Today I was working with a new employee and going over some sales strategies. This is were I really enjoy spending my time and helping people develop into something they do not think they can be. This also goes back to the attitude skill vs. will and why some people are successful and why others are not. In my career I have seen numerous people who have been successful for one reason only and that is because of hard work. They are not the smartest person in the room, might not be the best looking, and probably are not the most talented but for some reason they are always on top. They have the will to be successful.
On the the other hand I have seen people who have all the talent in the world but their work ethic is horrible and they simply perform terribly. These are the people who traditionally have one good month and then take the next month off. This is not a skill issue however it is a will issue.
In business I would much rather surround myself with people who have the will rather than the pure skill. You cannot teach will but you can teach skills. People who do not have skills will traditionally gravitate to the people who do and if these people do not have will you have just created a cancer. This cancer will spread quickly and the people effected most will not be the ones will skills as they can rebound at any time. People are the key to a successful business it is who you surround yourself that will determine your success.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Tough Decisions
In business a leader will be faced with tough decisions. Although these decisions are not always going to be easy they are going to be what a leader will be remembered by. In some situations people will come first and business will come second. The tough part about these situations is a leader will make a personal decision rather than a true business decisions. Emotions always run high and it is best if possible to consult with a 3rd party to make a clear decision.
The key to a successful visit with the consultant will require open and honest feedback. Open means the willingness to accept new ideas, change current behaviors, and adapt to new strategies. Honesty is a key to any business communication and is a fundamental for a successful business. This might seem to be common sense but for some reason leaders forget the importance of it.
Making the tough decision is not going to be easy but the only thing worse than making a poor tough decision is not making a decision at all. Passive leaders will fail not because they do not take risks, however they will fail because they do not inspire and create vision for others to lead.
The key to a successful visit with the consultant will require open and honest feedback. Open means the willingness to accept new ideas, change current behaviors, and adapt to new strategies. Honesty is a key to any business communication and is a fundamental for a successful business. This might seem to be common sense but for some reason leaders forget the importance of it.
Making the tough decision is not going to be easy but the only thing worse than making a poor tough decision is not making a decision at all. Passive leaders will fail not because they do not take risks, however they will fail because they do not inspire and create vision for others to lead.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Results for you or despite you
In a recent experience I have come to find that outstanding results do not always imply everything is going great. As I began to meet my team there are some people who are clearly unhappy with the way the leadership has been recently. From a high level an outsider might look at the results and say everything must be going great they are doing outstanding. In actuality this might be a ticking time bomb that is ready to explode at any minute. So my question is why? My response is two fold which is people either drive results for you or despite you.
Lets start with driving results despite you, this can be achieved and will have short term success. This is very evident in most sales cultures as they are constantly looking toward the next month and not appreciating the performance that is taking place in the current month. The downside to this is that the performance will not last and slowly this approach will begin to deteriorate the teams morale. This traditionally leads to high attrition levels, low customer service scores and a constant help wanted sign in the front door. The leaders in these types of situations are usually viewed as selfish and concerned about their individual performance. Most employees in this approach do not feel appreciated, valued or even worse fulfilled. Needless to say this approach will drive short term results but when when you are promoted your team will say good reddens and not congratulations.
Driving results for you, is the second approach and the most effective for long term sustained success. The first step in gaining success in this approach is "know your team." Knowing your team does not mean knowing their names, it means knowing their life story, their career goals, who is important to them, and what really motivates them. This approach takes time and if done appropriately trust can be built very quickly. A best practice that I have found works well is sitting down with people individually and asking them about their personal life not goals or results. For some this is very hard to do, opening up to a perfect stranger is a challenge. However, this usually leads to talking about the challenges they might be having in their professional life as it is much easier and is common ground. On the other hand if you asked about challenges they are facing without any intention of getting to know them on a personal level they might not know what your true intentions are. Thus leading to a lack of trust and less willing to give the feedback that you ultimately want. Once you have established trust and a common goal they will begin to drive results for you. They need to understand you are working for them not against them. Furthermore once this has been achieved the team will begin to drive sustained results that they did not know they could achieve.
Lets start with driving results despite you, this can be achieved and will have short term success. This is very evident in most sales cultures as they are constantly looking toward the next month and not appreciating the performance that is taking place in the current month. The downside to this is that the performance will not last and slowly this approach will begin to deteriorate the teams morale. This traditionally leads to high attrition levels, low customer service scores and a constant help wanted sign in the front door. The leaders in these types of situations are usually viewed as selfish and concerned about their individual performance. Most employees in this approach do not feel appreciated, valued or even worse fulfilled. Needless to say this approach will drive short term results but when when you are promoted your team will say good reddens and not congratulations.
Driving results for you, is the second approach and the most effective for long term sustained success. The first step in gaining success in this approach is "know your team." Knowing your team does not mean knowing their names, it means knowing their life story, their career goals, who is important to them, and what really motivates them. This approach takes time and if done appropriately trust can be built very quickly. A best practice that I have found works well is sitting down with people individually and asking them about their personal life not goals or results. For some this is very hard to do, opening up to a perfect stranger is a challenge. However, this usually leads to talking about the challenges they might be having in their professional life as it is much easier and is common ground. On the other hand if you asked about challenges they are facing without any intention of getting to know them on a personal level they might not know what your true intentions are. Thus leading to a lack of trust and less willing to give the feedback that you ultimately want. Once you have established trust and a common goal they will begin to drive results for you. They need to understand you are working for them not against them. Furthermore once this has been achieved the team will begin to drive sustained results that they did not know they could achieve.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Leadership Development
Today I was able to sit down with some of my new team and really get to know them on a personal and professional level. As I sat down with the leader in the office I began to ask her what she felt her strengths and developmental opportunities might be. As I mentioned this to her, her face changed as if she had just seen a ghost. I then went on to say it is important for a leader to know what they are strong at but more importantly what they need to improve on.
To break the tension I took the lead and gave her my strengths and more importantly developmental opportunities. I explained I had a recent leader that once told me if you have more strengths and developmental opportunities than that is your 1st developmental opportunity. After I took the lead she really opened up and began to tell me what she felt she was going to have to work on in the future.
Although this seems like a small step it is actually a large step when beginning the development of a leader. The conversation went very well and was evident this was the first time she had ever had a conversation about leadership. This is mainly because her results have been outstanding. In some cases managers forget that individual results do not always translate into outstanding leadership. I explained the importance of feedback and how communication is a two way street it is going to take great communication to become a great leader. I explained the importance of how bringing ideas to the table will be instrumental in the growth of our business. I am excited for the upcoming challenge my success will be measured by her success as a leader.
To break the tension I took the lead and gave her my strengths and more importantly developmental opportunities. I explained I had a recent leader that once told me if you have more strengths and developmental opportunities than that is your 1st developmental opportunity. After I took the lead she really opened up and began to tell me what she felt she was going to have to work on in the future.
Although this seems like a small step it is actually a large step when beginning the development of a leader. The conversation went very well and was evident this was the first time she had ever had a conversation about leadership. This is mainly because her results have been outstanding. In some cases managers forget that individual results do not always translate into outstanding leadership. I explained the importance of feedback and how communication is a two way street it is going to take great communication to become a great leader. I explained the importance of how bringing ideas to the table will be instrumental in the growth of our business. I am excited for the upcoming challenge my success will be measured by her success as a leader.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Staying on Track
Tonight I had a meeting with my MBA class to discuss our international trip that we will be taking in the upcoming months. The session was about 2 hours long and really could have been condensed to about 30 minutes. I admire the fact the professors were taking the time to share their experiences and give feedback but at times the conversation did not flow very. It is safe to say that the train was derailed and the key points were really not discussed in enough detail.
In my opinion when presenting you have to have a direct plan of action and a clear message. It is important to outline in the beginning of the presentation what the goals of the session will be and what the audience can expect to take away. There is certainly a time for questions in every meeting but as a moderator this has to be managed appropriately. A large group will lose focus very quickly if they do not see the value in the presentation. Paying attention can be challenging for some and if you notice the group getting restless it might be a good idea to regroup and refocus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention
In my opinion when presenting you have to have a direct plan of action and a clear message. It is important to outline in the beginning of the presentation what the goals of the session will be and what the audience can expect to take away. There is certainly a time for questions in every meeting but as a moderator this has to be managed appropriately. A large group will lose focus very quickly if they do not see the value in the presentation. Paying attention can be challenging for some and if you notice the group getting restless it might be a good idea to regroup and refocus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Junior Achievement
Today I had an outstanding experience with Junior Achievement. A peer and myself went to a local elementary school and taught a lesson to a group of 1st graders. It is amazing to see how excited a group of children can get when they are treated to the best gift of all, knowledge. As we began it was evident the class was going to be fun and energetic. The kids were awesome and eager to learn and the focus was on business, family and needs/wants.
It is amazing to see the dynamic of how the world is changing. These children at the age of 6 are talking about computers, video games and other electronics. In this day in age you have to be on the cutting edge of technology or you are going to be left behind.
Giving back to the community is a great feeling. The feeling that you get when you see the smiles on the children's faces is outstanding. In life and in business it is important to make these sacrifices especially to the next generation. These are the people that will be running our companies, politics, and schools. Everyone has a busy life and the thought of making more time is always difficult but if everyone in the world just gave 4 hours a year could you imagine the impact it could have.
It is amazing to see the dynamic of how the world is changing. These children at the age of 6 are talking about computers, video games and other electronics. In this day in age you have to be on the cutting edge of technology or you are going to be left behind.
Giving back to the community is a great feeling. The feeling that you get when you see the smiles on the children's faces is outstanding. In life and in business it is important to make these sacrifices especially to the next generation. These are the people that will be running our companies, politics, and schools. Everyone has a busy life and the thought of making more time is always difficult but if everyone in the world just gave 4 hours a year could you imagine the impact it could have.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Reference
I recently had a call from a former employee that was looking to use me as a reference. This was a person who I worked with about 4 years ago. I value these relationships and since I have been displaced in my career I will do whatever I can to help out another person during this challenging time.
To give some background about this person I took over an office that was struggling with performance about 4 years ago. The former manager did not give any time, guidance, or leadership and this individual was craving for a new approach. As I met with him I noticed immediately his analytical ability and strength when it came to numbers was outstanding. However his opportunities were very defined and in a sales role he was not going to be successful long term. This led to a tough conversation with him and intern I was able to find him a new role within the organization. After about 2 years we each decided to go our separate ways and about 12 months ago I received a phone call asking to write a letter of recommendation for him for law school. He was accepted but after long thought he has decided to go back into business.
After talking to him today I asked him some very specific questions about what he wanted out of his career if he wanted to be in sales or operations. Immediately he began to try to balance his answer not wanting to trap himself into a corner. I explained to him this is not about making me happy it is about making himself happy. In life we are all going to be faced with situations that we are going to have to make tough decisions. When it comes to your career you have to make a decision that is going to make you happy long term. In this situation we have uncovered his real passion is in the operational side of the business. This is where he should focus his search and I explained I have already began passing his name along to some peers.
I guess the key to this posting is to not burn the bridge no matter how long or how short that bridge might be. In life we need people who we can count on, people who we trust will be there during the tough times. If you are the one that people can count on than during these times than you are a LEADER.
To give some background about this person I took over an office that was struggling with performance about 4 years ago. The former manager did not give any time, guidance, or leadership and this individual was craving for a new approach. As I met with him I noticed immediately his analytical ability and strength when it came to numbers was outstanding. However his opportunities were very defined and in a sales role he was not going to be successful long term. This led to a tough conversation with him and intern I was able to find him a new role within the organization. After about 2 years we each decided to go our separate ways and about 12 months ago I received a phone call asking to write a letter of recommendation for him for law school. He was accepted but after long thought he has decided to go back into business.
After talking to him today I asked him some very specific questions about what he wanted out of his career if he wanted to be in sales or operations. Immediately he began to try to balance his answer not wanting to trap himself into a corner. I explained to him this is not about making me happy it is about making himself happy. In life we are all going to be faced with situations that we are going to have to make tough decisions. When it comes to your career you have to make a decision that is going to make you happy long term. In this situation we have uncovered his real passion is in the operational side of the business. This is where he should focus his search and I explained I have already began passing his name along to some peers.
I guess the key to this posting is to not burn the bridge no matter how long or how short that bridge might be. In life we need people who we can count on, people who we trust will be there during the tough times. If you are the one that people can count on than during these times than you are a LEADER.
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