I’ve often used this line as a metaphor for the process of accountability and follow up that makes a real difference in executive performance.
Just being there … letting people know you really meant it when you asked for something to be done … or that it remains important even though it may have been temporarily overlooked … is remarkably powerful. A system of personal accountability that doesn’t follow up on requests to others leaves a lot undone.
Don’t overlook The Power of One.
Urban Meyer is returning as the football coach at the University of Florida, much to the delight of Florida fans everywhere. He has a remarkable track record wherever he’s been and with him, Florida won two national championships in 2006 and 2008. His winning record of .842 is the highest among active coaches with at least 5 years experience (at a Football Bowl subdivision).
So what, you say? Well, Urban Meyer is the poster child for the out of balance work life that earned him an ambulance trip to the hospital last December.
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The recent 92nd PGA championship ended tragically for Dustin Johnson based on a questionable and controversial call. What virtually every observer, from fans to PGA champions, saw as a sandy area of the rough outside of the ropes was declared by rules officials as a sand trap even though spectators were standing in it. Under the rules of golf, that resulted in a two-stroke penalty because a player can’t ground his club in the sand. It cost him a chance to participate in a three-hole playoff for the trophy in one of golf’s four major championships.
It was heart-breaking to watch and even brought a roar of disapproval from the usually reticent golf crowd. For most casual observers, it’s a distinction without a difference … but in the rules-driven PGA tour, it was a judgment call without heart or soul. Mr. Johnson’s disappointment now competes with Armando Galaragga’s recent loss of a perfect game in baseball.
What do we do when we suffer a major disappointment, e.g., the loss of a major client we served so well or the departure of a valued employee to whom we thought we had extended every opportunity?
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Tim Berry called my attention to a great post on the ThinkGeek site. If you’re hungry, dig in … dig in, that is to the hilarious post showing the “cease and desist” letter they received from the National Pork Board claiming that they infringed on the slogan “The Other White Meat”.
You’ve got to read the ultra serious letter from the law firm, even the first page, along with ThinkGeek’s rebuttal. What a hoot!
I wonder what they’re serving in the lawyers’ dining room?
If you don’t think social networking is on an intergalactic trajectory, you haven’t met my nieces and nephews. Ages 8-11-14. NOT from a technology-driven family … so for those of you who are, strap in!
Facebook – old news! Facebook chat – “call me on my cell, Uncle Lary, and I’ll boot up my laptop so we can chat,” my 8 year old nephew proclaimed. Download apps to turn your phone into a walkie-talkie? Check. Waiting at the front door all day for the delivery of your new cell phone, in the color purple? Check. Kick your uncle’s butt in every video game, including the slower ones that I actually understood like golf? Check.
Their grasp of technology is not what’s remarkable. It’s how deeply embedded it is in their DNA
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With thanks to Carmine Gallo, his recent post, The Three Elements of an Inspiring Pitch, reminds us of the power of emotion in telling our story to an interested community. The three critical elements of a pitch that he identifies – Understandable, Memorable and Emotional – are valuable in all forms of communication … and as we know, Communication IS Leadership.
In the Exkalibur Leadership Forum, we’re currently discussing Carmine’s book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, which is an excellent primer that extracts, in clear, practical terms, the essence of how Steve Job’s creates his powerful presentations. If you want to improve your presentation and communication skills in every aspect of your professional life, this is a great place to start.
“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” — Peter Drucker
Today is one of those occasions when I’m not sure what this column is about … so I’m going to let you decide. Is it about resolve, our ability to persevere, to vigorously pursue an idea, uncover its value to our business and set out to relentlessly apply it? Or, is it about execution, our ability to follow proven processes to implement sustainable change in our business? It was probably our moms who first taught us to break down a big task, like cleaning our room, into smaller steps, like “hang up your jacket, put your shoes in the closet,” so that we would ultimately accomplish the bigger goal. Did we need that coaching because we hadn’t resolved to do it in the first place and mom was on to us? Or were we so overwhelmed by the enormity of the task that we didn’t know how or where to start?
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A recent NY Times interview with Dan Rosensweig, CEO of Chegg, a firm that rents textbooks online and by mail, prompted me about the power of the entrepreneurial spirit.
We’re not reminded often enough about the inspirational force of asking what needs to be done … rather than thinking about all the reasons something can’t be done because no one’s done it before. This abiding spirit is what drives entrepreneurs to find new pathways that haven’t been traversed before.
Start your day with that simple question – “What needs to get done?” rather than “How will I ever get this done?” Changing your perspective will change your focus, turn obstacles into positive energy and open passages to renewed commitment and heightened accomplishment.
“Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.” — Ezra Taft Benson
I was ready to return to our series on strategic finance after my last column about the integrity of umpire Jim Joyce and the accountability of BP… until I read a comment in the Washington Post by Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University. Citing Henry Ford’s infamous quote, “Never complain, never explain,” as the preferred way for business leaders to deal with disasters like the Gulf oil spill took me by surprise.
BP is the poster child for a failed apology
In appearing to criticize BP’s CEO Tony Hayward for apologizing for BP’s actions, Mr. Pfeffer extols the value of being on the “winning side,” that people respect strength and diffidence does not convey winning or power. Research in social psychology, he continues, “shows that acting embarrassed or remorseful conveys less power and results in less favorable impressions than acting angry.”
In the context of BP’s PR debacle, those comments seem wildly misplaced. Does Mr. Pfeffer think BP would have won our hearts and minds by taking no responsibility, “never explaining,” and that he should have acted like he was angry that people blamed BP for this unexpected accident? I can’t imagine worse advice than if I recommended that you chase down every meal with a quart of engine oil.
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Welcome to Exkalibur. I’m Lary Kirchenbauer, President of Exkalibur Advisors, Inc. Please take advantage of our resources to help you build your business ... and let me know what more we can do to serve you.
Read my latest column from the NY Times affiliate, the North Bay Business Journal.
Lary began advising our company when we were going through some difficult challenges, and now, two years later, we are in a completely different and significantly better place. His advice was specific, direct, and not always what we wanted to hear, and that was invaluable. Lary has been quick to cut through to the heart of an issue. His coaching, prodding, and tough questioning helped us to make changes that truly and measurably have helped both our top and bottom lines.
Paul Levitan, CEO Galaxy Desserts, Inc.
