CEO Success Report - February 2002
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CEO Success Report
- February 2002
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Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs
and business owners.
Contents of this issue...
.. Welcome - A few words from the publisher, Gary Lockwood
.. Thought-Starter - "The Rainmaker"
.. Guest article - "Bringing Corporate Philosophy Alive"
.. CEO Resources
.. Quotes to use in your staff meeting this month
.. Humor to lighten up the executive suite
.. Contact the publisher
.. Subscribe and unsubscribe instructions
See past issues of the CEO Success Report at:
http://www.CEOSuccess.com/archives
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WELCOME to this issue of the CEO Success Report!
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Hello again. I'm Gary Lockwood, President of CEO Success.
Welcome back once again to the CEO Success. I know you have
no shortage of material to read and I thank you for choosing to
read our newsletter.
Remember when scientists used to seed the clouds to try to make
it rain? They would fly over rain clouds and dump salt pellets to try
to force the rain from the clouds. I guess they figured that they
could just help Nature along a bit.
In my years of helping CEOs, business owners and professionals
discover ways to grow their business, I've seen many who sat
around waiting for rain.
My Thought-Starter today outlines the process of becoming your
organization's rainmaker. Many successful chief executives routinely
take positive action to create opportunities for new business. More
clients, more revenue, better client relationships and happier
employees are just a few of the advantages you'll realize when you
take business-building action for your enterprise.
May I ask a small favor? Please forward this issue to other CEOs
and company presidents who may be interested in receiving
these messages. Thank you.
We work hard to provide practical ideas, thought-provoking concepts
and useful information for you. Please give me some feedback
about this issue or about the website. Send your comments to me at
mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
And now for our guest article this month...
Many companies invest a lot of time and resources to develop
corporate philosophies (corporate mission, vision and value
statements) but employees don't buy into them.
How much damage can corporate philosophies do?
Our guest article this month is from Jody Urquhart. In her article,
"How To Engage Employees in Corporate Philosophy", she outlines
how poor corporate philosophies can actually harm your business
and how to effectively use corporate philosophies to improve
performance. Read more about Jody at the end of her article.
I hope you enjoy receiving these articles and ideas to
help you sharpen your thinking about being an effective CEO.
My wish is that you use the ideas in the CEO Success Report to
get the results you really want. If you want some help in putting
them into practice, or if you have questions, email or call.
As you know, our specialty is Increasing the Effectiveness
and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs and business owners.
Enjoy this issue with my compliments.
Sincerely,
Gary Lockwood
CEO Success
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This month's THOUGHT-STARTER
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The Rainmaker
Remember when scientists used to seed the clouds to try to make
it rain? They would fly over rain clouds and dump salt pellets to try
to force the rain from the clouds. I guess they figured that they
could just help Nature along a bit.
In my years of helping business owners and professionals
discover ways to grow their business, I've seen many who sat
around waiting for rain. They would wait by the phone, hoping a
prospective client would call or come to the business. Their attitude
seemed to be a combination of passive hope and resignation.
They hope someone will do business with them. They hope that
others will initiate contact with them. They seem resigned to
whatever business floated their way.
Others, including some of the most successful, took positive action
"to make it rain". These are the ones who made calls, ran ads, got
out of the office to make their own contacts. Through their activity,
these business professionals created opportunities for new business.
A few years ago, my own business went through a slow period. As
the business slowed down, revenues decreased and demands
on my time decreased, too. For awhile, I enjoyed the slower pace.
Then I figured out that we were on a path to financial disaster.
I realized that something had to change drastically.
Verna, my wife and business partner, finally said, "Get on the phone
and stir up the cosmic dust"! So, I took her advice and started
making calls. I called everyone I knew. I called past clients, old
prospects, people from my old phone lists. I even called people
I knew in a previous company. Also, I got out of the office and
attended business mixers, seminars and other events where
business professionals (my target market) tended to show up.
Sure enough, after I started all the activity, we began to notice that
the phone was ringing constantly. We were getting calls from
prospective clients wanting to know more about our services. Even
more interesting, many of the incoming calls were from people we
did not contact. It seemed like the very act of outbound activity was
causing inbound business.
Time and again over the years, I've seen this phenomenon.
Positive action, directed outward seems to stir up the cosmic
dust. It doesn't work if the actions are directed inward. No matter
how many times you count the inventory, rearrange the furniture
or have internal meetings, these inward-focused actions won't
cause clients to show up or prospects to call you.
So what does this mean for you? Consider a couple of things.
First, brainstorm the types of outward-focused activities that are
appropriate for your business. Would it be appropriate to make
calls (to whom?), go visit (where?), run ads (what type, when?).
Would it be reasonable to attend mixers, seminars, do some
direct mailings, conduct a telephone survey, or canvass the
neighborhood?
Next, pull out your calendar and start blocking off some time for
these tasks. Generally, this type of business-building activity is
best done in blocks of time, so pencil in blocks of one to three
hours for this.
Clearly, most of these actions require preparation. To make sure
you don't make a career of just the preparation, schedule the
set-up tasks on your to-do list for specific days. That way, you're
more likely to get them done.
Finally, just do it. You know in your heart that you enjoy the results
of this business-building action, especially when the revenue
starts to come in. The benefits to you and your enterprise are
legion. More clients, more revenue, better client relationships
and happier employees are just a few of the advantages you'll
realize when you take action to make it rain.
So, what are you waiting for? "Stir up the cosmic dust"!
© Copyright 2001 BizSuccess All rights reserved. No duplication
About the Author...
Gary Lockwood is Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the
Lives of CEOs, business owners and professionals.
Get the Free BizSuccess newsletter -
http://www.bizsuccess.com/newsletter.htm
or send any blank email to mailto:subscribe@BizSuccess.com
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Guest Article
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FIERCE RESOLVE - Bringing Corporate Philosophy
Alive
by Jody Urquhart
IF THE SHOE DOESN'T FIT...?
Imagine this. A company has very promising and fashionable
philosophies about customer service, integrity and trust. What are
these glorious implications in the workplace? Nobody knows. Like
beautiful footwear that doesn't fit, no one has been able to try them
out. Many companies invest a lot of time and resources to develop
corporate philosophies (corporate mission, vision and value
statements) but employees don't buy into them because they just
don't fit the actual job. In fact, some employees find these corporate
philosophies loose and irritating. Why?
Often mission, vision and value statements are ambiguous. Imagine
you are a new employee and the organization you work for tells you
to believe in certain philosophies (like your mother made you wear
certain shoes). Yet you look around and you are not sure even the
manager believes or understands them. It's not clear how these
polished philosophies relate to your job, yet you know they are
important. This ambiguity can cause a lot of stress. You want to
get your shoe in the door yet there is this massive void in your soul
because you feel uneasy that organization tells you constantly what
to believe.
PITFALLS TO PHILOSOPHIZING
How much damage can corporate philosophies do? Here are some of the
drawbacks:
1) ambiguous philosophies are hard to apply;
2) they are often created by a small group of employees and enforced
on others;
3) many employees resent being told what to believe;
4) philosophy is theory. Business is a day-to-day hands on activity;
5) employees make things happen and need to be an integral part of
the philosophy.
In many cases it's not so much the corporate philosophy that is the
problem, it's how we apply it. Because employees are at the forefront
of business activity, they need to understand a philosophy in order
to apply it in different situations. If employees aren't engaged and
included in the process an ambiguous statement turns them off their
work. We apply a philosophy by engaging employees in it.
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
How To Engage Employees in Corporate Philosophy
Which would be better: a) a group made up of strong purposeful
individuals or, b) a strong purposeful group that thinks alike?
A group made up of strong purposeful individuals that think on their
feet and define their own standards is far more attractive. Most
successful organizations have mission statements, most individuals
do not. Like organizations, employees need a purpose for their work,
a guiding mission that provides meaning to daily activities.
Employees must come before philosophy. So, before engaging employees
in a corporate philosophy, first help them uncover their own sense
of purpose in their work. The following example will illustrate why
this is important.
When I was a retail manager, most of our staff was young and couldn't
care less about the job. This nonchalant attitude permeated the
corporate culture. It was interesting to watch how quickly new staff
adopted this attitude. They desperately wanted to fit in. As they
loudly proclaimed, "this job sucks!" they pretended not to care about
anything. The workplace defined their expectations of the job. Think
of any new job you have had. When you first started, weren't you
looking for signs that indicated what the culture was like? What was
considered acceptable? How far employees pushed the limits? How much
control the manager really had?
EMPLOYEES NEED TO DEFINE THEMSELVES OUTSIDE OF OTHERS EXPECTATIONS
Corporate culture defines expectations that affect performance. This
is why we need to help employees to identify and strengthen their own
sense of purpose before selling corporate expectations to them.
Employees must define themselves outside of the expectations of
others. They must define what is purposeful about the work, what they
enjoy, and what success looks like to them to enhance their sense of
individual purpose. Employees with a strong sense of purpose are more
accountable, self-motivated and initiating.
Strategy: Here are some tools to help encourage individual purpose in
others.
1. Get employees thinking about why they are in the job in the first
place (besides to pay the rent)
2. The core of individual purpose comes from really getting a hold of
the question, What do you care about in terms of your work?
3. The good manager continually draws the answers from employees.
Just as employees draw from their paycheck you need to draw
from
your talent base. Create conversations about things that
matter
to employees, and creating for them a sense of personal
identity.
When employees have their own sense of purpose they are not
so
easily influenced by the environment or the employees around
them.
They have defined a purpose for themselves that not even a
change
in management, a change in the job or other employees'
negative
opinions can take away.
4. The Mission Test: Ask personnel at every level what the company
mission is and how it affects their job. If you don't get an
accurate or consistent response, it may need to be reworded.
5. Tie everyday tasks and roles to the bigger picture like
contribution to customers, the company and the community.
FROM INDIVIDUAL NEEDS TO COLLECTIVE PURPOSE
As employees are asked what they care about in their jobs the answers
move away from individual concerns towards helping others, building
collective purpose. Employees must take care of individual needs
before they can spare enough energy to contribute to others. Through
coaching and follow-up, managers can help employees care for their
own needs so they can free up their energy for the group good. As
Maslow's Hierarchy suggests, employees need to satisfy lower-order
needs like food and shelter (pay check) and social needs (interaction)
before higher order needs like purposeful work will prevail. As Maslow
suggests, employees are most motivated by their strongest needs, so
find out what those needs are and motivate them accordingly.
PHILOSOPHY THAT FITS
Use the above strategies consistently and turn your polished corporate
philosophies into a fit for the job. Remember, employees are the
resource that makes things happen, thus it is essential to get their
buy-in.
Jody Urquhart, a popular speaker and author of All Work & No SAY Takes
the PASSION Away. Create a Passionate & Committed Workplace. To order
your copy or to discuss having Jody speak at your next meeting, please
email ido@idoinspire.com.
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RESOURCES for CEOs
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The Executive Committee - Chief Executives Working Together
http://www.CEOSuccess.com
** Attention CEOs
Business leaders are choosing a new way to better their companies
and themselves - through membership in TEC, an international
organization of CEOs.
Imagine the benefits of meeting regularly with a small group
of company leaders in your area to share experiences, exchange
ideas and solve common problems.
Thousands of chief executives turn to TEC for a learning
experience they cannot get anywhere else. We are committed
to connecting CEOs with the people, ideas and information they
need to help them improve their businesses and enhance their lives.
Check it out at http://www.CEOSuccess.com
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QUOTES to use in your staff meeting this month
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"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
Anon.
"Live as if your were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever."
Mahatma Gandhi
"An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea
whose time has come."
Victor Hugo
"It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to
succeed in doing what is necessary."
Sir Winston Churchill
"Efficiency is intelligent laziness."
David Dunham
"The harder you work, the luckier you get."
McAlexander
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HUMOR to lighten up the executive suite
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Signs actually seen.
On a Plumbers truck: We repair what your husband fixed.
On the trucks of a local plumbing company in NE Pennsylvania:
Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber.
Pizza shop slogan: 7 days without pizza makes one weak.
At a tire shop in Milwaukee: Invite us to your next blowout.
Door of a plastic surgeon's office: Hello. Can we pick your
nose?
On an electrician's truck: Let us remove your shorts.
In a non-smoking area: If we see smoke, we will assume you
are on fire and take appropriate action.
On a maternity room door: Push. Push. Push.
At an optometrist's office: If you don't see what you're
looking for, you've come to the right place.
On a taxidermist's window: We really know our stuff.
In a podiatrist's office: Time wounds all heels.
On a fence: Salesmen welcome - Dog food is expensive.
At a car dealership: The best way to get back on your feet
- miss a car payment.
Outside a muffler shop: No appointment necessary. We hear
you coming.
In a veterinarian's waiting room: Be back in 5 minutes.
Sit Stay
In a restaurant window: Don't stand there and be hungry.
Come on in and get fed up.
In the front yard of a funeral home: Drive carefully.
We'll wait.
***excerpts from: http://www.joker.org/
***
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CONTACT CEO Success
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Gary Lockwood is the publisher of the CEO Success Report.
Email: mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
Office: (800) 272-1575 (USA) * (909) 984-3344
Fax: (909) 494-4314
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Your Comments, please?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I appreciate feedback, corrections, and comments about the
CEO Success Report. Please send your thoughts to:
Gary@CEOSuccess.com <mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com>
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Copyright © 2002 CEO Success All rights reserved.
