"I'm mad as hell" is the opening line in Tom Peters' new book "Re-imagine!". His belief, and one we have also come to share, is that real change, breakthrough creativity, true innovation and re-imagination only happen when people get "mad as hell". Organizations seem to come to life and breathe again when people get mad about something – anything!

It may be at the lack of vision from the executive suite; it may be at a lack of progress in meeting real customer needs; it may be with the slow pace of change or, it may simply be acute levels of frustration with stifling bureaucracy and senseless rules.

Is it time for you to become "mad as hell"?

Big, Beige and Boring

It seems to us that many organizations have allowed themselves to become big, beige and boring. It almost certainly wasn't their original plan or intention. It just seemed to happen. Like Rumpelstiltskin, they seem to have awakened in the early days of the new millennium and found, much to their surprise, that what had worked so well for them yesterday just isn't doing the trick today.

They stiffen their spine, steel their resolve and perhaps even begin to take a look deep inside for answers to their dilemma. They tweak and prod, poke and probe but all too often they simply don't get mad enough. They don't seem to be able to grasp the opportunity that presents itself when the level of frustration with "big, beige and boring" becomes so great that it can then be tapped as an energy source to help redirect efforts into creating a new tomorrow.

Beige and Paralyzed

Beige organizations have many things in common but, most often, they suffer the pain of paralysis. The mind may be willing but the limbs are no longer able to respond. They know in their head that something has to change but the message is not being relayed to the muscles that are needed to help shift their position.

The good news is, the symptoms of organizational paralysis are easy to spot. There are three of them worth keeping your eye on and they represent three circumstances that should surely serve to make you "Mad as Hell" when you spot them.

The Stutter Effect

First of all, there is the easily identified and frustratingly painful "stutter" effect. In the paralyzed organization, there is often a tremendous and quite noticeable lag effect or stutter between the time a new idea is spawned and the time the initiative actually takes root – if, in fact, it ever does!

Our concern here is that by the time the initiative is actually brought to the launching pad, much or all of the original energy has either evaporated or dissipated. In either case, it is quite predictable that the good idea, the new process or the breakthrough product falls flat on its face or only emerges as a diluted cousin of its original form.

Bulletproof Vests

Secondly, many organizations seem to suffer from the delusional belief that a "bullet proof vest" is actually going to protect them against a terrorist attack from the competition or the market in general. They have a tendency to build and fortify walls to keep the enemy out.

Within these walls (aka departments, business units or functional groups) processes and procedures are then created that often seem designed to bulletproof and/or protect the internal organs. The problem multiplies, of course, when efforts are made to link or harmonize these procedures to the rest of the organizational body. Most often, square pegs get matched with round holes or even worse – the pegs end up broken!

Hand-offs

The third sure symptom of the beige and paralyzed organization can be spotted in the way they choose to define and then run the "race". We see executive team after executive team characterize their race as either a marathon or a sprint. Neither is correct!

The truth of the matter is, the race you are running today is more likely to be a "relay race" and accordingly, organizations need to focus more of their time, attention and practice on perfecting the hand-off's rather than the individual legs. Dropping the baton, miscues in the hand-off process and poor communication, collaboration and commitment cause too many companies to be a day late and a dollar short at the finish line.

Survival is Not Enough

Ultimately, success will go to those companies who realize sooner, rather than later, that these problems actually exist; who work hard to change them; and, who then attack from a new base. No matter who you are, where you are or what you do, someone out there is getting ready to launch an offensive and plans to hit you where you are most vulnerable. It is wise to remember the immortal words of Jack Welch "change before you have to" or, as author Seth Godin put it more recently, "survival is not enough".

Brave, Bold and Bodacious

If Peters, Welch and Godin are right – and they are – then the challenge for most organizations is to move from "Big, Beige and Boring" to something more akin to "Brave, Bold and Bodacious".

According to Peters "the foremost task of our generation is to re-imagine our enterprises" and for that to happen, your entire organization must become "Mad as Hell" about the current state and resolved to do something about it. Blow out the bureaucracy; break down the walls; let the oxygen flow. Allow your organization to live, to become a thriving, dominating, pulsating new beast.

Anger Management for your Organization

The best medical news in over a century – perhaps since the discovery of penicillin - is that organizational paralysis can be reversed. Yes, it requires an accurate diagnosis, which we have described above but then some pretty straightforward physical therapy to improve muscle tone and the overall level of organizational fitness. Here is what to do!

Look at yourself in the mirror - Do you like what you see? That extra weight around the middle - is slowing you down. You need to work on improving your speed. The key is to unload what you don't need. Set a new baseline and evaluate progress constantly.

Get your heart rate up - It's all about passion. The more you push the envelope, the faster the heart will beat. The more boundaries you test, the more resilient you will become.

Stretch - Don't be a wimp. Set aggressive, challenging goals that you really want to achieve but that even you are not sure can be reached. Don't be afraid to stretch beyond the horizon. In stretching the muscles, you will dramatically improve your flexibility. The ability to adjust and adapt to changing conditions is a strength.

Eat right - Everything in balance and balance in everything. You will probably have to change your diet somewhat. You will need stamina. In organizational life that means carefully watching what you eat. Start by ingesting some new and different information. Set some new disciplines and values and maybe, add some new people to the mix with different attitudes and perspectives.

Sets and Reps - Keep building your muscle tone. Work on several different muscle groups at the same time. Recognize that repetition is the key to building endurance. It will be the constant, regular workout program that provides you with the best, long-term results.

Our Monthly Rant …
Execution. Don't drop the ball

Not to get off on a complete "jag" about sports but we have all seen a movie, somewhere along the line, about football or some other sporting triumph. The scripts are pretty much standard.

Inevitably, there is a star player, be it a wide receiver or a running back, that has unbelievable ability on the field. The problem is, he/she is prone to dropping the ball under pressure. The coach, looking for a solution (any solution) decides to have this player hold onto the ball all day, every day. He tells the player to hold on to it through class, at home, even while sleeping!

While he challenges his star player to keep possession of the ball he also encourages the rest of the team tries to try their best to pull the ball away. While they need the superstar to win the championship, the rest of the team would still like to show him up if they can. So you ask, what can your organization learn from this?

Simply put, you will need to toughen up the last important part of your overall fitness regimen - your eyesight. In particular, try working on your peripheral vision! In so doing, you will improve your ability to not only anticipate the play, but to remain focused on the ball and on ensuring you maintain possession. You know what happens all the time in business? Silos are built, everyone protects their own ball. People hold on too tight.

In business as in football, perspective is everything. It is when you don't take time to look down the field and you don't bother to focus on what is just out to the periphery, that an opposing player charges in just when the ball (i.e. a project, a product launch, a new campaign) is about to be passed or handed off and bang! The quarterback gets hit. The ball gets dropped. The game is lost.

So. Work on your overall fitness. Improve your eyesight. Practice the handoffs. Study the playbook. If your organization can lower the number of turnovers you will succeed. Guaranteed.