Ideas-to-Action

The "Best Idea Ever"

I met the most amazing person earlier this week.  Jennifer Hale is a true expert in organizational development, leadership development, facilitation, and coaching.  Her joy and passion for helping people improve their lives and organizations radiates from her facial expressions, to the words she uses, to how she engages with people individually and as a group.  She has the unique ability to leave people in a better place than where they started.

In one of our training conversations this week, she told us about the "best idea ever".  I have thought about this idea, done some of it mentally, but never put the pen to paper. 

Life is about relationships.  We know that networking is critically important (both personally and professionally), but we often don't take the time to prioritize and invest in the relationships we want to build.  Now, we have technology like LinkedIn and Facebook to keep engaged with a variety of people who enter our lives, but...

Do you have your Top 20 list? 

Have you identified (i.e. written down on paper) the top 20 people who you want to build relationships with?  Notice, I did not say get something from (like a job recommendation or a work contract).  These are people that you are truly interested in and want to build a relationship that has 1) mutual enjoyment, 2) respect, 3) shared experiences, 4) trust, and 5) reciprocity (signs of a solid relationship from John Maxwell's "Talent is Never Enough").

You will find that your Top 20 will change over time.  Some people who were in the Top 20 will fall out, some will be added.  Always be open to new relationships.

For some people, getting to 20 is hard...stop reading right now, take 3 minutes and simply write down the Top 10 people that you want to develop deeper relationships with.  Was it who you expected?  Was it hard to find 10?  Who did you have to trade-off to get your top 10?  What are you doing today to invest in those relationships?  Do you have a plan to build the relationship?  Are your actions effective?  What could you do different?

One thought that was going through my mind as Jennifer was facilitating this week is that some people seem to treat the number of connections on LinkedIn as a "badge of honor" while others treat individuals with great honor and value.  We love to make connections through current technology.  They are easy and fast.  LinkedIn and Facebook are good tools to connect people, but then we must individually decide if we want to invest time and effort with specific people to build solid relationships.  We must take time to have conversations, not simply link to each other in the digital world.

How are you approaching networking and relationship building?  Are you investing in building solid relationships or simply created an on-line Rolodex?  Who is in your Top 20?

Jennifer, thanks for the spark...

Inspiring

I was extremely privileged and blessed to hear Nick Vujicic speak last Sunday.  Nick was born without arms or legs and offers an amazing, inspiring story and message.  It is impossible to hear Nick and walk away without some self examination about where we put our trust, what we do to put our faith into action, and how we let meaningless things steal our joy. 

You can get more information about Nick at Life Without Limbs.

Experience profound joy in your life and live a life without limits.

Best Consulting Firms to Work for...

 

As many of you may know, I recently left a very long "industry-side" career in marketing and operations management to join the consulting ranks at North Highland.  Last week, I received tremendous validation for this decision as North Highland was ranked #4 in Consulting Magazine "Best Firms to Work for in 2007".  In a year when the competition for this honor is more difficult, North Highland is sitting with the classic consulting powerhouses of Bain, BCG and McKinsey.  Wow!

It was a long and difficult decision to leave a career path I have been cultivating since becoming a marketing major at Texas A&M, but one that got easier as I discovered and learned more about North Highland.  As I became more "mature" in my career, I found that I truly enjoyed and had passion for helping people and organizations overcome problems that hindered performance.  Incidentally, this is also why I started this blog. 

What I found in North Highland was a company purpose and a lot of mature consultants and leaders that wanted to do the same thing I wanted to do.  In addition to a culture that supports a holistic approach to work and life (i.e. no travel, employee owned, eat dinner with the family, go to the school play, etc.), there is an overriding passion to change the way people think about consulting.  No consulting glitz or glamor.  Simply mature, very real, highly skilled people with a strong desire to help companies and help people. 

I spoke with Dan Reardon a few weeks ago on how strategic decisions get made at North Highland.  He stressed the importance of assessing decisions through the lens of culture impact.  Growth is good, but not at the expense of culture...not at the expense of what makes us who we are.  Great effort has been made to build the North Highland caring, relationship-based culture; and great care is being taken to ensure its sustainability...something far too many leaders forget as their companies enter high growth phases.

Earlier tonight, I had to help my daughter with kindergarten project to "describe the type of work her parents do".  How do I describe my new job as a consultant?  Wow!  There are some great $50 words that are often used to describe consulting (most of which end in "ize") -- I really wanted to impress the 5-year olds!  Finally, I went back to North Highland's idea of changing the way people think about consulting and told her "I help sick companies get well".  She said, "Oh, you're a doctor."  In a way, yes.

Congratulations to all the people of North Highland that came before me, and thank you to the current leaders who put their faith and confidence in me to help carry this torch forward.

Screen Door on a Submarine

Over the course of 17 years in business and marketing, I have seen a variety of training and development programs with aims to improve skills and capabilities for individuals and companies.  However, what I find most perplexing is that training and education is often pursued without an approach to apply new learning.

The pursuit of knowledge without the application of what you learn is a fruitless endeavor.  It creates very little realized value.  Great potential is never realized.

Company programs tend perpetuate this problem with their approach to measuring training performance (i.e. # of people trained or % compliance to required training).  Which is more beneficial, measuring the number of certifications or measuring the changes in behaviors that lead to improvement?

I am a firm believer in constantly learning and improving yourself, your company, and society.  Each day is a new opportunity to learn, grow, and improve.  Here are some practical learning and application guidelines that constantly work to follow:

• Approach learning from the perspective of "how/where I can apply new knowledge", not from the perspective of "what will I learn?"
• Integrate learning and application with everyday life.
• Apply small bits of learning at a time.  Be iterative.  Test.
• Take responsibility for self-development.  Don't count on a company or others.
• Learn through relationships.  Get a mentor.  Be a mentor.
• Read at least 2 books a month (1 profession related, 1 non-fiction/personal/fun).
• Look for adjacencies and how you can apply learning from one area of life to another area of life.
• Be holistic.  Grow as a person, not just as a business professional.
• Be moldable.  Be coachable.

Learning without application is as valuable as a screen door on a submarine.

Do Unto Others

In the past 16 years, I have owned 7 Hondas (4 Accords, 1 CRV, 1 Pilot, 1 Odyssey).  You would think I am loyal to Honda automobiles.  Actually, I am loyal to the service provided by John Eagle Honda...specifically, to the personal attention and service provided by Richard Rainoshek.  Richard takes a personal pride in his work and in the service he provides, one person at a time.  He makes me feel like I am his most important customer, takes time to explain things to me, and always has a friendly word and tone of voice.   I spent time watching him with other customers and he did the same thing with them!  It was awesome to see a "service master" at work.  For the few moments he was working with a customer he gave his full and undivided attention, connected with them personally, and left them with a sense that each one of them was important.

While the tone, processes, and policies of service delivery are set by John Eagle Honda (the company), it is delivered by the individuals that touch customers each day.  Richard lives and delivers service by "The Golden Rule".  It is not about just solving the problem, it is about making people feel important.

Because of the loyalty created by the service I receive at John Eagle Honda, I have influenced at least 4 Honda purchases by my family and friends.  Now, John Eagle Honda services Acuras.  Hmmm, so many choices?

Why I Started Blogging

Over the past few weeks since launching the Ideas-to-Action blog, many of my colleagues have contacted me with words of praise and support.  They also have many questions like:  What made you want to start blogging?  How do you have time? Where do you get your ideas from?

I have been happy to answer each person individually, but after reading a couple posts (Pro Bono and Just One Post) on Seth Godin's Blog, I hit myself in the head, said "DUH", and decided to write my comments in my blog.

My objectives for this blog were outlined on Day 1, however, my individual motivations were not.  Basically, I wanted to start a blog for the last couple of years, but just never did it.  Was it fear?  Was it laziness?  I really don't know.  I just did not start.  However, I wanted a creative outlet to express ideas and grow professionally; and I wanted help people explore ideas and grow themselves. I had been speaking at conference and working to get published, but craved a more consistent outlet to share, learn, and grow.

Finally, a good friend challenged me just start some thing with a simple post and see where it goes.  So I did.  I decided to build a blog around my professional passion, it took about 5 minutes to get a Typepad blog registered, then a few hours (over a few days) to figure out what I wanted it to look like (they make it really easy).

Then came the hard part...actual content.  What could I write that would have interest.  Timing is everything.  My first column was coming out on BPTrends, so I decided to make it easy and launch my blog with the launch of the column.  Whew!  First major post done...what next?!?!?!  I started observing the business environment closer to see where there were intersections with my list of ideas and hot topics in the marketplace.  Then I just started writing.  It really is that simple!

Where does the time come from?  5 minutes here, 10 minutes there, and hour late a night.  It is amazing, once you get past the initial launch and a few posts, it becomes more natural.

Ultimately, if this blog stays true to it stated aim, I hope it a) gets used as a "pro bono" source of inspiration and information and b) makes me a better business leader, marketer, influencer, and person.

If you have not started blogging.  What is holding you back?  You have great ideas that are ready to be shared and unleashed.  It does not have to be on business.  It can be on anything.  Check out my good friend's blog on his passion.  People want to hear you.  I want to hear you.  Just start.   One post at a time.

The Power of a Passionate Consumer

Call it what you want - Word of Mouth, Buzz, Consumer-Generate Media, Social Networking, or User-Generated Content - there may be nothing more powerful than the testimony of a passionate consumer.

Last November, my wife (in tears) called me to let me know about a video a friend has just emailed her.  The kcmillerfamily posted this video on YouTube to let parents know about the importance of a 5-point harness car seat.  The powerful video is a tribute to their son, Kyle, who was killed in a car crash while sitting in a seat belt booster (not a 5-point harness).  In the video, they claim seat belts are known to fail and a 5-point harness would have saved their son; they specifically identified the Britax Regent as the car seat to buy.  We had just moved our child to a seat belt booster, so that afternoon we went straight to Babies R Us to buy a Britax Regent (price did not matter).  They were sold out and the sales staff commented "you must have seen that video".  We tried USA Baby.  Same response.  We check on-line stores.  Everyone was sold out of the Britax Regent - and every retailer knew about the video.  Finally, we called Britax.  The person we spoke to said the video had taken them by surprise and they would be out of stock for at least 4 to 5 months.  Britax was not prepared to respond to the positive buzz in the marketplace.

Why was the Miller family video so powerful?

1. It has high perceived legitimacy.  With its raw, intense emotion, the legitimacy of the video was never in question.  People even reached out to the family through caring and thankful comments on YouTube.  The Miller family's emotion broke through the Internet clutter and disengenuous marketing efforts to establish a real and honest conversation with parents of toddlers.
2. The important child-safety message generated a high propensity to share.  Could you really be a good friend if you did not share this safety message with your friends?  On YouTube, there have been 1,969,427 views and 1,304 comments since October 26.  This video is one of the top (#29?) videos viewed in the People & Blogs category.
3. The video drove viewers to take immediate action to purchase a Britax Regent for their toddler.  After viewing the video, what loving parent could justify not purchasing that car seat?  Viewers are called to action at 3:17 into the video, "The investments you make TODAY are the only thing that will be there to save your child when an accident happens."  Thus, every retailer and online merchant was out-of-stock for at least 4 months.

While perceived legitimacy is table stakes, high propensity to share and the drive to take immediate action are essential for Word of Mouth to have dramatic impact, good or bad, on a company. 

Some things to consider for your company:

• Don't fool yourself and think you can control it.  The consumer is in control - and will be in more control in the future.  Make plans and be prepared for it.
• Consumers are wielding ever increasing power to shape a brand, message, and customer experience.  How engaged are you in actively monitoring consumers and understanding the "buzz" in the marketplace?  Do you have "listening posts" on the web that constantly gather feedback and input?
• Agile processes should be in place that can respond quickly to changes brought on by a single customer.  How would your supply chain and manufacturing react to product demand similar to Britax?  Would a run on your product take you by surprise?  Do you have alternatives in place to engage highly motivated consumers…especially if you cannot fill their demand?   Can your company respond as an integrated system, or do you simple let PR handle consumer comments?

The story continues...The Miller family established a foundation to spread the word about the importance of 5-point harness car seats.  They take donations to help families that cannot afford to purchase these seats on their own.  The life of Hamilton Duncan was saved because his parents viewed the video and took action.

Britax Regent is now in stock.  We own a Britax Decathlon and will buy a Britax Regent soon.

Our hearts, prayers, and thanks go out to the Miller family.