The No Card

When I was studying at the seminary to glean my calling to be a deacon we were advised to "prune, prune, prune."  In other words, drop out of everything and concentrate on this one thing.  Naturally that didn't apply to family and work, but to all things church.  That was hard for most of us - dropping out of the choir, out of committees, out of a whole lot of busy work to concentrate on the important stuff.  (More about the freedom of discipline and liberation of obedience another time)

After ordination we were encouraged to play our "NO card".  Lots of people are going to ask us for lots of things, and being charitable souls our inclination is to say yes.  With a NO card you don't have to give it a second thought or toss and turn over "whether to or should I?"  You just play the card and go back to the core mission.

What was true of my spiritual vocation has also been true in my professional vocation and maybe in yours.  We get asked to take on increasing roles of responsibility in our associations if we've shown the slightest hint of enthusiasm and success in our committee roles - and that's OK.  But how do we know when enough is too much?  When is it time to say no?

I am a member of an organization that has seen at least 3 volunteer presidents in the last five finish out their year with shattered marriages.  It may not have been the tremendous work load on top of a tremendous work load that caused the marriage to fail, who knows what underlying issues were already in play? - but it certainly didn't help.

This is not to say that many, many people haven't been very successful in extending their passion at work to their entire industry through their professional association - I've met them and seen it done.  I admire them.  Their industry is better for it.  The reason they do it so well is that they also have a NO card which they play in other places at strategic times.

Not sure how to say no?  Here's a helpful blog from Adrian Granzella Larson with some tips...  http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2014/09/15/just-say-no-7-canned-responses-to-use-at-work/

Last Time I Did That I Got Yelled At

"Last time I did that I got yelled at!"  No you didn't.  No you didn't.  Well, probably you didn't.

I sometimes hear that from the people I work with.  "I got yelled at.  I got in trouble."  No you didn't; in the last 20 years in the work force the only time anyone raised their voice was to be heard over the laughter.

Statements like that are indicative of a deeper issue - whether they red-flag a buried issue between supervisor and direct report, or a thin-skin.

Sue Shellenberger, in her blog post "How to Take Criticism Well" suggests that the ability to take criticism is a well-developed skill.  She includes a nifty chart on how to react, and what to do if you react badly.

Read the full article here:  http://goo.gl/uqmzj6

Corporate Sociopath

I started working full time and in earnest in the 80s.  It was a different time.  Unnecessarily long hours.  Cutthroat workplace competition for the next promotion.  C-Level by the age of 30!  Absolute fear of committing a CLM (career limiting move).

At one point early in my career I found myself working side-by-side with a corporate sociopath.  I didn't know it until I happened upon an article describing her qualities to a tee.  Armed with that information I was able to share it with others who were in danger, which was frankly, anyone standing between her and her goal.

The attached article lists the signs of a sociopath.  She displayed easily 5 or 6 of them.

The good news was, as long as she didn't report to you, you were safe.  Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE who she ever reported to ended up unemployed as she plotted her upward mobility.  Those of us who reported to her, which I at one point I did, were perfectly safe as long as she detected no threat.

The truth is that the few years we worked together were the most productive of my career mostly because I knew her game and I played my part well enough that she gave me leeway.  I was, in no way, a threat.  In fact, working around her corporate sociopathic idiosyncrasies I gained many skills I wouldn't have otherwise, such as learning to recognize her many great qualities and to work together to achieve our departmental goals.

Is there a corporate sociopath in your workplace?  It doesn't have to hurt you, necessarily.  Read the article here: http://goo.gl/gNVcgU

Focused Effort

One of the cool things about social media and general sociability is keeping in touch with like-minded individuals, discussing business and learning from their success and failure.  I freely confess I have had the knack of knowing which of my peers' best behaviours I should imitate, even if their business is completely different than mine.  Someone else's good idea modified to fit my situation is potentially a great, new and innovative approach.

With permission, one of my successful friends has agreed to let me share the three steps he took to hit some very steep sales goals last fiscal, which I shamelessly emulated (copied).

• He kept his eye, and his team's eyes, on the goal.  The sales target seemed impossibly high, in fact it was common knowledge that there was no way for the team to achieve it (they did).  He eliminated all distracting behaviour with one simple question, "will this help us to achieve x$?"  (the annual sales goal).  If not, the intended activity was not approved.  As he likes to say, "strategy exists so we can say 'no' to some very good ideas." 
• Measurable activities were broken down into manageable daily goals.  X number of prospecting calls per month meant X number per day, a more achievable goal.  Same for sales calls, trade show leads, you name it.  Do the math.
• Time periods are front end loaded.  Want to make X number of calls in a month?  Do the math, dividing the number by 15 days (3 working weeks) instead of 20 days (4 working weeks) so even if you fall a bit behind or have to do other activities that take you away from the phone, you're not scrambling in the last week (along with all the other mediocre sales people dialing for dollars).  The same for the year - divide the annual sales goal into 11, not 12 months and spend the last month with maybe a bit of catching up instead of desperately begging your customer for a signed contract just to hit the sales target.

What I noticed most was what he didn't say.  None of the old "if you believe it, you can achieve it" horse crap plays into his plan.  It's all about straight up focused effort and uncompromising vision.

Writers, not Actors

I took some clients to see John Cleese's one-man show, "Last Time to See Me Before I Die", a few months back.  You remember him - tall, lanky, straight-faced funny guy from Monty Python.  He told a story of how Monty Python stayed together as a comedy troupe in an industry where others had fallen apart.  He didn't deny there was the occasional argument, very vehement arguments between them about the material (which is funnier - a goat or a sheep?  His firm assertion and the final say in a 20 minute argument was that when used as a chandelier, with lights in it's hooves and mouth, clearly the goat was going to get more laughs.)

Cleese suggested that the reason the team was so tight and produced such good results was because they were a group of writers.  They got together to write a sketch, and never deviated from the script during performance.  Only after hammering out the script did they decide who would play which parts, and always for the sake of the material.  Sometimes that meant a small part, or no role at all.  Other times it might mean a very large, starring role.  Characters and roles were agreed upon according to what would serve the end goal - great comedy.  They were writers first.

If the Pythons argued about anything, it was the material.  Cleese says he has seen shows and troupes fail because instead of a group of writers coming together to write and perform, they have been a group of actors coming together, each with his own agenda, to perform that which they wrote.  Egos ruled in the actors' group.

Which team are you part of?  Are you actors thinking only of your own contribution and recognition, or writers working together in the direction of a common goal?

I know which team on which I'd rather be.

Checking Out

I have long maintained that once an employee begins seriously looking for a new job, he or she has already resigned from his current position.   Once the employee has posted an application and accepted an interview with another company, he already works there.  At the very least, he no longer works for his current company.  All that remains is for the new employer to make it official.

There's no fault in that - today's career path in anything but a straight trajectory.  My old boss used to say, "you've got to move to improve."  It's OK for people to quit.  They just shouldn't drag down the team on their long, slow departure.

I have seen the pattern repeated time and time again.  People show signs of checking out long before they actually leave.  They come in late, they avoid team activities, they miss deadlines and exhibit many other behaviours that are unexpectedly out of character, or widely divergent from the employee you once knew.  They appear to be disengaged.  It is a rare person who can keep his head in the game until the final hour.

Biz Magazine, published by Town Media, in their 2014 Q1 issue published these "tips and tricks" to spotting a "job hopper" within your own organization:

• A noticeable change in attitude (formerly enthusiastic, now indifferent)
• Long lunch breaks and frequent absences (no longer invested, going on job interviews)
• Missed deadlines and increased errors (lost interest)
• More professional attire (dressing up for a job interview at lunch)
• A drop in productivity (gradually disconnecting from the job)

The astute manager recognizes these signs and acts with respect in the best interest of his customers and his company and frankly, the departing employee himself.

The Elephant in the Room

In our weekly sales meetings we always finish with a safari hunt.  It's kind of our humorous way of learning what are the elephants in the room.  You know the phrase.  These are the thoughts, gossip and hard feelings unspoken. 

Usually nothing comes up but occasionally something will.  I'm glad to be a part of a team that clears the air regularly. If someone is uncomfortable speaking in front of the group they are welcome to meet privately.  That includes me, as the team leader.

Recently I posted a blog item, and a blog, by it's very definition is amateur and opinion-based (at least mine is), but it stirred a sleeping elephant that had gone unspoken.  The topic of the post involved something I hadn't had the courage to confront at the time.

My exposed feelings were quickly responded to, and while I didn't like it, it did reveal the real problem facing any team.  Gossip.

Some elephants are harder to take down than others.

Brown Bagging It

I enjoy sitting down and enjoying lunch with the team.  I'm amazed at the number of people on our team who do.

I think it's the reason we're successful.

• No one is left behind.  We wouldn't dream of not welcoming any member of the team to the table.
• Most of us are forward thinkers.  We take the time to prepare a lunch, and sometimes bring a little extra to share (like Matt's wife's cookies...delicious)
• There's teasing and laughter and no consideration for title or status, at least until lunch is over.
• It's hard to hold a grudge when the person is sitting down at the table beside you.  I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but not very often and not for long.

In these days when so many families have lost the practice of sitting down together for a meal, the work family I belong to hasn't. 

Top Gun

A few years ago when I was a member of a small team I won a sales contest.  That didn't go over well with my team mates and when my name was announced the silence around the boardroom table was humiliating.  No applause.  I felt bad for my Director of Sales; I know she expected better from her team.  I will never know why it bothered anyone that I won not only the first leg, but the overall contest.

I have often wondered if it was because they believed they should have a chance at winning the contest without changing the 9-5 behaviour that was generating the lacklustre results that necessitated a contest in the first place.

When the contest was announced I made it my personal goal to win, for three reasons:

1. In support of the boss.  It was her idea.  If the contest flopped and failed to generate the sales results she hoped for, she'd look bad in front of her boss.  Our job is to make the boss look good, I think. Certainly life is better for everyone when we do. 
2. Because the reward was huge.  In fact, in that first month I won a gift certificate large enough that I planned to take the entire team out for lunch.  In the end I did take one sales manager, the one who shook my hand and congratulated me (albeit surreptitiously).  The grand prize was a Best Buy gift certificate that got me a nice camera, amongst other electronic cool things.  I don' mind admitting I'm motivated by more than altruism and teamism.  Teamishness.  Whatever.
3. I knew that if this contest produced the desired effect we would be in a position to crush the competition, finish the fiscal year in good shape, and the whole team would make bonus.

The reason I won was simple, and my friend and Top Gun Honda salesguy Erin, a man after my own heart, summed it up when he was telling me why he is the #1 sales guy 3 months in a row at his dealership and I suspect along that street of auto dealerships.  Erin said this:

"It is possible to beat me.  You just have to get to work before me, stay later than me, and work harder than I do."

I'll add one thing.  You have to want to.

Correct a Little

Mixing faith and business...

There is a belief that a Catholic should not bring his or her faith into the workplace.

Horseshit.

Pope Francis recently quoted Pope John XXIII and if I hadn't been purposely reading a Catholic magazine there's no way I would have found this in the mainstream secular media.  It jumped out of the page.  He said,

"See everything; turn a blind eye to much; correct a little." 

I could have used this advice when I first started in management, and John XXIII expresed this Christian sentiment many years before that.  Had I been reading up on my faith as diligently as I was all those motivational books there might be far fewer apologies owed to those who reported to me over the last three decades.

See everything:  A manager's job is to see everything.  We either know what is or what was going on, or we ought to have known.  No excuses.  No avoiding responsibility by deliberately not knowing.

Turn a blind eye too much:  Here's my personal failing, while we're in the corporate confessional.  I have felt compelled to comment, correct and coerce obsessively all in the name of developing my direct reports.  In fact, I've been holding them back.  People need the opportunity to venture, discover, be right and be wrong.

Correct a little:  This is when we don't, or can't turn a blind eye for the good of the individual, the good of the company, and for our career.

I suspect the need to correct a subordinate is far less often than we think; certainly far less than I've felt necessary, to be truthful.

This quote from Pope John XXIII is radically different from almost every accepted management practice and wasn't specifically targeted to the workplace, rather to the church (the people of faith) to bring it into their families, communities and businesses.  Is there a place for a strong, practical, practicing Catholic faith in the workplace?

We can't afford there not to be.

(Sorry about that foul language up at the top.  There wasn't a better word.)

A Few Good Managers

I just returned from a conference in Atlanta, during which time I stayed in a nice hotel that had a small cafe that served a pretty decent breakfast every day.  Since the trend of starving conference attendees seems to be in full upswing this summer, I ate breakfast there every morning.  It was pretty decent.

The first two mornings I noticed the food was good, and the service was good.  The music was techno-bamboo (my term, you won't find that as an option on iTunes) and that struck me as decidedly unbreakfasty (my word, you won't find that in the Mirriam-Webster).  I think they just forgot to change the channel after the late night drinks crowd went up to their rooms.

On my final morning the presence of a manager was obvious.  The energy level in the breakfast cafe was high, the smiles and greetings were genuine,and the overhead music had, get this, a beginning, middle and end.  The manager was "hopping and bopping" around, a style of management my first boss demanded. 

You can't overstate the value of a good manager. You may not even notice when he's not there, but you sure can tell the difference when he is. 

Nothing But the Truth

When I sold Saab vehicles years ago, we had an agreement between salespeople.  Since no one could reasonably expect to work 12 hours a day, six days a week, there would be times when we would have to cover for each other.

On one occasion a client to whom I had shown no fewer than 5 vehicles finally came in, ready to buy.  On previous occasions when he would walk in, my sales partner would look up and say "Jeremy, you're guy is here."  However on this, my evening off, he came in and she sold him a very nice car, kept the commission and took credit for the sale.  Her explanation?  He didn't ask for me.

When I approached the dealer principal, he told me it was my problem.  "No," I said. "It's yours.  If she's stealing from my family, she's stealing from you."  Several months later she was fired from the Saab dealership for dishonesty and misuse of company property.

I'm pretty keen on sales people telling the truth.  If they'll lie to a customer, they'll lie to their employer. 

If a salesperson is too embarrassed by the truth - either of their own lack of ability or of the shortcomings of the product they sell, they need to find new employment and maybe even a new career.

And that's the truth.

Building Bridges

Whenever someone leaves his employ, someone else reminds him not to "burn any bridges."  I know a man who not only never burned a bridge, he built new ones.

He was one of the top managers in one of the top restaurants in the country.  Arguably, he was more known than his establishment, which suited the partners just fine - he brought in the guests.  He was a difficult man to work for if you were the kind of person who didn't believe in high standards, excellence in performance, and professionalism.  I don't have his permission to use his name, so let's call him Mr. Manager.  I thought of him as Mr. Mentor, and I've tried ever since to live up to his example.

And one day he gave his two weeks notice.  For me it was a death in the family.  It seemed like the next logical step was to close the establishment and call it a day.  Of course, that didn't happen but for a time I didn't know how I'd go on.  I did; we all did.

After he gave his notice, some of the staff started to slack off a bit.  Missing corkscrews, smudged aprons, carrying fewer than 3 pens, forgotten garnishes, loosened ties...things that seem small but that really matter.  Really.  He put a stop to it right away.  One of the waiters complained that he should lighten up, since he only had a few days left.  "What do you care?" he asked.  "You're leaving."

"Just because I'm leaving doesn't mean this isn't a four-diamond establishment," he said, as he worked full out until the last minute.  "Smarten up."

After he was gone, for years, the staff would remind the slackers, very seriously, "just because (he's) gone, doesn't mean this isn't a four-diamond establishment."

Indeed.

Meet the New Boss

A guy once faced a predicament in his career.  Shortly into a new position, he found himself reporting to a guy whom he had once fired in another organization. 

"Aren't you worried about reporting to me, considering what happened before?" asks newly promoted to his former boss, now his subordinate.  The first shot is fired, but at least it's out in the open.  Frankly, my friend was pretty impressed with his apprentice, 10 years his junior.

"No," he responds. 

"Why not?" asks the new boss.  "I would be."  And my friend laid it all on the line at that very moment. 

"Because I raised you right," he says bluntly, having chosen his words deliberately, "and I know you'll do the right thing."  He's not known for beating around the bush. 

Condescending?  Not at all.  Stupid?  It didn't turn out to be.

If we've treated people with integrity, empathy and respect we have every right to expect it back no matter where we are in the corporate hierarchy.


What goes around inevitably comes around.  We shouldn't have to duck when it does.

Raise Your Right Hand

I know a sales guy who has worked his way on to the agenda of almost every orientation session at his rather large company.  They produce experiences, and most new associates wouldn't even think they'd need a sales guy whose only job is to sell the world renowned memories they make.  Sales guy will work sales missions around orientations just to be available to spend a few minutes with the newest members of the team.

He tells them what he does, and then gives them the tour and sells them on the value of what they'll be doing.  He answers all questions openly.  He does such a thorough job that most employees aspire to be customers themselves, and this is not an inexpensive proposition.  But sales guy wants their friends, family and neighbours to be customers too, and he wants referrals.  So he asks the new folks to raise their right hands.

"I now deputize you as official sales people at XX company," he solemnly intones.  It always gets a laugh.  Some of these people will never come face to face with a customer, and others will have contact daily.  Even an overnight janitor is deputized.

"You are all now officially part of the sales team," he says.  "If you meet someone who you think could benefit from what we do here, let me know.  You don't have to remember my name, just remember there's a guy here who does what I do.  All you have to do is call the company switchboard and ask for that sales guy.  They know how to find me."

Not only do most of his coworkers remember his name, but he gets some pretty decent referrals that have lead to some amazing business for the company.

Everyone sells.  Some of us just do it for a living.

A Brief Lesson in Front Line Marketing

Absolutely brilliant!  An advertisement on the sports channel for free underwear, this weekend only!  All you have to do is go in, try a pair on, and keep 'em.  I dropped my afternoon yardwork project and headed over to the mall.

Awesome Sales Team!
Comparing notes with a colleague who got his free pair at a different location, the sales people did an awesome job of upselling, inviting us back, doing the feature benefit benefit overview, and making us feel comfortable in what was a definitely uncomfortable situation ("hi, I'm here for my free underwear!").   I was so impressed I purchased some other essential menswear while I was there. And by the way, the underwear are very comfortable.

And then...
A friend tells another story.  When he went in the sales team had no desire to see another mooch in for a freebie, and he ended up leaving the store without anything.  In his case the corporation spent a whole lot of money just to piss him off because the store team didn't deliver.  Pissed me off too, actually, since I endorsed the promotion.

It could happen in any of our operations.  A brilliant concept brilliantly executed, or not.  Here's a few tips to avoid front line let down.

1. Buy in.  If we load too many promotions on our front line team, they grow weary.  They forget exactly what is the "promo de jour", see no value in mentioning it, or openly rebel against yet another added step that they see as getting in the way of their "real" jobs.  It's our job as managers to believe in it ourselves, demonstrate the value to the company and to themselves, and address any concerns - real or imagined.  And then we make it happen and follow up like crazy to encourage the right behaviour.  Lead the charge!  Make it fun!  Be visible and positive.
2. State the goal.  There's nothing wrong with the brains at HQ telling the front line staff that the reason they are promoting X brand underwear is because a) we're doing a deal with X brand, b) the underwear really is good and supports our brand positioning and c) it will bring in new customers who will be back once they discover the other cool things we sell.  I'm not saying this didn't happen here, but I know it hasn't always in my work experience.
3. Communicate!  It's damned embarrassing when the customer says "I saw your ad" and you have NO clue what they're talking about.  Sometimes it's our fault for not paying attention to the corporate communications, and many times that's because of overload, or because of a failure to communicate.
4. Simplify it.  It was simple - try on a pair of underwear and leave with them.  Period.  One per customer.  Easy.
5. Ease up.  I didn't have to actually try on the underwear.  Instead the salespeople spent that time telling me about the quality, and showing me where in the store I could find them when I came back for more.  Nicely done!  If we make the rules too cumbersome or overly complicated, our front line team will just avoid the whole thing in frustration.  No one wins.
6. Listen.  Encourage open feedback from every member of the team.  It can be done anonymously, in a round table or even by electronic survey.  A few questions are all you need to ask - what worked, what didn't work, what did you hear from the customers, what would you change? 
7. Act.  Once we know you're listening to us, up there in the ivory tower, we'll buy in to the next promo, we'll forgive you a few small missteps, and we'll be enthusiastic the next time something innovative and fun comes along.

And just fyi, they were Denver Hayes with Dri-Weave and the company was Mark's Work Warehouse and I also bought a really very nice tie which gets many compliments.  Bet you didn't know they sell ties, too.

Mission accomplished, Mark's!

The Saturn Way

For a time I sold cars at Saturn.  For some people, those cars were absolutely perfect, reliable and the level of service we provided was exceptional. 

We had a General Manager, Rob, who used to admonish us to behave in "the Saturn way."  This unofficial and nebulous standard of professional behaviou referred to integrity, self-assurance, customer focus, teamwork and joy.  It was more often measurable by it's occasional absence.

If a salesperson ever was tempted to take advantage of a customer, Rob would ask "is that the Saturn way?"  The process demanded truth and full disclosure.  If one of us tried to sell a car without first listening to the customer's needs, Rob would remind us "that's not the Saturn way." The Saturn way was all about determining customer needs, not hastily acting on a hunch.  It wasn't about one sale, it was about a satisfied customer for life (many of whom remain friends to this day).  Heaven help us if we tried to cut corners, or if anyone gossiped behind a coworker's or customer's back.  That was definitely not "the Saturn way".  I'm not saying it didn't happen, I'm saying none of us wanted to be thought of doing things other than the Saturn way.

The car is gone from General Motors now and arguably so is the ideal, but from time to time in my current occupation I can hear a voice in my head asking me "is that the Saturn way?"  If the answer is yes, then I know we have ourselves a great deal and probably a lasting customer friendship.

Worst...Boss...Ever

When I write about leadership and management, I know that I have always tried my best, but for someone somewhere, probably more than someone, I have been what they might describe as "the worst boss, ever."

I recently had the chance to apologize to one such former employee.  No need to go into details, suffice to say I had behaved in a way that had caused me shame in hindsight, and cost him his livelihood while he had a young family to support.  I can, to this day, justify my actions.  HR backed me.  The law was on my side.  He was very clearly justifiably terminated.  Yet I believe I could have done more, tried just one more time.

On a chance encounter, after inquiring about his wife and kids, I brought it up.  He had already forgiven me long ago, which only goes to prove he really was the gentleman I had hired, but who had somehow gone astray.  Maybe just one more chance might have made the difference...and maybe not.  We have a responsibility to the entire team to address the problems within. 

Truth is, we who dare to lead sometimes fail and this is the burden we carry.  Truth is, if we don't risk neither will we know improvement, or the positive difference we may have had on others. 

Truth is, if we can't remember the names and faces and the lessons of the people we failed under our leadership, we do a great disservice to the people in our care today.

Team Dynamics - the Ghostbusters

Critics consider "Ghostbusters" to be one of the funniest and most quotable movies ever made.  I agree.  I also consider the movie to be full of lessons in how teamwork can defeat even the darkest villain - be it the threat of total annihilation or a looming project deadline.  Here are some examples from the movie, and a practical applications for a team.

Respect the Experts on Your Team
Peter Venkman:  "I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?"
Egon Spengler:  "Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light."
Ray Stantz:  "Total protonic reversal."
Peter Venkman:  "Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon."

We've got a team of three remarkable individuals, all with his own talent.  At various times one of them takes the lead.  Most of the time its the Bill Murray character, Peter Venkman, and probably only because of the force of his charisma and personality.  Yet when Spengler has something important to contribute, that is his invention could cause the end of the world if not handled properly, he doesn't stand quietly or back down.

Because they know and appreciate each other's strengths, they listen and modify a potentially disastrous course of action.  The lesson learned?  Sometimes the least likely guy has something valuable to contribute, and we'd be best to listen to him.  If you're that least likely guy, make like Spengler and press the issue.  The success of the team (and the fate of the world) may depend upon it.

Take a Chance, Celebrate Small Victories
Peter Venkman:  "the flowers are still standing!"

They've just finished destroying a ballroom just minutes before an important social event, plus several floors of a hotel.  They've captured a nasty and very messy ghost.  They haven't been paid yet, although in the midst of the mess they've discovered that their inventions work, and there is business to be had.  Venkman, perhaps sensing an opportunity to release some tension in the room, sees a fully set table undisturbed and decides to try the old trick of pulling out the tablecloth and leaving the table setting intact.  It mostly fails, china and cutlery flies...but the flowers are still standing.  I'm not sure Ray Stantz would have had the cojones to calculate the exhorbitant bill in front of the incredulous hotel manager if Venkman hadn't given him permission to be proud of what they had accomplished, albeit not exactly to expectations.

Sometimes our plans can go disastrously awry and lead to what appears to be a failure.  It's only a failure when we don't learn from it.  It's only a complete failure when we haven't given it our all.  It's a personal failure when we fail to take a minute to celebrate the small successes along the way, even if it's only a vase of flowers intact amongst the ruins.

Admit Your Screw-Ups, Don't Wait to Get Caught
Ray Stantz: "It's the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man."

Given a chance to avoid destruction, all they have to do is clear their minds.  The destructor will come in the form of whatever one of them imagines, and leave it to Dan Ackroyd's character Ray to completely mess up these simple instructions. 

When we blow it and things take a turn for the worse, it's a lot faster to own up to it and confess our error than to wait for the investigation that will eventually lead to the truth.  There can be serious consequences personally and professionally for being the guilty party, and even worse for the entire operation for holding out.  It can affect our credibility, our team, morale, and future business.  It hurts to admit that you're the one who let the team down, it hurts the team to deny it and let them come to that realization on their own.  Make like Ray - own up.
   
Loyalty to Our Customers
Peter Venkman:   "OK, so, she's a dog."

Sigourney Weaver's character has been transformed from a very beautiful lady to a creature that resembles a dog.  But she is, as Venkman puts it, the "nice lady who paid us in advance."  He stares down his team mates and shrugs off the unfortunate turn of events.  "So?" he dares them.  "She's a dog."  What of it?

We talk so much about customer loyalty to our product or business.  But what about our loyalty to the customer?  Someone on the team, hopefully everyone, has to keep the end user, the customer, front and centre in the decisions.  If we forget our customer along the way, whatever we produce will be unrecognizable to them and we've done them (and our company) a great disservice.  The customer is not the enemy, as much as she's been possessed by demons who are trying to kill us, turned into a smelly ugly dog-like creature and is very unlikely to ever be the nice lady we met at the start of the project or negotiations.

The customer may not always be right but she's still the customer, as my old boss used to remind me.

Stuff Happens, Plans Have to Change, Get Behind it!  100%
Egon Spengler:" "Not necessarily. There's definitely a very slim chance we'll survive." 
Peter Venkman:  (pauses) "I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it! LET'S DO IT!"

The Ghostbusters have their backs to the wall and they appear to be on the losing side of the battle.  It's all over, except by breaking the rules of physics they could turn the battle around, if they live.  Egon who first advised against crossing the streams (at the top of this article) now suggests that they should go ahead and do exactly that.  It makes no sense, and Bill Murray's character challenges him.  "You said it was bad!"

Spengler suggests a plan that is almost certain to fail, but it has "a very slim chance" at working.  It's all they've got.  It's not the original plan.  They could argue and negotiate and point fingers and push each other under the proverbial bus, but instead the one guy who arguably has more sway and carries a lot of influence over the others, Venkman, stops, considers and then enthuiastically endorses the change of direction.  There'll be no "I told you so's" after this.

How many times do we conditionally endorse a plan carefully logging proof of  our objections in case we're called to answer for it.  Any episode of The Celebrity Apprentice will show you how that works if you've never experienced it in person.  How often does it feel like the team backed us in principle, but in truth we know we're going down alone if the plan doesn't work.  These Ghostbusters under the quirkly leadership of Bill Murray's Venkman just don't work that way.  Neither should we.

False Humility is Really Annoying
Winston Zedemore: "Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say "YES"! "

Alright, nobody should claim (or admit, if delusion has already set in) to being a god, but we should learn to accept compliments graciously.  If you're the type who is humbly deflecting or refusing compliments, it's actually an insult to the giver.  Imagine refusing the gift of a bottle of wine, or a morning coffee.  "I'm not worthy, give it to someone else."  Right....  So if someone recognizes your brilliance, allow them the courtesy of a simple thank you.  That's it, just say "thank you."  It actually reflects well on the whole team.

Witness the violent reaction of Gozer when the answer to her question is negative.  The same sort of reaction happens to the giver of a compliment denied.  Maybe not the first time, maybe not the second, but with continued deflection and denial of praise, sooner or later lightning bolts will fly.  Or worse, you, and by association, your team will become inconsequential.


Ghostbusters II
Let's just agree that one successful project does not mean that you can venture into the next using a cookie-cutter approach.  We have to apply ourselves 100% every day, to each undertaking, as if it has to stand alone.

Because in fact, it does.  We're only as good as our last endeavour.

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One Customer at a Time

A successful restaurateur I know used to say, "One lousy server can put me out of business in three years, one customer at a time."  I'd guess that's about right. 

You've met employees like these.  They answer questions literally and provide no other information unless asked, are curt and surly and call it "efficiency".  Their service isn't bad, but neither is it good.  It isn't enough to complain about; neither is it worthy of recommendation.  It can happen in any businesses, and it is deadly. 

Recently I overspent $40 in a hardware store on stuff I didn't need, not because of bad advice from the clerk, but because of no advice.  When I returned the product, she said,  "I only gave you what you asked for."  True, but a few questions on her part and I would have had the exact product I needed in the quantity I needed and I'd be a loyal and happy customer. 

Instead I was embarrassed and unhappy.  There's nothing really to complain about; it's clearly my own damned fault for asking for the wrong item.  I still won't be back.  She may be right, but I've got the money and with a little effort on her part more of it would be going from my wallet into her employer's cash register in the future.  It won't be, but it could have been.  It's called repeat business and it can bring future earnings to the skilled and enthusiastic worker. 

Customers are notorious for not knowing the product and service nearly as well as they think they do.  Customers routinely ask for what they think they want, which may not be what they actually need. 

Customers are also free to shop or dine or stay wherever they will get friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and genuine sales and service.  Unless they find it with us, they won't be back.