9
Words into Action
Tom and Christi delivered the results that satisfied corporate. Consequently, I got to continue working with teams throughout their division for several years. But for me, the most satisfying payoff was a note that I received from Ellen about a year after that initial session. Here’s what she said:
Hi, Barry,
Sorry it’s taken so long for me to send you this e-mail like I promised.
Soon after our training session Christi promoted me to project manager, and the challenges of my new position have changed my life—for the better. I want to thank you for the contribution you made in helping me get here.
After formally taking on the role as project manager, I had my first opportunity to try the techniques a few months later on a systems integration project. There was much resistance to the project initially. Also, 15-25 people attended our early planning meetings physically and by phone conference, and that was a mistake. As a result, there was a lot of conflict, and it took three hours to get the information I needed in order to do the initial plan. I’ve now learned that effective inclusion during a planning session requires keeping the numbers down to ten or less.104
After this meeting, I used the F exercise as a reference point to break through some of the resistance. I also asked Christi to attend a team meeting so everyone could vent to her directly, and she was able to help me establish the necessary level of credibility and authority I needed. This enabled all of us to start working from the zone by clearing some of the conflict. But the real breakthrough came when I went to Dallas, TX, to meet the rest of my team face-to-face.
Initially, given the enormous time pressure I face to complete this project, I felt very reluctant to spend the time to make this trip. Then I remembered everything we had said about the importance of pacing and inclusion. With that in mind, I just went ahead and booked the flight. The results were amazing.
I felt some of the most reluctant team members relax a bit once we got to know each other and go to lunch. Some of us even went out to a local bar after work to let off some steam. Our team’s relationship has improved significantly since that trip. I am going to make another trip to Dallas in the next few months to continue this success. I now realize that effective inclusion can have as much to do with what we do outside the office as it does with how we run our meetings.
Since this first difficult experience, our team has received great praise from our executive staff for the project plan we presented. I have reduced my core team down to ten people in order to optimize our final plan using your techniques. Because of this, we were able to cut down the process to about an hour and a half.
Also, it was very useful to attend your class again on 3/13 with my core team to continue to the next phase of our project. Most of my team now understands what I am trying to do in order to plan our projects. We now have a common language and common experience. My team no longer feels like I am putting them through Hell. To make it easier for the folks who have not yet been through the training, I put together a one-page summary of the rules, which has definitely helped. I’ve enclosed a copy. Let me know what you think105
Finally, I owe much of my current success to the deeper understanding I now have of my job and our project team. That would not have been possible without the Rules of Warp Speed.
Thanks again, for all your help.
Ellen
I’ve always loved how clearly Ellen spells out the trial-and-error process she went through. First she tried including the entire team and found that twenty-five people were too many, so she pared it down to ten. When she met with initial resistance, she tried some of the exercises we learned in class, but she also called on Christi to help her establish credibility. Her instincts told her to fly to Dallas and meet with the rest of her team. When the “not-enough-time demon” tried to dissuade her, she used the pacing guidelines to keep on track. Her insight that “effective inclusion can have as much to do with what we do outside the office as it does with how we run our meetings” is so important, and it bears repeating.
In other words, Ellen demonstrates how to apply these guidelines in the real world. They act more as a compass than as a map. Use them to keep you pointed in the right direction, and trust your instincts to reveal the path.
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The Warp Speed Game Plan
Project success depends on our ability to make and keep clear commitments. This requires a shift from power-based to reciprocal relationships and ongoing attention to effective communication. These fundamentals are captured in the rule that reminds us to:
Avoid Confusion through Inclusion
- Increase feedback to catch the missing Fs.
- Since customers define solutions, keep in touch.
- How you plan Is how you play.
Inclusion breaks down under pressure. That pressure may stem from inner fears or our tendency to do too much and move too quickly The next two rules provide guidelines for managing these issues. When confronting fear remember: 107
Work from the Zone
- We’re in this together.
- There’s always a way through.
- See where you really are.
When running on overload try to:
Shift from Racing to Pacing
- Periodically empty your cup.
- Respect limits; weigh options.
- Slow down to turn.
Commited, satisfied project contributors are more likely to produce happy satisfied customers. That’s why the fourth rule reminds us that:
Both the Project and the People Must Be Fulfilled
- Change your meetings, change your culture.
- It you don’t have rules, you can’t play the game.
- What people get are your true intentions.
Every time you think this will take too much time, remember how much time it takes to screw up and be miserable. It’s your choice–why not go for it?
