It's Your Thing

"It's your thing, do what you wanna do.  I can't tell you who to sock it to"  Isley Brothers

It takes all kinds.  Here are three things I've learned from people I don't normally run into socially, but have had the pleasure (and occasionally the displeasure) of interacting with professionally.

1.  Your thing is not necessarily my thing.  I'm as much into inclusiveness as the next guy, but it's hardly inclusive if all we're doing is tolerating each other's presence.  I may not understand or embrace your cause, but I get that you do.  If we're going to do business, the faster I appreciate your enthusiasm the sooner I can get you to open your wallet and share a little of what's inside of it with me.

2.  "Let's not make a thing of the thing until it becomes a thing."  My old boss used to say that to remind us not to escalate a situation prematurely, but that doesn't mean she wasn't perfectly capable of doing so if it was called for.  No need for confrontation, but that doesn't mean acceptance.  I don't buy the "if it's not hurting anyone..." argument; dig deeper - what's the real story?

Some people you just can't do business with, and that's OK.  Just don't assume, but when the decision is made, commit.

3.  Good things may come to those who wait but good things come sooner to those who go out and get them.   There are all sorts of potential customers out there, and going through the usual channels just puts you in line with every other sales person going through the usual channels.  Read a newspaper, watch the local news, pay attention to your community.  There may be business walking right by the front door because we haven't asked them to come in.

Nobody's Buying!

"Nobody's buying!"  I've heard sales people get together and whine about it.  Hell, I've done it.  Sales are down ergo the world is to blame.  The weak can always find someone to commiserate.

That's too bad.  There are lots of mitigating factors that can affect sales, many (most?) out of our control.  The price of the dollar, the state of the economy, the peace of the nation....But I am also reminded that excuses don't put bread on the table.

If what I'm doing isn't working then I have two choices.  Change how I'm selling or change what I'm selling.  Neither is easy.

Nobody's buying?  Maybe.  Sometimes if feels like nobody's selling.

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.

Who's My Bad Boss?

Had one.  Been one.  Hopefully in remission.  Working on it.

I look at all bad situations; a bad boss, difficult subordinate relationships, a challenging board; as growth situations.  That, however, requires an indefatigable positive attitude; an anticipation of success despite all evidence to the contrary.

Beyond the resume building aspect of surviving a bad work relationship I like keep it in perspective by factoring in "The Sitcom Factor."

It works like this.  When I'm at my wits end with someone I remind myself that if this was a sitcom and not real life we'd need a character like bad boss (or difficult employee, or angry customer, or demanding stakeholder) to move the plot along.

And then I go to a metaphorical commercial and take a break from the drama.

Here's a link to an article about bad bosses.  Read this:

Go With Your Gut

It was painful to watch.  Not the obvious failure of the presentation, but the look on the face of the chief of staff.  It was clear from his reaction that he had anticipated it might not go well and now the worst case scenario was happening in front of a select audience of their best customers, and that it could have been avoided.  The presentation was tanking and the boss was the one holding the bag.

Afterwards the chief of staff confessed he'd had little confidence in this particular segment of the presentation and had second guessed pulling the plug several times.  He was absolutely devastated that he hadn't.

It didn't make him feel any better when the boss accepted his confession and apology.

"Next time, go with your gut," said the boss.  "That's what I pay you for."

Enough said.

To Sleep, Perchance to Get Rich (or just plain live longer)

It may have started as far back as Dale Carnegie, but the self-improvement trend started for me in the mid-eighties, when I committed to merely thinking about growing rich.  No need to work for it.  Just imagine it, and it will happen.  (That didn't happen.)

Fast forward through a career of working, really working for "it", the elusive goal of success, ever changing.  Success defined and redefined.  Trends and fads.  4-Hour work weeks (as if work was bad).  Minutes and habits, one and seven.

The latest fad is to limit one's sleep to as few hours a night as possible.  Recently I listened to entrepreneur Robert Herjavec and radio host John Tory one-up each other on how late they work, how early they rise, and how little sleep they get.  Extreme time management.

Not for me this time, I'm not falling for it.  Eight hours sleep as many nights as I can swing it.  An afternoon nap if I can get away with it.  Some shut eye on a long haul flight.  A few moments of peace wherever I can find it.

"Good quality sleep keeps your appetite hormones in check, cools those inflammatory chemicals that promote heart disease and cancer, keeps your waist line trim..."  Joy McCarthy, Holistic Nutritionist

Lack of sleep is tied to diabetes, depression, lapses of attention and in a 2010 study, researchers from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England found a connection between early death, and too little (or too much) sleep.

So go ahead Herjavec, count your money.  I'll count my sheep, thank you very much.

Be Alert! (We need more Lerts)

After many years in the hospitality, franchising and sales business I have become quite attuned to watching for potential theft.  It's not that I think the worst of people, it comes after watching franchisees try and duck royalties, or bartenders pad their own pockets.  Here's a few scams I observed in businesses over the recent holiday season that could spell trouble for you and the business if left unchecked by management.

• The old "cash drawer open" trick you'll often see in bars, coffee shops and especially in variety stores.  The clerk "rings in" the purchase so an amount shows on the screen (this works best if it's only one item and you're paying cash), announces the total and then calculates your change manually.  He then deletes, or voids the purchase.  
• Result: money in the clerk's pocket, not the business'.  
• Signs of this scam:  Cash drawer left open between purchases.
• Victim:  The franchise organization which collects a royalty on sales, the bar/restaurant/coffee shop owner, you - because prices creep up over time to cover such losses. You the taxpayer - since the shortfall in sales tax has to come from somewhere.  I have observed this time and again everywhere from Mac's Milk to Second Cup.  
• How you can help?  Ask for a receipt.  The clerk has to complete the sale and then if it is voided later there is a record of it.  It's up to management, head office or CRA to find it from there.
• The old "do you have a loyalty card?" scam.  I saw this in a major drug store chain, where the clerk had already entered her own loyalty card number manually before she even started ringing in my purchase.  
• Result:  Had I not produced my own card, the credit for the sale would have gone to her, or a family member's account.
• Signs of this scam:  You have to be paying attention, but watch the screen and see if there is already a card number entered before you even begin, or if her fingers start dancing across the keyboard between customers.  Another sure sign was that when I produced a card and she had to delete the information already entered.
• Victim:  You.  If someone asks if you have a loyalty card and then doesn't offer to get you one right away, even if they're not scamming they are wasting an opportunity to create future business and save you money.  
• How can you help?  This one you have to call them on right away, which you can do politely but firmly.
• The old "gift card" scam.  The clerk pretends to use the gift card at the cash register, and then tosses it into her garbage can.  If you're not alert, you then pay full price on the "remaining" balance, and she retrieves the unused card later from the garbage.  I saw this effectively done on a $200 grocery bill with a $25 gift card - easy to not notice with amounts that large.
• Result: clerk retrieves card from the garbage after you've gone and gives it to a friend or family member to use
• Signs of this scam:  The clerk makes no mention of the gift card.  Typically she should ask you if you'd like to reload it, or if you'd like the card back.  Throwing it away without discussion is a big red flag.
• Victim:  You.  This one relies on you not to pay attention to the cash register screen and not to check your receipt before you leave the store.  Even if you do, and catch the "error", she innocently apologizes and pulls the card out of the garbage, thus further maintaining the illusion she wasn't scamming in the first place. 
• How can you help?  Pay attention and ask questions. 
• The old "taxi credit card" scam, where the taxi driver uses his own iPhone app to run your credit card instead of the system in the cab, to avoid paying 3% or higher on the credit card transaction.  
• Victim:   You or your company, if you're expensing the ride.  The iPhone account comes with a $4 or higher transaction fee which you pay.
• How can  you help?  Unfortunately in many cities cabs are not yet fully regulated in this regard, so you have to be aware and challenge the cabbie.  The other variation on this is when the cabbie claims his credit card processor isn't working and insists that you pay cash, just to avoid the credit card transaction fee.  I feel for the difficult position these cabbies are in, but that shouldn't come at your expense.  The system needs an overhaul.
• Other potential solution?  Use Uber to book your ride.  It's an on-line app that will get you a black car (limo) for about the price of a cab, is fully automated and your credit card is automatically charged complete with tip, and you get an emailed, detailed invoice.

These are just 4 separate occurrences that I observed in the month of December alone.  In each of these it is possible to alert management without accusing anyone - and indeed it may all be a misunderstanding or a genuine error.  However, if there has been a pattern with the employee in question you are helping to resolve the issue.

Unfriend

"Unfriend"  What a nasty word to describe the process of releasing one's on-line Facebook contacts from the burden of seeing another status update about your baby, puppy or hip replacement.

Disconnecting from the social media connection doesn't necessarily mean a friendship has ended, although I suppose it could.  Here are some other reasons one might "unfriend"

• You're a one-trick pony.  The only thing you ever post about is your cause, whether it be environmental, your sexual-orientation, politics, unions or all of the above if you're a member of the NDP.
• Unless your one trick is sports.  Then it's kind of cool.
• Your bring us down.  You're negative and judgmental.  You're soooo hard done, by everyone you come in contact with:
•  your mailman, 
• the lady in front of you at the supermarket, 
• your waiter/front desk attendant/housekeeper/anyone making minimum wage, 
• the guy texting in the car beside yours (while you update your status).
• We wouldn't recognize each other in public - either literally since we only see each other on Facebook, or figuratively if one of us doesn't want anything to do with the other in real life.  If we can't be friends in real life, I'm not sure how we can call each other friends on the world wide interweb. 

That's why I don't get all bent if I notice I've been unfriended.  I hope I'm not guilty of any of the above, but perhaps, in someone's eyes, I am.

It's cool.  I'm still good for a coffee, in person.

Read this great article