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by Rick Baker
On May 7, 2012
Thought Tweet #471 Better to be stuck on sticky problems than to be burned by fire-fighting.
The Thinking Behind The Tweet
In business, we need to save our brainpower for innovative and creative work. When we fire-fight those daily fires, we remove our ability to excel at problem-solving and opportunity-capturing. This is especially so if our ongoing fires generate emotional heat, which they often do. When we fight fires we get burned at least 2 ways: (1) we burn energy in our brains that could be used to fuel better-caliber thinking and (2) we burn time that could be spent on better-caliber work or other important activity. This is confirmed by the 80/20 Rule. It is at the root of ancient wisdom, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
by Rick Baker
On Jul 15, 2011
You: the Leader
The Situation: The business is in a start-up mode, or a re-directed mode, and everyone seems to be struggling too much.
Preamble: You don’t know whether you should:
- send everyone home so you can concentrate on getting some work done or
- crack the whip
- take another shot at leading with passion and inspiration
As you are just about to make the right choice, the following thoughts hit you…
Running a business is a different thing than talking about running a business.
Consider ‘talking the talk’ and ‘walking the walk’.
Running a business is, by the words themselves, definitely something more than ‘talking the talk’. In fact it must be something more fast-paced than ‘walking the walk’. Nobody says, “Hey, let’s go and walk a business.” People always say, “Run a business.” Just taking the words as they are, ‘running a business’ must be about ‘Running the Run’. That’s more than and better than either ‘talking the talk’ or ‘walking the walk’.
‘Running the Run’ is clearly cranking it up a notch.
‘Running the Run’ is about giving the business an out-of-the-blocks chance to get over the 80/20 Business-Failure hurdle. It is about giving the business a fighting chance to be there for the tough race that lies ahead.
Like any other ‘race’, ‘Running a business’ is about mental toughness. It is about training. It is about competing. It is about understanding what it takes to win. It is then about doing what it takes to win.
‘Thinking the think’ is the right first step: Napoleon Hill, for example helps in this area by showing us how to spend time obtaining the value of thought and autosuggestion.
‘Talking the talk’ can be a good next step too: Muhammad Ali, for example, showed the link between thought and talk and results. He said, “I am the greatest.” Then he proved it.
After ‘talking the talk’, ‘walking the walk’ is a required next step: consider the great leader Mahatma Gandhi.... now that guy was a talker and a walker. And, from what I know about him, he ranks as my favourite lawyer.
But, ‘Running the Run’...that’s where the rubber hits the road. Actually, that’s more than a just a metaphor. That’s double entendre...maybe even triple.
" Running the Run"…now these 4 fellows could really run the run…
- Achilles (who got the eternal fame history tells us he craved)
- Roger Bannister (who did what was impossible…he broke the 4:00 minute mile)
- Forrest Gump...not only did that guy get lots of money, but even though he acted a little strange everybody seemed to really like him and he ended up getting an Oscar for it.
- Terry Fox...A Canadian inspiration…got himself on a coin. Not many Canadians have done that.
With that running the run inspiration completed.....
Are you prepared to do what it takes to ‘Run the Run’ for your business?
I mean: Do you really want to run your own business? As Napoleon Hill said, is your desire white-hot, burning? Or is that just talk? Just a wishful dream?
Nothing wrong with dreaming....as long as you know and admit you are asleep while it is happening.
White-hot desire….tough to sleep through that!
by Rick Baker
On Jun 21, 2011
Below, when I state numbers I am basing them on my experiences.
I agree with the thinking behind the 80/20 Rule [Pareto’s Principle/Law/Rule]. So, I have used 80% and 20% whenever possible rather than try to pretend I have more accurate statistics. I have used 99.44% pure to signal areas where we should not hold false hope for finding the 0.56% needles in haystacks.
- At least 80% of businesses need both Hunters & Farmers. Few businesses can expect to prosper with ‘social media’ alone or a combination of ‘social media’ and Hunter or ‘social media’ and Farmer.
- Start-up businesses need Hunters…they may not need to hunt end-use Clients but they need to hunt business-development allies, funding, etc. [Allies, like CONNECTORS]
- Smaller businesses need Hunters. This is a major problem area because smaller businesses have no ‘room for sales slack’. If the 80-20 Rule is a reasonable guide [and I think it is] then Smaller businesses need to hire 5 sales people to get one Hunter. That’s a real burden on Smaller businesses and their Leaders.
- Less than 20% of salespeople are Hunters [some experts say 15%]
- For business development Specialists trump Generalists at least 80% of the time…that’s giving sales Generalists [Hunter Farmer Hybrids] the benefit of the doubt. [I would not seek Generalists.]
- For complex/conceptual sales, a strong Hybrid sales person [Hunter-Farmer Hybrid] will outperform all others [that’s 99.44% pure]. On the other hand, because so few people are strong Hybrids [as in STRENGTHSFINDER strong] it would be unwise to build a sales plan that relies on finding Hybrid business developers. There are exceptions to this 99.44% Rule. For example, when sectors are deregulated, opportunities open up where the best Farmers in the regulated sector can become the very-good Hunters in the unregulated sector. [I would not seek Generalists.]
- For sales of simpler products and services, Hunters will outsell Farmers and Hybrids 99.44% of the time
- Disruptive Technologies and Viral Products: as the saying goes…sometimes rules are made to be broken. But, be really, really, really sure your technology is highly likely to be disruptive and your product is highly likely to be Viral.
As you can see, I am comfortable creating names for Roles…Hunter roles, Farmer roles, etc. I believe it is important to ensure people know exactly what their Roles mean to the organization. Following up on a comment I read about Law Firms and their descriptions of Roles…yes, I would use Role names if I was running a law firm. Maybe I would use ‘Readers’ and ‘Writers’…but before I did that I would work to come up with better descriptions. And I would add at least ‘Talkers’. ‘Talkers’ would be the Role I would want presenting cases to juries…i.e., presenting persuasive verbal communication. I would spend time coming up with a better word than ‘Talkers’… ‘Verbalists’…something more creative.
Similarly, we could come up with better words than Hunters, Farmers, & Hybrids for our Sales Roles.
After all, Clients are neither ‘prey’ nor ‘livestock’ nor ‘crops’.
by Rick Baker
On Jun 9, 2011
Why you must give this idea your best thought
We ask people, “What’s the best thing you could deliver to your Clients?”
We hear a variety of answers:
- Top quality products
- Excellent service
- Competitive pricing
- Reliable advice
- Going the extra mile
- A smile
We ask a follow-up question, “What if you delivered a Client to your Client…would your Client like that...how would that stack up against the other things you mentioned?”
We always hear something like, “Our Clients would be thrilled if we did that!”
So, we created a philosophy we call ‘Clients’ Clients’.
Clients’ Clients philosophy:
- Your Clients will be thrilled if you bring them Clients
- But, don’t stop there – do even more
How to put this philosophy to work for your business…
Getting started on Part 1: Your Clients will be thrilled if you bring them Clients
- Start with the person in your organization who loves to connect people to other people…if you want a more-detailed description of the ideal person for this task then think about the Connectors described by Malcolm Gladwell in his book ‘The Tipping Point’ ...this type of person will be able to lead you to immediate success
- Consider the 80/20 Rule…think about your best clients…the top 20% that brings about 80% of the value received by your company…think about how to bring Clients to these Clients
- If your business is B2B then you need to start by understanding your Clients’ business and their desired ideal Clients…just ask them, they will appreciate your interest and they will be inclined to tell you
- If your business is Retail then most of your Clients work somewhere…and the place they work has ideal Clients then go back to the last bullet point
- Once you understand what your Clients’ Clients look like, have your Marketing & Sales people do a little brainstorming exercise…come up with some names of Clients’ Clients whom your people already know. Contact those Clients’ Clients and tell them you are trying to help one of your prized Clients…etc…arrange introductions where win-wins are evident
Getting started on Part 2: But, don’t stop there – do even more
Part 1 was just the starting point. You can do more than providing Clients to your Clients:
- You can provide top-quality employees to your Clients
- You can provide top-quality suppliers to your Clients
- You can provide top-quality advisors to your Clients
- You can do much more than that
You can add value to your slate of products and services by embracing the Clients’ Clients philosophy.
This will help your Clients.
And your Clients will want to help you.
Links to more Clients’ Clients thoughts
by Rick Baker
On Feb 7, 2011
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a Jill Schichter education event, organized by our friends at Trovo Resources.
Jill’s presentation covered a number of things that must be done when ‘reductions’ are required at our workplaces.
Jill injected a great blend of thought, thoroughness, and people-sensitivity.
For me, 8 things resonated:
- Definitions: Jill provided a number of definitions, as examples she defined downsizing, rightsizing, and flexible rightsizing…expressing a preference for flexible rightsizing when that is possible.
- Make sure all decision makers are using the same measurements. Jill provided a Cost/Benefit template to help us capture all the facets that must be considered.
- For strategic workforce planning, build on your previous successes. [focus on the ‘bright lights’]
- Focus on the most critical high-impact jobs [the ‘80/20 Rule’ applies]
- Don’t underestimate the power of your employment brand. [news travels…so, we should make it good news]
- The most difficult job a manager does is letting a person go. [we must be sensitive to the people aspects]
- Related to all of the above, and particularly the human sensitivities tied to #6, Jill did a great job of answering the many questions posed by the attendees.
- Jill shared a fond memory from her time spent working with Stephen Covey [one of my favourite teachers]…Covey taught - the difference between a manager and a leader – “you manage things, you lead people”.
And, Jill explained - managers say “What are you doing?” while leaders say “How are you doing and how can I help?”
Thank you Jill for the excellent presentation.
And, thank you Tony, for the invitation and hospitality.
by Rick Baker
On Oct 21, 2010
The first two, equally-important, Rules of Procrastination For Success are:
- You must minimize, with a view to totally eliminating, the annoyance factor
- for others and
- for yourself
- You must set aside the common wisdom of the time-management gurus and give yourself a fair 60-day trial period [including the time you feel you need to cover your procrastination].
Why these Rules of Procrastination For Success?
To Procrastinate For Success
- You must not over-promise and under-deliver...that's poor form...that annoys other people and, because you have pride in your performance, it causes you to annoy yourself with anxiety or worry.
- You can not stress yourself because that reduces your ability to be effective...you are a procrastinator or else you wouldn't be reading this. So, procrastination aligns with the natural state of your character and your talents. Don't fight procrastination. Make the most of it.
How does one go about Procrastinating For Success?
Action Steps to Procrastinate For Success
- First, spend some time every day telling yourself you Procrastinate For Success. Make that a daily affirmation...write it on a mirror, repeat it at least twice a day, say it, sing it with emotion, scream it from an open window - I procrastinate for success, I procrastinate for success, I procrastinate for success…
- Next, tell other people you procrastinate for success....tell your boss, tell your co-workers, tell your Clients...and explain to them how your acceptance of this fact will benefit one and all.
- Once you have completed those first 2 set-up-for-action steps Take Action. Take Action as follows:
- First, immediately, drop every thing you are doing and finalize your To Do List:
- Ensure your To Do List is complete
- Force-rank your Most-Important work items: as you do the force-ranking consider the urgency of the work, consider the time required for each item, and set the limit for your total available time at 8 hours/week. This step creates your work plan.
- Next, immediately following the setting of your work plan – Do Absolutely No Work…do nothing. This is a critical step. This is the procrastination step.
- Then, when you hit the point where you must do the work under your procrastination plan, do that work at lightning speed, with laser-like focus, and with genius-like concentration.
Benefits of Procrastinating For Success
- It builds trust. And, trust is right up there with time - a truly precious commodity. Trust begins to build immediately because you will no longer feel the need to tell fibs about getting stuff done under unrealistic time lines. Since you will be comfortable talking with others about your procrastination, your over-promising will stop, your on-time delivery will increase, and trust will build all around you.
- You will be aligned with rather than fight against (Pareto's) 80/20 Rule. Knowing and accepting 80% of your production must happen in 20% of your time, you will stop wasting the remaining 80% of your time thinking about, worrying about, and fighting the natural laws of the human condition, i.e., you will not struggle with procrastination. You will be a comfortable procrastinator and you will make the most of it.
- You will free up a huge amount of time. Embracing (Pareto’s) 80/20 Rule you will free up 32 hours of prime time per week. And, this freed-up time will be devoid of the problems linked to having to be productive.
- You will never complain about being too busy to do this or to do that because:
- 80% of the time you will not be busy at all and everyone will know it so you will be very reluctant to claim otherwise
- the other 20% of the time you will be far too busy to complain and everyone will know it so they will not lay trivial requests on you
On top of this, you will reduce your overall stress and, all else being equal, that will prolong your life so you will have even more time to Procrastinate For Success.
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