Pick Your Battle

You are rushed and have no extra time. You are wondering whether to even scan this newsletter past this line. The answer is in your answers to these questions:

1. Are your people showing up for work or are they working to the best of their ability?
2. Are your people consistently creating positive memories for clients or are they memorable in other ways?
3. Is there meaning in your work or are you working to find meaning in what you do?

If you do not like any of your answers to these questions, then why not schedule 30-60 minutes to:

1. Get out of the office and consider what needs to happen in 2011 for you to answer these questions differently.
2. Schedule a free conversation with me to discuss the battles you want to win in 2011 and beyond. 
3. Do the first two items above, and then develop a plan with your people, me, one of our coaches, mentors you trust and/or your spouse (if applicable) to confirm what you are going to do differently this year.

Tomorrow a tsunami may roll in, an earthquake may hit, a nuclear reactor may blow, a drunk may kill someone you love or another unforeseen tragedy change your life. In 2011 you will invest over 2,000 hours on the job. Doesn't it make sense to invest at least one of those hours to confirm you are fighting the battles that are truly most important to you?

Yesterday was the Ides of March 2011. In 44 A.D. Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March at the pinnacle of his career. You can choose the battles to fight, or the battle of busyness will kill your productivity for the remainder of the year. It's your choice.

PICK YOUR BATTLE is a reminder that it is easy to be busy, but great leaders are clearly focused on why they are working and what they are trying to achieve. Here are some ideas to how you might clarify your purpose and allocation of your time for the remainder of this year:

Ask yourself and possibly your team to questions from above:

• Are your people showing up for work or are they working to the best of their ability?
• Are your people consistently creating positive memories for clients or are they memorable in other ways?
• Is there meaning in your work or are you working to find meaning in what you do?

Consider the fact that you only have so much time available to you. List your top priorities based on the time you are investing at work and any other priorities which actually should be receiving your time. Estimate the financial or other type of impact of each priority. List them in order of importance based on their impact. Discuss which priorities need to stay on the list and how you will build accountability into your week so that you and others are focused on these key priorities rather than other distractions.

Start scheduling Triple Play time weekly where you:

• Tech Out: Turnoff all technology so you are not interrupted as you work.
• Schedule Out: Schedule the time (30-120 minutes in blocks) on your calendar so it happens.
• Shut Out: Close your office door and put a sign on it that no one is to disturb you.

Cafeteria Clients

Some of you may have "cafeteria employees" that I discussed last week. However, all of us have "cafeteria clients" whether we are willing to admit it or not. These are people who:

• Take what they like about your services for granted and seem to only remember what goes wrong
• Enjoy your free or low-cost services, but procrastinate with regards to engaging you fully to improve their company even though the return on that investment might be as much as 10X
• Spend some money with you, but do not understand the value of other products and/or services you could provide that would significantly help them achieve their objectives.

Just as you want to better engage cafeteria employees, the question is how do you more fully engage cafeteria clients, so they gain the most from the relationship and you increase the amount of money they spend with your company? The answer is similar to my recommendation for employees: We do it systematically.

Here are three quick ways to better engage less committed clients:

1. Exchange Expectations with clients and follow-up similar to the way described in our Expectations training document that is available in the Free Stuff area of SuccessWithPeople.com (Click to Register under Members section).

The key objectives of this exercise are first to fully comprehend your clients' most critical needs, and second, to clearly define the behaviors expected between your two organizations. Then follow-up regularly to confirm your people are meeting or exceeding those expectations.

2. Become An Expert. Identify the key industries you are serving and become an expert in how technology best applies to that industry. For instance, we have a client, Stemp Systems in Long Island City, New York who is recognized as one of the premier electronic health record technology experts on the East Coast. The distinction helps them close business with medical practices in the region. Identifying your key industry might be the key to your success.

3. Business Review Meetings. Meet with your key client reports monthly or quarterly to confirm:

• Work you have done for them and why
• Prepare questions in advance to ask them about their business objectives to improve your understanding of how to best serve them and identify areas where you can save them money/time and increase their ability to succeed
• Discuss new technology that has become available or is soon to be introduced that may benefit them
• Confirm expectations are being met, and
• Confirm objectives for the next quarter.

Be an Intentional Leader.

David Russell, CEO
Success With People, Inc.
MANAGEtoWIN, Inc.

MEETING IDEAS

CAFETERIA CLIENTS too common and if we just accept them as part of our business then we are holding them back from becoming the best they can be.

This is not totally the client's fault. It is a problem with our company culture because we need to improve our ability to communicate the full value we offer other companies. Here are some questions to consider this topic with your team:

1. What clients do we have that are not "cafeteria clients?"

2. If we follow the steps above how much additional revenue could we generate from these clients helping them better achieve their objectives?

3. What cafeteria clients can we engage as a pilot to implement the three steps above for six months and calculate at the end of that time how:

(a) Much better we have served them; and

(b) This has affected our revenue with them?

4. Who will take primary and secondary responsibility for this pilot project?

5. What are the milestones we can set weekly or biweekly to confirm this pilot is on track?

Invigorate Those Cafeteria Employees

Have you ever had a "cafeteria employee" on your team? These are people who:

• Take what they like about your company for granted and speak negatively about other aspects of the organization

• Accept projects that interest them yet disregard certain day-to-day needs of clients; or

• In general do "the work," but often miss details such as they do not enter billable hours promptly, follow each step in a process, or document information so that it is available for later reference.

The question is how do you engage cafeteria employees to become active, fully committed members of your team? The answer: You do it systematically. You also realize that you have to decide whether "good enough" performance is the standard for your employees or if you want only superstars on your team.

Here are three quick ways to better engage less committed employees:

• Exchange Expectations with employees and follow-up as outlined in our Expectations training document is available free in the Free Stuff area of www.SuccessWithPeople.com (Members and then go to Register or if you have already registered, go to Login).

• Set Goals That Work. Your company should have clear, measurable goals and everyone in the organization should have similar goals that relate to helping your organization achieve its objectives. In the Free Stuff area of our website is a document explaining how to write TARGET goals. This will be helpful for you.

• Meet with your direct reports weekly to confirm:

  • The 1-3 TARGET activities they will do during the week that contribute to achieving their annual TARGET goals

  • Any other major, absolutely have to get done key activities for the week

  • Any challenges they are facing

After the first meeting, subsequent meetings start with a review of how they did on their TARGET and key activities

NEXT WEEK: Cafeteria Clients - how can you get them to spend more with your organization? Email me your ideas and questions. I will incorporate what I can into that brief newsletter.

Be an Intentional Leader.

David Russell, CEO

Success With People, Inc.

MANAGEtoWIN, Inc.

MEETING IDEAS

CAFETERIA EMPLOYEES

are common in many companies can exist because the leaders of the organization are not managing with Systematic Power, the first Desired Result of my Success With People system. When standards of performance are unclear and accountability is inconsistent then employees naturally do not give their best.

This is not totally the employee's fault. It is a leadership issue. Here are some questions to consider this topic with your team:

1. Without mentioning names, do we have people in our organization who could be called "cafeteria employees?"

2. If the answer to #1 is "yes," then what are the three primary behaviors of these employees that are hurting our results the most?

3. Do these employees have clear, written expectations for their behaviors? Following the guidelines in our Expectations exercise, what should be the expectations of one of these employees from their boss? How about from a coworker?

4. Do these employees have clear, measurable goals for 2011? If not, then consider working with them to define a financial goal, customer satisfaction objective and professional development plan for them.

5. How often do the managers of these employees meet with them to keep them focused on TARGET and key objectives, and hold them accountable? If it is less than weekly, then consider piloting a more regular meeting schedule.

Let Go

Too often leaders try to take control of situations that are out of their control. The objective is to take a shortcut to a result.

For instance, we:

• Buy lottery tickets or gamble in other ways in an attempt to control the timeframe of our financial success.
• Drink coffee or energy drinks to control when we are alert no matter how unbalanced our lifestyle is.

But what about in leadership? We:

• Hire people quickly to control the timeframe to fill a seat rather than confirm the job candidate is a good match.
• Not pay people based on results because we want to control expenses rather than motivate superior performance.
• Not set clear, measurable goals for our people because we want to control what they are doing at a whim.

The time and struggle it takes to accomplish results is a blessing, not a curse. As Saint Paul once wrote, "… we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us..."

I am not recommending that you do not work creatively to accomplish results in the shortest time possible. I am suggesting that our pride subconsciously tempts us to take control of situations we should be working through or avoid actions we should be taking.

Choose wisely the level of control you are exerting in your leadership role.  Not only is this important for your productivity, but you are setting the example for others.  It may be time to “let go” in some areas.

Let Go is an observation that will be difficult for many people to consider.  Micromanagers do not typically want to consider how they are over managing and in contrast, managers who are not systematically leading their people have difficulty comprehending the value of truly being a leader.

Here are some questions to consider this topic with your team:

1. Describe a shortcut you tried to take in a task, project or part of your career that did not work out.  What were you trying to control?
2. What is one activity you are avoiding that would you make you a more effective leader?
3. As an organization what process are we doing poorly because we are primarily trying to control the profit rather than delivering a superior client experience?

LET GO is an observation that will be difficult for many people to consider.  Micromanagers do not typically want to consider how they are over managing and in contrast, managers who are not systematically leading their people have difficulty comprehending the value of truly being a leader.

Here are some questions to consider this topic with your team:

1. Describe a shortcut you tried to take in a task, project or part of your career that did not work out.  What were you trying to control?
2. What is one activity you are avoiding that would you make you a more effective leader?
3. As an organization what process are we doing poorly because we are primarily trying to control the profit rather than delivering a superior client experience?

Cycle 4

Here is a thought provoker for you: I often get asked, how can I motivate my employees?

The answer is: by creating an environment where they motivate themselves. I have a complete system, Success With People, and we train/coach teams of people for a year in our Customer Champions program. However, some people prefer simple steps to ponder.

Here are four cornerstones for success. You can build the house of your career or business many ways with different cornerstones, but here are four. If you work these systematically in a cycle you can achieve great results. (I admit more detail is needed, but that would take a really long newsletter.)

#1 Desire: You have to have a strong desire to succeed which leads you to commit yourself to focus on what's truly important rather than what seems urgent. Leaders or employees without strong desire do not commit, and therefore are average or poor performers even if they work long hours.

#2 Information: Desire initiates your journey and sustains you through challenges, yet wise use of information enables you to hire-manage-develop-retain great people, discern competitive threats, identify opportunities and build upon your success.

#3 Repetition: Otherwise known as Systematic Power, your ability to develop, repeat and evolve best practices enables you to deliver a more consistently positive employee, customer and vendor experience. The outcome is superior results, however you define your pursuits.

#4 Accountability: Success is elusive and/or unsustainable if you do not hold your people and processes accountable to delivering a "perfect" client experience and to achieve clear, measurable results. Your processes for accountability are repeated often to catch minor mistakes before they become major issues.

Check out the discussion questions below and add your own. You may identify some ways for your individual performers or organization as a whole to improve certain processes, behaviors or objectives.

Meeting Ideas

CYCLE 4 is one way to simplify your approach to improving your leadership skills and/or company culture. Although there is a lot of detail missing in this brief email, there is value in having a discussion with your people about these four cornerstones of your business because they exist whether you like it or not.

Here are some questions to consider this topic with your team: For the best conversation be honest and candid.

1. Desire: What burning passion do we have as an organization and how does it apply to our core business strategy? How about as individuals?
2. Information: What information are we gathering to support our business, or hold ourselves accountable, that is great? How can we leverage it even more? What information should we be gathering, but are not, and how should we present it serves us best?
3. Repetition: Start simple, but what best practices have you defined as a system? How can you more consistently follow those systems? How do they need to be updated? Make a list of additional best practice processes you need to define or update; organize the list in order of priority; and set dates for when each one will be released and people trained to follow it.
4. Accountability: As a starting point, what needs to happen for us to be held accountable to follow through on what we defined in #1-3 above and who will do it? (More than one person can share responsibility for accountability.)

Majority Rules (or Fools)

Recent events in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East demonstrate that a jobless, disengaged population can revolt and change the history of a country. There are similarities between these events and your employees... even your clients.

Consider some aspects of the change that are occurring:

1. Much of the "movements" are motivated by passionate young, naïve, unengaged (unemployed) young people who see no future.

2. The Internet and other media are providing information that is perceived as truth by those upending the status quo, but just because information is on TV or the Internet does not mean it is true.

3. Frustration and hopelessness only can build so long. If not addressed, its intensity increases until it bursts.

Relate the Mideast passions to your employees:

1. How much time are you investing to intentionally engage your employees, particularly your young ones? They cannot understand their value to your organization unless you show them.

2. If you don't train your people how to deliver a superior customer experience, where are they going to learn it from? The different media they view (much of which leads them to the wrong conclusions). For instance, I can't even watch the TV show, The Office, because, while it is funny at times, it is so contrary to my vision of a positive company culture. Some of your employees who watch the show may be inclined to act that way at work. It might be a good idea to counteract the show's negative example by using video clips of the show as an example of what not to do. It's your choice.

3. How long can you avoid developing a fully engaging company culture so your employees (all of them) feel valued without losing top performers, losing money due to low productivity and losing opportunities that will never appear again?

The bottom line is disengaged employees revolt, publicly or privately, extrinsically or intrinsically, and it hurts your company. What are you going to do to prevent or circumvent such an uprising?

MEETING IDEAS

WHAT'S THE MINIMUM is a reminder that current events can be learning opportunities. Much of what is reported about leadership in the news can apply to our company culture. It may seem like the majority of people in your company are working hard, but the odds are significant that your people have the potential to be more efficient, and more satisfied.

Here are some questions to consider this topic with your team:

1. How much time did your company invest in developing your employees this past week? Month? Year?

2. What specific things have you done over the last month to reinforce your company culture?

3. What happened recently that made you realize an employee did not understand how to properly serve a Client? (They do not know how to provide a superior Client experience unless you teach them and reinforce it constantly.)

4. What employee has left your company that you would have liked to have kept? What could have changed in your company culture that would have convinced them to decline the other opportunity?

5. Ask your employees to describe the last compliment they received and when.

What's The Minimum?

Have you ever been frustrated because your people do not work as hard and/or as smart as you do? They just seem to be too comfortable doing the minimum instead of seeking to exceed expectations. By "your people" I mean employees who report to you, or if you are an undercover leader, then I am referring to your coworkers.

Do you wonder how they could make what seems to be the wrong choice so often?

Do you then start to blame "them" for your circumstances? If only they were as dedicated as you are then your company would stop meeting minimum requirements and start achieving great things!

Let's limit today's discussion to one aspect of this situation: Where are we making ourselves out to be the victim and in doing so avoiding the truth?

You say, "WHAT?!"

Too many prominent and underground leaders invest the minimum of time to hire the right people, manage them effectively, develop their company culture and employee engagement, and retain top performers.

The next time the "kids" in your work environment seem to be putting in the minimum, pause and consider whether they are merely reflecting their leaders.

Meeting Ideas

WHAT'S THE MINIMUM is a gauntlet thrown at your feet, challenging you to a fight. No company can sustain greatness unless its leadership demonstrates greatness. Are you the victim or a contributor to the problems your company is facing?

There are lots of questions you can ask to consider this challenge. Here are a few to get started:

1. The employee who just did "the minimum." What was the training process they went through? Did it include giving the employee multiple opportunities to demonstrate they had developed the skill and commitment to deliver a superior customer experience? If they were not thoroughly trained how to be a superstar, then how do you expect them to be one?
2. Now put a leader in the position you just placed that employee. What training process has that leader gone through to develop their ability to hire, manage, develop and retain top performers? Were they taught systems and processes? Were they mentored? If your leaders have not been trained how to lead others effectively, then why do you expect them to be great leaders?
3. How much time does your company waste daily or weekly trying to satisfy an unsatisfied customer because an employee did not meet their expectations? Discuss three examples, and with each example explain the training the employee was given and the accountability they have had since the training to confirm they are demonstrating the skills they were taught.

Two Lists, Not One

Many of us start each week with a task list of the most important things we must get done. This is good.

Most people when working on a project, service ticket, resolving a problem, building something or in a variety of other activities also create a list of steps to complete to be successful.

Both of these examples focus on the tasks or work that needs to be done.

We are developing methods to teach people the steps they need to follow to develop strong customer and coworker relationships. Although a lot of the time you do not follow a written list to build, maintain or improve a relationship, you still are following a series of steps or tasks.

Jeff Wood of Wood Networks calls these two approaches a list mentality versus a relationship mentality. A technical person is used to working a list, but not intentionally taking actions to work to build a relationship. The alternate extreme is to focus on the relationship, but not do the activities necessary to get work done.

Jeff states and I agree that to be successful we need to do both, and we need to train our people so they have the skills to do both.

Therefore if your people are strong completing tasks, then how can you train them to better develop positive, lasting relationships with clients and coworkers?

If your people are strong at developing relationships, then how can you help them develop better skills to focus on achieving what is most important each week and hold them accountable to those goals?

Tasks + Relationships = Balanced Success

Meeting Ideas

TWO LISTS, NOT ONE is a reminder that our ability to achieve our most important, job-related tasks is equally important as the relationships we maintain with clients and coworkers. To excel in one and disregard the other increases stress, mistakes and lost opportunities.

Here are some questions to consider with your people about how well they are doing balancing relationships and key tasks:

1. List your three greatest strengths and weaknesses in managing relationships with clients and coworkers. Share ideas on one thing you could do to further build upon each strength and improve in each area of weakness.

2. List your three greatest strengths and weaknesses in defining key tasks to be done each week and completing them. Share ideas on one thing you could do to further build upon each strength and improve in each area of weakness.

3. Schedule to work on one strength and one weakness each week for the next three weeks. Confirm this focus with your boss and if you meet regularly with coworkers, your team. Report back to them weekly how you are experiencing improvement in these two areas, and if not why not.

Only Superstars

Intentional leaders enable companies to thrive by making decisions based on facts, logic and prudent financial management.

Would you like to have only superstars working for your company? By "superstar," I mean people who are passionate about your company culture, consistently do their best for your company, and contribute positively to the company's bottom line.

If this is what you want, then you have to make the decision that you only want superstars. Next you have to consider what every manager hates to do: Firing someone, or maybe multiple people.

Tony Hsieh, in his book Delivering Happiness (page 97), says "... We realized that we had laid off the underperformers and the nonbelievers, but because everyone remaining was so passionate about the company and believed in what we were doing, we could still accomplish just as much work as we had before."

Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix in his Reference Guide on our Freedom & Responsibility Culture (slide 32) says, "People who have been stars for us, and hit a bad patch, get a near term pass because we think they are likely to become stars for us again... But unlimited loyalty to a shrinking firm, or to an ineffective employee, is not what we are about."

The Society for Human Resource Management ("SHRM") in a recent article on "positive turnover" (page 20, Jan. 2011) stated, "If a low-performing employee is discharged, it... shows that the performance management system is working and managers are doing their jobs. In addition, other employees may gain confidence that their leaders are making decisions that will keep the organization strong."

The bottom line: If you have an employee who is not a superstar and/or not fully passionate about your company then you are better off firing the person with a generous severance and investing the money and time that employee was receiving into developing a stronger company culture.

Time and again companies do better without someone who has a negative attitude, poor work ethic, is constantly late and demonstrates other behaviors that prove they are holding your company back. Let the person go. Keeping them encourages their behavior and poor performance, whereas letting them go may help them understand that they need to develop better work habits so they can succeed in their next job.

ONLY SUPERSTARS is a fork in the road for many leaders. Do you have the guts to get rid of people who are holding your company back from becoming the best it can be? It is better to run a little leaner and harder than to invest money and time in someone who will never give their all for your company.

Obviously this is not a company-wide discussion. It is a decision you have to make on your own or with your management team. Here are some questions to consider:

1. Are certain employees performing so poorly that no other company wants to hire them?

2. Is our company not growing as rapidly as we can because one or more employees are fighting positive changes, not working a full day, not giving their job everything they have to give, and/or behaving in another manner that is negatively affecting other employees?

3. What would happen to our organization if we decided 2011 is the year we redirect everyone's focus to developing a superior company culture that gives us a sustainable competitive edge in our markets?

4. Reed Hastings of Netflix estimates the difference between an average performer and a superstar is 2x for procedural work and 10x in creative work. How much better would we be performing if we let our poor performing employees go, and invested in our company culture and developing the skills of our remaining employees?

5. Developing a superior company culture is a lot of work, but it provides you with a significant competitive edge. That is why the best companies invest in it.

Deceptive Decisions

Here are three common lies we tell ourselves that negatively affect our decisions:

1. No time. I do not have time to do the right thing so I must continue wasting time on activities that will less positively impact my life. This is the biggest challenge for many of us because we say "no" to taking actions that we know are right because it is easier for us to continue in our bad habits.

2. Something better. Rarely verbalized, but many of us procrastinate making decisions because we think something better might come along later. It will. The problem is that "something better" usually requires us to complete the good activities we are avoiding today to get the most out of it.

3. Too expensive. We do not invest money in programs to improve our business even when it has a satisfaction guarantee because we worry about making a mistake. One key area of procrastination is investing to improve our company culture by developing the skills of our employees with training, tools and coaching.

Bottom Line: The decisions you make determine the results you achieve.

There are activities that you could stop doing today and you would still be able to achieve every one of your major objectives in 2011. Now you have the time to do what is right instead of what is easy.

There are programs you could implement today that would advance your company a critical step forward so you are not farther behind the competition when the next opportunity to improve presents itself. Now you have "something better" today that you can build upon for a stronger tomorrow.

There is always a portion of your budget that is available, or something that can be cut, so you can invest in developing your company culture, leadership skills and employee development. Now it is not too expensive, because you are following the example of best-in-class companies that regularly make these investments rather than average companies that do not.

Before you get too far down the 2011 runway consider gathering your team to pause and reflect, and possibly debate, the decisions you are making that will significantly affect your ability to achieve results. Where can you create time, invest in something that strengthens your company culture today and develops your organization into a best-in-class company?

MEETING IDEA

Deceptive Decisions is a slap in the face to wake-up about how we deceive ourselves too often into continuing our bad habits instead of investing ourselves in activities that will enable us to have a breakthrough company.

If you eliminate distractions, get everyone to slow down... and evaluate the decisions you are making it is quite possible you may identify alternative decisions that ultimately will have a more significant impact. Here are some questions to discuss with your team:

1. What should we be doing but we are not because we just do not think we have enough time?

2. What is the worst case and best case scenario of the impact on our business in 2011 and beyond if we did commit ourselves to doing these activities instead of something else?

3. What is the most important thing we could do this year to strengthen our company so it has a sustainable competitive advantage? Is this anything we discussed in #1?

4. What are our most common bad habits as an organization?

5. How are we developing our people in 2011 so we stop demonstrating these bad habits?

Front Page

Before we too quickly dismiss USS Enterprise Captain Honors as a fool for making sexually explicit videos, which he is, it is prudent to pause and consider what we have done that would make us cringe if it was on the "front page" of local or national print/online news:

1. Business emails that we have written with vulgar language, complaints, anger, romance, or something else inappropriate;

2. Videos, audio recordings, tweets, blog posts that contain unprofessional comments;

3. Off-hand comments to employees, vendors, customers or peers that are expected more from a drunken teenager than an adult professional;

4. Insulting language and/or gossip of employees, vendors, customers or peers because we spoke more to get a reaction than to demonstrate the integrity of our company (and personal) values.

Captain Honors has provided us a gift. He got caught when many of us have slipped by. I encourage us all to pause and:

1. Be thankful that some of our comments and/or actions have not been brought to national attention; and

2. Make a commitment to pause before speaking or acting to confirm what we do next positively reflects the good character set forth in our company values.

Do not just assume your behavior is perfect because you have not been caught.

MEETING IDEAS

Front Page is a great reminder to behave our best particularly when putting something in writing, audio or video. This is a great opportunity to discuss how each employee in your organization is required to demonstrate your company values in all of their actions and words. I encourage you to pose these questions to your team and yourself as we move into the new year.

1. What are our company's core values? (Do they need to be more clearly defined?)

2. Review the article on Captain Honor. Ask people to be honest. Without requiring them to be specific, ask them to raise their hand if they did or said something in 2010 that would've been embarrassing to the company and themselves if it had been printed on the front page of the local newspaper, or worse, a national newspaper or website.

Point out that the odds are high that everyone in the room including yourself did something or said something that would be embarrassing if it could be played back. Thank the people who raise their hands for their candor. Expect that you may have at least one person who feels that it is impossible that they did anything questionable. Do not challenge them. Let it go.

3. Ask your people to suggest areas where they are most likely to be tempted to do or say something that violates your company values, such as:

- An angry customer

- A joke that is emailed to you based on race, sexuality or something else that is professionally inappropriate

- Gossip

- Frustration with a fellow employee

- A mistake or "stupid" comment/action by a customer

4. Ask for ideas on how everyone can hold each other accountable to your company values in a positive way. Let people know that you expect them to hold one another accountable, and if that is unsuccessful, that they are to report any violation of your company values to you immediately. Your company values are non-negotiable. Everyone is expected to consistently demonstrate your company values in their words and actions.

(haven't seen the USS Enterprise video? view an edited version here)

TREE OR MACHINE?

Let's talk about your 2011 key objectives. Are your plans like a machine or a tree?

Dictionary.com actually has 11 definitions for the word "machine" when used as a noun. Consider just a few of them:

1. an apparatus consisting of interrelated parts with separate functions, used in the performance of some kind of work: A sewing machine...

2. any complex agency or operating system: The machine of government.

3. an organized group of persons that conducts or controls the activities of a political party or organization: He heads the Democratic machine in our city.

4. a person or thing that acts in a mechanical or automatic manner: Routine work had turned her into a machine...

Bottom line: A machine has interrelated parts or people that conducts or controls or performs work in a mechanical or automatic manner. A machine is also static, and cannot increases its capability to achieve greater results without adding parts. You can be successful by building your organization like a machine and most leaders manage their company in this manner.

I suggest that moving into 2011 you consider your company and how you're pursuing your key objectives from the perspective of growing a tree rather than upgrading a machine.

From Wikipedia.org: "Trees are an important component of the natural landscape because of their prevention of erosion... the provision of a weather-sheltered ecosystem in and under their foliage. They also play an important role in producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, as well as moderating ground temperatures. They are also elements in landscaping and agriculture, both for their aesthetic appeal and their orchard crops (such as apples). Wood from trees is a building material, as well as a primary energy source in many developing countries. Trees also play a role in many of the world's mythologies..."

A tree starts as a seed and then extends itself as a seedling with roots ever reaching for more nutrients and water. These roots and the lower trunk of the tree form a firm foundation for it to grow. Rather than struggle with the compatibility of add-ons like a machine, a tree grows with consistency because each new extension organically builds upon previously established strengths.

The image of a tree often represents health, life and future hope. I suggested it can also represent a well-managed business that extends itself energetically, passionately, and in a manner that is consistent with the core organizational values of the company so employees are fully engaged and customer's expectations are often exceeded.

See the Meeting Ideas section for questions to ponder. I encourage you to build upon your strengths in 2011, as a tree extends itself from its core, rather than try to bolt-on something to your organization that carries greater risk.

MEETING IDEAS

TREE OR MACHINE is an encouragement to ponder exactly what you intend to pursue in 2011 as your key objectives. Consider extending your organization based on its strengths to lower your risk of failure and increase your probability of success. Get your people involved! I encourage you to pose these questions to your team, advisers and yourself prior to finalizing your plans for the new year.

1. What are our company's core values? (Do they need to

be more clearly defined?)

(a)Where are we not demonstrating our core values in our actions and communications?

(b) Where are we best at demonstrating our core values through our actions and communications and therefore should invest more resources in these areas to more rapidly grow our company?

2. In order of their ability to impact positive results, what are the three greatest strengths of our organization?

(a)How can our strengths be better applied to create new opportunities, lower costs and increase profits?

3. Where are we operating like a machine where we have bolted-on people, products and services that are partially or totally incompatible with our core values and therefore not performing up to our standards?

(a) What realistically can be done in the first three months of 2011 to improve the performance of these people or activities?

(b)What are the clear, measurable standards for acceptable performance of these activities that must be met during the first three months of 2011 for us to continue to invest our people and resources in them?

4. Where are we operating like a tree where we are extending people, products and services from our strengths yet they could be performing much better?

(a)What realistically can be done in the first three months of 2011 to improve the performance of these people or activities?

(b)What are the clear, measurable standards for acceptable performance of these activities that must be met during the first three months of 2011 for us to confirm we are getting the most from our people and resources?

5. What is the single most influential activity our leaders do that leads our company to grow from our strengths in a manner that is consistent with our core values?

NOTE: I suggest the answer to #5 is when you fully engage your employees and peers. Let me know if we can help your team make 2011 your best year ever.

GOLDEN RULE

How can the Golden Rule apply uniquely to your customer relationships so people decide to do business with you based on the experience rather than your pricing?

This month over 1 billion people will celebrate the birth of Jesus. His Golden Rule is a proactive approach that is foundational to any competitive customer service program. Jesus encouraged people to take the initiative to do something good for others.

The teaching of the Golden Rule is the basis for active good and mercy in dealing with other people, and certainly applies to our wonderful customers.

I used to think the Platinum Rule, which is to treat others the way they want to be treated, is an extension of the Golden Rule. I realized recently I was wrong. If you look at the way Jesus lived he clearly meant the Golden Rule was to treat others the way they want to be treated.

Think of your customers. When they call you with a need or a problem, they want to be served based on their needs rather than your return

policies, support response times, service limitations and other excuses that are made to protect your profits.

Let me just give you one example: I believe this is why Zappos provides free shipping when someone buys something and when they return it. It is because if the roles were reversed with their clients, that is how they would want their online shoe company to behave.

I encourage you to consider how you can better demonstrate the Golden Rule. Look at what others are doing, like

Zappos

,

Costco

and

Nordstrom's

. As the year comes to a close this Christmas and holiday season figure out a least one way that you can provide a better customer experience in 2011 and beyond.

MEETING IDEAS

GOLDEN RULE is about really putting yourself in the place of the customer so you can discern how to provide a superior experience with your company that creates lasting customer loyalty and raving fans.

Here are some quick ideas how you might discuss this with your team. If we were doing business with our company:

1. What are the three services that would be most important to us when making a decision whether to make a purchase?

2. What return policy would we want when a product broke, or we just changed our mind and did not want it anymore?

3. What are the biggest hurdles for people to use our products or services? How can we make it easier for our customers to overcome these hurdles and fully enjoy using our products and services?

4. Describe every aspect of the ideal customer experience if you were purchasing from our company, including when everything goes right and when everything goes wrong.

5. Specifically what can we do differently in 2011 to provide a better experience for our customers?

CAN-CAN

What can you achieve in 2011?

There is a "can" of general ability.For instance, I can (or "could") close $1 million in 2011 sales, or I can complete 30 hours of billable work weekly.

There is also a "can" of confidence.You can use similar examples except this time the person is confident they will succeed:I can (or "will") close $1 million in 2011 sales, or I can complete 30 hours of billable work weekly.

As you define your clear, measurable goals for 2011 is important you set goals that you realistically can (with confidence) achieve.

Do NOT:

1.Set a goal to increase revenue by 50% when you believe only 20% is possible.

2.Assign a goal to someone which is not aligned with their natural behaviors and skills, and they will be motivated to achieve based on their confirmed work values.

3.Write 2011 goals that sound good but are not measurable, such as, "Provide the best customer service of any company in our region."

Instead set 2011 goals for your company, managers and employees that start with a clear, measurable objectives written in my T.A.R.G.E.T. format and each should have 3-5 clear, measurable milestones or criteria that confirms the goal has been achieved.

T:The preposition "to"

A:Action verb

RG:Realistic goal

E:Effective measurement

T:Time bound

For example (after I dropped the preposition "to"):

Close and deliver $50 million in goods and services during 2011.

-Average gross profit margin of 22% on product sales

-Average gross profit margin of 65% on services

-60% of revenue is software sales

MEETING IDEAS

CAN-CAN is about balancing your past performance with your true potential.Do not rush, but rather take the time to fully engage your team in the process of defining specifically what you will achieve as an organization.

Ask them to define three goals for your company:One related to financial performance, one about customer satisfaction and one that commits the organization to develop the professional skills of every employee.When your people start the process of defining the goals and influence the way they are written, then they will have more ownership in helping you achieve your objectives.

Here are some key points that might help you lead the discussion:

1.I suggest that we have three clear, measurable objectives for 2011:One related to financial performance, one about customer satisfaction and one that commits the organization to develop the professional skills of every employee.(Discuss this concept with your people and possibly provide the example above for discussion.)

2.What should be our financial objective for 2011, and the key milestones or metrics that confirm we have achieved this goal completely?

3.Depending on the team member, our "customers" are either external clients, vendors, suppliers and/or other team members.What should be our customer satisfaction objective for 2011, and the key milestones or metrics that confirm we have achieved this goal completely?

4.We want you to know that you have a future in our organization and that we are investing in you as a valued member of our team.What should be our professional development objective for 2011 as an organization, and the key milestones or metrics that confirm we have achieved this goal completely?

5. Possibly end with draft goals and follow-up to confirm later. THANK THEM. Recognize people for their participation. And last, but not least, ask:

What needs to happen as we as a team achieve these company goals to make 2011 your best year ever? (They may have to get back to you on this one...)

MISSED ME!

We complain a lot about missed opportunities. My question to you this Thanksgiving holiday is how many times have you "dodged a bullet" and not even realized it?

About one year ago a kind-hearted marketing executive I knew was driving his wife and two children home from a Thanksgiving dinner. The light changed and as he drove his car legally into a left turn a Mini Cooper came barreling through stopped traffic and a red light at 90 mph to hit his van broadside. All four people were killed instantly.

A little over one year ago a caring father was crossing the street in a crosswalk of our city with his nine-year-old daughter at dusk when a drunken motorcycle rider did not stop and hit them both. The father lost one leg and his daughter lost her life.

Recently a woman was driving from our county into San Francisco to meet her boyfriend. She was texting while driving on the freeway. She lost control of her car, it crashed without affecting other traffic and she lost her life.

What if my friend who was driving his family home had driven 5 miles an hour faster... or slower? What if the father enjoying an evening walk with his daughter had gone on one more trail? How many times have we been texting while driving and without knowing it had just barely survived? Although he cannot determine our fate, we can pause from the rush of our lives to give thanks for all the times disaster has "just missed" us.

You can thank luck, God, an angel or whatever you prefer. I suggest it is a wise, healthy decision to pause on a regular basis to express gratitude.

Mollie Ziegler Hemingway recently wrote in Christianity Today Magazine that "Studies show that grateful people are happier and more satisfied with their lives and social relationships. They are more forgiving and supportive than those who are ungrateful. They are less depressed, stressed, envious, and anxious... The Roman philosopher Cicero was onto something when he said, 'Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.'"

This is something to think about. Please have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving is filled with laughter and good memories!

Be an Intentional Leader (with gratitude).

MEETING IDEAS

Although you could take the concept of gratitude and extend it into a discussion of the many things you are thankful for that occur with your customers and employees, I suspect your short Thanksgiving week has eliminated your team meetings. Therefore I leave the meeting ideas up to you this week.

I hope you enjoy a full weekend off!

Parenting Executives

I have heard it said that leading a company is similar to raising children. I agree. There are similarities. My concern is you are a weaker leader at work or home because you are not leveraging our career leadership skills at home, or vice-versa. Let me suggest 7 ways you can use similar systems to succeed both in your career AND at home

.

1.

Culture

: Define your mission (purpose for being), vision (where you are going as a company) and values (how you do business). Why not also do this for your family too?

2.

Expectations

: Set clear, measurable expectations for the

behaviors

of your employees and peers at work; plus with your spouse and kids at home. Go to the Free Stuff section of

www.SuccessWithPeople.com

to download now.

3.

Goals

: Set clear, measurable annual goals using my T.A.R.G.E.T. method that deliver the results you are seeking. Delegate the responsibilities for achieving these goals to your employees. Do the same for your family, you/your spouse and your children. Also available at the Free Stuff section of

www.SuccessWithPeople.com

.

4.

Appreciate

: Take time to follow-through on your commitments to employees and remind them how much you value them. Do the same for your family. When is the last time you bought flowers for your spouse, brought them their favorite treat or spent time just focused on them just to demonstrate your love? Do not wait too long...

5.

Sanctuary

: Schedule time to remove yourself from your work to regain perspective, renew your commitment to leadership and recharge your batteries. Renew your commitment to your family too by investing some of your personal time to eliminate life's clutter and focus on what is truly important.

6.

Retention

: Schedule retention interviews with employees to confirm they see a future with your company, are fully engaged and feel valued. Take time to demonstrate your love for your family too. Forget the TV, the Internet and your selfish interests. Invest time to recharge through your most important relationships.

7.

Accountability

: Follow-up as promised and respectfully hold your employees accountable for their expectations, goals and other commitments. Do the same with your family.

There is more you can do, but this is a great start to being an effective, intentional leader in your home and career.

MEETING IDEAS

You cannot discuss family issues in a business setting, however you can forward this newsletter to your team for consideration.

If you want to use this topic for a meeting, please consider simply asking open-ended questions based on the 7 areas of leadership above.

1. Culture

: What is our mission as an organization? What is our vision? What are the values that define how we do our work better than our competition?

2.

Expectations

: What are your Expectations for me as your boss? What are our Expectations between coworkers?

3.

Goals

: What are our company goals for 2010 (2011?)? What are the specific responsibilities of people related to our achieving these goals?

4.

Appreciate

: How do you know that our company values you as employees? What makes you think we do not value you and your contributions?

5.

Sanctuary

: How much time, when and where should we each take to regain perspective, renew our love for leadership and recharge our batteries?

6.

Retention

: Are we meeting your expectations as a company? Explain your career path with our organization? When is the last time someone complimented you? What was the situation and why?

7.

Accountability

: What are you struggling to follow-up on in a timely manner?

Set A Date

When my clients start working with me, most of them have at least one employee with a performance or behavioral issue, or both. They struggle to understand how to resolve the situation or terminate the employee.

The most important thing to do is:

Put a stake in the ground. Draw a line in the sand. Set a deadline... whatever words you want to use, the outcome is the same: Do not let employee issues continue indefinitely.

The number one hated responsibility of the majority of leaders is firing someone, yet if they are not performing or behaving well then they are holding your company back.

Part of the problem may be your leadership. If it is, I am happy to discuss how we can mold you into a better leader, contact me to talk about ways to improve. If not, then consider the approach I suggest in the Meeting Idea below.

MEETING IDEAS

Here is an idea for a one-on-one meeting with an employee whose performance or behavior is not meeting your standards:

1. Ask the employee how their performance or behavior relates to your company standards.

2. Confirm where they are performing or behaving well.

3. Explain how the performance or behavior is not meeting your standards.

4. Ask them if they can achieve the results or consistently demonstrate the behaviors you are seeking.

5. Remind them of good work they have done for you and/or professional behavior they have demonstrated.

6. Define specifically how to move ahead from this meeting: The results that must be achieved or behavior needs to improve. Do not be general. Be specific about the results or behaviors you want similar to the way you intentionally define Goals That Work or behaviors in the Expectations exercise we do (from Jud Boies, www.ThrivingWorkplaces.com).

7. Set a realistic deadline for improvement, with milestones for confirmation of incremental progress, and follow through.

Then follow-through as an intentional leader.

It's Not Easy

There is an old saying that "Talk is cheap." As America becomes more and more relative in its values the talk of our leaders and employees becomes less valuable and true.

How can you test the words of an employee?

Through their actions. I have had two clients recently that with my encouragement have dismissed employees. The reason: The employee talked a good game, but did not demonstrate their verbal commitments through their behaviors.

How can you test the words of a leader?

Through their actions. Take the issue of the Ground-Zero Mosque that Iman Rauf wants to build near the site of the 9/11 tragedy. He says it will promote peace. He seems sincere in his verbal commitments and Mayor Bloomberg is a big supporter.

Dr. Ichak Kalderon Adizes, a leadership consultant, suggests in a recent newsletter that if Iman Rauf is sincere then he should devote "...one or two floors in the Center to a permanent exhibit of the atrocities that radical Muslims have committed in the last fifteen years..."

I find Adizes' suggestion fascinating, and yet for a moment I feel compelled to apply the argument to other religions as something of a litmus test. Does this mean a prominent Christian church should devote space to an exhibit explaining how persons of history have similarly committed atrocities in the name of Christianity? Such an exhibit might feature Hitler, or Pastor Jim Jones and others who have appealed to people of the Christian faith to support their dastardly, murderous deeds. Or should a prominent Hebrew synagogue/temple create a public area where the atrocities committed in the name of the Jews be on display?

I can not say for sure what should be done. However, I do know this: people say many things, but their actions speak true to their hearts. In other words, I believe someone like Imam Rauf can say whatever he wants, but only time will tell what he truly believes. You must keep this principle in mind when engaging with people in your life. Actions speak louder than words.

The way of a leader is not easy. When you are faced with an employee challenge, then respond by managing them with clear, measurable goals/tasks; holding them accountable; and following-up regularly. Then judge them based on their actions and the results, not their sincere sounding words.

If you are an employee faced with a leader who is not behaving ethically, professionally or in some other inappropriate manner, then judge them based on their behavior not their sincere-sounding promises.

MEETING IDEAS

IT'S NOT EASY is a reminder that part of our responsibility as a leader is to discern truth. Our ability to comprehend reality rather than someone's good intentions or lying is critical to our professional success.

I suggest you have your people read the Adizes newsletter and discuss how to discern truth in your work with clients, vendors and coworkers. Do NOT make this a political discussion. That is not the point. Help your people learn to discern. Here are some possible questions to aid the discussion.

1. The mosque situation:

(a) FOR: What is Iman Rauf promising?

(b) AGAINST: What are the concerns of the people who disagree?

(c) If both sides were truly interested in compromise, what might they be proposing?

2. Clients: A client verbally commits to a project, but you cannot seem to get them to sign a contract.

(a) CLIENT: What could be holding-up their commitment?

(b) US: What could we do differently to better communicate the cost of doing nothing?

(c) What do we need to adjust in our process to eliminate this delay in the future?

3. Coworkers: A coworker is making a promise (you provide an example) repeatedly with great sincerity, but continues to break the promise and give a variety of excuses that sound like they might be legitimate.

(a) COWORKER: What are the possible reasons for this employee to continue to break their promises that are their fault?

(b) US: What are we doing to enable this unprofessional, unacceptable behavior?

(c) What do we need to do to eliminate this problem behavior in the next 30 days?

Leaders...Get Creative!!!

Steven Tomasco from IBM global business services finds surprising results!

According to over 1,500 CEOs in 60 nations and 33 industries agreed that “creativity” is now the most important leadership quality for success in business.

"Not “global focus,” not “integrity,” not even much heralded “sustainability.” But “creativity”

Article here

How to empower your employees!

Do your employees have a voice? Do you have a TEAM working towards a goal? Check out this article from Business Week to learn how to EMPOWER your employees!

Tim Kryszak presents a few simple insights on how to inspire your people.

"Ensuring your employees have the tools they need to be successful is critical. But empowering them to make decisions that could affect your business is just as important, if not more so..."

Article here