[13] Items of interest to Lantech overall or information which helps PRL to grasp the big picture more fully: [fill in]
[14] Potential areas where I'm gaining awareness of inability to meet strategic goals: [fill in]
[15] Self-inventory on expectations this week (place an * next to areas where you would like some dialogue on the topic): [fill in]
* * *
1A. "It doesn't matter to me whether group leaders handwrite this or do it on the computer. It's short and shouldn't take more than five minutes to fill out."
* * *
1B. "I ask for it weekly -- as fast as our organization is moving, we can get out of sync in only a week. I want it on Thursday because I meet with these six leaders every Monday. I want to be aware of any issues before then so I know what to keep my ears open for."
* * *
2A. "When personal energy is heading south, there's a good chance a leader isn't feeling good about his job, so this is a critical issue. I've tried to make my query uncharged and nonjudgmental. I'm asking about the leader's fuel gauge. It's rare that anyone checks low. Answers usually range from medium to high. Also, as I review the reports, I know to keep each individual in mind. Some people smile all the harder when things are tough."
* * *
2B. "This fleshes it out -- tells me what's sapping people's energy. Here, if I see someone is tired, he might be overcommitted, and it might help if the two of us review his schedule."
* * *
3. "I match this answer against the personal-energy response. In this example, the manager's energy is high, but his group's is low. I can see that his people don't share his optimism. I'll keep a very close eye on this situation to see how they work together. Also, if group energy is low, it might indicate that the manager's energy is low despite his claims."
* * *
4. "The answers here point to the future. Usually, I see a longer view -- more upbeat. Frankly, if there weren't a more optimistic spin here, I'd really get worried."
* * *
5. "When we first started using these reports, you'd see finger pointing among departments with no hope of resolution. If I see someone laying blame or hear a one-sided story, I step in. But if I see people working together to resolve the problem, I stay out of it."
* *
6. "Some people have a hard time asking for help, and they invariably leave this blank. You have to have some knowledge of each individual, and if there's no direct request for help here, I can check other sections of the report for indirect appeals...say, for example, number 14."
* * *
7. "Here's where I want the managers to tell me what their customers are doing and what's new with them. I want to know that managers are spending time with the customers; otherwise, I start to worry that we're too internally focused."
* * *
8. "This is what I call an alignment question. The leader attaches charts showing how his profit center is doing against such predetermined measures as on-time delivery, reduced start-up defects, and shortened lead time. These standards are set yearly and are similar from profit center to profit center."
9. "Was anybody fired, given an award? I'm looking here for signs of leadership ability."
* * *
10. "My managers use this as an opportunity to ask me for help with compensation questions as well as personnel-management problems. I try to respond to these quandaries within a day or two."
* * *
11. "This item offers one of the most useful opportunities for those who use it. It's another nonpejorative way to get people to tell me things they might not otherwise mention. Lots of times the responses here underscore comments made elsewhere in the report. I'm a better coach when I know what's on someone's mind."
* * *
12. "If something I've said has caused any confusion, here's where I find out about it. This manager heard me say two conflicting things and wants to know the score. Also, this query sends the message that I am a CEO who is willing to be told that things aren't always perfect, or even great."
13. "Each one of these six leaders knows a lot, and I want them to pull away from their day-to-day duties to think for a moment about what's going on in the world around us that I might have missed."
* * *
14. "I want to know as soon as there's any indication a deadline might be missed. Here's a tip-off that perhaps explains why there's anxiety in this report or in other reports. If one guy is not meeting deadlines, I often see the ripple effect in other reports."
* * *
15. "Each leader has a set of personal objectives against which he is measured in his quarterly review. But rather than having the leaders glance at these measures only once a quarter, I want them to look at them weekly. The idea is to keep them intimately aware of the expectations so they're not surprised at review time. It saves me from rude awakenings, too."
