Time to Think

Between now and January 4th I will not be posting to my blog because every year I use the week between Christmas and New Year's Day to think. In today's world to simply sit and think has become so difficult for most of us because we feel the need to be in constant motion. To sit, think and contemplate at length about decisions, directions and desires for one's business doesn't often happen but I've found the wisdom that comes out of my week has contributed more to my personal and professional success than any other time.

I hope you enjoy your holidays and I implore you to take some time to think about important decisions you will face in the coming year.

5 Characteristics You Can Learn From a Vet

Veteran's Day is a day of recognition of those who serve our country and protect our freedoms. In honor of those honorable soldiers I want to talk about five characteristics that every good military person must possess and coincidently every good business leader as well.

1. Loyalty

In the military loyalty is required to be a successful unit. A soldier must be loyal to the cause he or she is fighting for, must be loyal to the commanding officer to follow duty assignments and must be loyal to fellow soldiers because literally their lives are in each other's hands.

Business loyalty is needed for the same reason. Without loyalty to the cause the team isn't working toward the same end in mind and goals are not accomplished. Loyalty to leadership means buying into the vision and the focus of the organization. Loyalty to fellow employees means the workplace is more harmonious and works well together as a unit. Without these loyalties in the workplace goals are missed, in-fighting occurs and distractions misdirect people from the primary purpose of the organization. On a scale of 1 to 10 with ten being the highest, where would you rate the loyalty in your organization? You success is probably at the same point on that scale.

2. Discipline

I doubt a soldier would ever tell his commanding officer, "I didn't sleep well last night, missed my morning coffee, and really don't feel like going in to battle today." Sounds almost comical doesn't it. How disciplined is your staff in coming to work ready to make a difference, ready to fight for what is important, eager to face the obstacles of the new day? Can you imagine one morning you walked in and your staff was at the ready in advance of the day, prepared with mental toughness and eager to face the day? This is how you become successful.

3. Courage

Courage is being assigned a forward position and preparing yourself for life and death situations. Courage is knowing your responsibility to protect the freedoms of people who are unable to fend for themselves. Courage is being able to make hard decisions for the good of your organization without side agendas and political games. Courage is taking responsibility for your actions even when things go sideways. Courage is not a fool's game as some want to tell you. Courage is what makes leaders.

4. Commitment

Think about your staff around you. Would you say they are committed to maximizing their effort in the workplace? A soldier knows that without full commitment, he or she could end up dead, or those counting on them could end up dead. Commitment is what wins battles, wins wars, and beats the competition. If you have staff working with half-effort and aren't committed to their role, you are getting far less results than you deserve. Whining is not commitment. Commitment is about "Shut your hole and know your role."

5. Dedication

One definition of dedication is the act of binding yourself to a course of action. Dedication is not about wavering, and it is not playing each side it's about a full onslaught of connection with a action to be taken. If you are going to try to take a hillside you have to be dedicated. If you are going to drop into a hot zone, you must be dedicated, if you are going to accept the responsibility of being an executive you have to be fully engaged and bound to the cause, the mission and the vision of your organization.

Our veterans demonstrate these five characteristics to survive, to make a difference to protect the freedoms we all too often take for granted. We need these people, we count on these people and without our armed forces we would not enjoy the success we have in this country. As an executive are you willing to accept the challenge to live to this standard? Get to it.

Make it Simple

Do you know what you sell?

Do your leaders know what you sell?

Do your customer-contact employees know what you sell?

You may find these to be odd questions, but the more I ask the more I am stunned at the answers. The CEO of a financial organization tells me doesn't know how many products his organization offers customers, let alone have the ability to name them. How can this be? In this case, they offer 78 different products and services and not a single employee knows them all or what they do. If you can't name them how can you ever sell them?

Simplify

There is no need to offer so many products and services your employees can't even keep track of them all. Only offer those products you can excel at, sell and properly deliver to your customers. The most common response I hear to this point is "But we need to continue to offer everything." The fact is, if no one knows how to sell them or even name them, you are not offering them.

Pick the ten most important products you offer. Create a list of the most profitable products you offer. Now create a list of the ten most sold products of the last year. How do these lists compare? Are you selling the right things? Do your employees know enough to sell the products you want them selling? Are you focusing on the profitable products or on those products that are just the easiest to sell?

Somewhere along the line companies thought it was a good strategy to offer everything they could think of to the customer. Employees are not capable of learning the features and benefits of 78 different products and staying current on all of them. To expect that effort for the compensation they are receiving is just plain unrealistic.

Make it simple for customer and employees. Sell the products you know and can profit from and avoid the comparison of whose list is longer. Know your stuff, know how to sell it and make profit from it. Simple.

Be Flexible and More Productive

Does anyone really want to work 9 to 5 anymore? Let’s be honest if you are in a managerial position it's actually like 7 to 7 more often than not. As an old boss used to tell me, "We only expect you to work a half day here. Whichever half you pick is up to you." One of us always laughed after he said that. It wasn't me.

Old habits die hard. Like kids getting the summer off from school to work in the fields, business hours were set during a manufacturing age when line employees had to work the same times in order to keep the process running. Essentially we are no longer an agricultural society (should kids go to school year round?) and each day we are becoming less and less of a manufacturing country, so why have rigidly structured hours for your employees?

One size never fit all

Even though everyone punched the clock at the same time, people were not ready to work at the same time. That will never change as long as we are individually human. What are you more concerned with? How well your employee performs or how many hours they log? If you have structured your jobs correctly, set expectations accurately, and establish an expected time line for work to be completed, does it really matter how many hours they work? In fact, could you actually be breeding low performance by telling people they have to work a certain number of hours, and if they finish early you just give them more to do.

If you are doing your job as a leader and correctly set the parameters of the job, you will actually get more efficient work by allowing employees to work at their own pace and bonus themselves what amounts to paid time off.

Playing cat and mouse

When you set up an hour structure without enforceable expectations employees will fill the time most often with something from the internet. Employers know this so they set policy and restrictions on internet usage, mobile phone activity and programs allowed on the computer.

For some employees this is now the new game: how many tweets a day they can post without the boss noticing, and how many back doors and work-arounds can they discover to get around such policies. I know some social media addicts who enjoy the cat and mouse game more than what they used to do to kill time. When you prohibit your employees from brain break activites you are sending a loud message you don't trust them. Your distrust then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Develop hour-flexibility for your employees where possible. Life is much more complicated than ever before and frequently having employees who are better rested, and less angry because now they can handle a personal issue without the boss giving them heck for being late, will create greater trust and more efficient work. In the end, the company will benefit the most.

7 Keys for Boundless Success

1. Believe in your strengths. That belief will provide boundless opportunities to succeed.

2. Fears are the obstacles to success. You can’t eliminate them (nor do you want to) but use that as navigation devices to find the correct path for your success. Recognize sometimes a fear is the last obstacle to overcome in achieving greatness.

3. Avoid the negative thought others feel obligated to cast in your direction as “sound advice.” Miserable people want everyone to see the world as they do to justify their attitudes.

4. Turn off the TV. The negativity and misinformation on the television is an overwhelming reason the masses don’t what to thrive. You are not part of the masses. When you let a box do your thinking for you, it will try very hard to keep you thinking inside the box.

5. Try new things. A fearful society finds comfort within the rigid walls of their rut. Always keep the walls of your groove flexible and frequently look beyond them.

6. Use your written voice. Writing is a great way to express your thinking and find clarity for your actions. Good writing is also persuasive and gathers those of like minds you want to attract.

7. Never stop. Set your mind to understand there is no finish line until you are ready to walk away and be done. Many people once successful are no longer because they thought they had arrived at the finish line. You are either moving forward or moving backward in life.