People are different

Leaders deal with people.  Managers deal with people.  Customer service people deal with people.  Salespeople deal with people.  Everyone deals with people – and we are all people ourselves.

People are different – and this makes people dealing with people something that has to be adjusted for the people involved.

Some people are open – they will tell you whatever you want to know and more.  Some people are self-contained and will only give you information they think you need to know or that you specifically ask for – maybe.

Some people are direct – they will tell you what is on their mind and be straightforward.  Some people are indirect and soften their language and work around confrontation.

If you are the “customer”, you can be your native style – you’re not trying to influence anybody.  But if you are the leader, manager, salesperson, customer service representative, you will have to modify your style to that of the person you are working with to get them to feel comfortable with you and want to work with you.

Understanding this, and having “behavioral flexibility” is the key to being good at dealing with a wide variety of people effectively – and those that can do that are in high demand.

Two key sales strengths

Salespeople – two efforts that must be very strong on your part –

1) Ask for the business.

2) Follow-up on unsold proposals.

Are you personally strong in these areas?

(Your Company Name Here) School

You are a training company – or at least you should be.

You can scale if you get enough people trained well and performing.

Having a “school” for your company to train new and existing people forces you to get clear and better about what you are training them on.

Once you set it up, it will empower and enable your ever-growing team to get the results you are looking for.

It doesn’t have to be Harvard.  A collection of books and videos from you or your people, or partially from outside sources will be a great start.

What if your competitor had a school and you didn’t?

Better get on that!

Outrun your competitors

Two men are walking on the Savannah.  A lion starts chasing them.  One man stops to tie his shoelace.

“What are you doing!?” the other shouts at him.  “We have to outrun that lion!”

As the man stands he says “I don’t have to outrun the lion, I just have to outrun YOU.”

You don’t necessarily have to be the best business of any kind in your state. 

You just have to be better than your competitors (according to your customers).

How do you do that?

Create a business you can be proud of!

Are you proud of every part of your business?

Why not make it so you (and your team) are?

You can.

Be home by 5:30

If you do the leadership job right and you are disciplined, you will be home by 5:30.

Prioritize, delegate, and empower.  Create a job for yourself that you can do in 45 hours a week. 

Get other people to do the rest. 

You and your family will be happy this way.

The Pereto Principle

In 1897, Italian economist Vilfredo Pereto noticed that 20% of the population controlled 80% of the wealth and income.  Being a curious economist, he then noticed that 20% of the pea pods in his garden yielded 80% of the peas.  Continuing his research he found that 20% of the criminals committed 80% of the crimes.  20% of the beer drinkers drank 80% of the beer.  20% of the clothes one owned were worn 80% of the time.  20% of married people accounted for 80% of the divorces.

Continuing Pereto’s observations we see that 20% of the drivers cause 80% of the accidents.

20% of your carpet has 80% of the wear.  20% of the streets get 80% of the traffic.

20% of clients contribute 80% of the profit.

This is now known as the Pereto Principle.

80% of the results come from 20% of the causes.

Prioritization based on the Pereto Principle is the master skill of high achievers.

80% of the Time and Effort (many trivial tasks) get 20% of our results, while…..20% of the Time and Effort (the few vital tasks) get 80% of the results.

What is the 20% that gets the 80% for you?

Focus there.

Humor – a useful tool to a leader

“Humor is a universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life” – Alan K. Simpson

“Humor is perhaps a sense of intellectual perspective: an awareness that some things are really important, others are not; and that the two kinds are most oddly jumbled in everyday affairs.” – Christopher Morley

People with a sense of humor are especially skilled at coping with adversity.

Don’t use humor in poor taste, and don’t make fun of people except yourself.  Humor can be a great tool for a leader.

A Degree in Character

What colleges don’t teach is character.  

I think most people know good character from bad, but they need to know it is valued above results.

Talk about it with your team.  Bring the discussion forward.  Not in a self-righteous or reprimanding way, but in a sincere way.  And don’t pretend you are perfect.  

What does it mean to be trustworthy?  What does integrity mean?  Helpful?  Courteous?  Clean?  Kind?

When people feel that character is important and that others around them including the leader display it, they will feel safer and spend less time and energy with their guard up.

When will you talk about personal character to your team?  

What will you talk about?

Prepare for the future

In my company, we have lots of departments, divisions, and locations and we need lots of leaders. 

The more leaders the better.

We prepare for expansion and growth by identifying talented people and preparing and equipping them to lead.

Let them sit in on leadership discussions.  Train them a lot.  Talk to and with them.  Let them experience different functions and departments in the company.  Have people of different ages coming up.

We can grow as fast as we develop good leaders.  

When we need them, they have been there and ready!