Leadership on Speed

one of the most powerful movies i have seen in a long time

With my schedule, I don't get to watch nearly as many movies as I would like (older or newer) but I recently had the chance to watch the movie Secretariat and I LOVED it.  It is only fair to tell you that I am a bit biased because 1. I LOVE horses and 2. I am a sucker for anything remotely inspirational but, in my opinion this movies still moves to the top of the list.  

Most biographical movies are not 100% accurate and Secretariat is no different but any movie that inspires me to spend hours pouring through material to learn the rest of the actual story should be an indicator of how much I enjoyed it and the more I learned the more fascinated I became..

I learned a lot of lessons from Mrs. Tweedy and her crew.  Here are just a few: 

1.  Only YOU know what you know

    Despite how others may discount you, YOU know what you know.  If you have the experience or expertise to make something happen (even if you are the only one who knows it), GO FOR IT.

2.  Believe in yourself.  Believe in your dream. 

    New journeys are frought with trepidation and uncertainty.  Often the only thing that sustains you is your vision of the outcome.  Believe in yourself.  You may not always be confident in the path but always stand firm in the destination.

3.  Dreams breed innovation and creativity.

    Don't be afraid to step out of the box to accomplish the seemingly impossible.  You may be the only person on the planet to do what you are about to do - and that's ok.

3.  Commitment. Commitment. Commitment.

   Did I say commitment?

4.  Surround yourself with the right team.

   It is not enough to have talented people around you (though that is important).  They must also be likeminded spirits and believe in the dream as passionately as you do.  There is no doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world.  

5.  Commitment to a dream means sacrifice.

    Any journey worth taking involves sacrifice.  If you don't recognize that, I guarantee you that the people around you will.  

6.  Trust your intuition.

    This has always been a core belief of mine throughout my life and this movie only reaffirms that.  Women tend to call it "intuition".  Men may feel more comfortable "going with their gut" but however you couch it, use it.  The only times my intuition has EVER failed me was when I failed to trust IT.

7.  Speak your truth but let actions speak louder.

    It's one thing to speak up when the time is right but sometimes words can become bluster.  When that happens, it's time to be quiet and let the work speak for itself.  NO ONE ignores results.

8.  Know when to walk on the edge.

   No risk. No reward.  All of the great leaders of our day walked on the edge.  They walked on the edge because they believed in something so strongly that they could take no other action.  It was often not until the race had been run that history revealed their true greatness.

9.  Sometimes it takes a perfect storm.

   The question becomes: Are perfect storms acts of God or do you actually create the perfect storm by acting on influences in your environment?  I believe the latter.  Leaders see a need and make a choice to fill the gap.  They see events unfolding and recognize that they can make a difference where others see events unfolding and hope someone else will do something about it.

Is it time for your perfect storm?

Continue to be great! 

it's a culture thing

I was recently reading a blog post that invited companies when hiring to "Hire for Culture First, Skills Second".  While it was an interesting read, it was also a frustrating one.

Why?

Because the fact of that matter is that YOU (as the hiree) should do your best to ensure that the company fits you culturally first.  That is your responsibility and should not be left to the auspices of the company you are interviewing with.  Presumably, you are interviewing for a position because you already know that you can do the work - that's the easy part.  

What is less clear is how you will fit into the organization.

Don't let  organizations rule you out because you don't fit.  You should already know before you interview whether that company is potentially a good fit, and why. 

Failure at an organization is often less about job skills than it is about fit.  If you join a company and then find that the company ethics or way of doing business goes against everything that you stand for, your ability to succeed is greatly diminished.  If doing your job means compromising who you are, you may eventually pay the price mentally, physically and finanicially to the extent that all those compromises lead to a decline in job performance.

And it will.

So do yourself (and your career) a favor.  

Don't go for the money without buying into the company culture first.

Your career (and your sanity) depends on it...

Continue to be great!

 

i left. you might. and so will your loyal customers.

As both a CEO and a consumer, I often experience customer service situations through a unique lens.  I am usually on the lookout for how to apply those experiences to my own organization. Seth Godin reminded me today of a recent encounter with my (now former) cable company that had the potential to teach me a powerful business lesson.

Which I completely ignored.

Until now....

You see, my husband and I were loyal Dish customers for almost 10 years.  For about the past year, we had been discussing the possibility of looking around but we were quite satisfied with the service.  We really thought perhaps that the outcome of our investigation would result in our continuing with Dish but negotiating better pricing.  We were certainly in no real hurry to switch primarily because we had many of our favorite programs saved on the Dish DVR and we were struggling with a simple way to save those to another device.

....then our HD hard drive crashed and we lost all of our recordings anyway - STRIKE ONE.

Bummer, drag.

Yet and still, Dish sent us a new HD box and with all we had on our plate we were still in no hurry. In the meantime, we continued to casually look around at other providers and we noticed that we could really save money even if we added more services. 

Still no hurry.

Then our new HD box began acting funny - STRIKE ONE AND A HALF.

Hmmmmm......

Still no hurry.

We became "ispired" while were out running errands one day at Sam's Club and a DirectTV rep "happened" to be in the store selling HD packages.  Fortuitous, right?

We got a great deal, saved ourselves about $100/month on comparable services (STRIKE TWO FOR DISH) and switched to Direct that day but it was when I called to cancel Dish that I learned the most.

Now remember, we had been Dish customers for 10 years.  Always paid on time.  Never a problem.  When I phoned Dish to cancel, the discussion went something like this:

Me: Hi.  I'm calling to cancel our Dish service.

Dish rep: Well hello.  I see you are one of our best customers.  Wow, you have been with us a very long time....  Well if you stay with Dish, we have a special going on that gives you free...(blah, blah, blah).  We also have a special program that can reduce your price on "x".

Me:  Well thank you but those deals still don't come close to saving the money I do by switching.  I am going to save $100/month.

Dish rep: Is that for comparable service because we do have the lowest pricing in the market.

Me:  You may think that's true but clearly if I'm saving $100/month for the same service, your pricing isn't the lowest.

Here is where it get's really interesting......

Dish rep:  Well, I see that you guys are not signed up for our email specials.  Had you been signed up for those and viewed them on a regular basis, you would have seen many specials that might have saved you more money because we do have the lowest prices in the market.

Me:  What I heard her say in my head was "It's your own fault stupid for paying too much." STRIKE THREE! What I replied was, "Well sweetie, I believe that YOU believe that you have the lowest prices in the market. Please just end my service."

Dish rep: Yes ma'am.  We're sorry to see you go.  We will send you some boxes to return your items.  You don't have an outstanding balance but we do charge you for the boxes to return your equipment..

Al-righty then.  After 10 years of being an excellent customer and OVERpaying for years and years and years, the final insult was an additional $31 charge to NOT be a Dish customer anymore.

MY LESSONS:

Great customers are valuable gems.  They need to be nurtured and cared for.  If Dish could decrease our bill by $40 when we threatened to leave, they could have decreased our bill JUST for being a loyal customer (which is better than a good customer).  If just once Dish had sent us a letter saying:

Thank you for your loyalty.  In reviewing our records, we see that you have been a customer for well over 5 years (or 6 or 7 or 8 or whatever the number is) and we would like to thank you by reducing your regular bill by $20/month.

Heck, it could have been $10 for all I care, the point is that we would have KNOWN they valued us and despite continuing to pay more money (even with the reduction), they would most likely have kept us for another 10 years.

As a CEO, I promise to do better for our clients - to notice, to reward and to be loyal to those who are loyal to us (and to ensure that our client services personnel NEVER call anyone stupid). We hope you will too.

Thank you for your continued confidence (and thank you Seth for the reminder).

Continue to be great!

 

PS.  For Seth's full blog post, click here.

 

silence is not always golden

One of the core challenges many people often have in the business environment involves the simple act of knowing when to use their voice - of knowing when to  speak up in order to make a difference in their space.  

How often have you been in a meeting discussing a business situation and a thought crossed your mind which sat on your tongue?  In the span of mere seconds, you surveyed the participants, heard your idea spoken, evaluated the perception (Is it the "right" idea? Will it sound "smart"?  Will this make me sound competent or inept?  Will it sound too rudimentary?) and after internally evaluating all of the possible outcomes, you decided against speaking.

Invariably, minutes later, someone else shares the same thought you had on your mind and they are praised for their great insight and contribution.

You, meanwhile, are mentally kicking yourself....

So how do you decide when the time is right?

In a recent Conversation Starter blog post, Nilofer Merchant over at HBR identified three critical times when speaking up is not only valuable, but necessary:

1.  When it will improve the results of the group

2.  When it gives others permission to speak their truth

3.  When the costs of silence are too high

I couldn't agree more.  For her full blog post, click here.

Continue to be great!

 

keeping the pedal to the metal eventually takes its toll

The April issue of Harvard Business Review had an interesting article entitled The Acceleration Trap which highlights a challenge faced by so many of my clients (if not all) particularly in the current economic environment.  Organizations have simultaneously downsized personnel while trying to increase production which means that the associates left behind who were once operating at 80-90% production are now functioning at 125%+ on a daily basis.  Every organization goes through periods of increased productivity but The Acceleration Trap occurs when organizations rev up to 125%+ and instead of revving down after the project or mission is complete, leaders expect the employees to continually operate at the new higher level.  In other words, that higher pace becomes the new normal.

As you might imagine, the article goes on to point out the potentially negative impact of consistently operating in high gear and outlines some strategies for decelerating such as stopping the action and deciding how to make decisions but as a strategic planning consultant, it was the suggestion surrounding strategic planning that most caught my attention:

Be clear about strategy and more importantly, ask the question, "What should we stop doing?"  When working with clients, it is always one of my favorite questions and ultimately one of the most thought-provoking questions we can ask as business leaders.

No strategic planning discussion is complete without also discussing actions and activities that need to stop.  Otherwise, we're only perpetuating the trap by piling more on an already overfull plate.  But you don't need a strategic planning session to begin to notice the superflous activities that occur needlessly in your organization.  Here's an activity for you:

Pull your team together.  Get an assessment of where they spend most of their time and ask this question:  What activities are you currently engaged in that if you stopped doing would have absolutely no negative impact on accomplishing your goals?

You may be surprised by what you hear.

Continue to be great!

declaring your freedom

For some reason, while celebrating this past holiday weekend, I found myself really thinking about this concept of independence...of freedom....

The year is now half over and if you're like most folks, you probably made some resolutions (or otherwise set goals) at the start of the year.   I wonder - what did you declare to yourself that you would be "free from" in 2010?  What did you declare your independence from?

January 1st is a time of declared promises..of fresh starts.  Does any of this sound familiar?  In 2010, I will..

..find Mr./Ms. Right.

..lose weight.

..gain more vitality.

..find a better job.

..make more money.

..have more confidence.

..start my own company.

..travel more.

..attend church more regularly.

..do better at saving money.

..go back to school.

..etc, etc, etc...

Are you on track?  If so, GREAT!  Applause. Applause.

If not, what happened?  Are you still trying to accomplish your goals or did you get so far off track you just quit?

If so, I've got news for you -----

The calendar may say July 6th but EVERYDAY is January 1st (theoretically of course).  Each day provides a new opportunity to begin again.  To pick yourself up, dust yourself off, recommit and make it happen.  The thing about goals is that in order to move toward something, we must declare ourselves free of something else...

..apathy

..laziness

..being tired

..low self-esteem

..poor health

..limiting belief systems

..and on and on and on...

So----what goals will you set (or re-ignite) for the remainder of the year?  What will you declare yourself free from in 2010?  Take some time this week to think about what you want your life to look like by years end - health, professional, relationship, financial, spiritual etc and get going!

How do you eat an elephant?  That's right - one bite at a time. 

It's never too late!

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

creating an amazing 2010: the carrot and the stick

Well 2009 is  officially over. Done. Finito!

So now the question for you is: What will you create in 2010?

Let me first tell you that I'm not a "resolutions girl".  They're cute.  They're fun.  And if they work for you great.  But resolutions are often initiated out of some sense of "have to".  You know what I mean....

I have to lose 20 pounds.

I have to quit smoking.

I have to spend more time with my family.

Now let me ask you, does any of that seem fun to you?

No? Me either.  Is it any wonder why 60% of resolutions fail in the first 2 weeks? 95% within the first month?  By the way, today is January 5th.  How are your resolutions going so far?

Today I'm asking you to turn your perspective upside down.  Don't get me wrong.  As a coach, I am all about goals. In fact, I love them! But I'm not about goals just to have goals.  I am about goals that have been put into context...

What?

In other words, what will losing weight, quitting smoking or spending more time with your family do for your life?  What is the vision that supports those objectives? When you arrive at December 31, 2010 what kind of life will you want to have created?

So many of us think that we have to take what comes to us but we don't spend time really thinking about what we want our lives to look like, feel like, taste like...  Yes, taste! You know that savoring of a moment that turns into many moments and your life just becomes this incredibly sweet, tangy, joyful entity that has you intoxicated on a daily basis?  Yes, you can create that!

Here's some homework for you:

Over the next couple of days, make some quiet time to reflect on what you want to create by the end of this year.  How do you want to feel?  What do you want your life to taste like?  Do you want to create an incredible business?  Do you want to create entry into a company that resonates with your values and philosophy? Do you want to create an incredible connection with your spouse? Do you want to change the dynamics of some of your friendships? Do you want to be more loving, caring, passionate about life? Do you want to gain greater vitality? 

Most resolutions are successful because of the carrot (the vision), not the "stick" (the have-to's, shoulds, need-to's, etc).  Create a compelling vision along with a great plan of action and 2010 could be your best year yet!

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

going through the looking glass

When it comes to your professional life, do you often feel as if you're swimming with the current or against it?  Are you sailing with the wind or fighting it?

The answers to these seemingly simple questions are critical when determining if your work is aligned with your purpose, passion and talents because when everything is aligned, progress seems to be smooth and easy, almost effortless.  When you are "in the zone",you know it.  You feel more satisfaction and you perform well - no wonder money seems to follow!  You're energized, excited and looking forward to the next day.

Compare that feeling or state of being to when things are not going well...your career can feel rough and difficult, almost like you are bearing a heavy load (because you are).  Waking up in the morning is a struggle, the clock ticks by s-l-o-w-l-y during the day and you can hardly wait for the day to end.  The weekends seem to be one of life's few blessings...

If you find yourself in the latter group, it's most likely that you are probably not doing what you were intended to do on this earth.  You are fighting against your natural gift, skills and talents.  You may have settled for less -- an easier path, a more "socially acceptable" path or the path others expected you to take.

Don't feel bad.  Like you, I've been there.  I have lived it.  Feeling stuck in work that paid the bills but left me in an uncomfortable and unnatural rut. 

And I know I wasn't alone... Many people go through life the hard way.  Suppressing true desires and trying to blend in and avoid rocking the boat....playing it safe. 

The truth in my case is that I went for the money but at the end of the day, the money was robbing me of true joy and passion.  After all, how joyful can your life be if you dread the very thing that you spend 40 or 60 or even more hours at each week?   It's tragic, really.

So, let this be your wake up call.  Let's extinguish the whole concept of "mid-life" crisis!  How about a mid-twenties crisis or a mid-thirties crisis?  The "crisis" is nothing more than the realization that you're no longer willing to live a lie in your work and in your life.  That you're ready to take more risks, have more fun and spend time on and with the things that matter most!

We all think that we have this infinite amount of time to "figure it out" but what if next week was it?

LIFE IS TOO SHORT!  Let's agree to STOP the madness!  STOP delaying your life.  STOP living by others expectations. STOP putting things off until the kids are grown.  STOP waiting for retirement to regain a sense of joy and passion.  STOP going through the motions with your current career.  STOP feeling trapped by your degree or education (or lack of). STOP telling yourself comforting stories and lies.  STOP denying yourself real passion and fulfillment.

It is NEVER too late to live on purpose and with passion.  I often ask my clients this question - If you could be given a magic potion that would absolutely prevent you from failing at one major dream or goal in life, what would it be?  Chances are you already know in your heart what you should be doing.   If you don't, begin with your childhood.  Think back to the things that enjoyed most.  Think about your life over the past few years.  What is it that brings you the most pleasure?  Is it certain aspects of your work? Hobbies? Volunteer activities?  Do you find yourself attracted to certain types of activities or groups?  Everything in your life holds clues to your passion!  If all else fails, take some classes!  We all have things "we have always wanted to do".  Start to notice what you like and what you don't. 

Not unlike Alice in Wonderland, it may also be your turn "go through the looking glass" so look upon the journey with excitement and hopefulness!

You were born to be great.

YES, you can! 

i'm prefect. oops, i mean...perfect!

In last week's post, I shared with you one of the biggest impediments to success in business and in life is procrastination.

For many, procrastination is not just a hurdle..

it's a MOUNTAIN.

So this week, I wanted to extend last weeks post by discussing the SECOND major reason that people procrastinate:

The quest for perfection

Stated another way, we want to wait for the "perfect" conditions to make change or take that next step.  Many ordinary and really good people are caught up in an idealistic "perfect world syndrome".  They never create real wealth for themselves or their families because they wait for perfect conditions (which don't exist) before they advance toward their dreams.  I know of one business owner that purchased a home based franchise and spent FIVE years "getting everything in order" so that when he started, everything would be "perfect".  I guess it will comes as no surprise to hear that the business never got off the ground....

Sound like anyone you know?

This business owner represents just one of thousands of examples of how perfection can be a dream killer.  You and I both know that a "perfect world" has never and will never exist but the quest for unachievable perfect conditions provides the opportunity to make-up wonderful excuses for not taking action and ultimately, responsibility.  To add insult to injury, we can get so attached to everything being perfect, we don't understand it when others bring it to our attention! After all, we just want to do things "right", right?

Why do otherwise smart and even brilliant people get so stuck?

Fear has something to do with the quest for perfection as well but additionally, this particular breed of procrastinator is also risk-averse.  Instead of managing reasonable risks, they are unreasonable and want to avoid ALL risks.

Conversely, wealthy people don't wait for conditions to be perfect.  When they smell an opportunity that makes sense, they take action.  In fact, they have a bias for action.  Action could be starting a full- or part-time venture but it could also mean putting your hat in the ring for that big promotion or taking the job at that small start-up with big plans instead of being "safe" in the background of that big company with more perks..

The bottom line this week?

Don't get stuck in the perfection quagmire.  Make a calculated choice and move! Most good opportunities come covered in a layer of challenges and hard work - far from perfect but capable of providing substantial wealth.  At the end of day, it's about taking intelligent action versus INaction.

Have you ever heard a story about a wealthy procrastinator?

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

can i put it off just one more day?

The older I get and the more I coach, I realize that there are truly no absolutes in life except this:

There are many ways to avoid success in life and one of the surest of these is procrastination.

I know most of us don't like to admit it, but most of us procrastinate from time to time.  Yes, it's true.  In fact, some of us are down right pros at it!  We put off filing our taxes until the last day (guilty), never get around to certain work and don't clean up "messes" in our lives.

Unfortunately, procrastinators end up sabotaging themselves and their dreams.  They very often put artificial obstacles and excuses in their own path.  I know, I hear it all too often....

So, why procrastinate?

One major reason for procrastination is FEAR - fear of change, fear of the unknown or fear of failure.   Fear is a fundamental part of the human existence but the problem with fear is that we can become so attached to our fear that we believe that our fears are "truth".  The real truth is that most of the "mental demons" we create do not exist and will never materialize.  Perhaps you are familiar with the acronym for fear?

F.E.A.R. = False Evidence Appearing Real

In order to achieve breakthrough levels of success and fulfillment with anything in life, you must learn to accept being uncomfortable.  In fact, I'll go so far as to say that it's necessary to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  If not, it becomes much more difficult to adopt the empowering mindsets and actions required to leave your current situation.  If you don't break out of your comfort zone, your life down the road will look nearly identical to how it does today... 

If you find yourself inwardly screaming, "No WAY!" then welcome to the first stage of a new reality.  Don't look around in six months, a year or even five years and find out that, sadly, nothing in your life has changed.  Otherwise, you'll still be working at the same job, doing the same thing, making the same salary and probably reporting to the same boss.

As the new year comes upon us, declare that you won't wait one more day.  Decide what your future looks like and begin to take steps to make it happen. 

Do just ONE thing today to create a different future.

Tomorrow do just ONE more thing.

The next day do just ONE more...and soon you'll create momentum you could not have dreamed possible and living the life you were meant to.

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!