Archive for the ‘Self Improvement’ Category

The success of every leader or manager relies heavily on his or her ability to sell…but not as you might assume. Obviously, every business requires sales of products or services to remain operational, and a president or executive doesn’t need to conduct actual product sales if they have a sales force to do so. But I’m not referring to the types of sales that are marketing related; I’m talking about one’s ability to sell their ideas, initiatives, track record, or organization’s potential to others. My experiences with decision makers indicate that most people who hold top-level positions have never taken even a single sales course or recognize the critical impact that their lack of selling skills plays in their lives…both personally and professionally.

In order to get what you want—acquire a new building for expansion, secure a major client, advance your personal career, lock in on competitively-priced goods, and so on—leaders and managers need to pitch their sale to vastly different prospects using a variety of different angles. That doesn’t mean you need to be a super salesperson, just that you need to sell to bankers, employees, managers, officials, vendors, and other people in different ways and on terms that work for all parties. And that requires an awareness to offer something of value to others as well as to possess certain skills of persuasion.

If you’ve been lucky enough to carve a successful career for yourself and to build a strong organization, you can still improve your results by honing your selling skills. I find that when decision makers simply become aware of the strides they can make by upping their ability to sell, they seek out opportunities to grow and develop. They pick up a book on sales, they search out sales courses, and they spend more time observing the techniques used by their sales personnel to name a few. What can you do today to pitch yourself, your ideas, and your organization to create more certain and rewarding wins?

“Companies in the rich world are confronted with a rapidly aging workforce. Nearly one in three American workers will be over 50 by 2012, and America is a young country compared with Japan and Germany. China is also aging rapidly, thanks to its one-child policy. This means that companies will have to learn how to manage older workers better. It also means that they will be confronted with a wave of retirements as the baby-boomers leave work in droves.” (Source The Economist)

So what does this mean for decision makers like you? Two issues. First, in terms of rising up the management ladder, great opportunities are available for innovative thinkers who continually self-educate and build upon their leadership strengths. Are you armed with the right and best mental tools, processes, education, skills, etc. to be able to go beyond the basics of leading and managing others? The winners of tomorrow are building their management ‘tools kits’ today, because they know that in tomorrow’s world even more so than in today’s, they’ll be forced to CREATE opportunities, not just capitalize on existing ones.

Second, in terms of succession planning and building current leadership teams within today’s organizations, the aging workforce means that you’ll have fewer qualified candidates from which to fill open leadership positions, so you need to start  building the leaders of tomorrow now rather than expect to pull these candidates from the currently fast-evaporating pool.  What systems and processes do you have in place to hire the highest-potential candidates, empower others to work independently, achieve results through others, and most importantly, to attract prospective leaders who THINK in ways that capitalize on and create new opportunities?

This issue of the aging workforce–and specifically, the aging leadership force–doesn’t have to be a negative challenge. In fact, taking steps now can give you great advantages over two kinds of competitors: individuals who are vying for the same job positions as you are, and organizations that your organization competes with in the marketplace. In a nutshell, begin with acquiring mental management tools for yourself and then teaching them to others. Here are three examples to get you started:

1. CPM and Ghantt charts that help leaders organize projects, inform and direct the activities within projects on a time line and according to budget, and keep projects on target for completion as planned.

2. New product and service development tools which help you in the selection of best product/service ideas and pull together cross-functional groups to provide input and support throughout the development of the product and service to outpace competitors.

3. Strategic planning processes that structure the ways in which you and your leadership team(s) strategize to move your organization forward not only today, but into the future.

Of course, you probably already have some ideas floating around in your head about other options, too. The key is to formulate a plan and act on it now. Don’t wait, the opportunities arising from the aging-workforce issue are here for the taking.

When you think you’re pushed the limits when it comes to empowerment and motivation, think again.  Human behavior is easily swayed if the surroundings help them achieve their own personal desires.  In the case of these videos, to be entertained, to be challenged, to explore, to learn be surprised. Can you think of one change you could make this week in your own workspace that could create such remarkable shifts?

• Turning a meeting into an experience.
• Converting a customer facing time into a fun situation.
• Making a routine job interesting
• Modifying a traditional product or packaging into an additional benefit
• You get the point….

Think about it.  Some great videos at www.thefuntheory.com
www.davidgoldsmith.com

Did you notice the videos were all supported by…

volkswagon

volkswagon

volkswagon

volkswagon

So often human nature takes the stance that in order to improve, one’s abilities must be 10 times better or a hundred times better to make a difference. It’s just not the case.

My journeys, both in business and life, have taught me that often the little changes make the most significant impact, while big growth spurts are a rarity.

Take the experience I had at the David Leadbetter Golf Clinic in Florida. While working at a convention, I had the opportunity to sign up for some extra activities, if my plans permitted. I could not create the time to take the 140 MPH NASCAR drive with an experienced driver, so I opted for the David Leadbetter golf lessons that were right outside the Omni Hotel in Orlando.

Having only about 1 hour to spare, I left the conference “war room” and walked up the hill to the facilities were by now over 100 people were getting lessons. These people were intent on improving their game.

I, on the other hand, am an infrequent player. To me, I can easily play 9 holes of golf at a resort while traveling, however, when you take me on the back nine, I start to feel like I should be playing POLO IN MY GOLF CART versus continuing on. I just get bored.

So to me, one hour was good enough, and it also forced the school to give me the best type of lesson I would need as they had 3 groups. The putt, the short ball, and the drive. They put me in the drive section, exactly where I wanted to be.

I picked up a club, pulled a pile of balls off the perfectly-stacked pyramid of about 72 balls stacked for this space, and started to hit.

My first ball slid right pretty far into the next groups area, so I unbuttoned my business shirt, removed my tie, and rolled up my sleeves. This would make all the difference. I no longer sliced to my far right. An improvement.

My next swing was similar, but my slight change of grip pulled it on target a little more. I assumed that my shoes and pants were causing my inability to “grab the ground.”

For the next 20 minutes, I hit ball after ball trying to control its direction by taking back the club slower. By twisting my grip. By keeping my head down. Things started to become consistent. I even tried to listen in to the other lessons hoping that I would pick up a tip or two before it was my turn.

My turn. The instructor asked, “Tell me about your game.” I replied, “I don’t have one. I play about once or twice a year.” I almost felt as if he was disgusted with my response, like I’d punched him in the stomach.

Maybe that’s because The David Leadbetter Schools are some of the best in the world. Experts fly in by helicopter just to take lessons with these instructors and many are coached to become top in the field.  Two are the Greg Norman designed courses and ChampionsGate; both have been listed as Golf Magazine’s “10 Most Distinctive Places to Play.” This is real golf country.

Maybe I should have said that I don’t get enough time to play or something a little less harsh.

He then asked me to take a swing without the ball followed by another. Then again, with a ball. I tried with all my powers to make this one go exactly straight down the fairway. It didn’t exactly go as planned.

He asked for one more. Again, the same.

He then gave me my first piece of advice. Take my right thumb on my grip and move it counter clockwise so that the thumb pointed to my shoulder. Realize we are talking a half an inch. What I learned that in doing so, the head of my club rotates so that the head comes around flat after the swing.

The first ball went much straighter than the first two. We practiced this for about 10 balls.

Then the second piece of advice. After I hit continue on so that my right knee twists inward almost touching my left knee without lifting up the heal. Again we practiced with a few balls and as you might have guessed, it worked.

It worked not because he gave me this life-changing sermon or that he altered my entire way of playing golf. It worked because of minute changes. Simple things that make huge differences.

Granted, the guy’s an expert, and if you saw him drive a ball, you’d know it. His expert advice opened up a new perspective and approach to my golf game.

The same holds true in the work environment. Taking the time to work with your employees is one thing. Taking the time to “improve their swing” is another. It means:

1. You’ve got to be an expert in the first place. Too often, managers feel as if they are experts and teach the wrong people the wrong skills or they do what they do intuitively and don’t really know how to transfer these skills.

You’ve met the incredible sales person that can’t manage.

2. Taking the time to make small changes first if possible. Don’t always look for the Big Bertha. Sometime it’s the smaller changes that have largest and most remembered impact.

3. Understand the need for time. Once a skill is taught, it must be practiced. Seeing someone do something is one thing; doing it themselves is another.

4. Reserve massive overhauls for when you truly have the time to make sure the lessons are done right. The failure to take this time insures two things. One, that you will be frustrated later on, and two, your employee will also.

In the end, my one hour of instruction will change the way I play golf. Will I spend the day doing it? That’s going to need the massive overhaul of my personality.

Keep giving those pointers.

I know someone who spent a good deal of his summer lounging by a pool, vacationing with friends, and overall just kicking back and enjoying life.  Oh yeah, he was a manager, too.  How did he have time to manage his employees and amass so much leisure time, too, you may ask.  He didn’t.  He chose hanging out over working hard, but he had a good reason.

As he explained to his superior, a regional manager for the firm, the “economy” was bad in the area.  He was even generous enough with his time to take the regional manager, who was unfamiliar with the ins and outs of this particular city, on a joy ride through its worst slum…boarded up windows and gang-sign graffiti offered “proof” that the man with a tan couldn’t be blamed for his office’s poor sales.

The vast majority of the beautiful city was running quite smoothly, but the regional manager didn’t get that tour.  He was shuffled straight to the airport before he got a sniff of the truth that his local subordinate opted to darken his tan rather than increase his office’s sales.

Yes, I realize the economy has hit most of us in one way or another.  Some of us have gotten pummeled worse than others, too.  And while sales have taken a hit in many industries, I hope that you’re able to separate reality from perception.

Be careful not to discount your ability to perform on the job because the economy is suffering. There have always been and will always be those who bend with the times and create opportunity.

Also, be fair with yourself. The same assets you brought to your job are those that can help you now.  Don’t forget that you have those strengths and you might just need to change your perception of reality to begin to utilize those strengths today.

Companies like ebay and Amazon.com have to adjust to the economy and the current market conditions to continue to realize healthy profits; and adjust is what they do.  So where are you adjusting what you do to continue to thrive in today’s business environment?

It’s not just about persistence it’s about changing tactics to bring in new business.

On the program Hell’s Kitchen, the restaurant undergoing a business makeover gave away food as a way to announce the reopening of the restaurant. Their marketing tactic was successful, and the next day the restaurant was full.

If you suspect that the economy has become your crutch, toss it aside and take responsibility to walk on your own two feet again.  Adjust strategy and tactics, get creative with marketing and sales, and find ways to revive assets that have been nearly dormant since the downturn started.

Someone’s always doing well…it might as well be you.

Don’t assume your company has super powers, too?

If you’ve ever done any weightlifting, you know that the typical progression flows like this…your endurance and strength improves as you continue to lift more and more weight week after week. Your first week’s 10-pound weights are replaced by your second week’s 15-pounders, and by week five, you’re pumping 25 pounds or more. If the progression continued, you’d eventually lift 700 pounds, but of course, that doesn’t happen. At some point, your ability to increase the pounds you lift maxes out.

If your goal is to get in shape and improve health, that’s no problem. But if you’re working out hoping to transport appliances or tow vehicles, you realize pretty darn quickly that you’re going to need some outside assistance, such as a lever, lift, crane or hydraulics, if you’re going to achieve substantial gains.

The same holds true in business and organizations.

Before you get all gung ho about  new initiatives, run a common sense assessment of your organization’s assets to see if everyone has what they need to reach those lofty goals.

Arm your staff with the tools employees need to be successful.

Groups often make the mistake of believing that just by working together (and especially if they have a successful track record of having worked together in the past), they can solve challenges, take advantage of opportunities, and achieve success. However, just as the well-intentioned and disciplined weight lifter eventually hits a ceiling, your team might need some fresh supplies to soar to new heights.

The areas I’m talking about are new knowledge. new technologies, fresh sets of eyes, new approaches to strategy and tactics, and reformulated group dynamics. Without them, you can still grow and possibly do quite well. But if you want to make significant jumps or differences, you have to consider some upgrades.

Upgrades are not just for computers. People need upgrades, too.

You’ll find some answers by asking yourself and then your staff questions along these lines:

1. What technological upgrades, such as software programs, do you think would make your job easier, would enable you to make fewer mistakes, would empower you to do your job more independently, and would assist you in providing superior customer service?
2. What common problems seem to continually appear that you think a new system, standard procedure, piece of equipment, etc. would prevent, solve, or eliminate altogether?
3. What relationships–with vendors, customers, complementary businesses/organizations–could be strengthened or developed to make our organization more competitive in the marketplace?

You can also uncover weaknesses that hinder growth and development by surveying the customers you service, the vendors you buy from, the partnerships you’ve developed, and the staff you employ from the top management team to the front line.

Your role is to maximize the potential of your organization’s assets.

When leading your team, be on the lookout for weaknesses and keep filling the gaps in order to maximize potential and enable your people to make significant gains.

I was sitting next to a woman who complained that her friend, who was seated in front of us, never replies to her emails.  I told her the solution was easy.  Surprised she asked how could she get her friend to reply.

I said, stop sending her long emails. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the receiver shaking her head in agreement, and I never saw one email.

The rationale was simple.  Short emails are more likely to get replied to than long emails because short emails set the stage for short replies.  Long emails place a burden on the other person, especially if their contents are personal.

So picture a family environment.  You send a long email about your entire week and the recipient feels obligated to reply back with some history of their life.  They put the reply aside for later.  Later becomes more than later and the reply is never going to happen.

Now sometimes you may want to send a long email and still want a reply.  If so, at the end, do one of the following.

1.  Say at the end, no need for a long reply…. just need the date and time of arrival.
2.  No need to reply.  This lessens the pressure of obligation and encourages others to send a simple reply.
3.  Ask them to reply to the following items….I need the following three items.

By removing the burden, you give the recipient a way out.  Realize that just because you wanted to type a disertation does not mean the other person has the time nor the desire.  Besides, if you told them that your business is up 300%, your kids just got into Harvard, and you won the Nobel Prize, they might feel like what they say would be trivial and it would be best to trash the email.

Does your memory sometimes fail you in parking lots? Here is a simple tip to find your car after a trip or for everyday events.  After you park, take a quick picture of the location with your cell phone camera.  I typically take a picture of the signage.  If I feel this will only give me a partial clue, I also photograph the vehicle surrounded by its location: against a wall or column, about 8 cars from the end of an aisle. The combination helps me to easily find the car while I often hear people say, “Now where did I park the car?”

When I awoke this morning I immediately noticed the sun shining through our windows and not a cloud in the sky. I knew today would be a beautiful day for a bike ride along a path that follows the old Erie Canal.

Like other rides, my goal was to bike in one direction for 30 minutes, then return to my starting point in less than 26 minutes. On a previous trek, I reached a barn, cattle, and some boys playing basketball on a cross road. I wanted to get at least this far today. To succeed, I must start with a faster pace in a lower gear.

I set off with my thoughts on the target.

The last time I rode this course I ran across four beavers, one opossum, one rabbit, two ducks, many birds and one snake. The most I’d ever seen in one trip.

Today however my mind was not completely on the trek but more on other challenges I was facing. I hoped my thoughts would not interfere with my speed; I sensed that I was less in tune with nature.

I biked at what I thought to be a faster pace than my last bike ride. As I approached the 30-minute mark, I believed that quite possibly I had not reached barn yet. I pedaled harder.

28:00, 29:00, 29:30, 29:50, 30…the watch gave chirped its command to stop.

I thought that I must have slowed down and not even realized it. How could I have not reached my goal? Didn’t I have enough carbs this morning? A little frustrated I took a drink and started back with the same zest that got me started. Then it struck me. I had no clue where I was and the scenery was different. I was at a place I’d never been.

I had actually kept my eyes so riveted to the road and my thoughts on my challenges that I blew by the old mark by over at least 1/2 a mile. I could not believe it. By taking my eyes off the extraneous and by not limiting myself to what I had seen, I had kept up the pace and overshot what I had expected to be a challenging goal.

On the ride back I had plenty of time to think about this SINGLE-MINDED FOCUS. How often have I let myself stop, because the scenery was familiar, and I had a goal in mind? If I had done this today, I’d most likely have done it before.

While this was going on, I was pedaling like mad to make sure I hit my starting mark on the way back. It was a slightly upward run compared to the first leg, and I was tired from the first 30 minutes.

As the minutes on my watch passed I knew I had to keep on pedaling hard. At 8 minutes I turned up the steam. At 5 minutes I felt that I may not make it so once again I pumped harder. At 4 minutes, no end in sight. At two minutes I became certain that the finish line was ahead, but could I do it in two? At one minute the entire part was an uphill grade. I put my legs into high gear and with 32 seconds to spare, I reached the end.

I had achieved both my marks—outbound distance and inbound return—and realized some life lessons.

If you focus on a goal, be careful you may achieve it.
With the right tools you can you’d be surprised at what you can achieve.
When you put your nose down, you may miss all the wonders around you.
An adventure/experience is what it is.

My table PC laptop lost its audio while I was traveling for work; this happened on Feb. 17.  I put off arranging for repairs until I could return home and settle down in my office. I wanted to check the warranty expiration date….then I just forgot.  On March 5, I discovered that the warranty had expired on Feb. 21!  My guess is the repair will be on the mother board, so to restore audio capabilities, I could be paying out of pocket for a new board plus the cost of labor.

The lesson: check your warranty’s expiration date as soon as there’s a problem.  The good intentions you have when you purchase an extended warranty are wasted if you don’t take advantage of the service!