Leadership

Influencers are the people that make you think, lead or inspire earth-changing things!

On the left I have been listing my online Influencers.

Who influences you?

I used to work for an international chain of stores and by far the best experience was working under Melissa Fish. Melissa was a world-class manager who broke all company records moving from $0 - $100,000 per month in revenue in less than 6 months!

How did Melissa do it?

• Trust
• Clear job positions
• Clear chain of command
• Training!
• High expectations
• Transparency!
• Honest, open dialogue with every employee (even - especially? - the front line)
• Extra helpings of care

Melissa’s trust created an atmosphere of employee ownership. Nobody wanted to disappoint Melissa. Not because she was the boss. Because she was honest, strait-forward and opened the whole operation to every employee. We all felt like we made a difference. And we all learned how the business operated.

In those days I was surprised by the level of transparency at this one branch. I had worked at other locations and none of them had the same spirit of employee entrepreneurship that this one did.

In fact, when I left that job to return to school, my Introduction to Business course was a breeze because I already knew the topics, I only had to apply labels to them! My whole business career was jump-started by Melissa.

Melissa, if you are reading this, thanks!

PS. On the topics of “big picture” I’m taking this weekend off from posting in celebration of my wedding anniversary. See you next week!

“If you take care of your employees, your employees will take care of your customers, and profits will take care of themselves.”

J. Willard Marriott

My Business Professor loved this quote. He would bring it up often as an example of leadership that sees through the clutter.

When you are trying (fighting!) to reach a goal, it is tempting to “control the situation” instead of trust your people.

Tip: If you can’t trust your people, what is it about your leadership that needs work?

(Follow-up Tip: Get started on it right now!)

Simple will sink in.

Simple will be read.

Simple will be understood.

Simple will be remembered.

Simple will be used.

Simple will be purchased.

Making things simple can be the hardest work there is to do! And the most rewarding.

Apply simple to everything from company memos to systems to the products you sell and see how powerful simple can be.

All of your vendors have a vested interest in your success. After all, the better you do, the more you’ll buy from them. And the more you will rely on them.

Most of your customers have a vested interest in your success as well. People like to support success (even if they are rooting for the underdog). People will root for you to win because if you win, they can claim part of your glory. And they will share in that glory in their own small, vicarious way. (“I was there!”)

So now that everybody is behind you, your business should take off like a rocket right? And survive the tough times - no problem! Right?

Only. Only. Only if you lead the charge. You cannot take the support of others for granted. If you do, the work will become harder. People resent being taken for granted. And they will distance themselves from you as a result (even if it hurts them).

It is your job to keep things moving. To give your people a rallying point. To give them something bigger than themselves to be part of. And with that, gain their loyalty.

To overcome customer objections, first overcome your own. Then overcome the objections of your closest allies: your employees and vendors.

Win the hearts and minds of your employees and vendors! When you do that they will win over your customers.

It is smart business to track everything. Especially the flow of money. I hate accounting. But I love the information accounting reveals.

How much does it cost, really? What is our profit margin? How much does [random customer] owe us? Only accounting can answer these questions. (And many, many more.)

I get memorized by general ledgers, P&L statements and projections analysis. I hate to do the work. I love to reap the benefits.

It is important to have a love affair with good accounting information in your business. And because of this, it is easy to fall into the Accounting Trap - that place where creativity and innovation die because the intangibles just don’t match the “bottom line”.

Words like “brand” and “experience” and “passion” look out of place on a general ledger. So they rarely find their (rightful) place there. And that is the Accounting Trap.

Accounting can be used as a limiter or an enabler. The trap is when accounting is used to show how you can’t instead of revealing what needs to happen so you can.

The best (only?) way to avoid the Accounting Trap is to remember that those numbers only show what was… Not what could be!

PS. If your accountant is constantly impeding your efforts to move your company up fire them and get one that will show you how projections can be used to help your efforts.

The battle for a business that runs well and a business that thrives is the ability to match the outside perception with the inside reality. Treat your staff as well as you do your customers (or better!) to create an atmosphere where anything is possible.

Your outside perception is what you what you want people to beleive. It is what your advertising tells them.

How close is your actual running operation (inside reality) compared to that? Customers sense resentment, fear, doubt and all the other problems that slow, stall or stop business. The more you make the inside reality match your outside perception, the more your employees will “buy in”.

But first you have to buy in. All in. All the way. 100%.

Big wigs lead the charge. If you aren’t comfortable with what marketing is preaching, make it right — now! So that you can (and will) buy in.

The only thing in the way of your people’s success is you.

Standing still is DEATH.

Change, improvements mean sustainable success.

How is your PR? Your websites? Your training? Your leadership?

Keep these things moving!

No matter how much good news comes around, we are still attacked by negative news and besieged by uncertainty.

Stocks are dropping. Layoffs are happening. Doors are closing… for good. Homes are being lost. Unemployment is up. So is the cost of gas (and food… and everything else…).

How do you hold your business together in such devastating and uncertain times?

Add Passion! Practice Passion!

Passion inspires people! Passion promotes people to act. Passion leads people! Passion brings hope! Passion brings clarity!

Passion makes the intangible (like an idea) very real.

What are you passionate about? How do you bring that to your business? How can you step up your passion to lead your people through tough times?