CALL US NOW AT (847) 665-9134
magnify

“What crucial conversations are you not holding, or not holding well?”

Joseph Grenny is a New York Times best-selling author, a keynote speaker, and a social scientist who is passionate about good communication.  More precisely, he is passionate about what he calls “crucial conversations” . . . those conversations that are necessary, but are so fraught with real or imagined danger, or carry so much emotional baggage, that we just can’t bring ourselves to engage in them.  We’re afraid that we will get a negative outcome, that the person we’re trying to communicate with will either shut down, or lash out in some way.  We’re afraid that instead of clearing the air and giving us a fresh start, this conversation will damage the relationship and make matters worse.  Grenny offers some suggestions for conducting a “crucial conversation” in a way that will tilt the odds in favor of a positive outcome.  To learn what he suggests, please continue reading below.

“What crucial conversations are you not holding, or not holding well?”  – Joseph Grenny

First, Grenny would like to dispel a myth . . . the myth that telling the truth will cost you friends.  To the contrary, he argues, having an honest conversation about something important to both parties will deepen a relationship and make it more trusting.  The trick is conducting the conversation in a way that is candid but respectful.

To meet Grenny’s definition of a “crucial conversation,” the parties to the conversation must have:

  1. Opposing opinions.
  2. Strong emotional involvement.
  3. High stakes in the outcome.

So with those conditions in place, it’s easy to see why we approach such conversations with some anxiety.  While Grenny talks about several different ways to manage the conversation in ways that will keep it positive and productive, one of those ways is far more important than the others.  At the very beginning of a “crucial conversation,” he challenges us to “make it safe.”  If we fail to do that . . . if the other party feels threatened or endangered . . . a “fight or flight” response will kick in and the conversation will turn into an argument or the other party will retreat from the conversation altogether.

There are a couple of things we can do to make a crucial conversation “safe.”  First, we need to establish “mutual purpose” . . . the idea that this is a problem for both of us (whatever the problem is), and we both care deeply about solving it.  And second, we need to establish “mutual respect.”  We each need to acknowledge that while we may not agree, our respective opinions and beliefs are both valid and honestly held.

None of this is to say that we should soft-peddle or sugar-coat tough issues so as not to offend our counterpart.  In fact, Grenny says, to tiptoe around the tough issues defeats the whole purpose of a “crucial conversation” which is to get the tough issues on the table where they can be discussed and debated.

Is there a “crucial conversation” you’ve been dreading and putting off?  It should help to take Grenny’s advice: view it as an opportunity to deepen a relationship, not as a threat to damage it.  Then, by establishing mutual purpose and mutual respect, make it “safe” for both parties to be open and honest with one another.

We all have crucial conversations from time to time.  They are inevitable.  So navigating them successfully is an essential leadership skill.  Master it!

 
Tags: ,
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

“Negotiations are built on agreement, not disagreement.”

We tend to associate “negotiating” with lawyers, politicians, and purchasing agents.  But the fact is, we all negotiate.  We negotiate compensation packages for new employees, we negotiate price and terms with our customers, we negotiate bedtimes with our kids, and household budgets with our spouses.  So we all negotiate all sorts of stuff . . . at least, we try . . . but not always well or successfully. 

Jack Kaine is an expert on the art of negotiation.  He has taught at Texas A&M, the University of Kansas, and at Stanford.  He teaches negotiating skills to thousands of people each year in lectures and workshops.  He is the president of his own management consulting firm, J.W. Kaine, Ltd.  The material below is taken from Jack Kaine’s  presentation, “Negotiating for Success.”  I can’t convey all the tips and concepts he discusses in that presentation, so I have selected the broad themes that I found most impactful.  If you think your negotiating skills need some improvement and would like to learn some of Jack Kaine’s tips for negotiating successfully, please read on.

“Negotiations are built on agreement, not disagreement.”   – Jack Kaine

First, negotiating is not a competitive event.  It’s not a zero sum game where one can win only if the other loses.  A big ego does not serve well here.  It can turn negotiators into combatants, and cause a completely satisfactory agreement to be lost in the search for a perfect agreement.  A good negotiator understands that there has to be a win/win solution or the negotiation will fail and everybody loses.

“The only reason you are negotiating is out of ignorance,” says Kaine.  “If a fair and impartial decision were known to all parties prior to the negotiation, it would eliminate the need to negotiate.”  Taken from that perspective, a negotiation is a fact-finding mission aimed at uncovering what the other side is trying to accomplish.  To do that, a skilled negotiator not only needs to ask smart, insightful questions, but also needs to listen intently to the answers.

It’s important to understand what the other side is trying to do without getting hung up on how they’re trying to do it.  The “how” question is where the negotiating comes in.  If you clearly understand where they are trying to go, you can offer alternative ways for them to get there . . . ways that work for both of you.  For instance, let’s say you’re a supplier to a manufacturing company and they’re trying to get you to lower your price by 10%.  But through your clever questioning, you know their broader goal is to lower their manufacturing cost.  Beating you up over your price is simply the tactic they’re using to do that.  So you counter their demand for a reduced price by saying, “What if we can prove to you that by using our product, your equipment will be able to run faster, with less waste, and save you 15%?”  The trick is to keep everyone flexible and avoid letting anyone take a hard position.

In your questioning, Kaine advises asking “what” questions rather than “why” questions.  A “what” question feels like a neutral request for information.  A “why” question feels more like a challenge and may evoke an emotional response.  Asking “Why did you do that?” may make the other party feel they need to defend an action rather than explain it.

Don’t negotiate against yourself.  That is, don’t lower your price or ease your terms before the negotiation even begins.  When the negotiation does start, you won’t get any credit for concessions the other side never knew you made.  And when you do make a concession, make sure you get something in return.  For example, if the other party is asking for a price 5% below what you’ve proposed, you might say, “Yes, I can do that for you if you can accept delivery in fifteen days instead of ten.”  If you don’t do that, the other party will think you were trying to gouge them for an extra 5%, and whatever relationship you may have developed will be damaged.

The over-riding concept here is that a successful negotiation is built on trust.  It’s a partnership whereby both parties have a vested interest in a successful outcome.  As long as each “partner” fully understands the goals of the other, and as long as each is committed to working honestly together to achieve those goals, a successful outcome will be within your reach.

 
Tags: , ,
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

Be decisive. Get focused. Take a nap.

Successful people have always been, and continue to be, studied, researched, and analyzed endlessly.  Why?  Because we want to learn what makes them tick.  We want to find out what they do (or don’t do) that makes them more successful than the rest of us.  I recently read two online articles, each describing a characteristic of successful people.  Of course, successful people exhibit many more characteristics than just these two, but these two resonated with me, so I thought I would pass them along.  Maybe they will resonate with you too.  To learn what these two characteristics are that successful people seem to share, please continue reading below.

Be decisive.  Get focused.  Take a nap.

We already know successful people tend to play to their strengths, and don’t waste a lot of time trying to be good at something for which they have no talent.

See  https://rocksolidbizdevelopment.com/ourblog/now-discover-your-strengths/

But now we know two more things about them.

First, they are decisive.  That’s not to say they make impulsive, ill-considered decisions.  They may take some time to assemble relevant facts, information, and opinions, but then they decide.  They don’t procrastinate.  And once they decide, they tend to stick with their decision.  If they do reverse a decision, they do it slowly . . . only after their original decision has had time to play out.  That’s in contrast to some of us mere mortals who put off making a decision for as long as possible, and then immediately begin second-guessing ourselves, changing direction again and again.

What do you suppose it is that makes successful people more decisive than the rest of us?

I believe it’s vision.  They have a crystal clear view of where they want to go and how they expect to get there, and that clarity makes their decision-making process more or less binary.  It’s an X or an O, it’s black or it’s white, it’s right or it’s wrong, it moves me closer to my goal or it moves me farther away.  Without that clear vision . . . if you don’t know where you want to go or how you want to get there . . . decision-making gets to be a very murky, complicated business of weighing an infinite number of variables and alternatives.  As the old saying goes, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any ole road will take you there.”

If you struggle with creating a vision for your organization, a robust planning process will help.  The very nature of planning forces you to create a vision for a future that excites and energizes you (and your organization).  It also forces you to lay out a path to reach that vision that is both reasonable and achievable, and will give you the confidence to say, “Hey, we can do this!”

The second characteristic of successful people is that they work in a highly focused, intense way, but for shorter periods of time as compared to less successful people.  They are sprinters.  They are capable of enormous output in short bursts, but then they need to rest, recuperate, and generally recharge their batteries.  Many authors will devote four hours in the morning to writing, then give themselves the afternoon off to rejuvenate their creative juices.  Professional athletes need time to recover following an intense performance.  Even musicians perform better after short, very focused practice sessions.

So would it make sense for small business owners to bring their A Game every morning and then take every afternoon off?  For most of them, probably not.  But over the years, I have known many small company owners who wear their long work week like a badge of honor.  They thump their chests and proudly proclaim that they work twelve hours a day, six days a week.  Clearly, they would benefit from finding ways to improve the quality of their work time and reduce the quantity.

As I’ve said, these are only two of many characteristics that successful people seem to share, so practicing only these two probably won’t transform you into a Warren Buffett, but practicing them probably will make you more successful than you are now.  Let me repeat these easy steps:

  1. Be decisive
  2. Get focused.
  3. Take a nap.
 
Tags: ,
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

Best Places to Work in Illinois 2015

As it has for the past 10 years, the Daily Herald Business Ledger has published a list of the “Best Places to Work in Illinois” for 2015.  The “Best Places to Work” program is managed by the Best Companies Group (BCG) of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  BCG administers this program not only in Illinois, but in many other states around the country as well.  BCG provides detailed employee surveys to each participating company, tabulates the results of those surveys, and determines which of the participating companies scored high enough to be included on the “Best Places to Work in Illinois” list.  For the companies who choose to participate in the program, there is some time, effort, and expense involved, so I read through some of the comments from the “Best Places to Work” firms hoping to find out why they bothered.  What did they hope to get out of it?  I also wanted to find out if there are any cultural themes held in common by the “Best Places” companies.  Please read on and I’ll share what I learned.

Best Places to Work in Illinois 2015

First, as you might expect, there’s a certain amount of altruism at work here.  I spoke with several CEOs who put their companies into the “Best Places to Work” program and they told me they participated simply because it was the right thing to do.  However, there are some sound business benefits that come out of it as well. 

Better customer service.  Southwest Airlines believes that the best way to put their customers first is to put their employees first.  Their belief is that happy, engaged employees will provide a high level of customer service.  The participants in “Best Places to Work in Illinois” seem to share that belief.

Reduced turnover.  When people find a place they enjoy and where they are treated well, they tend to stay longer.  Simple as that.

Higher productivity.  With less turnover, you have more experienced people doing the work rather than trainees who are learning while trying to get up to speed.

Easier recruiting.  No mystery here.  When you have a reputation for being a great place to work, you’ll have a drawer full of applications and resumes from people who want to work for you.

So what, if anything, do these “Best Place to Work” have in common.  What cultural norms or belief systems do they share?  Of course, they are committed to providing the best employee benefits they can, but there are several other characteristics of “Best Places” companies that are equally important.

According to Radio Flyer (manufacturer of the iconic toy red wagon), it’s all about creating an environment where people can do meaningful work and have their contributions valued and recognized.  That seemed to be a common theme with many of the “Best Places” participants.

Many of the participants mentioned “creating a family environment” at work.  Through social activities, team-building events, and training exercises, they want employees to form close, lasting relationships.

A number of participants cited community involvement as something that contributes to their “Best Places to Work” stature.  This could be in the form of financial contributions to local community institutions, or it could be giving employees paid time off to do charitable volunteer work.  Either way, employees like being associated with a company that helps improve the communities they live in.

There are lots of other things companies do (or don’t do) to land them of the “Best Places” list, but these seemed to be the main recurring themes.  If you want to see the entire “Best Places to Work in Illinois” list, or if you want to learn more about some of the companies on it, see the June 22, 2015 edition of the Daily Herald Business Ledger.  Who knows?  If you think you have the right stuff, maybe your company’s name will be on the list next year.

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

Just say “No!” to business-speak.

Whatever it is you do for a living, chances are you use some sort of jargon or slang or made-up words that you use to communicate with others who are in your line of work.  Airline pilots speak their own language.  Doctors and nurses talk to one another in med-speak.  Lawyers, scientists, and computer geeks use words, terms, and phrases that the rest of us don’t understand.  People in the military, government workers, and building contractors do the same thing.  And not to be left out, those of us who are plain, vanilla business people, do it too.  Unfortunately, if the goal is to communicate clearly, concisely, and with precision, much of the jargon we use falls short.  Business-speak can be obscure, confusing, or vague.  Besides, it tends to make the person using it sound like a pompous ass.  Below are a few business terms that have outlived their usefulness (assuming they ever were useful) and that you should consider eliminating from your vocabulary.  If you think you may be guilty of using some of these terms, please read on below.

Just say “No!” to business-speak.

“OK people, this is a real game changer.  We’ve got to on-board our new learnings to give us the bandwidth we need to repurpose our core competencies.  I need your buy-in here, so let’s drill down, do a deep dive on this, and get real granular.”

Huh?

If you have ever talked like that, you are the afore mentioned pompous ass, and you need to seek professional help.  But assuming you stick mostly to the King’s English with only a smattering of business-speak here and there, the suggestions below for trimming your business-speak vocabulary may be helpful.

Move the needle – what needle?  And where are we supposed to move it?  Actually, I have been known to use this one myself and I hate to part with it, but it does have to go.

Open the kimono – think naked 400-pound sumo wrestler.  Eeeew.  Gross!

Let’s take it offline – no, let’s not.  Let’s just talk about it later.

Reach out – there’s a danger here you may touch something you’re not supposed to.  Safer to call, text, or email.

Take it to the next level – most people think we’re already on the next level.  So if we’re not, where the heck are we?

On a going forward basis – what’s the matter with “In the future . . . “ or “From now on . . . “?  Fewer words, same meaning.

Ideation – I’m not sure that’s even a word.  I bet some marketing guy, bored with “brainstorming,” made it up.

Disintermediate – use “cut out the middleman” instead.  It’s easier to say and people will actually understand what you mean.

At the end of the day – another phrase I’m guilty of using myself, but it’s gotta go.

Best of breed – only if you’re at a dog show.

Tee it up – only if you’re playing golf.

This is not a definitive list of business-speak terms . . . not even close.  The above are intended only to sensitize you to business-speak terms so that you can begin purging them from your business lexicon.  If you want to see the entire universe of pretentious business terms, just type “business jargon” into your search engine and all sorts of stuff will come up.

So, you can think outside the box, looking for a window of opportunity to grab some low-hanging fruit in a bid for transparency and a shift in your paradigm.  Or you can just clean up your business language.  Your choice.

 
Tags:
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

“At the end of the day, you bet on people, not strategies.”

The Filene Research Institute is a think tank aimed at helping credit unions find ways to operate smarter, more efficiently, and more effectively.  An acquaintance of mine who manages a credit union shared one of Filene’s reports with me.  The title of the report is “Attributes and Skills of Highly Effective Credit Union Managers,” but most of the findings, it seems to me, would apply equally to all managers, not just to credit union managers.  So I edited the report to remove the few things that did apply only to credit unions, and to make it applicable to managers in general, not just to credit union managers.  The result may give you some ideas about how well your managers (and you!) are managing.  To see that result, please continue reading below.

“At the end of the day, you bet on people, not strategies.”  – Larry Bossidy, Allied Signal

Managers and supervisors, more than anyone else, influence employee job satisfaction, productivity, and ultimately, turnover.  So it’s critically important to have the right people in those management positions.  According to the Filene report, the managers and supervisors you really want are:

  • Fast learners – the best managers are quick studies and adept problem-solvers.
  • Energized – they have stamina and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
  • Decisive – great managers do not depend on data alone to make their decisions.  They also depend heavily on their own experience, insights, and intuition.
  • Good communicators – top managers communicate effectively with subordinates, peers, and superiors alike.
  • Goal oriented – a good manager wants to be given outcomes to be achieved, but with the freedom to achieve those outcomes their own way.  They resist micro-management.
  • Independent thinkers – they don’t simply follow the herd or “go with the flow” when they think the direction is wrong.  They have the courage to voice a contrary view.

Managers and supervisors who have these sorts of traits and behaviors are going to be high performers, but you can’t drive them, you need to lead them.  So if you want high-performing managers, you must know . . . or learn . . . how to lead them.  It may be easier and less stressful to have managers in place who will simply do what they’re told and who won’t challenge your decisions.  But while such managers may help you keep your boat afloat, they won’t be the ones to help you meet the challenges you will face to propel it forward.

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

“Networking is rubbish; have friends instead.”

I attended a meeting last week . . . the same one I attend every month.  At this particular meeting, we began talking about networking events, asking one another what events we attend, which ones produce useful referrals, which ones do not, and so forth.  In the context of our discussion, a “networking event” is a new business development activity whereby people gather to meet and greet, exchange business cards, and generally, try to plant the seeds of mutually beneficial relationships.  Sounds OK, doesn’t it?  But as our discussion unfolded, we found ourselves in agreement on several surprising conclusions:

  • Traditional networking events suck.
  • Traditional networking events don’t produce useful referrals.
  • Traditional networking events tend to attract more takers than givers.

Collectively, we decided there’s a better way to make connections that are satisfying, sustainable, and rewarding.  If you’re interested in hearing more about this, please continue reading below.

“Networking is rubbish; have friends instead.”       – Steve Winwood

The problem with most traditional networking events is this: the selection process for attendees is almost entirely random.  People may be members of the same umbrella organization (like a chamber of commerce, for instance), but there’s no other glue, no common thread that binds them together.  So they’re young and old, male and female, and they’re from an entire spectrum of organizations . . . large and small, manufacturing, service, retail, hospitality, not-for-profit, on and on and on.  In that kind of hodge podge of people, you’re probably going to walk out with a fistful of business cards that have no real value for you or your business.  It’s a little like trying to find your soul mate in a crowded bar    . . . could happen, but the odds are heavily against you.

There’s a lot of truth in the notion that people do business with people they know, like, and trust.  But in the sort randomized networking events described above, how can you hope to develop strong know/like/trust relationships?  Pretty tough to do.  So what’s the alternative?

According to the people in last week’s discussion, their best, most productive referral sources come from pursuing other, mostly non-business, interests.  They might come from serving on the Board of a charitable foundation, or from serving on a committee at church, or from joining a book club.  Maybe your passion is chess, or scuba diving, or doing volunteer conservation work.  Whatever it is, when you pursue your passion by joining with others who share your interest, you provide the glue that allows a long-term, know/like/trust relationship to develop . . . the kind of relationship that typically doesn’t grow from a business card swap-o-rama networking event.

We’re not talking about something cynical here . . . we’re not saying we should all go out and join the National Cancer Society because we’ll get good referrals from it.  But there’s no doubt, when we need help in our business, we will turn first to a friend.  So the question is, where are such friendships most likely to take root?  In traditional networking events?  Or in groups of people working or playing together in pursuit of a shared interest?

 
Tags:
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

Outstanding organizations have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission.

Mission, vision, and values are the three legs of a stool we call “culture.”  The leg we call “mission” is about purpose.  It answers the questions, “Why are we here?  What are we doing and why are we doing it?   Who are we trying to serve?”  Without a shared sense of mission, an organization is adrift, just floating along, taking us wherever the currents take us, with no energy, no passion, and no sense of urgency.

So how do we start drafting a “mission statement?”

In some cases, it’s a matter of brainstorming with the leaders of your organization to hammer out a few sentences (preferable only one sentence) that clearly state what we do, for whom we do it, and the problem(s) we intend to solve.  But if creative brainstorming isn’t your thing and you need a more basic, step-by-step approach, try the following.

For a simple mission statement, there are four parts:

    1                                                               2                                                                          3                                                  4

(I, We) (verb that describes what you do i.e., help, build, transport, train, etc.)(who do you do this for)(what problem do you solve for them)

So, a simple mission statement for a kitchen and bath remodeling company might look something like this:

We help busy Chicago-area homeowners who need to remodel a kitchen or bath, but are overwhelmed by the complexity of it and don’t know where to start.

  1. We
  2. Help
  3. Who? busy Chicago-area homeowners who need to remodel a kitchen or bath
  4. Problem? Overwhelmed by the complexity of it and don’t know where to start.

 

This formula-type approach may lead to a somewhat stiff, mechanical result, but at least it’s a start.  It gives you and your leaders something to tinker with until you get a result that feels right.

For more on “mission” and some examples of well-crafted mission statements, please continue reading below.

Outstanding organizations have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission.

So why do we need a “mission statement?  Primarily for two reasons:

  1. It gives the existing organization a unified, cohesive sense of purpose so that everyone is pulling in the same direction.
  2. In our recruiting process, to use a Jim Collins metaphor, it helps us get the right people on the bus.  After all, the more the candidate knows about what we do, why we do it, and who we serve, the more both parties can make an informed decision as to whether or not the candidate will be a good “fit.”

 So let’s look at a few corporate mission statements that I believe are well done.  Whether you agree or disagree, they will be helpful to you as you craft your own.

Google: To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Bristol-Myers Squibb:  To discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.

Conoco/Phillips:  To use our pioneering spirit to responsibly deliver energy to the world.

CSX Corporation:  To be the safest, most progressive North American railroad, relentless in the pursuit of customer and employee excellence.

CVS Corporation:  To be the easiest pharmacy retailer for customers to use.

Darden Restaurants: (Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc.)  To nourish and delight everyone we serve.

Dow Chemical Company:  To constantly improve what is essential to human progress by mastering science and technology.

Ford Motor Company:  We are a global family with a proud heritage, passionately committed to providing personal mobility for people around the world.

Levi Strauss & Company:  To market the most appealing and widely worn casual clothing anywhere. We will clothe the world.

Nike, Inc.:  To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.

If you want more, simply Google on “corporate mission statements” and you’ll find a ton of them, but I think the above will at least get you thinking.  Personally, I have a bias toward:

  • Short and sweet.  Some of the mission statements I’ve seen go on for paragraphs which I think is ridiculous.  If you’re truly in touch with your mission, you should be able to state it in one sentence . . . no more than two.
  • Highly focused.  Some companies want to include everything in their mission statement . . .  Board of Directors, shareholders, employees, customers, vendors, history, core competencies, and more.  That’s too much.  Stick with the one thing that really resonates with you, i.e. Darden Restaurants’, “To nourish and delight everyone we serve.”  That says it all in a simple, straight-forward, unpretentious way, yet it also has some drama to it.

“Mission” is one of those things some companies (particularly smaller companies) have never thought much about and have never committed to in writing.  If you’re one of those, you should re-think the value of having a thoughtful, well-crafted mission statement.  It can get everyone moving in the same direction, and it can help you decide what sort of people you need to bring on board to effectively carry out your mission.

 
Tags:
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

Don’t manage change. Lead it!

In their book, “Blue Ocean Strategy,” authors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne offer some advice for successfully introducing change.  The advice they offer is in the context changing marketing strategy, but their advice is really valid for any significant change within an organization whether you’re making operational changes, organizational changes, policy changes, or other.  The authors talk about four hurdles we must clear to successfully introduce change, and two of those hurdles deal with winning the hearts and minds of your people.  Clearly that’s the key because if we can’t win the hearts and minds of our people, how can we depend upon them to implement the changes we need.   So we’ll deal with only those two people hurdles here.  If you want to find out about the other two hurdles, you’ll have to get the book.  For more about getting your people on board with change, please read below.

Don’t manage change.  Lead it!

In most organizations, change is difficult because there’s so much inertia to overcome.  After all, we’ve always done it this way, we’re good at doing it this way, we’ve been successful doing it this way, so why do we have to change?

Fair question, and if we want to effect change quickly and smoothly, it deserves a compelling answer.  And by the way, “Because the boss says so,” is not the sort of compelling answer we’re looking for here.

So the first step in bringing about change is to get a majority of your people, particularly leaders, understanding the need for change and moving toward that change.  Here, Kim and Mauborgne advise against using numbers to make the case.  They argue that numbers can be manipulated, and therefore, people tend to distrust them.  Besides, numbers can make the need for change feel theoretical or abstract.  Instead, the authors suggest letting people see and experience the need for change.  For instance, if we need to change our manufacturing process, let’s ask people not directly involved in those processes to spend some time on the manufacturing floor, witnessing (maybe even participating in) the problems we’re trying to address.

OK, we’ve gotten over the first hurdle.  Our people understand and believe the need for the change we’re asking them to make, but we’ve still got to get over another hurdle, and that can be even more difficult.

Just because our people appreciate the need for change, doesn’t mean they believe we can pull it off successfully.  In their minds, they may be thinking, “Geez, this is a big mountain to climb!  How can we possibly reach the top of this thing?”  As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.”  So it’s vital that your people approach change with a positive, “can do” attitude.  Kim and Mauborgne recommend something they call “atomization” . . . essentially, breaking the project down into individual tasks so that the entire project doesn’t seem quite so daunting.  They also suggest using performance metrics to keep each individual focused on his or her task, to keep each team leader focused on what his or her team needs to accomplish, to keep each department head focused on what his or her department needs to accomplish, and so on.  Of course, managers at the very top need to have the big picture, but the idea is to keep everyone else focused exclusively on their area of responsibility without getting caught up in the enormity of the overall project.

There are certainly other factors to be considered when contemplating a significant change in your organization, but if you begin by laying out a compelling case for the need to change, and then inspiring confidence in your people that, “We can do this!,” you’ll be well on your way to a successful implementation.

 
Tags: ,
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn

“Marketing is a contest for people’s attention.”

Good marketing is probably more art than science.  It’s the art of building relationships.  It’s moving prospects along a continuum that begins at “Never heard of ya,” and ends at “Where do I sign?”  The trick is, knowing where along that line a prospect is so that our marketing communication is both appropriate and effective.  In other words, a prospect who has “never heard of ya” will likely be put off by a communication that makes it sound like we’re old friends.  Likewise, an introductory communication may be insulting if it lands on the desk of an old customer.  Most marketing gurus will say that there are specific mile markers along this continuum from “Never heard of ya” to “Where do I sign?,” but there are many different views on the number and nature of those mile markers.  For one marketer’s view, please continue reading below.

“Marketing is a contest for people’s attention.”    – Seth Godin

Jeff McKay is the founder and CEO of Prudent Pedal Marketing, a marketing consultancy in La Grange.  Jeff recently gave a marketing presentation to a group of which we are both members, and a portion of his presentation was devoted to relationship-building mile markers . . . the steps we must go through to move a prospect from “Never heard of ya” to “Where do I sign?”  In his scheme of things, there are five such steps:

1. Awareness.  Clearly, nobody is going to do business with us if they don’t even know we exist.  So the first step is to develop a bit of name recognition.  Our prospect may not know much about us, but at least they need to have heard our name before.
2. Familiarity.  Just because someone has heard our name before doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy from us.  They need to learn what we do and how our business can help theirs.  They need to know that our business practices are compatible with theirs.  And they need to connect with us on a personal level so that we’re not just some faceless organization.  As the saying goes, people do business with people, not companies.
3. Consideration.  Now that our prospect knows a little about us, we need to move the relationship along to a point where our prospect is willing to consider doing business with us.  To do that, we’ll need to demonstrate that we are qualified to deliver what we’ve promised, and that we can be trusted to consistently honor our commitments.  Here the prospect may require that we submit to a trial of some kind, or provide testimonials from existing customers.
4. Choice.  We don’t want to be just one of many on an “approved vendor” list.  We want to be at the top of a “preferred vendor” list.  When our prospect is willing to consider us and actually gives us our shot, we need to perform so well that we will be their first choice for any future opportunities.
5. Loyalty.  This is always where we want our train to stop.  At this point, we have earned our customer’s trust by faithfully delivering on our commitments, again and again.  We are firmly entrenched, and as long as we protect the relationship we’ve built, we’ll probably stay that way.  In most cases, customers don’t last forever, but if we’ve reached this point, we’ll be in for a good, long run.

Viewed this way, Jeff McKay’s five steps make a good road map for moving the relationship from “awareness” to “loyalty.”  And it provides a framework for planning our next moves . . . for recognizing what step the prospect is on, and for devising ways to move that prospect to the next step.

 
 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn
© Copyright 2023-2024, Rock Solid Business Development, Inc. • 601 Estes Ave, Suite 200, Schaumburg, IL 60193 • (847) 665-9134