A sense of mission where failure is not an option is a critical success factor for business excellence. It’s also a rare commodity.
The motivational benefits a clear sense of mission produces is second to none. When all the people in an organization are singularly focused upon achieving a mission, and they understand that failure is just out of the question, amazing things happen.
December 22nd. That is the day this year that United Parcel Service will deliver more packages than any other day in its history. It is the culmination of what they call peak season. Volume spikes during the holiday season to levels that look impossible to serve. UPS does not set resource levels based on this two month increase. Temporary hires, leased vehicles, temporary modifications to existing facilities, and office workers “putting on their browns” to pitch in are some of the tactics used to accomplish the mission of delivering every gift in the system before Christmas morning. It is the day their obsession with flawless execution is tested. They always achieve success. Because they don’t even think that failure is possible.
It’s been a long time since I have experienced a peak season first hand. I do think I learned a little about extraordinary execution doing my part to insure we did not fail. Here are the key lessons your organization might consider.
The mission was clear and success was easily measured. Every package would be delivered safely and on its promised date. Period. No wiggle room.
Everyone in the organization focused on the mission. Labor and management worked together to accomplish it. Nearly everyone in management was on the road delivering during peak. By the way, UPS’s practice of promoting from within insures them that their management team has the skills to drive package cars and deliver packages. Indeed, they were probably the stars before they became management.
No flaky goals. When goals are set at UPS, they are set to what they call MAR. Minimum Acceptable Requirement. That means you hit your goal or there were consequences. No excuses.
Incredible team work. I don’t think I ever took a team building class at UPS. When mission becomes critical, you learn to work together. You just don’t let your partner down.
Their planning system is amazing. You cannot reasonably expect people to successfully complete a poor plan. As a manager, I always knew what was coming next, and if contingencies needed to be put in place, they were readily available. The most important metric for those of us in operations was performance to plan.
Incredible talent and a system that filters out those that would not succeed in the system. I still contend to this day, that UPS employs the hardest working people in the world and holds them to incredible standards. I must admit that in my consulting career I have often seen work hailed as excellent in other organizations that wouldn’t keep a person employed at UPS.
Lastly, sincere, real face to face recognition for outstanding efforts. No corporate employee of the month program, no token attaboys or email congrats…but a firm handshake, a look directly in your eye, and an honest thank you for your efforts. From someone who knows what it took to get it done. From your partner in the mission.
Michael –
Does that post ever bring back memories to this former 30 year UPS’er. I experienced “Peak” from being a preloader, to driver, to operations management, to “LP”, to “HR”. You being there for those years will understand those positions.
I did 10 years on the HR post, hiring for 7 centers and 1 hub. And, I can second what you said about the quality of people in brown uniforms. You are absolutely right that there were many people who would have made great employees for other companies that I didn’t hire for UPS. And I told each of them they would be able to look there boss in the eye when they received there pay every week, knowing they earned every penny of that check – they would never have to back up to a paycheck! Most of the public probably would be surprised to learn that about 80% of package drivers also carry college degrees.
The teamwork during “Peak” is hard to understand unless you have been there.
I trust that all my former partners at UPS have a safe and prosperous season…
Thanks Rusty. My most memorable peak was when we “stretched” the Toledo Center one more year by bringing in trailers, cutting openings for loading package cars, running temporary rollers, kerosene heaters, and we made it! I ran preload that year, the following winter as Center Manager I got trial by fire dealing with the blizzard of 78.
I know things have changed, but I had great support from the Teamsters union during peak. Seems we were all drivers. 
I echo all of Rusty’s thoughts, having worked in Louisiana with Rusty I remember the peak of 79 when 11 new faces came together in a new Center called Ruston. Many were experience drivers but a couple like myself were seasonal hires. The beauty of it all was that we quickly became a team and worked toward the goal of all packages deliverey on-time before Christmas and without damage. I remember my last stop that peak season, it was in Summerfield Louisiana about 11:30 Christmas Eve night. I knocked on the door and a man answered with a shot gun in his hand. He said his mother-in-law had been calling all day to see if the christmas gifts for his children had been delivered. He told me he appreciated my dedication and to have a Merry Christmas. Little did he know that I had 30 minutes back to the center and then an hour home as I stilled lived in Shreveport. The gentleman and I joked later on how he told his kids it was Sanat that had knocked at the door so late and his little boy responded with does Santa use the UPS truck for his deliveries. That was my first peak season and set my standard for the 28 that followed.