Connections

Keeping in contact with old friends and building a network is an area that few do well. I was reviewing some profiles on linkedin and it is amazing to see how social networking has exploded. Some people do a great job at it while others are terrible. Business is built on relationships, direct or indirect, yet some feel business will come to them regardless if they put in the effort.

I have worked with small businesses over the past few years and one of the major opportunities small businesses have is a detailed business and/or a marketing plan. Sure they had one at one point but for some reason they have forgotten about it or have not revised it. I am not advocating owning a business is easy, actually it is probably the toughest thing you can do. However I would venture to say if small business owners consulted with a coach who could keep them on track, set goals, align strategies their success would increase tremendously. If you do not change behaviors you should not expect a change in results.

Holiday Season

Why do people act so different around the holidays? Is it the relief of completing another year or the celebration of the Christmas season? I find it remarkable how people interact during this time with family, friends and peers. People who do not usually talk inevitably end up conversing and catching up on what has taken place over the past few months.

I think we should all strive for a environment and culture where we do not need a holiday to bring out these emotions. Wouldn't it be great if people were genuinely concerned about each other and showed respect regardless of the time of the year. Of course it is now the day after Christmas and I would argue to continue to the spirit of goodwill, just because Christmas is over does not mean the feeling has to go away.

Mitchell Report

If you are a baseball fan the past couple of days have been shocking to say the least. The use of steroids in baseball is at a level that people could have never imagined. There are potential hall of fame players that are being accused and their reputations are in jeopardy. My question is are they a by product of a culture that demands the pressure to succeed?

In business, like baseball, people are constantly looking for an edge. In business it might mean acquiring a new company, hiring a top executive, or hedging the company's assets for capital. Depending on the culture of the organization all of these are relative and the culture decides how far you should go. I once worked in a culture that was so driven by goals you felt that at any given time you could lose your job if you missed the numbers. Regardless of tenure or experience you miss the goals 2 months in a row and you better get your resume ready. I worked in this environment for 6 years and throughout that time I seen numerous people being fired for compliance/regulation reasons. Yes, these people were jeopardizing their careers in order to keep their careers. It seems strange, right? The answer is no, the culture demanded that you hit your goals but did not demand you have the utmost integrity.

I view the situation with MLB to the situation that happens everyday in business. At an early age people are learning how to beat the system, cheating on tests, staying past curfew, under age drinking. So why do we expect these same people once they are in a leadership positions to change. If you do not like the actions that are taking place take a look at the culture and environment. If you change one person you impact one, if you change the environment and the culture you will impact many!

unintentional destruction

Sometimes leaders do not realize what they are saying might actually be causing distruction in the workplace. In a office enviroment people are bound to discuss today's daily events, yesterday's accomplishments and tomorrows goals. However focus on the uncontrolable leads to distruction.

In my career I have seen managers focus their time and energy on things that are out of their control thus bringing their team's productivity to a stand still. This is rarely intentional and most likely an attempt to deliver results. Nonetheless actions that focus on the uncontrollable lead to destruction.

In today's economy people are focused on what is going to happen to my job, what if the housing market never recovers, what if we are bought out by a competitor? All of these scenarios cannot be controlled by the average employee. An employee can focus on what am I doing to provide results for shareholders, am I building a track record that makes me marketable to other firms, and am I learning what or what not to do next time?

As a leader remember to control your environment and help create an environment that is constructive not deconstructive.