one of our key jobs as leaders is to constantly re-enforce our destination and the path we are taking to arrive there.  This is not to say that we should micro-manage our teams.  In fact, when we communicate the final destination and the key milestones along the way well, we can manage less.  When our team members know where we are going, we can just get out of their way and let them drive us there.

One more illustration… My son-in-law is a college basketball coach.  His players are highly experienced players when they arrive in his program.  However, he must teach them the system his teams use for offense and defense.  He must drill into them the approaches they will use, how to manage the clock, and tendencies of their opponents.  He develops a “game plan” for each game that is intended to guide their approach for that game (for you basketball junkies out there, this means whether they will use a man-to-man defense or match-up 1-2-2; whether they will press after made free throws; whether they will work the ball inside or focus on their outside game; etc., etc.).  However, once the game begins, he can only stand on the sidelines and coach.  He cannot play defense, he cannot shoot the ball… in short, he can encourage, alter strategy from the sidelines, manage the game details, but the outcome of the game relies solely on the performance of his players.  They must execute.  His job is to prepare the team.

In many ways, we do the same thing with our work teams.  We establish a strategy, prepare the members, then encourage them as they execute.  We can provide infinite support, but without a strategy to guide them, we should not be surprised when results are not what we had envisioned.

Thanks for making life better for someone else today!  Have an awesome one!

Today on The Porch, we look at the wisdom of Jerry Seinfeld (yes, that’s the one!).  Despite his reputation as a funny man, some of his statements have applicability to those of us in the corporate world.  See what he has to say to you today:

1. “When someone does a small task beautifully, their whole environment is affected by it.” – I think we often think that unless we do something really big, no one will notice or that nothing has been impacted.  I think this quote says, especially for those of us in the compliance world, that even small tasks, when done well, are important and contribute to our overall success.  During FDA inspections, the things that often cause the most angst are the small things, not necessarily the big ones.  Don’t underestimate those small successes!
2. “Pay attention, don’t let life go by you. Fall in love with the back of your cereal box.” – To me, this quote says that we need to pay attention to what is occurring around us.  Some might say we need to “stop and smell the roses.”  We often move through the day so fast that we forget to savor those good nuggets that come our way.  And, this includes the people we work with.  Every day, somewhere, individuals lose a loved co-worker that they will never see again.  Take the time to ‘pay attention.’
3. “If you get something right, you really feel it, right in your chest, on stage. I think it’s an incomparable experience.” – We are simply too quick to move from one problem to the next without taking the time to say, “YES” when we accomplish something good.  We know it when it happens, so take a moment to smile and give yourself a pat on the back on those occasions.
4. “You want to do good things, and once you’ve done a couple of good things in a row, you think ‘Well gee, let’s not mess this up.’ But I am lucky at this point that I have something I really love to do, and it completely holds my attention. I never feel frustrated by it.” – I could have said this.  When you really love what you do, you really do perform better and individuals around you enjoy it more.  If you can’t say that you love what you do, you need to think about making adjustments in your attitude, life, or direction.

Yes, Seinfeld is a very funny man, but what he says, at least in the quotes above, really can make a difference in our lives and how we serve each other.

Do something fun today!  And, let’s love doing what we do.

A Story Told by an Anonymous Man

I’m the oldest of three kids.  I’m older than my little brother by 2.5 years and my little sister by 9.5.  When I was about fourteen or so, arguing with my dad in private about something I don’t remember, he, being the second-oldest of eight kids, told me: “Any decision you make in this household, you make three times.  Once when you make it, once when your brother makes the same decision after watching you do it, and once when your sister makes the same decision after watching you and your brother do it.  How you treat your brother will tell him how he can treat your sister; and how you treat your sister tells her how she will expect to be treated for the rest of her life, even as far as her future boyfriends.”

Others are watching us.  The impact we have on them is amazing.  When we treat others with respect or kindness, we demonstrate to everyone that respect and kindness is the expectation around us.  When we treat others poorly, those watching “learn” that it is OK to treat others poorly.  Then, they teach that same thing to those watching them.  This cycle then continues.

One action – good or bad – can impact others permanently and can follow them for generations.  When we view our behavior through this lens, should we not consider the possibility that “there is never a time when respect and kindness is unwarranted?”

“Excuse me, but your actions are speaking so loudly that I can’t hear a word you are saying to me.”  – Ralph Waldo Emerson (paraphrased) –

Have one of those “best days yet” —- there is enough time left in the day that it is still possible….

 

If you go onto E-Bay right now, you can find an autograph of Princess Diana for $400,000USD.  Or, for $195,000USD, you can get a signature of Franklin D. Roosevelt.  For $158,000USD, George Washington; $158,000USD a choice of George Washington or Abraham Lincoln; or, for only $65,000USD, you can get an autograph of Jackie Robinson.  Obviously, the value of the signature of these individuals is great.

Your signature is also of “value” for obtaining a mortgage loan.  When you get a loan, your signature signifies your promise that you will fulfill the requirements and commitments within the contract.  Do you realize that your signature is your word, it represents you – it has value?

When you sign a document, what does it mean?  Here are a few of my thoughts on what our signature means:

1. I did it – my signature means that the work associated with it was done by me – I was there and my signature attests to that
2. I did it right – my signature means that I did the work in the manner specified or I agree with what is requested
3. I did it when I said I did – my signature means that I did the work at the time and date specified – my signature is as good as a videotape of me performing the act
4. I stand behind my work – my signature means that I am willing to testify to the work, time, and manner associated with the signature
5. I have pride in my work – my signature means that I did my best work
6. I promise – my signature means that I have made a promise

When you consider all of what a signature means, it is clear that it has “value.”  Maybe, the value of my signature would never sell on E-Bay, but for my work in my business, my signature means that “I cared enough to give my very best.”  What does your signature mean to you?

Have one of those “best days yet”!

Today, I wanted to share a piece recently provided by a friend.  This Sanskrit Proverb speaks very well about the value and beauty of each new day.  It is the Sanskrit version of “today could be our very best day yet!”  It is true, that this is the only day we are promised and nothing we do tomorrow can bring today back.  Today might determine our future success, our future happiness, or our future fate.  For sure, what we do today will only be a memory tomorrow.  Today might be the day that makes our year a successful one.  What do you plan to do today to make it a great day, either for you or someone else?

 

Look to this day:

For it is life, the very life of life.

In its brief course

Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.

The bliss of growth,

The glory of action,

The splendor of achievement

Are but experiences of time.

 

For yesterday is but a dream

And tomorrow is only a vision;

And today well-lived, makes

Yesterday a dream of happiness

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well therefore to this day;

Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn!

                   – Sanskrit Proverb –

 

Use today well.  Do something to make this day special for someone else.  Try something unexpected today.  And, if tomorrow comes, let’s try it again.  Have a great one!