Posted by Asa Beavers on Wed, Jun 03, 2009 @ 06:04 PM
Nerds, Jocks, Preps, Brainiacs… in high school we learned about labeling people different than us. Labeling is a basic human instinct to group people in terms of their behaviors and name them as a whole. And since we all have an innate desire to belong, we identify with those who are similar to us and perhaps reject those who are different. In politics we use the labels conservative and liberal. In socio-economics we use the labels wealthy, middle class, and low income. In business we have the Fortune 500s, and mom and pop businesses.
I got to thinking about how we label ourselves after a speaking engagement last week where I spoke to an audience of professionals all in the same industry. Often times when I start a talk I ask a question that solicits audience participation. Not looking to put anyone on the spot or make the audience too uncomfortable, the ususal response to one of my opening questions is a simple raising of hands. I got a most unusual reaction when I asked what I thought was a pretty basic question. The audience had just sat through a half-hour presentation that was fairly technical to their profession. I was the keynote speaker and the subject of my talk was about the business side of their profession. So to get the group of professionsals in the business mind-set I asked this question, “who are business leaders in the audience?”
Now I’ve given dozens of these talks over the years, and never, ever, have I had a response like this. Imagine my surprise when not one member of the audience raised their hand - no one, zero, zilch, nada. I was completely dumbfounded that a group of 40 professionals, many who own their practice, did not consider themselves business leaders. I know they view themselves primarily by the work they do, but they own a business, they interact with customers, they generate revenue and have expenses, they have a team of employees who view them as the leader. In my eyes and in the eyes of their team, their customers, and their vendors, they are, or should be, business leaders.
Now think about how you label yourself. Are you a banker, architect, engineer, doctor, manager, sales person, therapist, consultant? Interestingly enough, these labels are based more on our occupations than on our behaviors. Regardless of your specific capabilities, when you use a label to describe yourself, people assign a stereotype to you, based on their experiences, limited information, opinions and assumptions. When you use one of these labels people come up with an image that may or may not be favorable to you. Most the time the label you go by won’t help people understand the real value of the services you provide.
My point in all this is simple: regardless of the type of business you are in, if you have an ownership, management, sales or service role in a business, you are a business leader. It’s a label with a positive image, one that implies a person is knowledgable and in control of their business. But as we all know, actions speak louder than words, or labels. Business leaders recognize this and act accordingly because they know it’s not an occupation but a behavior that sets them apart. Now think about your label. Do you have a business leader mind-set that sets you apart?
Posted by Asa Beavers on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 @ 08:02 AM
Just exactly when does a situation become desperate? Desperate, to me, is one of those words that seems, well, so desperate. Or as defined in one Wiktionary entry as hopeless. Now, since I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy, I tend to look at what might be a desperate situation as one that is a great challenge. It’s an opportunity to stand up and fight and give it your best shot because that’s what winners do.
Which brings me to the other definitions of desperate found in Wiktionary, 1) reckless abandon in the pursuit of extreme desire, and 2) extremely intense.So what got me started on this rant today? The sports page of the local paper. I’m a hockey fan and to me there’s not too many sports that carry the drama of a Stanley Cup playoff series Game 7. The sports writer raised the question of who is the more desperate team, and answered his own question with, the team who faced elimination and won. That was the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 6. And now in the game tonight deciding which team moves on to the next series, both teams are desparate, and I doubt that either consider it hopeless.
So let’s talk business for a minute. Are we in desperate economic times? If you pay any attention to the media it’s easy to come to the conclusion that the economy is in big trouble. For businesses large and small that are falling or on the brink of failing it could be construed as hopeless. But wait a minute folks, sure business is down, but the real reality is business is now different. The economy is adjusting from the biggest economic boom of all time, and it’s affecting all businesses and yours is no exception.
How are you responding to this new, different economy? My guess is it depends on your level of desperation, or intensity. As a business leader you’re having to make difficult decisions you believe are in the best long-term interest of your business. Cutting expenses and labor is one of those decisions every business leader has had to face, but that can only go so far before it begins to affect the level of service you provide to your customers. And this is no time to be testing your customers’ loyalty with shoddy service.
So have you raised the intensity level with your team yet? They see and hear what’s going in the economy, and if they are to believe the news they may see it as desperate too. Not the message you want your team conveying to your customers.
It’s not business as usual any more, it’s different. You may need to be different, and your business may need to be different. It’s up to you, the business leaders, to raise the bar and bring the team up to the “playoff” intensity. You do that by clearly communicating your expectations, reminding them of the importance of being at the top of their game, and of going the extra mile each and every time.
In these desperate economic times which is it in your business, hopeless or intense?
Posted by Asa Beavers on Fri, Apr 17, 2009 @ 05:15 AM
Like many of you, I am in awe of the level of leadership exhibited by Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger, who piloted the US Air flight to a successful crash landing into the Hudson River, and now Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama cargo ship, whose crew fought off the Somali hijackers and allowed himself to be taken hostage to reduce the risk to his crew and ship. The stories are so remarkable they give me shivers to think about how I might react in the face of such a life or death scenario. Would I be up to that level of leadership?
I love how Jim Collins in his book, Good To Great, defines Level 5 Leadership. Level 5 Leaders exhibit a combination of extreme personal humility with intense professional will. They look out the window to attribute success to factors other than themselves, and when things go poorly, they look into the mirror and blame themselves, taking full responsibility. That’s exactly how these two brave captains handled their duties.
Now, quite honestly, plane crashes and Somali priates aren’t necessarily how I would want my leadership to be tested and I’m sure it wasn’t theirs either. But each of us get thrust into situations in our businesses and lives that test our leadership, and how we handle it comes through in our actions and decisions.
Preparation for these tests come from our collective experiences, the training we take, the books we read, and the people we associate with. Here at Redline Business Solutions we provide tools that help you in your preparation for tests that we hope won’t be as exteme as the two captains’ experiences, but still equally important to each of us in our own context.
Please take a moment to consider the tools we have for you this week. The Business MasterMind is an opportunity to interact with other business leaders discussing important and relevant business issues. And in the Vibrant Business workshop you’ll learn more strategies than you can implement in the next 6 months, but it only takes one done right to get massive results. Both are definitely worth the investment of your time.
Posted by Asa Beavers on Wed, Apr 01, 2009 @ 11:00 AM
It was just 4 or 5 months ago my two college-aged kids, who are both Facebook savvy and have been for a long time, got a “friend request” from their 65 year old uncle. Both were just a little freaked out about having an old person in their group of friends and they chose to ignore the request. My wife and I, being non-facebook users, thought it was a bit strange that her brother was “friending” our kids. We thought Facebook was for the younger crowd who would rather communicate in short text sound bites than have real conversations. And of course there’s the sensationalized media stories of indiscrete adults using social networking as a way to “meet” young people. I was convinced it wasn’t for me.
Now fast-forward to just two months ago when some of my peers are asking me if I’m on Facebook. Imagine my body language and tone in my voice when I respond with “are you kidding me, you’re on Facebook?” And it wasn’t too long after that I began the process of trying to figure out what possible value being on Facebook could have for me and my business. What I was failing to understand was why anybody would want to know what’s on my mind. In all practicality it was useless so why would I want to invest any time into it.
Finally, just two weeks ago I was meeting with a client who is an admitted computer-phobe. While she struggles with email, spreadsheets and documents, she’s got Facebook all figured out. It was during this meeting when she turned the tables on me. Usually I’m the one saying to her that she’s “over-thinking” a project or issue, and that taking action is more important than analyzing every step and doing nothing. Then somehow Facebook entered into our conversation and it was obvious we were truly in her realm, she the expert and I the incompetent. As I raised my objections and put up my guard, she quickly diffused me by saying, you guessed it, “stop over-thinking and trying to analyze why, and just give it a try”. Good advice. She had me.
So I’m now on Facebook - or, at least I have an account set up. Without even trying I actually have several friend who have found me. I’m not sure yet just how much time I will invest in this new endeavor. It’s easy to see why some people can spend hours on it.
Most importantly, I have created a separate page for my business. This is the real reason I now find Facebook so intriguing. It’s tough to ignore a medium where I can communicate easily and casually with friends of my business - for free! I’m a convert and in all probability you will be too. Social media is here to stay, and it’s not a kid’s game at all - no kidding!
Come on, give it a try. Follow the link to friend me, or fan me on Facebook.
Posted by Asa Beavers on Tue, Apr 29, 2008 @ 10:28 AM
Regrets are a terrible thing to have to live with. And you never know when one is just sitting there ready to reach out and give you that stabbing pain.
Several weeks ago I received a late night email from a client that I was scheduled to meet in the morning. This came from a husband and wife team, who own a business employing six others, and who I have been working with for over two years. Over the course of two years you really get to know not just the business, but also the details of the lives that run the business. The email was sent to inform me that our meeting was still on, but their spirits were in the dumps because the family dog, Georgia, tragically passed away the night before.
I met with the husband at our regularly scheduled time. The wife could not make it as she was caring for their two young children that morning. He was still visibly shaken from an ordeal that occurred just 36 hours earlier. He admitted he was looking forward to talking with me to share, and get off his chest, what turned out to be a terrible customer experience at the emergency animal hospital. Without sharing all the gory details here, suffice it to say that one would hope that when one takes an animal with an acute medical problem into an emergency facility that the staff would act quickly with a sense of urgency. That was not the case during this late night visit and it possibly played a role in the dog’s ability to recover.
Georgia passed away in the early morning hours after very invasive surgery to try to fix the problem from which she suffered. A huge amount of emotion was released by my business owner couple because of the sudden tragic loss of their beloved pet. But I was a bit surprised and moved to hear that part of that emotion was a feeling of regret.
As business owners we realize there are certain sacrifices we make in our lives that are necessary to build a strong, profitable business. Georgia came into the family as a puppy shortly after the couple married and she was the center of their attention at home. Then came the new business, and then came the first child, then the second child, and then growth of the business assumed more time. Georgia was nine years old when she passed away and the husband was regretful that he hadn’t spent more time with his beloved dog in recent years.
Being a business owner is meant to give you more life, but often business owners get all consumed with making their business their life. Regrets can be a painful feeling to live with, but there is an antedote to regret – it’s called discipline. Each of us have a certain amount of control in all we choose to do. Attempt to be more disciplined in your personal work habits and always make your family your priority regardless of what’s happening in your business. No regrets!
Posted by Asa Beavers on Tue, Apr 01, 2008 @ 12:28 PM
As humans we tend to always be in a hurry. And for business owners nothing can ever happen fast enough. We take action on something and then almost expect an immediate result. But that’s not quite the way the world works. We have to exercise patience if we are truly going to get the lasting result we seek.
Speaking of exercise, I was out for a run last Saturday and in my state of “runner’s high” my mind wandered onto business. Saturday’s are the day of the week where I like to go out for a long, slow run. Some runners have called this their “LSD” training day, meaning long slow distance. This type of training is necessary if one is compelled to stretch their endurance and test their limits running marathons and longer triathlons. And I got to thinking about how I’ve told business owners to treat their businesses as a marathon, not a sprint.
As I put one foot in front of the other at a slow, steady pace I found my mind was clear and thoughts came easy. (I sure wish I could write as I run because the thoughts were really flowing.) My pulse was steady and my breathing relaxed. In other words, I wasn’t pushing myself so hard that I was out of breath and my body tense from exertion. And then the analogy hit me clearly… when we run our businesses like a sprint we impose mental and physical stress on our bodies as well as those who work for us. And the result? We may win a race but did we make the business better for the long run?
If you’re feeling worn down running your business, are you treating everyday like it’s a sprint? Chances are you’re in a constant state of busy-ness working “in” your business, and not commiting sufficient time reflecting on how the business is operating and how to make improvements. Working “on” your business is about building endurance. Like an endurance runner, it’s your LSD time. It’s a time where you can clear your mind, bring the stress level down, and concentrate on making things better. And things won’t get better overnight. It’s your own discipline, consistency and patience that will build a business that endures. Happy training!
Posted by Asa Beavers on Mon, Mar 17, 2008 @ 03:18 PM
Decision, decisions, decisions… We make them everyday, big and small, but how can we be confident that we’re making the right ones? I watch business owners everyday challenged by this very question – and the bigger the decision, the greater the potential risk, the harder it becomes to make a firm and timely decision.
I recently went through having to make such a decision. After investing five years building a business under a franchise model I made the decision to launch my own independent consulting firm. Everybody has their own way in reaching important decisions. For me, I have always been someone who is a bit implusive – I sometimes let my emotions get the better of me when making decisions. Not a good trait when making a major purchase, or when making a major business decision. But this was one of those decisions where I had to get it right.
The answer came quite simply when I dug deep into what I desired most: independence. When I chose not to allow the opinions of others influence my decision, or the potential or perceived financial risks, and I focused solely on acquiring facts and information, I as able to reach a definite decision. One in which I can demand the best of myself and which firmly states to the world that I know what I want and I’m willing to go out and get it.
The most successful people in the world have the habit of reaching decisions promptly and of changing these decisions slowly. They rely only on themselves to reach decisions and they follow through on their decisions. And without a doubt, courage is always required to reach a definite decision.
Did I make the right decision? For me absolutely, because even the risk and uncertainty was not enough to keep me from reaching for what I want.