Today’s Business Buff Entrepreneur Mike Goldman is the Founder of Performance Breakthrough. Most companies have the right goals but don’t execute. That is why Mike Goldman is so successful in his consulting business Performance Breakthrough.
He helps companies identify:
The right priorities, the right metrics and the right meeting rhythm to review and ramp back up to achieve their goals.
Mike Goldman is the founder of Performance Breakthrough. It’s a firm that helps small to medium sized businesses create a plan for growth, and Mike’s firm assists them in executing that plan.
Listen to Mike on the Success Podcast here: http://www.successpodcast.net/blog/2015/5/26/mike-goldman.
Businesses are becoming more complex. It’s harder to predict outcomes because intricate systems interact in unexpected ways.
Staying on track is much easier with a guide or checklist. Michael Useem, a professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and bestselling author of The Leadership Moment, has published The Leader’s Checklist to create a clear roadmap for navigating any situation. It is presented here in condensed form, with sample questions accompanying each principle:
Not all of these questions are applicable to every situation, but it is the questioning that counts.
Whether you are facing a typical day at the office or walking into a crisis, ask yourself and others these questions to inspire correct actions. Only then can you make sense of the complexities you encounter.
Have you ever found yourself with the proverbial “foot in your mouth” because of something you said? We all do that sometimes – and often in situations where we then feel foolish or embarrassed. I once heard a great way to filter your thoughts before they come out of your mouth, and to consider what you are going to say before you say it.
Before you speak, ask yourself first, “Is it true?” Meaning, is what you are going to say a truth …. Or is it a rumor, or gossip, or something that you are spreading that doesn’t merit discussion?
Secondly, ask yourself, “Is it kind?” Who will be hurt if you speak your thought out loud? Is it a kindness to speak it, or hurtful?
Last, ask yourself, “Is it necessary?” Do you really need to say it? What would happen if you didn’t? Does what you are planning to say create positive action or unintended consequences?
This simple routine for considering what you are doing to say – BEFORE you say it – will ensure that you are always a positive influence to those around you. Using this simple routine might mean that you stop gossip rather than extending it; that you curb the impulse to share an exaggerated story. In asking yourself if what you are going to say is true, kind, and necessary, you will also be modeling effective speaking behaviors and encouraging others to do the same.
I have a client who struggles with her place within a management team. She tends to think faster than most, and as a result also talk first and is often the first to raise her hand or react to an idea in a meeting. Together, we discussed a new technique that she successfully used when with groups of people. She simply counts to five before she speaks. In that way, she can allow the space around her to slow down, she can consider what she is going to say, and she can apply this test as well – is it kind, is it true, and is it necessary? When she does speak, then, her words serve her well, and she has become known in that management team as someone who is wise, thoughtful, and kind.
Have you considered how you can apply this simple filter to what you are going to say? How might it make a difference in your interactions? Let us hear from you!
I was rereading the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins the other day and it occurred to me that with all the talk about sustainability in business we should revisit some of those basic concepts covered in that book. The chapter on Fifth Level Leaders really hits home with what it takes to create organizations that are excellent and have a prayer to be sustainable. An interesting question came to my mind. “What if our current elected officials adopted the concepts of a Fifth Level Leader?”
What is a Fifth Level Leader? It is a leader who has two major attributes. The first is a will to succeed no matter what is happening. The second is paradoxical to the first. That is to have a great amount of humility and modesty.
The will to succeed is for the organization not for oneself. This is a foreign concept to most leaders since they are usually focused on themselves first and then the organization. Fifth Level leaders work hard at whatever needs to be done and will not settle for anything less than what will meet the long term objectives of the organization.
What would happen if political leaders became so entrenched in making the organizations they serve succeed that they did not even worry about re-elections because the results would be so overwhelmingly successful that re-election would come automatically? When service is placed above self good things happen.
The humility needed to be a Fifth Level Leader is the ability to give credit to everyone and everything else when things go well. When things go wrong, a mirror is placed in front of the leader and blame is apportioned to him alone. The organization’s Buck stops with the leader.
Fifth Level Leaders leave the place better than they found it and cultivate the next generation of leaders to carry on the organization. As Collins says, “most leaders hope the place implodes after they leave so it makes them only look better”. This short-sighted thinking of a lot of leaders does not create sustainability.
Is your organization led by Fifth Level Leaders? If not, what are you doing about it? Although it is not easy to find or develop this type of leader, a Fifth Level leader will only improve the organization. How will you get from Good to Great?
I was at breakfast with a friend the other day and we were talking about networking and building our respective businesses.
“I don’t think I’m threatening enough.” He said.
Excuse me. I wasn’t sure I heard him right so I asked him again. He reiterated that a very successful sales coach told him he’d build his business much bigger if he was more threatening.
“You’re too nice a guy”, he said. “Everyone likes you and feels very comfortable with you so it’s hard for you to switch into sales mode.”
My friend felt very uncomfortable with this. He didn’t feel comfortable switching into “sales mode”. He genuinely likes people and doesn’t like to pressure anyone into a sale.
This pressuring, “sales mode” attitude is why most of us hate salespeople. It’s also why most people are uncomfortable selling. Hard driving sales tactics and techniques are just not who we are. They make us uncomfortable and make our prospective clients put up a great big wall between us.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in, and coach people, on sales processes and techniques that increase the likelihood of making the sale. However, these don’t need to be aggressive and unnatural. These can help you to build relationships instead of tearing them down.
Here are 3 tips for a no-pressure, natural, relationship building sale:
The most important thing to all of us is…ourselves. So when we meet someone new at a networking event, or we meet with a prospect, why do we show up and throw up? Why do we insist on talk about ourselves so much before we know anything about them? If people are most interested in themselves, we should spend 80% of the time asking them open-ended questions to find out more about them. They’ll love you for it and it’ll have the added benefit of telling you what their “hot buttons” are and if they’re a true prospect.
People don’t want to be sold. They want their problems solved. Instead of selling them, try to help them solve their problems. This shows them what you can do to help better than a canned sales pitch or a PowerPoint presentation. Some people are concerned that would mean giving their services away for free. However, spending 15 minutes or an hour helping someone solve their problems seems like a small investment to make to gain a new client.
”Are you open to some help with that?” If you haven’t “thrown up” and you’ve “consulted” instead of “sold”, closing the sale becomes much easier. Instead of closing hard using a traditional sales technique, all you have to do is ask this one simple, non-threatening question. Most people are “open to some help”. It doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to make the sale, but it does mean you’re much more likely to openly discuss the potential to do so.
Selling this way will ensure that if you don’t make the sale, you’ll at least make a friend. And friends refer other friends. You win either way.
What’s worked for you? What tips do you have to make the sale and make a friend at the same time? We’d love to hear them.
Since at least the time of Plato and Socrates some 2400 years ago, mankind has been implored to “know thyself,” in life and in business. Individually, this is often taken to mean knowing your strengths so you can leverage them and knowing your areas of weakness so you can improve them or compensate for them. But it involves much more than this. While at the business level, many organizations struggle with getting more done with fewer people and less resources. As your employees have changed roles or added responsibilities, you need to have confidence that you have the right people in the right positions to get the best possible results.
In some cases you do have the right team members in the right places and in some cases you probably made some wrong choices, as we all have. Companies forced to reorganize made quick decisions resulting in people landing in the wrong roles. Likewise, companies that have experienced significant growth have ended up with similar staffing outcomes. Diagnostic assessments can help you identify performance gaps and help your company effectively understand and align the talents, behaviors, and motivators of every employee. Having the right employee in the right position is as critical to each individual’s success as it is to the success of the entire company.
The first step in bridging performance gaps is for management to commit to a people development process for employees. It should be based on the skills, attitudes, and behaviors necessary for them to do their jobs successfully. If the size of the organization is large enough, it can be implemented by HR. Regardless, the objectives and strategies of developing employees, and how those employees are going to help drive results, needs to be owned by management.
After commitment has been gained and the objectives have been identified, diagnostic assessments can help determine individual performance gaps, since developmental opportunities will be employee-specific. Assessments can also be utilized as an important tool for creating skill development as well attitudinal and behavioral improvement while eliminating employee and organizational resistance to change.
There are a multitude of individual assessment tools available, but regardless of which we utilize, when working with clients we focus diagnostically on the whole person as defined by these three key areas:
Establishing new behaviors requires that the employee feels able to adopt those behaviors and feels comfortable doing so. A well-designed people-development process focused on objectives leveraging diagnostic assessments drives long-term change. After the completion of a development process, we consistently see high levels of adaptable change with sustainable results. To learn how to achieve these types of sustainable results for your people and your business give us a call or visit www.pb-coach.com.
When you are looking in the mirror, you are looking at the problem. But, remember, you are also looking at the solution.
We have two distinct minds—our conscious mind and our subconscious mind.
Most of us are very aware of our conscious mind because we “seem” to spend a great deal of time there. However, depending on which study you read, it has been proven that 60-95% of the decisions we make and the behaviors we exhibit are generated by our subconscious mind. Think about that staggering percentage and now think about your daily routine. When you got up this morning did you give any specific thought to the routine of getting ready and preparing for your day? Did you implement any step out of traditional order? If you took the kids to school or drove to work, did you drive the exact same route as yesterday? As you have continued through your day have you given any specific thought to breathing? There is always an exception to every rule, however, in most cases the answer to all these questions for many would be ‘no.’
As we live new experiences our subconscious mind very quickly stores data, creates neuro-pathways, and develops routines that allow us to easily duplicate an action or process in the future like driving to work and, yes, breathing. These pre-existing processes are convenient and even helpful. However, there are two questions I think are important to ponder.
Autopilot is fine for certain things like which to do first take a shower or have a cup of coffee. However, being on autopilot allows us not to be ‘present’ and provides for missed opportunities. How many opportunities have you missed with your family, your spouse, or at work to do, say, or be something better simply because you were on cruise control. Applied knowledge is power and understanding the power of our subconscious mind allows us to step out of autopilot and unleash our untapped potential. Do you really know what you want? Can you see it clearly in your mind down to the smallest detail? Have you written it down in a clear and concise manner? Do you know why you want it? Do you believe you can obtain it? Charles Simmons, author of Your Subconscious Power states, “Your subconscious thrives on knowledge. In dealing with a condition of life, whether it is a problem or an opportunity, consciously observe its traits. Then decide how you deal with the condition. Assign your knowledge, and your intention to act, to your subconscious. With its reserve of knowledge, your subconscious will then come to your aid.”
Tapping into the power of your subconscious mind can begin by committing to two things. First, deliberately focus your conscious action on positive and results-oriented action. Your subconscious will record these patterns which will help you maintain a positive attitude and focus even when life events take place that could take you off course. Second, change negative influences by deliberately cultivating positive habits that offset negative ones. You cannot erase a negative or bad habit; however, you can replace it with a new and positive influence by simply creating a new pattern your subconscious mind finds noteworthy and is worth repeating. Affirmations are a great system to help make these positive changes take place.
There are so many things in our environment that we cannot control nor influence. However, we have an incredible power source in the combination of our conscious and subconscious mind that is totally within our control. Take control of your destiny, your life, and your success by effectively using the power of your two distinct minds.
Tammy A.S. Kohl is President of Resource Associates Corporation. For over 30 years, RAC has specialized in business and management consulting, strategic planning, leadership development, executive coaching, and youth leadership. For more information visit http://www.resourceassociatescorp.com/ or contact RAC directly at 800.799.6227.
I once heard a terrific story that illustrates the power of taking action one step at a time. It came from a general manager of a yacht sales dealer. His typical customer would purchase new yachts and other boats for $1 million dollars or more.
He tells the story this way:
One morning, several of the sales people were standing around, and they were having some fun razzing the newest sales person, a young woman who didn’t really fit the part of a wizened “boater” like most of them did. Into the showroom walked a couple who also didn’t really fit the part – they weren’t dressed very nicely, and they appeared to be young and probably not quite ready for a $1 million dollar investment in a new yacht. So, they all “offered” to have the newest sales person talk with the couple – since they didn’t think it would amount to anything.
After quite a while, it became obvious that the couple was serious, and that they planned to purchase a yacht that day. However, the husband confessed that they hadn’t come prepared to purchase and didn’t have a credit card or much cash to make a down payment. The new sales person, undaunted, asked them what they did have? “We only have $100.” So, the sales person took the cash, and shook their hands. The couple left the showroom with a huge smile on their faces.
When the new sales person came back to the group of sales people, she was the laughingstock of the group. The group exclaimed, “You took a $100 deposit on a $1 million dollar boat? That’s ridiculous!” But the general manager knew better. He celebrated the sale with the new sales person and responded back to the sales team with this (now famous) conclusion:
“You may think that they didn’t actually buy anything, and you are right that $100 isn’t much of a deposit on a $1 million new yacht. BUT, what do you think is the first thing that couple did when they left the dealership? When they saw people they knew? They said, “We bought a boat today.” Now they didn’t really buy a boat – they only put down a $100 deposit on that boat. But once they told everybody they knew about that new yacht, do you really think they weren’t going to follow through on the rest of the sale?”
Since I first heard that story, I have reflected on the lessons from it many times. Let’s see if you agree that these are the lessons learned from the “bought a boat” theory.
What “boat” are you trying to buy? What goals are eluding you this year? Make the commitment today to take a step – “buy that boat” – and then take another step tomorrow. Step by step, you WILL get there.
As children and teenagers most of us have played on a sports team. Can you remember what it felt like to be part of a winning team or a losing team? Remember the elation you felt when your team won a big game and the despair of losing the big game or championship? It is something special to experience being part of something bigger then yourself.
In my experience the concept of a “team based culture” is something a lot of entrepreneurs, business owners and executives want but find very difficult to achieve. The difficulty begins with the definition. Plato said that wisdom begins with the definition of terms. So what does Webster’s Dictionary have to say about teams: “a number of persons associated together in work or activity”. Webster’s goes on to describe teamwork as: “work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole”. This is a good start but does not give us enough practical detail and guidance in the business world. Steven Yelen a New York based Business Coach with over 20 years experience in supporting organizations and teams give us some guidance with his ideas on fundamental principles and behaviors that work.
Fundamental Principles of a Successful Team:
-Common Purpose
-Clear and mutually agreed to working approach
-Appropriate balance of task focus and relationship focus
-Agreement on Measurements and Aligned Rewards
Behaviors that support Successful Teams:
-Push for high quality communications
-Help create a climate of trust
-Play your position and bring talent to the team
-Help drive discipline into the team
-Be prepared to sacrifice for the team-be a good sport
-Help new members make the entry
-Strengthen the leader through good followership
-Play down yourself and build up others
Why Teams fail to deliver results?
The biggest root cause of team failures in business can often traced to the lack of establishment of clear purpose, goals, measurements and rewards. Without these foundation pillars in place trust is often the first casualty followed by a lack of energy and sense of helplessness. Finally, if the leadership is not walking the talk then you can expect cynicism to spread quickly and undermine any opportunity for success.
Final Thought:
There are many examples of organizations that have achieved excellence and delivered exceptional results by creating a team based culture. Some examples include GE, Motorola, McKinsey and Pall Corporation. Do your research and look at the top players in your industry and you will often find a team based approach separating the leaders from the followers.
A great resource for helping you understand and build high performance teams can be found in the book “The Wisdom of Teams” by Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith.
