Marketing Communications Blog

Management and you

It's been awhile since I last spoke about this and I believe that it is time to again bring it up.

Was recently filling out a survey for the U.S. government and they asked me about management and what I thought.  You know me, I can't not have a "thought" about something, so, I listed a few items of what I thought was important, what wasn't important, what was a must and what to look for in poor manager.

But, I digress - what I really wanted to talk about is if you are a manager in your company, meaning, you manage more then one person, then, you must take it seriously.  Reading magazine, the web, etc., so many small company owners say "I don't have time for my employee's", and they don't understand why they are not as successful as they should be. 

The same is with a manager of a large business or company - that they again say "I have so many employee's, I can't find the time to manage them", and then don't understand why they don't accomplish the goals and tasks that they were assigned.

Management of an employee doesn't mean that you have to spend 10 hours a week with an employee. 

I have come to realize that spending five minutes a day with each staff member not only makes them feel good, but it keeps them focused and on track and, of course, it keeps you informed on where and what is happening with your staff and their projects.

You can spend an hour a day or five minutes a day, it is up to you.  But, I must advise you, that it is the questions that are the most important. Asking how the kids are vs. where the project stands is the difference of 10 minutes vs. 2 minutes.

A suggestion, and you can ask any previous staff of mine about this, and they will ALL agree - tell your staff, when you first hire them or inherit them, that "I am concerned about your welfare and personal health.  I am busy, like you, and I will NOT ask you every day how your family is, how your health is, and so on.  I will come across rude and in haste, and let me assure you that that is not the case - I will ask you some quick questions so I know where we all stand and move on, so you can get back to doing your work - and so can I."

Simple and effective.  It even comes back to a previous post that I have done, where I talk about my staff working whatever hours they want, as long as they get the job done in the time required. Please see that post.

It is up to you to manage your staff and manage YOUR time.  You don't have to be a friend to everyone, and you don't have to be an a**hole. Be yourself, and if you can't believe that, speak up, tell your staff how you manage, and manage everyones expectations.

Good Luck.

Posted by blaine at 06:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How not to be a boss

A few months ago, I was called into a small company to help them get out of tremendous debt, increase sales, and maintain customer relations.

After the first month, working 16 hours days, seven days a week, and numerous meetings and calls, I came into the office one morning and received a call from one of the two partners.  

Understand something, one partner worked in the office with me, the other (who the call came from) worked 1000 miles away and gave, maybe, two hours a day of time to the company.  The partner who worked a thousand miles away was the legal president of the company, the partner I worked with in the office was the secretary - but, both were equal partners in the company - but, he was the president, so buyers and outside people/contacts spoke with him first.

So, I received a call from the president, who maybe, during the past month, gave me four hours of his time for the whole month, while the partner in the office gave me at least eight hours a day.

This is how NOT to be a boss or even someone appreciative of someone else's efforts:

The president says "Thank you Blaine, for all of your hard work, it will not go unnoticed".

What???!!! There are only five people in the company; two partners, two sales reps, and a secretary.  The two partners have seen my work, my reports, my recommendations, etc. on a daily basis - and now the president says that it hasn't gone unnoticed? This is as funny as it is sad. First, I was a consultant and not an employee - I was being paid no matter what they noticed or didn't notice. Second, was I going to get a raise or a bonus because of my work? We already agreed to the payment. Third, everyone had told me that they hated the president, that he was condescending, not to be trusted, etc., and here I got an idea of what they were talking about. And so on and so on. 

I guess the question had to be asked - what did he expect to accomplish by making this statement?  That I would work harder? That I would make their debt disappear?

Even months later, I think of this statement and have to start laughing.  No wonder the company was in the situation it was in - someone was president of this company and no idea how to talk to a consultant, let alone an employee. 

Don't become like this individual.  Realize that your employee's are smarter then you think and that platitudes are just that, wasteful breaths of air that don't help anyone, especially if your the boss. 

Posted by blaine at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How do your stop your employee's from becoming the competition?

You can't.

But, you can do some things that may help retain them and keep their loyalty to you during the interim (because there is nothing you can do if they have decided to leave).

1) Put yourself in their shoes - think like them and see if you can come up with something that would keep you there. Seriously, THINK like them - meaning, put yourself in their shoes, with three kids, with a car payment and mortage, with medical bills - or whatever; you may be surprised with what you come up with.

2) Give them a bonus - unlike large corporations where you can give employee's stock options to keep them around for 3 plus years, you don't have that option (unless you want to give them a piece of the business, and that's not gonna happen). So, give them a bonus at the end of the year, that:

a) Is a percentage of their gross pay for the year;

b) is based on job performance (of course, you must have a performance review system in place);

c) or is based on job accomplishment.

What is c? It is something that a couple of my clients now use to retain talent, keep people around, and keep them working hard (by the way, some of my clients have 40 year old in-home moms, others have 15 year old high school students).  Sit down with your employee at the beginning of the year and say "every event you do this year, if we receive no complaints, then you will receive $25; at the end of the year, I will give you a lump sum for the hard work you have done".

The $25 can be any amount - another client gives $250 for every time she accomplishes an event with no complaints or issues, of course being paid at the end of the year.

Be creative - so many times I continue to see companies train and educate their competition, with very little thought being given to the long term consequences.

Posted by blaine at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Passion

Held an offsite meeting with a client over this past weekend, primarily to media train four of their employers (CEO, CFO, VP Markting, and Director Marketing).

After the first hour of training, we started the typical role playing that you do. It quickly became apparant that much work was going to be needed with two of the trainee's, and one was NOT the CEO.

After another hour of this, we took a break.

The CEO and I spoke about this during that break. Yes, they were rough, yes, they couldn't think so quickly on their feet, and yes, that is what we were there for, for the CEO to refine and keep the edge, but, to bring the others up to speed so they could help him do media tours, etc (and free up his valuable time).

But, I stated that all of this was irrelevant - knowing what to say when, knowing how to take control of the discussion, how to segui, how to lead, etc. if they didn't have the passion.

Passion? Yes, passion.  Passion for the job, for the product, and for speaking publicly.

It is true that a lot of people can't speak, let alone speak publicly.  You can lead a horse, but...

It is also true that alot of people love their jobs, or love the product or service that their company provides (and yes, sometimes it is NOT both).

And, finally, it is true that you can teach someone to speak publicly (maybe not perfect, but, "good enough"). That you can get someone to love their job, through financial incentives, 100 vacation days a year, etc. And you can get someone to love their companies product/service (like by giving them the latest new flat panel TV every time they come out with one, minimum of three a year and they can give away the previous TV's (wow, wouldn't that be a cool job)).

But, you can't teach passion. It is more then love. It is something that comes from the soul.

You can see, when the person is speaking, or doing their job, or whatever, that they throw their heart, their soul, their conscience, into it - trying to make perfection.

Let me put it even easier - you can tell when someone has passion for their work when they beat themselves up before anyone else has a chance because of a mistake they made. 

They added the numbers wrong, they said the wrong thing in an interview, they missed the typo in the 10,000 word presentation. You would think they were suicidal about it.

That is passion. The pride, the love, the desire to do it right, not only the first time, but EVERY TIME.

So, what am I trying to say? From speaking with the media to answer the phone on your desk - do so with passion. Do it with love. Do it with the desire and knowledge that what you are doing is making you (and your company) a more professional organization - AND - a company that many outsiders will be jealous of.

So, the CEO and I decided to remove one of the people from media training - because they would never have the passion for doing it, and work with the other so that their passion would grow and they would become an outstanding professional for the company.

(By the way, when you do this - being passionate - don't be surprised if your personal life becomes more passionate and opportunities will start to come your way.)

Posted by blaine at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Who are we and how can we grow?

Saw another story on how a young author is traveling the country talking to people and telling them to pursue their strengths; and that corporate America is looking at this as "WOW, this is something new!!!.

It amazes me, and I have to write this, that this is something new to the corporate markets out there.  Truly amazing.

Maybe it was because I was trained with the Japanese mentality (my first few companies were Japanese owned) - or I had incredible mentors out there.

I don't know, but, it amazes me that you, a manager, aren't surrounding yourself with people who can "shore" up your weaknesses - or, in a positive spin, "compliment your strengths".

I know my weaknesses.  That accounting is not something I am great at - so, have an outstanding bookkeeper that knows more then me around. That I am creative, but, not the greatest in the world - so, have other creative people around me to "fine tune" my creative side.

I am discovering, and maybe this is why the other gentleman is so successful, that companies don't want to hear about your weaknesses (like, right!!! I tell everyone my weaknesses - but, I DO hire to shore them up), that they only want to hear that you can "do the job and get it done". Their job descriptions are above and beyond any individual in the world.

For example, looking through the want ads at a web site the other day, the position was for a VP of Marketing - and the description wanted someone that had 10 years in advertising (agency), 10 years in advertising (corporate), five years in sales, 10 years in web design, 10 years in traditional advertising, 10 years in web advertising, click thru knowledge and expertise, AND, in conclusion, will only accept resumes from people who are currently working (or worked) at Yahoo or Google - starting salary $120K.

I bet that they are getting 100's of qualified candidates on that one. Not.

I have always been realistic, as well as been realistic with the companies and clients that I worked with/for. If they ask me to do something that I am not the best at, I tell them that I will bring on another person, at no additional charge, that can help us with that. If they want someone that knows the ins and outs of data-mining, then, I can't help them, but, I do know people who can and can provide that info to me for our general marketing strategy.

The point is - as a consultant or working in a company - KNOW your strengths, hire people who can fill the weaknesses you have, and for g*ds sake, don't play politics with this (meaning that if you hire someone who has a strength that you don't have, they aren't out to get your job), accept it. Because, you know what? You will do a better job for the company and will get promoted that much sooner.  See my earlier posts about training someone to take over you job.

Posted by blaine at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mentoring (again)

I have to discuss this again - I am seeing it mentioned on tv drama, sit-com, news, etc. They almost treat it as if anyone can be a mentor, and anyone who wants a mentor, just needs to find someone who knows more then them, and whallah, you have a mentor.

There are a few things that, in my opinion, make a mentor:

• They say "i don't know", when they don't know
• They are available for advice almost anytime
• They go the extra mile to help you with an answer/situation
• They give more then they receive
• They find others who can help you (or suggest others)
• They want to see you succeed as much as you do

Pretty basic, but, the key components that make a mentor. Of course, the mentor has to be in the same field/profession as you if they truly can "mentor" you to your success (I had to say it, for those of you that don't quite understand what a mentor is).

Mentors can give you "sayings" and "quotes" that you will remember for the rest of your life. One mentor (who I am sure picked it up from someone else), said to me "No one, on their deathbed, ever said 'I should have worked more'". It was said to me when I was spending 20 hour days and countless of those hours fighting with the president of the company to get more funds to make the brand what she wanted. With the words that he said, I realized that I needed to give up and move on to other, less important things (but, of course, come back to it when the situation warranted).

I don't know, it's just that I don't want everyone thinking that a mentor can be found on the street corner. A mentor, to me, is like your friends - true friends can be counted on one hand and the same goes for mentors.

Posted by blaine at 01:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mentoring

Was reading an article the other day in a business magazine about how companies are either doing or are starting to do mentoring programs - where a new employee (that is considered a "rising star") is placed with an experienced manager and will "learn" for a year with that person.

I don't know why, but, I have some problems or issues with this process. The article did say that there are times when both individuals do not get along and that new mentors and employee's have to be found for each other, but, when it works, the "rising star" benefits from this.

I don't doubt that this could occur, but, I just look back at my life and the mentors that I have had AND the mentoring that I have done and how it came about.

There was never a "forced" mentoring program that I was ever involved in - I gravitated towards those that I knew could teach me about life (either business or personal), and of course, people came to me to learn about life, which I gladly gave them every moment I could spare (as did my mentors).

But, over time, we both split on our accord (I learned all I could or I taught all I could), but, it wasn't a forced end (where the corporate programs end after a year).

I guess I consider the following:

When you are a manager of a staff, it is your responsibility to be a mentor to ALL of them, if they want it. If they don't want it, fine, but, every effort should be made to inform them that you are available to teach them anything and everything that you have learned over the years. I have spoken about this in past postings, but, it comes down to just being a good manager.

And I am not talking about just teaching them to do their job better, but, to teach them, if they are willing to listen and learn, to teach them about everything and anything - if they are interested.  I would have loved to have had a mentor that could have taught me about starting a new business (I learned that on my own) - and I had a manager that had started two businesses previously; or about writing a press release - where my manager had written thousands of them, but, I had to learn from my agency.

It's the little things that count - that make all of our lives so much easier.

Posted by blaine at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cultures

Having worked for many companies that were based overseas and also sold products in many parts of the world, we consistently encounter companies that think they know the various cultures and what is "best for them".

One company we worked for wanted to "crack" the Middle East market and sell their goods their.  The problem was that they were Israeli - and since most (well, all) of the nations in the Middle East are Muslim, they was no way that they were going to be able to get their products sold there.

We came up with a simple solution - in fact, it required two solutions.  1) The company had to realize that ego played no part in business and they even though they had much pride in their success as a small Israeli company, they would have to forego that part of their brand (i.e. give up their ego). 2) They would need to "re-brand" and "repackage" their goods from another part of the world.  We re-branded the product so the perception was that it came from Australia. It cost very little money (compared with the millions of dollars they made from this market).

But, that is one extreme of cultural influence and how it affects the purchasing intent of customers.

Another example, one that Xbrand recently helped a law firm with, was internal to North America. The law firm, based on the East Coast of the U.S., dealt with many clients in the Mid-West as well as the North-West of the U.S.  People who were laid-back, relaxed, and totally honest with their questions and issues.  North Easterners (particularly those from New York and Boston) are used to being gruff, short, and pointed, but, in a way that is interpreted as rudeness.

After a one-week training course on the various aspects of the various regions of the U.S. and how to approach each region, the law firm was able to quickly lower the many complaints and issues that were brought up because of the personalities of their lawyers; thus, they were able to quickly get to the law cases that they were called in for and gain the perception that they were compassionate and understanding of the local area and not someone from the "East Coast who didn't care about what happened on the West Coast".

When you are approaching a new market, pay particular attention to the various culture and personalities of the people in that market - it cannot be ignored. 

If you are already in a market, do an internal check and see if your staff, employee's, sales people, etc. understand the market (a perfect example is if a sales person on the East Coast calls on an account or customer on the West Coast).

A rule that we live by at Xbrand - never speak about 1) Religion, 2) Politics, and 3) current affairs in the local region. Of course, many times, this is brought up by your counterpart - answer the question(s) and move onto the more relevant subject at hand (the selling of your product).

Posted by blaine at 09:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 Hiring and Team Building

Over the years, I have had the pleasure of building some great teams (and of course inheriting horrible teams when starting a new business or being hired to take over a division).

A couple of things I have learned over the years that may help you with your team(s) and keeping your employee's and/or agencies working hard for you.  These are not in any particular order, but, should help the inexperienced manager realize the value of a team and what it has to offer.

• Control - Over the years, I learned to train my team to do my job. Wow, pretty unique huh? Most managers won't do this, because they think that they will work themselves out of a job.  And they may be right - but probably 5% -10% of the time. The rest of the time, the manager gets promoted to the next higher job, because he/she is not irreplaceable. Give up "control" and let your team learn. Or, delegate, delegate, delegate.
• Most employee's want to grow and be challenged.  Don't think, for a second, that employee's want to stay in the same job the rest of their lives - like you, they have aspirations and goals; help them achieve them.  Work with your employee's to accomplish what they want.  And yes, they may want to be a musician or in HR, when they are currently in advertising or sales.  Why not spend the money to help them train to become what they want? If you funded their training in advertising (let's say), it would take two to four years (if they go to college or take night classes, etc.).  During that time, they have to work for you, and, have to work hard for you, since they want to get their degree (or training) and not lose their job in the mean-time. You have a hardworking employee who, yes, one day in the future, MAY leave you to go in another career direction, but, take for example the employee that wants to learn advertising, why not "re-hire" them in the advertising division of your company.  They understand the company and what it is doing - the advertising department doesn't need to train a new employee on a product or company philosophy, etc. And, you get to keep a happy employee (if they weren't happy and productive, they wouldn't still be working at your company, right?)
• Mentor - Be a mentor of your employee's.  If they want to learn your job, teach them. Don't keep them pigeon-holed - they will leave you after a short time.  Many times, I have mentored staff members (who wanted to be mentored) who turned out to work twice as hard, because they saw what it takes to get to be in my position. One hour a week of mentoring will pay off huge dividends for you, your staff, and your company. (By the way, this also helps in a way that is fun to discover - if the employee leaves (or you leave the company), they will stay in touch with you and share information about their company, what they are doing, and what their needs are - which, you may be able to help, by being their new agency, providing a solution to them that they need, or, by finding out about work opportunities out their in the market that you were unaware of).
• Surround yourself with people who make-up for your weaknesses.  Yes, you have to admit that you have weaknesses, but, once you come to grips with this, you will be stronger, be perceived to be a stronger leader, and will put out materials that are that much better. Back to control - if you surround yourself with employee's like yourself, you will never improve - don't, for a second, think that the college graduate may not have a better idea or way of doing things better then you.  They may, and if you don't let them share and be a part of the team, you will ultimately lose.
• Share - Be honest - Show the big picture.  How many times have you walked into a meeting and your boss says to you "do abc".  And that is it.  You don't know why? You don't understand how it fits into the companies philosophy, etc.  The teams that have made me look the best are the teams that I gave total ownership too - where I explained the total picture, how their copy for the brochure will be used by the sales team to increase sales, how the copy will "portray" the new product as xxx, and how this one paragraph will save time on the companies part because it needs to explain xxx. How if the copy is bad or doesn't convey the right message, it will cause xxx to occur, etc.  I think you get the idea.  I have encountered so many managers who work with the "need to know" as their bible in all their activities.  They don't think the employee needs to know what their activity will do or they don't want them to know.  This way, the manager gets the credit, not the employee.
• Credit - Last one, I swear. Give credit to your staff. It is amazing how much harder an employee works if given praise and credit.  In fact, it can even replace a raise or title promotion (within reason - you can't do this forever, but, for a short time it works wonders). Sharing the wealth (or credit and praise) reaps benefits beyond imagination, don't be stingy.

Posted by blaine at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Start-Ups

There is a reason that they use these words, Start and Up.  It's the start of a new business, and they better only go up.  Can you imagine if they were called "Start-Downs"?

Xbrand has been involved with over a dozen start-ups - some a new division in a company, others funded by VC's, and still others, spin-offs of a larger company.

It all comes down to two things:

Management - a leader who understands the market, knows the goal that has to be achieved, and leads through example.

Sacrifice - Employee's and management who are willing to sacrifice almost anything to make the company succeed - and no, it is not just time, but, money (i.e. rewards to the employee's), and recognition.

How many times have I seen a manager of a start-up come into the office, have a "cheer leading" meeting, and then leave to go on vacation - while the employee's work until midnight every night. You can argue, yes, that the CEO raised the money and has the "stress" of having VC's breathing over his shoulder.  But, those CEO's, that do what has been described, rarely have a successful company.  It is those CEO's that shoulder the VC burden (along with everything else) and be in the office as late as the last employee and there when the first employee arrives that will have a company where the employee's will sacrifice anything to bring success to that company.

It is amazing how many times upper management does not communicate to their employee's and expects them to "appreciate that they even have a job".  Without the employee's, there would be no company.

Posted by blaine at 09:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Customer Satisfaction

There is a big difference between Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction.

One is "being there" to answer questions, take orders, and help, if they can. The other is a the same thing, but, the customer walks away from the "service" with satisfaction, or, "above and beyond" the call of duty.

Every company has some form of Customer Service - and it can be as small as a "contact us" page on a website, or as large as thousands of people throughout the world answering phone calls.

Do they satisfy us? It depends.  Do they help? Do they provide a solution? Customer Service plays by pretty much the same rules with any product. Each company has different "beliefs" on how much they want to "help" a customers, but, most companies play by the same rules - returns (do we take or not), shipping (do we pay or not), you name it, there is an answer to almost every question or issue that a customer brings.

Why all this rambling? Recently, a family member of mine went through a very stressful situation with the loss of her child.

A mom and dad went to a mall with their 2 year old son.  In that mall there was a Nordstroms, which they went to to do their shopping.

Gathering some clothes (for the dad), they both went to the dressing room with their 2 yr old.  Dad went in and started trying on clothes and the mom and child waited in front of the room.

Dad said "hey, can you get me xxx size in these same pants", throwing over the pants to the mom.

Mom grabbed them and ran out to get the new pants.

Mom came back with the new pants, passed them over to dad, and asked "do you have 2 yr old?"

"No."

Mom dropped to the ground and took a quick scan under all the dressing room doors, but, no sign of the 2 yr old.

Jumping up, Mom ran out into the department, yelling the 2 yr olds name (and of course, dropping to the ground and quickly looking around).

Seeing a store employee, Mom ran over and said "Hi, I have lost my child. He is 2 yrs old, his name is xxx, he is wearing xxx. Can you help me?"

"Absolutely", he said, as Mom started to run down the aisles yelling and looking for her son.

Less then a minute after speaking with the store employee, Mom hears over the stores speakers "Attention shoppers, there is a lost 2 yr old child wearing xxx.  If you see him, please notify a store employee. Thank you."

It was now 10 minutes and the 2 yr old still had not been found. Mom ran out into the mall, looking down the hallways.  Running back into Nordstrom's, she noticed a man leaning against the wall at the entrance of Nordstroms.

Running down another aisle inside Nordstroms, Mom ran out into the mall from another entrance/exit of Nordstrom's.

Looking up and down the hallway, Mom ran back into Nordstroms, again noticing a woman standing in the entrance.

Running over to her, Mom asked "Hi, are you with Nordstroms?"

"Yes I am", said the lady from Nordstroms.

"You are here to catch the 2 yr old from leaving the store?" asked Mom.

"Yes we are, every exit is being covered", the Nordtrom lady responded, understanding that she was speaking to the 2 yr olds mother.

Running back into the store, the mom - now RELIEVED knowing that the child was not going to get out of the store - heard over the stores speakers  "Attention mother of the 2 yr old, your child has been found, please come to the jewelry section".

Mom and son (and dad) hooked up and learned a lesson in life.

But, more importantly, Nordstroms gained customers for life. And, as usual, Mom told 10 people, and they told 10 people, and so on.

So, was this just good customer service, or did it go to the next level of customer satisfaction?

Yes, Nordstroms takes all returns with no questions asked (which made me a customer for life), but, they went above and beyond - making sure that a current customer has the best experience possible - in ALL regards, even in area's that most customers don't even think about.

This is what makes satisfied customers. Which keeps revenue and profits around, for a long time.

Posted by blaine at 09:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Interviewing

A lot of us have interviewed someone, at sometime. Possibly a few times because they were going to work WITH you, sometimes because they were going to work FOR you, and sometimes because they were going to be YOUR boss (I always liked those interviews - knowing you don't have a final say in the hiring, just if you should update your resume or not).

In the past 10 years, as I finally matured from a beginning level manager (or very wet behind the ears) to a senior level executive, my future staff (the people I interviewed and hired) started to say things about my "interviewing skills" that were rarely ever heard in a corporate or organizational environment.

"That was the most unusual/strange/weird/etc. interview I ever had."

Why? Why did my future employee's say this (by the way, I also would do this when inheriting a staff).

I can only think of a few things as to why they would say this.

1) Because I spoke the majority of the time. I am a firm believer during the first interview that a future member of my staff understand who they are going to work for, the ethics and morals that I practice, and the management style that I use. Watching and listening to their comments on my "style" told me if we could work together or not. (A grimace can tell you a lot of things about this future hire.)

2) I explained what it took to get promoted (or a raise and/or bonus) and what it took to get fired.

3) I did not ask them about their experience - instead, I described what I expected and what tasks/projects they would do and IF they could, HOW would they accomplish them.

4) And lastly, I explained how I manage and that I am not an easy person to get along with - that I demand excellence and a work ethic that may have never been asked of them before.

A brief comment on #2 - on how and what it took for me to fire them. I picked up something many many years ago (from the U.S. Federal Government) that I incorporated (with a twist) into the management of my team.

I use the three strikes and you're out rule with my team. The first time you make a mistake, I will do everything in my power to help you not make that same mistake again - training, schooling, access to information, etc.

The second time that the SAME mistake is made, I will not be happy and my staff member knows it. The first time, okay, but, to commit the same mistake for a second time - "shame on you". The third time - they're fired. To commit the same mistake, three times, is unacceptable to me.  Did the person not learn the first time? Or the second? As a mentor said to me - if on the third mistake, then, I am not firing them, they are firing themselves.

Posted by blaine at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What kind of boat are you?

Years and years ago, at my first job, I came up with a theory (analogy) that I still use to this day - with CEO's, CMO's, and the like.

What kind of boat are you?

An oil tanker, that takes forever to stop and change direction (I usually use this when speaking with someone about the bureaucracy in the company).

Or a huge yacht, that can turn, faster then an oil tanker, but, still takes time to dock, etc. and you definitely don't want to bang it up, scratch it, etc. (especially if this is a new brand).

Or, are you a speedboat, that can change direction quickly and meet the markets ever changing environment.

Start-ups are mostly speedboats.

Small to mid-size companies are usually speedboats or yachts (and some are already oil tankers).

And most large companies are oil tankers. 

Don't get me wrong, in todays market, allot of large companies are trying to become yachts (and some even speedboats), but, there are many difficulties along the way - but, more power to them, these are the companies that are succeeding today - look at Ford vs. Toyota.

What kind of company are you? Are you always trying to make your company a speedboat?

In closing, one sure way to know if you are an oil tanker or not is count how many lawyers you have on staff (key point here - STAFF - hi-tech companies have many lawyers for patents, etc., but, usually, as an outside firm - I am speaking about lawyers that work for the company, in the company). If you have more then one lawyer per 100 employee's, then, most likely you are an oil tanker.

Posted by blaine at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Insubordination

There was an article in the Harvard Business Review about insubordination and entrepreneurship (in a company) and how it a fine line (or gray area).

As most of you know, I have had the pleasure of working for some great technology companies, all of them at the beginning of their life, all of them in "start-up" mode, and all of them incredibly successful (or quickly became).

Throughout my career, if you spoke to my previous supervisors (from directors, to CEO's), I have been insubordinate - because I believed in my cause/case so strongly, that I strongly voiced (over and over) what I believed. I would figure that 90% of the time, I was correct (and they would agree to this also).

The basis was that we had and were working in an entrepreneurial atmosphere. Because of this, we had to act and work like entrepreneurs. Meaning, we had to think of unorthodox marketing strategies - not your basic Marketing 101 strategies and plans.

Because of this, I helped all of these companies be successful - because I worked and thought like an entrepreneur, bringing new and innovative thinking to their marketing plans. I didn't invent a physical product - I don't have that great of a mind - but, the same entrepreneurs that invented the product, needed the same thinking that went into the product, and innovative marketing approach.

What am I trying to say? Just that, if you are involved with an incredible product, that you KNOW will be hugely successful, and you have a strategy to bring the product to market that you KNOW will succeed, then, stand up for what you what, don't "fold" easily. Don't give in. Even when I was an Asst. Marketing Manager, I stood up and stated what I believed.  If it fell on deaf ears, then, I said it again, until it was heard. After I knew that it was heard, and they still said "no", then, I backed off.

Stand up for what you believe in, even if it comes to that fine line of insubordination. I'm NOT saying to sabotage the product or company (come on - then you SHOULD be fired!!!), but, make sure that your voice is heard. There are so many people out there who have incredible marketing idea's, and don't speak up, or speak up once and don't do it again. Don't be shy - your product may succeed more then you can imagine if you speak up.

Posted by blaine at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Best in an Appropriate Time

I may have mentioned or spoken about this previously, but, again, it came up recently in a meeting that I had with a client.

The client was telling me how the staff that he had was not accomplishing all the tasks that he was assigning, that they were complaining about being "over worked", and that he wished he had employee's like me - who he thought would be able to accomplish all the tasks assigned. As a side note, he and two other guys worked together for many years and only recently (the last three years) did they start to grow their company (where they now have 40 employee's).

I asked him what those tasks were - which I promptly numbered and put on a dry erase board. I then asked him to write on a piece of paper how long he thought the tasks should take to be accomplished and I would do the same (even though I did not have the full understanding of what the tasks entailed, I could and would probably come within 10-20% of the true time that would need to be committed).

One last caveat that I got from him - I wanted him to choose two employee's, one that was his brightest star (meaning almost accomplished every task assigned) and one that stated that they were overworked and didn't have enough time.

Here is just one example of a task.

Pull together a spreadsheet listing all the companies competitors, their products, their pricing, and the best analysis (guess) of their profit per product. Because the company was very focused in nature, the competitors didn't number more then three companies and no more then 10 competitive products.

His answer was four hours.

Mine was 16 hours.

His "brightest star" answered 12 hours.

His "complainer" answered 20 hours.

After this was done, my client and I then discussed why there was such a difference of time between him and the rest of us. The three of us were at least 300% more to 500% more in need of time.

1) Was your answer of four hours because you have been in the business for 20 years and know the information, where, like any company, most employee's have been in the position from one to two years and don't have the same knowledge?

2) Was your answer because you expect everyone to be like you and have that same knowledge?

3) Was your answer unrealistic? (which didn't go over to well with him.)

I asked him to step back and put himself in the position of his employee's. This really didn't work (as most CEO's and Presidents think that they are the best and everyone else is out to milk them for money and not work).

So, I then took a different tact - picture yourself in the tool manufacturing business that makes hand tools. You only make hammers, screw drivers, wrenches, and pliers. How much time, based on the same assignment that you gave your employee's, would it take for you to accomplish said task?

After alot of stuttering and stumbling, he said he could probably do it within 20 hours. I asked him to rethink the answer after working for the company for a year? and then for three years? Would the time change?

Of course he said it would, because knowledge would be gained and understanding on what the "boss" (i.e. me in this case) wanted would be better understood.

I then completed the loop and said "what difference is there between what you did to your employee's and what I did to you?" He said there was none - and of course, you could see the light go off over his head.

I learned this the same way that he did, through years of management, that not everyone thinks like you do, nor do they approach the same task in the same way.

When I had employee's (or staff), there was a golden rule that I lived by and expected my employee's to live by also.

Do the best that you can in the time that you have.

I always expected my staff to work a minimum of eight hours a day, 40 hours a week. If they were willing to work more, then, I would assign tasks until I knew they were on the edge of "going under". This isn't bad, this is being a manager.

But, back to my statement above, I would assign tasks that I knew my staff could accomplish, and with their total buy-in on accomplishing that task in the time they needed.

For example - if you ever had work done on your house by a contractor, they, when bidding, would say "I can do this in three months", and living in the Northeast, you knew that it would be accomplished in six months.

Same with your staff. Ask them how long it would take for them to accomplish the task. They may say - 40 hours. You think that it can be done in eight. STATE THIS to them. Then, renegotiate again. They will probably say 32 hours this time. You may relax and think 16 hours. Agree to their number of 32 hours (NOTE: This would be done with a new employee.) Then, see how they spend their time and how long it took and, of course, how well it was done. You may be surprised - you may get something that you didn't expect - i.e. a finished assignment that not only does the three things you asked for, but, another 20 items that you didn't think about (wow, you just discovered an employee who can be a help to you and the company and not a hindrance). And, of course, you can also, in the future, set the boundaries for what you need, so that the time being negotiated is more in tune with what you expect, not what they expect.

Remember something, they also may not go about the task the same way you do.

I always have said to my employee's - "Do the best you can in the time you have - AND - I want "Z", (with "Z" being the definition of the finished task). How you get from A - Z is up to you. But, I want "Z" on the date or hour that you committed to."

This gives them the freedom to do the task, at their pace, and, ON THEIR TIME. You will be surprised how many of your staffers will work at home, think about it on the train, work through lunches, etc. Because you empowered them to finish the task their way, not instilled a framework and set "rules" on how they must accomplish it.

One last point. And this relates back to my statement - if you assign a task, are you the type of "boss" that, if it can't be accomplished (or isn't), that you would prefer nothing compared to something that is 80% finished?

Do the BEST that you can, in the time that you have.

I would appreciate the 80% and also learn about the capabilities of my staffer.

Posted by blaine at 09:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)