No matter how we feel about it, the one thing we can always count on is that things are going to change. What we may not realize is that how we handle change affects the quality of our lives. Whether it is a new CEO, market opportunity, corporate vision, product line or job responsibility, any change in our work life can generate strong emotions. We may feel joy, hope and enthusiasm. But more often change frightens us. However, if we learn how to manage change effectively, we become less afraid of the unknown and more excited about the opportunities it may brings.
To successfully manage change, follow below-mentioned tips.
1. Do not react but instead do respond.
What is the difference between reacting and responding? When you react, you feel and act without thinking. When you respond, you think first, suspend your automatic judgment and then you choose your emotions as well as your actions. People have a tendency to react to change by thinking the worst and imagining undesirable outcomes. “Life as I know is now over!”
2. Engage your personal power.
Engaging your personal power is about reaching inside yourself to find the willingness to change, to persevere and to help others. It is about maintaining a positive approach in your thoughts, words and emotions so that you stay energized and ready for new challenges. Your personal power will be greatly enhanced if you maintain your sense of humor and keep your business and personal life in balance.
3. Acquire facts and information.
Be proactive about your situation. Learn all you can about the change and why it is taking place. Do not be afraid to ask questions to help you determine where you are in relation to where the organization is going. Do your research. Find out which products and services are current. Learn more about your industry and the current trends in your marketplace. Having accurate information gives you a stronger feeling of control over what you can do and who can help you move toward your potential future.
4. Leverage your skills and abilities.
When you are confident about your abilities and the talent you bring to the workplace, change will be less threatening. Constantly inventory the skills you have and pay attention to changing requirements in your field. When you find a gap, close it. If your skills are current and in demand you are employable.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
4 Guiding Attributes of a Great Leader
Challenges are a normal part of business; that is a fact. And every company, whether it’s a start-up, a business in a high-growth phase or even a longstanding established organization will face both small and large hurdles every year. But no matter what your company faces, a great leadership is what will make a difference. To be a great leader, always adhere to these 4 attributes. They are
1. Leaders provide and communicate vision and ideas.
Leaders have ideas and beliefs, define reality, take the long view and work for the good of the whole. They dedicate themselves to noble purposes, service and stewardship rather than personal ambition. They are dedicated to mission and goals, acting proactively rather than reactively. Leaders also need to communicate their vision and the common good to others.
2. Leaders cooperate with others.
Leadership emphasizes mutuality with followers. Flexibility, persuasion, compromise, and following as well as leading are part of a leader's repertoire. Leaders motivate others without being didactic or autocratic. They serve others and encourage openness, diversity of opinion, inclusion, courtesy, and harmony.
3. Leaders have diverse skills and are flexible.
Leaders develop skills such as thinking and caring, action and reflection, and interpersonal and technical skills. Leaders are both curious and courageous, reflective and active, using different methods for different situations.
4. Leaders build the organization.
Leaders focus on problems, not personalities and demonstrate positive energy through cheerfulness, optimism, and enthusiasm. They work toward the common good of the group while promoting civility and personal and professional growth.
Leading is always a challenging and stressful task for managers. Always remember that a leader may be a manager but a manager need not necessary a leader. To find out what it takes to be a great leader, come and join us for a mind-opening session.
1. Leaders provide and communicate vision and ideas.
Leaders have ideas and beliefs, define reality, take the long view and work for the good of the whole. They dedicate themselves to noble purposes, service and stewardship rather than personal ambition. They are dedicated to mission and goals, acting proactively rather than reactively. Leaders also need to communicate their vision and the common good to others.
2. Leaders cooperate with others.
Leadership emphasizes mutuality with followers. Flexibility, persuasion, compromise, and following as well as leading are part of a leader's repertoire. Leaders motivate others without being didactic or autocratic. They serve others and encourage openness, diversity of opinion, inclusion, courtesy, and harmony.
3. Leaders have diverse skills and are flexible.
Leaders develop skills such as thinking and caring, action and reflection, and interpersonal and technical skills. Leaders are both curious and courageous, reflective and active, using different methods for different situations.
4. Leaders build the organization.
Leaders focus on problems, not personalities and demonstrate positive energy through cheerfulness, optimism, and enthusiasm. They work toward the common good of the group while promoting civility and personal and professional growth.
Leading is always a challenging and stressful task for managers. Always remember that a leader may be a manager but a manager need not necessary a leader. To find out what it takes to be a great leader, come and join us for a mind-opening session.
Monday, April 21, 2008
3 Simple Sales Strategies to Grab Senior Management Attention
How many sales have you lost because your competitors had connections with senior management and you did not? How often did you find out that the purchasers you had been talking to did not have the power to make the final decision to buy? The hard truth is that many times it is difficult to get senior management attention and connect your products and solutions to their priorities and business agendas.
Initiating and developing relationships with executives requires more than getting in and presenting your sales proposal. Below are 5 simple strategies that you should follow to engage senior management and increase the value you bring to them.
1. Create “Positive and Winning” Mindset.
Many salespeople have a wrong believe that senior managers would not see them because they are not on the same level with them. Indeed, salespeople need to portray that they are able to help them to accomplish their goals. Therefore, you have to project the image of you managing a key value creation project and the company that you approach should listen to what you have to offer.
2. Create Relevancy for the Senior Management.
To connect the product that you are selling with the company that you approach, you have to create relevancy by looking at the company business plan on which you can deliver an impact. Salespeople must recognize the senior management’s priorities and zoom into it. The common priorities are such as cost-conscious, quality-conscious, competitive-conscious and so forth.
3. Create the Incentive to Change.
Always develop “value assumption” in senior management mind through increment of perceived value of your products. By doing that, senior management are more than willing to listen to your proposal as it will provide incentive and positive impact towards their business.
Initiating and developing relationships with executives requires more than getting in and presenting your sales proposal. Below are 5 simple strategies that you should follow to engage senior management and increase the value you bring to them.
1. Create “Positive and Winning” Mindset.
Many salespeople have a wrong believe that senior managers would not see them because they are not on the same level with them. Indeed, salespeople need to portray that they are able to help them to accomplish their goals. Therefore, you have to project the image of you managing a key value creation project and the company that you approach should listen to what you have to offer.
2. Create Relevancy for the Senior Management.
To connect the product that you are selling with the company that you approach, you have to create relevancy by looking at the company business plan on which you can deliver an impact. Salespeople must recognize the senior management’s priorities and zoom into it. The common priorities are such as cost-conscious, quality-conscious, competitive-conscious and so forth.
3. Create the Incentive to Change.
Always develop “value assumption” in senior management mind through increment of perceived value of your products. By doing that, senior management are more than willing to listen to your proposal as it will provide incentive and positive impact towards their business.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Retaining employees
We are very sure by now we have all heard the horror stories about this young and enthusiastic employees entering the workforce. You know; the ones who believe they are entitled to a huge salary and corner office just for showing up. The truth is this new generation does have different expectations. They are not interested in slowly climbing the corporate ladder and they are not interested in sacrificing their lives for a paycheck. It is all about personal growth, passion and a fun working environment.
To keep your young and enthusiastic employees interested and motivated, here are three simple ways to do it.
1. Show Them the BIG Picture.
If you are going to confine them to a cubicle and monotonous work, at least let them know how their contributions fit in the framework of your organization. By doing that, they will be ambitious and curious to learn everything they can about your organization, where they will be dying to see, firsthand, how a successful organization functions.
2. Socialize Your Working Environment.
A social life is right at the top of every young person’s priority list, so keep them happy by making your working environment as social as possible. This creates a collaborative working environment and encourages employees to befriend their co-workers. The logic is simple; if majority of my friends are also my co-workers, there’s no need to go running for the doors at 5 p.m.
3. Adopt 2-Way Feedback System.
In actual, they want feedback and lots of it. To be specific, it is not just praise that they are looking for. They would be very pleased if you can provide them constructive criticism and offer practical advice on regular basis.
Retaining this group of employees is really all about the little things.
To keep your young and enthusiastic employees interested and motivated, here are three simple ways to do it.
1. Show Them the BIG Picture.
If you are going to confine them to a cubicle and monotonous work, at least let them know how their contributions fit in the framework of your organization. By doing that, they will be ambitious and curious to learn everything they can about your organization, where they will be dying to see, firsthand, how a successful organization functions.
2. Socialize Your Working Environment.
A social life is right at the top of every young person’s priority list, so keep them happy by making your working environment as social as possible. This creates a collaborative working environment and encourages employees to befriend their co-workers. The logic is simple; if majority of my friends are also my co-workers, there’s no need to go running for the doors at 5 p.m.
3. Adopt 2-Way Feedback System.
In actual, they want feedback and lots of it. To be specific, it is not just praise that they are looking for. They would be very pleased if you can provide them constructive criticism and offer practical advice on regular basis.
Retaining this group of employees is really all about the little things.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
3 guiding principles - leadership
Challenges are a normal part of business; that is a fact. And every company, whether it’s a start-up, a business in a high-growth phase or even a longstanding established organization will face both small and large hurdles every year. But no matter what your company faces, a great leadership is what will make a difference. To be a great leader, always adhere to these 3 principles. They are
1. Recognize and allow for the natural reaction of the employees.
Regardless of the challenge, you need to allow your staff to share their feelings. During this process, you will realize that everyone has different feelings and has a unique process for dealing with the situation at hand. As a leader, you need to listen to all these different feelings and acknowledge each person.
2. Have open line of communication.
Communication is the key to making a difficult process more effective. During a challenge, you will have a lot of important information you need to relay to employees. Look at the culture of your company and determine what is the best medium used to communicate such news.
3. Allow yourself to receive support from your employees.
The hardest thing for most leaders to do is to receive support from their employees. So rather than to think that you need to do everything yourself, delegate tasks and share your feelings with employees. You will be surprise with the “magic” created.
Leading is always a challenging and stressful task for managers. Always remember that a leader may be a manager but a manager need not necessary a leader.
1. Recognize and allow for the natural reaction of the employees.
Regardless of the challenge, you need to allow your staff to share their feelings. During this process, you will realize that everyone has different feelings and has a unique process for dealing with the situation at hand. As a leader, you need to listen to all these different feelings and acknowledge each person.
2. Have open line of communication.
Communication is the key to making a difficult process more effective. During a challenge, you will have a lot of important information you need to relay to employees. Look at the culture of your company and determine what is the best medium used to communicate such news.
3. Allow yourself to receive support from your employees.
The hardest thing for most leaders to do is to receive support from their employees. So rather than to think that you need to do everything yourself, delegate tasks and share your feelings with employees. You will be surprise with the “magic” created.
Leading is always a challenging and stressful task for managers. Always remember that a leader may be a manager but a manager need not necessary a leader.
Monday, April 14, 2008
SUCCESSION PLANNING
Succession planning is a way to manage. It's not just preparing for the future because it means more involvement, hence more shared ownership and motivation.
The purpose of succession planning is to prepare lower level executives to replace those above them. It ensures that the organization does not have a vacuum in senior positions when someone departs unexpectedly, voluntarily or otherwise.
If no one is prepared to fill the vacant spot, it can take too long and be too costly to groom someone, thereby leaving a critical gap for an intolerable period. Or, a lower level manager could be promoted prematurely thus making expensive mistakes. Hiring from outside is a quick fix but there is always the risk that outsiders will take too long to adjust to the new culture and new colleagues. Feeling anxious to prove themselves, they can make hasty, poor decisions with disastrous results for the business.
Benefits of Succession Planning
Other than ensuring continuity in key roles, succession planning motivates and develops aspiring senior executives. They are developed by being given aspects of their boss's job to learn how to do it before being promoted. It is also motivational to know that they are considered to have senior executive potential and to be given more interesting, challenging work. The boss gains by fostering greater shared ownership because the most talented leaders of the future are more fully involved in critical aspects of their boss's work. Normally, executives reserve the most interesting aspects of their work for themselves and delegate mundane tasks. Ironically, fostering more shared ownership can make executives even more successful than when they do too much themselves.
Resistance to Succession Planning
Many executives avoid preparing successors because they are afraid of becoming dispensable. They feel secure if no one can replace them. There are also primitive territorial instincts involved. Senior directors have worked hard to achieve their status and they feel a lot of ownership for their territory. Preparing someone to take over means facing the fact that, someday, they will have to lose one of their most beloved possessions, the job they have driven themselves so hard to win for so many years.
When people achieve high office they can feel invincible, that no one could do the job better than they can do it, so making it unthinkable that anyone could replace them. Many senior executives also feel that they have reached the summit of their capability and aspirations. If there is nowhere else in the organization for them to go, why prepare someone to take their place? Finally, developing a successor means letting someone else learn those parts of the job that provide the most job satisfaction. Many executives identify so closely with their jobs that letting someone else do parts of it feels like being put out to pasture before they are ready. People gain job satisfaction from making a valued contribution and that means doing the most important parts of their role.
It is very common for executives to feel that they are working through people because they delegate fairly well, but they are really glorified "doers" because they reserve too much of the content of their work for themselves. Working through others more fully entails working oneself out of a job. It means being a catalyst, facilitator, coach and developer of others. Executives who fail to fully involve people in their work are actually not adding as much value to the organization as they could do. Every executive should have dual responsibilities: to make sure today's work gets done but also to contribute to building the organization of the future. Unfortunately, most organizations are caught up in short-tem thinking so that it is only today's results that matter. Some of the reasons why succession planning does not get done are similar to why the environment gets damaged: everyone is racing to meet short-term objectives regardless of how much the future is sacrificed.
Practical Steps in Succession Planning
The first step is to think strategically about what skills the organization might need in the future. They could be quite different from what the incumbent executives are good at today. Then it is a matter of identifying successors. Everyone on a given manager's team should be seen as having some potential to assume more responsibility, if only because assuming otherwise is the surest way to create the self-fulfilling prophesy that they never will amount to anything more. Developing successors must include much more than courses and coaching. The most vital development tool consists in giving potential successors opportunities to do the most central parts of their boss's job. This does not mean permanently assigning them a higher level responsibility. It can mean simply letting them attend some of the boss's meetings, running special projects and standing in for the boss when he or she is absent.
Finally, executives should involve their teams in solving high level problems. Operating as a catalyst or facilitator, they should ask a lot of "What do you think?" questions to draw solutions out of them, thereby developing them and sharing ownership.
The purpose of succession planning is to prepare lower level executives to replace those above them. It ensures that the organization does not have a vacuum in senior positions when someone departs unexpectedly, voluntarily or otherwise.
If no one is prepared to fill the vacant spot, it can take too long and be too costly to groom someone, thereby leaving a critical gap for an intolerable period. Or, a lower level manager could be promoted prematurely thus making expensive mistakes. Hiring from outside is a quick fix but there is always the risk that outsiders will take too long to adjust to the new culture and new colleagues. Feeling anxious to prove themselves, they can make hasty, poor decisions with disastrous results for the business.
Benefits of Succession Planning
Other than ensuring continuity in key roles, succession planning motivates and develops aspiring senior executives. They are developed by being given aspects of their boss's job to learn how to do it before being promoted. It is also motivational to know that they are considered to have senior executive potential and to be given more interesting, challenging work. The boss gains by fostering greater shared ownership because the most talented leaders of the future are more fully involved in critical aspects of their boss's work. Normally, executives reserve the most interesting aspects of their work for themselves and delegate mundane tasks. Ironically, fostering more shared ownership can make executives even more successful than when they do too much themselves.
Resistance to Succession Planning
Many executives avoid preparing successors because they are afraid of becoming dispensable. They feel secure if no one can replace them. There are also primitive territorial instincts involved. Senior directors have worked hard to achieve their status and they feel a lot of ownership for their territory. Preparing someone to take over means facing the fact that, someday, they will have to lose one of their most beloved possessions, the job they have driven themselves so hard to win for so many years.
When people achieve high office they can feel invincible, that no one could do the job better than they can do it, so making it unthinkable that anyone could replace them. Many senior executives also feel that they have reached the summit of their capability and aspirations. If there is nowhere else in the organization for them to go, why prepare someone to take their place? Finally, developing a successor means letting someone else learn those parts of the job that provide the most job satisfaction. Many executives identify so closely with their jobs that letting someone else do parts of it feels like being put out to pasture before they are ready. People gain job satisfaction from making a valued contribution and that means doing the most important parts of their role.
It is very common for executives to feel that they are working through people because they delegate fairly well, but they are really glorified "doers" because they reserve too much of the content of their work for themselves. Working through others more fully entails working oneself out of a job. It means being a catalyst, facilitator, coach and developer of others. Executives who fail to fully involve people in their work are actually not adding as much value to the organization as they could do. Every executive should have dual responsibilities: to make sure today's work gets done but also to contribute to building the organization of the future. Unfortunately, most organizations are caught up in short-tem thinking so that it is only today's results that matter. Some of the reasons why succession planning does not get done are similar to why the environment gets damaged: everyone is racing to meet short-term objectives regardless of how much the future is sacrificed.
Practical Steps in Succession Planning
The first step is to think strategically about what skills the organization might need in the future. They could be quite different from what the incumbent executives are good at today. Then it is a matter of identifying successors. Everyone on a given manager's team should be seen as having some potential to assume more responsibility, if only because assuming otherwise is the surest way to create the self-fulfilling prophesy that they never will amount to anything more. Developing successors must include much more than courses and coaching. The most vital development tool consists in giving potential successors opportunities to do the most central parts of their boss's job. This does not mean permanently assigning them a higher level responsibility. It can mean simply letting them attend some of the boss's meetings, running special projects and standing in for the boss when he or she is absent.
Finally, executives should involve their teams in solving high level problems. Operating as a catalyst or facilitator, they should ask a lot of "What do you think?" questions to draw solutions out of them, thereby developing them and sharing ownership.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Make Sure They Have the “Tools” They Need
Imagine this scenario: We’re out in the middle of a field. I’m the supervisor and I give you an assignment to dig a trench. After explaining why the trench is necessary, I give you the go-ahead to start digging. You inquire, “Where’s the back hoe?” I respond, “It’s in the shop.” You then ask, “So how am I supposed to dig this trench?” I hand you a shovel, and then I leave. I return two hours later and find that you haven’t made much progress. You’re tired and frustrated…and I’m ticked off.
A far-fetched story? Maybe so. But it does make a simple and important point: it’s tough for people to do a good job – to do their best work – when they don’t have the “tools” (resources) they need. That’s something your team members may be facing more often than you think. And as a leader, you need to do your best to do something about it.
Ask yourself, What do my people need in order to meet or exceed my expectations? Better yet, ASK THEM! Maybe it’s a new piece of equipment – or the fixing or updating of an existing one. Perhaps it’s a new software program, additional training, or an expanded supplies inventory. Or it could be that what they really need is more time, more help, or more information. Whatever your team needs, get it for them. And if you can’t, tell them why, look for other ways to support their efforts, and appreciate the fact that many of their achievements are happening in spite of how they are equipped, rather than because of it.
A far-fetched story? Maybe so. But it does make a simple and important point: it’s tough for people to do a good job – to do their best work – when they don’t have the “tools” (resources) they need. That’s something your team members may be facing more often than you think. And as a leader, you need to do your best to do something about it.
Ask yourself, What do my people need in order to meet or exceed my expectations? Better yet, ASK THEM! Maybe it’s a new piece of equipment – or the fixing or updating of an existing one. Perhaps it’s a new software program, additional training, or an expanded supplies inventory. Or it could be that what they really need is more time, more help, or more information. Whatever your team needs, get it for them. And if you can’t, tell them why, look for other ways to support their efforts, and appreciate the fact that many of their achievements are happening in spite of how they are equipped, rather than because of it.
Monday, April 7, 2008
How to Build Relationships for Business Success
Managers who fail to make time to build relationships have limited success.
They fail to understand the full meaning of getting work done through people.Everyone agrees that relationships are important for career and business success. But who has the time to build relationships these days? It is useful to remember all the reasons why relationships are critical for success at work.
Here are the key steps for building successful business relationships.
The Value of Business Relationships
People are more likely to help their friends than strangers. Managers who think along highly rational lines often overlook this simple truth. They think it should be possible to influence anyone with straightforward facts and logic. They feel that any honest person who wants to do the right thing should be only too willing to listen to reason. The idea of cultivating people strikes these managers as unethical or beneath them. No manager will admit to making decisions on personal or subjective grounds.
The truth is, however, no matter how objective managers may be, when it comes to choosing a supplier or business partner, most people prefer someone they know, all things being equal. Career advancement at higher levels is a lot like getting elected. Managers who get promoted have an extensive support network. When senior executives make promotion decisions, they consult their colleagues. If there are two equally qualified candidates, the one who people feel they can best work with will have the edge most of the time. When managers strive to get unpopular proposals accepted, good relationships with key stakeholders reduces resistance to change. Influential people are also indispensable for introductions to other important stakeholders.
Relationship Building Skills
Often managers see themselves as having good skills for building relationships simply because they behave in a friendly way with everyone they meet. Spending time with people, discussing common interests and a few laughs can go a long way. But one of the key skills for building critical business relationships is thinking strategically about who is worth knowing. Time constraints dictate a selective approach. Strategic relationship building means identifying a small set of people who are in powerful positions and whose help could advance your career and business interests. A certain amount of guessing is involved but any current list of strategic targets should be revised regularly. Some influential people could be unresponsive to your advances; also, your needs or priorities will change over time.
Managers who are short of time or not very socially inclined are not sufficiently proactive in building relationships with important stakeholders. They just can't see themselves approaching someone cold and striking up a conversation. Such managers have a very limited understanding of how to sell themselves. Flattering people or buttering them up is something they could never bring themselves to do. What they don't realize is that there is a very simple formula for building business relationships: showing interest in people. This means asking questions about what they are doing, how it's going, what's keeping them awake at night, how they got to where they are, how they see the future, what they would advise about x, y and z, how they handled a difficult challenge, what works for them in tricky situations and so on. People find it flattering to be asked questions about themselves even if the person asking them does not explicitly say anything flattering.
It helps to view important stakeholders as customers. Consultants have no problem asking questions designed to help them learn more about their customers. Managers need to do the same thing. It is not a matter of throwing parties or entertaining people. Buying support in this way is not as genuine as showing real interest in what is important to people.It's also vital to stay in touch regularly, to seize every opportunity, even for five minutes to ask what people are working on now and how their pet projects are going. As you learn more about them, you could offer some gentle suggestions along the lines of: "Have you thought of trying x?" Or, "Would y work in this situation?" Just letting people talk through their issues in an understanding way can help them develop their own solutions, so it is possible to be very helpful without actually doing anything for people.
This is not overly time-consuming, provided it is done selectively with strategically important stakeholders. When the time comes for managers to ask for help on one of their critical proposals, they will certainly get a more receptive audience with their strategic relationships than they would if they waited to approach key people until their help was needed.
One final, but core reason why so many managers fail to invest enough time in relationship building is that they are too busy "doing." They haven't learned the lesson that business gets done through people. These managers are not really managing at all; they are in a rush to do things and will never really succeed because they are too busy to think about the real keys to success.
They fail to understand the full meaning of getting work done through people.Everyone agrees that relationships are important for career and business success. But who has the time to build relationships these days? It is useful to remember all the reasons why relationships are critical for success at work.
Here are the key steps for building successful business relationships.
The Value of Business Relationships
People are more likely to help their friends than strangers. Managers who think along highly rational lines often overlook this simple truth. They think it should be possible to influence anyone with straightforward facts and logic. They feel that any honest person who wants to do the right thing should be only too willing to listen to reason. The idea of cultivating people strikes these managers as unethical or beneath them. No manager will admit to making decisions on personal or subjective grounds.
The truth is, however, no matter how objective managers may be, when it comes to choosing a supplier or business partner, most people prefer someone they know, all things being equal. Career advancement at higher levels is a lot like getting elected. Managers who get promoted have an extensive support network. When senior executives make promotion decisions, they consult their colleagues. If there are two equally qualified candidates, the one who people feel they can best work with will have the edge most of the time. When managers strive to get unpopular proposals accepted, good relationships with key stakeholders reduces resistance to change. Influential people are also indispensable for introductions to other important stakeholders.
Relationship Building Skills
Often managers see themselves as having good skills for building relationships simply because they behave in a friendly way with everyone they meet. Spending time with people, discussing common interests and a few laughs can go a long way. But one of the key skills for building critical business relationships is thinking strategically about who is worth knowing. Time constraints dictate a selective approach. Strategic relationship building means identifying a small set of people who are in powerful positions and whose help could advance your career and business interests. A certain amount of guessing is involved but any current list of strategic targets should be revised regularly. Some influential people could be unresponsive to your advances; also, your needs or priorities will change over time.
Managers who are short of time or not very socially inclined are not sufficiently proactive in building relationships with important stakeholders. They just can't see themselves approaching someone cold and striking up a conversation. Such managers have a very limited understanding of how to sell themselves. Flattering people or buttering them up is something they could never bring themselves to do. What they don't realize is that there is a very simple formula for building business relationships: showing interest in people. This means asking questions about what they are doing, how it's going, what's keeping them awake at night, how they got to where they are, how they see the future, what they would advise about x, y and z, how they handled a difficult challenge, what works for them in tricky situations and so on. People find it flattering to be asked questions about themselves even if the person asking them does not explicitly say anything flattering.
It helps to view important stakeholders as customers. Consultants have no problem asking questions designed to help them learn more about their customers. Managers need to do the same thing. It is not a matter of throwing parties or entertaining people. Buying support in this way is not as genuine as showing real interest in what is important to people.It's also vital to stay in touch regularly, to seize every opportunity, even for five minutes to ask what people are working on now and how their pet projects are going. As you learn more about them, you could offer some gentle suggestions along the lines of: "Have you thought of trying x?" Or, "Would y work in this situation?" Just letting people talk through their issues in an understanding way can help them develop their own solutions, so it is possible to be very helpful without actually doing anything for people.
This is not overly time-consuming, provided it is done selectively with strategically important stakeholders. When the time comes for managers to ask for help on one of their critical proposals, they will certainly get a more receptive audience with their strategic relationships than they would if they waited to approach key people until their help was needed.
One final, but core reason why so many managers fail to invest enough time in relationship building is that they are too busy "doing." They haven't learned the lesson that business gets done through people. These managers are not really managing at all; they are in a rush to do things and will never really succeed because they are too busy to think about the real keys to success.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Healthy risk taking
In most organizations, mistakes and failure are viewed negatively and managers and employees alike are conditioned into believing that mistakes are a reflection of the incompetence of an individual. And hence to avoid mistakes, individuals tend to play it safe by opting to do things the ‘same old way’. There is no attempt at innovation, because every time you try something new, there is always the risk of failure. But, ironically risk avoidance carries the worst risk any organisation can take. It is the surest method of creating a ‘safe’ organisation where creativity is stifled and conformity becomes the norm. This mindset then permeates the organization and becomes part of its informal culture to its long term detriment. The organization then does not ‘grow and develop’.
Some key guidelines for managers when trying to establish a healthy risk-taking work environment are:
· Accept Mistakes. Managers and subordinates must be taught that errors are part of the cost of development.
· Tolerate failure. Many innovations and concepts are not successful initially. Persistence and the ability to deal with failure are therefore essential. As Akio Morita, the late Chairman of Sony says, “When customers see our products they only see success, they do not see the 99% of failures that made that product possible”.
· Do not be conditioned by past failures. Past mistakes must be acknowledged and learned from. They must never be allowed to impede risk taking options in the future.
Some key guidelines for managers when trying to establish a healthy risk-taking work environment are:
· Accept Mistakes. Managers and subordinates must be taught that errors are part of the cost of development.
· Tolerate failure. Many innovations and concepts are not successful initially. Persistence and the ability to deal with failure are therefore essential. As Akio Morita, the late Chairman of Sony says, “When customers see our products they only see success, they do not see the 99% of failures that made that product possible”.
· Do not be conditioned by past failures. Past mistakes must be acknowledged and learned from. They must never be allowed to impede risk taking options in the future.
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