a quick guide to dominating your industry

8/7/2019 A Quick Guide to Dominating Your Industry

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A QUICK GUIDE TO DOMINATING

YOUR INDUSTRY

, ,

plan that will propel your company to the top

1 www.planhacker.com


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To accomplish

great things, we

must not only act,

but also dream; not

Dominating your industry sounds like an incredible lofty goal- maybe even

impossible. Except when you consider that companies are doing it all the time, inevery industry. Certainly not every company will dominate, but every industry

has a company or handful of companies that achieve what others only dream of-

being the biggest, richest, most respected, most effective organization.

dominate [dom-uh-neyt] v. [latin, dominari, to rule]

To have or exert strong authority or mastery.

To be situated in or occupy a position that is more elevated or decidedly

superior to others.

on y p an, ut a so

believe.

-Anatole France

Domination is about more than control; its about your organization reaching its

potential. Of the many companies Ive worked for and with, only a handful have

managed to reach their potential. All of those companies used similar principles,

which can be learned and duplicated.

The benefit of trying to become a dominant company is that quite often, you

succeed. Even if you dont succeed in dominating your industry, you will build a

superior organization- one that surpasses all of your expectations and masters its

domain. You might even create a better world. And you will have a lot of fun and

satisfaction doing it.



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In this guide, you will find the most advanced

techniques for strategic plan design andexecution. Some of these techniques will push

you out of your comfort zone, others will

seem preposterous. Still others will seem

simplistic and obvious.

Acknowledge your feelings, but push past

them and try each technique. Its only by trial

that our companies-and in turn, ourselves-

grow and prosper.

Its lonely at the top. 99% of the world is

convinced they are incapable of achieving

great things, so they aim for the mediocre

middle-ground. The level of competition is

And finally, one piece of advice that if takencan yield extraordinary results: believe. Have

a strong, passionate conviction that you and

your company can dominate. Have a burning

trust that you and your company can be wildly

successful. Know that the Universe isconspiring to make you successful.

Because it is.

t us ercest or rea st c goa s,

paradoxically making them the most time-

and energy-consuming. -Tim Ferriss



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Contents1. Beyond Values

2.Mission: Possible3. A Compelling Vision

4. Strategies: The Critical Few

Just FYI,

I write in a style that isvery succinct and direct. I

dont believe in writing

just to fill space, but to

actually convey a message.

Once that message isconveyed, it is up to you to

put it into practice. All

success in utilizing this

uide de ends on our

www.planhacker.com4

.

6. Goaltending

7. Leadership, Redux

8. A World of Difference

9. A Case Study

10. Final Thoughts and Resources

ACTION.However, if you feel you

need to hear the concepts

presented in this guide on a

regular basis, be sure to

check out our blog:www.planhacker.com/

blog.html


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1. Beyond Values

The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of theproactive person. Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, byconditions, by their environment. Proactive people are driven by values -

carefully thought about, selected and internalized values.-Stephen Covey

www.planhacker.com5


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Youve already learned about

creating a strategic plan if youveread the PlanHackers Strategic

Planning 101 guide. If you havent,

please stop here and read that first.

Its free and downloadable.

The first task in creating a strategicplan is to identify your

organizations values- those beliefs

that resonate with how you

conduct your business (and

However, exceptional companies

take values several steps further. Towrite down an organizations

values is a given. To preach them is

a start. But to live the values- that

is the highest ideal. That is what

Stephen Covey meant by

internalizing values- living them.

Dominant companies live their

values. They dont believe in lip-

service, they believe in action. And

to ensure that the values are lived-

customers, suppliers, and

employees.There are some companies where

codification had become almost

sacred. Ben and Jerrys, Disney,

Southwest Airlines- all of them

have codified what their values

mean in action. Ask Ben and

Jerrys how they put justice in

action. Ask Disney what they mean

by imagination. Watch Southwest

o erationalize fun. These

www.planhacker.com6

, .

companies have articulated theirvalues, and many post them for all

to see.

Youve no doubt created values,

too. And if youve followed good

advice, you may have alsoincorporated those values into

your mission statement and

strategies.

acted upon-they do something thatfew other companies do:

They codify their values.

Codification is a method of

explaining how to operationalize

values. It is a roadmap to showhow to make the values come alive

in the everyday tasks of running a

business and dealing with

companies- all dominant in theirindustries- have shown that living

the values brings tremendous

success.

Unless and until you codify your

own companys values, you haventinternalized them. You are still, in

effect, paying lip service. And that

doesnt build a great company.


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To Do: Codify ValuesStep 1: Take a second look atyour values.

Stephen Covey identifies values as

those things that are thought about

and carefully selected. Take the timeright now to review, think about,

and carefully judge the values you

have previously selected. Do they

still resonate with you? Do you

customers, shareholders, etc.

Step 3: Identify one thing

that you could do in your

daily interactions with each

stakeholder group that

would demonstrate each

value.Or, identify each type of

interaction (sale, return, phone

call, email, hiring, training, etc.)

and what could be done to show

Write it as if you are explaining

your ideals to someone brand newto your company. Explain why

you and the company believe in

the values, and how each person

should show the values in their

everyday work.

Step 5: Show the values.

Set clear expectations for your

staff to let them know you are

serious about living the values-

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action everyday?

Step 2: Identify your

stakeholder groups.

People are the audience for

demonstrating values, so identify

the groups of people you intendto demonstrate to. Possible

stakeholder groups would include

managers, employees, suppliers,

your values in each. If a value

cannot be clearly shown, you need

to decide whether its really a

value to keep.

Step 4: Write an operational

handbook.

It doesnt have to be long or

complicated. Write it for the front

line staff, management, everyone.

then, demonstrate them yourself.

The most powerful tool in your

arsenal is a strong example.

Just by operationalizing your

values, you will see huge changes

within your company. When you

show your values, stakeholderswill take you seriously, and that

will bolster your reputation

within your industry.


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2. Mission: Possible

What you do speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.planhacker.com8


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Actions speak louder than

words.That is probably one of themost recited axioms in the world-

for good reason: when someone

does something while

simultaneously railing against it,

we take the action as the more

authentic response.

Part of the reason we view action

as so important is that the world is

kinetic. Language is relatively new

with a mission statement?

A mission statement tells whyyour organization exists. If your

organization doesnt exist to live

our values through your actions in

daily business, then why does your

company exist?

Dominant companies craft their

mission statements using their

values, then codify their values to

identify actions to guide the

in most organizations. Credibility

leads to trust, trust leads torespect, respect leads to loyalty,

loyalty leads to devoted fans. And

its far better to have devoted fans

than just customers, just

employees, or just vendors.

Devoted fans carry your companyto success. Achievement becomes

almost effortless.

You may think that codifying

values and actin on the mission

www.planhacker.com9

,

action is what crafted the world-and keeps crafting it.

You have probably already

designed a superb mission

statement, using many of the

values you have also created. Ifyou havent, again refer to the

Strategic Planning 101 document.

Now, what does action have to do

us ness. us, v ng e va ues n

daily business exchanges becomeseffectively living the mission.

Living the mission becomes:

Doing what you say you will

do. All day, every day.

The importance of acting on your

mission statement is immense. It

gains your organization credibility,

an all too often missing ingredient

are the same thing, and wonderwhy I would repeat the message.

Actually, one is defining and the

other is acting upon. But if I seem

to be redundant, there is good

reason:

Not many companies do either of

these things.


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To Do: Do What YouSayStep 1: Review your

companys mission

statement.

Ensure that your mission includes

your values in some fashion. If you

have codified how to live your

values in your daily operations,

then the mission review is eas :

memorize the mission

statement.

No exceptions. If an employee

cant explicitly say what your

company will do, they cant do it,

either.

Step 3: Give your employeesexamples about how they

can live the mission. Give

them permission to live it.

Ask them for exam les the have

Dont ever discipline them for

doing something that correspondswith your values or mission, even

if it costs money or takes time.

Step 4: Provide clear

consequences for NOT living

the mission.Your employees have to know you

are serious about doing what you

say before your other

stakeholders, including your

www.planhacker.com10

ust identify what your companydoes, using qualitative, value-

driven descriptive terms. If your

description matches your current

mission statement, you are good

to go. If not, revise the mission

statement.

Step 2: Require everyone in

your organization to

on how they have demonstratedthe mission in the past. Ask them

to define how other employees

have lived the mission.Train your

employees how to act. If they

know the mission word for word,

and know clearly how to act uponthe mission, there is no excuse for

not acting upon it. Give them

autonomy to live the mission, too.

customers, will know. Not living

up to the mission and values of the

company should be a serious

infraction. Especially for you.

Do what you say, no matter what. All

day, every day. Everyone, all the

time, without exception. Let youractions speak for your company.

Its the best marketing you can

get.


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3. A Compelling Vision

Cheshire puss, said Alice, would you please tell me where Iought to go from here?

a epen s a goo ea on w ere you wan o ge o, sathe Cat.

I dont much care where- said Alice.

Then it doesnt matter which way you go, said the Cat.

-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland



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Getting somewhere special

requires a destination. If youdont have a destination, anywhere

you go is good enough. Most

companies dont know where

theyre going, and as a result they

get no where.Youve no doubt crafted a vision

statement for your organization.

Youve answered the question:

what do we aspire to be? If

pick out a destination. Exceptional

companies go a great deal farther:

They create a huge, audacious,

unbelievably inspiring vision of

what they want to be.

The type of vision that makes

people jump up on their feet and

beg to go along. The type of vision

that inspires people to give their

best, and even beyond. The type of

vision that makes em lo ees into

companies skip doing a SWOT

analysis- the vision they craft, ifexecuted (or even attempted),

trumps the environment. They

create unimagined opportunities;

threats dissipate as if by magic;

strengths become exaggerated and

weaknesses cease. All by the power

of an incredible vision.

But arent visions like this

unattainable? Yes, they can be.


youve followed sound advice, like

in Strategic Planning 101, you may

even have a dynamic vision

statement based on envisioning an

ideal company in the future, or

how your company can positively

impact your industry. Thats a greatstart.

Dominant companies do more

than just craft a vision statement,

however. They do more than just

owners, makes customers intofanatics, and makes competitors

into helpless laggards. There is no

effective competition for a

compelling vision.

When you create a vision that

compelling, environment ceases to

be important. You dont react to

the circumstances around you;

instead you create your own

circumstances. Thats why some

en you cra an au ac ous goa ,

you create the possibility of notachieving it. But the difference

between a standard vision and a

compelling one is the difference

between saying when I grow up, I

want to be an astronaut versus

When I grow up, I want to

change the world. It may not

happen, but the striving is what

counts.


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To Do: Craft a

Compelling VisionStep 1: Review your vision

statement.

Read it to yourself. Does it speak

to you? Do you want to jump upon your feet and yell hallelujah!

when you read it? If you dont,

nobody else will either. You need

to go beyond what your

company do to make it happen?

Write it down.Step 3: Picture your ideal

company- again, in every

perfect detail.

What are the key characteristics

you see in that company? What arethe specific actions the company

took to create this ideal? Who are

the people you served, who led

you, who worked on the vision,

Try to make it short, simple, and

able to be memorized. Then,memorize it.

Step 5: Close your eyes.

Picture yourself presenting

to a crowd of people your

organizational vision.

Pretend your life, even your

childrens or spouse lives depend

on getting the crowd to help you

attain that vision. Envision the fate


organization does, beyond where

you believe your company wants

to be, beyond what you think is

possible.

Step 2: Picture an ideal

world- every detail of why its

perfect.

Now, explain how your company

contributed to crafting this perfect

world. What specifically will your

an w o suppor e you y

utilizing your products orservices? Why did they decide to

devote their life energy to your

company?

Step 4: Using all of the

attributes youve attributedto the ideal company crafting

the perfect world, write

down what your vision is

now.

o e wor angs n e a ance.

Decide what you would say tothem to get them energized,

inspired, enthusiastic, passionate,

even boldly determined against

any odds to help you achieve that

vision.

Step 6: Now go do it. Start

with your leaders and

employees. Go from there.


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4. Strategies: The Critical Few

Concentration is the secret of strength in politics, in war, in

trade- in short, in all management of human affairs.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson



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Multitasking sucks. Its not

effective. To hear people talkabout it, youd think multitasking

was an essential skill. Actually, its

counter-productive. Focus is the

essential skill. Without focus,

nothing of quality gets done.

The maximum number of pieces

of information the human brain is

able to remember effectively at

one time is 7. Thats why phone

accomplished and certainly not in

any matter considered quality. Itsa very well known fact that there

are just a few critical things that a

business must do to be successful,

and yet it seems quantity trumps

quality time and again. But

exceptional companies have asecret:

They concentrate all of their

energies and resources on the

Harnish talks about J. Rockefeller

and his habit of concentrating on afew critical numbers. Rockefeller

knew what he was doing: there

are very finite reasons why you

pay what you do for products,

why people choose to work for

you, why customers buy yourproducts or services. By

identifying and focusing on those

few reasons, you take care of the

most important aspects of your


.

numbers only work because areacodes seldom change. The fewer

pieces of information to

remember, the more effective the

brain is at managing them.

I see organizations craftingstrategic plans with dozens of

strategies, actions, and goals,

which seldom all get

cr ca ew ngs a ma er.

From strategies to action plans to

goals, they have few and they

devote everything to getting those

few done well. They prioritize the

important, and let the rest go. As

Stephen Covey would say, they putthefirst things first.

In the book Mastering the

Rockefeller Habits, author Verne

business without wasting extra

money and effort. You increase

both your efficiency and

effectiveness.

Learn how to focus like a laser

beam on the critical few

important strategies that willpropel your organization forward.

Concentrate on quality, not

quantity.


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To Do: Focus on the

Critical FewStep 1: Review yourstrategies.

How many do you have? If youvepaid attention to good advice like

Strategic Planning 101, you shouldhave 5 or less.

Step 2: Ensure your strategiesare concentrated on the rightareas.

Step 3: Imagine a crazyperson is holding a gun toyour head.

The crazy person tells you thatyou must narrow your strategiesdown to no more than 3, or hewill blow your brains out. Which

ones would you keep? Whichwould become priority, and whichwould drop by the wayside?

Step 4: Imagine the crazygun-toting person cocks thehammer.

quality? Why would that particularthing garner the top spot?

Step 5: You now have aprioritized list of your mostimportant strategy, and yourtwo next important. Writethem down.

Do it according to priority. Listthe reason it is a priority rightunder the strategy.

Step 6: Share the strategieswith the enthusiastic people


Who are the critical people toyour companys success? What arethe critical characteristics forachieving your vision? What arethe areas or segments of your

business that demand the mostattention? Are there anysimilarities or differences betweenthese categories? Revise thestrategies as necessary accordingto your answers.

He now tells you to narrow yourlist to the most important strategyonly. What one thing would youfeel it necessary to concentrate onto keep your organizationrunning? If there was only one

thing to put first, what would thatone thing be? People, or product?Employees, or stockholders?Service, or growth? Finance or

w o are e p ng you a a n

the vision.Explain why each thing is apriority, and which comes first.Require them to memorize thestrategies. Show them very clearlyhow this roadmap will help you

define the actions to reach yourshared vision.


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5. Tactical Execution

A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect

plan later.

-General George S. Patton



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Violent execution sounds bad.

Its not something that peoplesmile about. It doesnt inspire

fuzzy warm feelings. But its just

about the best thing that a

company can commit to do.

Most organizations eventually act.

The larger the organization,

generally the slower the action. If

the organization has a pressing

deadline, the action may be faster

prioritized strategies and a

compelling vision, which providesmotivation and direction. But they

also have another major advantage:

They have effective tactics, and

the structure and desire to

aggressively execute thosetactics.

Effective tactics mean that the

actions the organization have

planned specifically and directly

The world today is moving rapidly,

much faster than in the past. Muchof this is due to having more

population and information than

ever before. Today, its not

necessarily the finest product that

dominates the market, but very

often the first product. Somecompanies dont bother pursuing

patents like in the past; they know

that the life cycle of a product is so

short that competitors will appear


. ,

action is haphazard and slow.Execution is different than action.

Execution implies a strategy and a

plan. Most companies with a plan

and strategies execute, or attempt

to execute anyway. But themotivation and ability to execute

varies by the quality of the plan.

Exceptional companies have

target and affect the areas mostcritical to their success. The

structure to execute means that

the actions are clearly laid out

with accountability, resources, and

timelines associated. The desire to

aggressively execute is mostimportant; there has to be a sense

of urgency in getting the actions

accomplished.

almost instantly, and the only clear

advantage they have is being first

to market.

Speed of execution is critical to

achievement. People only stay

motivated when action is clearly

visible and motion is continuous.Momentum needs constant

attention in the form of aggressive

execution.


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To Do: Prepare to

ExecuteStep 1: Review your

strategies. Decide what

actions are critical to moving

your strategies forward andrealizing the vision.

List out every action that you can

think of.

Ste 2: Verif that the actions

enhance those success factors.

Step 3: Minimize tomaximize.

Ensure that you have as few

actions identified as possible, and

that those actions are very potent.

Minimizing the number of tacticalactions ensures that your

resources, attention and energies

(and those of your leaders and

staff) are directed in a very focused

and moves with the same sense of

urgency is to have someone withauthority held accountable for the

action, and to have a deadline in

place for completion of the tactic.

Also, set times to regularly review

progress.

Step 5: Commit resources to

the actions to ensure that

completion is not hampered.

If the action needs money, people,


you think are critical areactually critical.

There are very few actual reasons

that employees work for you, or

that customers buy from you, or

that you influence your strategies,

for example. Identify those critical

few actual reasons for your

companys success in each of your

strategies. Then, decide which

actions will actually modify or

manner. ou s ou never ave

more tactical actions than you dostrategies. Ideally, 1-3 actions

work best. If it helps, imagine the

crazy person holding a gun to your

head!

Step 4: Assign an accountableperson to the action, and a

timeline.

The only way to ensure that

everyone prioritizes the actions

or any ng e se o ge

accomplished, see that thoseresources are available to the

accountable person. If you dont

feel you have the resources for a

certain tactical action, go back to

step 3, re-prioritizing and

minimizing action until only the

critical elements are there. Then,

assign resources immediately.


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6. Goaltending

The ancient Romans had a tradition: whenever one of theirengineers finished an arch, as the capstone was hoisted into place, theengineer assumed accountability in the most profound way: he stoodunder the arch.

-Michael Armstrong



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Goals are the end points of

action. Thats why goals andtactics are so closely associated;

goals are the success markers for

tactical action.

Most organizations have goals.

They may revolve around such

things as finance, sales, or

marketing. Goals are something

we are taught we must have in

order to succeed, on a professional

make sure the goals directly state

what success looks like for theaction. They makes sure the goals

are measurable to gauge progress.

But dominant companies also do

something else:

They hardwire the goals

throughout the company.

Not just with the accountable

person- but completely and totally

throughout the organization- from

what success looks like and when

it should be achieved, and howtheir work directly impacts the

attainment of the goals.

Hardwiring also means that the

individuals performance is

measured directly on the goals.

Not the generic crap that most

companies throw into an

evaluation, but totally on the

attainment of goals that directly

im act the or anizations oals.


.

understand by now that goalsunassociated with good tactics,

strategies, visions, missions and

values have far less impact and

meaning than goals associated with

those elements.

Dominant companies obviously set

their goals according to the tactical

actions they see as critical to

moving strategy forward. They

top to bottom.

Hardwiring is a term that means

the goals become an essential part

of what everyone in the

organization works towards. Not

ust leadership, not just

management. Everyone. Tohardwire a goal means that each

department, each person within

the organization knows exactly

Exceptional companies know thathardwiring the goals throughout

the company gets everyone in the

organization rowing in the same

direction. Silos break down,

teamwork improves, and stuff

gets done. Thats how success

happens.


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To Do: Tend to the

Goals.Step 1: Review your tactics.

Again, each should be assigned an

accountable person, timeline, and

resources. Progress should bemeasurable (this will inform the

goal).

Step 2: Visualize what success

looks like for each tactic.

least one of the goals. If a position

cannot impact at least one of thegoals, is the position necessary?

Even support people can impact

goals. Find out how each position

in the structure of the organization

relates to the goals. Then, revise

the evaluation process to directlyemphasize the attainment of the

goals, and create goals for the

employees that directly impact

those organizational goals.

evaluating the employees

performance based on theattainment of the goals, all

incentives become aligned towards

making success happen.

Step 5: Report the progress of

the goals to the employees on

a regular basis.

The unique part of hardwiring

accountability for the success of

the organization is that as much as


What does that success mean?What does it look like? How will

it be measured? Who will measure

it? How will it be reported, and

how often?

Step 3: Align the employeeswith the goals.

Trace how each position within

the company can directly impact at

Step 4: Communicate thegoals and the evaluation

process.

By now the staff should be very

aware of the entire strategic plan,

and should be very aware of the

direction of the organization. By

communicating the organizational

goals, tying the goals to the

employees day to day work, and

eac s a mem er as a

responsibility to achieve thecompany goals, leadership has the

responsibility of providing feed-

back so the employees can

effectively alter behavior and

action to achieve the goals.

Accountability is a two-way street,

so communication is vital.


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7. Leadership, Redux

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good

men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from

me ng w t t em w e t ey o t.

-Theodore Roosevelt



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You now know how to craft a

superior, executable strategicplan. The only thing left to do isto execute it, which you have also

learned a little about along the

way. The rest of this guide is

intended to give you advice,

examples, and resources to help

you execute what you have

learned.

The first piece of advice: develop

observed, You manage things; you

lead people. Amazingly, much of

what people consider leadership is

actually management. Leadership

is about people, and only by

developing our skills surrounding

our interactions with people can

we hope to be leaders. There are 6rules, learned from observing the

leadership traits of dominant

companies, I consider essential to

good leadership:

resume) and not values or

character traits, you may not

attract the best and brightest.

Learn to spot organizational fit.

You can teach skills, you cant

teach attitude.

Rule 2: Give clear

expectations.

Nothing is worse than hiring a

bright candidate and watching

them flounder until they fail. Your


nto a ea er. en, eve op ot ers

into leaders. Execution dependson leadership.

If you are reading this, you are

likely a consultant, an executive,

or in management of an

organization looking to developand grow. You may even think you

are a leader already. But leaders

are different from managers. As

Grace Hopper once astutely

Rule 1: Select good people.im Collins, in his excellent book

Good to Great, observed that

having the right people within an

organization (what he called on

the bus) is the critical factor to

success. Certainly, by hiring for

attitude, ambition and character

you build a superior workforce.

By only selecting for skills (a good

o as a ea er s o g ve c ear goa s

and outcomes for them to achieve.You need to tie their achievement

to the achievement of the

organization, and make sure they

understand what success will look

like when they acheive.

Rule 3: Get the hell out of the

way.


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Leadership isnt constant coaching

and direction. If a person needs

you to think for them, then they

are not needed. Once you hire

someone competent and give

them clear expectations, let them

figure out how to meet those

expectations. Guiding them toresources is appropriate, but thats

about it. Rely on the expectations

you set to gauge their

effectiveness. Concentrate on the

new ways to conquer problems,

and to build persistence. Allow

failure, but do not allow failure to

drag on. Once the person has hit a

point where success is simply not

possible, guide them to a new

path. If failure becomes consistent,

then either you have the wrongperson or unachievable

expectations.

Rule 5: Motivate.

in it for them. Dont automatically

assume everyones in it for the

money, either. Theyre usually not.

Rule 6: Reward them.

If your people are bright, have

clear expectations, learn to think

for themselves, learn from theirfailures, and achieve progress

towards the results you are

looking for, reward them. Often.

Pay them well. In fact, pay them


outcomes, not the process. As

general Patton said: Dont tell

people how to do things; tell them what

ou want done and let them surprise

ou with their results.

Rule 4: Let them fail, fast.

Failure is experience. Experience

is the price we pay to get to

success. Allowing failure is

allowing a person to grow, to find

ne o e grea es quo es on

leadership comes from DwightEisenhower: Leadership is the art of

etting someone else to do something

ou want done because he wants to do

it.Getting people to want to do

things is what motivation is all

about. And motivation is simple:

communicate your inspirational

vision and figure out whats in it

for them. Then, tell them whats

e er an you n you s ou .

Let them share financially in thesuccess of the company. Thank

them publicly. Write a handwritten

letter, and mail it to their home.

Give them breaks. Promote them.

Make them a hero and publicize it.

Lead them. They will follow.


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8. A World of Difference

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed

people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that

ever as.

-Margaret Meade



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Changing the world sounds

clich. And really, its not like youset out with your company tochange the world. To make some

money, or realize a dream, or

whatever- but change the world?

Not likely. Besides, how could

you? Your organization is only a________ company, anyway.

But you know what? Changing the

world is simpler than you think.

changed the world?

People would tell you.And how could you change the

world?

Change it for the people you

serve.

Heres the secret to changing theworld, with your organization,

right now:

Do what you do better than

Commit to doing whats right,

doing your best, right now, right

where you are. Set an example for

the people and companies around

you.

You will do more than become

exceptional. You will do more than

dominate your industry. You willdo more than motivate people. You

will do what countless

inspirational people throughout

histor have tried to do- what


know.After all, whats the world

composed of?

People.

And who cares if the world

changes?

People do.

And how would you know if you

anyone e se, or t e so e intent o

iving your best to the people youserve.

If every company, organization,

association, community, or any

other type of group decided to do

this, what would we have?

A much better world.

So start with your organization.

Ghandi preached:You will become the change you

wish to see in the world.

And that changes it.


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9. A Case Study

They say that one of the requirements for people to feel good about themselves isto know that what they are doing is worthwhile. Well, let me tell you now thatyoure working in the greatest field on the face of the earth. You care for people

else cares. If there is an industry closer to all that is right and good I dont knowwhat it is. And if theres any way to make it better, it is up to us.

-Address to the employees of Silverton Hospital, 2004



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I could tell you all about some

big company that you knowand how they became

dominant in their industry.And its easy to use a Disney, or

Southwest Airlines, or Ritz-

Carlton as an example because

everyone knows who they are and

most people have used their

services. They are massively

successful and most have used the

than running theme parks, making

movies or flying airplanes.

So I will use an example of one

company I have worked with that

used the exact principles

elucidated within this guide to

become exceptional, an example

that may help motivate you tobegin the journey.

Silverton Hospital is a small, 50-

bed general acute care hospital in a

competent staff, a beautiful and

supportive community, and

motivated leadership, Silverton

Hospital started down a journey of

change in 2003. A visit by a very

inspiring speaker turned what

should have been a afternoon

distraction into a siren call ofpursuing perfection. She told the

gathered audience of staff and

leadership that they could be

exceptional- that they could


build that success.But if I used them as an example,

you may forever link becoming

dominant with becoming huge,

becoming publicly held, becoming

world-famous. And that has an air

of impossibility around it,

especially if you are a small,

regional company doing

something much more mundane

sma , , person own n

rural Oregon. In the hospitalindustry, 50 bed hospitals are

considered very small and usually

dismissed as irrelevant as far as

changing healthcare goes. And of

course, small towns generally are

considered irrelevant as far as

changing the country goes.

Because of a unique mix of

circumstances, including a very

change the world- and the

audience believed her.

Silverton had crafted a mission

statement several years earlier,

which was nicely summarized as

Committed to Compassionate

Care for Our Communities. Thestaff had also organized their


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values into the acronym HEART,

which stood for Health,

Excellence, Accountability,

Respect, and Teamwork. But never

before had they codified these

values, nor had they crafted a

compelling vision or the strategies

to achieve that vision.In early 2004, the leaders and staff

did just that. Along with an

initiative called Passport to

Excellence Silverton Hos ital

actions that coincided with the

codified values were given so that

employees knew how their peers

enacted the values in their work.

The hospital even created publicity

around the value heroes and held

a quarterly awards ceremony for

the employees. Suddenly,incidents like walking a visitor to

their destination or staying past

shift change to help someone

became commonplace, and the

memorized the mission and signed

a pledge to live the mission in

their daily work. Clear

expectations were set for the type

of person that could be hired

within the organization, again

based on fit with the mission. The

hospital gained a reputation as aquality and caring place to receive

medical care.

They set a compelling Vision.


began applying the principlesyouve learned about:

They codified and operationalized

their values.

Each value in the HEART acronym

was clearly spelled out with guideson how to implement the values in

the everyday work of the hospital.

Examples of past and present

hospital gained a reputation for

incredible customer service andinviting atmosphere.

They lived the Mission.

Employees were trained in how to

do what the mission said, everyday.

Defining compassion as havingHEART brought the values

forward. Each employee

o many e rura osp a s

would be audacious enough tohave this vision:

To be the Best hospital in the

West. Provider of Choice,

Employer of Choice.

The hospital leadership even setspecific outcomes that would

indicate becoming the Best in the

West. The vision was clearly


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communicated with the staff, who

immediately became inspired and

motivated to achieve the vision. As

one employee told me,

We were so psyched up. Everyone

began to believe that if we worked

together and lived Passport [to

Excellence], we could really becomethe best hospital in the West. The idea

was so inspirational. I mean, who really

wants to just be mediocre?

cry for the hospital. Everyone,

from housekeepers (the best

hospitals are immaculately clean.) to

the leaders (the best hospital

demands the best people, starting with

me.) were inspired to give their

best to their jobs.

They set the critical strategies.

The hospital identified the

strategic areas they would have to

confront in order to meet their

They called the strategies their

pillars, and each employee was

required to know them. By

selecting strategic categories that

were consistent from year to year

and could continue to guide them

over time, the employees could

more thoroughly understandthem, and even engage within the

planning process.

They executed superb tactics.


e organ za on qu c y oun

something essential about theiremployees, something common to

ust about everyone:

People want to believe in and

work for something larger

than themselves.Thats what gives meaning and

purpose to our work. A

compelling vision was the rallying

v s on: erv ce, ua y, nance,

People, Growth, Community.Although there were more

strategies than most companies

would set, the hospital

commented that Community

category was added because they

believed the community hadsupported them so much, they had

to show their commitment back to

the community.

ac s ra egy a assoc a e

tactical plans, in many cases nomore than one per strategy. The

tactical actions were pushed

throughout each department of

the hospital.

Service had an associated plan forincreasing patient satisfaction.

Quality had an action plan for

increasing compliance with quality

measures. Finance had plans for


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meeting expense reduction and

revenue targets. People had

action plans for decreasing staff

turnover and increasing education.

Growth had action plans for

recruitment and new services.

Community had plans for giving

back resources within their servicearea. Suddenly, the hospital was

alive with focused activity. People

in the community began to

comment that things were changing

the evaluation process was altered

so that every employee had

accountability to goals that

supported the hospitals vision.

Goals were regularly reported to

the management and staff, and

some staff took it upon themselves

to post the results for public view,even when the results were not

complimentary. The speed of

change was accelerating. As one

employee said, you had a

for the job. We found that training

our own was of more benefit to us,one

director told me. Expectations

were clear and completely

associated with organizational

goals.

Communication was drastically

improved. Employees were askedfor input, and kept informed of

progress, failures, and course

changes. Accountability was

hardwired throu hout the


with that little hospital.

They took care of their goals.

Each action plan was assigned

accountability with one leader,

although sometimes that leader

was a staff person, and most

actions flowed across alldepartments.

The goals were decided upon, and

purpose, all the time, everyday. It felt

different to work there. More focused,and yet more vibrant and fun.

They practiced leadership.

The leaders wouldnt hire anyone

that didnt fit with the values,

mission, and plan. Sometimes thatmeant that people were hired for

their character and then trained

organization; this allowed

creativity in accomplishing the

goals, and paradoxically reduced

the time managers were dealing

with coaching employees.

As employees recognized the

changes within the hospital, theybecame more motivated:

We were watching everything change,


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and it was like, wow! This is really

oing to happen! That just made us

work harder for it. Nobody had to get

up and do the rah-rah thing.

Leaders did, however, reward the

employees. Hand written letters

mailed directly to staffs homes,

public awards for living themission and values, and other

perks were commonplace. The

hospital quickly went from having

multi le o en ositions to havin

hospitals. The hospital had

achieved something miraculous.

The list appeared in national

magazines ranging from TIME to

Modern Healthcare. They were in

such company as Mayo Clinic,

Cleveland Clinic, and Johns

Hopkins University hospitals. Inthat survey, the little Oregon

hospital had set the benchmark for

service scores and growth rate.

Had that been the onl accolade

To the community, the hospital

had become a source of pride.

People from all over the state and

country wanted to call Silverton

home, many just to work for the

hospital. It wasnt long before

Silverton was voted one of the 10

Coolest small towns in America.Other hospitals started visiting

Silverton to find out how they

could replicate those astonishing

results. Silverton Hospital started


waiting lists of prospective

employees.

The ResultsIn early 2006, after two years of

solid effort, Silverton Hospitals

CEO received a surprise phonecall. The hospital had just been

chosen by a respected independent

benchmarking company, Solucient,

as one of the nations top 100

this story would have a very happy

ending. But, it didnt end there.

The hospital was selected by Press

Ganey, a patient satisfaction

surveying company, and JD Power

and Associates for service awards.

State and national awards forquality followed. No other hospital

on that prestigious list garnered as

many local and national awards as

Silverton Hospital.

to change the way other hospitals

delivered care.

The employees would tell you that

they knew it was going to happen.

They hadnt decided to change

healthcare, or the town, or win

those awards-they just wanted toachieve their vision of being the

Best in the West.

And they did that, too.


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10. Final Thoughts and Resources

If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your

story.

-Orson Welles



35/37

Silverton Hospital is notalone. Many other great

organizations have dominated their

industry and gone beyond

achievement to change the world.

In fact, Mayo Clinic transformed

medicine starting in a small town

in Rochester, Minnesota in muchthe same way. If Silverton and

Mayo can do it despite their

obstacles, your organization can,

too.

business guru at some point. Not

even the compilation of these

critical points is what counts.

Every company that has ever

dominated their industry has

succeeded not because they read

something like this; but because

they acted upon it.Will your organization end up

dominating your industry?

Perhaps. But only if you put these

conce ts into ractice. The world

successful company. A company

without peers or competitors. A

company that changes its leaders,

employees, customers, and

community.

And perhaps the world.

Having a happy ending very much

depends on where you end your

story. I hope your story is just

getting started.


In less than 40 pages, for lessthan the cost of 15 minutes

worth of a consultants time,

youve learned how to create

and execute a strategic plan

that will propel your

company to success.

Theres nothing magical here.

Everything in this guide has been

written by some well-known

is indeed kinetic; it takes action to

achieve results. Your company may

not dominate, even if you follow

this guide. But the cool thing is

that:

By shooting for the moon, you very

often end up among the stars.

By following the advice you have

read, you are very likely to create

an exceptional company. A highly

You know everything you need to

know. You can make a plan, you

can follow the plan to success. But

we all need some additional help

from time to time. So, weve

compiled a list of resources for

teaching, motivating, and helpingyou and your organization achieve

your goals.


36/37

Resources

All things strategic, includingtemplates, publications, tools, and

current events:

www. planhacker.com

Strategy, Execution, and

Facilitation Services:www.planhacker.com/services.ht

ml

Essential Reading

Quint Studer wrote this book as a

follow-up to principles he had

been teaching for years in his

consulting company. Highly

recommended.

Good To Great: Why Some

Companies Make the Leap

and Others Dont

Built to Last: Successful Habits

of Visionary Companies

im Collins is the author of both of

business success.

Strategic Planning 101Simple, straightforward, effective,

and best of all- FREE!

Mastering the Rockefeller

Habits

The essential book on focus andviolent execution.

The Magic of Thinking Big

David Schwartzs title says it all.


The 7 Habits of Highly Effective

People

First Things First

Stephen Covey wrote both of

these bestsellers, which everyone

should read regardless of whether

they lead a company or not.

Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose,

Worthwhile Work, Making a

Difference

these classics, and is the master of

looking at success by case study.These books are worth their

weight in gold.

In Search of Excellence: Lessons

rom Americas Best Run

CompaniesTom Peters is the guru of modern

management, and everyone should

read this to understand modern

Linchpin: Are You Indispensible?

A great book by Seth Godin on

what makes great people.

Getting Things Done

The book on personal productivity

by David Allen.First, Break All the Rules

Marcus Buckinghams book should

be required reading for mangers.


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What we think, or what we know, or

what we believe is, in the end, of little

consequence. The only consequence is


what we do. John Ruskin

a quick guide to dominating your industry

Documents