By Mitch Simon
San Diego Daily Transcript
September 17, 2004

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

I am sitting in the boardroom of another "strategic" product planning meeting. The table is 30 feet of rich, imported and freshly polished mahogany. It carries the indentations of "tappers" before me. My tapping interrupts the speaker.

Unfortunately, the speaker hasn't interrupted anyone's concentration.

We are all concentrating on when the meeting will be over. On the goals that were not met since the last meeting. Our own agendas. What's for lunch. We are all concentrating on what we want to say. We are all concentrating. We are not saying anything.

If we have the best people in the world, the best brand in the world, the best strategy in the world, why are we so desperately bored? Why are we not challenging the speaker to challenge what we think of her? Why are we are not asking each other why we continually don't ! follow through on our actions? Why are we choosing to be bored, when we could be provoking each other to fulfill on our commitments?

We are not asking, because we don't know what questions to ask.
That evening, I sit in a theater. The play is "A Christmas Carol." I have seen this play 12 times before. I am on the edge of my chair. I am impressed by the actors' commitment to my being touched by the message of hope, family and holiday. I am mesmerized at how someone I have never met before provokes me to think, contemplate and challenge myself. I rise out of my seat and applaud like I have never before.

I kiss my wife. I hug my four boys. I inspire others at work to purchase tickets.

What was profoundly different about the board meeting and the standing ovation performance?

The standing ovation is the outcome of actors committed! to make a difference in the lives of their audience. Each character h olds him or herself accountable to connect to each audience member, and challenge the audience to think about how they are living their lives. Each actor knows that if one person in the audience leaves untouched, uninspired or unaffected, the actor has failed. The actors take the stand that to be truly alive, you must continually evaluate your life.

What does this have to do with business? I know that you have presented around that mahogany table before. I know that you have been successful many times. I know that what you want is to move people to the point of standing ovation. It is through standing ovation that you achieve extraordinary results.

What would be possible if you took the stand that everyone on your team be promoted as a result of working with you? What would be possible if you took the stand that every person on your team is responsible for each other? What would it mean if you took the stand that ev! ery junior person in your company develops the skills to be your future leadership team?

Taking a stand is a provocation to excellence. It's risky. It requires that you communicate your commitment to making a difference in your project, your team and your community. It's the demand that someone challenge your actions when you choose complacency over commitment.

Most leaders and managers believe that the keys to success lie in strategy and execution. Unfortunately, these managers many times come up short on results. The secret to results is the practice of being a "stand" for people's promises, deliverables and desires. The secret to results is in building the competencies in people to commit to the unimagined, and have someone hold them accountable to deliver.

Professional and organizational success derives not from the perfect strategy and the perfect mix of players around the table. ! Success derives from people provoking others to name their stand and t o collectively hold people accountable to align their actions with that stand.

When your meetings and performance reviews become the conversation of whether you are living your stand, you will achieve extraordinary results for your company. There will be no one tapping on the mahogany. Take it from someone who has been to the theater at least 13 times. It is hard to tap, when you are giving someone a standing ovation.

Mitch Simon: (858) 449-9463;
msimon@simonalliance.com