Top Down

There is plenty of advice and reinforcement out there about taking control of your career and destiny.  We are all learning that you need to make things happen versus waiting to be tapped on the shoulder for that promotion.

This is translating into unsanctioned meetings among work peers, trying to get things done, solving problems, and changing the work culture.

The problem occurs when this is the only way change happens.
Organizations have superiors/bosses/leaders for a reason: to make decisions and move things forward.

When a leadership or decision-making vacuum exists, and things are moving not forward, employees grow restless and frustrated.  Those ad hoc meetings may come up with solutions, but the final OK often lies up the chain of the command.

Decisions (even wrong ones) and change need to happen on a regular basis.  An organization is either growing and improving or is is contracting and decaying.  Status quo means leaders are failing to own decisions and fearful of putting their stamp on something new.

Yes, we know its up to us to improve our lot in life or to fix something we see needs fixing.  But we also know that a leadership strategy that includes taking the safe road doesn't inspire us nor does it give us a light at the end of the tunnel.  Its tiring, and if its about "grass roots", then what do we need our superiors for?

Corporate culture shaping from the bottom up is a great story, but so is visionary leadership that has us excited to get to work every day.

How Much More?

In business, more is typically synonymous with better.
Is more always better?

It depends.  Let's not confuse more attention, more focus, and more control with more customers, more products lines, and more expansion. 

A salesperson can chose to have more customers in her portfolio, or to focus on paying more attention to a smaller group of high quality customers.

A product manger can chose to have more product lines in his offering, or chose to the be the best at a smaller offering of products, creating more value for both his customers and his vendors.

A company can chose to expand into every market they see an inkling of competition, diluting its brand and confusing its customers, or it can be comfortable with its core customers and its market share in the service of keeping a more consistent and enduring identity.

In a world where the story of your brand is more important than ever, you need to decide how much more and what kind of more you want.

Big Mouth Strikes Again

We now have the ability to tell almost every one in the world about every conscious thought and every event we experience.

This goes for both individuals and organizations using social media.

Like a lot of things in life, just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Social media is like alcohol: it often amplifies the personality of the person using it. 
It can be used to feed your narcissism (applies to both individuals and organizations) or it can be used as means to share knowledge and insights and continue being relevant.

If you're going to have a big mouth in social media, make sure your ears are just as big. 
Social media is a two-way street.  Your pontificating and witty posts aren't relevant unless you are giving feedback to others.

And you've heard me say this before:  no one is important, influential, or enlightened enough to tweet five times in one hour.

Need To Know Basis

Is your company filled with people who hoard and refuse to disseminate information- information that would make you more competitive and proactive in your industry?

These individuals often treat information as currency, using it as the last hope of  any value they may have in the company.  They also find it almost insubordinate when info gets out without their blessing.

Maybe they remember a time in which information was linear, where the pathway (and bottleneck) started and stopped with them, perhaps based on a relationship they owned or their title.

Information is no longer linear -- it is exponential and networked.
Business today is based on the power of sharing info, not constricting it.

We are no longer on a need to know basis.
We'll determine what we need to know, and we'll get the information we need.




 

The Perfect Sales Candidate

A friend of mine was recently turned down for a position selling web hosting services for a well-known mega online retailer.  This was after four interviews and presentation in front of over 100 current employees in the west coast headquarters.

Again, a sales position.  Not a management or executive position.

In my experience in sales, I've seen the pendulum swing from "we need people with the technical knowledge to sell our products" to "we need people who can just sell anything" -- and then the pendulum swings back again the other way.

Who is a perfect sales candidate for your company? 

Do they need to be someone poached from the competitor so they come with a book of business?
Do they need to be someone who could sell a ketchup popcicle to a woman in white gloves? (Tommy Boy reference by the way)
Do they need to be a "self starter" that "takes initiative" and is "highly competitive".
Do they need to be someone who can "talk the talk" of nuances of the products.

We all have a different picture of the profile of a good salesperson.  Some of us think 20 years of direct industry experience is the deciding factor.  Some of us think its the fast-talking, objection deflector car salesman type.

Think about the last time you bought a product with the assistance of a person (in any type of position) that made you feel good about the purchase.  Was it the style or approach? Was it the technical knowledge?

I argue the best sales person is able to transform themselves from technical guru to pain funnel expert when needed.  Bottom line, this takes a high level of emotional intelligence to be able to pick up on the cues from the customer of what type of sales person you need to be at that moment.

The problem is that you can't find the out in a series of interviews or a presentation.  You also shouldn't base your decision mostly on the technical aptitude of the candidate, because you can teach "technical", you can't teach emotional intelligence. 

Interviews should be a way to mitigate the risk of your decision, but there will always be an inherent risk in hiring a new salesperson. (that's also why, you should do everything you can to keep good salespeople by the way)

The best indicator of a great salesperson is the body of work and the variety of life experience.
Use this as your judge, and take the leap. 

Your best laid plans for finding and hiring the perfect candidate are going to be wrecked by countless salespeople that disappoint you in the future. Did you think your close rate on hiring great sales people was going to be 100% because you've created the perfect hiring process?

Which Do You Chose?

I've consciously tried to exclude politics and political personalities from this blog. However, every once in a while, something pops up in our current events that warrants discussion, even in the context of this forum.

The recent controversy involving Rush Limbaugh and Sandra Fluke has really left a bad taste in my mouth, but not for the reasons you may think.

I've never agreed with Rush Limbaugh before, and I'm not surprised another statement by him rubbed me the wrong way. 

My visceral reaction to his statements did surprise me.  While I completely disagree with him, I keep trying to comprehend the extreme anger and hatred that surrounds this person.

What happened to Rush Limbaugh that his energy is focused in this way?  He's wealthy, got a dream job, and is the envy of a lot of folks who wish they had 1/100th the money he has.

What confuses me most about this is that while millions of people are posting innovative, positive ideas in blogs, trying to grow a tribe of followers,  Rush plugs along, spewing his vitriolic messages, taking for granted the platform he has -- and making the wrong choice.

I'm thankful we live in a society in which you're allowed to speak your mind and criticize others.
However, even though we have the privilege, we still have a choice to make. 

Our choice can go down two paths:
a)  to make art, contribute things that lift and help others, and to show our gratitude
b)  to spew hate, to criticize others, and to tell lies in the service of personal gain

Fifty years from now,  how will people view Rush's legacy?  Better question, will they even remember it?  He's built a career based on hating and tearing down people, and there's plenty of others great at doing that.

What's your choice?

What Are You Waiting For?

You hate your job.
You hate your boss.
You're in a bad relationship.
You're upset with how you've been treated by supplier.
You know your company's new strategy is going to drive away good customers.

What are you waiting for? 
A more convenient time to discuss it?  To make your painful decision another time?
A more perfect opportunity?

You're either driving the car or being driven by someone else.
That car is your career, your relationships, your education, your choices.

Surround yourself with people that can enable your success, but don't forget --you own this.
 
Don't expect anyone else to drive for you.