Posted: January 10, 2019 | Categories: Time management

Do you manage your time well?  Would you like to manage it even better?  Being honest with yourself, consider how you align with these habits:

• You have a vision for your life.
• Your goals are written down, specific, and time-related.
• You plan your day and work in order of your priorities.
• You focus on what is most important, and do not allow yourself to be distracted.
• You are almost always five minutes late.

Notice the last habit.  Does that seem out of place?  In my coaching experience, I have found that some of the most focused and hard-working people struggle with being on time. You know how it goes…you have a meeting scheduled, and you notice you have an extra 10 minutes before you need to leave.  Being a good time manager, you cram something else in.  Perfect.  Now you get in your car and take off for your meeting.  Things are going fine until you hear the clanging of the bells and flashing of the lights.  It is a long freight train!  You weren’t expecting that.  You end up five minutes late to your appointment.

A few years ago I was attending a time management seminar, and the subject of punctuality came up.  There was an audience of about 80, and the speaker asked how many had been on time to every appointment the past year.  Three people raised their hands.  The speaker asked how they did it.  They all came up with the same answer:  They leave early.  

But isn’t that wasting time?  No, it isn’t.  When we make an appointment, we set a time.  We have committed to be there at that time.  We haven’t qualified our commitment.  We have given our word.  If we are late, we have fallen short, and I can assure you, the person who has had to wait is not interested in our excuses.  We have not respected  their time.  The same is true with meetings.  If we are late, we are not respecting the time of others.  It is just that simple.  People will respect you less.  (Oh yes they will!)

Years ago, I worked for a company that had meetings with each employee once a month.  For 12 straight months, I would leave 20 minutes early for the appointment with my boss, and would ended up arriving 20 minutes early. One time, I decided to leave just on time.  Wouldn’t you know it…that was the day of the long freight train!  I was five minutes late.  I made no excuses.  I apologized.  I still had my job, but my being late wasn’t a plus.

Leave early and always be on time.  You will gain more respect, and be more professional.

Posted: December 6, 2018 | Categories: Self-Improvement, Team Building

If we are very skilled at doing something, there was a time when we weren’t. It is one thing when we stumble. I think it is even tougher when we watch someone we love struggle.

One of the most uncomfortable times of my life happened in the fall of 2008. We were in the midst of a terrible recession, and my son had recently graduated from college. He was eager to launch his career working as a financial adviser. He was hired by a reputable company, and they provided him with all the resources he needed to succeed…except clients! He had to develop those on his own. He worked out of our house, and I heard him dial and dial the phone with very disappointing results. I thought he might get frustrated and quit. He didn’t. Kept picking himself up and starting over.

It reminds me of a scene I saw years ago when I was enjoying a walk after lunch. I noticed a mother duck marching along with a trail of little ones behind her. They followed mama and would not let her out of their sight. Then mama came to a curb. She jumped the curb and turned around to look at her brood. They were in a panic, and one by one they began attempting to jump up the curb to catch up with her. Some succeeded after a couple tries, while others kept attempting to jump, but kept falling back down. It must have been painful for those little ducks to crash to the pavement. I thought mama would offer to help. She didn’t. She waited until all the little chicks made it up the curb. Then, she looked at me, quacked, and the caravan of mama and the ducks moved on.

Folks, we can at least be as smart as a duck. Let’s not be afraid to let those we love struggle when they are learning something. It is the way we get better!

Posted: October 24, 2018 | Categories: Management

Last Monday a major milestone occurred:  Sears filed for Chapter 11.  While that may not be a striking event for those in their 30’s and 40’s, for us baby-boomers, it was like losing a part of our history.

Growing up in a small down in the 50’s and 60’s, Sears was the place where dreams began.  It all started with the gigantic “Wish Book” catalogue that was delivered to our house once a year.  It was thicker than “War and Peace”, and in it was everything from clothing to sports to go-carts and motorcycles.  At one time Sears even sold houses and cars.  (That’s right…check it out)

Then came Sam Walton from his small town in Bentonville, Arkansas.  He and his Walmart stores took over America, and they pushed Sears aside to become #1.  In doing so, they also created the demise of many small, independent downtown shops.

Now Walmart is being challenged by Amazon, and the race is on.  Walmart is increasing their online shopping.  Here is what puzzles me the most:  Why isn’t Sears the Amazon.com?  They had almost all the mail order and catalogue business.  That didn’t happen for a lot or reasons.  Let’s summarize by listing the five stages of “How the Mighty Fall” as related by author Jim Collins:

1. Hubris Born of Success
2. Undisciplined pursuit of more
3. Denial of risk and peril
4. Grasping for salvation
5. Capitulation to irrelevance or death.

These are the traps.  If we want to get great and stay great like Apple and Disney, we can’t ignore these fundamentals.

Posted: October 10, 2018 | Categories: Customer service

Think of the most important thing you have in your business or organization:  If you thought “reputation”, you are correct.  We build a great reputation by what we say, what we do, how we look, and how we treat people.  If you and your company have a fine reputation and have kept it for a long time, you almost certainly give outstanding customer service.  You also care for your employees and value them.  (It would be pretty hard to give great customer service if you didn’t!)

Even though we can build a sterling reputation, it is surprising to me just how quickly we can lose it.  Everything counts.  Here are a couple of examples:

For years I have been going to battery store every time I had a battery need.  Last month, my wife and I went to this store to have a couple batteries replaced in our watches.  When they replaced my watch battery, the watch started working again.  With my wife’s, no such luck.  It still didn’t work.  He said it must be something other than the battery.  When we got home, I set my watch down on the counter and the back fell off.  That got us to thinking, and we went to a Jewelry store for a second opinion.  They replaced the battery, and the watch was fine.  What wasn’t fine was my perception of the battery store.  We lost trust in their expertise.  Next time we will go to the jeweler.

In another situation, this week we went to the deli counter of a grocery store we often shop at.  We wanted a special type of lunch meat.  They were out, but assured us they would have some in the next day.  We went the next day, and they didn’t.  They did not do what they said they would do, and they compromised their reputation.

Here is the message:  Don’t just meet the expectations of your customer, “wow” them!  If we don’t, our competition will.

Posted: September 27, 2018 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

I work with organizations and teams that have a strong desire to operate at top performance.  While there are many attitudes, skills, and behaviors that need to be in place, one attribute that is often overlooked is being approachable.  In his classic book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, Dale Carnegie said, “The expression we wear on our face is more important than the clothes we wear on our back.”  What is the expression on your face at rest?  Is there a sparkle to it, or do you tend to have a more stern look.  Here is a story for you:

Many years ago, I was facilitating some leadership training, and the class consisted mostly of small business owners.  Cliff was one of the owners.  He ran an HVAC business, and years ago he was struggling to motivate his team.  A friend made a suggestion:  “Why don’t you change the expression of your face at rest?  You will find your people are more comfortable approaching you.  Right now, it seems like they are avoiding you”.  Cliff took the suggestion to heart.  It was hard to get into the habit of always having a pleasant expression.  He stuck with it, It was two years before he firmly formed the habit.  It paid off.  He said it was the most important decision he had even made since going into business.  As more people approached him, the communication opened up.  With more communication came more teamwork and problem solving.  Think about it.  When you go in to a store, and everyone is smiling, take note of the boss.  He or she is probably smiling.  Conversely, if you walk in and see glum looks on everyone, take a look at the person in the mezzanine.  Be prepared for Mt. Rushmore!