Improve future processes
That constant visibility and transparency is crucial for monitoring a project’s progress along the way.
“This is a business where people work very hard and very long hours,” Jarvis says. “It doesn’t do anyone any good to work on things that aren’t going anywhere. And it doesn’t do anyone any favors to pussyfoot around opinions.
“People come here because they want to be great, and part of that process is sometimes doing things that don’t work and figuring out why and then going back and learning. It’s iterative.”
Results don’t always meet expectations. Because Jarvis often relies on employees to identify those breakdowns, he has to make a safe environment for them to share. The way you respond to glitches will determine whether employees open up about personal mistakes and weak spots in the process.
“You figure out where along the way did we wobble and why did that happen,” he says. “There’s not a culture of wrist-slapping. If something bad has happened, it’s already out of our control. Let’s focus on what we can control, which is our process going forward.”
If you berate employees for mistakes, you’re illustrating that the past is more pertinent than future fixes.
“There’s no blame. One of our mantras here is, ‘No victims,’” he says. “The people who work here are so conscientious. If something goes wrong, they don’t need somebody piling in on them. They need, if anything, a forum to talk about how it’s not going to happen again, how it’s going to get better.”
This is where sports backgrounds come in handy, when employees understand that the game won’t pause for them to dwell on mistakes. When results are on the line, it’s about picking up the ball and running.
That philosophy has been successful at 72andSunny, where 2009 gross billings totaled $270 million, up from $160 million in 2008.
“You just look at the process and where in the process was there a failure,” Jarvis says. “Sometimes you get great results from bad processes and sometimes you get bad results from great processes. As long as the processes are solid and improving and considered, in the long run, there will be a lot more wins than losses.”
How to reach: 72andSunny, (310) 215-9009 or www.72andsunny.com
