MINIMIZATION IS REPLACING SUPER SIZING

I’ve observed a trend that has significance for all people, businesses, and organizations (profit and non-profit). It is called Minimization.

Minimization is where maximum return meets minimum effort. It’s not WOW service or over-the-top quality products. It’s how little can be done, offered, or given and still generate a profit, remain in business or, stay employed.

My bank once provided three drive-up windows (one devoted to businesses only). Today there no drive-up windows. Inside the bank are fewer tellers and bank executives. My drugstore used to have two drive-up windows. Recently, I found one of the lanes boarded. Customer service is not the banks or drugstore’s mission, minimization is. Their goal is; how little can we offer and still stay in business?

Twitter is an excellent example of the minimization movement. When typing a tweet, you use 140 characters or less. Therefore,  “you” becomes “u,” “for" is “4,” thanks is “tx” and so on. 

Many organizations reflect this minimization movement.  Less material and services. The goal of minimalism is to minimize to the point that customers will still buy but, any further minimization would cause patrons to seek a solution somewhere else.

The act of minimization requires action in one or more of these processes: simplifying, eliminating, combining, streamlining, omitting, reducing, or substituting. Your search for new applications, ways to communicate more efficiently and effectively, reduce or eliminate old policies and procedures, unclutter and minimize paperwork, eliminate duplication of work, be open fewer hours or more convenient hours.

At some stage of the minimization movement, it becomes unstainable; there is no value, no service, and no product worth the customer money. Before continuing down Minimization Boulevard, the wise, if they plan on remaining in business, determine where that tipping point is and cease minimizing. Here are some thoughts to consider.

1.    Eliminate everything from your product or service that doesn’t add to customer value. Maybe you don’t need four-color packaging. One color may be sufficient,

2.    If your product or service performs several functions, communicate to the consumer the multi-uses of your product, (WD-40 or Arm & Hammer baking soda), and so they feel they are getting more for their money.

3.    Simplify doing business with you. Ensure the customer has all your contact points i.e. phone number, cell, street address, email address, Twitter, etc. I’ve seen print ads asking people to send in for a free sample—nowhere in the ad does it say how to contact the company,

4.   Listen to your customer. Knowing what customer’s like or dislike about your product or service leads to beneficial change and opportunity to minimalize. The key is providing the customer with what they want at a price they will pay.

5.    If you have a buyer rewards program, certify that it is adding to your business. Make it simple to understand and use. A few short sentences should explain the program.  If not, you may have a company rewards program and not a customer reward program.

6.    In the minimization, there should be cost savings. Consider passing part of the savings on to your client. Remember, you do have competition.

The less a missing element deprives the client or customer of his/her satisfaction, the better the opportunity to minimize. Minimization is about psychology, not magic.

THERE IS NO VICTORY AT BARGAIN BASEMENT PRICES

Every four years we witness what can best be called a political paradox. The presidential campaign ends with a winner and a loser.  I think these terms are contradictions.  I believe the declared winner may be the undeclared loser, and the declared loser may become the undeclared winner.

You remember how George Bush was the winner in the 2004 election, and Al Gore was the loser. Well, Gore went on to win the Nobel Prize, and President Bush became saddled with the recession. Now we have another opportunity to declare a winner and a looser. Only time will tell the real winner and the real loser. I am confident that I don’t want the President’s job. Not for the money, the prestige, the power or even for the knowledge that I would not be charge extra for taking more than two bags on Air Force One.

I sleep knowing others contend to be presidential winners. I lose sleep over the choices offered. Campaigning for President of the United States of America is an energy draining, thankless and time-consuming job. Along with 305,000,000 other Americans, I have no desire to have a large percentage of the 6.7-billion people on earth dislike me, regardless of the stance I take. But, I do find one thing of interest in a presidential campaign: the candidates advertising slogans. Some slogans are winners; some slogans are losers. Some are very memorable. For example, Williams Henry Harrison’s, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.” Or, Herbert Hoover’s slogan, “A chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.”

The presidential slogan that sticks out most in my mind is the simple but effective slogan from the 1952 Presidential campaign for General Dwight Eisenhower, “I Like Ike. There is a lot to like about the thirty-fourth President of the United States. He was a five-star general in the United States Army, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during the Second World War and father of our Interstate Highway system. While the candidate’s three-word slogan was catchy and memorable; I find deeper insight into this eight-word quote from his address to the troops before the invasion of Normandy: “There is no victory at bargain basement prices.”

Winners pay the price of success by pushing themselves beyond what they currently do. It doesn’t matter whether they are in politics, military, business, sports or any other field, achievers continually push the envelope. They see limitations as only temporary restrictions. With laser focus and persistent endeavor, they work at their highest level to move beyond or around obstacles or constraints that stand between them and their goals. In the final analysis, achievement often requires the ability to get more out of yourself than you’ve got. You push yourself just beyond your limit, and you discover you have broken a self-imposing limit.

If you want to be a winner and not a loser—presidential or otherwise —you must willingly pay the price. Victory has a cost, and it doesn’t come at bargain basement prices.  The price is often high. When you do more than you think you're capable of doing, you achieve more than you thought possible. Show me a person that works beyond their limit and I’ll show you a winner.

MY NAME ISN’T ON A $50 BILL. BUT, IT’S ON MY CREDIT CARD

“Names have power.” —Rick Riordam, American author

 If there is a field of study that creates few, if any, millionaires it is, “anthroponomy” which analyzes the names of human beings.  I have not personally met an anthroponomics practitioner. But I know person’s name is significant and has the power to shape and influence their life.

I'm not sure if I am the only person that likes his or her name. But I am proud of my name. My name is straightforward and short; not a name that invokes celebrity.

Knowing your name gives a business the ability to personalize the seller/buyer relationship. Personalization occurs in several ways. Knowing your customer buying habits and addressing them by name are only two of the ways but critical ways.

Recently I made a reservation with a local car dealer to have my car serviced on a Friday morning at 9:00, I showed up at 8:55. My motto (borrowed from the Army) is:  To be early is to be on time; to be on time is to be late, and to be late is non-acceptable.”

The service representative, greeted me with, “How can I help? WOW! How can I help? Really? You have a computer that shows I will be here at 9:00 a.m. with my 2015 car for the 12,000-mile service and the updating of two recall notices.

I’m sitting in my 2015 silver Ford Escape looking at you. It's 8:55 a.m. If you had taken the time to look at your daily schedule, you would know who I am and why I am here. I know it is early, but you set the time. A great greeting would have been, “Good morning Mr. Nalls, I see you’re right on time, and we’re ready to update those two recalls and service your Escape. Have you had any problems with the vehicle?”

What makes this a great greeting?

1.    The greeting, “Good Morning” is positive and friendly.

2.    Using my name tells me you know who I am as a person and not just a customer.

3.    “I see you’re right on time” acknowledge my punctuality and tells me that you appreciate me being on time.

4.    “We’re ready,” signals you expected me and the service would be prompt and timely.

5.    “Have you had any problems,” shows interest and concern. You want me to be satisfied with my Ford Escape.

You know my VIN, but not my name. Like most people, my name is important to me, and when someone uses it, it helps bridge the gap between us. If you’re in business, and I’m buying your product or services, calling me by name sounds like a relationship.

While my photo isn’t on any of my credit cards all of them, have my name. I hand my card to a cashier, they scan it, hand it back along with the receipt. I say, “thank you,” and they wait on the next customer. They had my credit card, with my name on it, and never once said, “Thank you, Mr. Nalls, we appreciate your business.

To be fair, there are employees in the "zone" with their customers. I had my computer serviced yesterday. The company does all the work using the internet to “look” at my computer. Once they determine the problem, they fix it. Well, this morning I got up, and the new router they had connected for me wasn’t working properly. I call them. Before I explained my problem, I said, I’m sorry to have to call you back but.” The service tech interrupted me and said, “No, Mr. Nalls you don’t need to apologize, YOU ARE THE REASON I HAVE A JOB!

So, I think about these three experiences, all three employees have my name, but only one of them called me by name. People have a name for a reason: for others to recognize us.

THE FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to say where you are.” —Chauncey Depew

The first dedicated time of the morning is the most important time of the day. What we engage in first, determines how our day will end. The best thing about this outcome is that we determine it.

After brushing my teeth, I have breakfast: one sweet roll, a slice of cranberry-walnut bread covered with peanut butter and black coffee. Same breakfast, most mornings, for three years, same results I feel good. I embrace the smell, taste, and touch of the roll, the toast, and coffee. I don’t get distracted by checking emails, reading a newspaper, listening to the radio or viewing the TV. I concentrate on the roll, the bread, and the coffee. This triple delight ignites all of my taste buds. I live in the moment. The hot coffee awakens me; the sweet role stimulates me, and the peanut butter toast provides a “filling” or rounding out role.

The outside world is still outside because I have not allowed it to invade my inside moment.  Yes, intrusions will happen but not just now. I live in the moment and the present moment doesn’t include external communication noise.

You may start the day with a shower—hot or cold—to invigorate you. The sound and feel of the water “raining” on your body, and the isolation of the shower maybe your FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY.

Some people’s FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY includes a devotional time of Bible study and prayer. They meditate on the things they are thankful for and lift up other people through intercessory prayer.

For some of the most productivity people, THE FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY is some form of exercise, including jogging or walking. These events can lead to optimizing and maximizing the remainder of the day. The isolation of running or walking provide a sense of being one with nature. We are a small part of the world, but an important part. Once we exit the exercise activity, we are better prepared to engage the opportunities of the day.

You can name many other activities that make up THE FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY. Everyone has a FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY. The important thing is not that we all start our day with some activity, but that the event sets the stage for a happy and prosperous day. 

THE FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY is not a preparation step; it is a state of enjoyment and happiness. In this first exercise, you simply enjoy your activity of the moment. Your singular focus is to relax, filter out fear, and ignore worry, anxiety. You own the moment and this moment has no parameters—you aren’t searching for a Eureka or an aha moment. You aren’t searching for anything. You have found it in the simple enjoyment of the moment.

Ritual, In the Moment, Enjoy and Anticipate, Positive Activity. These are the main elements of the FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY—the principles that can help us create a successful day.

1.    It’s a ritual. You do it every morning at the same time. If we empty ourselves first, plan second, and execute. Third, we develop a habit of success and happiness.

2.    Live at the moment. Isolate your thinking to the present moment. Don’t focus on yesterday or tomorrow—just enjoy the now. You can’t change yesterday, and you can’t create tomorrow but, you can change and create your today.

3.    Enjoy and anticipate. Look forward to and enjoy the coffee, the jog, the meditation, the shower or, whatever you define as your FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY. You're in your “zone”, own it.

4.    It’s a positive activity that increases the sense of personal responsibility. In these first few minutes of the day, you set the stage for the remainder of your day. As you live in the moment—free of distractions, negativity, and anxiety— you create energy and enthusiasm for the next eight to ten hours.

Only after you have completed THE FIRST ACTIVITY OF THE DAY do you consider how you want the day to end—what will success look like? Then, from that success point, look back to the present and determine what you must do to achieve your goal.

In our lifetime, we will have good mornings and some bad mornings. The trouble with leaving the mornings to chance is we may get more bad mornings than we want, or deserve. This simple plan is designed to provide you with more good mornings and days.

The possibilities are unlimited when you start the day your way!  I know a cup of black coffee, a sweet roll, and a slice of cranberry-walnut bread topped with peanut butter provide me with more good mornings and productive days than I deserve.

WHY MANAGEMENT FAILS TO TAP THE INNOVATIVE MINDS OF THEIR EMPLOYEES

“Many organizations are so busy operating that they fail to think their way to success.”

There seems to be nothing that organizations won’t do to be successful except discovering the abundant opportunities that lie in the minds of the people on their payroll.

In a marketplace that is always rapidly changing, it is incumbent on an organization, if they are to succeed, to be increasingly innovative. New products, new services, new technologies, and new competitors enter the market every day. As an example, Forbes magazine estimates more than 250,000 new products are launched per year globally. No organization can thrive today without a constant emphasis on innovation.

Many businesses are constantly searching for new and better ways to get the job done. They look far-and-wide, search their archives, and attempt to anticipate the future, study competitors, and non-competitors. No outside source is beyond scrutiny. They are blind to the gold mines that lie within the organization. Every person—no exception—that receives a company paycheck should be considered a source of innovative ideas.

Despite the importance of creative thinking, it is one of the most challenging objectives to achieve in an organization. A fundamental change in the attitude of management is essential. It is management, especially the top man or woman; that creates the climate where creative thinking and innovative problem solving thrives.

Every manager and supervisor should be required to read, “Acres Of Diamonds,” by Russell H. Conwell. This short (71 page) book is the script of a lecture which Conwell delivered more than 6,000 times. It earned him speaking fees amounting to more than eight million dollars.—over $112,000 per page. Once read, each manager should write a one-page report to his/her supervisor detailing how they plan to implement Conwell’s story line: “Your diamonds are no in far distant mountains or yonder seas; they are in your back yard if you but dig for them.

Once there is evidence of support at the top this support must spread to include management support and participation at all levels. Creative ideas can come from anywhere in the organization; the CEO’s office, the advertising department, the merchandising department, the purchasing department, Information system department, the mail room. The smart manager treats everyone as a source of creative input and strives to create an environment that both encourages and rewards innovative thinking.

Innovative organizations seek to tap the unused creative potential of their employees and members. They establish and maintain a climate where employees are encouraged, recognized and reward for developing new ideas and taking risks. These organization also provide the necessary leadership to see that innovation becomes usable on a daily basis.

SIGNS OF A CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT

• The organization commits to creativity and innovation.

• Leadership encourages people to imagine, innovate, and experiment with ideas.

• There is good communication within and between units.

• People receive recognition and rewards for creative performance.

Though opportunities are everywhere, they are most easily found in the organization’s greatest asset: its people. While easy to find, they must be searched out.

Today, purchase “Acres of Diamonds,” read it, summarize it, and implement Mr. Conwell’s golden rule of finding golden opportunities. If you know, an opportunity is in here and not out there, where do you spend your creative time?

The Art of Being Omnipresent #54

“A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops.” —General of the Armies John J. Pershing

As I was writing this article, I realized that even though I can’t physically be with my team 24 / 7, it is possible to have a presence on every sales call they make, or in their office or cubicle as they work on their projects. This is called omnipresence. Having omnipresence means being present everywhere with your team.

The best and only way to develop omnipresence is to get to know and be known by your team. I think when people know you are sincerely interested in them; they become sincerely interested in you. It takes time and effort but the investment pays big dividends.

Start by getting out of your office and learning about each of your teammates. Take to heart the insightful statement from John Le Carré, “A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” To really know someone requires one-on-one contact. You get real information on their turf—whether that is their cubicle, their territory or route, their delivery truck or their customer’s office.

I think leaders must clearly convey the importance of these one-on-one meetings and the three guiding principles: 1. There are no rules; 2. There are no repercussions; 3. The information gained is input for helping the employee, you and the organization achieve their potential.

The first step to being omnipresent with your team is being present when you are with them. Presence is more than physical. It is also emotional. People need to know that they are important; that they really matter; that they are more than just employee #758. You want people to know you are present no matter where they are, no matter what they are doing, right? It begins with trust.

Trust has an amazing effect on performance. When a person is confident you trust them and have their best interest at heart they will perform whether or not you are with them.

So, where to begin? Here are five suggestions for obtaining trust:

1. Take on the risk of being vulnerable. People need to know who you are. Spend time working with them. Let them get to know you. Forget the old saying that familiarity breeds contempt. Choose to be present with them as you make them your top priority. Focus on the person.
2. Reach out. People need to know your care before they will care.
3. Understand who they are, their strengths and weaknesses. Help them discover the possibilities within themselves.
4. Share your wisdom. Though book learning is important, real world experience is what people value most.
5. Teach them to execute. Teach by example. Teach through stories, analogies and personal experience. Teach them to implement, to execute, and to get the results that change the market. Success depends on execution not plans. Plans determine the road to the goal. Execution is the travel along the road.

When the leader trains his or her people to be successful, challenges and tasks become expressions of co-ownership. The leader provides the training, expertise, and wisdom, the individual executes as they have been trained.

Leaders must accept that the members of their team are looking at them. Do they trust and respect you? Do they feel good about you and know you have their best interest at heart? Now is the time to leverage those emotional ties and prove to them that you have their back

People need to connect. They want to connect with a leader they trust. If you want the team to follow you then, you must walk your talk. People imitate action rather than rhetoric. As you help prepare them, they help prepare you just as a great leader is as much a student as a teacher.
Managers sometimes find excuses for not spending time with the people they lead or manage. The number one excuse is most likely, “I don’t have time.” But if you want to stay in touch, you must be in touch. Modern electronics can help bridge the separation gap: a phone call, an email, a text message or a video conference. But nothing beats personal one-on-one contact.

Communications is a two way exercise. Don’t wait for others to contact you. Take the initiative, no matter what your title. Pick up your phone today and call a couple of team member and tell them you were thinking about them and wanted to know how you can help.

The question isn’t how do you carve out more time to be with your team. The question is, are you omnipresent? Are you with each team member as they go about their assigned tasks?

Through your mentoring you provide a blueprint or guide to help your team make best decisions under all circumstances. You are sharing success DNA not creating clones.

HOG THOUGHT: Make a sincere commitment to contribute to the members of your team in a positive, encouraging way. Knowing that you believe in them enables them to believe in themselves and produce amazing results.

HOG QUOTE: “The leaders who work most effectively, it seems to me, never say "I." And that's not because they have trained themselves not to say "I." They don't think "I." They think "we"; they think "team." They understand their job to be to make the team function. They accept responsibility and don't sidestep it, but "we" gets the credit. This is what creates trust, what enables you to get the task done.” — Peter Drucker

HOG ACTION: Leaders don’t seek credit. Their reward is in knowing they made a positive difference on the members of their team. Develop trust and be a difference maker.

Leadership Is The Act Of Leading

My TV viewing time is limited. I watch NFL and college football, Deal or No Deal, Jeopardy and Dancing with The Stars. That’s it. I tune in "Deal or No Deal” knowing that, “what’s in here is not out there.” The way most of the contestants bet against the odds, I assume there is very little in their head. Jeopardy is just the opposite. The contestants have everything in their head.

I never learned to dance, but I do enjoy watching the celebrities on "Dancing With The Stars" get outside their comfort zones and attempt something new. We all need to do that. Then, there is football. I think television was invented for football, especially pro football. I enjoy the close-ups, instant replay, and slow-mo, but most of all I enjoy John Madden’s analysis and insights of the game. Madden is the football commentator for NBC Sunday Night Football. He was also the last color commentator for Monday Night Football before it moved to ESPN IN 2006.

Madden is at the top of his game. He is arguable the all time top broadcast analyst of NFL games. When asked by a Time Magazine reporter what he considers to be the traits of leadership, this former Oakland Raiders coach replied, “Just being a hard worker and a good player. Some people think that it’s about talking. If a guy doesn’t work hard and doesn’t play well, he can’t lead anything. All he is a talker."

I think that the art of leadership is governed by six “work-hard, play-well” responsibilities, all of which need to be taken into account. They are: Direction, Stewardship, Communications, Guidance, Management, and Control.

Direction. To be a leader you must first decide to be a leader. Then, every day do more of the things that move you in the direction of your goal and less of the things that move you away from your goal. Thomas A. Edison, who turned night into day with the invention of the light blub, was more than one of the world’s great inventors. He was also a man of wisdom. If more would-be leaders adopted Edison’s idea that “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves”, more teams would turn defeat into victory.

Stewardship. The dictionary defines stewardship as, the “careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” True leaders never forget that the most important thing entrusted to them is the group they are leading. As in the military, the troops eat before the officers, so the real leader puts his or her team first. They make certain that team has the ability, training, equipment, information, direction and support they need to succeed. Leadership is putting others first. Mohandas K. Gandhi illustrates that ego has no place in leadership. “Many could forego heavy meals, a full wardrobe, a fine house; it is the ego that they cannot forego.”

Communications. This is the leader’s most effective tool. Using this trait you make known or convey knowledge. True communications forms a loop. It begins with the imparting of information, leads to feedback thus accomplishing an exchange of thoughts or ideas. The ability to listen for feedback is a distinguishing mark of a great leader and not typically, a manager’s strength. It has been said that we have two ears and one mouth and we should use them in that proportion.

Guidance. Leadership revolves around human beings. Anyone can be a manager if he or she is willing to compel people to do things right. Leadership leads the team to do the right things. The mark of the leader is their ability to motivate and guide the team to do the right things because they are the right things for the team to do. People can distinguish between managers and leaders. They may do what a manager tells them to do, but they embrace the goals and strategies of their leader.

Management. Without a group to lead there is no leader. But a group that is not managed is a group without a leader. A good leader is a manager but a manager is not necessarily a good leader. A good leader knows that he or she is getting paid for team results. So, the leader motivates and focuses the team on the things that produce the desired results.

Control. To be a great leader you must control your circumstances, especially your environment and entourage as best as you can. Who wants to lead a group of naysayers in a pity party? Nalls’ law of group motion states that unless acted upon by an outside force, a negative group tends to stay negative. All things being equal a negative group is odds on to bring down the lone change agent rather than the change agent lifting up the negative group. Therefore, a leader may have to replace some members of their team in order to insure the desired outcome.

John Madden’s top selling home video game. Madden. NFL has been around since 1988. NFL obviously stands for the National Football League, or does it? NFL may just mean Never Forget Leadership. If you work hard and play well, you can lead.

HOG THOUGHT:
Forget about being a manager or even a boss, and focus on leading your team, group, club, and family to discover the great talents they have within themselves. Then, to paraphrase Michelangelo, you help them chip away all the “marble” that is not the “angel” and what remains is the angel: the successful salesperson, the professional accountant, the service-oriented waitperson, the caring pastor, the proficient technician, the learning student, the mentoring father, the guiding mother, the responsible son or daughter.

HOG QUOTE: “Leadership is not rank, privilege, titles or money, it is responsibility.” — Peter F. Drucker