Velocity and Competitive Immunity

Organizations that aspire to Competitive Immunity require more than being fast-moving. They require Velocity.

The Need for Speed:
Speed is an imperative in today’s business environment. Driven by the ever-accelerating technological advancements, product development, competition, and globalization, every organization must be fast, flexible, and forward-thinking.

“In skating over thin ice, our safety is our speed.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Organizations move slowly and methodically at their own peril. Faster decisions, actions, and results are the order of the day. Many organizations are seeking ways to accelerate in order to achieve competitive advantage. But pure speed is not enough.

“Do not confuse motion with action.” — Ernest Hemingway

An organization can be fast, but speed without direction is reckless, and is a recipe for disaster. What is required —especially for Competitive Immunity — is Velocity: speed plus direction.

Why Velocity?
Velocity is a challenge; it requires discipline, focus, and commitment. So why bother?

Putting aside the almost constant drumbeat of “Faster, faster!” that seems to come at us from all directions in our personal and professional lives, there are some compelling reasons for an organization to practice Velocity, especially if the goal is Competitive Immunity:

• Your customers demand it…
  They want what they want when they want it, and they have little tolerance for slow responses. Loyalty is fragile, and customers will switch in a heartbeat. Somewhere, someone is working to provide better service and products to your customers. And it’s not just the ones you know about; non-traditional competitors can rise up quickly to challenge your success. Unless you move quickly, you will be left playing catch-up.

“Things do not change…We change.” — Henry David Thoreau

• Your marketplace requires it…
  Problems and opportunities arise and require action; slow response to both can be fatal. Organizations must constantly and quickly adapt their offerings to meet the specific and changing needs of their marketplace. What Alvin Toffler called “demassification” is now widespread as the marketplace demands more choices in how and what you provide.
• Your clock and calendar insist on it…
  Right now is all you have. If you don’t make the most of it, you won’t get a second chance. Every day, every hour, the meters go back to zero; your most recent effort is the only one that matters. Customers and investors both take an extremely short-term view, and as a result, time is not on your side. What you formerly had a year to do must now be accomplished in 90 days. Or else.

“Many ideas are good for a limited time — not forever.” — Robert Townsend

Are you slow or fast?

“The fast will eat the slow.” — Jim Lewis

According to A.T. Kearny, a management consultancy, there are key differences between slow-moving and fast-paced organizations:

An organization’s Structures are usually the result of historical decisions, most made with good intentions and as a response to the perceived needs of the time. However, as things change, these structures can become serious roadblocks to Velocity, through complicated and/or inflexible reporting systems, incongruence with the natural flow of work, or inordinate layers of bureaucracy.

The Processes used to get work done can also impede Velocity. Over-complication and standardization can actually slow things down and steer activities in the wrong direction. Conversely, the lack of effective processes can lead to constant “reinvention of the wheel” and diffused energy toward the task at hand.

By far, the biggest roadblock to Velocity is People. How quickly people make decisions and take action determines an organization’s Velocity. The more they hesitate, procrastinate, or delay decisions and action, the slower the organization moves.

“The greatest mistake you can make in this life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” — Elbert Green Hubbard

People slow down when they aren’t clear: on where the organization is going, how they fit in, and their role in the organization’s Mission and Goals. They slow down when they focus on unhealthy competition between individuals, departments, regions, etc.. And they slow down when they experience Fear.

When people are operating out of fear — of making mistakes, of being wrong, of looking bad, of losing their jobs — they avoid making decisions and taking action. They play it safe. When that occurs, Velocity suffers.

And Competitive Immunity is impossible.

These Velocity-blocking behaviors are indicators that fear is present:

• Pointing out only what is or could be wrong with a plan, process, or change.
• Resistance to any change.
• Questioning the need for change.
• Constantly suggesting a “slowly, carefully” approach.
• Procrastination.
• Hesitancy to make decisions.

“People in distress will often prefer a problem that is familiar to a solution that is not.” — Neil Postman

These destructive behaviors lead to predictable negative results:

• Frustration on the part of those eager to move faster.
• Arguments as people lose patience with what is perceived as negative or defeatist attitudes.
• Slow (or no) progress toward necessary changes, decisions, and/or actions.
• A negative effect on morale and enthusiasm (especially among those who support the change, decision, or action) and potential performance problems among those who perceive that their objections are ignored or unwanted (in the extreme, even sabotage).

Fear doesn’t play well with others; it crowds out creativity, collaboration, decision-making, and action. The more fear that exists, the less Velocity — and Competitive Immunity — can be achieved.

How To Achieve Velocity

There are specific steps that can be taken to increase the Velocity of an organization and move toward Competitive Immunity.

Lead Velocity:
As a Leader, the solution begins with you. The organization will never have more Velocity than you do

You must be a Role Model for Velocity; the organization must view you as moving at full speed in the desired direction. You can’t espouse Velocity without practicing it; any inconsistency between your words and your actions will create fear and slow things down. The faster you are seen moving in the desired direction, the faster the organization will feel it is safe to proceed.

To lead Velocity, you must be able to:

• Manage your own fears.
• Clearly see and communicate the direction you want the organization to go.
• Make decisions quickly.
• Take action.

Once you are committed to practicing Velocity, you can enroll the organization.

Build a Case for Velocity:
Unless people know why, the what doesn’t matter. You must build a clear and compelling case for Velocity so everyone understands the reason they need to move faster and in a specific direction. This includes both the dangers of not increasing Velocity, as well as its rewards. And it must be presented as the responsibility of every individual, not the indistinct “us” or “we”.

“Incrementalism is the worst enemy of Innovation.” — Nicholas Negroponte

Establish Clear Direction:
You must decide on a direction for the organization, and then clearly describe that direction for the organization. The goal is clarity: every individual in the organization knows where the organization is going, why it is going there, and how his/her activities contribute to moving the organization in the right direction.

Consistency is important, but not at the expense of flexibility. People within an organization crave consistency in direction, but it’s the unwise leader who sticks to a direction when clear evidence is present that change is required. That said, if a direction is big and bold enough — such as toward Competitive Immunity — it can withstand a high amount of change and still retain its essence. You must know when to change…and when not to.

“The only things that evolve by themselves in an organization are disorder, friction, and malperformance.” — Peter Drucker

Over-Communicate:
Once a direction is established and clearly described, you must communicate the direction and the need for acceleration to the organization: up, down, sideways, and repeatedly.

Every conversation, every presentation, every e-mail and text message should refer to Velocity. Especially important is communicating it to all leaders in the organization, and ensuring that they in turn can communicate it to their teams.

“Most leaders under-communicate their change vision by a factor of 10.” — John Kotter

Remove the Roadblocks:

Structures —

• Consider how you would structure your organization if you were starting from scratch, in order to move in your desired direction at high speed. Determine how that structure would differ from the one that exists, and make the necessary changes.
• Question everything; ask: Is this working? Are we structured to go where we need to go as fast as we must go?
• Look for areas where the structure impedes faster decision-making and action.

“Sacred Cows make the best hamburger.” — Mark Twain

Processes —

• Examine all processes to locate slowdowns and misdirection; from the simplest (how meetings are conducted) to the most complex (how your supply chain delivers). Quality improvement tools can be utilized to ensure that your processes serve to increase Velocity.
• Document your most important processes, and continually search for efficiencies.
• Find areas where best practices can be turned into common processes, but beware of standardization for its own sake: support innovation and continuous improvement.
• Recognize that since chaos is the natural result of any change, clearly communicate the need and method of new processes.

“If you don’t like change, you’ll like irrelevancy even less.” — Gen. Eric K. Shinseki

People —

• Drive out fear by making it safe to make mistakes — as long as we learn from them.
• Make sure everyone is crystal-clear on the desired direction and can make their decisions to increase Velocity.
• Be on the lookout for unhealthy competition between teams and individuals, and take steps to replace it with integration of the whole.
• Reward risk-taking, learning from mistakes, and continuous improvement.

Pay attention to Energetics; the unseen forces in the organization that can impede or facilitate Velocity.

“It’s the job of a Leader not to light the fire of motivation, but to create an environment to let each person’s personal spark of motivation blaze.” — Frederick Herzberg

A Final Word…

Velocity is no longer an option for most organizations, especially if the goal is Competitive Immunity. The only uncertainty is how effective the effort to increase Velocity will be led. If you want to lead Velocity, you must:

1. Personally act with the Velocity you want the organization to achieve.
2. Reward Velocity wherever it is demonstrated.
3. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

Achieving Competitive Immunity through Velocity requires significant focus and effort. But the payoff is the ability to more rapidly respond to customer needs and marketplace changes.

“Show me a great company and I’ll show you one that has radically changed itself and is looking forward to the opportunity of doing so again.” — Lawrence A. Bossidy

Ready to move toward Competitive Immunity? Contact successauthorities to start your journey.