Leaders are expected to improve results through change, but their teams often resist. Change requires movement, away from what is known. Change can be tumultuous, causing disorientation that elevates anxiety and vulnerability; fear of the unknown can be paralyzing. Change is also a constant condition in business and in life. There are 3 benefits to change that can improve a team’s engagement. The antidote for the fear of change is to appreciate its benefits and to …
Leaders are hired to improve results. It’s expected that they will change the status quo to accomplish this objective. But leaders can’t change things by themselves; they succeed by inspiring and influencing others to get it done. When driving a change initiative, be aware of two issues that influence how motivation for the change is perceived. Impact and imperfection drive change by clarifying the reasons for it and by accelerating it. People need to understand …
For sales people seeking to build enduring customer relationships, there are three decisive moments. Acting with empathy and urgency during these key moments will earn you the customer’s enduring preference. 1. The “First Contact” Moment: Invest the majority of your time learning your prospect’s story, needs and goals. They want to tell you, so ask them. Then, explain how your company’s offerings produce value that resolves their problem and contributes to their success. Prospects become …
It often feels like time is accelerating. The internet enables the rapid gathering of information needed to guide decisions. The period for new product exclusivity continues to shrink, shortening the investment payback time. Customers must react ever faster to competitive threats, causing you to continuously enhance the value you produce to help them succeed and to sustain your business. How can your business move faster? How can you become more efficient? How can you get …
Leaders are expected to be positive change agents that improve performance. And the performance enhancements produced by their change initiatives are expected to be sustainable. Properly mixing two ingredients produces sustained, transformational change. Much of the information involved in a change initiative is factual and objective, all of it observable and measurable. But change involves motivating people to challenge precedent and to move in a different direction. To be successful, it must address shared perceptions …
In our connected economy, determine your competitive advantage – what you own in the market. Then, invest your heart, mind and energy on leveraging your advantage to produce value for customers, dominate competitors and grow your business. If your advantage is trust, keep the promises that make you trustworthy. If your advantage is knowledge, focus on getting smarter. If your advantage is relationships, invest most of your time networking. If your advantage is being innovative, sustain your …
When an employee reliably manages priorities and achieves goals, and consistently demonstrates an understanding about the Company’s purpose and values, leaders want to make it easier for that person to operate more autonomously. Autonomy is a proven motivator, and it liberates time for the leader. Autonomy defeats mediocrity and improves results. Our basic nature is to be self-directed. Autonomy enables us to exercise some control over our lives; it’s empowering because the employee is making …
Customers can’t always describe what they want. Problems and barriers can be explained, but most often, solutions are not easily forthcoming. Implementing a solution requires change, and it can be challenging for customers to abandon precedent and envision a solution that changes their current process. But sustaining competitive advantage obliges a business to realize that their current process is always their most challenging competition. Continuous improvement and innovation can be risky, but must be pursued …
When you are hiring a new person, or promoting one, that individual must have the personal characteristics to help the company achieve its goals. To be successful, the person under consideration must also be a good fit with your organization’s culture. In fact, knowing your culture, being able to describe it, is what enables your evaluation of whether an individual has the “right” qualities to succeed in your business. When skillfully managed, culture can be …
Increasingly, we rely on technology in our lives. We need it to compete. We need it to optimize the use of our time. Some have become addicted to it, disabling their human interactions. But despite our best efforts, technology cannot replace personal accountability. Humans are clever. We’re always looking for the next tool to simplify our lives. Some hope that technology will solve all their problems. We await the new pill that allows us to …
