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Category: Management
Energize your ideas
You may have heard the story of how “Post-it” notes came about. Many years ago, an employee for 3M was looking for ways to bookmark different areas of his bible so that he could make quick reference to his favorite parts. He developed sticky paper that would come to be known as “Post-it” notes”. And have you ever gotten a cockle burr stuck to your jeans? That gave us the idea for Velcro. Of course, all of these ideas had to be sold, and in order for that to happen, someone of influence had to listen.
Have you ever been excited about an idea that you just knew would improve your company? Was there ever a situation where you tried to sell it and got totally shut down? If so, you were probably frustrated or even demoralized. Companies should not want this to happen. To be innovative, we need idea fluency. We need to present our idea in a way that gives us the greatest possibility of receptivity. Here are some points to consider:
Establish credibility. Be an “eager beaver”. Do you work, do it fast, and do it well. In addition, be the first to volunteer for other projects. Do them fast and do them well. Results will follow, and you will be noticed and respected. When you have an idea that you would like to sell, you will have a much more receptive audience.
Let the game come to you. There are times when the best strategy is to let the momentum come from the other direction. Your idea is probably designed to improve a situation or solve a problem. In your team discussion, those subjects are likely to come up. When they do, there is your opportunity…”Say…here’s a thought…” The channel will be more open since your idea fits right into the discussion.
Be flexible. One of my favorite ideas of all time turned out well because I listening to a critic who had a constructive suggestion regarding how to improve my idea. I was glad I listened!
Ben Franklin once said, “If you don’t get what you want the first time you shop, you can always shop again”. In business, I see too many ideas die before they launch. Stay with it. (My wife can give you lessons on this!)
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)
The quickest way to business failure
OK. I know you aren’t reading this because you want your business to fail. You’re just curious. What is the quickest way to get a business to fail? Be rude! With today’s unforgiving social media reviews, one or two poor customer interactions can do serious harm.
Increase profit by reducing tolerations
If you are like most of us, when you look at your personal life, there are a few things in the “toleration” category. Here are some examples:
- Being overweight
- Not eating right
- Office clutter
- A half-finished project
This list can get pretty long. Let’s face it, there are some tolerations we just never get around to attending to.
There are also tolerations in business. Read More…
The value of a good sense of humor
Mark Twain once said, “A sense of humor is a sense of proportion”. He was so right. My coaching experience has taught me that top-performing teams have a hearty sense of humor. They laugh at life, and they laugh at themselves. They do not create humor at another person’s expense.