CEO Success Report -
April 2003
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CEO Success Report
- April 2003
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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 Bigger Game"
.. Guest article - "The All-American Brand"
.. 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.
We work hard to provide practical ideas, thought-provoking concepts
and useful information for you.
You (and over 1000 of your CEO peers), have honored me by
being a loyal subscriber. For that, I appreciate you.
If you are like me, you occasionally discover that you are dabbling
in tasks that are not taking you in great strides toward your goals.
Today's article is about identifying your Bigger Game. What are the
handful of activities that produce the results that you want; and
will make a difference, taking you in the direction you wish to go?
My "thought-starter" in today's issue reminds you that you are
rewarded only for results.
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.
And now for our guest article this month; something a bit different.
What are some of the hallmarks of a great brand? Our guest author
this issue, Kristine Kirby Webster, says "a great brand is enduring,
establishes affinity, and engenders loyalty."
Based on that, what would you consider to be the "Great American
Brand? Kodak? IBM? Xerox? Kristine has an interesting
choice.
Read about her selection in her illuminating article below.
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 Bigger Game
by Gary Lockwood
Last week, one of my clients told me a story about the new Chief
Operating Officer he just brought into the company.
It seems that Beth, the new COO, had left her old job because the
president of that organization had a bad habit of micro-managing.
He had his fingers in everything and was constantly making
decisions that should have been the realm of the COO.
My CEO client, Tom, does not want to make the same mistake of
micromanaging.
As Tom and I discussed the situation, it became increasingly clear
that, while Tom does not want to micro-manage, he does, in fact,
dabble in decisions and issues that are not CEO-level issues.
Says he gets drawn into these situations regularly and doesn't
have a graceful way out.
When I asked Tom why he hired a Chief Operating Officer, he said
that he wanted to pursue more strategic issues, elevate his vision
and take his company to the next higher level. Tom wants to play
a Bigger Game.
When asked to describe the Bigger Game, Tom couldn't do it.
Oh, he had some lofty-sounding platitudes and some interesting
buzz words. But he couldn't crisply describe his two or three key
focused accountabilities.
No wonder Tom is dabbling in smaller issues. The people in his
organization don't know what Tom needs to be focusing on. And
Tom doesn't have the compelling, crisply stated vision of how
he needs to spend his time.
Only a small percentage (about 20%) of the tasks you personally
perform REALLY make a difference in your business! The rest
is just stuff. What are the 2-3 things that YOU do to drive the
business?
Regularly examine the results you get from the investment of your
time and money. Leverage to produce high-impact results is
attained through support people, automation, outside specialists,
smart delegation and shrewdly managed priorities. Many CEOs
and entrepreneurs are still operating under the mistaken belief
that results are in direct proportion to how hard they work.
This is why it's so important to make wise decisions about how
you invest time and energy. Why do you feel that there's more to
do than you can possibly do? Because there IS more to do than
you can possibly do. You must make choices. Often very difficult
choices.
It is imperative that you are doing the right things, every bit as
much as doing things right. You've heard of the 80/20 rule --
20 percent of all activities will produce 80 percent of the
meaningful results.
What are your 20 percent? What are the handful of activities that
produce the results that you want, that will make a difference, that
will take you in the direction you wish to go?
Remember, you are rewarded only for results.
When you can clearly and succinctly describe your contribution to
the organization, it's much easier for those around you to rise to
the occasion, filling in the gap left when you stop doing non-
essential tasks.
Describe your Bigger Game in 3-4 bullet points. Focus on what
counts. Then, take aggressive action to let go of the tasks that are
just not part of your Bigger Game.
Let go of your need to say "Yes" to every request - Those around
you will give you all the work you are willing to take. Examine all
activities where you spend your time. Which ones can you "let go"?
Let go of some meetings - The typical manager spends 17 hours
each week in meetings plus 6.3 hours getting ready for those
meetings. Nearly a third of that time in meetings is wasted. That
works out to be about six full weeks of the year of useless meeting
time. Skip some of the meetings or send someone else.
Let go of interruptions - Interruptions can drain 1-2 hours a day.
Rather than spend time with anyone who happens to stop by,
close the door, turn off the phone or work from home one day
a week.
Let go of useless tasks - quit doing some of the routine things
you do just because "that's what I've always done". Practice good
priority management. Plan each day to stay focused on those
tasks that will move you toward your goals. Watch for tasks that
can be delegated or simply dropped.
Most of this is really caused by losing focus of true priorities.
Learn to tell the difference between "urgent" and
"important".
Play your Bigger Game.
C 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
==================================
Guest Article
==================================
The All-American Brand
by Kristine Kirby Webster
The other night I was sitting and knitting, and working mentally on
a presentation I am putting together. Specifically, I was trying to
encapsulate in a few points the hallmarks of a great brand.
I decided that a great brand is enduring, establishes affinity,
and engenders loyalty.
After mulling over these hallmarks, I found myself wondering what
I would consider to be the Great American Brand. Would it be Sears,
the original catalog powerhouse? All the Ma Bells, the forerunners
of telecoms today? Would it be McDonald's and their ubiquitous
arches? How about Coke and their national and global reach?
No. The great American brand, in my eyes, is the United States
Marine Corps.
Now, I can almost hear many of you saying, "Wait just a minute,
Kristine....the Marines don't sell anything! How can it be the Great
American Brand?"
I admit it. When most people think of branding, they think of it as
a part of a sales plan, one designed to generate profits. But brands
needn't be about sales. As the hallmarks of a great brand demonstrate,
the bond and the relationship created is the most important goal of
a brand. It can't be stated enough: the true promise of a brand is only
realized through the customer-brand experience and the resultant
relationship.
The Marines are the smallest of the U.S. military services. But if you
were to gauge size merely by the number of bumper stickers on cars
across America, the Marines would win hands-down as the largest.
And the Marines aren't content to simply rest on their historic laurels.
They consistently promote their brand through multi-channel marketing
efforts (both externally and internally) more precisely and effectively
than any other service, and many organizations. Perhaps that is why
they have numbers such as the following that would make any for-profit
business jump for joy:
The Marines have consistently met their monthly recruiting goals for
more than seven years running (unlike any of the other services).
For the Fiscal Year 2003 (which started October 1, 2002), there are
6,100 openings for Marines wishing to re-enlist during this year. As
of October 11, 2002, more than 5,100 Marines had requested re-
enlistment. At that rate, three weeks into their fiscal year they would
meet their annual goal. (Talk about excellent retention!)
One of the main functions for success in branding is consistency. The
Marines have had some form of the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor logo
since their founding in 1775. The Commandant of the Marine Corps
always has the license plates "1775" on his vehicle. Almost all
Marines
begin or end all conversations, correspondence, etc. with "Semper Fi,"
their motto ("Semper Fidelis," meaning "always faithful").
And, of
course, who can forget the Marine Corps bulldog? All of these symbols
combine to reinforce the brand and serve as markers of loyalty and a
sense of community.
In their book, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, Al and Laura Ries note
that "if the entire company is the marketing department, then the entire
company is the branding department." This is absolutely true of the
Corps. Each Marine is a walking, talking advertisement, and a persuasive
one at that. The Marines understand the importance of their brand - both
externally and internally - more than any other service, and more than
most companies. To the Marines, their brand is a living, breathing,
historically-based but constantly evolving thing.
Every strong brand today recognizes that the brand is not a static
thing; it needs to be constantly evolving to meet the needs of their
customers, and it needs to be nurtured and promoted in order to
endure. The Marines understand the need to go out and find those
Marines of tomorrow. They are sponsors of such events as the
X Games, NASCAR, and NFL - that are attractive to their target
audience.
They don't just sit around waiting for candidates; they use the
proactive nature of their brand and message and mission to go
out and attract people who want to be Marines. They promote
not only the tangible benefits of the brand - the uniform, the
respect, the ability to serve your nation, and a chance to see the
world, but also the intangible - the feeling of pride, of belonging
to a select group, of aspiring to be someone great. (Another
Marine tag line is "The Few, The Proud, The Marines.") They
also use their proactive nature to "keep" the Marines who
have served in the past.
Have you ever heard the oft-said phrase, "Once A Marine,
Always A Marine?" The Marines make great efforts to retain
the affinity and relationship between the Corps and the Marine
even after a person's active service is over.
To this end, they have a program called "Marine for Life." The Marine
for Life program's mission "is to provide sponsorship for our more
than 27,000 Marines each year who honorably leave active service
and return to civilian life in order to nurture and sustain the
positive,
mutually beneficial relationships inherent in our ethos 'Once A Marine,
Always A Marine.'"
The Marines clearly understand the importance of relationships,
longevity, and of loyalty. Besides being a force to be reckoned with
on the battlefield (pun intended!), they are a force to be reckoned
with off it. They have a large contingent of Marines - past and
present - as well as their families, whom they can rely on to promote
the needs and the vision of the Corps, from the halls of government
to the smallest farm communities, from inner cities to Fortune 500
boardrooms. The amazing reach of their message is only superseded
by their consistency of purpose and message.
What can your brand learn from the Marines? That consistency is vital,
that loyalty is a valuable asset, and that relationships created in the
brand promise and delivered on by the brand fulfillment are lasting.
That treated well, you can create and have customers for life.
So, perhaps your brand needs to go to boot camp and learn some brand
promotion and loyalty techniques from the Marines. Is your brand up to
the
challenge?
(c) 2002, Kristine Kirby Webster
Kristine Kirby Webster is Principal of The Canterbury Group, a direct-
marketing consultancy specializing in branding and relationship-
marketing. When not doing that, she can be found knitting at a rapid
pace, and thinking of ways to get her dream job - as head of marketing
for the New York Knicks. She can be reached at
Kristine@canterburygroup.net, or at 703-836-3882.
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RESOURCES for CEOs
=============================================
Get ALL you want from your business AND
have fun along the way!
I have openings for two new business coaching clients. If
you are ambitious, ready to tackle some big achievements,
and are willing to be accountable for the results you
produce, let's talk.
Coaching is not cheap, nor is it easy. If you are in charge
of your life, ready to move quickly, and can afford to invest
in your future, contact me at 909/984-3344 or by email at
Gary@BizSuccess.com
We can discuss your situation and how the business coaching
program could help you get the results you want.
Check out the details at
http://www.BizSuccess.com/coach.htm
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QUOTES to use in your staff meeting this month
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"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the
man who cannot read them."
Mark Twain
"This above all; to thine own self be true."
William Shakespeare
"Power (n): The only narcotic regulated by the SEC instead of the
FDA."
Anon
"There is no way to peace; peace is the way."
A. J. Muste
"The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is
to say
thank you. In between, the leader is a servant."
Max De Pree
"The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says, 'Go!' -
a leader says, 'Let's go!'"
E. M. Kelly
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HUMOR to lighten up
the executive suite
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How to Place New Employees in a Proper Department
Take the prospective employees you are trying to place and
put them in a room with only a table and two chairs. Leave
them alone for two hours, without any instruction. At the end
of that time, go back and see what they are doing.
If they have taken the table apart,
put them in Engineering.
If they are counting the butts in the ashtray,
assign them to Finance.
If they are waving their arms and talking out loud,
send them to Consulting.
If they are talking to the chairs,
Personnel is a good spot for them.
If they are wearing green sunglasses and need a haircut,
Computer Information Systems is their niche.
If the room has a sweaty odor,
perhaps they're destined for the Help Desk.
If they mention what a good price we got for the table and chairs,
put them into Purchasing.
If they mention that hardwood furniture DOES NOT come from
rainforests,
Public Relations would suit them well.
If they are sleeping,
they are Management material.
If they are writing up the experience,
send them to the Technical Documents team.
If they don't even look up when you enter the room,
assign them to Security.
If they try to tell you it's not as bad as it looks,
send them to Marketing.
***excerpts from: http://www.joker.org/ ***
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CONTACT CEO Success
=================================
Gary Lockwood is the publisher of the CEO Success Report.
Email: mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
Office: (800) 272-1575 (USA) * (909) 739-7444
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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