A while ago I got to know a close relative of the CEO of Waffle House and also interacted with one of their store managers. Of course, I was familiar with their restaurants, but through these discussions really came to appreciate the company and became fascinated with its culture. An example of a noteworthy aspect of this culture is the perspective on “constraints,” especially as it applies to its employees.

Many employees come to Waffle House from difficult backgrounds – constrained resources, challenging relational circumstances, transitional phases of career, limited access to transportation, etc. Rather than trying to change these realities, or resenting them, the company has accepted and even embraced these constraints. This comes to life in fascinating ways – examples…managers prepared to “jump-in” in case of absences, teaching classes on how to “create a budget on a Waffle House income,” providing transportation for employees in need (…example: bikes for those who live close by and may not have a driver’s license, pick up of employees during inclement weather, etc.).

Unfortunately, in my practice of coaching leaders I often find a lopsided amount of management-energy spent doing exactly the opposite – instead of embracing constraints…trying to avoid or fight them. While “constraint-busting” definitely has its place as a management-responsibility, what would it look like to identify those we can’t change…and not only accept them, but decide to use them to our advantage?

Here are a few principles I’d propose:

1. Identify them – what are things you perceive as “limitations”?… perhaps chafe under? … “genetically” hard-wired in your reality? – location, job, finances, customers, employees…
2. Mentally embrace them – instead of fighting them…”welcome them.” This change of mindset from “rejection” to “acceptance” is a necessary and vital turning point. It changes your perspective from negativity & “resentment” to positivity and an open mind. Could you imagine thinking of constraints as a “pleasure”?
3. Get creative – how might you turn these constraints to your advantage…not despite them…but because of them? Chances are that many of your peers or competitors face similar challenges but have written them off, so an opportunity for competitive-advantage may be in plain view, though invisible to others. Remember…”necessity is the mother of invention!”

As you turn the page on 2019, take a step back and look at the constraints you consider “fixed.” Rather than resent or ignore them, why don’t you begin the process of thinking about how they can go from a “threat to fear” to a “reason to thrive” in the new year?

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One of the challenges I find facing rapidly scaling teams & organizations is the speed at which they outgrow their current approach, and the subsequent need to constantly overhaul their strategy and processes to fit the next stage of growth –  ex more volume, new offers, changing customer expectations, new locations, clearer policies, higher level of accountability, new metrics & targets, new organizational roles and structure, etc…

How do you overcome this challenge? How do you come up with the right model for an “unknown journey ahead?…not to mention doing it fast enough to keep pace with an ever-changing business environment & needs. It certainly seems daunting and the risk of paralysis is high – either because leaders don’t know what to do (continuing the status quo), or get lost in a painstaking quest to create the “perfectly tailored solution” because they think “their situation is so unique” (trust me, it’s not!).

One of my professors at Stanford University, Dr. Huggy Roa, coauthored a book (“Scaling Up Excellence”) with Dr. Robert Sutton in which they share their learnings from studying and working with high-growth companies. In reference to the question above, they give the following valuable advice:

Finding the right blend of “standard” and “custom” when you are scaling up an organization often requires a messy, time-consuming, and costly process of trial and error. But some strategies speed such learning. If you aren’t sure, a good general rule is to start with a complete model or template that works elsewhere and watch for signs that certain aspects of the model aren’t working and need to be rebuilt, replaced, or removed. We recommend resisting the temptation to roll out an unproven mishmash of best practices if you can avoid it.

I love this guidance and think it’s extremely powerful. Why? First, using “someone else’s model” gives teams a place to start with a certain level of confidence, based on real-life references and examples. Second, it allows for intentional adaptation “as you go,” based on your own learnings and unique needs of your business model. Third, and most importantly, it’s a shortcut to action, creating momentum to keep the organization moving forward.

So where are you stuck? Who else is doing something similar? What’s a possible “starter model” you can begin to adapt and move forward?

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In my work coaching leaders and facilitating executive-teams I hear the following phrases a lot (especially in large organizations!): “let’s align on the objective, let’s set clear goals, let’s conduct a strategy session to clarify direction, etc…”

While I’m a strong advocate of aligning on direction (and often facilitate these discussions), I’m increasingly convinced that many leadership-teams overdo it and the “marginal return” on yet another “vision-exercise” is minimal, if not negative. Why?…and what should you do instead?

Let me introduce “the headlight principle.” It’s based on the metaphor of a car at night, which is only able to see into the distance by moving forward, and letting its headlights progressively illuminate the next stretch of road (conversely you’ll never see what lies ahead if you stay in the parking lot).

Restating the principle – “you will learn more about the right direction for the future by taking action, then talking & deliberating more about it” (…or…another offsite, more PowerPoint slides, or another sketch on the wipeboard – you get the point…).

While I believe the imagery makes the point, let’s drive it home by decomposing the key variables that make this principle true:

1. Your car = your performance: – are we getting tired? can our car really make it up the mountain pass? As you move into the future and expose yourself to different opportunities and challenges you’ll learn an immense amount about yourself and your true capabilities (…skill, energy, resources, team…)

2. The road = the environment & process to make it happen: – lots of potholes? damaging our car? no gas stations? a shortcut? weather? While you might be enamored with the final destination, the journey to get there will teach you valuable lessons about how feasible it really is and if you’re up for the challenge (ex investment needed, traffic jam/competition, economy, speed limits/regulations & standards…)

3. The destination= vision: – what about that beautiful waterfall we just discovered? what about the tip we got from the lady at the last rest-stop? The original destination was what we initially had in mind, but we’re constantly learning more about other alternative destinations as we get closer to them and get new information. There’s no virtue in blindly committing to the “original goal” if our learnings suggest we should redirect.

To make it simple, the key factors that drive the “headlight principle” are taking continued action, and dynamically learning to inform the next step. So if you’re parked in the parking lot, worried about whether the destination is the right one or not, turn on your headlights and start moving. You’ll find out.

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