Leadership on Speed

do something

"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." -Lena Horne

This has been a tough week.  On Tuesday, I received the following email:

My boss is about to lose his machine shop and I was wondering if their is anything that can keep this from happening. It is a small family owned business and he treats his employees like family. He is in major debt with vendors, the IRS and behind on rent and has been served and eviction notice. Is there any good advice that can be given to keep the shop from shutting the doors?

This is just one communication I received this week that speaks to the desperation and heartbreak of the current economy.  I know it's tough and I know things can seem hopeless but the one thing that you can do for yourself before things get so far gone is GET HELP.

So let me be clear - help does not mean asking cousin Shirley or Uncle Bob what they think unless they are employed in a profession that makes their advice relevant. I know your friends and family love you but what I'm talking about is going to professionals who actually have a level of expertise that can make a difference in your career or business.

I know. I know.  Sounds like good advice, but it also costs money, right?

Maybe.

Don't let lack of money stop you.  Before you go back to pulling your hair out, let me point you to some low or no-cost options to consider.. 

If you're a business owner, please take a visit to your local Small Business Administration (SBA).  If you thought the SBA was just for business start-up's, think again.  The SBA defines a small business as having revenues up to $1 million per year so if you're still under the cut-off, I'm sure they have resources that can give you some great ideas about how to survive this economy.  The good news for your pocketbook is that most SBA's offer a multitude of free or low-cost services (i.e. less than $40 for most classes in my city) including special support services for minorities and women.  One of my favorite "tools" is the SCORE program which enlists retired volunteers to coach/mentor younger business owners (hopefully in the same or similar business).

If you think your business could benefit from more intense action, try finding a business coach  whose job it is to support you in developing a tangible action plan and stick to it (yes, I'm partial!).  The best coaches will ensure that you create quantitative and qualitative results.  If you think you can't afford it, think again.  Yes, there are definitely coaching services that charge $500 and up per month but you may be able to find coaches for as little as $100.  Buyer beware- in the coaching world, a more expensive coach does not necessarily mean a better coach.  Many "new" coaches have tons of experience in their field but charge lower prices to build-up their clientele but ego being what it is, someone else who hung a shingle the same day, may charge $1000 out of the gate.  Additionally, some coaches even take on clients pro bono or offer a la carte services to help affordability.  Visit International Coach Federation website for a checklist of what to look for in a good coach and by all means, do your homework and find someone that resonates with you and you goals.  Most offer a free consult, so you can get a free trial run before you plunk down your money. 

You can also google for consulting services that meet the specific deficit of your business.  The difference between coaching and consulting?  All coaches are consultants, all consultants are not coaches (although I have met some consultants with greatcoaching abilities!).  Consultants are generally paid to diagnose but as a general rule are the most expensive way to go.  If your business is still at a point where you can afford a consultant though, it is a also a good option.

The bottom-line is do something.  Your business will not be served by ignoring the challenges you face and doing nothing.  It's hard sometimes to admit that things aren't working or that you are getting behind on your bills but when you own a business, there is more at stake than just losing access to cable.  The sooner you reach out, the less debris you'll have even if that means you must develop a "graceful" exit strategy.

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

the passing of an icon, a legacy of love

I'm Starting With The Man In The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
-From "The Man in The Mirror"

Like the rest of the world, I am in shock and in mourning over the passing of Michael Jackson and yes, I have shed a few tears over the combination of brilliance, beauty and tragedy that marked his life.  I have to tell you though that when I heard the news from my husband, the FIRST person I thought of was Janet.  Having lost my last surviving older brother only one month ago, my heart went out to her and the rest of her family.  I know what it's like to get "that" call and to have your heart break in a way that you think you will never recover.... 

The "King of Pop" - dead at 50...  I just can't seem to wrap my arms around it.  One thing is certain however and that is, regardless of the oddities and the judgments surrounding Michael's personal life, no one can deny his imprint on the music industry and the lives of millions and millions of people around this globe through his music.

thanks michael                                                                                                                                    As for me, I remember being a little girl, watching The Jackson Five and being enthralled by the voice of this little boy who was only a few years older than myself.  Listening to songs like ABC and Ben - I still remember my friends and I forming a girl group and taking turns as lead singing Ben..  Those were the days and Michael was very much a part of it.... 

Once Michael went solo, we never heard much about The Jackson Five but they remain an integral part of the music of my childhood.  As a solo artist, Michael continued to thrill his audiences not just as a singer but as a complete musician and an incredible performer.  Who else do you know combined singing and dance artistry as well as MJ? 

a unique legacy of love                                                                                                                       I could go on and on but what strikes me as I listen to all of the tributes to MJ can be summed up in one word....LEGACY. If you have ever heard me speak, the one thing that I always speak to leaders about is this thing we call legacy.  I suspect that if you ask one hundred different people about Michael's legacy, you will get one hundred different answers because Michael's life and his music touched people in so many different ways.  He was a child star, a music icon, a performer who crossed racial and generational boundaries....  THAT is who and what we will (and should) remember - not the craziness borne of an existence we cannot begin to understand. As for me, the legacy that I will remember is that MJ's intention was to be purely and simply this:  love.  MJ was a human being that simply wanted to be loved and to express his love for humanity through his music. 

And of course, I always reflect at times like these on what my own legacy will be - what I want it to be - and if I'm living it....  What about you?  What will your legacy be?  What do you want people to say about you when you are no longer here? How will your story, your mission - live on?  The thing I want you to get is that "legacy" doesn't have to be as big as a Michael Jackson.  It can be the simple experience of a consistently loving "you" that people are blessed with every single day....

The passing of Michael also reminds us that tomorrow is not promised and that all we have is today.  In fact, all we have is this moment.  What difference will you make?

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

Leadership is not magnetic personality—that can just as well be a glib tongue.
 It is not "making friends and influencing people"—that is flattery.
Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations.

-Peter F. Drucker

is your business going the way of the dinosaur?

The other day I held a consult for a potential client who - if he does nothing differently - will be extinct by the end of 2009, if not before. 

His story:  He began a recruiting company well over 10 years ago and created a strong, specialty niche for agencies needing associates with IT skills and a top secret clearance.  It was great at the time.  The only problem if any,  was that he was the third party supplier and never had the direct relationship with the companies doing the hiring.  That aside, it worked for a while.  His revenue was consistent.  Not great, but consistent and he was even able to hire a couple of recruiters....

Until the clients dried up.

Like so many small businesses, the change in the current marketplace also changed his client base and he phoned me because he is currently "surviving" on just one fee-for-performance contract. 

The good news:

1. The "client" is a well-known and prestigious realty company

2.  He has a sole source contract. 

The bad news:

1.  Most folks still doing real estate these days are probably fairly loyal to their company

2.  He only gets paid when the realty company agrees to allow the agent to represent them (which means a LOT of upfront work for no guarantee on payment).

3.  Once he has met the clients hiring goals, he will "perform" his way out of a job. 

4.  He cut his rate substantially just to get the contract.

The fact of the matter is that it's a win-lose contract but he feels it still allows him to be in the game AND the potential for some income is better than the potential for none (which he would have if he didn't have the contract) and the sad reality is that after more than 10 years in business, he us a hair's breath away from becoming extinct.

And he knows it.

Are you on the verge of joining him?

Every day businesses are going under because they refuse to do things differently.  Like my new friend above, they may even see the writing on the wall.  The saw the train coming but got frozen the headlights.  They blinked and got run over.

When was the last time you took stock of your current business situation?  Forty years ago, a business might be able to "wing it" and survive.  Those days are gone.  If you see declining revenues month after month after month and you think you can ride out the economy, think again.

• Do you have a business plan?  If not, when are you planning on writing one?  If so, when was the last time you reviewed it?

• How long has it been since you researched your industry or read new material that could give you some insight on reinventing your company or marketing strategy?

• When was the last time you did anything that could be considered innovative?

My guess is that this isn't just your business, it's your life.  Whether you founded it one year ago, ten years ago or last month, something ignited a spark in you that resulted in you beginning your own company.  Don't lose sight now.  You may have to reinvent, rework or rethink the way you do business but at the end of the day, you only have to survive one day longer than your competition!

You were born to be great!

YES, you can!

happy fathers day

To all the dads out there, we wish you a wonderful Fathers Day and thank you for the indispensable role you play in shaping our future leaders.

You (and your children) were born to be great.

YES, you can!

reinventing yourself

You have just been laid off - possibly for the second or even third time.  You're tired of being h-e-r-e...starting over...wondering "why you" again and what to do next.

If you are in a contracting industry such as real estate, housing construction, auto manufacturing or finance, you may even be forced to reconsider what it is you want to do for a living. 

The bad news:  Losing a job can be devastating.

The good news: Finding a new career can be a really great opportunity to reinvent oneself and do work that brings even greater reward.

In order to truly reinvent your career requires a shift in thinking: The first thing you must understand is that to be truly happy, your career must serve your life.  Because of our schooling or getting "boxed in" to certain career choices over time, we lose sight of the fact that the point of working is to create a life you love living. 

Other principles for reinventing your career:

• Have a passion for your new career.  Otherwise, you might find short-term security but it's only a matter of time before the job loses it's luster and you're once again bored, tired, frustrated and at-risk for lay-off number 2,3 or 4. 
• Re-brand yourself. Who do you want to be and how do you want to show up?  What are your perceived strengths and weaknesses as seen by others around you?  What are you better at that anyone else?  Once you are clear on your personal brand you can create a resume that supports you finding the work, the job and the company that fits you perfectly. 
• Be willing to stretch. Reinventing yourself means charting new territory and expanding your horizons.  This means not only stretching yourself beyond what is comfortable but "getting comfortable with the uncomfortable."  Sometimes, the only way out is through that discomfort so get excited about what's on the other side
• Be willing to let go of your old identity.  In the North American culture, we're all used to "being" something.  Labels make us comfortable. I am wife, mom, daughter, sister, coach, author etc. If you gained "street cred" as a senior consultant at a well-known finance company, shifting to a "non-identity" may be a tough psychological transition while you're figuring out what's next but it's crucial to reinvention. 
• Listen to yourself and let go of what others think.  When I left a lucrative position in Corporate America to pursue my passion for supporting others in the career space, some of my family members (especially the older set), thought I was crazy.  It meant leaving the security of "job" for entrepreneurial insecurity but even in the lean years, I awoke with a sense of freedom and joy that I had never experienced in the Corporate world.  Only you know what's in your spirit and only you can honor that.  Not everyone will agree with your choices and you must learn to be ok with it. 
• Be willing to experiment and be flexible.  Career reinvention is a journey and you'll want to treat it as such.  you may start with one idea in mind but as you come across new information, give yourself permission to explore a new path.  The best results come when you're open to new ideas and possibilities.  You get to pick-up the pieces and parts that are most fun and exciting and leave the rest behind, creating something that is uniquely you!
• Be willing to pursue new contacts.  As you begin to discover new possibilities, don't be afraid to reach out and make contacts in that area.  You'll be surprised at how gracious most people are with sharing their experience, insights, perspectives and insider tips.
• Recognize and accept that on some level, you're starting over and that's ok.  You may no longer be the most experienced kid on the block but you get to experience the fun and excitement of learning in an environment and a space that you love.  Remember being a kid and getting exposed to a new sport or game that was fun?  You just wanted to play and the more you played and practiced, the better you got?  Welcome back to your childhood!

You were born to be great!

YES, you can!

living in tiger's world

Most people who know me would tell you that I'm not the loudest kid in the crowd -

....except when it comes to sports.

And I can guarantee you that NO ONE whooped louder when Tiger sank that 16-footer on the 18th hole at Bay Hill earlier this year!  Loud - on my feet - the whole enchilada.

Does it GET any better than that?!?!

What I absolutely love about Tiger is his unwavering focus.  He takes absolute accountability and responsibility for everything in his world. 

And yes, there's a lesson in there for the rest of us....

Tiger never worries about what the competition is doing.  Tiger only focuses on playing his best golf.  That doesn't mean Tiger doesn't make mistakes - every tee shot doesn't end up in the middle of the green.  In fact, the past few days Tiger definitely spent his fair share of time in the rough and in bunkers. 

BUT, he doesn't spend time spinning on what didn't work.  He can worry about that later. In that moment, he's focused on the next best shot to achieve the objective - get the ball in the hole with as few strokes as possible.

It reminds me that in business and in life, one's best defense against the things we cannot control is to take charge of the things we can.  Like Tiger, once we're in a bunker it doesn't serve us to spend much time focused on how we got there (there will always be time to reflect later); for the moment, the most important goal is to just get out while keeping yourself in the game.

In your work environment, things such as poor coworkers, outdated equipment, and lack of resources are often outside of a your control. It doesn't matter how much influence you have, there will always be some circumstances you don't have the ability to control or affect.

What separates superior performance from average performance however, is that superior performers take those circumstances and make the best of them. They focus on what they can control and what they can improve. They learn to minimize time spent with poor coworkers by maximizing the amount of time they spend with great coworkers, find ways to use their outdated equipment effectively, and find more creative ways to deal with their lack of resources.

You were born to be great.

YES, you can!

mr. toads wild ride

Some days it seems I wildly scramble from one task to another.  Despite my plans for the day, unexpected phone calls, emails or otherwise "quick" tasks seem to scuttle my intentions faster than you can say "Titanic".  

I'm pretty good at having these kinds of days be the exception and not the rule but in today's fast paced world, I am realizing that it is easier and easier to spend time spinning in the urgent while putting off time for what's important.  At least some portion of almost every client call or consult is spent supporting clients to understand the difference.

You see, urgent tasks "feel" good.  Urgent things tend to be the reactive, fire-fighting stuff that has us come to the end of the day saying, "Where did the day go?" Urgent tasks involve more short-term energy.  They make us feel valued and give the illusion that we're getting important work done. I often think of the old adage, "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it."  On some level, I agree...

....but only if you're getting paid to be busy and not strategic.

If your job or company requires you to be strategic, then I think you would agree that it might behoove you to actually get something strategic (ie important) done instead of just being the fire-fighting king/queen (trust me when I tell you that no matter how good your fire-fighting skills are, someone will eventually notice that you aren't contributing at the level you're getting paid for).  The problem with getting to the important stuff is that it isn't as "sexy" as the urgent (and for most of us, it's usually a lot less fun).  In fact, more often than not, important work tends to be downright tedious and boring.  Working on and evaluating my business plan is not much fun for me but I also know that if I don't "plan my work and work my plan" and spend time evaluating what's working and what isn't, the distance for my company between thriving and "life-support" will be quite short.

So how do you actually stave-off the urgent to get to what's important?  Here are just a few tips that work for me:

1.  Rule number one: Notice when your day is full of urgent activity.  This is critical because if you aren't conscious of the fact that you're getting sucked into a life of urgency, you'll actually think you're getting something done!

2.  Schedule time to check email and voicemail.  Instead of letting these tools run you, take control of them.  There's nothing that says we MUST answer the phone every time it rings or we MUST respond to email every time the chime dings.  Decide on a protocol and a schedule (for example, I commit to respond to email and voicemail within 24 hours and my guideline is to check email 3 times per day - usually around 10am, 1pm and 4pm).  I have seen some individuals go so far as to set an email auto-responder message that notifies the sender of when they will checking email.  It certainly makes one "appear" busy but isn't always the most user-friendly model of time management. 

3.  Decide on no less than 3 and no more than 5 important tasks to complete each day.  Make your list the day prior so that when you get to your office, you're ready to go.  Note: This list is not the same as your task list.  We have become task list crazy often filling it with tons of urgent tasks that just keep us busy.  Here I'm asking that you create a list of 3-5 IMPORTANT tasks - things that advance your business, your career and your goals. 

If you have other tips or tricks that help you stay focused and get to what's important, please share them.  I know other readers would benefit!

You were born to be great!

YES, you can!