You’re going to work for a

living SOME where, right?

Recommended: Print & pass to a business hopeful attending or considering college

     So you’ve earned a PhD, an MBA, LLB, MD, MS, MA, and all kinds of bachelor and associate degrees. You are Mr. or Mrs. (maybe “Dr.” ?) Joe (Josephine?) College, in the flesh. And the academic credentials got you a decent job. Now what? Do you seriously believe your 4.0 grade average means you’ve got what it takes to thrive … even survive?

     After your punishing (and expensive!) labs, coursework, exams, thesis papers and consulting with so-called “Academic Advisors,” if you have learned anything less than HOW to put ALL of the following to work, you’re in big-time trouble, and college put you there.

     Can you honestly say you have learned how to practice (and hopefully excel at) ALL of these attributes?:

• Making Decisions
• Managing Stress
• Managing Time
• Managing Customers
• Communicating Clearly
• Being a Leader
• SELLING
• Delegating
• Innovating
• Being a Team Player
• Listening and Giving Feedback
• Organizing
• Empathizing
• Respecting Others
• Being Genuine, Honest and Transparent
• Valuing Experience
• Accepting Criticism
• Setting and Pursuing Goals
• Being Accountable and Cultivating Trust
• Avoiding Political and Psychological “Games”

     Give or take perhaps a couple of the above items, these are the attributes that add up to being effective in business or professional practice (ANY business or professional practice) and without which, your road to success will be a long one indeed, especially if you aspire to a forward-moving or productive management position.

     Good leaders do all of these things well. So do good salespeople. All good leaders are also, not incidentally, good salespeople [SEE TOMORROW’S POST ON THIS SUBJECT!]  

     What’s sad about all this is that institutions of higher learning (other than a very small handful that do in fact address a number of these subjects as part of academic platforms on, for example, nursing and entrepreneurship and some behavioral sciences like human development) not only scoot around these issues; they outright reject them.

     Colleges and universities (again with rare exception) fail to value reality. They are invested in fantasizing on the past which will never come again, or the future which hasn’t yet arrived, and may never. They refuse to acknowledge their hands in front of their faces.

     So YOU end up losing out to an arcane system of learning that fails to deal with preparing students for life in the real world. It’s true.

How do I know? I’ve worked extensively in creative roles with Fortune 500 companies, as a consultant with entrepreneurial businesses and professional practices, as a management trainer for over 20,000 business and healthcare executives, and as “Professor of the Year” at a major university and two colleges. I’ve been in the thick of it.

     You DO have a way out. There IS hope. You need to first accept that you’ve been taught subject matter, not real life applications, not how to succeed. Second, you must commit to yourself to learn as much as you possibly can about yourself as possible.

The more you know about what makes you “tick,”

the more skilled and successful a leader you will be.

# # #               

Prepare to get your

socks knocked off!

     Great leadership is not always a product of war, sports, and business. Prepare to get your socks knocked off by taking 3 minutes out of your life to watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqbVbPvlDoM

     I guarantee it will make you smile. Many will laugh out loud. Some will cry. Because great leadership does that. And this, my dear entrepreneurial business owner, operator, and manager friends, is a fantastic example of great leadership. [If you’ve seen it before, watch it now from a business perspective!]

     Don’t shrug off this request if you’re serious about wanting to be a more effective leader. This is NOT your typical classroom or textbook approach to the subject. Take a quick visit to the link above, then jump back here for some insight and thought-provokers that you’ll never get from your ex-boss or your corporate gorilla brother-in-law.

     Go. Then come back…  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Welcome back! Now, that you’ve seen it [I was right, right?], think about what it is exactly that makes this performance such an outstanding example of perfect leadership. Skip the temptation to 0ffer wisecracks for a minute, and concentrate on what it is that you just saw happen. What connection did you see with the values and concepts that are suggested by the  following words? 

• SHARED MISSION
• CONFIDENCE
• TRUST
• CONCENTRATED ENERGY
• TEAMWORK
• FUN
• MUTUAL RESPECT
• POSITIVE ATTITUDE
• HIGH SPIRITS
• COMMUNICATION AND FEEDBACK
• LOYALTY
• PRACTICE
• “HERE AND NOW” FOCUS

     Have you ever experienced a leader of any kind who hasn’t exemplified a good handful of the attributes listed above? What do YOU need to do to cultivate more of these attributes for your SELF? How can you encourage and stimulate more of these practices in your own organization? 

     And curiously worth noting, no tangible rewards were offered. Did you notice any INtangible rewards? How big a role did nonverbal communication play in achieving success?  Are you sitting there on your hands, laughing smugly to yourself that this analogy is ridiculous because you are dealing with real, live, human beings, not a golden retriever … and you are the boss, not an animal trainer? Are you thinking that? I hope not.

     If you own or run a business or part of one, the reality is — whether you like it or not — that you are seen every day of the week by those who report to you, as a surrogate parent. You are a maternal or paternal figure to your employees. That makes you a trainer.

     They will do as you tell them, to a fault, if they respect you. And you will gain and hold their respect by practicing as many of the above-itemized attributes as possible as often as possible — in person, on the phone, in emails, in meetings.

     Why does it matter? Because the sum total of what you do, or have already been doing, with what’s presented here in this blog post will determine the branding of your organization. Branding is all about conduct, credibility, integrity, trust, and authenticity.

     Is that what YOUR branding is all about? What can you cherry-pick from here (and the video) that will move your branding — through your leadership — closer to where you want it to be?        

# # #               

Innovation Starts With

A Creative Idea.

     Innovation may end with the implementation of a strategic plan that carries a creative idea all the way through to completion — whether it’s a new product launch, and expanded service offering, a new approach to management or something else — but it begins with a creative idea!

     Hey, that’s great, you might say, but how do I stimulate my people to dream up creative ideas that we can innovate with? I have 6 engineers, 3 chemists, and 4 accountants reporting to me and the most creative thing any of them do is wear a plaid shirt on vacation.

     Aha! Then — assuming it’s worth 45 minutes a week to maybe light some fires under them and facilitate some positive changes — tell your team that it’s time to divest your business of its status quo investments.

     Tell them you want to begin making some big waves in the market and/or the industry and or the organization. Challenge them to rise to the occasion and take responsibility for introducing 3 new workable ideas each, every week.

     Give each person 1 minute to present each idea in each weekly status meeting. So 3 ideas each, 3 minutes = 3 x 13 team members = 39 minutes.

     Devote 1 minute of each meeting to creative stimulation activities: Make something out of a single page of newspaper! (Anything!) or draw a t-shirt and put the word or words or picture on it that best describes how you feel right now (Anything!) or pass a rock around and have each person pretend to put into it the one thing besides money that she/he thinks is missing from the company that could make it better, and say what that thing is (Anything!).

     Use 1 minute to vote on the 3 most feasible ideas and rank them. Address the #1 idea with 4 minutes of quick discussion about how the team could make the idea work. VOILA! 45 minutes a week of creative stimulation will most certainly produce some innovative pursuits. 

     Don’t be afraid of trying, or too quick to abandon the approach. It WILL work and it WILL bring some meaningful new directions from once stagnant corners of your business environment. Adapt the timing and challenges as you see fit. Email me if you have questions.

     As the owner or manager you have the implied power to make it work. It’s your choice to bring active, encouraging, fun-filled, and noncritical leadership to the table, to challenge others to take the risk of offering suggestions. And remember that bad and stupid suggestions will almost always trigger good productive ones that would otherwise NEVER have surfaced.

     So encourage ALL input and reward failures when there’s real effort involved. You’ll be amazed at the differences you can usher in within just a few short weeks of consistent and enthusiastic support. Similar approaches have brought astronomical success to all types and sizes of businesses. The keys: Encourage every effort and be persistent.  

# # #

It Doesn’t Fall From The Sky

…Innovation Needs Ignition

We’ve all heard  how the lousy economy is getting better now, and will soon (fingers crossed behind backs) be booming again. And even those of us who are eternal optimists know better than to believe a word of it.

Small business owners and operators and managers  know that only job creation will turn the tide, and that job creation will only come from increased sales, and that increased sales will only come from great customer service and … INNOVATION.

Here are ways/attitudes/ideas  that can help jump-start innovation (the development of new products, services, markets, ways of doing things, from ignition to blast-off to orbit and back) beginning right now:

1. Do not tolerate paralysis. Some action is always better than no action. Inspire a “Do it” mindset and reward failures when genuine efforts are made.

2. Try stuff!  Test it out. Ask customers and suppliers what they think. Convene quick focus groups. Scramble together as much quick feedback as possible and LISTEN to it!

3. Instill a sense of urgency  about taking initial ideas all the way through the thought and strategic launch process. Insist on thorough thinking done quickly. Don’t wait for lengthy studies, follow-up meetings, and long assessments.

4. Be open and receptive  to and encourage bizarre and eccentric and cyberspace thinking, but cultivate ongoing teamwork to shake ideas loose and get them organized and moving.

5. Get EVERY one engaged. The best results can sometimes come from the least expected sources. Make EVERY one who contributes part of the launch crew, with small frequent reinforcement rewards (fresh fruit in the lunch area, personal handwritten thank you and acknowledgment notes mailed to “The Family of” at home addresses, local news releases, website mentions)

     Remember that it doesn’t take much to shake things up  and spur some new innovative activity, but it can take a lot of work and a long time to restore order if you try to take things to fast in too many directions at the same time. Keep the ideas flowing. Keep each step of the way a product of organized teamwork. And keep control.

You need to ignite fires and encourage brainstorming with one hand, then bring things into realistic focus with the other. Yes indeed, you are once again in that old entrepreneurship attitude that you thrived on when you started.

Maybe you’ve lost touch  in recent times with some of those “egotistical, competitive, passionate, persistent-beyond-belief entrepreneurial traits” (Thank you Tom Peters and Nancy Austin in “A PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE…The Leadership Difference”)?

Perhaps someone convinced you not to worry about it because the economy is turning around? Perhaps it’s time for you to turn your business around with more innovative pursuits and action. Perhaps?

# # #

Your Laundry? No.

But Your News? Yes!

     Dear Boss – No, your employees are not entitled to inspect your laundry,  but they do need to be empowered to accept and process your ideas and plans, and be encouraged to contribute according to their experience, skills, and capabilities. 

     If you’re playing this  (seemingly never-ending) ongoing small business economic disaster news close to the vest, and not sharing what’s happening with those around you,  you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face . . . you may be missing a unique opportunity to take advantage of free, life-saving input from those with invested time and energy. 

     If you’re keeping to yourself  where you see things going, and not discussing your ideas for how you’re going to get there, you are shooting yourself in the foot. (And, psssssst: no nose and no foot can make things even tougher than they already are.)

“As the economy continues to shift, keeping employees up-to-date on how the company is responding, and how they are affected, will help insure against their becoming demoralized and disconnected.

“Effective communication helps engage employees, and that has positive implications for productivity and the bottom line.” 

–Kathryn Yates, global leader of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt

     You have chosen to own and/or manage a business or part of one.  Along with that choice comes significant leadership responsibility. Along with leadership responsibility comes the obligation to maintain and encourage 2-way communications with all those who report to you. 

     This is not a responsibility to take lightly.  Keeping those around you informed of what’s going on, spelling out for them how you see what’s going on, and where you aim to take things is the kind of stuff that makes or breaks the backbone of a business.

     Notice I said “2-way”  which means listening as intently as telling. It means weighing, assessing, and actively considering the suggestions of those around you. They are, remember, around you because you chose for them to be around you and you did that because you respect and trust them.

     So? So respect and trust them!  Accept that your people are as invested in keeping their jobs and growing the business as you are. They may not match your personal commitment level, but give them the benefit of doubt when they have ideas and suggestions. You might even learn something that makes a difference! 

# # #

Got Good Advice?

     If you’re putting all your business eggs  in one consultant or one consulting group basket, don’t give your business long to live! It may be time to remind yourself that your business is your baby, that you’ve worked hard to get it up and on its feet, and toddling forward. Sure it will fall on its face a few times, but YOU are the only one who can get it back on track.

     When you hire a consultant or consulting firm  and expect her/him/it to get all your ducks in a row, you’re headed for Disneyland! And given the kinds of fees being charged these days, you may also be on your way to the poorhouse.

     It’s an age-old proven fact  that the best solution to ANY organizational problem lies WITHIN the organization. The challenge therefore is HOW to draw it out, not to decide on what consultant to hire to analyze it to death and make recommendations you don’t need!

     Except for highly technical consultants, no consultant (inside OR outside) can waltz in  and pinpoint a management or organizational solution direction for you to follow. My best guess is that that person or “team” will be wrong more than 99% of the time. Why?

IF YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM,

YOU CAN’T BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

BECAUSE YOU’LL NEVER FULLY GRASP THE PROCESS!

     You own or run or manage the company  and that means YOU are the only one who can understand and guide the unique solution process as it exists in your unique organization. The ball’s in your court. You can get consulting HELP, but in the end it will always have to be your solution and your decision.

     Soooooooooo — why do you want to pay  for one support entity when you can have 5 or 7 (odd number recommended) support entities helping you FOR FREE? Huh? The best consulting help you can engage will be to help you engage an advisory board that can help steer your ship while you sleep or visit the head!

     You will probably also do this task better by yourself,  but — in starting an advisory board — objective, outside input can be valuable. Start with people you trust who you know agree with the general growth directions you plan, and who are willing to commit time and energy. They need not agree with you on the details of how to get there, but that’s okay.

     Reward them  by serving food and snacks at meetings; give them free samples of products and/or allow them “family” discounts on services. Treat them special. Require confidentiality but be 100% honest with them, and cultivate a high trust level with each. Keep them informed of both good and bad news.

     Call them together quarterly, monthly when needed. Don’t ever waste their time. Always have pre-circulated agendas of problem-solution issues and bring key employees in to present the details. Stick to the agendas. Give out assignments. Have goals of leaving meetings with solutions. Work it.

     Yes, it’s work,  but you’ll get better input, free, from people who feel they have a stake in the contributions they make, and whose input wins your respect. They will also end up being your best salespeople!

# # #               

You Suck Eggs!

Yeah, well suck THIS: I QUIT!

You can’t quit; You’re Fired!

     You KNOW that the mainstream media lie.  You know the economy isn’t getting better. You know because you see your sales performance. You know because you’ve had to make lousy cutback choices you hate.

     So you’re irritable.  Your fuse is getting shorter. You’re ready to jump down the nearest throat. And the last thing you want to hear is for somebody to tell you to chill! 

     Okay, sometimes it’s hard  to realize that your angry upset feelings are a choice. And sometimes you just want to steamroller over it anyway. You’ve just read 10 sentences of negative thinking.

     Here:  http://halalpiar.com/2009/05/4-steps-in-one-minute-zero-stress/  Try this one-minute diversion for something positive. Go ahead. I’ll wait for you. You’ll be glad you did. Click on it for a 60-second visit, then come back!

     You did it or you “copped out”?  You know what? Where your business, your family, your friendships –and frankly anyone you encounter– comes into play, you really can’t afford to not take advantage of every opportunity to get yourself into, and consistently demonstrate a positive frame of mind.

     Angry feelings ARE a choice.  Deep breathing DOES serve to reduce stress and de-fuse anger. The point is that unless you are monitoring yourself (especially if you’re the boss). no one else is going to do it for you!

     The old saying that it takes two to tango hovers in a holding pattern over ill intentions.  It’s ALWAYS the boss’s job to back off. Real leaders back off. There’s a time to charge forward but not when it involves stampeding over others you are responsible for leading. You are the one who must de-fuse situations… hard to do when your own is sizzling!

     There’s no challenge in accelerating anger.  There’s no intelligence in accelerating anger. There’s no taking back the words or tools used in accelerating anger. There’s no leadership in accelerating anger. There’s no integrity in accelerating anger. There’s only stupidity.

     Why?  Because –and I can promise you this– it will ALWAYS come back to haunt you, perhaps when you least expect it and when it can do you the most personal and / or business harm, but rest assured it WILL come back to haunt you.

     All that having been said,  it’s hard to imagine anyone dumb enough to do it anyway, right? Wrong! Wrong because anger is probably at least half the time an UNconscious choice, capable of rearing its ugly head in the most innocent of circumstances.

     The ounce of prevention  then has to do with making sure you literally surround yourself with positive thinking, positive people, positive statements as much of the time as possible, keep a “here and now” focus as much of the time as possible … and remember to breathe!

# # #               

Call it whatever you want…

     Call it an incubator,  a co-op, a strategic alliance, shared platforms, networking, whatever you want . . . the bottom line is that the long-term business success effects of this sucky economy and dollar devaluation are going to be measured in terms of how much you can be both a leader AND a team player!

     The US Army teaches  that — among other things — to be a great leader requires also being a great teammate and follower. You can lead your business straight over the cliff by ignoring all other businesses around you and “going for broke,” if you choose a path of arrogance.

     The major difference  between arrogance and self-sufficiency and independence is that the first of these is an attitude. Combining forces with other businesses doesn’t render you helpless. If it does, you’ve selected the wrong business to work with, or you have an attitude problem.

     Combining forces with other businesses  should put your business — and the others — in a position of strength. It means that one business picks up where the other leaves off to the mutual benefit of all involved. Money can be involved, but it doesn’t always have to be. Ego is almost always involved; don’t let it be. Self-importance loses wars, and crushes business ventures!

     A Two-Way WIN-WIN:  I work with a bright young business that specializes in Internet marketing (website design and services, email and SEO programs, etc.). We combined website development interests because that firm’s strengths were tech-driven and mine were content-driven. We share responsibilities on work generated and produce a better, more complete product by focusing on what we do best.

     A Three-Way WIN-WIN-WIN:  A local liquor store and area deli have combined forces at a local fire department to raise money for an area charity by paying the fire department space rental and soliciting donations for admission to a “Giant Wine & Cheese Tasting Festival” that includes vendor donations of wine and cheese from a couple of dozen manufacturers and distributors who supply the two stores. Actually, if you think about it, this is like a 30-Way WIN situation.

     Can your business share  a workspace? A receptionist? A display area? A parking lot? A truck or delivery service? A database? Utilities? Cleaning services? Expertise? Research? Resources? Sales teams? Payroll services? Meeting rooms? Advertising media expenses? THINK about it!

     The next chapter in American business  will revolve around ways to economize even more than you are right now. The challenge will be to make the most of every resource, including those of neighboring or allied businesses. OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS.   

# # #               

EX-employees can

be your best sales source!

     Remember that young dude  you liked who used to work for you? He was the guy who moved too fast for others in the department, and never seemed challenged enough, but there were no quicker-paced jobs open at the time, and he left for parts unknown? Well, he’s back in town and working for one of your major suppliers!

     How about Old Man Muckitymuck  who retired after 20 years with your company? Did you know he’s now on the board of directors of one of your biggest customers?

     And so it goes.  If you didn’t fire ’em, and they were people who left on good terms and simply moved on or retired, they represent a potential gold mine of accelerated sales, new revenue streams, and quality employee referrals, among other possibilities.

     Even someone who’s retired and living in some active adult community,  playing bocce by day, and poker by night, has formed new friend networks that can easily include the father of a major customer or the brother of a key prospect you’re trying to sell… maybe enough to tip the scale in your favor. Y’never know!

     But you never really WILL know  until you start digging and updating and taking inventory of who is where now, and how each may have an opportunity to help your current business needs. 

     Remember that these are all people  who have a working knowledge of your business and industry. They already understand your unique selling proposition, and — hopefully — have a positive attitude toward you and your business and the work experience they had with you. 

     That fact alone makes this group the ideal salesforce. Make them a captive audience and you never know where it can lead you. It is proven. It is being done by major business leaders in companies like DOW, and Microsoft, and Coca-Cola, and Deloitte. It is just as easily done by you. And it’s FREE!

     What’s required is simple. You get these folks together a couple of times a year — perhaps in a special “off-campus” social setting where you treat them to drinks and dinner, and perhaps some overnight accommodations and special events, including an update of what’s new since they were involved… and where you see things headed… and ask for their help.

     Add to that,  an email newsletter and a password-protected page or two on your website that allows for chatroom experiences and a bulletin board for classified ad postings.  

If you’re interested in a FREE “Benefits to Your Business” summary and FREE 10-Step Plan for initiating an Alumni Relations Program in your company, just shoot an email to me Hal@Businessworks.US with “10 STEPS” in the subject line and remember to include your name, business name and a phone number where I can call you with one free (no-strings attached) update to the attachments. Email and phone number privacy are guaranteed! 

# # # 

Input always welcome Hal@TheWriterWorks.com “Blog” in subject line or comment below. Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You! Make it a GREAT Day! Hal

Cultivating leadership

below?

What’s happening

above?

“Leadership is not just telling people what you want… it is getting people to do what you need them to do.”

— JON ALTERMAN, Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic & International Studies

     I’ve often told the story  that’s now regarded as classic leadership style about (Pre-U.S. President) General Dwight David Eisenhower, during WWII, when he was addressing a group of his officers at a makeshift table on the battlefield with a piece of string.

     He first pushed the string  across the table with thumb and forefinger and demonstrated the end result being a tangle. Next he took the end of the string between the same two fingers and shook it a bit before gently pulling it, demonstrating the straight-line formation of the string… and made his point clearly that troops who were pulled by their leader would perform better than those the leader pushed.

     Are you pulling or pushing?

     You own or manage a business  and are solely responsible for motivating your troops. You set the example. If you are pushing people, others below you are pushing people. Pushed people get resentful and become uncooperative.

     If you are stepping out onto the front lines  and pulling others along, you will be more likely to gain and retain the respect and loyalty of those below you who you are pulling. They will believe in you and trust you and follow you.

     This thinking and approach  is as critical at the very top levels of federal and state and local government as it is in multinational corporations and in Mom & Pop retail stores. Small business is not immune from Eisenhower-style leadership. In fact, it’s the place to ignite the kinds of larger, global applications that will eventually bolster world economy.

     I know, you’re more worried about your family right now,  right?. Then start focusing more on “getting people to do what you need them to do” by pulling instead of pushing.

     It matters not  that you sell pizza, luxury automobiles, chickens, well-drilling, website designs, media advertising, crabs, healthcare services, insurance, pickles, legal services, clothing, or real estate.

What matters is that you keep working every single day at making your leadership style better because the solidity of your customer base is only as good as the day-to-day performance of your employees, and your employee performance is only as good as the constant attention you give to the kind of leadership you provide.

Your leadership speaks of your integrity.

Your integrity is your brand!  

# # #

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Hal@Businessworks.US    302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!