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by Rick Baker
On Aug 2, 2011
Here’s a picture to help you crank up your Leadership Strengths.
Specifically, if you want to expand your skill at inspiring followers or influencing the outcome of actions or persuading people to join your way of thinking – here is a picture and a checklist:
Footnotes:
- Remember when you were a kid…often kids got what they really, really, really wanted
- A link to Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things…[this Thought Post is a New Thing, a 1-Page Tool you can think about as you plan how to achieve your goals]
by Rick Baker
On Jul 27, 2011
You know that K.I.S.S. Principle - Keep It Simple Stupid.
Now, isn’t that an annoying little saying!
People are not stupid…they just have more Bad Habits than you would like.
And, I am sure you can accept it’s their Bad Habits that make you a whole lot less interesting to them than you would like.
So, do not underestimate or pooh-pooh the intelligence of others. Do not assume people are stupid. Do not make light of intelligence or make light of yourself by using the word stupid when you describe what you are doing [and why you are doing it].
Instead, assume you better crank up your interestingness a bit and, even better, you better provide tools that will help people do the actions you desire as accurately, quickly, and painlessly as possible.
At our business, we use "1-Page Tools".
Design a terrific 1-Page Tool and give it to your people. They will use it.
While they may not give you a huge pat on the back...they will appreciate the effort you have made to minimize the disruption in their already-too-busy lives.
I hope you will now take the K.I.S.S. Principle and throw it in the garbage where it belongs.
Replace it with the K.I.S.L. Principle…
Keep It Simple…Leader
Develop Good Habits:
- for communication
- for ‘sticky stories’
- for expressing ‘rules’
- for goal setting
- for task assignment
- for 1-Page Tools
Remember
It’s a double-edged sword:
People ain’t stupid…you just have more Bad Habits than they would like.
by Rick Baker
On Jul 13, 2011
When an employee feels unprepared to collect money owed to your company something important has been missed.
The key is: seek out and find what has been missed.
Here are some things that are often missed:
- No written process for collection. Collection should not be viewed as a single-employee function or even a department function. It is an 'enterprise' function. The exercise of thinking collection through and writing process out is important. Collection is not a problem when clear actions are taken at all the steps that 'precede the due date'…good credit process, good contracting process, good invoicing processes, etc.
- Failure to set goals and metrics for measurement of collection success. Goals and metrics should span the hierarchy, from C-level through to the employee with the keyboard and the phone. Without collection goals and action metrics, often, collection becomes a fire-fighting exercise. Under the firefighting mode the task importance is escalated and that places [undue and often extreme] stress on the employee. Situations of escalated stress reduce employee performance and results.
- Failure to make collection a shared priority…i.e., providing training and training-by-example. Collection is one of those tasks that are viewed as unpleasant. Often it is not delegated properly. For example, it is generally a mistake to delegate a task when the 'donor' of the task [the boss] can not or has not performed the task with success. Often, collection is simply handed over to the employee. That places the entire burden on the shoulders of the 'recipient' of the task [the employee]. Some/most people learn from watching others. Most people appreciate knowledgeable support…to backstop their efforts, to bounce ideas off, etc.
- Employee not suited to the collection task. People have areas of personal Strength, i.e., Strength = Talent + Knowledge + Skills. Sometimes the collection person's Strengths are not tapped properly. If that's the case then the collection person needs to change the way collection work is done. That may mean the company's collection process needs to change to suit the incumbent employee. Sometimes the collection person's Strengths do not align with collection work. That means the person should not be performing collection work.
- Failure to place a high-enough priority on collection. For example, many businesses rely on 3rd parties to handle cash-flow problems. Many businesses go about it this way: "If Clients don't pay then we don't pay our suppliers". This approach provides a series of band-aids, which cover up collection problems and reduce the likelihood collection problems will be handled. So, when the collection must be done it is always a piece of firefighting work.
- Issues around Corporate Culture: Paying debts when debts are due is an admirable way of going about business. For any business this is a double-edged sword. And, both edges should be sharpened at the same time. I mean, a business needs to look at how it pays its suppliers at the same time it looks at how it is paid by its Clients. This is a matter of Integrity…which for us is about consistency, not about judging what's right or wrong [i.e., we do not use the word Integrity to judge right from wrong]. If the prevailing corporate culture accepts dragging accounts payable then it will be very difficult to excel at collecting. Conversely, companies that excel at paying suppliers on time have Clients that pay on time. Both edges of the sword are sharp.
When businesses want to do better at collection, a good starting point is Values.
Values-Culture-Communication-Value. It starts with Values and it ends with Value. When we truly deliver Value to Clients, Clients are more inclined to pay on time.
Here is a link to our V-C-C-V philosophy
Here is a link to our definition of Integrity
I hope the above thoughts are helpful.
Footnote:
by Rick Baker
On Jun 30, 2011
Say you are thinking about starting something…like a project at work.
Why not make it easy on yourself by stating up front, “I have 3 choices”.
“I can:
- Start, finish & fail or
- Start, finish & succeed or
- Start & quit without finishing.”
Make an agreement with yourself…
“One of those outcomes will happen. Regardless of which one, I will learn from the experience.”
Certainly – your desire will be to Start, finish & succeed.
Regardless, the reality is:
Human beings fail at things regularly.
Human beings have control over their Actions.
Human beings have less or little control over the Results of their Actions.
And:
Failing is not ‘all negative’.
Failing is a necessary source of education.
Long-term success happens when we learn from a string of failures.
When we experience situations and choose Action, regardless of our optimism, realism illustrates we will fail from time to time. And we will quit from time to time. Rigid perseverance of Action on its own does not bring Success.
The Main Point: blind faith in Success is destructive. Optimism bounded by realism is the best way to approach situations. And, Action is essential.
***
I spend time creating ritual thinking.
What’s that mean?
It means I spend time trying to reduce situations to 3 things/options.
Why?
Answer: I know I can manage to keep track of 3 things and I know I can choose between 3 things.
If I have a 3-piece ritual to cover the most-common situations I face then I find my confidence is as bolstered as it can be.
This is an example of what I mean when I say, Seek Simple.
When we face most situations we can make good decisions if we give ourselves 3 choices. [see Footnote 1]
Why not 1 or 2 or 4 or 5 or more choices?
Because:
- 1 thing is the easy way out…while 1 thing is simple it isn’t prudent…it reeks of bias
- 2 things are better…still simple, but limited options…as if things can be sorted ‘right’ & ‘wrong’
- 3 things are best…
- 4 things are too much…at least, for me, I have found a diminishing return in using ‘personal brainstorming’ [see Footnote 2]
- 5 things are too too much
What’s that got to do with Start?
Well Start is essential.
Start = Action = Essential.
***
The Start ritualworks like this…
- You say to yourself, “I have 3 choices: I can start, finish & fail, I can start finish & succeed, or I can start & quit without finishing. Regardless of the outcome, I will learn something”.
- You decide on Action, confident you will do your best.
- You Start the Action.
Footnotes:
- Obviously, if the situation is urgent then you will not want to overdo the up-front ritual. Similarly, if the situation is routine then you will not want to overdo the up-front ritual.
- Edward de Bono provides a great tool for brainstorming. The tool can be used for ‘personal brainstorming’ and group brainstorming [as brainstorming is normally defined]. The tool is Six Hats.
You can couple a Six Hats process with the above Start ritual. That will ensure you make high-calibre decisions and implement them with an open and confident mind.
by Rick Baker
On May 18, 2011
For some business people, strategic planning is not helpful.
Business people: who among them should spend time strategic planning?
Who will obtain the most benefit from the process of strategic planning?
Here’s a checklist to help you determine if strategic planning is for you.
Place a check  in all the boxes that fit your character or situation…the more you check the more benefit you will obtain from the process of strategic planning.
 I want my business to stand out…as different
I would like to pack more action & results into each day
I want to be certain I understand my Clients’ needs
I encourage ideas from people who follow me and from my allies
I am a life-long learner
I want people who follow me to communicate as fully as possible
I volunteer time to lead community, not-for-profit or other charitable organizations
I want my followers to draw clear lines between planning-thought & tactical-action
I enjoy hands-on education
I embrace change
A business leader who has or wants followers
- Is a life-long learner
- Prefers hands-on education over lectures
- Volunteers time to lead community or charitable causes
- Wants to grow business success
by Rick Baker
On May 18, 2011
Sales Tweet #218 Entrepreneurs have a need to be recognized as different – a different type of contributor.
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
While grade school teachers may not appreciate how this need to be different manifests itself in children…with some guidance and some help the need to be different can mature and generate tremendous value in the years to follow.
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