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Moments Matter

Life is about moments. As each day passes we grind through the rigors of survival in whirlwind of activity. But every once in a while, there’s a moment we remember that stays with us forever. That first meeting with the love of your life, the birth of your first child, first day of your first real job, I could go on, but, those moments are real life milestones. I’m thinking about the little moments that impact us we never expected.

Back in the stone ages, when I was flying jets for a living in the Air Force every day, we would have these monthly safety meetings. One time there was a video produced by a Navy flight surgeon. The Doc was walking through the psychology of why Navy pilots either continue their careers or move on. A moment was the answer. One moment during a cruise after weeks of drudgery the flyer would have an experience of wonder and excitement. That moment, that one moment, would validate the reason for staying with the grind, being away from home for extended periods, living in tight quarters and landing on a moving stamp in the middle of the ocean. One little moment.

Think about how moments sneak up on us. In our personal lives they happen all the time, at least to me. In business, moments can make or break an entire brand.

When I work with clients around customer journey mapping it’s essential to determine “moments of truth” where customers experience the brand in a moment that impacts their perception forever. Be intentional when designing moments of truth for you customers. Whether it’s a first impression on-line or the un-boxing moment. Make all their moments a delight.

Moments matter…a lot!

March 18, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , , , | Leave a comment

Brevity Wins Every Time

Need to communicate something important? Do it fast!

Since the turn of the century, this century, the average adult attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds, based on a Microsoft study, which when compared to the 9 second attention span of a goldfish, according to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Let me be clear, goldfish have a longer attention span than humans.

Ever wonder why you have to remind everyone from your last meeting what the point was? Well, now you know. So let me make this brief. If you don’t deliver a message clearly and concisely in 8 seconds or less the game is over. But remember that not everyone is listenting during the first time you deliver the message so you have to deliver it multiple times in multiple ways so maybe 30% or the listeners will walk away with what you want them to hear.

Sitting in a room full of ‘busy’ people listening to you while answering emails on their laptop and looking for texts on their phone is not productive unless you beat them into submission by using every tool in your communication kit. Being longwinded and using 5 syllable words is not a good idea.

Here are some simple tips:

  • Gain attention by opening with a provocative statement
  • Be clear about what the message is right up front
  • Concisely explain why the message is valuable to ‘them’
  • Repeat the message multiple times in multiple ways, visual aids help
  • Close by reinforcing the message
  • Check for understanding and connection by asking what was heard

Don’t waste time with long presentations that build to a climax. Hit hard, hit fast and hit again!

In the words of Franklin Delan Roosevelt “Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated.

March 12, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

En Fuego!! Sort of…

Two-thousand business cards. Going through my desk drawer today I realized just how many business cards I’ve collected over the years and saved because those people the cards represent could result in a friendship or business relationship. Some are reminders of former clients that have moved on to other jobs, started their own businesses or just retired. Of course the two-thousand are exclusive to the unknown number of electronic contacts made since the demise of the formal business card.

What this brought to mind is the change in business relationship development that’s occured. Digital marketing, intent marketing, drip campaigns, social media marketing and all the various impersonal methods of connecting have caused an interesting effect. At my own niche firm and with clients I regularly debate the merits of electronic versus in-person interactions to develop new leads for projects. What I often hear about is the huge number of cold leads that come into a prospecting pipeline. “We’ve got a great pipeline of work, look at all these leads”, bah humbug! The reality is that most real opportunities come from the extended network represented by all those business cards.

Business cards in the drawer, or wherever they’re stored, represent physical touches with humans. A name, a face, a place, a shared smile, or common connection. I submit that twenty leads generated from a physical connection outweigh one-hundred from electronic sources, don’t quote me here I don’t have the data to support my claim. However, I can reliably say that a blend of electonic volume and personal engagement is the most reliable approach to converting leads to deals.

Critical success factors in developing new business realtionships always begin with TRUST! Trust in built over time through a combination of personal relationship development with key decision makers and having a clear postion on a challenge that decision maker is dealing with TODAY! Fishing for problems to solve in today’s world is a bit lazy. With all the information available at our fingertips today hitting a sweet spot with a new relationship is pretty easy. Using electronic marketing tools can generate volume for potential interactions. People build trust, devise creative solutions and build long term synergistic relationships.

Here’s the take away. If you think the opportunity pipeline is on-fire because digitial marketing says so, beware the conversion rate. Get personal, go out and collect some business cards!!!

March 4, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The End of Accountability!

Is nobody responsible for anything anymore? Just a thought. In my consulting practice, I’ve noticed a worrying trend of people shrugging off accountability for even the simplest stuff. Forgot about the meeting? Didn’t the dozen reminders do the trick? And don’t get me started on how appointments can be changed at the drop of a hat. Seriously? Your time is more precious than mine? I’ve committed, I’ll be there. Meanwhile, others treat appointments like they’re rearranging furniture.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t finish the task because of reasons.” The dog ate my homework is so last year; now it’s all about blaming external circumstances. Really? Basically, the task was just less important than something else that popped up.

Performance reviews these days? They’re more about dodging legal bullets than actually reviewing performance. Sports teams don’t have to perform until some end-of-season showdown. I could go on, but you get the gist.

We’ve lost the vital ingredient for success in anything: the willingness to be accountable for what we commit to. When we agree to do something by a certain time, we should stick to it. But these days, commitments are more like “I’ll kind of get it done.”

I’m ranting about this because it’s everywhere. I’ll do my part and then hear a laundry list of excuses from others. It’s just a lack of respect for others, plain and simple.

Let’s make a big change in behavior. You could just join the crowd and ignore accountability.

Even better, let’s all hold each other accountable for what we commit to. Respect your own responsibilities and make commitments you can keep. If something comes up and you need to change a commitment, respect others’ time and energy by communicating and agreeing on a change. Simple!

Bring back accountability! #beaccountable

February 26, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

I’m Back…

I cant believe it’s been over 10 years since the last post here. WOW! I’m back and plan an active blog going forward. Just an update since the last post I’ve moved the mothership from Southern California to South Florida, it was time for a change. Been banging around the Microsoft Partner world supporting clients and watching Dynamics365 grow from a mid-market maybe to an enterprise competitor.

A couple of years ago I joined some former colleagues in a boutique growth services firm we call Orchid Black. A combination of supporting growth in tech startups with assisting large enterprises adopting innovation. Fun stuff overall.

Coming soon…I’m pulling together a book that I’ve been meaning to author for a while focused on what I call the nuggets of business wisdom collected through my experiences. It’s not intended to be a scholarly work but one professional business consultants view of the traps organizations, and people, fall into, some tips to avoid the traps and case studies making the nugget real.

So glad to be back, it’s been too long.

February 16, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Does anyone have a real J.O.B. anymore?

I don’t think anyone has a job anymore…at least in my network. 

Looking through my LinkedIn network today what I noticed was that approximately 70% of that network worked for themselves.  I find that amazingly interesting since 8-10 years ago everyone I new worked for either a Big 4 consulting house or a Fortune 100 company. 

I have a hypothesis!  There are no challenging roles for highly experienced self starters that excel in meritocracies in this new economy.

As a result all those rock stars out there have no choice but to form virtual teams to solve the problems that business can’t solve for themselves because the economic conditions have forced all the strongest players out of those organizations.  Forced out meaning that the environment for success has changed so dramatically that movers and shakers became bored, disinterested or fed-up.

Since the majority of my network are boomers and we are saddled with having ridiculously strong work ethics, thanks to our parents that struggled through the last depression.  BTW we are still in a depression if no one has noticed. It seems to me that organizations are looking less for talented leaders and more for mildly motivated clock watchers.

As I work with my clients these days the need for culture change is at the top of every executive’s list of priorities.  “This company needs a thorough transformation” are often the words I hear.  Humph!  Really?  What exactly does that mean?  What the executive means to say is “We need better performance and to have some fun around here.” 

Hence, my network and those out there like the members of my network have become a mercenary force of culture warriors driving performance and joy through the ranks of today’s under performing organizations.

 

 

September 10, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Building a Culture by Mail….Really?

Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has begun a controversial conversation by pulling Yahoo! staff away from their warm cozy home offices back into their corporate office spaces.  What most pundits are saying is that the whole idea of having people work around and with other people is preposterous.  For goodness sake it’s the 21st Century…who needs other people?  We have teleconferences, on-line tools that let us see each other in our jammies and of course the corner coffee shop for meetings.  My gracious, why would anyone ever need to actually meet with their colleagues in person? 

Having lived the virtual corporate life as a management consultant for over 20 years and consulted to many clients regarding improving their culture I can honestly say that the greatest single characteristic of most organizations culture today…is the lack of one.  The further we push each other into virtual relationships then the artifacts, behaviors and rituals that build culture disappear.    Ms. Mayer’s view that bringing people together with one another to renew the Yahoo!’s  culture isn’t controversial, it’s necessary.

Late in 2011 Atos CEO Thierry Breton vowed that within 18 months nearly 80,000 employees in 42 countries would have stopped using email and replace it with social media tools, the telephone and face-to-face conversations.  Amazing!  Actual conversation between humans, that’s a novel idea.

If this all sounds a little sarcastic it’s because as a people person the idea that electronic communication tools build cultural connections is ridiculous. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge believer in the value of electronic tools to drive efficiency and reduce the cost of doing business by reducing overhead expenses.  However, the cost of all these savings is at the expense of developing a true culture that all members of the corporate tribe commit to being a part of and adopt. 

All the editorials about the loss of freedom and work life balance issues that would be caused by coming to a common space to conduct business have merit. Yet, since most of the folks that write these pieces work from home they also leave a tad bit room for bias. 

Ms. Mayer I applaud your action and for any other stalwart leader that desires having a palpable culture for their organization consider these tips:

  1. Ensure everyone has a workspace they can call their own in a company space.  Size is irrelevant, just a sense of place when they need to use it or circumstances drive the need.
  2. Bring the gang into the house at least one-day every week – mandatory – no excuses.  During these Day-in-the-Office periods ensure you use the time wisely by scheduling activities that drive people to collaborate.
  3. Never put new employees into a virtual role without having a minimum of 60 days in their corporate office space.  Humans don’t connect unless they are connected.  Sending your company logo packet and their new computer to their home is not really driving connection.
  4. Ensure any and all performance reviews are performed in a company space by those involved.  Again, no excuses.  Really, is receiving feedback on performance at a Starbucks on the corner the right thing to do? 
  5. Devise rituals that represent the cultural characteristics you want to build within the people that comprise the culture.  They may seem contrived at first, but over time will become the cornerstones of cultural connection.

March 10, 2013 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Renew the Meaning of Work

Work, craftsmanship, artistry, pride, passion.  All words used to describe accomplishing tasks that make the world go around.  Imagine that NASA went to the moon with a 64K memory chip.  Crafting the software code was accomplished through pure artistry and efficiency.  In today’s world there’s more memory available in most digital watches.  Actors and athletes  constantly discuss improving their craft to achieve great performances.  Artists push the limits of their passion into each piece.  In each of these professions the true value of work is the finished product.

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Through the recent few decades work has become synonymous not with the underlying value and craftmanship of the product but by the financial value achieved by accomplishing the task.  More simply, it’s all about the money.  Today’s workforce strives for titles, monetary compensation and leisure time to pursue their passions versus putting that passion into their work.   Work represents each individual’s contribution to society and should be both engaging and productive.  If either is lacking something must change.

As leaders entering a new year it’s incumbent on us al to reinforce the value of work for all our associates.  Renewing the passion of our organization’s pursuit is an imperative.  Recharging the passion tank to build in the pride of craftsmanship for every job is our responsibility.

Personally, I’m renewing my committment to bringing out the best in my clients through artistic interpretation of their challenges and innovative methods to overcome those obstacles.

Have a fun, productive and prosperous 2013.

December 28, 2012 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a comment

‘Tis the Season

Consumers are bustling, retailers are hustling, chidren are rustling in aniticipation of the magic that is the Holiday Season.  What a wonderful time of the year for business leaders to take a moment and appreciate all those people around them that make magic happen every day.

Every member of our business teams from the mail room to the C-Suite, every customer both small and large all contribute to our success.  We have this time of year set aside to take a breath and thank them all.  I’ve recieved a few dozen virtual holiday cards from partners, clients and friends that reflect how important our relationships are to one another. In opening and reading each one I’m reminded of how fortunate we all are to have each other.

Take a moment to remind yourself of those most important relationships in your life.  Write a short note, make a call, leave a voicmail that is both personal and authentic. 

There is no better gift than that of thanks and appreciation.

December 21, 2012 Posted by | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Healthcare Sprints to Transform – Helpful Hints

Healthcare organizations are moving at light speed to transform the way they function.  Expanding government oversight, shrinking resources, technology demands, and increased complexity of services have all put incredible pressure on providers to change their business and care models. It’s quite a challenge.

Putting the core principles of managing change in a highly complex environment like healthcare is what my colleagues and I have been focused on.  If you’re in the middle of the industry the obstacles seem both large,and in some cases, invisible until you stumble on them. 

With so much change happening simultaneously in healthcare settings today it’s critically important to focus on basics of transformational process.

  • Clearly describe what the future looks like, feels like and responds like
  • Align the organziation around the true mission and values that make healthcare the noblest of services
  • Put patients first in all decisions
  • Embrace and inform every stakeholder of what the future holds and their value in the transformation process

December 5, 2012 Posted by | Uncategorized | | Leave a comment

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