Freedom to Think and Dream Big
Geoff Snyder's Leadership and Team Collaboration Project
If You Are Drowning And I Throw You A Life Jacket… Will You Catch It?
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I was talking to a friend the last night who works in sales. Being that it was the end of the month yesterday, it was a good time to review how well his sales department did, as well as take note of what they could do to improve their numbers for next month. The conversation focused on building trust with both the sales team as well as the customer. I’m not sure how, but I some how got talking about the movie Boiler Room.
Ben Affleck plays a character named “Jim Young.” He delivers this pep talk to the new recruits in this movie about a group of stockbrokers working out of a strip mall “boiler room” in Long Island. He’s all fiery and passionate, and Seth Davis (played by Giovanni Ribisi) is hooked. He doesn’t know yet that the firm, JT Marlin, is a “pump and dump” operation. All he knows is that he might become a millionaire overnight.
Young’s ‘inspirational’ message offers a lot of truth. When you’re cold calling, someone is always going to close the deal. Make sure the person is you, and not the prospect on the other end of the line. You must be relentless to avoid being on the receiving end of a “thanks, but no thanks” sign off.
Of course, this is where we part company from the high-pressure, fast-talking sales techniques on display in his boiler room. For one thing, not many sales close on the first approach. The first chat is your opportunity to tip the balance, with you in control making the right points and asking the right questions. You begin to build rapport with the prospect as you explain how the solution you’re offering is the best one for his situation. And you hope that future meetings will build on that rapport and turn into trust.
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Turn Every Disaster Into an Opportunity
One way to turn disaster into opportunity is to simply show clients or customers how well your company stands up for it’s products and/or services. It is amazing how may times a customer will come back to a company despite having received a bad shipment, a late delivery, or the wrong color order if the company goes the extra mile to fix the mistake.
The best-case scenario is that not only will you have a loyal customer, but you will also have a customer who relates his or her experience to someone else. What could be better than to earn great buzz about your company after you took care of someone when something went wrong?
Make customer service your number one priority. Often people just want to be heard or have something fixed. Remember: they wanted your product or service to begin with, and they still want it…they just want it a particular way!
Most successful businesses realize that every department that deals with the outside world is an offshoot of customer service. Sales, marketing, shipping, and even accounting need to put on their best business face with every interaction. This way, you can turn lots of disasters into opportunities.
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How Far Will You Go?
How far will you go? How high can you jump? What risks are you will to take to find your destiny…to find what is right for you?
Taking risks isn’t easy. We often have to conquer our fear or insecurities. We have to be ready and eager to jump from the familiar to the unknown. Getting there is often downright scary: What if it doesn’t work out? What if I fail?
The only way we’re going to find out is to risk it! If we’re having trouble making the change, we need to look within ourselves to see what is causing our resistance. Overcome it. This is part of having the will to take risks…over coming fear to make that jump into the unknown.
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Eliot
The Noble Prize-winning writer T.S. Eliot was talking about symbolism in poetry he wrote the above-mentioned line, but it applies to every aspect of life. Indeed, the quote has been adopted as the slogan for numerous societies and organizations. Before he achieved international fame as a poet, playwright, and essayist,Eliot worked in a bank. By choosing the path of writing…at best, a chancy economic future over a salaried position at an institution…he was clearly willing to risk going too far to see just how far he could go.
Ready, set, go. . . make that same leap into the unknown!!
God bless. ~ Geoff Snyder
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Lasting Change Starts By Knowing Who We Are
Employee engagement is at an all-time low. I’ve been hearing a lot of hard working people express frustration about their current work environment. This is common anytime the global economy starts to rise from a recession. Right now, most organizations are staffed with an abundance of over-qualified personnel due to the previous surge of downsizing and layoffs. When this happens, we see leaders begin to surface in new industries and new organizational talent position themselves within current organizations, which will allow for new markets to develop. We are about to see a lot of scales tip during the next 12 to 18 months as witness the playing field make many entrepreneurial shifts.
Many people desire to make more of their business life, whether it’s getting a promotion, finding a better job, or simply having the opportunity to take time off for a once-in-a-lifetime extended vacation. But we often miss these chances because we unintentionally hold ourselves back from success. For example, if you are stuck in a dead-end job, you’ve got to find a way to get out of it. If you stay in that position, you will never move up to the next level professionally, and you’ll miss out on longer vacation time, more money, and even more job flexibility.
Over one hundred years ago, British writer James Allen skillfully remarked in his essay, From Poverty to Power, “To know that justice, harmony, and love are supreme in the universe is likewise to know that all adverse and painful conditions are the result of our own disobedience.” Positive, lasting change starts by knowing who we are and taking ownership for the dissatisfying aspects of our lives. We can’t rely on others, to improve out station. We must learn to act now.
Change is your career can require looking deep within yourself to find out how you can best succeed. Spend some time each day reflecting on where you want your career or business to head. You will find that your dreams and goals will begin to take shape. It’s not going to happen overnight, and it’s not going to be easy, but it will work.
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Trouble is Only Opportunity in Work Clothes
So I have been spending some time researching the Industrial Age and its revolutionary approaches. Now that we are just getting out of the Information Age and into the Conceptual Age, I thought I’d blog a little bit about a gentleman by the name of Henry J. Kaiser, an American industrialist who knew that it’s all in how react to trouble that really matters.
While trouble my seen more innocuous than failure, a leader may look at them in the same light. But just like failure, you can’t have success without some trouble along the way.
We witness sports teams deal with trouble, or inconveniences, all season long. The Boston Red Sox (but for the record…I am a Detroit Tigers fan) had their share of trouble in the 2007 season. One of their star players, Manny Ramirez, was sidelined with a muscle injury for about three weeks during the summer. A young player by the name of Jacoby Ellsbury, was brought up from a minor league team to play while Ramirez recovered. Ellsbury proved to be such a good player that the manager, Terry Francona, found a way to keep him in the line-up even after Ramirez returned from his injury. Ellsbury went on to play throughout the rest of the season, which culminated in a World Series Championship for the Red Sox.
For leaders, trouble may come in the form of a manufacturing glitch, an unexpected time delay, or an act of God like a fire or flood…or perhaps a disgruntled employee. The key to your success will be how you deal with these inconveniences. For example, use the manufacturing glitch as a chance to strengthen your relationship with your key manufacturer or to find a new manufacturer.
Show your business acumen by responding well to so-called “trouble.”
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Learning More Once We Figure It Out
After many long hours and a lot of hard work, it’s always a great feeling to bask in the glory of our achievements, especially ones that exceed our very own expectations. Let’s face it…it’s human nature to do so. Go ahead and congratulate yourself, say Dr. Mikel J. Harry and Richard Schroeder, authors of Six Sigma. Give yourself a quick pat on that back…realizing that career kudos always translate into monetary value, such as raises and promotions. But, get back to work because you must be careful if you think that your past victories guarantee you a spot in the winner’s circle. Just like a company’s balance sheet, it’s important to take frequent stock of your personal assets and liabilities that add or subtract from your personal career goals.
According to John Wooden, famed basketball coach for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), resting on your “high horse” is a recipe for disaster. He made it a personal priority to review every detail after each game in order to continue improving as head coach. Wooden was just as interested in improving his performance when he was winning as when he was losing. His outstanding results prove his theory correct. The same thing applies to the business world. when it comes to high-performing companies…there is always room for improvement. While most good companies operate at a three or four sigma, the goal should be to be great…to be a six sigma organization filled with level 5 leaders. Six sigma requires a company to benchmark itself to the competition, analyze processes to pinpoint problems in order to come up with solutions, and reduce the amount of customer complaints. This will result in everything from better customer satisfaction indexes to increased market share. From the amount of time it takes to deliver an invoice, product or sale, return a phone call to client, or ship a container half-way around the world, time is money, and seconds can cost millions of dollars in profit.
To find out where the problems are…to see with both eyes, if you will…is the goal even if you’re already meeting great expectations. When you stop trying to improve, you do a disservice to yourself. Focus on what you can do to learn from yesterday and apply it today. Living in your glory is like seeing with only one eye, because remember: Even if you’ve just landed a big account or just won a championship game, there is still room to be better.
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Managing By Walking Around
As commander of the Third Army, General George S. Patton was known for getting the job done. General Patton succeeded because he was a realist who understood what was going on in the trenches. He always took into consideration the big picture and assessed what needed to get done…and then did it without any delay or excuses. More than anything, he hated orders that didn’t make sense or put his men in harm’s way. If the orders were outrageous, he would tweak them just enough so that the troops could still achieve success.
General Patton wanted no part of bad strategy. When he was told to stand by and not advance, he sharpen and polish his troops by sending out small battle groups to keep the enemy guessing and on their toes.
When it comes down to being successful in business, a leader should make sure his or her “troops” have what they need to execute the grand plan, or that plan can quickly become a disaster. Whether you are selling automobiles to customers in a retail setting or delivering parts to an oil rig in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, how well you perform the task will indicate your level of success. On the flip side, great plans are ruined when the execution suffers. Bottom line…grandiose strategy plans won’t sell more cars, but solid customer service will. Listen to your customers, as for they are always telling you a story on how to keep them satisfied.
With that said, all of this reminds me of something Tom Peters wrote in A Passion for Excellence. In this book, he states that “Customers love being appreciated and hate supervisors who pull the disappearing act.” Heck, who doesn’t for that matter? Peters also stated, “Bad leaders are invisible, while good leaders demonstrate MBWA,” an acronym that he coined which means: “Managing By Walking Around.”
If you want to be informed about your company and provide useful direction to employees and managers, you need to get out of your office and change your focus from analyzing yesterday’s trends to witnessing the daily operation of your organization. By asking questions in the face of the day-to-day operations, you will get answers to problems you didn’t even know existed. By listening to other people within your team, you can give real input into the processes of your organization. By talking to customers, you’ll know if the business is hitting its target or just missing. Talking to a customer is much more valuable than looking at the results or marketing surveys.
So, the next time you want information…take a walk. Good things are sure to happen!
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Constantly Staying Sharp
Leonardo Da Vinci was the ideal example of the renaissance man…anatonmist, architect, engineer, inventor, mathematician, painter, and sculptor. His entire life was dedicated to invention, achievement, and acquiring knowledge. Leonardo Da Vinci possessed a non-stop active mind, an abundance of energy for hard work, and most important…enthusiasm for learning new things! He had a friend was was a great sculptor by the name of Cellini. When Da Vinci died, Cellini made the statement that “There had never been another man born in the world who knew as much a Leonardo.”
Leonardo Da Vinci found that nothing sucks the energy out of the human body and spirit more that complacency. After working years in sales, there were many days where I’d come home completely exhausted, wondering when the spark would fire back up and if I’d ever see it again. The truth is that I realized I constantly needed to refresh my spark on a daily basis. Staying on top of my game required for me to keep an active mind by continuously feeding it with new knowledge. New ideas inspire renewed energy and the will to take on new challenges.
If and when you ever see your job turning into a long-term sales career, make sure that you don’t let yourself get rusty by letting your mind go stagnant. Keep active and open to all new ideas. I mean, we have to give it to Leonardo Da Vinci for providing us with these words of wisdom: “Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses it purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” You’ll find it to be contagious…your customers, clients, and your overall organization will feel your enthusiasm and respond positively.
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How Innovative Thinking and Persistence Pays Off
The 1970s Labour Party struggles in Great Britain presented Margaret Thatcher with an opportunity to make history. She rode a wave of public disapproval into the office of prime minister in 1979. As a loyal conservative, she was a firm believer in individual freedom over state interference. She sought the demise of the Soviet Union because the release of the Eastern European countries from the Communist hold would dilute German and French power and give England a change to regain prominence on the European economic and political stage.
Margaret Thatcher had to reestablish Britain’s reputation both politically and economically because of Britain’s isolated geographic position. She accomplished a great deal by keeping the big picture in mind, all the while accomplishing smaller goals. Still, her innovative thinking toward reinventing Britain was routinely criticized. Her many speeches, pounding the same concepts over and over in the Parliament, gained the support she needed to make the changes she wanted.
Persistence pays off whatever your business or career goals are. Sticking with your convictions, even when they are unpopular, will be rewarding as long as you’ve done your research and know that your decision are correct. Make sure you do your homework before sharing your big-picture ideas with others, especially if they are earth-shattering ideas.
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Merging Talents One Piece at a Time
British Admiral Sir Sydney Smith believed that talent should be nurtured. Our culture widely admires artistic, musical, and creative talents. But talent is a wide-ranging concept. Business talents can include being good with people, being good with numbers, or being good at thinking innovatively.
As a team leader, choose members with diverse talents. Don’t stick with the obvious…there are many talents that aren’t good fits on a project but that end up becoming useful. For example, musical talent may not seem like something handy on a business team. But a classical musician’s (or rock musician’s) disciplined focus, or ability to recognize complex and harmonious patterns, might have a calming influence on others when the team begins to spin out of controls. Or, a rock musician might just be what you need to fire up the team when morale seems at a low. And any musician who plays in a group will help a team be successful because of their ability to work cooperatively for a common goal without hogging the spotlight.
Find out what talents your team members are proud of outside of the office, and use their seemingly nonrelated strengths to support the entire organization. It will help your team succeed.
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