| PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be | | | | won't want to do -- what is required. |
| republished in newsletters and on web sites | | | | Another 20 percent will be your ardent cause |
| provided attribution is provided to the | | | | leaders in getting it done. And 40 percent |
| author, and it appears with the included | | | | will be on the fence. |
| copyright, resource box and live web site | | | | |
| link. Email notice of intent to publish is | | | | How does this rule help you focus you on the |
| appreciated but not required: mail to: Word | | | | right problem? For one thing, it gives you a |
| count: 777 | | | | template of where to put your time and |
| | | | resources. |
| The 20/60/20 Rule Of Leadership. Don't Go | | | | |
| Solving The Wrong Problems | | | | I wish I had known about the 20/60/20 rule |
| | | | early in my leadership endeavors. In the |
| By Brent Filson | | | | military and later in other venues, I often |
| | | | gave inordinate amount of attention to people |
| Several decades ago, a passenger jet | | | | at the intractable end. That people were |
| approached a Florida airport with the pilot | | | | upset with me and my leadership and the |
| and co-pilot struggling to fix what they | | | | direction I wanted to take organizations |
| thought was a malfunctioning landing gear. | | | | upset me more than it should have. |
| The landing-gear light was on, signaling that | | | | |
| the gear was deployed; but both men did not | | | | I did not know that if you are not getting a |
| hear it actually deploy. | | | | portion of the people upset with you, you are |
| | | | not challenging them enough as a leader. I |
| As the men sought to understand whether they | | | | did not know that the anger of the people you |
| had a defective landing-gear light or a | | | | lead is the door prize of leadership. |
| defective landing gear -- the co-pilot | | | | |
| actually taking up a hatch and getting down | | | | Apply the 20/60/20 rule to a project you |
| into the wheel well -- the aircraft kept | | | | undertook in the past. (Remember, those are |
| losing altitude. Too late, a warning alarm | | | | not exact percentages but approximations.) |
| sounded and the plane crash, killing all | | | | Which category did you focus your time, |
| aboard. | | | | attention, and resources on? Was it the |
| | | | right category to do so? What would you do |
| Quite possibly that tragedy has subsequently | | | | differently? How might you have moved people |
| saved many lives. For the pilot and | | | | from the intractable end to the highly |
| co-pilot's actions have been used in flight | | | | motivated end? How did you deal with the |
| simulation training programs to demonstrate | | | | people in the middle, the 60 percent? What |
| how NOT to troubleshoot problems in the | | | | category demanded your best resources and |
| cockpit. | | | | efforts? What could you have done |
| | | | differently to improve your results? |
| The incident has become known as the | | | | |
| Landing-gear Fix, a diligent attempt to solve | | | | What are the lessons you learned in applying |
| the wrong problem. Of course, they had a | | | | the rule to a past project? List at least |
| landing-gear problem on their hands. But | | | | three specific ones. |
| unbeknownst to them, they faced a far more | | | | |
| serious problem, a pending crash. | | | | Now apply the 20/60/20 rule to a present |
| | | | leadership effort. This rule is about saving |
| The Landing-gear Fix is a leadership lesson. | | | | you time, money, and resources and getting |
| In the quest to get results, many leaders | | | | you more results to boot. There are several |
| often focus on Landing-gear Fixes -- putting | | | | ways to use it. First, as a straight up |
| their time, resources and talents into | | | | template. |
| solving wrong problems. In fact, it's been | | | | |
| my experience working with thousands of | | | | How might the lessons you learned in applying |
| leaders during the past 20 years that most | | | | the Rule to a past project now help you apply |
| leaders are either working on the wrong | | | | it to this present one? |
| problems or working on the right problems in | | | | |
| the wrong ways. | | | | Focus on one of the three categories. How |
| | | | will you expend your time and resources? It |
| In this issue, I'll give you a tool to avoid | | | | does not matter which category you focus on. |
| getting involved in a leadership Landing-gear | | | | The importance of the rule is that you have |
| Fix. It's a tool that will help you avoid | | | | the option. Without this rule, most leaders |
| wrong problems and focus on the right ones. | | | | scatter their focus. |
| It's called the 20/60/20 rule. And it will | | | | |
| save you aggravation and help you avoid | | | | Don't get caught applying diligent solutions |
| wasting time. | | | | to the wrong problems. Apply the 20/60/20 |
| | | | Rule, and you'll focus on getting the right |
| When you are leading a group of people of | | | | results in the right way at the right time. |
| whatever size to get results, understand that | | | | |
| roughly about 20 percent of the people are | | | | 2006 The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All |
| intractable; they won't do -- or at least | | | | rights reserved. |