In the Company of My Peers

I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with an elite group of men and women, less than 20 in all of Canada who specifically do what we do.  I realized a few things.

I'm not the smartest guy in the room.  Never have been.  I'm sometimes I'm amazed to find myself in the company of some of the people in whose company I sometimes find myself.  From co-workers to board members to regular folks with common interests, I'm usually in awe.  But if I'm smart enough to get into the room I make it a point to shut up and to listen.

I don't have all the answers.  See above.  But I do have lots of questions, and I sure do learn a lot when smart people get talking to each other.  The trick is to stay engaged by contributing, asking a few questions and seeking clarification, and then repeating back what you think you've heard.

I don't fake the answer if I don't know.  That's painful, and I don't mind asking someone to explain an acronym or forgive my ignorance.  I admire people who rattle off stats from the top of their head, but if it doesn't help me achieve my goals, I don't waste a lot of gray matter on it.  Not a lot available.

A good laugh goes a long way.   And I'm occasionally funny.

Dad Brags

My son will have written his last exam at university by the time you read this.  He's the youngest of our three who all attended university.  He may well go on for even higher education, his choice, and I am confident of his and all of my kids' success in their careers and in life.

Here's why I'm bragging.

• All three of our children chose programs they really wanted and stayed at home while they studied.  That can't have been easy as normal household life did go on, although we did try to accommodate around crunch times, exams, etc.
• Our kids paid for their own education  (they had part-time jobs through high-school and university and saved their money)
• They all finished university debt free without having taken loans for tuition
• They're pretty darned normal - not bookworms or lifeless study hounds.  They had active social lives.

Their mom and I are average folks in an average income bracket - so not a lot of help there.  I attribute their success to a few factors, as well as to their own drive.

• A stay-at-home mom for most of their lives, who was relentless in her support of their education
• My kids like and support each other
• An outstanding Catholic education system that provided a solid moral compass
• Mass together as a family, weekly (with occasional exceptions for work, travel or frankly, let's admit it, post-Saturday night blues)

Claire and I are kind of proud of them.

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.