A while back I posted this piece on how our company communicates our philosophy. Our philosophy describes how we should act as individuals and professionally as a group. We display this philosophy on the walls in our headquarters office, kind of like a corporate tattoo. It reminds us of the why of SiloSmashers.
The corporate philosophy has been remarkably stable over the years. Even so, periodically we reevaulate our technology to ensure that our teams have the tools to implement that philosophy and deliver for our customers. But technology is not just a tool, it is part of the environment and as technology evolves the environment that we operate in changes. As our environment evolves this affects how we implement our philosophy. Long format communication is definitely out of fashion these days, video is much more important. These are environmental changes driven by technology.
We should not claim that there is anything special about technology shaping our environment in 2012. It is not a new phenomenon. The technology that allowed our ancestors to create paint that lasted 30,000 years – a thousand generations – on a cave wall in France almost certainly has more significant than the latest iteration of a smartphone. To say nothing of the importance of the automobile, the spinning jenny or penicillin.
But we do keep working to make better use of the technology around us. The management team at SiloSmashers recently sat down and looked at one of the other elements of our culture, Peak Performance. Peak Performance is something we have worked towards for ourselves and our customers for many years. It is an articulation of the basic philosophy of our company.
As part of our review, each of the management team put their own description on what Peak Performance is. Each description is a little different, but all of them share a common technology framework:
- Sharing information is important and sharing should be the default. Minimizing the information that is not shared should be a goal. Sharing by accident (also known as a security problem) should be avoided.
- Establishing and maintain personal connections between our team members and with our customers is essential
- We need to be able to measure performance (and track, manage to it etc)
The Perspectives on Peak Performance
Below I have reproduced the perspectives in full. Please excuse the sometimes clumsy structure, these were taken directly from the flipcharts.
#1: Peak Performance is an iterative, repeatable approach championed by SiloSmashers management consulting teams. It is a measure of effectiveness and efficiency in management operations represented by transparency, a collaborative spirit and a cooperative environment. #2: Peak Performance is an articulated presence of the ideology of continued performance improvement through a framework developed by though leaders throughout industry. The essence of delivering higher standards performed continually through each and every cycle. #3 Peak Performance is a strategic and tactical methodology or approach with proven and demonstrated expertise to help improve, quantify and monitor organizational performance designed to enhance, empower and deliver superior results. #4 Peak Performance is a disciplined and interactive way to work priorities, identifying and solving critical challenges that result in measurable improved performance. Peak Performance renews itself by providing an ethos to always be better. It is a platform that provides the ability to practice EXCELLENCE. #5 The recipe for Peak Performance. Take 1. One Helping of Core Values 2. Add professional excellence 3. a commitment to growth Shake. This is how the SiloSmashers consultants are made. Silosmashers consultants always work as a team to deliver the best solution. Best is not a cookie cutter solution, but one that matches the people, culture, history and future direction of the customer. That is the SiloSmashers Way. That is Peak Performance.- Develop meaningful performance metrics, QL and QN, that are tied to goals
- Develop and be accountable to an implementation strategy. Plan for that strategy
- Provide management, communications and collaboration support and best practices in order to most efficiently attain goals.
- When goals and metrics are not available, continuously re-visit how goals may be defined. #7 Peak Performance Envisioned
I particularly like number 5. Implicit in all you say is of course hiring the right people and developing the wisdom collectively that comes with time.
Posted by Stephanie | July 10, 2012, 10:06 am