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Category: Leadership
What strong brands are built on
Six months ago one of my coaching clients found himself in a predicament: Ty received a phone call from his biggest customer and it wasn’t a happy one. His customer had not received their delivery and it was past due. As a result, this missed delivery date caused the company to be late with a shipment to one of their customers.
Ty checked into it right away, and found out the error was due to some communication error between two departments. They made a big mistake. Ty could have called the company and made up some excuse. Instead, he said, “We made a mistake. We are sorry. We are now making arrangements for you to receive it by air freight, and we will absorb the additional shipping charges”.
Fast forward to today. Not only is this still their biggest customer, they have purchased far more than anticipated since the error. I am quite certain this would not have happened if Ty and his company hadn’t owned up to their mistake and made it right quickly. Ty knew that the most important asset his company has is their sterling reputation, and he fought to preserve it.
What Ty did seems like common sense. It is common sense. Yet how many times have you seen a situation where there was a mix-up in a process, and a shipment has to be sent out late? Have you ever heard someone ask the question, “What should we tell them?” How about the truth? It worked for Ty
Our reputation is our brand, and it is a strong determining factor when a purchasing decision is made. Think of it like that commercial for a Nationwide Freight Carrier: “We are in the business of keeping promises”.
5 Keys to short, effective meetings
You may have heard the expression that meetings are where “minutes are kept and hours are lost.” We are all keenly aware of this maxim when we are part of a meeting that lasts far too long and accomplishes nothing.
About three years ago I was able to experience the work of an excellent meeting facilitator. I was serving on a board, and Rick was the Chairman. Each monthly meeting was scheduled for 60 minutes, and during Rick’s two-year term, there was never a meeting that was so much as a minute over. Here is the best part: None of us board members every felt rushed, and the meetings were some of the most productive I have ever attended in my career. How did he do it? Here are the steps he followed.
- He handed out a simple, printed agenda:
- He went through each item and generated a discussion that opened us up and made it comfortable for everyone to give input.
- After a time, the discussion would start to get repetitive. Rick knew right when to intercede. He would say, “If I may summarize, what I hear you saying is…” He was usually right on because he was an excellent listener.
- After summarizing the discussion, he would ask for a plan of action that involved commitment from the members. They knew they would be held accountable to report in the next meeting.
- After summarizing each discussion and recapping the specific action steps: Meeting adjourned. Right on time!
I know, it sounds easy. It isn’t. Above are the fundamentals. The rest is up to us. (Practice)
Building team trust: The foundation of a winning team
I work with companies to help build high-performing teams. The simple formula for leading a talented and competent team to its highest level is: OWNERSHIP, CLARITY, AND ACCOUNTABILITY built on a solid foundation of trust. I focus heavily on building team trust. Without it, a team will fail.
Here is an illustration: Last week, Jared Diamond wrote an article in the WSJ about the Chicago Cubs and the way they attract free agents. He gave the example of free agent pitcher Tyler Chatwood. Before his first meeting with the Cubs, he was anticipating a big sales pitch about how great the team is. They took a whole different approach. As Mr. Diamond put it, ”Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer took the conversation in a direction that surprised and disarmed Chad. They recommended the best physicians and hospitals in the area for his pregnant wife.” They did not talk about baseball. Instead, they showed a genuine interest in him and his family.
Chad signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Cubs.
“This is the secret weapon that enables the Cubs to practically hand-select talent: a compelling personal touch that goes beyond a player’s value on the field. “, said Diamond.
And how about the bottom line? The Cubs frequently are not the highest bidder when they acquire a free agent. The Cubs have figured out that even though you can’t buy happiness, showing a genuine interest in people and their family can greatly increase your batting average!
Protect your reputation by owning it
In business, our reputation is the most valuable possession we have. With social media and smarter consumers, building and reserving our reputation must be tantamount.
This week I attended an annual meeting sponsored by an organization I belong to. I was looking forward to both the meeting and the banquet facility. I had been there twice, and in both instances the food and service was excellent. This time, things were different.
The key to team problem-solving
One of our favorite family traditions for the holiday is making and decorating Christmas cookies. We like to make it a special event, and this past weekend we had our two adult sons and their wives join us in the project. Our goal was to put our creativity into the cookie decorating and afterwards take pictures and make a Christmas card. That was our objective. We weren’t sure how we were going to get to it. That is where team collaboration came in.