3 Steps to Ensuring Team Commitment

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  Leaders seeking commitment from their teams regarding the implementation of a decision often encounter delays as a team pursues consensus and certainty. Living with the reality that decisions must be made promptly, and typically with limited time for research or analysis, is a fact of life for leaders; they understand that these circumstances could lead to a decision being wrong. But their teams may struggle with this reality as they work towards committing to the …

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The Sale Tale

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Without customers, there is no business. New orders from these customers are the lifeblood of every company. As a result, sales teams are incented to close more orders. But getting the order is only the beginning of the sale tale. Until the customer pays the invoice, new orders are just promissory notes, reflecting your commitment to deliver your promised solution and the customer’s promise of payment if satisfied. The order may be booked, but the …

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Inspiring Improvement

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449     Pursuing improvement means tackling change. Change is hard work…it requires commitment, perseverance and discretionary effort.   Commitment, perseverance and discretionary effort cannot be commanded…they must be inspired. Inspiration rises when people believe that their work is meaningful…that they are making a difference. The awareness that work is meaningful springs from the expression of a Company’s Purpose and how consistently its leaders and people act in accordance with …

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The 2 Sides of Promise

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449    Customers don’t buy your product or service – they buy the benefits your solution promises to produce. The most compelling solutions generate strategic value, a quantifiable financial advantage that stimulates customer growth, paired with a strengthening of their distinctiveness and competitive advantage. These promises cultivate enduring relationships when they are fulfilled. Delivering what you pledged to deliver is the other side of your promise. Without fulfillment, your …

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Challenging the Status Quo

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449     Implementing standard procedures helps sustain the consistency and quality of work, usually boosting productivity. But the drive for conformity has a price. It increases bureaucracy which can inadvertently stifle the very creativity and initiative you ask your people to practice, potentially compromising innovation and improvement. The same conformity that delivers greater reliability, risk-proofing and safety can breed a fear of failure and a drift towards mediocrity. Since …

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Leadership and Challenge

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449      There are times when leaders must confront adversity that threatens their business. Other times, to improve performance, they disrupt the established order by challenging the status quo. Whether the challenge is external or internal, leaders make things happen. Leadership and challenge are inseparable. Business leaders you admire are likely remembered for launching an entrepreneurial venture, developing a novel product and service, transforming a failing business, or revolutionizing …

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How Customers Assess Value

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Whether you provide a product or a service, its value to your customers depends on their goals. Your success in earning their business depends on your ability to discover what your customer values and why. If the customer’s business is mature, then proposing solutions that reduce cost typically capture attention.  Cost reduction targets are easily identified and validated; they directly impact net profit. And, unfortunately, they make it easier …

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3 Questions People Ask About You

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Bob Schultek rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449     People take action because it benefits them. If you’re a leader or a salesperson trying to connect with others, your focus must be on them. It’s a simple truth that is often forgotten. Your target audience will ask themselves 3 questions to discover your intentions: 1. “Do you care about me?” Mutual interest is the impetus for establishing a connection. Trying to learn another person’s perspective regarding a shared goal or concern …

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Your Life – Your Choice

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Bob Schultek rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449    Life does not arbitrarily impose itself on you. Rather, you choose how you feel about the circumstances in your life and work. You’re making this choice every day, multiple times a day. Will you choose to be optimistic, to engage with or to encourage others? Will you choose to be curious, to inquire, or to challenge the status quo? Will you strive to make a difference? It may seem that …

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Bob Schultek Releases New Book

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Bob Schultek’s new book The Gauntlet is now available on Amazon. The Gauntlet tells the tale of a business in crisis, and how the leader, his team and his family experience a transformational journey as they confront the challenge of business survival. Told through the eyes of the senior leader, the story describes his concurrent, integrated struggles to change the course of his business while preserving his family’s well-being. The trials encountered by the company …

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