Create Better Ideas

And the Winner Is...

In April, Phillips Corporation held its International Sales & Service Meeting 2012!
The theme for the meeting was: 2022 – MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

During this meeting, teams competed to re-invent the Sales and Service relationship in order to provide Legendary Customer Value. In order to include everyone’s contribution to MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! , we opened up this competition to all Phillips Partners NOT participating at the ISSM in the Team Project.

The requirements to enter the contest were:

1. Inspirational quote relative to Legendary Customer Value
2. Tell a short story of a Phillips Partner providing Legendary Customer Value to you,
    another partner or a customer
3. In 300 words or less (yes we will use word count!) provide your suggestion relative to
    Legendary Customer Value and reinventing Phillips Corporation’s Sales/Service   
    relationship.

And the winners are:

1st Place – Prasad Auti - Mumbai

2nd Place – Helene Kershaw - Corporate

3rd Place – Alyssa Rosen - Lance

4th Place – Kerstin Walz - Federal

Congrats to the winning teams at ISSM as well as our blog contest winners! Over the next few weeks the ISSM committee and the Senior Team will be meeting to review all entires to pull out the best ideas and incorporate them into our fiscal year 2013 business plans.

Thank you to all of those who contributed!

Rebecca Tapp - Brand Ambassador

Excerpt taken from Rebecca Tapp's Brand Ambassador Form:

Rebecca has grown greatly in her own confidence and is reflected in her high performance in Billing for ALL Parts & Service for Jeffreys.  Rebecca has well over a 10,000 customer base for Jeffreys. Needless to say Rebecca has mastered the art of multi-tasking very well. She does a weekly review of the Back Order Detail Report to insure no missed orders for parts and service. She has also increased efficiency to catch orders before they get too old, and to insure customers are invoiced in a timely manner.

 

 

The Rocky Road to Virtuosity (And Why It's So Much Fun!)

We talk a lot about “virtuosity” at Phillips Corporation, and a metaphor that often comes to mind is of great musicians and how they devote themselves to a lifetime of reaching for impossible perfection.

A friend of mine sent me this brief, eight-minute video clip from a class taught by the great American cellist János Starker, and I have been watching it over and over again for the many lessons it holds and for the pleasure of seeing Starker play his large instrument as if it were a Hungarian fiddle.

Here is the link:

What I have seen so far:
1. The extreme joy in the young virtuoso’s face when she tries what the teacher has shown her and it works. She gets it! When Starker first makes a comment about how she can improve, she respectfully counters with what she is already doing that makes it so good. The teacher patiently puts her hand in position, she tries it, and she instantly experiences the joy of moving her playing to the next level. Celebration! Champagne!

2. Starker’s comment that “each level has its beginning”, and that we need to celebrate when we master one level and be aware when we enter the next one that “basically, everything is wrong”.

3. Starker’s idea that for there to be no limit or endpoint along the path to virtuosity, we must know the basics. It’s easy to build early success on hard work, talent, and luck. What will limit us is not knowing why things work the way that they do. While we are reaching for the sky, we must be clear on the basic underpinnings of what we do, and continue to work to perfect what the choreographer Merce Cunningham called the “dailiness” of our work.

4. Another thing that I watch and rewatch this video for is the fun of seeing János Starker play. If you have ever tried to get a clear sound out of a stringed instrument, or if you have ever been a little kid carrying an instrument as big as you are to school every morning, you have some idea of the physical strength and precision that he is bringing to making sounds as light as air and as fast as light.

Give the clip a listen. I would love to hear what you have picked up that I have missed, and to read your better ideas about my comments.

TypePad Conversations » Answer this question!

Projects and Process and Systems, Oh My!

It’s scary out there. I have been to conferences, read articles, and seen on-line discussion groups that have spent a lot of time chewing on such things as “What is the difference between a process and a project?”, “When is a project a process?”, “If you are process oriented, can you be a systems thinker?”, etc.

 Can’t we all just get along? Project management, process improvement and documentation, and systems thinking all have their places; and none of them – in actual practice – are mutually exclusive. Remember that our definition of “correct” is “what works”.

 Project management is a way of organizing the calendar and budget that guide a project and communicating that to project participants and stakeholders in such a way that stuff gets done. When we document process – no matter the form – we are writing a recipe for how to do something over and over again and get the same quality result. When we think of either projects or processes as systems, we are acknowledging that they are complicated and that they are non-linear: Sometimes when we follow the steps, different stuff happens and we need to adjust. Process improvement and systems thinking both lead us to look at root cause when we don’t get what we want. Process improvement tends to look at the sequence in the recipe to see how it can be fixed; systems thinking challenges us to look for causes based upon the relationships among the parts and players that are affecting the process.*

At Phillips Corporation, we also talk about “well crafted plans”. A well crafted plan supports an audacious objective. It is in place before we begin, anticipating obstacles to success (like a project plan), should be recorded and reported as we go along (like a process document), and takes into account the big picture: people, culture, environment, and potential drivers and constraints (systems thinking). Some of these ideas have some contradictions to one another, but having all of them in our toolbox helps us to be flexible.

And now reality:

We set our objective, sign up the stakeholders, and craft a plan. Then the unanticipated happens, we’re thrown off track, and our lovely well crafted plan needs re-crafting. Open your toolbox and examine: Was a step missed? Should the step have happened in a different order? Were the proper tools or skills not in place? (process), Was the plan not communicated? Were all not on board? Did something scheduled or agreed to fall through the cracks without being noticed or communicated? Did we guess wrong on scope, cost, or time needed? (project) Does everyone understand their roles? Is communication happening the way it should? Is the team or organization inadvertently working against success? Are we pushing against the culture? (systems)

There are, of course, many more questions that can be asked, and we all have our favorites. Try this: if your orientation is stronger in one of the three – project, process, or systems – learn about the others or invite someone with a different orientation to join your team.

When something interferes with the execution of your plan – and something will – the more kinds of questions you can ask, the better your correction will be.

 

*(This paragraph is intentionally oversimplified. Please comment if you have questions, additions, or arguments.)

 

 

Partnering to Create Better Ideas

Attached is a link to an article about RFAST-C.  This facility (Rapid Field Assistance in Science and Technology Center) is located in theatre at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, and is used to solve warfighter’s technical problems more quickly and efficiently.

 

RFAST was conceived through collaboration of a group of RDECOM facilities, including Detroit Arsenal, Tobyhanna, Picatinny, and Aberdeen Proving Grounds.  Key personnel at each facility helped to define the type of equipment needed to populate this shop.  It was important for the team to get the right equipment to the facility, as many of them will be manning the facility on 6 month rotations.

 Terry Stewart and I worked alongside our product managers (Tim McClanahan, Jason Blair, and Bryan Pax) to ensure that our customers (who were located at multiple facilities) understood the value in partnering with Phillips Federal.  The facility is equipped with a Haas VF-7 Vertical Mill, Haas TL-3 Lathe, an Omax waterjet, an LVD Brake and Shear, an NVISION laser scanning arm, and 2 HEM saws.

While many have played key roles in the success of this project, special thanks are in order for John Phillips, who took the lead in coordinating the shipments.  John has run point on all post sale inquiries, and has responded to hundreds of emails over the course of the project.  Projects like this show the true power of the Federal Division in managing complexity.

 

 RDECOM Article

There is also a video of the Nvision running on Youtube if you search RFAST-C.

 

http://youtu.be/-I7SeWsfpwY

 

Federal Division looks forward to more partnerships with the D.O.D. to support our fighting forces, in country and in theartre.

 

 

 

Your Impact on a Family

Many thanks to all those that have participated in our initiative to help expand our program and serve more families facing cancer.  Congratulations to Guy Romano for winning the contest!   With your generosity, we hope to reach out to four families in the next four months from various regions in the country. 

Sadly, our first Baltimore family has faced a tremendous loss. 

Sarah and her husband Eric are from Elkton, MD and Sarah was treating at a Johns Hopkins facility for melanoma.  She was nominated to our program by her nurse, Joann, in June.  With the help of our program coordinators, we planned a respite vacation to the FPS home near Orlando, Florida this month.  Sadly, Sarah passed away unexpectedly from this disease.  She was thirty one years old and leaves behind her beloved husband and two small children, ages two and eight.  Please keep her in your prayers.  As with all families in our program, we have provided Eric with some grief books to help in the healing process for himself and his children.  

Although we were not able to provide this family with a respite, we know that the generosity they felt through the planning process has offered some peace and comfort. We will continue to reach out to Eric to ensure him that our caring and compassionate community sends positive thoughts his family’s way.

We have established some tremendous relationships with oncology professionals through our relationship with the Oncology Nurses Society in those locations that house the Phillips Corporation.  This month, we did a phone training with the ONS President in Greensboro, NC and in October, we are presenting to the ONS chapter of nurses in Baltimore.  We will continue to reach out to ONS members near Oakdale, CA.  Further, we are registering as a nonprofit charity in Canada so all donations are tax deductible from this country.

We thank you for your support of our mission.  Let us keep Sarah’s words in our mind about the importance of respite as we continue our collaborative:

Providing this respite to us would allow our family to spend some quality time together without the burdens and distractions of everyday life.  Quality time with each other is a priceless gift at this time in our lives – a time to make memories and share experiences that last a lifetime. 

                                                              Sarah, FPS Patient, Age 31 (deceased 8/2011)

P.S. We look forward to seeing you all at the Demo Days tomorrow, September 14th.

 

The Culture of Winning

As football season starts, hope springs eternal.  Every team makes moves in the offseason, in hopes that they have added enough talent to be winners.  But what makes a winner?  Is it their talent, or their culture?

Why is it that, although the NFL has put a lot of effort into parity, that the same teams are always the perennial favorites?  Why is it that the Washington Redskins have invested millions of dollars in acquiring the best talent in the league, however they can’t get to the playoffs?  I would argue that the culture of the team is wrong.

Teams like the Patriots, Packers, and Steelers have winning cultures.  In Baseball, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies have winning cultures.  There are expectations on how the team conducts business, and how it will compete.  Year after year, even when their players move on, these teams remain the benchmark for success. An example of how powerful a culture can be is Randy Moss.  He failed on many teams, and succeeded when he got to the Patriots.

 What defines the team’s cultures?  Who bears the responsibility of instilling the culture in new players?  It starts at the top, when the owner defines his expectations, his minimum standards.  The management is then left to choose the team, and set goals and expectations.  The next component is the team captains.  These are people that lead by example, and are the heart of the team.  Their actions are the result of an effective culture. 

How does sports relate to Phillips?  Easy.  I view myself as a free agent that was signed by Phillips a year ago.  I was introduced to a cultural performance standard that was developed by Alan Phillips and the senior leadership team.  My team leader then helped me to set goals and expectations, through OGTE.  The team captains are our Brand Ambassadors, who embody the culture, and prove its power daily.

Each one of these components, the Cultural Performance Standard, OGTE, and Brand Ambassadors, are crucial in perpetuating the culture of winning.  These mechanisms will ensure that the culture will continue for many years to come. 

Now back to football, here’s hoping that the culture of winning has infected my team!

The Power of People

I am a stereotypical man.  When I encounter a problem, my first reaction is to try and solve it.  I am working toward the understanding that I can't fix everything, but I can always be supportive.  The first big example of this in my life was when my Dad was diagnosed with brain cancer.  We learned to deal with the terminal illness with positive thoughts and hope.

Recently, my wife was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.  Crohns affects the digestive system, and 1.4 million people are affected by it.  At its worst, the disease makes it very difficult to function normally.  Currently, there is no known cure.

I had a hard time when she was diagnosed, as I couldn’t do anything to solve this problem.  I couldn’t help my wife get better.  But my wife is strong!  Her attitude is to refuse to allow this disease stop her from enjoying her life and accomplishing her goals.  She is truly LIVING!

In June I finally found a cause that I could get behind to help Jeanine.  I heard about a 5k run/walk that benefited Crohns research.  I decided that I would run in the 5k to show support.  I felt really good about being able to do something.

 After I registered, I thought that I would extend the same invitation to Jeanine’s network.  I wanted Jeanine to know that she had a lot of people that cared.  I sent an email out to 5 of her closest friends: 

Hello:  

As many of you already know, my wife Jeanine has started living with a form of Crohns Disease.  Crohns affects the digestive system, and 1.4 million people are affected by it.  When it flares, it makes it very difficult to function normally.  Currently, there is no known cure.  We are very encouraged by a new treatment that Jeanine is undertaking.  She is feeling more like herself every day.

 Jeanine and I have been blown away by how our friends and family have responded with kindness and support.  Everyone has been asking us how they can help.  Since we live in New Jersey, the first reaction is to bring over a dish of food, which is greatly appreciated by me and the kids, but not so good for people living with Crohns.  I came across a way that people can show their support for Jeanine, and also get down to visit one of her favorite spots, Ocean City, NJ.

 To that end, I have entered in 5k run sponsored by the CCFA.  

Ocean City, NJ Saturday, August 13, 2011 Registration - 7:00 am - 8:30 am   Race - 8:45 am

I don't know anything about 5ks, other than it is a little over 3 miles, and you can walk or run.  I have started a team under my name (John Harrison).  If things go well, Jeanine and I will be "racing" in the 5k.  While I haven't told Jeanine about the race yet, I would like to see if we could surprise her by inviting her friends down to join us for the race.   

I will be sponsoring anyone that would like to join the race on our team.  If you would like to join us, please send me an email by July 18 with your full name, and I will register you for the event. (If necessary, we will discuss car-pooling as it gets closer)

We understand that many can't make it to this event, as everyone is busy.  Your support over the past year is more that we could ever ask for.  However, if you are so compelled, there is a link to sponsor a walker/runner.

http://online.ccfa.org/site/TR/Race/Chapter-PhiladelphiaDelawareValley?px=2440905&pg=personal&fr_id=2790

I hi-jacked some names off of Jeanine's email, and am sure that I have missed many of her friends and family.  I am asking you to spread this email among Jeanine's network of friends.   

Thanks very much for your continued friendship and support of my family!

Within a week, I couldn’t believe how strongly Jeanine’s community responded to the event.  I ended up registering over 30 walkers, and we raised over $3,000.00!  More importantly, Jeanine got a chance to see just how strong her network was!  Here are a few pictures from the event.

 
 
 

I encourage you to find a cause.  Find a reason to do something to help someone.  Phillips
Corporation has an initiative, FOR PETE’S SAKE, which is an excellent cause to get behind.  I can assure you that whatever time or monetary investment that you make will reward your soul tenfold.

 

What does Legendary Customer Value mean to you?

Brook Barwick

Legendary Customer Value is a program that is designed to allow Phillips Corporation to accomplish success that is unimaginable in our current mode of thinking.  It is designed to create results that we do not yet know are even possible.  Legendary Customer Value requires each Phillips Partner to “Take a Stand”.  This means that each Phillips Partner in our organization will in every aspect of customer interaction cause that customer to realize such a profound positive experience  that the customer will be overwhelmed and astounded, giving them no choice but to only want to do business with us whenever possible and always recommending a Phillips company to their industry associates.  We commit to providing each Partner the tools and guidance to insure this happens.  Everyone in our organization will have the same primary job – To Deliver Legendary Customer Value.  All other things that we do will be simply tasks.

Our current reality is entirely made up.  We made it up.  We decided what it was going to be.  We tend to ignore things that don’t fit our reality.  The nice thing is since we made up our current reality, we can make reality anything we want it to be.  What we say and what we do creates our reality.  Words have a big part in creating and shaping reality.  From my GAP training an example was made relative to how powerful words can be.

“Olympic Gold Medals are hard to come by” – Example of fitting the word to the world

“I shall win the Olympic Gold Medal” – Example of the world fitting to your world.

Because our words can just as easily either open or inhibit possibility, it very much matters what we say. (GAP)

[Brooks began his exploration of “Legendary Customer Value” with some other Phillips Corporation partners at a “breakthrough thinking” workshop run by Gap International. Gap is a global management consulting company that partners with executives in producing exceptional growth for themselves and their businesses. Coaches from Gap are working with several of our senior leaders on creating breakthrough thinking for extraordinary performance. http://www.gapinternational.com/]

Turning a Negative into a Positive

“Sir, I am sorry to inform you that your new machine has flipped over on the highway.”  I have only had 2 machine tools damaged enroute to their destination.  The first time a Roundo roll coming from Sweden sank in the English Channel (along with a few thousand Volvos).  This time a truck carrying an LVD shear was blown off the road as it exited the highway (No one was injured).  The trucker reported only slight damage to the machine…

 

 

THIS IS OUR TIME TO SHINE!

 

I was taught at an early stage in my career that the best sales call that you could ever make is when something goes wrong.  This is your opportunity to show the customer why he made the right decision in buying from you.  If you are able to prove your worth, you will have a customer for life.

I was very glad to have a team of Phillips Brand Ambassadors on this issue.  Nancy Kovach, our logistics guru, and Jason Blair, our product manager, seized this opportunity to demonstrate what legendary service truly means.  Immediately, a plan was implemented to reroute the machine for inspection.  Damage was assessed, insurance claims were submitted, and a replacement shear was ordered.  Phillips handled all of the details.

I was in contact with the customer, who thanked me for the professional manner in which we handled the challenge.  While he wasn’t happy that he would be without a shear for a few more weeks, he was happy that he chose to partner with Phillips.

As a sales organization, you should welcome the opportunity to service the customer.  It gives you an chance to show customers why they can’t commoditize your offerings.