Don’t look for easy, look for possible

I have been a leader most of my adult life. One trait shared with other effective dynamic leaders is that I don’t think I know it all. I  am continually enhancing knowledge and skills with something new.

watch out world!

 

Sitting in the airport writing this post for the past hour has given me opportunity to reflect on a leadership conference I just attended in Las Vegas. There were so many inspiring stories told during these past three days, that my heart is still overflowing with inspiration.

Key note speaker extraordinaire: Debbie Neal

One speaker in particular Debbie Neal, Executive National Vice President at Arbonne stood out from all the rest for me. During her presentation, I was moved to tears at least twice (OK those of you who know me, understand I cry easily) because I was able to see her dream and understand exactly what is required of me to achieve the possible.

See your vision of success. Be the vision. Believing in your dream is key to success. What does it look like for you? What sacrifices are you willing to make to achieve it? These are questions you should be asking yourself.

One caveat is we tend to over think the process. We spend inordinate amounts of time pondering how to do it, yet take no real action. A powerful message was relayed in that you have the ability to change peoples lives through action.

Direct your team by painting them a picture of your vision. When setting expectations, don’t lower the bar where you think others want to be. Easy is not worth hitting. Expect your best every single day and lead the way towards your goal.

consistently build upon success

Once success is achieved, do you take a break? Alternatively, t is imperative you don’t rest on triumph, but continue building. Excellence is more of a habit than a skill and takes daily practice.

You do your team no favors by holding back. Be relentless and consistently raise the bar higher. It is better to fear losing an extraordinary team because you don’t stretch them enough than to give them less than they deserve. Your goal should be to build and develop them to their fullest potential.

a powerful take-home message

Debbie is such a spirited leader, that I had to take notice. She defies the ordinary in everything she does. The biggest take-home message I received was that her path was never easy, and certainly not probable for most leaders. However, Debbie’s vision is conceivable.

It is time to take a stand, even if you are the only one in the room standing. Stop looking for the easy road, and begin searching for the possible.

 

Tenacity or Stupidity?

What does it mean to hold on to something whether it is ethereal or tangible no matter the outcome? Is it an admirable quality or one of selfishness or stupidity that causes us to continue our endeavors? When should we give up on our dreams?

In sales, it is crucial to remain loyal to your belief in yourself and whatever you may be selling. In leadership, you must believe in your abilities and those of your team. I believe a good descriptive word for this is tenacity which is defined by the OED as:

Tenacity:

• the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly; grip: the sheer tenacity of the limpet
• the quality or fact of being very determined; determination: you have to admire the tenacity of these two guys
• the quality or fact of continuing to exist; persistence: the tenacity of certain myths within the historical record  Oxford English Dictionary
  

This morning I am writing this post from one of my usual Starbucks haunts. It is a great place to come and think, blog, do homework (oh yeah! I’m done with that one), meet with friends or clients, or simply escape for a moment.

On this gray and windy day, I sit patiently (well, as patiently as I am able to sit) at my favorite window seat to meet with a potential client. Maybe it is because of the time change this morning, or the fact that I showed up 5 minutes late (typical of me) that I sit alone at the table. Maybe she scheduled the appointment in order to shut me up yesterday and threw out my card as soon as I was not looking.

Cry me a river!

Does her motive really matter at all? Probably not. I can rationalize until the lobsters come home, but the outcome remains the same. She missed our scheduled meeting and did not call to tell me or reschedule = inconsiderate.

It would be easy to wallow in self-pity right now. Rather than crying to myself or to those around me, I decided to stay at Starbucks, drink my green tea and conjure a blog post. The time is no less valuable because the client did not show. It simply looks different.

Back to the tenacity thing…

I actually do have a point to this pathetic story. It is not meant merely to depress, but to illuminate the possibilities tenacity brings. This one missed appointment will not ruin my day, or confidence in my potential and/or goal. It won’t dissuade me from further contact to reschedule.

Whatever the cause, it is not something I take personally. It is just part of doing business. Sometimes events work out as planned, while others prove to be an opportunity for personal growth. Either way, it’s all good.

Do you believe in your own potential? If so, what are you doing to create your reality? If not, perhaps it is time to re-examine your goals. When things go wrong, always have a plan B (even if you make it up as you go). The difference between success and failure is subjective.

I understand my objectives and what it will take to achieve them. I hold on tenaciously to visions of my future until they can be are realized. Share your thoughts and stories about disappointment and how you turned it around to your advantage.

Related articles

• Tenacity in 2012 (leadonpurposeblog.com)
• Evil 8 and Tenacity (thephysicalculturist.com)
• TODAY’S LEADERSHIP MANTRA: Tenacity. (martingysler.com)

What comforts are essential?

Image via Wikipedia

I just returned from my weekly jaunt to the grocery store. I know what you are thinking; who cares? After my usual trek through the wide, yet crowded aisles at Winco Foods, I bagged my purchases in recyclable bags (I try to be environmentally conscious) and headed out the door.

There is a reason for this meandering story

The other night in business strategy class, we discussed different business leadership strategies. Porter generic strategy suggests in order to gain a competitive advantage, a company must either differentiate itself or be a low cost leader. Winco has definitely approached the marketplace in the latter choice.

This journey to Winco was not much different than last week’s, but something triggered in my head. I perused the aisles with a more watchful eye. What did the produce look like How were the cans stacked? How many shoppers were in line and for how long before he/she checked out? What was up with all of the elderly couples shopping together and other seemingly trivial facts?

Can we survive without all the frills?

What is it worth to have your grocery bags filled for you at the checkout? Why does it matter if all the cans or boxes are facing the same way and stacked perfectly? Do you care if meat comes prepackaged rather than chopped up in the back by a butcher?

To me, and countless others who value-shop for groceries, clothes, cars, and other sundries, these luxuries are unimportant and useless. I actually prefer bagging my groceries. The checkers are friendly but efficient. The floors and shelves are clean and parking is no problem. I am not a coupon shopper (too lazy), but I don’t want to pay for extra frills.

Now for the differentiated model (ooh, I know you can’t wait)

Food shopping at Whole Foods is an entirely different world than Winco Foods. The produce is ripe and beautiful and I just love the gluten-free area as well as the deli and salad bar. Just thinking about it is making me hungry. They have every type of tea imaginable and exotic nut butters galore.

What is so special about Whole Foods that we are willing to pay a greater fee? Last week I bought bulk quinoa at Winco. Never did I think Winco would carry unusual grains. The reality is when I consider strange or hard to find items, Whole Foods is where I begin searching.

Whole Foods is effective at differentiating its brand as an organic health food heaven. Carts are much smaller because most people can’t afford to fill it like they would at a value store. Gone are the buzzing fluorescent light fixtures found in lesser stores.

Lesson learned: you can’t be everything to everyone.

Both brands of grocery stores are great examples of Michael Porter‘s theory of competitive advantage. Neither brand took the middle road and they are both experts in their niches. I can’t say that one is better or worse than the other. They are equally valuable to customers.

What brand do you identify with when shopping? Do you prefer being pampered and feeling extravagant as you shop for broccoli? Is bulk the way you roll? Share your thoughts on what comforts you cannot live without.

What do YOU want from me?

What do you want from me?

There I was, minding my own business when…

I was waiting in line at the cash-wrap of a local retailer, carrying product in my hand I intended to buy. As I approached the register, I overheard a conversation between the cashier and customer that made me cringe.

A female customer was deciding at the register, which pieces she truly wanted and asked to take things she would not be purchasing off the transaction. The associate looked unfazed as she removed items and placed them to the side.

Next the woman produced a coupon. At this point, the associate became snippy as she alerted the customer that by deleting items from the transaction, she no longer qualified for the coupon. I felt like I was in the midst of an Adam Lambert video as her exact words were, “What do YOU want from me?”

Do I really have to be nice to everyone?

Trust me, I get it becomes annoying when customers change their minds mid-transaction. Frustration occurs when people don’t comprehend the terms of a coupon and you are forced to explain it to them, by pointing out the fine print.

In reality, it is your job to service the customer. There is no reason to become rude to someone purchasing or otherwise when she simply does not understand the rules. People change their minds about purchasing for all sorts of reasons. It is not a personal affront to you, don’t turn it into one for them.

Whose responsibility is it anyway?

Ultimately, it is the leadership teams responsibility to ensure a smooth customer experience. It begins with the hiring process, when a leader determines whether the candidate is able to withstand treating customers respectfully regardless of circumstance.

Leadership accountability continues throughout training and beyond. Associates do not learn in a vacuum. If they see leaders treating employees or customers badly, they in turn respond to others similarly. If you don’t want badly behaved employees, look to your behavior as a leader first.

How do you react when you observe poor customer service? Do you complain to management or simply slink away, never to be seen again? What if the poor customer experience did not involve you except as a witness? Share your thoughts and stories.

Related articles

• How to shape customer behaviour and create delight at no extra cost (thecustomerblog.co.uk)
• Sometimes the best customer experience is no customer experience (customerthink.com)
• How’s Your Customer Service? (kevinwmccarthy.com)

Show some enthusiasm! #trust30

Avery's cheerleader box

Enthusiasm by Mars Dorian

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” is a great line from Emerson. If there’s no enthusiasm in what you do, it won’t be remarkable and certainly won’t connect with people on an emotional basis. But, if you put that magic energy into all of your work, you can create something that touches people on a deeper level. How can you bring MORE enthusiasm into your work? What do you have to think or believe about your work to be totally excited about it? Answer it now.

(Author: Mars Dorian)

What is enthusiasm?

Admittedly, the first thought that ran through my head was that enthusiasm = FAKE!  Like a cheerleader shouting at you trying to engage you in a football game in which your team is losing. So I did what I typically do when uninspired by a prompt; look up a key word in the dictionary. I normally don’t post what I find in the, but this definition moved me.

enthusiasm |enˈθoōzēˌazəm|
noun
1 intense and eager enjoyment, interest, or approval : her energy and enthusiasm for life | few expressed enthusiasm about the current leaders.
• a thing that arouses such feelings : the three enthusiasms of his life were politics, religion, and books.
2 archaic derogatory religious fervor supposedly resulting directly from divine inspiration, typically involving speaking in tongues and wild, uncoordinated movements of the body.
ORIGIN early 17th cent. ( in sense 2) : from French enthousiasme, or via late Latin from Greek enthousiasmos, from enthous ‘possessed by a god, inspired’ (based on theos ‘god’ ).  Oxford English Dictionary

As a customer experience leader, I strive to motivate both the staff and my customers each day. In order for me to do so, I need to believe in what I am selling. This goes way beyond whether I like a product, and into the realm of believing in the company and the leadership that I work for. When I question a company’s ethics, it is impossible for me to remain authentic in selling their product or brand.

I  generally communicate by sharing a piece of myself in hope of connecting on a deeper personal level. I often relate through story telling and ask others to share of themselves in return. Because this communication method is natural for me, I remain genuine and believable.

More please…

Now, back to the prompt. How do I bring more enthusiasm to work? I need to believe that what I do and how I do it is important and adds value. If I feel undervalued and unappreciated, I don’t want to give more of myself to the cause. If I feel as though a project is redundant and useless, I cannot easily convey a sense of enthusiasm to others. In my mind, it is an authentic experience that inspires both myself and others.

Servant leadership is a great example of managers inspiring employees. A great article by one of my professors at the University of Nevada, defines a servant leader as “someone that views herself as a resource to help employees achieve remarkable results, not the source, or oracle from which all leadership wisdom and direction must emanate.” Dr. Bret Simmons.

The achievement of results can be understood as sales or production but I prefer thinking figuratively.  If the leadership that directs me is concerned chiefly with my well-being and ultimate success,  I will be able to spread that feeling to my subordinates. Do I think that somewhere in an ivory tower a CEO is interested in a lower level manager somewhere in the field? Absolutely! It is all of the field employees that help make the business a reality. Without them, there is nothing left but an empty shell.

Like a pebble rolling downhill in the snow, the enthusiasm snowballs as it continues through the ranks. Through my excitement, others follow. Because what I ask of the staff is as important as what I am doing, they develop a sense of pride in their work. When they are gratified, so am I. The circle of appreciation and recognition is complete but also unending.

Do you trust your fellow leaders enough to share food off your plate?

Crazy good sandwich served at Carnegie Deli in NYC

Just a little prework

I just had one of the greatest experiences so far as a grad student at UNR. I participated in a management class tying leadership to the humanities; all while sightseeing in New York City. The three weeks leading up to the trip were grueling in that I read and wrote papers on 11 different books, plays, case studies, and watched two movies as well. All of this prework prepared me to open my mind as to the connection between two seemingly different arts (business and art).

The visit to New York was challenging on many fronts. Not only did a reside in a dorm room at NYU for one week (I haven’t slept in a dorm since I was 18 yrs old), but more importantly I had to learn to trust in other people’s leadership skills.

Being that I have now been part of the MBA program for over two years, I recognized many classmates before the trip, although most of them were only acquaintances. There were a few students who were complete strangers as well. A commonality that united us all was a desire to learn.

MOMA Mia

By the end of the first day, I knew everyone’s name. The following day, we were already sharing stories about past experiences and future hopes. We became comrades in the field as we toured the city by route of museums such as MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) and MAD (Museum of Art and Design). We shared an architectural walking tour through lower Manhattan and began to understand how leadership helped shape this great city.

Lesson learned: open wide and order enough for everyone!

On the third day, we were sharing food off of each others plates. This seemingly small gesture signified a transformation from mere acquaintances to friendships. A trust had been built to share in our experiences with food. A lesson that we all learned is that leadership can be a collaborative effort, that enriches all who partake.

Is art self-evident: a leader’s perspective

Does art and the humanities hold a place for today’s leaders? This is a question posed to me during the past couple of weeks as I participated in a management class taught in New York this summer. We tend to think in terms of bottom-lines and metrics when it comes to management in many venues; performance is key. Instead of inquiring as to how we can enhance the experience , we want to know what is the  ROI of a proposal, what is the story from test/survey scores, and what’s in it for me?

Who decides what art is?

The reality is that we have plenty to learn from the world around us. While exploring at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) earlier in the week. The Docent guiding our tour said something profound in her introductory comment, “Art is not self-evident.” Whether you consider something art or crap, it is up to you as the beholder to determine its value.

We were shown a piece of found art that consisted of a bicycle wheel pushed through a chair. My immediate reaction was, “what the heck is this garbage?” I saw nothing in it and considered it a joke, especially when the Docent told us that this was actually not even the original piece, as it was thrown out years earlier.

When she asked what I thought of it, I did not hold back (its that whole internal monologue thing). She simply smiled and said that my visceral reaction was exactly what she was looking for. Whether or not I liked it, the piece demanded a reaction from me. The Docent then showed me how the piece could also be interpreted by looking at its shadow, which resembled a wheelchair. Suddenly, this piece of refuse had become something important.

One of the authors I studied during the management class was Ayn Rand; specifically The Fountainhead.  Ayn Rand would have disagreed with the concept of art not being self-evident. Her philosophy of objectivism was such that everything is discoverable. A painting is simply a depiction of a moment in time that is not up to interpretation by others.

Groupthink tank

The same can be said for leaders who only seek opinions that match their own. Open up the possibilities through continued knowledge and understanding. By surrounding yourself with people who think the same as you, growth stagnates. Innovation and creativity is destroyed under these circumstances. Dissenting opinions are crucial to understand why the bicycle wheel is art rather than garbage.

The Character of a leader

Some light summer reading

There is something about spring that makes me want to re-evaluate life. Maybe its because as the weather  gets warmer, my family digs out all of the crap lying around all winter and donates/throws out/re-organizes things. Maybe because I am nearing the end of my studies in the MBA program at UNR (expected grad. Dec 2011!!). I find it is also a good time to dig deep into my psyche questioning what is really important to me?

Some classics revealed

I am currently taking a management class in summer school where I have been forced to read and read and read…classics such as Heart of Darkness, Death of a Salesman, and (swallow hard here) The Fountainhead. Although each book is written in a different format (novella, play, dreadfully long novel), they all convey a strong core message about leadership. These and other stories portrayed management styles that did not value the employee. The leadership teams rewarded productivity and as soon as the employee was no longer quite so valuable, he was discarded.

As a leader, what is important to you? What qualities do you want to be known for? Are you similar to Willy Loman or Peter Keating who treasured being liked above all? Their sense of self was tied to others perceptions of them. Perhaps you are comparable to Kurtz (hope not) and believe that you are above all rules? Are you void of personality like Howard Roark?

Lesson Learned: discover your style

Personally, I want to be known for being competitive yet fair, authoritative yet empathetic. It all starts from the top. The attributes in which you lead your employees is the way your employees will ultimately behave.

Spring is almost over. It is time for you to reach up, discover your nature and re-evaluate your style. Share your thoughts on leadership styles. What attributes do you believe contribute to a successful leader?

Play up your passion

Passion for Fashion (and feathers)

There seems to be a general theme floating around in the blogosphere  these days regarding putting passion into your blog. Two of the best posts I read were by Mack Collier and Margie Clayman. My interpretation of the take-home message from these and other similar posts is “Duh!” Of course you need to be passionate about what you are writing/doing, or else you will come off as being insincere.

Fake it till you make it

I don’t know about you, but I can’t fake passion. If I am at work learning a new policy or marketing promotion and feel less than enthusiastic about it, the associates sense it. It is vital that I have bought into whatever I am selling. When a new line is inspiring, it is easy to convey passion towards the product, the associates and the customers.

At school, if there is a subject I feel disconnect towards (cough, cough, finance) I can study all day long, but still fail miserably on an exam. Whereas classes perceived as fun such as the personal branding class I just completed, doing assignments becomes less of a grind and the classes are a dream to take. It is so much more fun learning something that I am interested in.