What was your motivation in writing this book?

I’d just sold a company and was thinking about what I wanted to do next. I knew I loved teaching, and I wanted to help business people succeed, but I wasn’t quite sure what I should help them with! Then it occurred to me that executives spend an awful lot of time planning—they try to figure out how to shape their corporate identity, how to compete, how to win customers over. But their frustration really comes in the picture when they get to the doing part: How can they get people to do things? From personnel issues to customer complaints, quality control, lack of follow-up, there are policies in place for how to deal with matters, but who teaches people how to execute those? So I spent a year developing a program based on the five attributes I mention in the book—a program that was actually tool-based, not theory-based. Suddenly I found myself running out of time; clients everywhere were asking me to come into their organization and show them how to do it. People said “You have to write a book!” “No way,” I said; “I’m no writer; I’m not interested in writing a book.” Three years later, here’s the book! As a first time author, I took a big chance by turning downa publisher from New York and putting my trust in Gold Pen Publishing—it’s part of the Greenleaf Book Group—who helped me put this book together; their expertise and help were truly invaluable!

But why haven’t people kissed theory good bye a long time ago?

There’s just too much talk about it; everyone knows they should do it, but very few ever get around to it. Think of the top three objectives in an organization; what are they, and how is the organization performing on those three? If you don’t have the answer to that, what on earth are you doing? You must be working on something or other, but what could be more important than this? I did a survey of dozens of CEOs of top corporations, asking them what their biggest challenge was. Their number one response across the board was finding and retaining top talent. They’d all had to deal with performance management problems, and they’d all hired people who weren’t right for the job. So it was obvious that they needed someone to show them how to do it; not just tell them what to do. The problem is that people are not always sure how to go about solving a problem, and are caught up in a lot of trivial, everyday tasks. They lack focus, and their remedy is to continue to work even harder: But it’s not all about hard work; it’s about smart work; knowing how to actually do this.

Your book mentions the importance of measuring the things a company values. What are the consequences of failing to do that?

The organization will get out of balance. You have to measure financials, of course, but that’s not where it ends. What about employees? Who are the very best people you could possibly have; what traits would these individuals possess? That’s what you need to measure! It will let you know how well everyone on your team is doing, and who your best people are! And don’t forget customers; the people you serve:What do you want from them—to buy things from you and mention how great you are to everyone they know? How do you get that? You need to measure how well you’re serving them.

Then why is it that so few companies even measure customer satisfaction?

It’s the ostrich syndrome. It goes back to the fact that the solution to a lot of problems is moving from talking about something to actually doing it, and doing it right. Even the companies that do try to measure customer satisfaction think it’s simple and anyone can do it—but doing it right makes a big difference; a lousy survey doesn’t cut it. Everyone talks about how important it is, but no one wants to actually invest in doing it!

So what’s the cure for companies that are too bogged-down with politics and not action-oriented enough?

First and foremost, they need to decide to change. Without that, nothing happens. And you decide to change only when you realize that the pain of change is less than the pain of the status quo. People at the top need to buy into the idea; they need unyielding commitment to implementing change. What can they do? First, bring simplicity into the picture. Present solutions that are easy to understand so people are able to execute them. Complicated is not always better; sometimes we think “this solution is so simple, it can’t possibly be right.” But sometimes solutions really are that simple. Second, an accountability-based mind set is absolutely critical. Measuring performance is important, and tying it to pay will get people’s attention!

How will your book help companies coping with change?

It’s a roadmap with the tools for how to actually implement change. But remember, nothing will change unless you’re really committed to doing it. Once you’ve decided, the principles I outlined will show you how to go about it.

It’d be so much easier if this weren’t an uphill struggle though, without having people put up roadblocks every step of the way: How can a company hire people who ascribe to these principles in the first place?

Think about the superstars; the ones who make it happen and who overcome obstacles. Do they like accountability? Of course they do. It’s the people you have to push, threaten and fight who don’t like accountability. So you try to hire people who actually like accountability. After you’ve interviewed someone many times and you’re about to make them an offer, hold off and bring them in one last time, if only just for an hour: Ask them to bring a single sheet outlining what they plan to do in the first 60 days there (or for the first 6 months if this is a CEO/CFO or equivalent top-level position). Then you know what to expect: Is the list well-thought out? Does the person have a plan? Are they telling you things you hadn’t even thought about? It’s good to hire people who are smarter than you! If they bring four sheets instead of one, maybe they don’t listen very well or can’t follow directions. Is this the kind of person you ask what time it is, and they tell you how to build a clock? It’s important to know before you hire them! And maybe they actually wrote on both sides of the single sheet, so they think outside the box. If they can prioritize and focus on what matters most, then you know you have the right match!

Any final words of wisdom you’d like to leave me with?

People can accomplish anything if they’re committed to it. All you need is to surround yourself with people who can make it happen.

-Interview by Moses Altsech, Ph.D.

Books: Kiss Theory Goodbye