Since our first days of training and learning with the Miick team, our company has grown and changed in ways we could not have imagined. Becoming explicit about our “How” – our Purpose, our Values, and our daily communication systems has been, in short – an amazing six-plus year journey! Together we’ve been through up’s and down’s as, over the years, we have uncovered the company we have always intended to be – and then did the work to live up to that ideal. With Miick Systems in place to support our “How” we run our business and communicate with each other – we are better positioned than ever before to level up and grow; as individuals and as a team!
Our six Miick Systems Success Keys are:
- Explicitly defined Purpose. For years, we knew that we were a great team, a close and special community. We knew we did amazing work and that people loved being a part of our organization. But had we ever taken the time to truly and thoughtfully define – down to the last word, comma and semi-colon – what exactly our Purpose was? And who would do that defining? The owners? The managers? Would every single voice be heard and every single vote unanimous? Defining our Purpose in writing as a collective team over the course of days – not hours – was the bedrock step that has laid the foundation for our work and our success.
- Explicitly defined Values. Everything that holds true for our Purpose holds equally true for our Values. Sure, we all agreed that things like “Respect”, “Integrity” and “Honesty” were important to us. But how to lay out each and every value in an actionable sentence that anyone in the organization could use as a tangible tool in daily interactions? Whew! It’s tiring just to type that, let alone do the work of defining it!
- Waking up to communication and excellence as a Science – not just an Art. This was huge. As we discuss in the trailer in our Turquoise podcast – most of us believe that “people skills”, “charisma”, “common sense”, and “work ethic” to name a few – are just things that some have and others don’t. What we are really saying when we make this statement is that We – leaders, managers, trainers, bosses- don’t (yet) have the skills to see, understand and train the science pieces behind these resultant behaviors that we wish all our team members just had. Most of are not even awake to the fact that there is a science behind any of these traits – so how on earth are we supposed to train our staff on them?! Among our foundational work as leaders is to truly wake up to the tangible, repeatable steps behind and underneath each “certain something” trait we wish our staff to have.
- Purpose and Values as tools and behaviors, shared and used by every member of the team, every shift, every day. We’ll have a lot more to say about this piece as we move forward with our podcast series. For now, just know that the vast majority of teams and individuals have Values and Purposes that they believe in, are guided by, support wholeheartedly and adhere to; but to use them in real time during shifts, to use them as we make decisions from the minute to the massive at all levels of an organization? To do this day after day, month after month, interaction after interaction? This, as Rudy Miick would say, is “the rarest of air”.
- Commitment to Walk our Talk. It is easy to sign up for a seminar. Many of us can sit through training, take notes, and absorb information. Maybe institute a few key tips that we pick up along the way. It is another thing entirely to go back to work on Monday and start BE-ing the changes and ideas we just learned about. Do the work. Every day. Period. This piece, along with key number 6 below, is probably above all others, the pivotal keystone that has distinguished our team and our success.
- Buy-In from Leaders. The training and systems are something that we ALL commit to doing. They are not something that we “get our staff trained on” or implement at a conceptual or policy level in our business. Whatever we as leaders do at a level 10 – our team will most likely execute at an 8 or a 7. So what would happen if we, as leaders, commit to executing the tools at a 6 or 7? Probably an overall staff performance of about a level 4 or 5. Not the Return on Investment that we are looking for, and certainly not the impact that will drive our company’s growth! Consistent, persistent use of Miick tools and systems on a daily basis by leadership throughout all levels of work in our business is another huge key to our success. As mentioned above, this key is absolutely fundamental to our success with Miick Systems.
So here, with these six success keys in place and in play – is where and when the magic happens! Our team and our company began to grow and change and exceed what we believed to be possible. We continue to do so to this day. We are still on the journey – which for us, in many ways, is the destination.
We’ll explore more aspects of Miick Systems, and how they work – at work – for our team and others across the country in the months to come! Subscribe to the Turquoise podcast to be in on the conversations!