Dispatches from the New World of Work

100 Ways to Succeed #116:

Boomers! Geezers! Now!

Before the week [day?] ends, somehow or other begin a serious conversation about your attitude toward and approach to the Boomer-Geezer market.

(Like race in the world of politics, try to examine your implicit biases—eventually with the help of an outside facilitator.)

If at all applicable, consider Very Radical Alternatives—e.g., re-aligning strategy around Boomers-Geezers.

Big idea/s:

    (1) It is a big idea.
    (2) Stir the pot. Now.
    (3) The opportunities are enormous; the response so far is pitiful.
    (4) Don't be an idiot.

100 Ways to Succeed #115:

What the Hell!

At some point today (today!), despite "overload" ... just say, "what the hell" and go for it in some way or other.

(Likewise, worry if it's been more than a week or so since you said to yourself, "what the hell.")

100 Ways to Succeed #113:

Nothing Is Irrelevant

Stop.
Right now.

Check the reception desk.
Check the reception area.
Check the bathroom.
Check your last Client email.
Check etc.
Check etc.

Check 10 "little things."
Right now.

Is each one stunningly, amazingly excellent?
Does each one confirm & extend & broadcast your "brand promise"?
You, personally?
Your training department?
Your 3-person accountancy on Main Street?
Your BigCo division?

Repeat.
Daily.

(Remember: You are in control. There are things you cannot make happen, to be sure; but you can project Brand Excellence on a thousand "atmospherics" that determine Client-Employee perception.)

100 Ways to Succeed #114:

The "3X" Theorem

Communicate!
Communicate!
Communicate!

Over-communicate!
Over-communicate!
Over-communicate!

Whatever amounts to "sensible communication," triple it!

Immediate "command":

Play back the last 24 or 48 hours. Is there an instance where you have failed to Fully Inform a client, or other stakeholder, of a delay (wee or grand) or glitch (wee or grand)? If your answer is "nope, all is well"—you are a liar. (Sorry, it just slipped out of the keyboard.)

Fix it.
Now.
Make the call.
(And if you have, in fact, good for you, let someone know about a glitch ... call 'em again to update the status of the fix, or relay the sad but honest news that the fix is more complex than first imagined.)

100 Ways to Succeed #112:

Ombudsman for Common Sense

As suggested above, a lot of the giant financial-economic mess we're in is courtesy a failure of common sense—sometimes, often actually, by the so-called bestest of the best and brightest. We are all "insiders" in our own worlds—and we all lose touch with reality to a lesser or greater extent.

There are a host of things one can do to deal with this, but in this instance I want only to suggest routinely running proposals or budgets, or whatever, minor as well as major, by a "common sense ombudsman." Said ombudsman, singular or plural, formal or informal, could be a spouse or a neighbor who owns a restaurant or the guy who runs the distribution center in South Podunk who you ran into at the management meeting in Orlando last year.

Napoleon captured the spirit of this idea, ever so long ago:

"The art of war does not require complicated maneuvers; the simplest are the best, and common sense is fundamental. From which one might wonder how it is generals make blunders; it is because they try to be clever." (from Napoleon on Project Management by Jerry Manas)

100 Ways to Succeed #111:

Get Out And About!

Get out! [Of your office.]
Get out!
Get out!
Get out!
Now! [Within the ... hour!]
Now!
Now!
Now!

[Attached, as a reminder, is a link to our "'Top 50' 'Have Yous,'" PDF or PPT, posted earlier.]

100 Ways to Succeed #109:

The Clean Team!

"Everything in existence tends to deteriorate."—Norberto Odebrecht

Computer terminals at Commerce Bank have a red button on the keyboard. When you (teller) run into a self (bank)-created roadblock to serving the customer, you push the red button. The impediment you discover will be addressed—and if action is taken, and it usually is, you'll get a financial reward for discovering Grunge that had gotten between the customer and an excellent service experience. Commerce calls itself "Yes bank," because it will go to great lengths to be able to say "yes" to damn near any customer request. The bank and its profits have grown like Topsy in a decidedly non-blue ocean—and has so far kept saying "yes" and kept the Grunge to a minimum. As is the case 100% of the time ... the jury is still—and always—out.

My point-suggestion here is that you invent your flavor of Red Buttons for your 3-person department, your 9-person temporary project team, your 17-table restaurant, or your 235-person division. That is, formal tools for identifying Grunge and removing it and getting Everyone in on the GGG—Great Grunge [Removal] Game.

I, in fact, suggest going further. I suggest defining an entire, formal Grunge Removal Process or even "Culture"—that is, in effect, an anti-process process. One needs nothing less than a formal infrastructure to try and keep the "inevitable deterioration" in check—and maybe even reverse it. A host of possibilities are there for the taking (including some gems from the Lane-Welch book reluctantly cited above): an anti-grunge Pledge of Allegiance every morning—and an anti-grunge item on every meeting agenda. A C-level anti-grunge exec: CGRO, Chief Grunge Removal Officer. Rewards for Grunge Removers at all levels, punishments for Grunge Growers at all levels. Devices to continually purge systems and procedures and processes of complexity creep. And Red Buttons for one and all.

Get on with this today—begin by making Grunge Awareness and Grunge Removal a belated New Year's Resolution. (For us "older" folks it starts with bodily Grunge Removal—a Life or Death commitment to diet and exercise and learning to say "no" to stupid requests. I.e., this really is the ultimate Big Deal in both our personal and professional lives.)

(Attached you'll find a "beautiful systems" PPT extracted from our Master Presentation—sorry, but I didn't have time to annotate it, which I will do in a few days.)

100 Ways to Succeed #110:

Bag that "Small Win #1"!
Hurry!

Happy Monday!

It's the 14th of January. Gut check time. Are your New Year's Resolutions still intact? Have you made some tiny start on the Big Thing you promised yourself, personally or professionally, in '08? Have you bagged that All-important Small Win #1 in these first two weeks of the New Year, that All-important Small Win #1 that keeps your Main Promise alive—and advances the odds of long-term success immeasurably?

It's not too late. Yet.

100 Ways to Succeed #108:

Do Me The Honor of a "PSF" Discussion!

At least, try "the PSF idea" on for size:

What is a "PSF"?
Are we (department?) a "PSF"?
Do we ("department"?) truly do WWPF—Work Worth Paying For?
Do we have ...

To spur discussion you'll find two attached documents. First is the core, bare-bones "50 List" from my 1999 book, The Professional Service Firm50: Fifty Ways to Transform Your "Department" into a Professional Service Firm Whose Trademarks Are Passion and Innovation.

You will also find my "PSF35" list from Part 3 of the current Master Presentation.

100 Ways to Succeed #103:

Friends/Network Several Levels "Down"

Among the 33 ideas-tactics just presented, this one, after careful examination, comes in #1 on the importance list.

Remember Gust Avrakotos from Charlie Wilson's War: "He had become something of a legend with these people who manned the underbelly of the Agency [CIA]." (Gust helped these unempowered folk with many problems way beyond their typical reach.) When I was a junior in the Pentagon, I discovered a link to the E-3 (very junior enlisted rank) English major from Brown University who was the letter-speech writer for The Secretary of the Navy, John Chafee (from Rhode Island, home to Brown). I shamelessly used my own Ivy League/Cornell link to him, which he got a kick out of—and was able to get a few favors (not too many or too extreme!) which allowed me to do some stuff that made no sense for a junior officer (O-3) to pull off.

Hence: Invest heavily and continuously in those several levels down in the organization, particularly executive assistants, who hold the keys to access and working with ease through convoluted processes.

Remember another piece of advice: C(I) > C(E). Internal customers are perhaps more important than the "bottom line" external customers; engaged internal customers will help you get an unfair share of internal attention which in turn allows you to perform miracles of implementation for your external customers.

100 Ways to Succeed #104:

Shut Up!

Referring to the protagonist, Paul Christopher, a CIA field officer (again—and very consistent with Charlie Wilson's War) in Christopher's Ghosts, author Charles McCarry, says: "He [Christopher] had learned when he was very young that if he kept quiet, the other person would fill the silence." McCarry also tells us at one point that Christopher's key to a debriefing is to shut up and not interrupt—Christopher claims that "everyone has a story to tell, if only you have the patience to wait for it and not get in the way of it."

So: Shut up!

I'm practicing (a 2008 resolution) keeping quiet, and waiting for the story to emerge. (Fat chance, my colleagues would say—screw them.)

100 Ways to Succeed #105:

Master of Internal Processes

(More from the Charlie Wilson post.)

Become a Master of Internal Processes. Recall, from the Charlie Wilson post the reference to Tom DeLay who effectively controlled the House of Representatives by grabbing control of internal processes. This requires heavy investment (again) (what doesn't?) and a passion for details. This one, too, is open to junior folks.

Addenda: If you are boss of a project team, no matter how small, include a Master of Process, preferably with corporate staff experience, for your team. Also bring on someone who likes to "do lunch" with those in the "underbelly" (Gust Avrakotos—CIA) of the organization; this, Ms Project Manager, is your job, too—personally. Incidentally (not so incidentally, actually) "Ms" is likely to be far more effective at this than "Mr."

100 Ways to Succeed #106:

Assignment in the Finance Department

(More from the Charlie Wilson post.)

Follow the money!
Follow the money!
Follow the money!

A CIO, who was remarkably successful in a huge organization, declares that the key was a five-year stint in the corporate Finance Department as a mid-level guy—he had many friends and many "favors due" in finance, which allowed him to acquire assets, exceptions to rules, etc.

Hence: Seek out, by hook or by crook, a tour of duty in Finance—early on.

100 Ways to Succeed #107:

Fifty. Period.

Returning to my 1231.07 Post (FLASH! FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION!) DURING THE Christmas-New Year's period make the damn 50 calls.

Period.
No baloney.

100 (Or So) Ways to Succeed #101:

"Investment" Plan/
New Year's Resolution

During his days as Goldman Sachs boss, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson had an invariant habit. He would call "60 CEOs in the first week [of the year] to wish them happy New Year." During my brief White House stint in the mid-seventies, I spent eight or nine straight hours one New Year's Eve on my office phone. I called close to 100 people I worked with—in agencies all over Washington and in embassies around the world—to thank them for their help in the prior year. In addition to enjoying the chats, which I did (I suspect Paulson did, too), I admit that I was purposefully engaging in an ADRE ... Act of Deliberate Relationship Enhancement.

While I fully buy "If you aren't sincere, it won't work," I nonetheless urge you to develop some similar ritual. Moreover, I urge you to do it in the next couple of weeks!

Think ADRE. Twelve months a year!

100 (Or So) Ways to Succeed #102:

Purposefully Practice Listening
(And "Hearing")

I'm dealing with a thorny problem. Even thought of calling my shrink—he's my "life coach" as much as my esteemed mental health advisor.

In the end I didn't call him. And you can thank crosstown Manhattan Christmas traffic for that.

I inveterately chat with cabbies—about life, not the weather. This driver-advisor-to-be had been around the circuit a couple of times, as, indeed, I have as well. I laid out my issue pretty damn directly. All issues are the same—in the end, relationship issues (see above). His thoughts were "obvious" (all useful thoughts are, in retrospect) and really turned my thinking on its ear.

On the one hand, I was making idle chatter, as I am wont to do; on the other hand, I really wanted to get his reaction. His take on human interaction is likely to be more profound than mine—given his natural laboratory. I'm almost loath to admit it, though I don't know why, but I actually jotted a couple of notes on my Amtrak ticket stub while he was talking. I gave him a healthy Christmas tip, but the fact is that his advice was priceless— or at least a lot cheaper than my psychiatrist's invoice.

In the last couple of weeks, I've talked about Dave Isay's book, Listening Is an Act of Love, and cool friend Matthew Kelly's The Dream Manager. Both are books about stories and listening and hearing. As is my little "Manhattan Cabbie's Tale." If relationships are "everything" (they are), then listening-hearing-story collecting is Tool #1. Stephen Covey and others are wonderful instructors on this topic. I will not attempt to copy them. My suggestion is simpler: During this holiday season, you'll likely go to cocktail parties, open presents, attend family dinners. While not aiming to spoil your spontaneity, I'd suggest that each of these occasions is an opportunity to purposefully practice listening-hearing-story collecting. I have no tricks, except to say tune deliberately into the process. If you want to give yourself an exam, at the end of the party or whatever, review what you heard-learned that was new about an old friend; I learn new stuff about 20-year friends when I really work on my listening-hearing. And keep in mind, as lodestar, the words from Dale Carnegie: "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

100 Ways to Succeed #99:

Reward "DNK" When You DNK

Of course you don't want to reward "I didn't bother to ..." laziness, but you do want to reward—Big Time—truth-telling. Hence, cheer publicly the person who admits, in front of a boss, that he or she "does not know" the facts here, or the answer to this or that. In fact, per the above, make a game (serious game!) out of identifying the "DNKs" regarding any analysis or proposed action. Frankly, good inventories of DNKs may be far more important to success than inventories of DKs.

100 Ways to Succeed #100:

Passing the "Squint Test"

When you squint at the page in the annual report featuring the Executive Team, does the gender and skin-tone roughly match the demographics of the market being served?

(Notice that I purposefully said "roughly"; I'm not looking for quotas, just very rough approximations.)

If you fail the "squint test," what is your 6-month, 1-year, and 2-year program, including immediate "next steps" for addressing the issue?

Note of importance: This holds as much for a 23-person project team as it does for a division or company as a whole.

My opinion: Fix the "women part" first. I.e., more or less ... now.

(P.S. We ain't done yet! #101 on our "Top 100" success strategies comes Monday.) (Probably.)

100 Ways to Succeed #98:

Relentlessly Focus On Pragmatic Actions

     (1) See the above list.
     (2) Implement.
     (3) Pick one item.
     (4) Start today.

100 Ways to Succeed #97:

Relentlessly Focus On Pragmatic Actions

     (1) See the above list.
     (2) Implement.
     (3) Pick one item.
     (4) Start today.

100 Ways to Succeed #96:

Make a Public "Insane Effort" Upon Occasion;
Consider It to Be an "Extreme Weapon" in your Success Arsenal

When an issue is of the utmost importance and at a standstill or in freefall, proactively look for an opportunity to "make a statement" through a gesture that indicates great pain and engagement and urgency on your part. Often, this comes in the form of "5,000 miles for a 5-minute audience" with a key participant.

(Is this Machiavellian? Sure, to some extent—but the fact is that you actually must care to do this. The "insane gesture" simply acts as proof that you'll go to any length to make progress.)

100 Ways to Succeed #95:

NON-LINEARITY RULES.
NON-LINEARITY = LIFE.
IF SUCCESS [OR FAILURE] IS DETERMINED ALMOST ENTIRELY BY THE UNPREDICTABLE [LITERALLY], THEN WHAT?

"Most of our predictions are based on very linear thinking. That's why they will most likely be wrong."—Vinod Khosla

"The difficulties ... arise from the inherent conflict between the need to control existing operations and the need to create the kind of environment that will permit new ideas to flourish—and old ones to die a timely death. ... We believe that most corporations will find it impossible to match or outperform the market without abandoning the assumption of continuity. ... The current apocalypse—the transition from a state of continuity to state of discontinuity—has the same suddenness [as the trauma that beset civilization in 1000 A.D.]"—Richard Foster & Sarah Kaplan, "Creative Destruction" (The McKinsey Quarterly)

I have no tidy "tip" here, but rather an extraordinary plea that you implicitly put "non-linear" thinking atop your and your leadership team's agenda—permanently. This may mean hiring poets and astrologers and putting homeless folks on your advisory board. It may mean sabbaticals or yoga, sabbaticals and yoga. Or dropping out for a year or three. Or joining a rock band. Or putting 3-inch heels on one foot only. Though Rudy "dealt with a crisis" well—it's more than such a bland prescription. It's not "dealing well with crisis," though that may be part of it, but more along the lines of dealing constantly and comfortably and quite happily with "very strange stuff," or some such.

REMEMBER. REMEMBER. REMEMBER. YOUR LIFE'S TRAJECTORY WILL BE DETERMINED ALMOST ENTIRELY BY EVENTS WHICH BY DEFINITION CANNOT BE PLANNED FOR. ACT ACCORDINGLY. WHATEVER THAT MEANS.

100 Ways to Succeed #91:

The Rule of Realism

Pay for your groceries with cash next time. Your car repair, too. The office supply bill? Ditto.

By hook or by crook, bring Realism in the office door.

100 Ways to Succeed #92:

Got Your Dreamer Quota Aboard?

Who, precisely, are your Dreamers?
Are their Dreams in Technicolor?
Do you allow their most Outrageous Dreams to be seen in public?

(If this sounds odd, think iPhone.)

100 Ways to Succeed #93:

Bottom Line

A "Culture of Innovation" tops a "Culture of Hypercontrol."

"Innovation Freaks" win in the Long Run.
(Or, at least, they have more fun losing.)

Please discuss: Once a month.

100 Ways to Succeed #94:

Hail the Decentralization "Warfighters"

Through every means possible, be hyper-aware of ICD (Inherent Centralist Drift).

Talk about it.
Fight about it.
Lose sleep over it.
Ensure that your Decentralists are as well armed as your Centralists.

(Hint: This ICD holds for a 1-person biz as well as for a 10,000-person biz. When you screw up in the 1-person biz, you add controls. A good idea, a necessary one ... until it stifles creativity.)

100 Ways to Succeed #90:

For the Sheer Hell of It!

"If it's not fun you're not doing it right."—Fran Tarkenton

Richard Branson does things that matter to him ... for the sheer hell of it. Personally, I think that's a very legitimate career and business philosophy. Frankly, the reason that I take on new stuff, and keep accumulating frequent flyer miles, has long been the unadulterated joy I get from doing what I do, and the sheer pleasure from marching in the opposite direction from the crowd. The same was true, if I may admit it, to me as a builder/junior officer, age 23, in Vietnam in 1966+.

My advice?

Don't do it unless it's fun.
Make it fun. (Always possible, per me.)
Make it fun for others. (Which makes it fun/more fun for you.)

Tarkenton, the NFL quarterback and wildly successful businessperson, "gets it."
Sir Richard Branson "gets it."
So do I.
And you???????????????

(PLEASE: Don't dismiss this as "motivational bullshit." Act as if your life depended on it; your professional life does.)

100 Ways to Succeed #89:

The Ultimate Question ...

Okay, get up your nerve. No bull, scrap your "Customer Satisfaction Survey," British Air or Joe's Local Accountancy. Instead limit your "survey" to One Question:

"Would you recommend us to friends and professional associates?"

100 Ways to Succeed #88:

Nonrational Behavior, Becoming a Student of

To grasp organizational life as it is, read novels (!) and books such as the two discussed immediately above. It is my fervent belief that we will never design rational processes that "overcome" such irregularities—don't bother telling that to a consultant. Hence, we should embrace the real, non-rational, nonlinear world with vigor and glee—and develop enterprise and career strategies accordingly. Part of this process may involve absorbing the likes of How Doctors Think and Judgment under Uncertainty.

100 Ways to Succeed #87:

Welcome to Wikiworld!
Master "Mass collaboration"!

"Mass collaboration," WikiScale, really is one of those (rare) things that probably merits "new thing under the sun" status.

Experiment.
Vigorously.
Now.
Pursue mastery.

100 Ways to Succeed #83:

Don't Forget Why You're Here!

I was talking with a young lawyer, Harvard trained, now putting in her time at a big firm. She allowed as how life was just a whirl of mostly trivial activities. On the one hand that's very normal, and part of the time-honored apprenticeship process. But it's also true that in the midst of all the BS, you often lose sight of why you followed this apparently hallowed path to begin with. I've heard doctors and other professionals say the same thing. At the top of the pyramid, former Secretary of State George Schultz mused on how you come to public service with the highest of ideals, but "you get so caught up in the Power Game, that you forget your worthy aspirations." God knows, on many a long plane delay and the (constant) like, I've wondered the same thing.

(Alas, many CEOs epitomize this. They get so caught up in the earnings game that they forget the fact that they are meant to be "of service" to some worthy, Olympian objective. Perversely, I'm pleased to report, this loss of attention to the basics is the wellspring of earnings that don't measure up.)

I have a little ritual I follow to help get back on track. I take a moment or five and skim either In Search of Excellence or my Stanford dissertation—and remember what I aimed to do in the first place. And how far I have strayed; it helps me get centered, or re-centered.

I suggested to my newfound lawyer acquaintance that she invent some like ritual. And I suggest the same to you: "Why did I take this assignment, or choose this profession? Am I doing everything possible in my current project to hold to the principles that got me into all this? Is my time here up?" Or some such. It's the ritual review rather than its form that's important.

(My suggestion: Do it every 90 days. Better yet, every evening!)

100 Ways to Succeed #84:

If The Envelope Doesn't Fit, Forget It!
(So Check on the Envelopes.)

My local Starbucks stayed open a few minutes late—and fetched something already put away—to fill my order.

When I handed my other local Starbucks my thermos yesterday morning, they filled it up without question, even though that's a non-standard order. (I think they under-charged me—a two ventis price for what doubtless was three ventis in quantity. Oh, and they thoroughly washed the thermos before filling it without request.)

My local Whole Foods opens at 8:00 a.m. Several of us were waiting. They opened at about 7:45. And those folks define helpful—I got a full-bore dissertation on various cuts of beef, among other things.

Stanford sent me a questionnaire in prep for my MBA reunion. (# ???) I took some pains to fill it out. When I got ready to mail it, I discovered that it didn't fit into the envelope they'd enclosed—I tore the questionnaire up and tossed it in the recycle bin. (Ever wonder what's wrong with MBA programs? Lack of attention to misfitting envelopes! Think I'm kidding?)

Do you bend over backwards to go "beyond the book" to help customers? Do you open earlier than advertised? Are your envelopes the right size?

The 25 companies that made BusinessWeek's first "Customer Service Champs" list are very, very, very, very, very serious about the "little things."

And you?
Personally?
Your team?
Your company?
How do you know?
For sure?
What are you doing about it?
Today?
Now?

"Big aims" (I believe in them religiously!) are plain silliness without the "little" things executed to perfection—and constantly beyond the "best practices" you designed yourself.

"Little things"—I love the word "fanatic."

("Big" keys to "little" things: great hiring practices emphasizing "soft" factors, great and extensive and enjoyable training, fun, celebrations, routinely using words like "Wow," managers who are out and about, etc., etc.)

100 Ways to Succeed #85:

R.O.C(I): "They" All Work For Me!

Suppose I work in a 201-person unit.
Suppose I'm in sales. (Everybody is—but that's another story.)

Key #1 to success: C(I) >> C(E)

Translation: My Internal Customers/C(I) are more important, perhaps far more important, especially in the long term, than my External Customers/C(E) to whom I am officially making the sale.

Goal: I want all 200 of my mates—in every discipline—working for me! Starting with my CEO!

Secret to Key #1?

Obvious!
Investment!
Big time investment!

Screw the "traditional silos"—I plan to make love to everybody in every department in the Unit. I want 200 folks desperate to make me successful with my External Client-Customer.

I am desperate in turn to get rid of my external customer. I want "my" External Customer to become not "mine," but the customer of my mates/C(I). I want them, my C(I), to reap the pleasure and rewards of the relationship with "my" (now their!) External Customer.

(FYI: This applies to every project. The customer is not the customer. The customer is my mates throughout the enterprise who will surpass me in their effort to satisfy-WOW my "official" end user-customer for that IT project.)

So? Are you investing like a ... deranged maniac ... in your C(I)? Do all 7, 17, 170 folks in your unit work for you—and love it?

Return On Investment in Internal Customers/C(I)—nothing more important. Oh, by the way, have you ... MEASURED ... the "customer satisfaction" of your internal customers?

100 Ways to Succeed #86:

Fight Corporate Collapse!
Fight Creeping Centralization!

What are your precise procedures to stop-reverse the proliferation of originally sound-procedures-become-bureaucratic cancer?

Have you exercised said procedures—this week? Today? (Prove it.)

100 Ways to Succeed #82:

Of Service!

Ask.
Daily.

"What did I specifically do to be of service to my group? Was I fair & truly a 'servant'?"

Think on this (exactly!) for 5–10 minutes before you go to work.

As I reflect on the past 3, 6, 12 months, can I answer the following in a positive manner?* (*Be specific!) That is:

1. Do those served grow as persons?
2. Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?

New Installment: 51-75

A visitor to our blog pointed out that we were due to post another installment in the Success Tips series. As a result, we have posted Success Tips 51-75. Tom is up to number 81 of 100, so we may be putting up the whole collection soon. Right now, however, you can get a nicely designed (by the ChangeThis people) version of 1–50 and a less polished version of 51–75 on our free stuff page.

100 Ways to Succeed #80:

The 1% "No brainer"

A strategic consultant taught me this years ago: "In the early afternoon, right after lunch, tell your participants, 'We're going to do a 30-minute breakout. Your task: Cut your current budget by 1%, no more and no less. Then we'll spend 15 minutes reporting back so that we all can get the hang of it. Anyone can do it. You will thus pay my fees 10 times over—and do yourselves a big favor.'"

Wow.

I know all the arguments about the problems with budgets, across-the-board cuts, rolling budgets, etc, etc. Still, we all have cost issues. So whether you run a 2-person firm (or a one-person firm, for that matter), or a 723-person unit, this afternoon ... gather your leadership team, or everyone in the department, and take 1% (no more and no less) out of your budget-projected annual costs. As my colleague said, anyone can indeed do it—and it must not absorb more than an hour. Repeat now and again.

You'll be surprised how powerful this is—with a $100,000 projected cost, you can reap a $1,000 reward rather easily. (I do it with personal finances in particular.)

It adds up.

100 Ways to Succeed #81:

P>C

There's a convenience store near me. They just finished what I'd guess is a $500,000 renovation. It sure helps! Bravo!

Whoops!

The previously crappy staff attitude is as crappy as ever. (All the more obvious because there's a Starbucks just a block away. For that matter, I guess there's pretty much a Starbucks within a block of everything these days.) Frankly, I feel they pretty much pissed away the $500,000! I'll trade a paint job for attitude any day!

It calls to mind a big issue—which holds for the receptionist in the 3-person, walkup accountancy—and for the U.S. military. It's so easy—and so visible—to get caught up with the capital budget. It's "permanent" and you can take a picture of the result, often as not. The people budget is far more intangible—and far more important. Money isn't everything, but when you're almost finished your planning exercise this year, I urge you in the strongest words I can muster to cut the projected capital expenditures by 5% or 10% ... and put the savings into the people budget, penny for penny or billion for billion!

(Hint: This is a very, very big deal!)

100 Ways to Succeed #79:

Kindness. Always.

Take the time! Listen! Increase your self-awareness of the "great, unseen battles" that most of your mates are fighting. Show consideration and humanity ... and, per Philo, "kindness."

Your reward will be a better-functioning and more productive team—and points as a thoughtful human being who, in appropriate circumstances, can call herself-himself a true leader.

100 Ways to Succeed #78:

Speak Not Ill of Thine Competitors

Does this require more explanation than the Golden Rule ("Do unto others ..."): Badmouthing competitors diminishes you. Period.

"Win" with better product.
"Win" with better relationships.
"Win" when your industry is prospering and has a good reputation. (Think consultants, ad agencies, lawyers, for example.)

Build up your competitors!
Build up your entire industry!

(And if a competitor is missing deadlines, etc., instead of piling on, say, "Yes, I do hear they're going through a rough patch; but they're a good company and a good competitor and I'm sure they'll sort things out." Or some such.)

Decency rules!
Decency rules! (And, paradoxically, the more "dog eat dog" the competitive situation, the more the "decency advantage" matters.

Consider this Comment to my recent Post on supporting one's competitors from Nathan Schock:

"This is especially important for those of us who work in professional services located outside major metropolitan areas. As our entire industry improves in our city, the large companies are less likely to look outside our city for those services.

"Our advertising agency believes that anything that makes the industry better in our city, improves our position. That's why we devote so much time and energy to professional organizations like AIGA, PRSA, and the AAF."

Amen.

100 Ways to Succeed #77:

In the Moment

Your workteam today is not your workteam yesterday. Take a quiet moment or two or three BEFORE you go to work (not in the middle of your commute) to go through your up-to-date mental file on each person, where they are personally, where they are professionally, etc.

Among other things, this might result in a 90-second stop at two or three workstations to talk about what's up with a kid's school problem, etc. Or ask about an online course that so-and-so is taking, or why (women do this sooooo much better—and if that's sexist, so be it) "you seem to be a bit gloomy lately"—whatever. Maybe it means quick lunch plans. A 10-minute walk in the park mid-morning. Whatever. I'm hardly suggesting that you be a snoop—just that you are, after all, trying to work with your team to get something done and help each one develop and contribute in the process.

Think like Coach K: Each practice-game-day is different. Act accordingly. (On the women's thing—to keep beating this horse—I read another Coach K article, I think in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, which says his wife sits in on almost every team meeting—she is indeed attuned to important signals he misses.)

100 Ways to Succeed #75:

Your 2-Cents' Worth

Now!
Today!

What is your (personal, department, project, restaurant, law firm) "2-Cent Candy"???

Note: THIS IS IMPORTANT!
Operative word: TODAY.

100 Ways to Succeed #76:

"Dramatic Frenzy"

Perhaps "dramatic frenzy of value creation" sounds abstract.
(Or unattainable.)

No!
(No!)

So: How can you alter (a) your current project, (b) your CV ... to approach the idea of "dramatic frenzy of value creation"?

I contend that this is a v-e-r-y PRACTICAL idea. Among the Most Important Practical Ideas/Tasks you could possibly undertake.

If you disagree ... you are wrong.
Sorry.
(Think outsourcing.) ("'Disintermediation' is overrated. Those who fear disintermediation [outsourcing] should in fact be afraid of irrelevance—disintermediation is just another way of saying that you’ve become irrelevant to your customers." —John Battelle/Point/Advertising Age/07.05) (Relevance = Dramatic Frenzy of Value Creation.—TP What else?)

100 Ways to Succeed #73:

"Ms/Mr Ambassador"

While walking in Manchester Center (VT) I saw a couple of folks, middle aged, pulled over on the side of the road—looking at a map. Went up and asked if I could help. Turns out they were hunting for an old family homestead, built in the early 1800s, that they weren't even sure was still around. I could have given them directions, as they roughly knew where it was, but I (running gear & sweat) told them that if they wanted to give me a short lift, we could see if a nearby pal of mine was in who is a local history buff (nut, actually). They were keen, and he was around. I went on my way, and last I saw of them he and they had headed for his prodigious in-home library.

I don't recount this tale in pursuit of your brownie points. But I did get thinking, and without dislocating my shoulder patting myself on the back, I realized I had been one hell of an Ambassador for my more or less home town—and indeed Vermont.

Which in turn got me thinking about the word AMBASSADOR per se. Among other things, my Rodale's Synonym Finder (Bonus tip: Rodale's is by far the pick of the litter—and William Safire agrees with me) gives us "herald" and "proclaimer" among the synonymous picks.

What if we used the word "Ambassador" in lieu of "receptionist," "customer service rep," or even "salesperson"? I was doing my all+ to represent Manchester-VT as a wonderful place with wonderful people. Moreover, I am very, very conscious of my "ambassadorial" role (didn't use the word per se 'til day before yesterday) when I'm out of the U.S.A.—especially these days and especially when I'm in the likes of Botswana, Siberia, or Dubai or Oman. I am a full-scale representative of my country as much as if I had the Black Passport.

My point here, if we thought of ourselves as "ambassadors" when in contact with customers in particular, maybe it would make us think much harder about what we were doing and how we were doing it. While we'd still be in the "sales mode" (and I do understand that! I'm an "ideas-attitudes traveling salesman"!), we'd also be thinking more about our demeanor.

Just an idea.

100 Ways to Succeed #74:

C(I) > C(E)

This one waltzed into my life when I was speaking to GE Energy sales folks earlier this year. I've long said that "forming relations inside our own company is almost as important as the external ones." While it may not be a Universal, it struck me that in many cases "C(I)"—our Internal customers—are in fact ... MORE IMPORTANT ... than C(E)—our external customers. In the GE case, systems sales, often to "foreigners," the salesperson (my GE informant who's a very successful salesperson) wants "an ... UNFAIR SHARE" ... of a host of insiders’ time—engineers, logistics folks, the risk-assessment staff, and even lawyers. Lots of GE dudes are selling lots of stuff—and need, yesterday, lots and lots and lots of Inside Help. I (salesperson) want to be at the front of the queue for the harried risk-assessment staffers time & attention; I want to be head of the queue and getting an unfair share of the engineers', who must customize the product, time and imagination and attention.

Hence my full set of "internal [customer] relationships" could end up being more important, even far more important, than my "external [customer] relations." The applications of this idea range way beyond enormous GE systems sales. I, as a professional services person at the "client interface," want an unfair share—and posthaste—of the Graphics Department's attention when a hastily scheduled Presentation looms. As a junior purchasing staffer, I want an unfair share of the Legal Staff's time as I prepare even a medium-sized contract. As a White House staffer many moons ago, I wanted the various Gatekeepers to put my memo to the VP or P or Secretary of State at the front of an infinitely long cue of stuff from people who waaaaaay outranked me.

So, what have you done lately for your all-important "portfolio" of internal ... CUSTOMERS????? I(I) + C(I) > I(E) + C(E). My Investment in Internal Customers must frequently outstrip my Investment in External Customers. Think about it. Clearly. Precisely. E.g., when was the last time you took a C(I) to lunch or dinner? Or brought Flowers to the Legal Department after they'd done you even a wee favor?

(Yup, another farm picture—couldn't resist.)

100 Ways to Succeed #72:

Beware the Sound of Laughter!

In his autobiography General Norman Schwarzkopf takes us through his career. At one point he explains that he simply cannot tell a joke effectively. Forgets stuff. Timing off. Screws up the punchline. Etc. But then a funny thing happens. He becomes a general. And the minute he pins a star on his collar he apparently becomes hilarious—associates start laughing uproariously at his jokes.

The message is obvious, and has to do with all who manage, not just General Officers. And that message: Beware underlings who laugh at your jokes. Writ large, as is my habit: Once you become a boss you'll never hear the unadulterated truth again. And that's almost as true for a 20-year-old shift boss in a Dunkin' Donuts outlet as for a senior middle manager or business owner.

You are a power figure. Moreover, others' success at work is tied to your whims and fancies—as well as straightforward proof of performance.

The "remedy" is clear, too. For example, MBWA (Managing By Wandering Around) allows you to get far more direct "on the ground" information—Starbucks founder Howard Schultz is surrounded by very smart assistants and executives, yet he religiously visits at least 25 stores a week. A second strategy is making end runs around your own hierarchy. As President of PepsiCo, Andy Pearson would visit an operation such as Frito-Lay, and after an obligatory nod to the CEO, he would head directly to the bullpen where the junior sub-brand managers lived. He'd pick one at random, sit down with her for an hour and discuss what was going on in her neck of the woods. Not only would he be judging Frito's bench strength, but also zeroing in on un-masticated data. A third strategy, if you're well up the hierarchy, is to have a trusted "good cop" nearby. Call this spying if you must, but the idea is someone at hand who is friendly whom you ask to sniff around and give you some direct feedback on how things smell where the rubber meets the road.

So I remind all bosses, courtesy General Norm: Beware the sound of laughter!

(As always in the real world, there are a host of caveats. To cite one example, when "MBWA" becomes a State Visit, not only will nothing be gained, but quite a bit may be lost. Etc. Etc.)

100 Ways to Succeed #70:

Spring Renewal & Cleaning!

Use the First Week of Spring as a ... Formal Springboard for Renewal.

This week: Revisit each project you are working on. Does it Clearly & Unequivocally aim to be ... "Gasp-worthy"? (My fav new term.) Are you searching Far & Wide for "crazy" advisors-input to notch the project up on the WOW Scale? Have you got "crazy customers" (users) lined up who will help you-force you to take the project to another level? Use the Spring Cleaning metaphor: Perform a K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Stupid) Audit on your project. Are the Goals & "Deliverables" & Processes ... Crystal Clear & Beautiful & Uncluttered?

100 Ways to Succeed #71:

Begin the Hunt for Hypomanics!

Reread: "These men were outrageous—arrogant, provocative, unconventional, and unpredictable. They were not 'well adjusted' by normal standards but instead forced the world to adjust to them. ... Without their irrational confidence, ambitious vision, and unstoppable zeal, these outrageous captains would never have sailed into unknown waters, never discovered new worlds, never changed the course of our history."

To survive competitively in the turbulent decades ahead we need to find & cherish such people. What—exactly—is your "Hypomanic Recruitment Plan?" (No kidding. It may be the most serious question you ever try to answer.)

100 Ways to Succeed #69:

Do Unto Others ...

The goal of every action, every meeting, every project:

MAKE OTHERS SUCCESSFUL!

Can you honestly say that the questions you asked at the very last meeting you attended were ... directly & unequivocally ... about making others successful? (As opposed, say, to protecting your department's turf ... or your own turf.) Considering your next meeting, work assiduously on others' successes. Evaluate each comment-suggestion you make in that direct light.

Consider this advice in the exact terms it is stated (and see above, Never Eat Alone): I EXIST TO MAKE OTHERS SUCCESSFUL ... AND THIS IDEA ANIMATES MY EVERY WEE & GRAND ACTIVITY.

100 Ways to Succeed #64:

Adopt the Wooden/CdSstandard!

Make each day a masterpiece!

Is your "next act" (presentation, goal statement for your current project) up to the Cirque du Soleil Standard? Is today a "Masterpiece"?