Author Archive
Growing through the Red
Posted by: | CommentsIf we operate 100% of our career in the black, we never get the growth opportunities that only occur in the red. I know that may be contrary to Wall Street or even your street, but there is something to be said about the valleys as well as the peaks. If the only training ground we have is at peak level, we’ll never be prepared for even the slightest of valleys.
So why do so many people running projects run scared at the possibility of seeing red; or even seeing a little pink? Some won’t even utter the words “at risk” until it’s almost too late to do anything about it; even worse, they change the “requirements” to keep the project from going red. No one wants to run below par, but changing the rules doesn’t fix the problem. I’ve never understood that concept. If something is broken or if more information is required, what is it in our business society that keeps people from telling the whole truth and working through the issues? Is it fear? Is it pride? Is it stupidity? Maybe it is a combination of the three.
However, I’ll say it again, if you don’t have sufficient practice in the “reds,” you won’t have what it takes to climb to the highest “blacks.” To become a great leader means you have to be able to adapt and overcome to just about any situation—this goes for being a leader in your home to being a leader in your company to being a leader in your community. It’s good to have a healthy dose of nail-biting uncertainty every now and again, but when faced with a downhill slippery slope, there are three simple steps to reporting and righting the red.
- identify the issues (all of them—large or small)
- ask for the right help from every source (up or down the ladder)
- allow the people who have solutions solve the problems
It may sound oversimplified, but in 2003 DirecTV suffered four years of losses only to achieve a $4.9 billion gain in 2009. They weren’t afraid to ask the right questions and get the right help. Their strategy may have entailed a bit more than simply identifying, asking and allowing, but that was the basic premise of their turnaround. If it worked for DirecTV, it can work for you.
Part of the problem is that people try to make it more complicated than it has to be. Simple is good. Three easy steps are good. Identify, ask, allow. These steps work well in all of our business matters and relationships, especially when we’re in the red—and my favorite power shoes? They’re red, too!
Who’s the Boss of You?
Posted by: | CommentsDo you sometimes let conditions beyond your control dictate your day? Have you ever been a victim of someone else’s circumstance? I often catch myself in reactionary mode when I should be functioning in a more proactive role as an activist. I use the word activist because it might make you a little uncomfortable and possibly cause you to take notice…that, and I’m not sure if “proactionary” is even a word. To be an activist is to be proactive. Proactive has more subtle definitions: hands-on; down to business; positive. We’ve all attended Sales 101 courses that tell you to “be proactive,” but what on earth does that really mean in this context?
To define proactive, we need to start with a look at the characteristics of reactive in the form of common statements:
“____ has ruined my life”
“I’ll never ____”
“That’s just the way I am.”
“I have to ____”
“I can’t ____”
As a “reactionist,” you’ll probably find that you are easily offended, you blame others for what’s not right with your life, you complain too much and probably over react; then regret it. Reactionists are slaves to circumstance with nothing empowering as the result. Put simply, living your life in reactionary mode, does not allow you to be the boss of you.
Shifting into activist mode will help you become your own boss. An activist will say:
“Let’s find a way to ____”
“I choose to ____”
“I can do it.”
“There has to be a way to do this.”
“Let’s be part of the solution.”
They’re all just words…but we know that words are powerful both negatively and positively…and they can cause a paradigm shift in your mood, your workspace and in your organization. Other definitions behind proactive are: acting in advance to deal with an expected difficulty; anticipatory; in control of an expected occurrence or situation. All of these definitions negate the opportunity to be a victim of any circumstance. Using the theory that if you’re operating in anticipation of or if you’re prepared, pliable and nimble, you will be ahead of the curve and you cannot be the victim of any situation, no matter what.
That’s it; nothing more, nothing less. Motivational speakers are saying exactly that, but “be proactive” sounds much sexier than “be prepared.” People wouldn’t pay a nickel for a speaker hanging that banner. Being prepared is a good enough mantra for the Boy Scouts; it ought to be good enough for the rest of us. Be prepared, be proactive, be an activist for the situations in your career. Be the boss of you! Don’t let circumstance guide you, guide your circumstances for an outcome that is empowering in your life.
The Religion of Sisterhood
Posted by: | CommentsToday is my best friend’s birthday. She’s my rock. She’s my mentor, teacher, cheerleader and confidant. She is the example of femininity that every girl should aspire to be. She’s my very own superhero! She’s taught me a whole new religion called sisterhood!
Sometimes we don’t realize how valuable the women in our lives are until it’s too late…but me, I was blessed when my parents gave birth to her 48 years ago (even though I wasn’t around then)…you get the point.
It’s not every day and it’s not often that we’re given a gift in the form of a lifelong friendship…and even more rare is when it’s your very own sister. Today, as I write about her, I am reminded that it’s who she is to the core that makes her so special. It’s not necessarily in what she says or what she does for me, although she says and does so much for so many, it’s in what she represents and the character in which she displays…even when no one is watching.
It’s no mistake that she shares a birthday with George Washington, the man who by all accounts, was respected by all that knew him. When faced with happiness or morality as his compass, he chose morality; convinced that happiness was a direct byproduct of living on moral high ground. I believe that about my sister. I hope she knows that about herself. They say old George was meticulous about keeping things in order and keeping the homestead on track…yep, that’s got Lori (my sister) written all over it. Another account tells of his compassion and concern for those he served and those who worked for him…her again. You see, its never in the deed but always in the actions. It’s not the DOING that is so valuable, it’s the WAY it’s done that divides the natural from the contrived. My sister is a natural.
Today, it’s all about her. And how fitting that she share this day with a guy, who on his death bed was concerned for the people taking care of him instead of worrying about himself. I am proud and forever grateful for my friend, my sister and my own living wonder for the many times she selflessly cared for the rest of us.
Make time today to tell an amazing woman in your life that you notice her and that you appreciate her and your life is richer because of her. And if you have a sister, tell her twice. To quote Isadora James, “A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.” Happy Birthday Lori!
A Picture Perfect Business Model
Posted by: | CommentsEvery day I meet people who are really good at what they do; and every day I remind myself what I am best at. It’s not because I need the constant ego boost, but because I have to remind myself to stay focused…laser focused on the big picture instead of getting side-tracked when something sparkly catches my eye.
Why is it that companies like Kodak, Xerox and Microsoft still thrive in today’s competitive space given the fact they were founded 35, 104 and 118 years ago? It’s because not only did they stick to what they knew, they knew their strengths and they made a commitment to creating and changing the rules to stay on the leading edge. Take Kodak, for instance and their Wikipedia blurb, “Long known for its wide range of photographic film products, Kodak is re-focusing on two major markets: digital photography and digital printing.” Besides the witty use of “re-focusing,” it indicates a major shift in business model. Why did Kodak “get it” and Polaroid miss it? A one sentence explanation in Wikipedia for Polaroid about sums that up as well, “Its bankruptcy was widely believed to be the result of the failure of its senior management to anticipate the effect of digital cameras on its film business.”
My analogy is not to promote one digital camera company over another, but it is an example of defining what a picture perfect business model using best practice philosophy might look like. Sometimes we forget to change our speed. Sometimes we forget to focus. Either way, the picture is blurry; as are the lines between the way we’ve always done it and the way we need to do it going forward. Maybe somewhere between the iron-clad mission statement and a look into the crystal ball lies the secret to the every-changing business model.
This concept is illustrated in a 2006 article in Entrepreneur Magazine, where the emphasis is on progression and adaptation to change. “This kind of business-model evolution is just smart business in a marketplace that’s moving at warp speed. Gone are the days when a growing business with any hopes of long-term survival could etch a business model in stone and follow it into oblivion. Savvy customers and a fragmented marketplace require companies to move on, adapt or die. In the 21st century, it’s not merely an original idea that endures in survival of the fittest; it’s the ability to change. Strength is derived from nimbleness within the business model itself.”
So how does that apply to the rest of us solo- and entrepreneurs? It means that yes, we need to stay laser focused on what we’re good at, but it also means that we need to evaluate and re-evaluation to keep our head out of the sand. Here are a few steps to keeping up with the changing times in your business:
- Brainstorm about your company ideas, products and factors that are important to your largest client base
- Discuss how their industries are changing and make sure your product is still relevant to theirs
- List your company’s core competences and things you do better than anyone else
- Brainstorm on how your core competencies can morph into products or services your customers can’t live without
- Don’t get side-tracked with smaller projects that are outside the scope of what you’re great at
- Make sure you’re offering an environment of change within your organization that is being shoved in anyone’s face
- Re-write your “tagline” or “business focus” daily, weekly or monthly until you get it right…take a snap shot then look at it in a month to make sure it has kept up with the change
The punchline to all of this is that the picture perfect business model is not the etched-in-stone model of our predecessors; ours is now one of mobility and agility. Keeping your staff part of the process is not just smart, it’s a necessity since they’re more likely to be tuned-in to the changing needs and trends of your customers. I’m always an advocate of the “go with what you know” philosophy, but that does not mean you can’t learn new things and adapt to new ways of doing them. Get the picture?
Trimming the Fat
Posted by: | CommentsThis past week I realized that there CAN definitely be too many cooks in the kitchen. I don’t cook very often so for me to even use that analogy, it is way too crowded! I believe in everyone having a role and everyone’s role having value, but when the line gets fuzzy between the two, I find myself getting uncomfortable and having to trust my gut. Enough is enough, time to trim some fat!
What is fat in a team project? To me, it is anything that is unnecessary, overindulgent or undefinable. But how do you cut what you cannot see? You have to make an honest evaluation of your team’s strengths and weaknesses for starters.
Like any good recipe, here are the necessary ingredients for a good end result where no one goes away hungry. First ask a few necessary questions in your team self-evaluation:
- What’s working right about your team
- What’s not working the way it should
- What weakness can be developed into a strength
- Can this team get you from where you are to where you should be
The next step is to re-evaluate your teams’ structure:
- Shared team vision
- Clear team goals
- Clear team roles
- Effective and clearly defined leadership
Lastly, you have to ask hard questions like:
- Is every member giving their personal best
- Are the personal objectives of one member stronger than the objectives of the group
- Does every member of the team have a designated and valuable role
- Is the responsibility and dedication commensurate with the compensation
One positive way to get the answers to these questions is in the form of peer evaluations instead of self-evaluations. Devise a system in which the participation of each team member is anonymous as to not put the group under pressure. They are more likely to be honest about their feelings if the others won’t know it was them who had a specific concern or doubt. The greatest way to do all of this is a survey that the group can fill out. It is then that you can address where to trim and by how much.
These days, in this economy, fat is fat and facts are facts. And it doesn’t always mean completely cutting out an element or team member from the process; it can mean realigning and reassigning tasks that are more appropriate. One thing that is important to remember: one weak link can undermine a project or even the reputation of the group. It is important that each team member feel strongly about the others’ role in the success of the project.
While cutting back through self-evaluation sounds like a rogue form of corporate fat-trimming, it really is the quickest way to stop, take inventory and evaluate the direction of a project and the effectiveness of each member of the team; something every team should be willing to do for the good of the whole.
So whether it’s a company project or a t-bone steak dinner for 20 you’re cooking up, make sure there is one chef, many capable cooks and an abundance of servers and dishwashers on hand to see that it, in the end, is fit for a king…or queen!
