Nancy Lin
Executive and Business Coach at Change Agent

San Francisco Bay Area

Years ago I worked for a well-known consumer products company on an under-performing product category.  I was young and I was new to the industry.  I had a fresh perspective, and I was able to innovate the way the company marketed their products.  As a result, sales doubled in 2 years which was quite impressive for a low-tech category.  Although the strategies I developed were impactful and I had a big budget to play with, I often ran into resistance for change when selling the business plan to some of the stakeholders.  I felt like I had to drag them along with me.

Many years later I volunteered to raise money for a professional midwifery school in Mexico.  I started with very few contacts but eventually I helped raise local funding to reduce the school’s dependency on international organizations.  During the process I met some movers and shakers.  The school administrators, who had struggled for years to find local partners, were scratching their heads. How was someone without any living or working experience in Mexico able to make these connections?  I, too, was a little baffled why these influential people would talk to a volunteer who came to ask them for money.  I would tell people that I had an angel on my shoulder.   I was probably doing something right but I was not very clear what it was.

It wasn’t until I began coaching and motivational speaking that I came to recognize the leadership and strategic skills that I developed over the years and during the volunteer work in very challenging places, including rural Tanzania.  I also came to understand the power of story-telling.

Having an inspiring vision is one of the qualities of great leaders.  Many executives have grand visions but the visions are not inspiring unless they are communicated in such a way.  That’s where story-telling skills come in.  It’s the ability to engage your audience and mobilize them to join you on a big adventure.  A good storyteller helps you visualize the journey, stirs emotions using metaphor, and identifies the enemy, before taking you to the grand ending and helping you to visualize the success.  There is a sense of togetherness and the thrill of a future accomplishment.  It leaves you thinking about what you can do to contribute to the success.

And that is what I was lacking when I tried to cajole some of the teams to get on board years ago.  This expression probably describes what is happening at many companies -

“People will tolerate the conclusion of their leaders but act on their own.” … Jim Haudan

Instead of presenting the market share objectives and innovative strategies, I could have shared the vision in a way that helped them envision a coup to regain market leadership after years of mounting sales return, a coup that will surprise the market while pre-empting Proctor & Gamble’s dominance by toppling the conventional thinking.   Like many managers, I highlighted the technical skill to identify opportunities and under-estimated the power of inspiration and emotional engagement.

Shawn Anchor said, “Happiness is not the belief that we don’t need to change; it is the realization we can.”  Employee engagement contributes greatly to employee happiness which has been proven to drive productivity.  Helping people to believe that greatness is possible and that they can be part of it is perhaps the biggest impact of a great story or an inspiring vision.

Recently I was reminded again of the power of story-telling.  I interviewed a number of executives and wrote a motivational speech based on the interviews.  It was particularly interesting speaking to people who took the time to help fellow workers and colleagues.  I wanted to know how their supportive attitude affected their career.   I found that being helpful to others often created a greater sense of the impact they made and satisfaction in their work.  This energized the executives who had been supportive of others and helped them succeed in their own careers.

One of the senior executives shared his wisdom with me, which I included in my speech.

“When I was young, my dad went to the toy closet and got out the “Barrel of Monkeys”, those little plastic monkeys with one arm that turned up and one arm that turned down. He told me most of what I needed to know to be a good human being as well as a good leader could be found in that bucket. You should hook one arm to someone you could learn from and your other arm to someone you could help. Always keep both arms as full as possible.”

A story can be far more powerful than a list of bullet points when it creates images in our mind and helps us visualize the path to our success.   It engages us to see the mission of the initiative in a mesmerizing way.  It can rally the troops to take action and effect change.

Many in the audience commented on the story after the speech so I sent a copy of the speech to the executive in a thank-you email.  He wrote back,

“Your speech was very inspiring.  I caught myself reflecting on my past gifts and how before “I got too busy” I too used to be the mentor and gift-giver in my career.  Somewhere along the way I got caught up in the madness and forgot one of the things that bring me joy.  Now, not to say I became a tyrant, but certainly the amount of time I spend managing has surpassed the time I used to spend encouraging and teaching.  So today I put a stake in the ground and commit to return to my passion of helping others reach their true professional and personal potential.  Thank you for YOUR gift back to me. “

A month later the change started to take place -

“For Christmas this year I bought my daughter, who just turned 11 at the beginning of January, a green barrel of monkeys.  I wondered if she’d really play with them at all or perhaps just pitch them in the toy closet and focus on the more “exciting” things she received.  I was very pleasantly surprised that she wanted to play with them that afternoon.  We played them together for a long time and many times over the next several days.

Later in the week when we were playing with them I asked her if she would humor me and explain to me what she thought was the purpose of the game.  She initially looked at me a little funny but then set about telling me how to play……pick one and then try to connect as many more as you can without letting any of them fall……the more you have the better you did.  Perfect.  Then I proceeded to pass on my father’s story to her.  She really loves her grandpa a lot so I know she won’t soon forget what we talked about.  It’s probably time I asked her if she’s grabbed any monkeys lately!

I am working to find a date to schedule a face-to-face meeting with my entire team as I’ve recently been given the added responsibility of leading another team as well as my current one.  I’m planning to get everyone three monkeys and talk to them about how we can help each other in addition to our internal business partners.  It’s amazing how much wisdom can come from 25 cents worth of plastic.”

Many folktales have been passed on from one generation to the next, outlasting wars and the original story tellers.  In the corporate world, we call that a legacy.  What has staying power is what touches your heart, not just your mind.  When you change the way people think, you have the potential to make sustainable change in the action they take and create a lasting impact in the world.

Are you contagious?

Some people are charismatic by nature.  Can charisma be taught?  Employees appreciated be valued more than their pay checks.

                          

Russ Sharer
VP Marketing at Beyond Just a Vision

Santa Barbara California

A compelling vision brings a group of individuals together to focus on a common purpose.  But creating a sense of community in your company is a stronger motivator for personal employee engagement.

Humans crave community.  Loneliness and isolation are avoided in our society in numerous ways, and can be seen in the latest trend in social media. Technology seeks to harness “always on” to deliver “always in-touch” community.  John Donne’s insight that “No man is an island” is excellent leadership thinking.

When building a company, a vision drives direction.  Community gives the journey purpose and energy.  Knowing that the team is pulling in a single direction while caring for and striving to bring the best out of each member.

I recently left a technology company after ten years, where we achieved this sense of community.  The people cared for the success of the company and for each other.  As a result, individuals and departments showed a strong willingness to help each other.  Politics were minimal, and voluntary turnover was near zero.  The company grew from product concept to quarterly revenues in excess of $30M with an attitude of team community.

In addition, this sense of employee community enabled us to grow an extended community with our customers.  They were a part of the team, and were willing to work with us on new products and ideas, as well as bear with us when product issues arose in the field.

This should come as no surprise.  The middle three layers of Maslow’s Hierarchy deal with safety and security, love and belonging, and self-esteem, which is described as confidence, achievement and respect for others.  Descriptors of a high-performing team.

Vision and culture come together in community.  If we lead in a way that focuses on the target through a strong commitment to the employees, success will come with greater celebration.

                          

Judy White
Founder at The Infusion Group LLC

Raleigh-Durham North Carolina Area

We have one life to run the best race set before us. Our potential to achieve is intended for us to first learn what our own best race is by understanding the key talents, strengths, motivation, passion, and creativity that live within us.  How we fuse all of these intangible attributes into becoming worthy outcomes we desire from this life is an art. When we infuse this potential and partner with others who care deeply about what matters, life becomes more meaningful and the outcomes are even more remarkable for everyone.

Whose race are we running?

Is it your race or mine or are we racing our own race, together? As leaders, when we deny ourselves the benefit of reflection becoming aware of our actions and the impact they have on others, if we’re not careful, we may find ourselves slipping into the trap of racing someone else’s race, the boss’s race, a competitor’s race, that’s the way we’ve always done it race and in the end we lose a real sense of our beings. Eventually our workplaces lose something unique too. Through reflection we find the freedom to show up as we truly are and no longer are reactionary to issues. The safe space of reflection that we extend to ourselves and others helps us to discern what is realistically within our control and what lies on the fringes.

The best races are when the best possible outcomes can be pursued and achieved. Discovering first what our own best race is with authenticity and ingenuity, then determining what the best race of others who choose to join us in the pursuit will become. When we acquire and retain the right people in our workplace, forming a group or a team aligned with each of our best races toward a shared purpose, everyone wins through generously giving our unique contributions the very best we have to offer. It is this pursuit of excellence we expand our possibilities of reaching the next level.

Joseph Riddick “Rick” Hendrick III, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Hendrick Motorsports knows precisely the power of running the best race, together. Born and raised on a small farm south of Richmond, VA near the border of North Carolina, Rick learned the value of family, hard work, sheer determination and developed a passion for automobiles.  His wise father, “Pappa Joe”, helped to nurture his passion. At the young age of 14, Rick entered the world of auto racing, winning titles with Chevy vehicles he had built himself. Rather than pursue a career playing professional baseball, he followed his other passion and eventually invested in his first Chevy franchise at the age of 26. His hard work, dedication and influence eventually set his dealership apart as a regional profit center. Rick’s early success set the course for his life, and many others that would join him in the race. Today, Mr. Hendrick owns more than 90 franchises and employs over 6,700 employees across 11 states.

Running deep in the life of this founder are distinct qualities of a leader that brings forth the best talent, passion, skills and innovation. Guided by uncompromising family values, Mr. Hendrick has proven that he can compete in an industry known for its competitiveness and a natural drive toward “me first”.  Mr. Hendrick’s passion for people and excellence has led to the premiere operations of Hendrick Motorsports; garnering a NASCAR record of 13 owner championships of 14 overall.

Hendrick Motorsports, a world-class environment and franchise is known for heralding NASCAR superstars like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. #88, Jeff Gordon #24, Jimmy Johnson #48 and Mark Martin #5. Mr. Hendrick’s vision and personal investment in helping each individual race car driver become a superstar has created a powerhouse where success is defined and attained only by helping other drivers succeed in the process. You don’t have to be a fan of NASCAR to appreciate the values, accountability, stewardship, and camaraderie found in this business enterprise. Each of the drivers while competitors with one another, ensure that on race day they’re on the track helping one another get to the front of the race. It’s clearly understood that if two of them get to the front, then they will compete honorably and race their best race. It is believed and lived among these race car drivers that when this condition exists, the real race has already been won because the checkered flag goes to the one who has earned it. Working together they race the best race and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

Team is at the core of Hendrick Motorsports. When Jimmy Johnson was behind in points and found himself out of the running last year his pit crew chief Chad Knaus took action and proposed that Jimmy’s pit crew step up and help their fellow teammate Jeff Gordon and win the championship for the franchise. The team members adapted and focused on what really mattered for the organization. Commitment is at the center of Hendrick Motorsports.  Committing to “together” is better.

Fortunately, if you should find your workplace challenged with leaders working independently and at cross-purposes with one another, you can foster the needed change by collaborating and developing your RPMs.

Reflect

Consider where your best race is right now.  Are you racing toward your highest goals, chasing a title, or someone else’s purpose? Are you running your best race, fulfilling your purpose? Does it need a tune-up or a new direction?

Partner

Are your vital partners, colleagues and alliances, running their best race? Have you defined who the key people are that are vital to your success in the next year or two? How are their best races similar or different from yours?

How might you collaborate better with those on a similar race track and potentially build breakthrough partnerships?

Move Forward

What are some of the best races that would align with your desired potential outcomes? How do these potential outcomes drive your internal motivation? How might you infuse these races together? What might that look like?

What can you do to propel your dreams, to get where you want to be? One life filled with many dreams. That’s all we’re given. What is it that you want to do? Are you doing it? What are the dreams of your workplace? Are they aligned? If not, what is holding you back from realizing your full potential? Outline the obstacles that are in the way and make the commitment to overcome them.

                          

Greater San Diego Area

The past few weeks have been an interesting experience and a lesson in terms of “what good does not look like” in the wonderful world of customer service.  Here is the situation.  I am in the midst of trying to move some retirement $ around and have been doing so for the better part of 3 weeks.  Lets be more specific.  I want to do business with this particular company and they will not call me back.

After the first week of zero contact with a human being, I went to their website and found a local person in my area and figured that I would contact them.  Guess what?  It has been the same exact experience (ground hog day).  I called him approximately six times and emailed him on four other occasions.  For some odd reason, I cannot convince this “sales person” to contact me.  At this point, I am frustrated and shocked so this actually turns into more of a research project.  I call his office and ask to speak to him and of course he is unavailable and I am told to leave him a voice mail message.  Here we go again.  I am getting somewhere now though; at least I know that he is alive.  I will take a small win at this point.

At wits end, I send one final email.  Here is the response that I get back, “I’m in an offsite meeting in our corporate office all day today. Then we have a company wide training Thursday – Sunday and a test on Monday morning to become certified and won’t be available until Tuesday the 15^th. I’ll e-mail you on the 15^th or please feel free to e-mail or call me then as well.” After trying to track this lad down now over 10 different times, he has the audacity to ask me to do it again. Is this really happening to me? I think I need Duane Chapman (Dog the Bounty Hunter) to find me a sales person.

The last time I checked, we were in a recession.  At least, I thought so.  My emotions are bouncing back and forth between shock, laughter and frustration.  I have been in the wonderful of sales for over 15 plus years and I cannot imagine a time when I would be too busy to take an order.  Do you know what’s really scary?  On my voice and email messages to him, I was very explicit in what I wanted.  I want to be a customer!  Please help me.  This gent is probably doing it to others too and is a habitual offender. I wonder if his sales manager has any idea.  Does it matter?  Actually it does but I am not going to tell him because I have emotionally moved beyond their brand.  The referee just blew the whistle and it is game, set and match.

Is it possible that a company could be so busy that they are okay with ignoring their customers along the way? I highly doubt it and in this case shame on me for spending so much time trying to stimulate the economy.

Hello, Hello! Is anyone home?

                          

Dawn Bell
Senior VP and GM US Operations at Canyon Pharmaceuticals

Greater New York City Area

Recently one of my most productive team members resigned. It’s not the first time this has happened in my 2.5 years of running the company, but this one came kinda out of the blue. Of course I had to ask myself–was I to blame? Did I fail to cast a vision for the future of the company that inspired confidence and commitment? I am passionate and confident about the future of my company, but this is a risky business–how do I instill confidence in my team while still being true to the enormity of the task ahead?

Enter Winston Churchill, a virtual mentor of mine. He took over the Prime Minister spot from Chamberlain and was faced immediately with the invasion of Belgium and Holland and the subsequent defeat of the French (the next time you feel like the Universe is piling on, remember this!) But somehow, despite the gravity of the situation, Winston managed to strengthen the resolve and will of the British people to resist the Nazi invasion and garnered the support of FDR while never shrinking from telling the unvarnished truth. As you can probably tell from my writing, I don’t have command of the English language quite like Churchill, but I do admire his ability to craft a version of the truth that is at once authentic and yet still full of hope for a bright future.

Alan Axelrod in his book on Churchill says “An ideal leader manages the reality in which the company operates.” Say what? Sounds a bit “Wizard Behind the Curtain” or Truman Show-ish, doesn’t it?  But clearly there is something to this beyond “fake it ’till you make it.”

I certainly am no stranger to the concepts in The Secret and The Law of Attraction and have spoken openly about my belief that thoughts are things and what you think is who you will become (also quotes attributed to Buddha as it turns out).  But all those concepts are about managing my own reality, my thoughts.  How on earth can I manage the reality of the entire enterprise?

Then it hit me–it all starts with my thoughts and my reality–to paraphrase Buddha, “A man who conquers himself is the greatest of all warriors.” So at the end of the day, I have to manage my own reality, since that is all I ever have control over anyway. And let’s face it, one of the things we admire among effective executives of all stripes is self-control. They don’t get excited, or even visibly angry–they just get stuff done! Great lesson for me –self-control coupled with integrity of thought and action is what is needed to manage my reality and subsequently the reality of the enterprise.   I can do that (granted, not perfectly, but I can do it).   How are you managing the reality of your organization?  Are your people optimistic?  Do they feel comfortable taking risks?  What is it that you can change in your leadership to create the kind of reality you need to create to be successful?

                          

Josh Margolis
Owner at CRM Insights

Greater Chicago Area

Evolution

I’m a pre-baby boomer, i.e., I was born just before the end of the War, not after. Until I was ten I lived in a three-story courtyard building in Chicago. The Fuller Brush Man would come around knocking on doors. Every few months the knife sharpener would drive his horse-drawn wagon down the alley calling out his presence. Peddlers setup their suitcase on a folding stand on the street corner. We had a party line and the phone itself was a box with a slot for a nickel. Drop in a nickel and the operator would ask “Number please.” My parents owned a women’s and children’s clothing store. Salesmen came to the store with merchandise samples and my mother would pick what she wanted to carry. Selling by phone was not an efficient option.

When I was ten, we moved to a single family home. Salesmen still came to the door, but our phone had a dial. One summer during high school I worked for the Leukemia Foundation of America. About 20 of us, using reverse yellow pages, called every house on a street seeking a volunteer who would walk door-to-door, carrying a can, soliciting donations. Another summer I sold encyclopedias door-to-door. The phone was becoming a sales tool, but sales people still knocked on doors.

By the time I finished college most people had push-button phones. A few years later door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen had to carry a card saying they were door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen. Using the phone to call 75-100 numbers a day became physically possible, and people answered their phones, but the era of salesmen going door-to-door was waning.

In the 1980’s things started to change again. Executive assistants became more proficient at protecting their bosses from callers. Answering machines became popular. By the 1990’s voice mail had gained traction. People didn’t answer their phones and operated behind an impenetrable force field. New cold calling techniques designed to penetrate this barrier became popular. The suspects caught on. They were using the same techniques themselves and knew how to play the game.

Today

It is now ten years past the time Arthur C. Clarke thought there would be regularly scheduled flights between earth and the moon. Sometimes things change, sometimes things stay the same. Selling has changed—actually, it keeps changing. Today we can gather information about the people we want to contact. We can use applications such as LinkedIn to establish a connection with a prospect and engage in a conversation. The process shouldn’t be rushed, but it doesn’t take long to suggest a phone call or getting together for coffee. The phone call is not cold call, the receptionist/executive assistant is no longer a gatekeeper. The prospect is expecting your call. Not a cold call, but a warm call.

Researching prospects and courting them takes time, but the prospect’s score is high unlike an unknown who is often a waste of time. During the courting phase, waiting for responses, many of these connections can be made. The pipeline contains a flow of actual prospects, not suspects. The ROI far outweighs the cost of cold calling. There are numbers behind this, and this will be the subject of my next post.

                          

Nancy Lin
Executive and Business Coach at Change Agent

San Francisco Bay Area

I first came across the term, “the power of one”, when I was reading the book“Influencer”.  The authors mentioned an experiment in the 60’s designed to help researchers understand why so many people followed the Nazi’s lead to massacre millions of Jews.    The participants in the research were told that they had to give shock treatment to someone in another room and continue to increase the intensity of the shock treatment until it reached the highest level.  Although many participants were uncomfortable about the study, as many as 65% of them felt compelled to follow the instructions.  In a follow-up study, the scientists found that if just one person went ahead and turned up the shock treatment, then the number of participants after him who actually went through with the administration of shock treatment jumped from 65% to 90%.  On the other hand, if one person spoke up and refused to follow through, the percentage of participants after him who administered the shock treatment dropped to 10%. What a difference one person can make!  One person managed to change the tide or the compliance pattern.  That is the power of one!

I also experienced the power of one when working in Mexico to raise money for the rural and indigenous students from the state of Chiapas to go to a professional midwifery school.  I set a goal for myself to raise the money in Mexico instead of in the U.S. so the school could reduce its dependency on international organizations.  I had never done fundraising before.   In fact, the idea of asking people for money was unsettling to me and was against my upbringing, but I believed in the cause and was determined to overcome my own fear and language barrier.

Because I only knew one family in Mexico, I had to do some research before I started the process.  As soon as I began gathering information, I realized how much more daunting it would be than I had thought.  I quickly learned that there was lack of “understanding” between the rich and the poor and there was not a strong culture of philanthropy in Mexico.  I was also advised that discussing problems such as poverty and social issues would embarrass or make Mexicans very uncomfortable.

The day after I arrived in Mexico City, I was invited to a party by the family I knew.   We chatted before the guests arrived, and I mentioned my project.  The daughter of the hostess suggested that I present my project to the guests at the party.  Given the advice I got from people familiar with the culture, I was immediately concerned about the awkwardness the discussion would create.  I tried to get out of it initially but decided to go for it, to set an example that every one of us could make a difference.

At first, most guests listened to my presentation carefully.  A few minutes into my presentation, it started pouring outside.  The guests jumped on the first opportunity to divert into their own conversations.  Obviously, the subject was making them uneasy.     I asked the daughter to explain to me what people were saying among themselves.

“They are saying that they know fundraisers who received huge commissions on the donations and became very rich.”
My heart sank when I heard that.  Their skepticism saddened me, especially because I gave up a full-time job to work on this as a volunteer.  It reiterated for me how difficult this project was going to be.  The poor didn’t think change was possible.  The rich were skeptical of the poor and philanthropy.   I could hear my friend trying to defend me in Spanish.  It seemed surreal to me.  My face was burning.  It felt like their discussions were going on forever until I heard this loud and young voice from the back of the room.
“You should contact the TV station’s foundation.  They have this telethon every month to raise money.  I don’t know if they really give the money to the poor, but maybe you can talk to them first.”

The young man saved me from the awkward moment because, unlike most people in the party, he took enough interest in my presentation to give me a suggestion.  He also saved the project.  I once met someone who worked with the top management at the TV station but I hesitated to contact him for the project.  I wasn’t sure if he would remember me or be willing to help put me in touch with the right person at their foundation.  The young man’s comment encouraged me to reach out to my contact at the TV station.  We were later awarded funding by the foundation after 2 years of hard work by many people.  The foundation became the first Mexican non-profit organization to support the midwifery school and broke the decade-long dependency on international organizations.

The project was also awarded its first multi-year corporate sponsorship, thanks to a simple phone by an acquaintance who helped me cut through the receptionist and pave the way for my fundraising effort there.   Despite the pessimism of the general public in Mexico, the few who chose not to give up their power and voice helped put me closer and closer to my fundraising goal.  Like J.F. Kennedy said, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

At some point in our lives, we probably have experienced a sense of powerlessness because we worked for a large corporation or because we were part of a complex process.  We are often convinced that we are too small of a player to have enough visibility or power to cause a meaningful change.  But being bigger or being part of something bigger doesn’t necessarily give us more power.  It is the recognition of the power of oneself that will give us the ability to influence others.

Before we stand up to the voices of other people to express what we believe in, we must first stand up against the many voices in our heads – the fearful voice, the judgmental voice, the rational voice.  And all too often the negative voices drown out our true expression.  Why not let your true voice power your decisions?  And only then, listen to your rational voice to help you overcome potential challenges and accomplish your goals.   Change the order of how you orchestrate difference voices in your mind.  Listen first to that singular voice deep within you that tells you can do whatever it is you put your mind to.  When you reverse the course in your mind, you have the opportunity to reverse the course of events and create impact in the world around you.

The power of one.  The power of you.  The power to make a difference!  Fantasize it.  And exercise it!

                          

Jim Bouchard
President at Think Like A Black Belt

My elevator speech goes like this:

“I’m Jim Bouchard- I teach people how to Think Like a Black Belt; and I’m the best looking bald man in this room! If you want to know more about what I do I’ll meet you right after this meeting.”

Inevitably people come up and ask me, “So- what the heck do you actually do?” Once in a while someone challenges my assertion about being the best looking bald man in the room!

Now the fun starts. I simply ask, “What do you think about when you hear the words ‘Black Belt?’” Now that’s not a rhetorical question; take a few minutes right now…what do you think about when you hear those words? The iconic symbolism of the Black Belt is now part of our culture- nearly everyone has some idea about what Black Belt is supposed to embody. The great minds at Six Sigma in fact borrowed the whole theme of Black Belt and martial arts ranking to symbolize what it takes to create a culture of quality, excellence and efficiency.

I ask that question whenever I do corporate presentations- “What do the words Black Belt mean to you?” Here are some of the most popular responses:

1. Excellence
2. Discipline
3. Focus
4. Confidence
5. Sense of inner calm
6. Hard work
7. Perseverance
8. Accomplishment
9. Achievement
10. Perfection
11. Courage
12. Leadership

Once in a while someone says “a tough guy!”

Aren’t these the same characteristics and values you want in your C-suite? Wouldn’t you like everyone in your organization to possess and apply these traits of “Black Belt Mindset?” That’s what I teach.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a Black Belt to think like one. You do need to commit to continual personal and professional development. You need to understand that a truly effective organization develops authentic leaders at all levels of an organization and that all effective leadership is a process of sharing; you must share wisdom, authority, experience and power.

All the most effective executives I’ve ever studied or worked with possess most, if not all of these traits. They also understand that “perfection is not a destination; it’s a never-ending process.” This philosophy is the basis of building an innovation and creative organization culture essential for success in today’s extremely challenging environment.

I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading this article, you already possess most of these qualities. You understand the importance of training and cultivating this mindset at all levels. If you feel deficient in any of these areas- you’re committed to improvement. Any and all of these characteristics can be trained and developed- and a Black Belt in martial arts or business is never satisfied. The Black Belt Mindset is not one of patting one’s own back- a Black Belt is always looking for ways to improve, grow, innovate and expand.

You may not be a martial arts Black Belt- you may already be a business Black Belt! If not, start today!

                          

Don Metzger
President at Aniden Interactive

San Francisco Bay Area

“So, why do I want to do this?”  I remember asking myself this precise question when the request from Sean to contribute to the Executive Club blog was first discussed.  My immediate reaction was to question the real motivation behind why blogs exist, why companies spend time on them and equally important, why people read them.  More directly, why would I want / need / desire to devote time on this particular group buried within LinkedIn?  I will admit my interpretation of most blogs seems to be narcissistic at best and do little more than provide a stage for an anticipated audience which may not exist.

The only thing worse than writing a blog and having no one to read it could be equaled by one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes of an entrepreneur opening an ethnic restaurant in Manhattan and no one eating!  No Babu!  No Babu!

“So, what changed your mind?”  It was an epiphany which turned me to “Why a Blog?” made sense and it was simply the desire to share with a select audience what I believe makes our Aniden Team so special.  It represented a venue where we could “.showcase our team’s personality, creative talents and passion”.

Traits so often overlooked in this ever-increasing digitally-detached world.  What makes our creative and production group, located both domestically and internationally, so unique and valued is their individual accomplishments tethered together in an integrated fashion which excels in their delivered work for our Clients.  Witnessed by the occasional irreverence exhibited in our pumpkin cutting, race car driving and jalapeno sucker contests is balance to a dedication of repeated deliveries which continue to WOW our Clients.

So, enjoy the opportunity when time allows to get to know the people here who make up Aniden and let us know what you think.  I am proud of them and think they are the best in the business.  I will let those of us registered within the Executive Club come to their own conclusions.

                          

Tampa/St. Petersburg Florida Area

Empowered teams, self-managed work teams, project teams … the list could go on forever.  Over the years the trend in teamwork theories seems to have changed as often as the seasons.  No matter the gimmick, successful teams have two major characteristics – a common goal and management commitment. Success in teams that have these attributes can easily be measured in their productivity increases.

Team creation presents a challenge for leadership because there are so many ways to segment a group into teams.  While some would say it is useful to focus only on products, job titles, or work shifts, most have found this does very little for increasing productivity.   Consider varying the experience and knowledge levels of the individuals and focusing the team on one common goal. This will produce exciting team dynamics  and allow participants to focus  on the goal,  not on just their specific knowledge base.    When you measure the difference between individual and team success,  teams are always overwhelmingly more productive.  The key is selecting members that complement each other in personality, skill, experience, and others.

Once teams are formed and productivity is on the rise a structure must be employed to promote this behavior.  A common mistake made by managers and human resource management professionals is to implement a team structure yet continue to use their current individual performance system.  If you want team performance you must reward as a team not as individuals.   It is necessary that a consistent message in structure and rewards be created.  Members of the team should understand that rewards are given to them based on success of the team rather than individuals. The team must be a component to an already existing incentive program and must be integrated with all other metrics and goals.  A common method is  cascading; department goals relate to  organizational goals, team goals relate to  department goals, and  individual goals relate to team goals.  With this method the individual  sees how their contributions can impact the organization in both positive and negative ways.

Now that the structure is in place, it is time to sit back and watch the team work.  This is probably the most difficult time for a manager as one lets go and lets the team make the decisions whether right or wrong. Many first time team managers tend to step in and interfere prematurely.  The dynamics of well-organized teams may take time to develop but the confrontations and issues are  learning experiences and part of a growing period.   Not allowing the team to work out their own issues creates an environment where the team will not succeed because the message is clear that the manager is still in control of the decisions.

In a recent process re-engineering project here at Sage team development was the key to success; management saw increases in overall productivity and improvement in the work relationships between individuals.  Our human resource manager said, “Not only did our overall processes improve, but I began dealing with less employee conflicts.  The number of people in my office with questions or issues has been substantially reduced.  Also, the slight competition amongst the teams and the peer pressure it created has drastically improved individual employee performance.”

Developing a team strategy is challenging, but it will return your investment quickly.  Effective teams not only increase performance but can also make the manager’s job a little easier.  Remember, the key ingredients to successful teams are a common goal and commitment from management.