April Awakens Master’ful’ Numbers – 40, 50, and 75

 The sky is blue, the fresh breezes deliver the aromas that stir the senses, and our eyes open wide in amazement at the beauty, the majesty, the aura of the arena. Yes, April has arrived and brings with it the optimism and enthusiasm for spring. Today we enter the ‘gates of heaven’ – well, if you love golf.



Hole #10 Augusta National Golf Club



Yes, it is Masters Week for the world of Golf and the world of sports. All eyes of the sports world focus on Augusta National Golf Club as the 75^th Masters Golf contest is played out. There will be millions of words written this week to convey and create the storylines – the evolution of the golf course, the traditions, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, the #1 ranking, the young stars, the international talent, Mickelson, Couples, and more.



Ben Creshaw - Circa late '70's



For some of us it is personal. A direct connection to the participants – no matter the conditions – invokes a sort of reverence that is difficult to understand or describe. Many have that personal connection and have stories to tell. I will be watching my friend, Ben Crenshaw compete in his 40^th Masters. And, Carl Jackson – Ben’s Hall of Fame Caddie – will be ‘on the bag’ for his 50^th Masters. Let that sink in and say it out loud to try and comprehend the magnitude. Ben participating in his 40^th Masters at the age of 59. Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, or Rickie Fowler will still need to be qualified in or about 2050 to accomplish the same. Incredible!



Hole #12 - Augusta National Golf Club



This week I have again walked the heavenly fairways of Augusta National to enjoy the magnificence of this garden arena. The azaleas, dogwoods, and magnolias are all in bloom thanks to the rains that have watered this sanctuary for the prior weeks. The magnitude of the hills and slopes become real again as I have to work harder to climb the course which is felt in my legs and my breathing. The curves and undulations of the fairways and the greens remind me of a quote from Bagger Vance, “Golf course puts folk through quite a punishment!”



Being there in person provides witness to experiences not shown by television. In 2009, my brother Mike and I watched in amazement as Miguel Angel Jimenez showed his incredible skill to save par at the Par 3 Sixth hole. The sixth hole is the one you sometimes see where the players tee off from about 189 yards away at the top of a hill, flying over a valley filled with patrons, to a green that has three distinct levels.



That Sunday the pin was set at the lower, left front level which is guarded by a sand bunker only a dozen feet away. Jimenez hit what was clearly a mistake that landed on the tallest platform of the green at the top right. His ball was actually sitting on the tightly cut fringe just inches off the putting surface. We all assumed he was looking at a three-putt bogey or worse. After substantial study Jimenez pulls a 60-degree wedge from his bag and stands ready over his ball. He tosses aside his ever-present cigar and almost surgically slices his wedge under the ball sending it flying to that lower level. He had put just enough spin on the ball to keep it barely on the green and then miraculously sinks about a 12 foot putt for par. These guys ARE GOOD!



It is such a vignette that draws me to this game. These competitors are the ultimate “independent contractor.” Again pulling from the movie Bagger Vance the young fore-caddie Hardy says, “It’s the greatest game there is. It’s fun, it’s hard. You stand out there on this green, green grass and it’s just you and the ball…And there ain’t nobody to beat up on but yourself. It’s the only game I know of you can call a penalty on yourself – if your honest – which most people are. There just aint’ no game like it.



Harvey Penick



So, like millions of others I will enjoy The 75^th Masters as it again awakens the spring in us all. We will enjoy the stories of disappointments and champions from the past as new memories are made. But, forever etched in my heart is the memory of Ben Crenshaw’s incomparable victory in 1995 only days after laying to rest the great Harvey Penick – his teacher (and mine) – who died the prior Sunday. My Dad had died the prior Tuesday before Mr. Penick and in his final breaths he told me, “Ben is going to Win! God told me so.”

Manage By the A, B, C’s

I often speak of and talk about management styles in the realm of A’s, B’s, and C’s. There is the bell curve of performance that is categorized as the A’s, B’s, and C’s. But let’s discuss for a moment the methodology of managing managers with the A’s, B’s, and C’s.

In the bell curve of human performance there are the C’s – the bottom 10%, B’s - the middle 80%, and the A’s – the top 10%. I believe in elevating to the management roles those that understand this bell curve and generally are either at the top of the B’s or might be A’s. You might wonder why A’s are not automatically elevated to managers. Have you ever heard of the “Peter Principal”?

So how do you manage manager with the A’s, B’s, and C’s? It’s actually quite easy and simplifies the delegation process immensely. You see, the requirement is to clearly define what are A decisions, vs. B decisions, vs. C decisions.

Those decisions are founded in the principals of supply chain management. A’s, B’s and C’s in supply chain management are directly correlative to the importance of the part to the supply chain. So are the A’s, B’s, and C’s of management. You might liken it to Pareto’s Law (the 80/20 rules).

The C item – thus a C decision – is one that is low priority for me. For my managers I recommend that a C item is one where they can make the decision and I do not even need to know what they did or how they handled it. Just take care of it. This is in the area of your responsibility and you manage the resources for this item. It does not reach my radar screen relative to the 20% of the items that I am constantly concerned with that may impact the future of the enterprise.

The B item – thus a B decision – is one that is a medium-to-high level of priority. In these B decisions situations, I ask my management team to assume the responsibility for the issue, to make the decision on actions, to own the result, but to inform me regarding the issue and their decision. It is in these situations that I may inquire as to the circumstances, the peripheral issues, and how they came to their conclusive decision. I also want to know how the decision was handled and communicated. These are excellent coaching situations. I might have determined to “go a different direction” but it is here that I must support their decision while offering my perspective.

Ah, the A item. This A decision DOES NOT mean that I and only I make the decision. This is again a teaching and counseling opportunity. The A item is one where I expect this senior manager to know the situation, the people involved, the strategic impact, the operational impact, and to make a recommendation of the action/decision to make. That the manager still is responsible for participating in the decision is crucial to building strong and credible leadership of an organization.

The A, B, C’s of management decision-making is crucial to building a strong, accountable, leadership team. It is a balance for the CEO to “let go” so as to focus on the more strategic and longer range requirements of the organization. It is also essential to building the future leadership of the enterprise. It may remind you of my philosophy of why A’s hire A’s, and B’s hire C’s.

The Bell Curve - Is it America’s Problem?



Green Bay Packers - 2011 NFL Champions



Have we created a generation – or two – of employees, workers, citizens that are complacent and willing to live in the middle-ground of performance? Many of my generation complain about the younger generation’s “attitude of entitlement.” But, before we are hasty with that assessment – accurate as it may be – we should be wary of our own generations “entitlement”. I know many of my peers that a) do not vote, b) sit on Boards yet never voice an opinion, c) take a paycheck but do not give total effort, d) are awaiting someone else to take care of them in later years, or e) complain about our military efforts that protect our every freedom.

Maybe you have read my comments regarding “The Bell-Curve of Employee Performance”. If so, you know that I believe that organizations that wish to be the competitive leaders must determine how to “shift their Bell-Curve”.  So, how does that enterprise philosophy apply to America’s status as a world power, as the economic leader?... as the most innovative society?

America was founded by innovators and leaders that were not ‘comfortable’ with the status quo. They believed that we could build a country that allowed individuals, families, and enterprises to excel beyond the constraints of the norm. And they believed that “taxation without representation” stifled creativity, prosperity, and excellence.

Successful enterprises know that allowing creativity and innovation is tantamount to economic success. They also know that creating cultures that encourage performance beyond the norm causes differentiation from competition. So, why is it that we seem to try so hard to make everyone in America fit into the middle of the Bell Curve?

We tax more those who are more successful. We legislate against competitive innovation. It’s as if America does not want any Americans to exist in the upper 10% of the Bell Curve. We seem to shift our focus to lifting those who won’t even give effort. It’s as if we would feel better about ourselves if we bring everyone into the lower-middle of the Bell Curve.

Now, don’t get me wrong! I embrace helping those who are disadvantaged. I believe it is our Christian responsibility to love and nourish those who are less fortunate. But, I don’t believe that was meant to force the top performers into constraints of AVERAGE!

Champions build environments that allow leaders to lead, creators to create, innovators to innovate… Such cultures create a sense of challenge for all others. When everyone is challenged the organization grows to a new level of accomplishment.

The Green Bay Packers are the NFL’s newest champion for 2011. They have some amazing talents on that team including outstanding leaders such as Charles Woodson and Aaron Rodgers. But, they have had about 16 players that have fallen to injury during the season. Others have taken their place on the active team and have contributed. I suggest that a championship would not have happened without an environment that encouraged individuals to excel – that provided a platform for a player to ‘raise his game’ in order to contribute to the overall team. What DOES NOT exist on The Green Bay Packers is the organizational attitude that you can take a place on our team and ‘We will provide for you.’

America needs to become a “Championship Team” again. We need to invigorate the innovation and leadership that made us a great country. We need leaders that understand to motivate individuals to accomplish great things as individuals, as companies, as organizations. Those attitudes will yield a country that will again “shift the Bell Curve” to a higher level of performance against the competition.

And, don’t for a minute fall into the trap that this is not a competition. We have allies around the world that generally agree with our principals. But, there are numerous countries and groups that want us to continue into our deep trench of creating an average country built with average citizens.

C’mon America! Let’s again move the Bell Curve!

Bill Walsh & the Bell Curve - Does the Culture of High Performance Shift the Median?

Have you found the magic potion for moving your organization – your enterprise – to the leadership role in your market, your industry, your sector? You may be focusing on finding the most innovative technology, the hottest new product, the greatest cost advantage, or other structural components of your business that can offer differentiation from your competition. But, have you ever looked at the “Bell Curve?” It is the understanding of the Bell Curve and how to “move it” that may hold the secrets to differentiation for your business – for your organization.

Okay, so the Bell Curve is as common as Pareto’s Law. What? You don’t know that one? We know that the traditional Bell Curve shows a lower 10%, an upper 10%, and the middle 80% with the mid-point splitting that 80% grouping. This Bell Curve can be applied to most anything. I am currently suggesting it as an application for human performance – and thus, employee performance within an organization.

So, how do you work the Bell Curve of your organizational performance to become the differentiator against your competition?

I love referring back to an interview that I heard years ago with NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh. Bill Walsh was the Head Coach and General Manager of the San Francisco 49ers during a period when they were the most successful organization in their business – The NFL. Bill Walsh managed The 49ers to three Super Bowl Championships in the ‘90’s. He coached numerous Hall of Fame players. And, he was generally known as the innovator of the “West Coast Offense” which revolutionized the NFL.

A reporter/interviewer asked Coach Walsh a question but included an assumption. He asked (assumed), “I assume that you spend most of your efforts coaching those better than average performers in your efforts to create more Hall-Of-Famers? Thus, the more Hall-Of-Famers you have, the better chance you have of winning the World Championship?”

Coach Walsh was a teacher with his response. He offered that Hall-of-Famers “don’t need much coaching. Those are the top 10% of the Bell Curve. They have the driving desire to be the best at their profession regardless of what my influence is. My job for them is to stay out of their way and give them the platform to excel.”

Then came the extra measure of wisdom from Coach Walsh; “The difference between winning and losing is the bottom 25%. Most coaches can deliver the top 75%. But the last 25% only blossoms in the details, in the orchestration of skills, in the way you prepare.”

I have always thought of that response as incredible wisdom and insight. But, what happens in the result? I agree that the organization – the enterprise – is stronger and has a competitive advantage. But, is the Bell Curve still intact? I believe that Coach Walsh was focused on lifting that lower tier of his team’s ‘bell curve’ into the middle.

This shift of performance within the organization changes the shape of your Bell Curve. But, I believe that what it does is that it moves your organization’s center point – thus, creating an organization that has “Moved It’s Bell Curve!” When your company – your enterprise – can effectively “Move It’s Bell Curve” it has created a cultural differentiation that might be stronger competitively than most other innovators.



Bill Walsh - Head Coach of The San Francisco 49er's