It’s Snowing Again. Grab Your Fishing Pole.

Motivation can be a slippery little thing.

In January I asked my team to read Fish! so we could discuss it throughout the month of February. The book handles four topics pivotal to great customer service and, in my opinion, life in general. Learning and properly applying these concepts can help anyone improve; personally as well as professionally.

Last weekend Baltimore, MD was the recipient of what is amounting to a record-setting snow fall for this area. Measurements range from 24 to 30 inches, depending on your source. Now it seems we are due to receive an extra one to two feet…again, depending on your source.

Like any other business team we still have personal and team quotas and goals. We still need to contribute to our area and district and region. There is still business to conduct. Customers to serve. Relationships to build. Then there is the reality that we very well may be closed for business a large part of this week. I guess it’s time to go fishing. One of the four concepts jumped up and bit me…

Choose Your Attitude:

Now is the time to stay positive. Remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s still early in the month. Keep doing the right actions in the right way and the results will follow.

There may be a lot you can’t do, but what CAN you do? Schools, governments, and many businesses are closed. The weather is still bad. If your clients are personal, try them at home. You may actually get them and they may actually enjoy setting an appointment – something to look forward to. Some of them are probably getting stir crazy – invite them in for an appointment. You made it to work, didn’t you?

Remind your team of the concepts of momentum and activity producing results. They know all this, but the extra focus may help.

Most of all, practice what you preach. Remain focused. Create, look for, and capture every opportunity. Keep doing what you know needs to be done.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

How do you motivate yourself day in and day out, no matter what the “weather”?

How do you motivate your team during a season of easy distraction?

How do you acknowledge reality and still push towards the goal?

A Mattress, A Belly Dancer, And Some Fire

I just saw a TV advertisement for a local mattress distributor. I’m still in shock so I’ll share my pain:

Picture a man in a bright red suit with a jet black, very bad wig. While he “sings” and gyrates a stern looking female slams away on a drum kit in the corner. Various mattresses are strewn about the set. As I feel my jaw land on the floor…enter the belly dancer twirling batons of fire.

It was like they channeled the really awful alternate universe version of the White Stripes, then added a belly dancer and some fire…just for good measure.  I’d rather sleep on the floor, thank you. Or go elsewhere.

As you do your thing today, whether professionally or personally, please keep in mind your presentation. Be yourself and push the envelope…I’m not encouraging mindless robots. I am encouraging you to let the White Stripes be the White Stripes. You be you. And for crying out loud, leave the fire twirling belly dancers out of it.

Seeing Eye Dog

I found myself filling my car up with gas at my usual watering hole. On this day though, there was snow on the ground that had become a slushy mess on the road. As I stood by the pump I noticed a woman crossing the street… awkwardly. There was something about the way she was clutching her purse, shopping bag and umbrella… As I turned my attention more fully toward her I took it all in at once: the woman was blind.

The intersection she was crossing is typically a busy one. The slushy mess made walking difficult. And the location… yes, there are shops around and residential areas, but you don’t walk to this location for the scenery. This walk is made out of necessity. Bundled up against the frigid wind, clutching awkwardly at her packages and possessions… I saw more…

Her other hand held tightly to the harness of her guide dog. The concentration and care on the dog’s face was obvious and clear. He would get her across that intersection. He would help her navigate the terrain. All of a sudden, half way through, the woman leans down – “Good job. Good job. Good job. Good job.” Quietly. Gently. Over and over. Encouraging the one she was relying on to get her through. Encouraging the one she needed to bring her home.

How often do we offer words of encouragement to those around us? Friends, coworkers, business associates? Beyond this, how often do we encourage those we rely on? Those who serve us?

Even more to the point: Who do we build up more – those outside our homes or those inside our homes? How often do I encourage and build up the very souls I need to help me navigate the terrain and bring me home? The woman did not stop. Have I even started…?

Play Ball!

Did you watch any of the NFL Play-Offs this past weekend? What would the games have looked like without any boundary lines? Paying attention to the multitude of thin lines out there and playing on the proper side of them is crucial to long-term, sustained…well…anything. You tell me. Branding? Growth? Sales volume? Yes. Yep. You got it.

If you aren’t sure what the thin lines in your industry are: find out. (Hint: Ask your customers. They may know even more than long time employees.)

Once you know what the lines are: decide if you are operating on the correct side.

Once you know that: do something. Do something great. Something fantastic. Something creative.

When the field of play is well-marked, the games can truly begin. With as bad as the economy has been, the field of play is well-marked.

Let the games begin!

Line Stepping

There’s a thin line between:

great customer service and an annoying ankle biter

a fan and a fanatic

success and excess

candor and rancor

a stand up comedian and a jerk

networking and socializing

knowing when to hold ‘em, fold ‘em, walk away, and run

blame and responsibility

really good wine and really expensive old grape juice

delegation and passing the buck

an honest mistake and an habitual line-stepper

What are the thin lines in your industry? Are you operating on the right side of those lines?

15 Minutes Starts…NOW

Big thanks to the team at Wordswell! I am honored to have a guest spot on this weeks Wordswell Blog.

If you aren’t familiar with them yet, I highly suggest you become familiar with them and do so quickly. Their Communiqué is something I really look forward to reading and what they are doing with brand development and social media is amazing and inspiring. Check them out. Connect with them. They’re everywhere.

wordswell.com

communiqué

my guest spot

Stuff I Don’t Understand

Women. I don’t get ‘em. My wife recently celebrated a birthday so some of her closest girlfriends took her out for some food, and then they all came back to our place to enjoy the rest of the evening together. She left the house around 7:45pm and they all returned to our place to hang out around 9:45pm. At breakfast the next morning I began the inquisition. Get this…they “talked” the whole time. No TV, interweb, flipping of the channels, movies…no technology of any kind. Just talking. Until about 2am. I’m an addition and subtraction kind of guy so let’s do the math:

4 women + food + beverage + the house to themselves + 6 hours = TALKING?

My maleness and me understand talking at a restaurant. I mean, the fellas and I find plenty to discuss. Fodder includes the multiple TV’s with various sports, that hilarious text or email, and the conversation really flies if the wings were fantastic. But at home? With no technology of any kind? The TV is off limits? No distractions or multi-tasking? Now you’re talking about the need for State Department Sub-Committees and a Navy SEAL Team on site cocked, locked, and ready to rock.

Maybe the ladies are on to something. (No. I will not surrender my “Man Card”.) I mean, what if all this conversation and sharing of life…connection…what if it’s really the way to go? Common statistics often point out that women live longer then men. Unscientific research indicates that women cultivate deeper, richer, longer lasting friendships. It’s a well known unsubstantiated fact that women are more squared away than men. I’m not saying they’re perfect. Everyone is human. That said, it isn’t women constantly making headlines for scandalous activities and the destruction of families and homes. (An uber-intelligent and stupendous woman pointed that out to me between commercials one time.)

Are you interested in digging a little bit deeper on this topic in a serious manner? Two places to start are the Kirtsy Book and a conversation about transparency. On the other hand, if you’re interested in this topic for the tongue-in-cheek mild amusement it is currently intended, please search your mental hard-drive and double click the folder marked Lists. Scroll down to the document called Stuff I Don’t Understand and make this entry:

How and why can women TALK for over 6 hours straight…and ENJOY it?

(Now where’d I leave that remote?)

Leading The Ju Ju Man

Have you ever heard little kids laugh when they hear something they think is funny? My wife and I have 2 fantastic little boys, ages 4 and 2. They explode with laughter every time they hear Bono sing the line: “Ju Ju man, Ju Ju man” in Breathe…which they call, “that breathe song”.

The first time it happened I about jumped out of my skin. We were bouncing around town together while they were talking amongst themselves in the back seat. I was focused and already thinking of the next stop to make, pondering the lyrics earlier in the song, and wondering where to score my next cup of coffee when all of a sudden the explosion of laughter and “that guy said Ju Ju man, Dad!” came out of the back seat with a volume to rival any rock concert in history. The only thing that mattered to them in that moment was that they just heard some guy say, “Ju Ju man.”

Have you seen an example of the same message being heard in two different ways? Have you ever been through the same event with someone else and realized that you both had completely different experiences?

As a leader you may be focused on where you are going, what your organization is about, and how to keep yourself going; but what about your team? What about the people figuratively in your back seat? What message are they hearing? What is their experience along the way?

My kids experienced a great laugh. We had a family bonding moment. That’s personal. (And in my opinion, awesome.) However, in business, if your employees aren’t dialed in to where your organization is headed; if they aren’t focused and energized…then you might as well be zipping around town with the latest tunes crashing through the speakers. Which again, in your personal life can be a memory to treasure. Professionally speaking though, it may not be the best way to lead an organization. Just sayin’.

Scorched Earth, an Easy Button, and a Psych Degree

Is it better to burn the bridge or scorch the earth?

The majority of my career has been spent in roles that combined sales, service, and management. I’ve transitioned through several positions in several organizations. Each time I have tried to part ways with as little damage as possible for all involved. Maybe I succeeded, maybe I didn’t, but that was the goal.

I received a voice mail from a previous client recently looking for help. They had no idea I was with a different organization, they just needed some help. Reaching out to my previous district manager I was able to connect the client with a live person to offer them a solution. No burned bridges. No scorched earth. Just an easy connection.

[push] “That was easy.” [push] “That was easy.” My kids can turn an Easy Button into a dance club remix with a quickness. Why shouldn’t it be easy for our customers? If we did business with them in a previous role, but they still think of us when they need help…isn’t that a good thing? I think it is. My wife keeps half-joking, “hey, times are tough.” In many ways she’s right. With this in mind I’ll ask again…why NOT make it easy for people to do business with us? With you as an individual and/or whatever organization you serve at the moment.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I know transitions are difficult. I also believe that burning an occasional bridge might be the healthy thing to do. Bridges can be rebuilt. But scorching the earth? Leaving nothing in your trail but ash and desolation? That permanently alters the landscape.

Have you scorched the earth? It may be worth extending a white flag. The landscape will still be changed, but in environments like this it may be worth the effort.

Have you burned any bridges? It may be time to rebuild.

Are you easy to do business with? It may be time to think this through for yourself as a professional and your organization.

Sometimes I actually feel like I’m putting that Psychology degree to work. And yes, I am still amused that I have a B.S. degree. (No really. It is. Bachelor of  Science.)

Ben Franklin Can Bite Me.

Not Uncle Benny. Not the fine gentlemen pictured on the one hundred dollar bill. That guy’s one cool cat. I’m talking about Ben Franklin the sales technique. You know, the good old pro vs con list…the “should I or shouldn’t I”…the good vs bad…

This time of any year is classic for top ten lists, photo galleries, etc. Add to the turning of this year the turning of a decade and it’s guaranteed to provide a pop culture explosion of “remember when…”

As I considered my own lists of moments that marked the last year and decade I found myself straying one of two directions. Whether I was considering my personal life or my career I kept straying to lists of difficulties or blessings. The happy or the sad. The moments I was proud of or the moments I would rather erase.

I told you all that to tell you this -

Last night while walking the dog I made the mental connection – I was pulling a Ben Franklin on myself. It was at that moment, while walking the dog, bundled against the cold and carrying a steaming bag of dog poop that I had my epiphany: Ben Franklin can bite me.

There are times that I go too far into my head and don’t fully live. For this New Year…for the next few days…I just want to BE. I want to engage, connect, interact…live and in person…fully present. I’ll ponder later. I’ll reflect shortly. For now I want to focus on family and friends, good food and great fun…

However you celebrate, whenever you choose to reflect, I challenge us all to be thankful for everything. That said,

No comparisons for now. Not tonight. Ben Franklin can bite me.

Happy New Year!