One person can only accomplish so much. No singer, no matter how well amplified or reproduced, will sound as good as a chorus of singers backed up by appropriate musicians. The same lesson is true for organizations that want to create ideal results for all involved. They need to act as one, but gain the benefit of combining the efforts of many in nearly flawless ways.

Clearly, few will think that perfect performances are possible, but near perfection occurs all the time. In this article, let's look at the lessons of how to conduct yourself to gain near perfection for organizations. This is a critical element of creating 2,000 percent solutions.

The steps for creating a 2,000 percent solution (accomplishing 20 times more with the same time, effort, and resources) are listed here:

1. Understand the importance of measuring performance.

2. Decide what to measure.

3. Identify the future best practice and measure it.

4. Implement beyond the future best practice.

5. Identify the ideal best practice.

6. Pursue the ideal best practice.

7. Select the right people and provide the right motivation.

8. Repeat the first seven steps.

This article looks at practicing to become more effective in step five.

Combine Perspectives from Similar Organizational Ideal Best Practices in New Ways of Operating

If one ideal practice is powerful, imagine the impact of combining insights from more than one such ideal practice. Here's an example: Orchestras perform complex pieces with amazing coordination and few errors. Military units march with impressive precision in keeping the same time and foot forward. The principle behind both kinds of successful coordination is that these groups have practiced a particular sequence until they can do it very easily and receive a signal (from a conductor or a drill instructor) that provides time and motion coordination. During practices, the signal giver tells people when they make mistakes and repeats those sequences until they are done correctly.

Now let's apply that principle. Let's say that you want to launch a new product with a complex series of marketing and sales efforts. How might you create such a result? You need to start by playing the role that the musical composer does in writing down everything that needs to be done in the right order. That overall plan is like the score a conductor will use to coordinate everyone. The plan should include the speed, timing, and location of what needs to be done. Then the parts need to be written into separate documents so that people know their roles and have instructions to follow. Finally, you must practice the execution of that plan until it comes easily and perfectly.

By comparison, most organizations don't prepare such plans, have no practices, provide no feedback to those who make mistakes so they can improve, and don't have anyone playing the role of sending a central signal. Is it any wonder these organizations don't coordinate their new product launches very well?

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