The Good Fight

Jane had just been given the news; quarterly results were bleak.  The new product was rejected by the market and she was running out of options.  True to her entrepreneurial spirit, she doubled down.  Sending R&D back to the drawing board she created tight timelines that urged the focus of company employees.  She pushed, prodded and persuaded the board to give her time.  Her plan was without contingency.  It was do or die.

Within a month, things were looking...

What is your fight?  What will you push and prod to make a success?  Is there a time to throw in the towel?  All victories are won with a little blood, sweat and prayers.  Are you willing to pay the price?

Full Steam Ahead!

Climbing hills is tough work, mountains are even harder.  Setting a series of achievable goals can bring a difficult goal within reach.  Set the mark and begin moving forward.  Too much time is spent contemplating obstacles that are far in our future, start moving and see your goals met.  There are many easy wins that can be found by taking one small step.

  Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great!"

                                    John D. Rockefeller

5 Steps to Influence

There is a power that is magical in business.  It comes from the ability to establish credibility.  Credibility goes a long way towards developing that magical power of influence.  Credibility comes from:

• Act with integrity.  (Integrity is not a set of values but the act of being consistent in what you say and what you do.  Even bad guys can have integrity if they claim to be bad and are in fact bad, they have integrity.  Often misused to mean a set of high moral standards.  Instead it is being who you say you are.)
• Have and know your core beliefs.  Where is your right and wrong?  Where is your line in the sand?
• Build win/win relationships.  Build relationships where win/win works.  Aligned values, goals and when possible make it fun.
• Lead the way.  Influence comes from successful experience.  
• Consider the future.  Thought leaders are often influential because they lead us in new directions.

 So there it is...what other steps can we take to be influential?

Swagger

How important is our image in business today?  It's easy, in the age of remote work and the internet, to forget the importance of representing well.  Shorts in place of suits, flip flops in place of wingtips are nice substitutions if you can swing it.  The question is, can we? 

Look at our global competition before deciding.  If you're happy to live with a single customer, certain that you can count on them to always be around then...who cares?  If you believe that if you aren't growing then you are shrinking, that there is someone in Mumbai or Hanoi or Beijing that wants your job and will throw their heart and soul into doing it better than you...just given a chance...  Well then off with the flip flops and on with the serious time to get into business face. 

When you know you are ready, you will show your swagger.  By the power of reciprocity, you will grow as a human and in your business.  Moreover, if your swagger is strong enough, you may just lead a few others to swag right along side.

Value

"What's it worth to you" the salesman asked.  "It meets your need, it's available and you obviously need it" he continued.  The customer stared into space with a dumbfounded expression.  "I don't get it.  What is the price" he asked.  The salesman a bit irritated said, "How much do you have?" The customer looked at the salesman in dismay.  "You are right, it does meet my needs and I need it, but I would never buy it here" he turned and walked away.

Of course that's not how business is conducted.  If it were, sales would be the most difficult job in the world.  Instead, the selling process is built around the framework of the value proposition.  It's a clear expression of what the benefits and costs are. Sometimes it's one sided and other times it's balanced.  It helps me, the customer to establish a measure of value.

Fine tuning the price of a product should involve a study of the elasticity of demand to a product (If prices go up will the customers follow?).  The value proposition is much simpler than pricing models.  It simply states:

All Benefits - All Costs = Value Proposition

Explain your offer to potential customers clearly.  It will help you find the right customers early and with a reasonable expectation of success.

I Can See Clearly Now...

"I just don't get it" said the entrepreneur.  "We make a fantastic product, in fact, better than any of our competitors."  The consultant asked, "What's not to get?"  The entrepreneur answered, "It's market share.  We are taking a nose dive."  "Draw your business model for me" said the consultant.  "I'm not sure I've ever done that, where would I start?"

The process of discovery often takes a curious path.  I have found through visualization team members, partners and clients can quickly digest complex information and discover inconsistencies and/or errors.  I'm providing a link to my friend Tom Hulme form the London IDEO office.  It's a great place to start and I think you will enjoy the process.  Click here to visualize your business model in 15 minutes.  

Uncontrollable

Sometimes things get out of hand.  What you once believed to be manageable has become unwieldy and perhaps larger than you had ever imagined.  This can happen because you have a misunderstanding of the true situation or you have missed a key reality.  Soon you discover that the event has become uncontrollable.  Your next steps can be critical to your survival.

Assuming that you are at a critical moment, scenario playing and role-play are out of the question.  If your not there, start considering this powerful tool to help visualize all outcomes before you are in crisis mode.  If you are knee deep in quick sand and fading fast, here are some steps that will help:

1. Gather the information quickly.  
2. Compose yourself.
3. If you are at fault, accept responsibility.
4. Deliver instructions clearly and succinctly. (Confirm that they are understood)
5. Stand strong, once you've chosen the path, fight through.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, "Be sure you put your feet in the right place and stand firm."

5 Must Haves for Leadership

There has been a long standing discussion on the traits and development of leaders.  Some would claim they are pre-programmed or born leaders while others argue that anyone can become a leader.  What we can generally agree on is that leaders, at least the good ones, share some remarkable traits.  Here are 5 traits that every leader or wannabe should continuously develop:

1. Lead from the front.  Leaders must steer clear of the old 'Do as I say not as I do' attitude.  It is important that leaders set the example and create a model for their followers.
2. Be vivid in your dream-casting.  Leaders are often responsible for inspiring their team.  Develop way of explaining that really connect with others.  Leaders understand that the same story must be told a dozen different ways in order to connect with all constituencies.
3. Leaders ask why.  A leader must look at every aspect of the work and determine the reason behind it.  Leaders cut out busy work and replace it with meaningful efforts that move the organization forward.
4. Leaders are confident and willing to encourage participation from followers.  No fences or walls that artificially kill input and participation.  Leaders clear a path for their team to engage.  Leaders understand action is progress.
5. Leaders encourage.  It's easy to tear something down.  Some people even think it makes them stronger as they destroy others.  Not true.  Leaders are constantly coaching, directing and applauding the efforts of their teams.  

It's not easy being a leader and you won't get it right everyday but by focusing on these five elements, leaders can transform an organization from marginal to extraordinary.  Oh, and leaders come in all shapes and sizes...you can lead an organization from the lowest rung on the ladder.  So lead!

The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.
                                                                                                 ~Henry Kissinger 

Team Building: Peanut Butter and Ketchup

There are things that go well together as if it was part of God's master plan and then there are things that...well, they just can never go together.  Like peanut butter and ketchup, the thought is probably as bad as the taste. Teaming arrangements are similar.  Here are a few tips for building the team:

1. Never consider a teaming relationship unless there is money on the table.  There must be a project that will pay the bills.  Too much time is spent teaming and planning the "What we're gonna do."
2. Look for teaming partners that fill a weakness.  You've got ideas, they have money.  You have a technology, they have a distribution channel.
3. Cultural fit is important.  Before you marry, have a few dates to explore compatibility.  Make sure you have ideas that are not counter to each other.  
4. Be clear on the terms and roles of each member's participation.  Get clear contract advice and follow it.  Remember, this is the honeymoon.  If things aren't working smoothly here, they won't suddenly get better once you are in a project.
5. Stand back and take a look at the team.  Does it make sense or is it peanut butter and ketchup?

 Odd couples occasionally work...but stick with the numbers on this one.  Felix and Oscar (The Odd Couple) made it work, not without a struggle.  If running your business isn't hard enough and you must have a challenge, wear a blindfold.  You can take it off without repercussions.  

The One Thing That Can Save Your Business

"Spiraling out of control, that's what's going on in my business" he said.  "We have looked at quality, costs, competition and everything else we could think of.  We just can't figure it out."  The consultant calmly looked over the information provided and asked, "How's your revenue?"  The executive seemed unsettled, "Well you know times are tough. This is the worst economy in years."  ..."And revenue" the consultant asked once more.  "Not what they should be" confessed the executive.

We can become easily distracted from the real work at hand.  Our first order of business must be to increase revenue.  All other problems cease to exist if your revenue is falling.  We must focus on growth.  Here's what growth in revenue can do:

1. Revenue buys you time with creditors.  If you are improving your position they will hold on longer and become easier to deal with.
2. More revenue makes employees breathe again.  They can see their work is making a difference.
3. It provides management with a tool to resolve other issues.
4. It is required to significantly increase profit over the long term.
5. It's a sign of a healthy business.

So, let's dedicate this week to improving revenue.  Think outside the box...go and do.

Getting Networking Right - HBR IdeaCast - Harvard Business Review

Getting Networking Right - HBR IdeaCast - Harvard Business Review

Death by Diplomacy

"I have never looked at it like that" the boss said.  "It seems so obvious now but before it was hidden right in front of my face." Maggie was amazed, she didn't believe that she could teach the boss something.    "Let me hear more about this Maggie.  I think you have a great idea." It felt good to be recognized for having some insight and real value.  The boss was not easy to please but he was genuinely interested in Maggie's idea.

It seems that some of our greatest realities are hidden not by obstruction but by our focus. We often overlook skills and capabilities that seem too obvious.  We tell ourselves 'Everyone knows that' or 'That's common knowledge.'  Honestly, we are just sometimes plain afraid to pick up the role of expert.   No one wants to hear a sarcastic call of 'Thanks captain obvious.' I call this death by diplomacy.  We never want to step on a toe, disagree or standout.  It kills organizations and the human spirit.

Leadership requires that we get uncomfortable from time to time.  Be willing to give up the accolades for the occasional insult.  In the end, no one remembers the insults or those that hand them out freely.  What we do remember are leaders who blaze new paths, discover and create.  You may trip up, fall down, or even break a nose (figuratively).  What's important is that you stand up, every time, and keep moving.  That's what leaders do.

Indefatigable

I wonder how long and hard we may press our minds and bodies to pursue excellence in all we do?  Will our companies become lost in the pursuit or will they rise to the challenge?  Today's world is one of vast global competition.  Friend and foe alike want to capture your market share, take your ideas and help you make an early exit from the marketplace. Say it ain't so!

Truth is, in a world of distractions and busy work it is easy to give up and let the competition win.  Few may notice when you walk away.  We are surrounded by entertainment, superficial relationships and a good dose of despair; why should we press on?  The answer is leadership requires perseverance and you have been called to lead.

As leaders we must be and encourage others to become indefatigable.  Defined as the relentless pursuit or lack of becoming fatigued, persevering.  It's where we must be today as we chart a way forward in life and in business.  Pursue your goals with this spirit and see them complete.  It's the spirit of our founders, our fathers and I hope it will be our own.  Remember it's those weakest moments just before victory that seem the darkest.

Thriving Through Destruction

"How can it be" she asked.  "My business was thriving, we were gaining market share, new products were in development and then it all stopped."  Entrepreneurs around the globe have struggled to answer such questions.  What exactly caused the meltdown?  Can we honestly pin it on a single event or commodity?  I don't think so. 

What we are experiencing is just how small and connected our world really is.  Credit default swaps in New York can destroy over exuberant investors in Peru and Latvia and still have energy  to crush Iceland as an encore. Financial markets, like others, require stability and some degree of certainty.  Painful as the struggle we now endure is, its not all bad.  There is a process of renewal that comes only through the pain of disruption.

Creative destruction as used by, the 20th century economist, Joseph Schumpeter is a cycle of constant change and renewal.  Like a wildfire cleansing a forest; only the strongest survive and continue on. The ashes become the fuel that feeds new growth.  Schumpeter's central tenant was, 'Without entrepreneurs we lack innovation and are stuck in a circular cycle.'  Schumpeter's warning to humanity was to be aware that the intellectuals, (as a Harvard Professor he qualified for that group), would destroy capitalism by turning public opinion against it.  This would essentially become the path to a failed European like economy. 

His cure, less government, less regulation, freedom in the markets to experiment with new innovations and a freedom of choice by consumers...oh wait...that's capitalism.  Innovation and entrepreneurship are our allies, freedom must be a requirement.  Let's stop worrying about the political blame game and start forging ahead.

Size Matters? So Do Economics!

Hearing lots these days about our global competitiveness.  That America is on its way down and China is on its way up.  Here are a few surprising facts:

                    China                     U.S.A

Land:          9,596,961 Sq. Km      9,826,675 Sq. Km
Literacy         93%                           99%
Life Exp.        73                              79
Population      1.3B                          .3B

We need to check our outflow of natural resources. Coal, timber, steel and other raw materials have led the way.  Scarcity is the biggest problem we face in economics and once raw materials are gone they come back in strange shapes...cars, steel, electronics, furniture.  If we can focus on growth here at home, we will win the economic battles of our day.

We are being conditioned to give up to a rising China.  Don't believe the press clippings.  China is concerned at the moment about rising inflation and decreasing GDP.  Some economist predict that China will be forced to raise interest rates soon.  China is not infallible.  We are the land of the free, home of the brave and the birthplace of industry and innovation.  Entrepreneurs can insure American economic dominance.  Go USA!

DWYSYWD

Do What You Say You Will Do.  It seems simple but often it's not. The foundation of DWYSYWD begins with a clear and defined understanding of your promise.  No gray area here, it must be clear not only to you but to all stake holders. 

Cut out the generalizations.  No room for statements like "Provide good quality" or "Guarantee a timely delivery."  Replace them with clear definitions.  

• Good Quality: Determined in accordance with a governing standards body like MILSPEC, ANSI, ISO or BSi
• Timely delivery: Provide an acceptable schedule and definition.  Deliveries will be considered timely when they are made before 12PM on Monday for orders placed by the previous Friday.

Setup a channel for feedback.  Make it an open and comfortable environment.  You may have to lead a non-confrontational client to express their concerns openly.  You will be glad you did.  Solid communication is at the core of every successful relationship.

Try harder, It's not enough to merely meet expectations.  You must be willing to exceed your promise. 

Seriously...Free iPads Today!

Okay, first there is no free iPad, I am sorry.  Often the devil is in the details.  What you have just been subjected to is The Hook.  The hook is used by every marketer in some way.  It has a couple of unique characteristics.  It appeals to your sensibility and reason but they have a very short capture period.  Here are a few types:

1. Save money:  Discounted, Marked Down, Fire Sale!  After all, who doesn't want to save money?
2. Save time: Performs X three times faster, do X in a fraction of the time!
3. Free:  Need I say more?
4. Exclusivity: Live like a Rock Star, Only the Finest, For discriminating taste! Don't we all want to be in the exclusive group?
5. Timing:  Don't miss out, limited time offer, time is running out and my favorite going out of business. (We have a furniture dealer that's gone out of business 52 weekends of the last year!)

Hooks are intriguing and magnetic if they are unique and convincing.  As important as the hook is the immediate impression that we receive after taking the first step.  Fine you have my attention, now what?  If you are going to convince a world over sold and under delivered you better make your second impression stronger than your first.  Under promise and over deliver and you will not disappoint your customer.  I guarantee it or your money back!

Ideas for Sale!

Having lunch with a friend and business partner yesterday we started to talk about owning ideas what the business world calls intellectual property (IP).  This includes patents, trademarks, and copyrights.  To qualify the idea must be original, not obvious and useful for a patent and an original work, fixed in some medium and at least marginally creative for a copyright.  We discussed some of his students and how their interest in developing IP is always strong.  He mentioned occasionally they believe that the creation of IP is the end game.  They imagine riches and the lifestyle they will enjoy as inventors.  They need redirecting to understand that the successful marketing of a product is where the revenue stream begins.  Here it is by the numbers:

1. Acquire Intellectual Property.  This can be by invention or acquisition.  Later this will be your protection that the developmental work and market creation is not simply exploited by a bigger competitor.  
2. Discover all the possible uses of the IP.  Here is where dreaming can be helpful!
3. Rank them in order of likely success and profitability.
4. Create a marketing plan to expose each potential licensee to the required information.  Show them how they can make more money with your idea.  (Be sure to protect yourself with Non-Disclosure and Privacy agreements before sharing)
5. Close the sale with a licensing agreement or royalty payments.

You can make money with your ideas.  Dreaming is not enough.  Visualize the end and chart a path to take you there.

The Paranoid Survive

There is a tendency for all of us to believe we are smarter, faster, stronger, and more adept than we really are.  We reach a breakthrough and relax, strive for another breakthrough and relax again.  I think we feel we are safe, that we have left our competition in the dust or that we have no competition.  With 6.9 billion people in the world, competition is a reality and its stronger than we often think. 

Andy Grove, the CEO of Intel once postulated "Only the paranoid survive."  I think it's true.  Today as you are working ask yourself, who in the world is sharing my thoughts, my vision?  Where are they in their efforts?  When we imagine our work as a race,with the competition's location unknown we begin to visualize the state of markets today. 

Being good is no longer enough.  There are 6.6 billion living outside of the United States and they want your job.  Get in the race and race to win.

Americans traditionally love to fight. All real Americans, love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big league ball players, the toughest boxers ... Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time.       General  George S. Patton  31 May 1944

Underground: The Rebels of Technology and Their Secret Code

QR Code

Technology is moving at the speed of light.  Visionaries leave no stone unturned.  You may have seen this symbol before.  If you're like me you probably had no idea what it was.  It's called a Quick Response Code (QR) it's the key to an underground of advertisers, marketers and entrepreneurs.  You see it on adverts, in the paper or on magazines.  While we have been ignoring its presence; it's been growing.  Like many movements it relies on early adopters to spread the word.  Then it's up to the world to decide if it's worthy or if it was just a neat fad. 

It's a new language, a secret code that offers cultural change and announces an opportunity for growth.  It provides a new way to exchange ideas in a space the size of a postage stamp.  Does it have the power to change our world?  You decide.

If you have a smart phone, download a QR Reader. On the iPhone I use Scan but there are many free readers. It's amazingly fast.  QR codes can link to a website, an email or send a message.  The image in this post has a message.  Give it a try.  How can we use this technology?  If you don't have a code yet, let me know and I will help you get one FREE.

5 Practices of Great Leaders

Leadership is one of the most talked about aspects of business.  A great leader can marshal support, lead through turbulent times and build a sense of belonging for his team.  A bad leader can move an organization from a strong position to the graveyard by doing the opposite.  In their landmark study of leadership, the duo of James Kouzes and Barry Posner discovered the key practices of a leader.  This study was conducted with thousands of respondents and took place over several decades.  Here's what we want in our leaders:

1. Model the Way
2. Inspire a Shared Vision
3. Challenge the Process
4. Enable Others to Act
5. Encourage the Heart

I have enjoyed their works like The Leadership Challenge, Credibility and the latest The Truth About Leadership. Here's a video with more: 
http://youtu.be/yiAtoO61C_w

A Fatal Flaw

At Parari we have been handling excess inventories for years.  Seldom do we find a situation where managers, owners and entrepreneurs don't strudel with parting  with a bounty of hoarded  excess inventory.  I have seen everything warehoused and organized from out of date fuel filters to WWII supplies.  We should start putting use by dates on most anything but even if we don't our consumers will.  We all want the newer, better version in almost everything.  Few items are destined  for the "Worth more now than then" file.

1. Once inventory has been fully depreciated, it is worth salvage costs.
2. There is a high cost of maintaining inventory; shelf space, warehouse space, clutter and confusion for warehouse workers.
3. It will not likely increase in value.
4. While polyester suits may come back in style, it will be a slightly different design, so stop hoarding.

Surprisingly, we have never had a client complain about getting rid of inventory.  Yes, it may sell for pennies on the dollar but your operation is better for it.  With our help, we can create significant tax deductions and a great charitable contribution.  Check the papers for the next bankruptcy sale; go visit.  You will see that holding on to excess is one of many fatal flaws. Closing thought, this is true for every kind of inventory imaginable.  There are markets for most anything, the skill is knowing where they can be found.

Growing Through The Recession

The good thing about an economic downturn is we often refocus our energy to check the fences.  We make sure our costs are in line, we have the organization structured properly, and that we have the best people on our team.  In short, we cut waste and pursue efficiency, unless you are the government.  At the end of that fence we look for new ways to grow.

• Mergers- Through mergers we join forces and start the alignment process.  We count on the new organization having larger or more profitable market share.  
• Acquisitions- Again we add a company, keeping key players and aligning redundancies.  The plan is once again to gain market share.
• Organic- New customers are considered.  New programs or market sectors are identified and pursued.  While a slower growth, its design is the same, more market share.

 Truth is, you can grow through the recession.  The environment is fertile for customized mergers and acquisitions and consumers are hungry for new products and services.

Disruption: Friend or Foe?

We are all susceptible to the desires of our clients.  Should the wants and needs of our clients  lean towards a new competing product, we call this disruption.  It is the reason we innovate, forecast and try to read the tea leaves.  In the old days a company could expect some period of unfettered adoration with the release of a new product.  Today, technology allows consumers to look, feel and hear from others like never before.  There simply is no honey moon period.  Disruptive forces may begin innovating your product within hours of release.

On the brighter side, as consumers we are treated to new technologies and offerings by the second.  There is another pressure that comes with disruption.  The trend factor is the desire to keep the current and newest model.  In today's climate its nearly impossible. A new phone is in the works before your new phone hits the shelves.  The same is true of cars, televisions, and services.  Here's a look at the S curve and disruption.  Find more at http://www.innovationzen.com/blog/2006/08/17/innovation-management-theory-part-4/.







So, is disruption a friend or foe?  Well I think it is a friend.  The trick is learning the techniques that help your organization predict the next disruption and trying to beat it or lead it to an immediate counter-disruption.

Tim Brown urges designers to think big | Video on TED.com

Tim Brown urges designers to think big | Video on TED.com

A History of Hard Work

It seems fitting that today we reflect on the hard work of our Founding Fathers.  That we pause to thank the likes of George Mason, Edmund Randolph and George Wythe for pressing the tired and weary authors of our guiding documents to do more.  The trio were those who refused to sign the Constitution fearing it lacked certain guarantees. The Virginian's pressed and obtained the following Bill of Rights which represent the first ten amendments to the Constitution.  Here they are and thanks to Wikipedia:

1. Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause, freedom of speech, press and assembly
2. Right to keep and bear arms.
3. Protection from quartering of troops
4. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
5. Due, process, double jeopardy, self incrimination, and eminent domain
6. Trial by jury and rights of the accused
7. Civil Trial by jury
8. Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment
9. Protection of rights not specifically enumerated in the Constitution
10. Powers of States and people

For more about the Bill of Rights click here! Today, This time of year we all reflect a little more on the rights we have and those who have paid the high price of defending them.  May God still protect and guide our country, its people and our leaders.  May we recognize the opportunity we have been given.

Happy Independence Day!

Execution and Vision; The Unstoppable Duo

Great ideas alone are not enough.  It is cliche to talk about almost great  and could have been.  Let's face it, what really makes a standout is the ability to get things done and build groups that get things done.  This type of leadership requires two elements; execution and vision. 

We know that execution is the get moving side of us.  It's why some are doers and others are talkers.  Being a doer is enough if you are a solo act but when you really want to become effective you need more.  We could use a simple equation to demonstrate our individual force;

Individual Force = (Ability + (Vision x Energy))(Vision Casting Ability)

When we are most effective we add a second skill. Vision casting is one of the most important components of building high performance teams.  It's what politicians and business leaders long to achieve.  It's the Holy grail of leadership. When you develop the skill it adds a new dimension to your force. Not everyone has this pair of skills, but if you develop them you will have the unstoppable duo of execution and vision.

A few years back, some of our leaders shared a vision of what could be.  They convinced farmers, store keeps, and frontiersmen to openly challenge the most powerful military force ever known.  The Founders cast a vision that has far outlasted the men who imagined it.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

 

Ready,... Aim,... Wait?

It's funny how many organizations practice the age old art of procrastination.   Is it that they fear poor execution?  Could it be that if they actually pull the trigger there is little left for them to do?  I'm not sure.  But as I have heard Zig Zigglar say hundreds of times, 'If you are waiting for every light to be green before you start your journey, you will never move.'  It's always about the execution.

No matter how clear you would like the picture to be, it will change as soon as you begin to engage.  Try to predict possible outcomes and know that you will need to guide and redirect along the way.   Don't be afraid to pull the trigger.  Next time you take aim, make sure you fire.

Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you'll be able to see farther.
J. P. Morgan

Dreaming Dreams that Dreamer's Never Dare to Dream

Do you remember the feeling you had as a child the day before a big game, a hot date, or vacation?  If you were like me, it was hard to sleep the night before.  Your mind would race through all possible outcomes and you would select a few of the best (hopefully) to dwell on.  That feeling is anticipation.  Those outcomes become expectation.

Invariably there are days when expectations turn to disappointments.  I think the first time this happened someone said 'You'll get em next time' and the second time they said 'Can't win em all.'  On and on it goes, a new cliche for every disappointment.  Soon we started to lower expectations.  We began to see things in a new light.  It was called many things; maturity, intelligence, reason and so on.  What if we rejected the words of comfort and dug our heals in?  Maybe people would use words like; determined, competitive, dreamer.

I hope to remind you that some of the worlds greatest advancements came from determined dreamers.  The telephone, the electric home, combustion engines, gasoline, division of labor (you can buy food...you don't have to hunt or grow it), the internet, automobiles, the interstate highway, space travel and on and on.  So forget the words meant to console and redirect your pain to dream again, dreaming dreams that dreamers never dare to dream!

"When the legends die, the dreams end; there is no more greatness." 

                                                                                         Tecumseh of the Shawnees

"Wussified"

Thinking about effective leadership styles and I can't help but come back to those who are uncompromising in their values and steadfast to their goals.  What happened to these guys?  Have we become so wussified  that they have disappeared?   While we were saving the three toed salamander, we vilified the leader with a moral compass, the explorer, the entrepreneur.  I'm not talking about political parties here.  I'm not talking about man vs. woman.  I'm talking about those who have held firmly to their beliefs through the storms of life, the hail of criticism and endured the tests of time.  Where are they now?

Have we rejected them so badly these thought leaders no longer wish to lead?Has the pain of suffering finally tilted the scale and now weighs heavier than their values and sense of duty?  The urban dictionary defines it like this:

Wussified: Something or somebody good and authentic that has been dumbed down, gentrified and made palatable to metrosexuals, and even girls.

Say it ain't so, Joe.  If all leaders are becoming wussified then who will stand up to the outlaws?  True leaders will never succumb to the vocal minority.  They push back and they don't back down.  They don't ask for quarter yet they may offer it to their adversaries (no guarantee). Leaders unite their followers toward a goal or series of goals.  God knows we are not short on causes more serious than that three toed salamander. Who would top your list of non-wussified leaders?

Wake the Man Up!

As a child of the 60's I remember when people used to talk about "The Man."  The term was used to identify anyone in a position of authority who it was almost universally accepted that rank and file workers were to pull one over on.  It became pop culture in the 80's and 90's to continue the joke.  Here are a few of my favorites:

You can't let the man keep you down.

I wanted the day off but the man said I have to work.

I'm gonna skip out on a few hours, the man can afford it!

By the late 90's we started hearing You're the man!  The negative had become a positive.  Truth is, we have always been the Man.  The early meaning was simply a diversion from reality.  The attitude of trading bad for good, doing what is wrong but expecting what is right had been distorted thinking.  Your success or failure rests squarely on your shoulders.  Do your best, try hard, and ask for help only once you've fought through the issue a time or two if you must.  The only man  keeping you down is in the mirror.  The man  has allowed unemployment to raise to near 20% real unemployment, a deficit of $1.4T, and a National Debt of over $14T.  We are all much better than this. Press on and discover something hidden deep within you. You have it, after all...You are the man!  Wake the Man  up!

 

Let Them Eat Cake!

You can't execute the best plans with the worst customers.  Sometimes you just have to cut a bad one away so you can focus on those who will benefit from your services.  Some customers will never listen to your council.  Some will demand to have their cake, the one that's not on your menu, and eat it too.  I say let them eat cake, just tell them politely to find another baker.  Make it a habit to cut away customers that are:

• Bullies
• Tyrants
• Costly
• Stagnant

There is always another customer.  You can't add days to your life, roll back stress, regain lost revenue or make that horse that you led to the water drink.  You can sculpt your future.  Yesterday is gone but today is a day of change.  Make the most of it.

The Point of No Return, Execution at Its Best.

Many of us flirt with the idea of full force maximum impact execution. Not many are willing to honestly go for it.  We enjoy watching a poker player go All In. We love the committed attitude of those who fought and died at the Alamo and we look at Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon as a gutsy move.  It's the Point of No Return Leadership that we seem to connect with.

When the explorer Hernando Cortes burned the ships his men and all who were there knew that he was in it for the long haul.  It was success or death.  There was no half hearted attempt at testing the waters.  When Lt. Col Jimmy Doolittle led the crews of 16 B-25 bombers off the deck of the USS Hornet in April of 1942, there were no instructions to return to the carrier if things got a little tough.  That's the kind of all in that builds brands.

I am pretty sure YOU are not happy with watching from the sidelines and I hope you aren't waiting for the last two minutes of the game to decide who your rooting for.  Set your course and head for your Rubicon.  Crockett, Bowie, Caesar, "Jimmy" Doolittle and Cortes are all known to us as symbols of bravery and determination.  No one remembers those who fail to even wade into the water.

Alea iacta est

"The die is cast"

Julius Ceasar's words upon crossing the Rubicon January 10, 49 BC

J.T. Crawford: Execution, the elusive skill.

J.T. Crawford: Execution, the elusive skill.: "It may surprise you that as a consultant I believe there is more to do than plan and hold countless strategy sessions. Unfortunately, this ..."

Execution, the elusive skill.

It may surprise you that as a consultant I believe there is more to do than plan and hold countless strategy sessions.  Unfortunately, this seems to fall on far to many deaf ears.  That is, many of my colleagues insist on getting things 100% right before moving ahead.  As Zig Ziglar likes to say "They want every light to be green before driving into town."  We know better, but yet our fear of failing is often so great that we insist on the perfection of the strategy.

Strategies have absolutely no power to make or create anything absent of intensity of execution.  From Bill Gates to General George Patton, success rarely begins with the Perfected plan but with commitment to execution.  Many are the stories of Microsoft's troubled beginnings with Windows OS, Patton frequently dove headlong into ferocious battles with only the basics covered.

So get in the game and fight like hell.  If your scared, remember that your adversary will be more afraid.

"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week."                                    George S. Patton 

The BIG meltdown ahead.

When you tune into almost any media outlet today you will hear of the trouble we are facing as a nation.  So what are the warning signs you ask?  Being a former military guy...I have an acronym, BIG.

• B- business: Clearly we have reached a point in our history of great uncertainty.  This wreaks havoc on business leadership.   Taxes, new regulation by the Federal Government, and states looking for more money creates an undertow that shakes the foundation.  Businesses are shedding jobs and holding cash.  This is problem #1.  Government must step back and provide business leaders with certainty for planning.
• I- inflation: Watch the inflation rate.  Inflation makes your money worth less today than it was yesterday.  Driven either by the fact that the world doesn't want our currency or that there are better alternatives.  Inflation comes when you have too many dollars chasing too few goods.  Take a look at Germany in the 1930s or Brazil in the 1990s to know what hyper-inflation can do.   The Federal Reserve is going to need to raise interest rates.  This attracts the dollars of foreign investors to long term investments and not goods..  Plan ahead, it's coming.  Take a look at food prices!
• G- government: Look out for well meaning bureaucrats.  These are the guys who believe they are smarter than and able to control the global economy.  New tax rates, and new ways to 'borrow' your money and re-distribute could signal future doom.  Overspending, overreaching and under achieving are all concerns we must have because of the power we have vested in the government.  Stop the spending, reduce regulation so we can be competitive, remember we are an exceptional nation.

Most of all get involved.  Learn about the economy, know the difference between economic models. Choose a side based on knowledge not based on the opinions of others. 

Alea Jacta Est

Avoiding the crash at the end of a skid.

Your company is sliding down the road like a car on wet grass.  You can't stop the skid and you see the horrific crash in your future.  Take a deep breath there may be an emergency brake.  As a member of the Turnaround Management Association I have some great colleagues with fantastic experience in finding the brake and correcting the course.

One tool that is enormously useful in evaluating the business and establishing all possible courses is the 13 week cash flow.  This allows you as the business owner along with the consultant to get to a common reality of today. Many times this is a period of enlightenment.  The steps can be found HERE.
 
So remember, if you are sliding  there are ways to control or stop the skid.   Take a second and contact a professional. 

Tactics Change Reality

Where is your focus most needed?  It's easy to find yourself chasing rainbows that offer little to advance your ideas or improve your life.  Your strategy will help you determine where to spend your time.  Your tactics will make sure you are using it in the best way.  Here are a few examples:

Strategy:

1. Who should I be?
2. How do we want to be viewed by others/customers?
3. Where should we be?

Tactics:

1. Here are the 5 steps to becoming the 'Who I want to be.'
2. Our organization will be viewed by others/customers in the desired light by implementing these ten changes to our day to day activities.
3. We will enter our three strategic markets by taking the following steps and working to the timeline established.

This weekend take some time to determine your strategy and tactics.  You'll get more done and be more prepared to say no to time wasters.  Using well designed tactics and a solid strategy will move you to a new and improved reality.  Happy Father's Day.

Communications: Railroads or Spider Webs?

Communication within the organization is essential to promoting trust, building a team environment, and getting things done!  There are two methods of communication I see quite a bit. 

The first is run like a railroad.  A message is either sent down the track or up the track.  It is linear and takes time to get from point A to point B.  It's slow but when the train is running and the tracks are in good order the message gets there.  Seems a bit outdated and fails to keep up with the speed of the world as we know it.

The second is like a spider web.  Frequent touch points allow communications to cross borders and allows the rapid flow of information.  The nucleus can send and receive information quickly which makes response times faster. Its new, nimble and effective.

How does your organization work?  Are you a railroad or a spider web?  Don't let fear of sharing information slow the speed of reaction too much. 

Team Building: Catch me trust and other crazy ideas...

Have you ever seen the so called "Trust Fall?" It's often performed on corporate retreats, team building exercises and I think it's a Youtube sensation now.  A team member crosses her arms over her chest and falls, stiff like a board backwards.  The team, as if to display their trustworthiness, catches her.  How ridiculous?


What can we possibly gain from such an exercise?  Does anyone truly believe this is the way we ferret out bad teammates?  Do participants ever reject a team member and say 'Oh, just let him fall.'  I mean the boss is there and quite honestly, its not how the untrustworthy operate.  They would never be so bold as to openly show poor character.   How many times does a leader call her team in and say, 'I need to test the team.  I'm going to stand in the chair and fall backwards.  I need to know you are on my team, so catch me!'  I'm not sure who thought of this practice but my feeling is it was designed to separate a fool from his money.

Team building is a process that includes many touch points and requires serious attention.  Communication is the key to building and keeping a team.  Foolish exercises will only distract, drive on and act sensibly.

U.S. Army, feeling older...

Happy Birthday!  The United States Army, the most powerful organization ever assembled, turns 236 years young today.  If you see a soldier today make sure you let them know how much you appreciate their service.

Will your army last the test of time.  Take note that our Army has not allowed itself to stagnate or atrophy.  Through constant renewal, innovation and dedication to the mission they have grown in stature and capabilities.  It wasn't easy and it took focus. but they continue to impress.  We can all learn a few lessons from a soldier.

How are you building your army?

Strategy equals destiny!

As a consultant there are many times I find myself in a planning meeting when someone mentions "We have to have a strategy session."  I think this approach may get confusing.  It's important to clearly define the goal of each exercise lest we begin to meet for the sake of meeting with few quantifiable results.  Strategy and planning aren't exactly the same.  In fact, when you dig a little deeper you will find strategy is your destiny and planning is often meant to describe your tactics in reaching it.   Let me explain.

An organizational strategy should guide the company in what to do.  It's the "This is where we are going" statement.  In day to day operations it will guide the big brush decisions.  "We are going to move into market X or develop a new product line.  This important step is often mistaken for planning or in my terminology tactics.  Tactics are the more detailed description of how we will get there, what we will do in certain circumstances. Tactics guide us in an up close and personal way.  "We will move into market X by first launching a major media campaign, second we will secure additional retailer shelf space, and thirdly we will partner with Mad Monkey Distributors to improve our distribution channels.  We might say Generals are strategist and Captains are tacticians.


So discover or design your destiny.  Use a strategy session to discover key moves to go from the reality of today to the destiny of tomorrow.  Once you see your organization in terms of tomorrow, use tactics to plan the path you will take to get there.  In economic terms Strategy is Macro and Tactics are Micro.  As you begin your next discussions on strategy keep these definitions in mind and at all costs be prepared.