A few weeks ago one of the worst natural disasters in history occurred, yet the world’s reaction has been banal at best. The floods in Pakistan have displaced over 20 million people and have affected nearly 30% of the land mass in Pakistan. To put this into perspective, the Pakistan flooding has impacted more people than the top three natural disasters in the past decade (i.e., the Indonesian Tsunami, the South American earthquake, and the Haitian earthquake) combined! How is it that there has not been more assistance offered to mitigate this horrific occurrence? There are several reasons:

0. Leadership has not communicated in a fashion that has engaged the media.
0. Visual images that bring the issue to life have been sparse.
0. The financial repercussions relating to the catastrophe have not been placed in proper context.

Bottom Line: Important issues need to be transformed into compelling visuals. Then, visual images need to be displayed and leadership needs to comment on the impact of the situation frequently. Leadership also needs to be very specific on what actions they desire others to take. Boldness trumps courtesy in cases of catastrophe.

The stock market goes up, the stock market goes down. Repeat. This has been the trend over the past few years. It is maddening for some, and causes others to just sit on the sidelines. It seems like the good old investment days of “buy and hold,” are over. Thus, many people who would otherwise prefer to be passive investors, should realize they must take an active interest in their long-term financial welfare. This does not mean simply turn over your investments to a financial professional. Rather, just as you do in your business; keep tabs on your assets. Manage them yourself or manage the people to whom you delegate the oversight of your precious assets. The bottom line is this: whether it is business assets or personal investment assets, make certain that your fingers are on the pulse of their performance.

The economy, which you and I cannot do a darned thing about, is deciding whether it wants to tread water or move towards the shore. As such, we need to control what we can control and make certain that our businesses and careers move forward. Now is the perfect time to look for ways to innovate your business. Pursue new ideas that can broaden product lines and propel sales upward. Maybe a dose of reinvention is in order. This can range from revamped processes to a more streamlined organizational chart to training that adds new tools and techniques to the workforce. Lastly, take a deep breath and relax. The media is bombarding us again with doom, gloom, and mixed messages. Listen with optimism. See with opportunistic eyes. Above all, take positive action, focus on what you can control, and implement as much as you plan.   

A client recently asked my advice regarding an email blast press release. His scenario and question is as follows:

“Dear Marketing Guru (he didn’t really write that, just humor me and read on),

My target market is small to mid-size employers, and I have access to a lot of email addresses. I have an exciting new product line that will interest them. I am debating on sending a blast email with my Press Release attached. It seems like an easy way to get in front of a large number of employers, however, it also sounds like SPAM. Do you think there is value in pushing an email out to these employers?  Or, does this close the door on these prospects if my efforts are viewed as SPAM?

Signed, spammed and confused.”

I appreciate it when clients pose questions to me. As such, I thought my answer might be helpful to others who are pondering pulling the trigger on blast emails. So without further ado, here are a few items from my response:

A good rule of thumb to follow is to avoid looking like a spammer. Thus, if YOU are concerned that your blast email may be perceived as spam, don’t send it. Only send out email blasts to people who have given you approval to correspond with them or receive your materials (i.e., newsletters, etc.). You may want to consider using an online PR service (some are free, some have a nominal cost like PRweb.com). If you do send out an electronic press release, embed hyperlinks in it so that readers can be redirected to your website or view additional material. Whether you choose to blast out the press release or not, referencing excerpts from your press release on your Linked In profile and other social media would be fine, if not encouraged.

There are a bevy of additional actions to take. Why not share one PR strategy that has worked for you?

Every leader possesses their own style of conducting an interview. I have coached many professionals on improving the results of their interviews via behavioral-based interviewing, and by using an interview guide. Today, however, I share an interview technique that is unique.

Not long ago a CEO was looking to fill a high-level position. He surprisingly delegated most of the interviewing to his team leads. They, in turn, presented him with two final candidates. He always conducts final interviews over dinner. In his mind, there are several “intangible” qualities that can be observed over dinner – manners, the ability to table talk, sociability, etc. A dinner interview also gives him the opportunity to spill things on the candidate. Let me explain. One of the qualities that is of critical importance to this CEO is empathy. Now, empathy is a tough quality to unveil during a traditional interview. So what he does is contact the restaurant ahead of time, talk with his favorite waiter, and request that the waiter purposely trip and spill a glass of water on the CEO’s dining partner (i.e., the job candidate). The results are always genuine and telling. Immediately after the spill, many of the candidates display the response that the CEO is looking for: sincere concern for the waiter who has tripped and spilled something. A fair amount of the candidates, however, yell at the server or display more concern about their wet suit than the condition of the fallen waiter. It is at this moment that they cease to become candidates.

You may think the CEO’s interview technique is devious. It is also brilliant, creative, and predicatively accurate. So what kind of brilliant and creative things are you doing for your business these days?

Whether you are looking to hire people or looking to be hired, if an interview is on the horizon you should be thinking “behavioral.” Behavioral based interviewing is a structured process that seeks to better qualify candidates and results in the best team member fit for the organization.

The interview is more structured than most, complete with a defined flow and set of predetermined questions. During an effective interview, the interviewer typically speaks no more than 25% of the time, while the candidate speaks 75% or more. The key is that most of the interviewer’s speaking time is spent at the end of the interview, not the beginning! Most interviewers are terrible because they spend the beginning of the interview talking and telling the candidate all about the organization and the position. This makes it quite easy for the person being interviewed to simply regurgitate important points and sound in-synch with the organization.

One last tip: gain behavioral examples. The examples of real-life events provided by the candidate can then be used to assess the relevance of job related skills. If you want more information about terrific interview structures or techniques, contact us for a consult or to purchase one of our interview guides.

You read that title correctly. Last week Amazon announced that for the first time e-books outsold paper books. The week before was probably the last time in history (Amazon’s at least) that paper books outsold e-books. So my friends, e-books are here to stay and will continue to gather traction. A fact: we are in the process of turning Leadership Simplified into an e-book. Bought that Kindle yet? Anyway, e-books are just the first incarnation of prose read electronically. What does the future hold? In the not too distant future, Vooks will hit the scene in a big way. What the heck are vooks? Well, they are a fine blend of text, high-quality video, and hyperlinks. Just picture that you are reading your favorite business resource book, Leadership Simplified, and you click on a word and, voila, I appear in a video and explain the concept that you were reading about. Similarly, in another section you would click on a hyperlink and suddenly be transported to a section of my website or another reliable information source. Sound spiffy? Hold on to your hat. It is coming, and it’s game changing!     

A while back Colin Powell wrote a nice piece about leadership. In it, he included a list of certain “rights” that leaders give up when they take on a leadership position. You may or may not agree with Powell’s list, but I believe a review of it from time-to-time is healthy.

Once you become a leader, you give up certain rights: 

0. The right to lose your temper. 
0. The right to be "one of the crowd." 
0. The right to shut the door.  
0. The right to bring problems to work. 
0. The right to speak freely. 
0. The right to be against change. 
0. The right to pass the buck. 
0. The right to get even. 
0. The right to choose favorites.
0. The right to think of yourself first.
0. The right to ask a staff member to do something you would not do.
0. The right to expect immediate reward for your work.

Last week the U.S. Senate voted to include a proposed $30 billion lending program in a small business aid package it will be examining soon. If approved, the measure would enable community banks to provide an abundance of SBA loans to small business. Approximately $12 billion in tax breaks for small businesses, as well as the beefing up of several other government lending programs would also be included.

Here is my take: 1. A large pool of available funds is welcomed news since lenders have been very tight with approving loans. 2. There should be some concern because in the government’s haste to push $30 billion into a flailing economy, an abundance of bad loans may be generated. 3. Doesn’t it seem odd that only community banks will be allowed to lend these funds? Non-community banks have the kind of market share and geographical scope to push these funds into the market more quickly and, perhaps with better controls. Why not let all banks participate?    

On a recent return flight from a business trip, I sat next to a wise man. Let’s call him Howard. Well, that was his name, Howard. He is a retired corporate executive and a negotiation expert. During the blizzard of our conversation, one of the topics we addressed was negotiation best practices. In this regard, Howard shared several stories with me. The sentiment of one of them is encapsulated below.

We have all heard that when one of our senses is injured or compromised, the others rise to the occasion and become stronger. While at dinner one night with a colleague, Howard noticed that with eat bite of delicious food, his friend would close his eyes and savor the collage of flavors. Howard asked him what he was doing. His friend’s immediate reply, with eyes still closed, was that he wanted to focus all of his attention on what he was doing – what he was enjoying. Howard embraced the habit and not only began closing his eyes while consuming tasty meals, but he expanded the technique’s use. For instance, during important conversations and critical negotiations, Howard would inform others that he was closing his eyes so that he could focus, and hear, and taste their message. One can only imagine the unusual facial expressions that Howard’s technique must have caused. He wouldn’t know, his eyes were closed – and his mind was open. He must have done something (many things) right, because he was and is one heck of a successful guy. If you ever meet him, you will like him. Here is my point: In this sometimes crazy, fast-paced world, develop listening modalities that work for you. If we were all to stop rushing, and texting, and stressing for a moment we would realize that people have amazing things to say. Listen. And open your mind.        

Recently, a group asked me to be their keynote business speaker. I am always honored to speak to leaders, and this group was particularly lively and astute. They also chose a location that was beautiful and rustic. As I drove through the beautiful setting I had to stop my car. I mean literally stop, because a group of three Sandhill Cranes were sauntering across the street and I had no desire to tangle with them. For those of you not familiar with Sandhills, they are the size of storks, with large, pointy beaks. In addition, they are territorial, confident, loyal, family-oriented, and combative if provoked. I respect and admire these beautiful birds.

After they had safely passed and I had moved on, it struck me just how incredibly adaptable these birds are. We are constantly encroaching on their natural habitat, and they refuse to be defeated. Instead, they adapt. In other words, they are not happy about man’s presence in and proximity to their world, yet they deal with it and flourish. Sandhills continue to stalk their turf, frequent their ponds, cross barriers (i.e., paved roads), and raise their young in a changed world. Sandhills even coexist with our pets – it is sometimes amusing to see just who chases whom.

So the next time you are assessing your strengths or areas of needed improvement, ponder your level of leadership adaptability. Are you a Sandhill, or something else? During your assessment process answer these questions:

0. How do I behave when I perceive that someone is encroaching on my turf?
0. How do I treat hurdles: as a nuisance or something that occurs naturally during the course of progress and growth?
0. When thrown into uncomfortable situations am I still confident? Why or why not?
0. Am I constantly reinforcing and building the concept of team in the workplace?
0. If my team was driving and I stepped into the road would they stop and patiently wait for me, or would they run me over? Why?

Often times being a great leader involves reflecting on a handful of questions that keep your fingers on the pulse of your performance. Sometimes life is enhanced by stopping and admiring the grandeur in something seemingly simple. Be well my friends. And be adaptable. 

A lot of change is going on out there. I certainly don’t need to tell you about that, do I? What you might be interested in though, is discussing just how leaders weave changes into their existing culture. That’s the trick. So, let’s touch on a foundational action plan that leaders can use to exact the kind of change they are looking for, with minimal disruptions to workflow.

First, determine what areas/items/behaviors/procedures you want to change. Use free thinking here and open everyone’s mind to what could be different. Second, designate a point person who owns each particular item to change. Third, project by what date the change will commence or be completed. Note: be specific on the due date (i.e., third quarter 2010 does not cut it). Fourth, measure the results.

Once the above stated steps have been completed, you can follow the same drill with one subtle difference: determine what areas you do not want to change. This action is critical, and where most leaders blow it. Often times, leaders are so busy changing things that they do not communicate what items and behaviors they want to stay the same. 

If you want help with leadership facilitation, a professional facilitator is a good way of moving change forward, thus allowing you to participate in the process as part of the team. If you prefer to lead the charge, go forth. And remember to focus on action. 

Do you have a leadership library? No, no, not a room or a bookshelf that contains volumes of thought about leadership. What I am referring are ready resources that can help you today, right now, as you lead your team.

Most good leaders I know are voracious learners. These life-long learners typically read a book on leadership, then move on to the next book or topic – always searching for golden nuggets to learn to share. There is nothing wrong with this. I have a different prescription though. Here it is: re-read. That’s right, read the best business books multiple times and let their concepts and motivation thoroughly soak into to your leadership being. You know, most business books are nothing more than a memo done good, or some story, that while intriguing, contains merely four concepts to embrace. As such, focus on three business books at a time. Learn them. Read them again and again. Bathe in their knowledge until you have seamlessly woven their concepts into your behaviors and language. Only then, move on to a new set. What are the three books I recommend most frequently? I thought you would never ask. Here they are:

-          Good to Great

-          Now, Discover Your Strengths

-          Leadership Simplified      

Have these books readily available near your desk. Use them as field guides. Review them frequently and on the fly. Consume them thoroughly and then, don’t forget: implement!

One of the terrific benefits of my job is that I get to frequently coach top performers. It is simultaneously a pleasure and a challenge. The pleasure comes from interacting with people who are at the top of their industry and, at the top of their game. The challenge comes in the form of helping them unlock even more of themselves and their talent. The unlocking of jewels that top performers have tucked away usually present themselves after interesting questions have been asked. That is one of the big functions of leadership and coaching – asking great questions. Another item to consider is how you will connect with your top performers. By this, I mean finding out if they prefer formal or informal coaching; do they want in person or tele-coaching – or both; are they game for preparing written summaries of the formal coaching sessions after they take place? Wanna become a better coach for top performers? Tell less, ask more.

“Sounds great, go ahead and send me a proposal.” We have all heard these words. Most sales professionals obediently follow up on their prospect’s request. Big mistake. You don’t even have to ask why it is a mistake because you know the answer: your proposals are rarely accepted. And on those occasions when they are, it is only because you offered the lowest price. This information is frequently verified by participants at our performance sales training events.

Without going into a diatribe about proposals and all the evil nuisances associated with them, I offer an alternative strategy on which to consider:

The word “proposal” connotes comparison. Thus, if you supply a proposal, you will be compared with other vendors. That’s right, you relegate yourself to nothing more than a vendor. Does that label fit nicely with your marketing model? Answer: I hope not. Here is my tip: in lieu of a proposal send a Statement of Work, or a Memo of Understanding, or a Commitment Letter, or a Contract. For goodness sake do NOT send a proposal. Bonus tip: avoid future tense language in the document you send. Instead, speak in present tense.

Bottom Line: Seek to shrink the sales cycle and move towards doing business. Do not elongate your selling process and engage in the time-suck of preparing a proposal.

This information and more is covered during our Sales Simplified Boot Camps. Consider setting one up for your team.