Your life was a blessing, your memory is a treasure, and you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure – Unknown.
Lynda decided to take a week off between Christmas and the New Year which allowed us to have mom over for a week. Lynda cooked all kinds of goodies for the occasion and we all enjoyed it very much.
I was looking forward to going back to work after holidays. I was conducting a series of presentations with senior folks from different functional areas to validate the vision and mission statements that we had already drafted.
I was attempting to convince them that the vision and mission statements were critical for their business as The purpose of vision and mission statements is to:
- Define the bank’s business, objectives, and approach to reach those objectives;
- Describe the desired future position of the company;
- Provide a statement of the company’s purposes, goals, and values; and
- Keep the company focused on why it exists, align it with its goal, and empower how it will accomplish it.
I wanted to communicate to them that those statements must clearly define the purpose, value, and facts of what their bank provides to its market.
I had a bunch of questions to ask and discuss with them which included:
- What core values drive the bank’s business?
- What drives them to do what they do every day?
- What makes them the best at what they do?
- Who are their key stakeholders?
- Who does the bank intend to serve?
- Who is interested in the bank’s services?
- What makes the stakeholders’ lives better by using the bank’s services?
- What changes do they want to bring about through the bank’s business?
- Do they agree with the root definition of a business as an enterprise that generates profit for members of society?
- Where do they see their business in 5, 10 or 15 years?
- How do they see their function supporting the overall vision/mission of the bank?
I had Chris do the opening remarks for each presentation to demonstrate that I had his support for the process. It was very helpful. As soon as he finished his statement he would leave, and I continued.
The other four folks sort of helped, but I had a feeling that they were not very excited with the idea of having a consultant lead the process. Perhaps they thought they could have done without my help, but Ron didn’t think they were capable of doing anything other than going around chatting with each other and drinking coffee all day.
I asked Ron not to be there for every presentation. I always found people more comfortable saying whatever they felt like when Ron wasn’t there. Ron didn’t have a problem with my suggestion. He did ask me to meet with him as soon as I finished the presentations as he was curious to see if anybody gave me a rough time.
One day when I finished a presentation and was briefing him, I told Ron that Frank was a little pushy and that he was haughty in his comments. Ron asked me if I wanted him to talk to Frank. I said leave it with me.
I used to look forward to the weekends. I would sleep in on Saturdays. Around 11:00 AM we would go for brunch somewhere so that Lynda didn’t have to cook all the time.
Lynda was working extremely hard in the store. Her department was doing really well. Her boss was very happy with her performance. She was feeling like “somebody” again, which reminded me of when she was the top sales person in the store when we were working together.
One day around 10:30 AM, I was reviewing something in my office and wasn’t paying any attention to who was coming or going to see Ron. I heard somebody say “Is it you, Mir?” When I looked up, I saw Michael standing with Ron.
I said I will be damned. He said what are you doing here?
Ron said Mir’s helping us put together a strategic plan.
Michael said the guy who reported to Mir in Calgary was my client. I used to arrange to have lunch with Mir whenever he came to Toronto.
Michael said I was in Calgary lately and I have to tell you they are making a mess over there, Mir.
I said what you are doing here, Michael.
He said I just came to see Ron. By the way, if you don’t have anything planned, can we have lunch today?
I said of course, and asked Ron if he would like to join us.
Ron said I would have loved it but I am meeting with Chris. Thanks, Mir.
I went back to reviewing the comments made by folks during the last presentation and started making notes to understand their point of view.
I made a quick call to the club where I had lunch every day to let them know that today I was bringing a friend.
It didn’t take too long for Michael to pop in my office and say are you ready, Mir?
I said let’s go. I grabbed my jacket and we started walking towards the exit.
I asked Michael if he had a good meeting with Ron.
He said it is funny – the last time I came to see him, he was very wishy-washy. I didn’t think he was interested in doing business with me. I changed my opinion today as he was very enthusiastic and was asking the right questions.
He said probably it had to do with the fact that I met you here.
I said Ron’s not a bad guy but he’s not forceful.
Michael said I am sure he’s going to check my reference with you. I said not to worry.
We walked to the club which wasn’t too far. As soon as we walked in, the greeter said your table is all set for two today, Mr. Ali.
Michael was totally impressed and said very nice, Mir.
As soon as we settled down at our table, Michael asked do you want to know what’s going on in Calgary.
I said I had lunch with Chris Beard recently and he gave me a quick update. Michael said who’s Chris Beard. I said he was my networking manager who had left ATB before me, but he kept in touch with the people there.
Michael said he was totally unimpressed with the new people in Calgary. It looked like they were in an entirely different world than the way I managed my department.
I said they have every right to do whatever they like. The president of the bank, who had supported us completely, was retired and the person who took over from him never believed in technologies. He wants to go back to the way they used to do business.
I said I know the current president was waiting for his turn to ruin everything we did.
We ordered our lunch and Michael changed the topic. He asked me what exactly I was doing for Citibank. I explained to him that I was faced with the toughest challenge: To do strategic planning with people who had been working all their careers in the operational aspects of the banking business.
He said Ron was very impressed with what you had already accomplished in such a short period of time.
I said it’s always nice to know that he’s happy.
Before we started talking about the politics of the day, he asked me if I would be satisfied working as a consultant after having such a big job in ATB.
I said it seems to me like I am learning a totally new trade. Previously, all I had to do was to ask for anything and my managers used to make it happen. Now I am a one-man shop. I think about something and I do it for myself, which is indeed a unique experience for me.
Michal said he totally understood.
Michael asked if I was keeping in touch with my old friends working for the chartered banks.
I said I tried very hard to get in touch with them, but they seemed to be too busy to return my calls.
He said very disappointing.
As soon as I got back from lunch, Ron popped in my office. He said I am so sorry Mir that I didn’t realize how important a job you had at ATB. He said Michael was literally shocked to see you sitting in a cubicle whereas you used to have a huge office in Calgary.
I said it doesn’t bother me, Ron. He said do you want me to find you a better office, Mir. I said, no, I am quite happy.
Ron spent a few minutes talking about Michael before his secretary called him for something else.
Around 4:00 PM Lynda called and asked me if I was busy. I said I would never ever be too busy to take a call from her.
She said she didn’t feel like cooking anything tonight and was wondering if I would be too tired to go out for supper. I said it sounds like an excellent idea.
She said how about if we plan to go out around 6:00 PM and I said that will be just fine with me.
I managed to get away a little early to make sure that I was on time for our supper.
When I got home, Lynda and Adam were ready to go out. They didn’t let me change into casual clothes.
We went our favourite restaurant. We had a nice meal and started chatting about other things. I told Lynda that I was glad to hear that she wanted to go out tonight as she was tired.
I asked her if it was getting a little too much for her to work full time and do housekeeping.
She said she loves to work but from time to time it was turning out to be a little too much, as she recognized that her main responsibility was to do the housekeeping.
I said please don’t feel obligated. As a matter of fact I am making enough money to support us and there’s no need for her to kill herself.
She said let me ask you this – Do you want me to stop working.
I said, no. I want you to do whatever you feel like doing. Adam’s big enough to understand that mom cannot be home all the time.
She asked Adam what he liked her to do.
Adam said I agree with dad. You should decide whatever you want to do and we both will support you.
She said leave it with me for now.
I said I was thinking probably you and me should go away for a week during the March break.
She said how about Adam?
I said he can go to Edmonton to spend a week with his uncle and aunty.
Lynda asked Adam if he would like to do that.
Adam said I would love to, partly because I would get to watch the Edmonton Oilers play in their stadium.
When we were living in Calgary, my bank had season tickets in Calgary as well as in Edmonton and I used to take Adam to watch games.
Lynda said if this is okay with both of you, I will look into it. Wait a minute. Did you realize that you would not be getting paid for that week, which is a substantial amount of money?
I said, of course I do and I don’t care. I think we deserve it.
Alright. Leave it with me, she said.
On the weekend Lynda told me that she had booked us to go to Maracaibo and Adam was booked to go to Edmonton just a couple of days before our flight.
I asked her where’s Maracaibo?
She said search me.
I said what do you mean?
She said her sorority sister who used to work for a travel agency told her that it’s a nice quiet place to spend a week and it’s in Venezuela.
I didn’t see any point in continuing to discuss it with her.
When I went back to work on Monday, I popped in Frank’s office just to say hello. He said sorry Mir, I was a little disparaging during the presentation and it had nothing to do with you. He said that it was a reflection of bank politics and he was sorry that he dumped it on me unintentionally.
I said to Frank not to worry and asked him if he was available for lunch today. I wanted to talk to him about the next steps in the process and also to explain that it was very important for me that I had his support and understanding.
He said he had all the time for me.
I had lunch with Frank on Monday in the club which he liked a lot. He wanted to pay for it. The server said I am so sorry sir we are not equipped to accept cash or credit cards. The charges for the lunch will go on Mr. Ali’s account.
Before I started talking about the process, I asked Frank about his family and if he had any plans for holidays this summer. That got him going.
I also told him that we are planning to get away for a week during the March break.
He was relaxed and started volunteering information on various aspects of the functions he was responsible for. I paid total attention and just to demonstrate the fact that I was listening, I asked him questions here and there to clarify something. Then he asked me what I wanted to talk to him about.
I said I wanted to go over the process again with you just in case I didn’t explain it properly in the presentation.
He said he understood the process but he had a couple of questions for me just to further simplify certain aspects of the process.
I answered his questions and took the liberty of explaining briefly about the next phase of the process. Also I described how best he could help me and the bank.
Frank said you got it, Mir. He also thanked me for my patience with him.
I had a busy afternoon. When I started getting ready to leave, Ron popped in my office and asked if I had a minute.
I said come on in, Ron.
He grabbed a chair, sat down and said he had a meeting with Frank this afternoon on another subject. At the end of the meeting Frank told him how happy he was with the process that you are leading and how much he appreciated your patience with him.
Ron said what’s going on, Mir. You told me that he was being arrogant during the last presentation; now he seemed to be your best friend.
I said I just spent some time with Frank to listen to what he was trying to say in the presentation. Also I attempted to go over some of the concerns he had.
Ron said obviously you did an excellent job with him, Mir.
I said by the way, if it’s okay with you, I was thinking to take a week off during the March break.
Ron said that will not be a problem. He said you deserve a break, Mir. You have been extremely busy and accomplished so much. He said to be totally honest with you, you come early every morning and spend at least 10 hours every day in the office, not to mention the work or thinking you do for us when you are not in the office. You only charge me 8 hours a day which’s indeed a bargain for me. He said I never knew any consultant like you.
I said what you need to understand is that this is the way I am used to working. This is my first consulting job and it’s going to take some time to sink in with me to start charging you for every minute I spend on the assignment. He said feel free whenever you’re ready to do so. But remember that I really appreciate everything you’re doing for us, Mir.
I said I will see you tomorrow, my friend, and took off.
Once the vision and mission statements were validated, I spent almost a week to prepare a presentation for the next phase of the process. I wanted to explain what it would take to come up with reasonable and realistic strategic goals to support the vision/mission statements.
I explained a strategic goal is a broad, long-term objective that a company strives to achieve. It can be something as general as improving market share or as specific as increasing market share by 20 per cent. It’s entirely up to the stakeholders to decide what the best approach for the bank is.
I tried to remind them in the presentation that all goals must be:
- Specific;
- Measurable;
- Achievable;
- Relevant; and
- Time-bound.
Furthermore, each goal must be supported with a matrix which will allow measuring and reporting the progress of the process. This will be feasible if:
- Goals are communicated to all employees;
- Everyone is held accountable; and
- Progress is evaluated and changes are made as needed.
I met with Chris and Ron more than once to determine which particular areas should be included in the plan. Based on their business and practical knowledge associated with each area, they defined the following functional areas which needed to be focussed on:
- Finance;
- Marketing;
- Research & Development;
- Human Resources; and
- Innovation.
In the presentation, I provided them with examples of strategic goals for those areas:
- FINANCE:
- Increase revenue by 20 per cent in the next three years;
- Reduce costs by 15 per cent in the next 12 months;
- Invest in new technology that will improve our overall efficiency;
- Increase our market share by 5 per cent in the next two years;
- Create a new product that will generate $1 million in revenue in the next 12 months;
- Diversify the revenue streams into two new markets;
- Become financially sustainable by 1990;
- Grow shareholder value by 20 per cent in the next two years; and
- Reduce marketing costs by 10 per cent over the next year.
- MARKETING:
- Generate 1,000 leads in the next six months;
- Increase customer satisfaction by five points in the next year;
- Increase brand awareness by 25 per cent in the next year;
- Launch a new marketing campaign that generates a 10 per cent ROI (Return On Investment);
- Reach 10,000 people through our email list in the next six months;
- Double our current market share in the next three years;
- Reduce the time to market for new products by 50 per cent in the next year;
- Increase our customer base by 20% in the next year; and
- Collaborate with two other companies in the next year.
- Secure two major partnerships in the next 12 months; and
- Attend three industry tradeshows in the next year.
- R&D (Research & Development):
- Develop a new product that will be in the market in 12 months;
- Patent our new technology by the end of the year;
- Increase our R&D budget by 15 per cent in the next year;
- Hire two new product designers in the next six months;
- Develop a product that is 5 times more efficient than our current products;
- HUMAN RESOURCES:
- Increase average billable hours per employee by 20 per cent in the next three months;
- Streamline our billing process so that it takes employees less time to bill clients;
- Reduce customer support inquiries by 20 per cent in the next month;
- Improve team productivity by 10 per cent in the next three months;
- Implement a new CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system that will make it easier for employees to find customer information;
- Create a training program for new employees that will shorten the learning curve;
- Hire two new customer service representatives in the next month;
- Allow employees to work from home one day a week; and
- Give employees a 5 per cent raise in the next three months.
- INNOVATION:
- Develop a new product that will be in the market in 12 months;
- Patent our new technology by the end of the year;
- Increase our R&D budget by 15 per cent in the next year;
- Hire two new senior product designers in the next six months;
- Double our current market share in the next three years;
- Develop a product that is five times more efficient than our current products;
- Reduce the time to market for new products by 50 per cent in the next year;
- Increase our customer base by 20 per cent in the next year; and
- Collaborate with two other companies in the next year.
Once I presented the draft of the presentation to Ron and Chris, I wanted them to decide whether I should conduct sessions separately, focusing on each area; or should I get them all together in the room at once.
Both asked my opinion. I suggested that in the interest of efficiency perhaps having sessions with each functional area separately would be a better approach. However, once each group of goals is finalized, it wouldn’t hurt if we presented the whole picture to everybody.
Chris wanted to think about that before he agreed or disagreed with me. It took only 10 minutes after the meeting for him to pop in my office. He said that what I had suggested made sense to him and asked me to go ahead and organize the process accordingly.
