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Behind Closed Doors

Posted on July 9, 2019July 29, 2020 by Scott

Over the weekend I ran into a former coworker, Greg. It’s been close to 20 years since we worked together, and we spent several minutes catching up. We talked about our current work situations, gave family updates, and laughed about the old times. We eventually parted ways, promising to do a better job of keeping in touch.

As I went about the rest of my day, I couldn’t help but recall some of the projects and conversations we’d had during our tenure at the same employer. There was one incident though that my mind kept going back to. It’s the same one that always pops up when I think of Greg. It was the time his office door went missing.

Our CEO at the time believed strongly that managers should be available whenever the team needed them. As a result, he expected that we follow an “open-door” policy. Whenever possible, the doors to our offices were to remain open. It served as a conspicuous signal that any employee was welcome to speak to any member of management at any time.

The problem was that Greg liked to close his door. He didn’t want to be interrupted while he was working. He said he needed to focus in order to do his best work. So while the rest of us kept our doors open most of the time, Greg’s was typically closed; much to the ire of our CEO. So one day, Greg came in to find the door to his office had been removed.

Glenn Geher, a professor of psychology at the State University of New York at New Paltz, says that closing your office door too often sends negative signals to the rest of the team. It shuts people out, making them feel excluded or unworthy of your attention. At a minimum, it communicates an unwillingness to engage with others. Closing the door is a silent social cue about your approachability.

Obviously, there are legitimate times when the door should to be closed.

You’re having a confidential conversation with another associate.

You need to take a private or sensitive phone call.

You need an hour or so to focus and finish up some time-sensitive work.

However, these should be rare occurrences. If your door is always closed, there may be larger issues that need to be addressed. Besides, think of what you’re missing.

You’re missing out on the chance to hear new ideas from other member of the team. When you shut the door, you communicate that you are not interested in anything outside the scope of your current focus.

You’re missing out on the opportunity to coach others. When you shut the door, others learn to seek out coworkers who are more receptive to sharing ideas.

You’re missing out on the little, seemingly inconsequential conversations that inevitably pop up from time to time throughout the day. When you shut the door, the team decides to move on without you.

Geher suggests using the door sparingly. Communicate the occasional desire to close your door for some quiet. Everyone understands the need for some distraction-free work. But let your default be an open door. Don’t watch through the glass as the team moves on without you.

Leading Questions

Posted on July 2, 2019July 2, 2019 by Scott

questions-2212771__340 Leaders ask questions.

Leading managers ask questions to help them guide the team to grow.

Leading service providers ask questions to help them solve customer problems.

Leading salespeople ask questions to help them meet unspoken needs.

We should all be asking more (and better) questions, but we don’t. They may enter our mind, but we stop short of actually asking because we’re afraid – afraid that people will get upset with us for prying into places we don’t belong. We’re afraid of coming across as pushy or nosy or a busybody.

Here’s a news flash – you won’t.

As a leader, my team expects me to ask questions – how else can I lead them effectively?

As a service provider, my customer expects me to ask questions – how else can I serve them properly?

As a salesperson, my prospects expect me to ask questions – how else can I propose meaningful solutions?

Asking questions is an expected behavior. Think about the last time you went to the doctor. Did they ask you about your symptoms? Of course they did. They also asked about your exercise habits, your diet, and your family history.

Talk about being nosy. But did you take offense? No. Because you know that in order to do the best job they can for you, they have to ask questions. You’d be crazy to trust any doctor who started prescribing a course of treatment without first doing a bit of fact-finding.

Why is your business any different?

If you’re not asking questions, you’re simply not doing your job very well. Your team is heading in the wrong direction. Your customers are confused. Your sales are below goal.

Now let me suggest that you ask yourself a question or two. Are you ready for a change? Are you ready to turn things around? Are you ready to take control and make the second half of 2019 the start of a new era?

Are you ready to lead?

Let’s get curious, and in the process we’ll become better bosses, customer advocates, and even better salespeople. Let’s ask more questions and see where the answers can take us.

What Time is It?

Posted on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019 by Scott

pocket-watch-3156771_640 What if you could do away with deadlines, appointments, and alarms? What if you could do what you want, when you want to do it? Would you be more productive since you’d be able to focus energy on the truly important things? Or would your output plummet, giving way to procrastination?

That’s the question facing the 350 residents of Sommaroy. The Norwegian island, located within the Arctic Circle experiences constant daylight between May 18^th and July 26^th. Locals have petitioned for the abolishment of time during this period – and it looks like the local parliament may actually go for it.

The campaign’s leader, Kjell Ove Hveding feels a resolution would only formalize what most of the islanders already practice. They work when they want, and rest as needed. If the sun is out at 4 am and the grass needs to be cut, why wait? “All over the world,” he said “people are characterized by stress and depression. In many cases this can be linked to the feeling of being trapped by the clock.”

While throwing away our clocks and watches may seem like a beautiful dream, it’s one most of us can ill afford. We live in a society ruled by deadlines – most of them externally imposed. The work we engage in at any given moment is determined by someone else’s priorities. That may be our boss, a customer, or even a coworker who is dependent on receiving something from us before their own work can be completed.

We’re engaged in a constant struggle between the work that should get done and the work that must get done. We keep to-do lists that only seem to get longer and work extra hours in an attempt to keep our heads above water. We promise ourselves that “tomorrow” we’ll get organized and figure out how to get everything done without losing our sanity. In the meantime, we turn away from more desirable and more meaningful projects because we “don’t have time.”

The thing is, we do have time. That is, we all have the same amount of time. No one has more than 24 hours in a day, so how is it that some people seem to get so much more accomplished? How can a coworker, someone who logs the same number of hours in the office, manage to get so much more done?

That’s the question time management gurus have been trying to answer for years. There’s no end to the number of calendars and apps and methodologies that profess to tell you how best to manage your time. In the end though, cracking the time management code is pretty easy. It comes down to two basic decisions: what to work on, and how best to get it done.

How you prioritize your workload is a function of urgency and impact. The more urgent a task, as a result of a deadline or demand from a superior, the sooner it must be attended to. The greater the impact, on performance, reputation, or the bottom line, the sooner it should be attended to.

How the work is performed then becomes the issue. Do you delegate the task? Do you outsource it? Or do you tackle it yourself? Leaders understand that it’s impossible to be effective and handle everything on their own. They seek a balance; handing off what can effectively be done by others while keeping only what they must carry.

Prioritization and delegation: two of the most important tools in a leader’s toolkit. Eliminating the clock is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Maybe it’s time we learned to master it.

The Key to Change

Posted on June 17, 2019June 17, 2019 by Scott

bridge-2062748_640 Think about it.

Nothing great is ever achieved without change. If I want to lose weight, I need to change the way I eat. If I want to get stronger, I need to change the way I exercise. And if I want to improve just about anything in my life, I need to change the way I think.

You see, our lives are determined by our actions, and our actions are determined by the way we think. Our perspective on things is what drives the words we use, the steps we take, and ultimately the outcomes we realize. Change the way you think about your circumstances, your skill set, your family, your coworkers … you name it … and you start to see real change.

For example, take the thought process we go through when asked a question we don’t know the answer to. Most people think “I don’t know,” and that’s exactly what comes out of their mouth. What if instead of “I don’t know,” your mental response was “I don’t know…yet?” How would that impact your verbal response and your subsequent behavior?

I bet several things would change. You’d be more likely to follow up and learn something new. You’d probably have a more meaningful conversation with your customer. And you’d probably enjoy a stronger relationship with them going forward – all from simply changing your perspective on the situation.

Here are a few other mind shifts to try out:

Instead of “I give up,” think “I will try a different strategy.”
Instead of I can’t do this,” think “I’m going to train my brain.”
Instead of “This is too hard,” think “This might take a little time and effort.”
Instead of “I’m not good at this,” think “What am I missing?”
Instead of “I messed up,” think “Mistakes help me learn.”

As with any significant change, shifting the way you think isn’t easy. It takes a while. You have to be intentional about it. You have to target the change you want to see and practice it diligently until it becomes a habit. Identify systems and resources that help guide your mind in the direction you want it to go.

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer

Better Together

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Scott

I talk about the concept of partnership a lot, usually within the context of customer service. We want our customers to view us as a partner as opposed to a vendor, or even a service provider. The idea of having a partner moves the relationship past the point of transactional interactions. When customers see us as their partner, the relationship changes. It becomes stronger, more intimate, and ultimately more rewarding. The time we spend with customers, and they with us, is greatly enhanced when viewed as a partnership.

Just as important though, is the time we enjoy with our coworkers. In order to maximize the benefits of working with others, this relationship too should be something more than just a series of transactions. Too often, the people we should be closest to seem to be the farthest away. Silos develop as priorities diverge. Agendas begin to conflict and attitudes begin to sour. Those who should be the closest of partners become adversaries.

Just like customer service though, this is an easy fix. All it takes is an adjustment to the way we view others. True partners have a unique relationship – one that’s defined by the way they choose to interact.

Partners see each other as equals.There can be no true partnership when one person feels they are above, or better than, or in charge of the other. Job roles are different and titles vary, but partners actively position themselves as equal contributors. Whatever the desired outcome, both sides have to work just as hard for a partnership to exist. Imbalance creates tension and resentment. Put aside personal agendas, focus on the goal, and share the load.

Partners solve problems together. It’s easy to spot a partnership. When problems happen, both sides get down to business trying to find a solution. In the absence of partnership, placing blame takes priority. Partners aren’t interested in who messed up, saving face, or protecting territory. True partners are interested in fixing what’s broken, learning from mistakes, and improving processes so that everyone moves forward faster.

Partners celebrate mutual success.There’s no chest-thumping in a partnership, but there is a lot of finger-pointing. “See my partner over there? That’s the hero, not me.” When you truly partner with others, it becomes difficult to tell who made the biggest contribution. Everyone’s sleeves are rolled up. Everyone’s hands are dirty. And everyone sees what they’ve brought to the table as just something a partner would do. When you look to celebrate what your partner brings to the table, there’s a whole lot to get excited about.

We want our customers to partner with us. We want them to stick around for a long time and get just as much benefit from the relationship as we do. Perhaps the first step though, lies in examining the health of the existing partnership we’re asking them to join.

Full Superman

Posted on May 28, 2019May 28, 2019 by Scott

superhero-2503808_640 In case you missed it, a guy named Infinite Tucker recently won a race by literally flying across the finish line. It was May 11^th and the finals of the 400-meter hurdles event at the 2019 SEC Track & Field Championships. Infinite (that’s his real name) and his Texas A&M teammate Robert Grant were neck and neck coming to the finish. The junior launched himself into the air, going “full Superman,” and dove across the finish line. He crashed to the ground, just beating his friend and winning the gold medal.

Head coach Pat Henry later joked that diving wasn’t necessary. “Just run through and you’ll be fine,” he said. However, you have to admire Tucker’s determination to win. He wasn’t going to let anything or anyone come between him and the big prize. Going airborne during a track and field meet is not something you see every day; but it definitely illustrates the winning spirit.

Most runners start off strong and fade throughout the course of the race. They may get out of the gate quickly and put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack; but they soon run out of gas. They haven’t paced themselves and drop quickly to the back of the group. Their participation becomes little more than a footnote.

Others look strong, but crash spectacularly. They trip over a hurdle, another runner, or even their own feet. They’ve lost focus and veered off track somehow. Sprawled on the ground, all they can do is watch as someone else claims the victory that was to have been theirs.

It’s a rare competitor who has what it takes to finish the race strong. A good start, a steady pace, unbroken focus, and a little kick right at the end – these are what it takes to cross the finish line a winner. That’s what it takes to be a champion, regardless of your chosen competition.

We’re just a few days away from the end of the week. Friday marks the end of yet another month. Are you still running? Have you kept the pace so that you are in contention for the prize? Is the goal in sight? Do you have a little bit left to give?

Come on Superman, let’s see what you’ve got.

The Abby Influence

Posted on May 20, 2019May 30, 2019 by Scott

AbbySenior-127 This Saturday afternoon, my daughter Abby will graduate high school. It’s an interesting road that she’s traveled, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. She left an orphanage in Ternopil, Ukraine for the wide open skies of Lubbock Texas. She battled the setbacks presented by her Autism to attain the confidence of an “A” student. She’s grown from a sweet child into beautiful young woman.

During the graduation ceremony, we’ll listen to prepared remarks from several speakers. Administrators and the top-ranked students will share their words of wisdom and offer advice the graduating class. I won’t remember a word of what they say. Instead my mind will wander to the lessons I’ve learned from watching my daughter. She’s taught me all I need to know about success.

Ask questions. Abby asks lots of questions. She’s innately curious. She wants to know how things work, what words mean, why some things exist and others don’t. She wants to know why people act the way that they do and questions her own behavioral motivations. In addition, she is keenly observant and pays attention to the answers to her questions. She remembers what she’s learned and uses it going forward.

Get comfortable asking questions. We should be curious about the world and people around us. There is so much to learn about our customers, our coworkers, and our business. We should read and watch and research those little questions we ask about others and ourselves instead of just letting them skip across our minds. And then we should remember. That’s how we grow.

Be excited. Abby goes all-in, just about all the time. She loves holidays and wants to experience every aspect of them she can. She loves music and television and soaks up her favorite actors and musicians. She enjoys working with me in the shop and willingly dives into whatever project we’re working on together. She loves school and diligently completes her work. As that experience comes to a close, she’s excited about the prospect of working and taking on new challenges.

Get excited about whatever it is that you’re doing. Mundane task or fantastic adventure; both can be exciting if we make them so. It’s our attitude that determines our effort, nothing else. It’s our perspective that matters, not our circumstance. When we choose to be excited, we will be; and others will be too.

Seek improvement. Abby is a hard worker. She wants to do well and be told “good job!” She gives just about everything she does her best effort, sometimes going back and revisiting a project she’s already completed in order to make it better. She’s rarely satisfied with the status quo.

Get better. There’s always a next level. There’s always something that can be done to perfect your craft, no matter what it is. Let perfection be your goal and excellence your calling card. Push “good enough” to the side and seek to break new ground.

Build relationships. Abby doesn’t know a stranger. If she’s met you, she knows you – and you know her. Because she asks questions, gets excited about things, and is always trying to improve herself, she’s a magnet for others. We’ve been blessed to have teachers and friends and a host of others who have rallied around her over the years. Because she makes an effort to reach out, people respond to her and both lives are enriched.

Get involved. Building relationships can be messy. Learning about other people and bearing your own soul a little bit can reveal some things you’d prefer to leave uncovered. However, the reward of developing strong, long-term relationships with others is well worth the effort.

My little girl has grown a lot since I first laid eyes on her, but she’s not finished growing yet. On Saturday I’ll proudly watch her walk across the stage, accept her diploma, and enter into a new phase of exploration and discovery. I’m somewhat anxious for her, but confident that she has the tools she needs to tackle anything that comes her way.

Listening to Your Gut

Posted on May 13, 2019May 13, 2019 by Scott

embassy-935558_640 Last month, a Pittsburgh woman (her name has not been released), discovered an abusive ex-boyfriend hiding in her attic. She lived in the house with her two daughters and began to notice small things out of place. She thought about calling the police, but thought she would sound crazy for reporting a “blanket in my basement.” On April 20^th though, she heard a noise upstairs and went to investigate.

That’s when she discovered the man who had taken up residence at least three weeks earlier. Her ex had violated a restraining order and had no business being on the property. There was a confrontation, she escaped, and he was ultimately arrested. He said he simply wanted a place to stay and was tired of being homeless. In hindsight, the woman said she wished that she’d acted on her instincts when she first noticed something was wrong.

I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve ignored my instincts only to find out I’d have been better off acting at the first sign of something amiss. The consequences have never been as potentially dangerous as with this story, but the lesson is still there. I could have saved myself a lot of time, effort, and worry simply by acting earlier.

My own intuition has clued me in to potential dangers as well as possible opportunities. In some cases, I followed up and either avoided a fall or been rewarded for capitalizing on my gut instinct. At other times, I’ve ignored the warning signs and suffered or missed out because of my failure to respond.

Of course, not all hunches are correct. You can’t always just trust your gut. A rational person will dig a little deeper, look for evidence, and see if the gut feeling pans out. Smart people listen to what their gut is telling them and investigate further. They allow their intuition to guide their rational thought and the decisions they ultimately make.

Gerd Gigerenzer of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, and author of Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious, says that intuition involves understanding what bits of information to use and what can be discarded. Throughout the day, your subconscious mind connects what you’re experiencing to things that have happened in the past. If something feels odd or seems out of place, it’s because it doesn’t mesh with what past experience has told you is normal.

So think about those gut feelings you get at work – those little voices whispering in your ear. “What we’re doing isn’t working.” “I think my team member needs some help.” I really should spend more time on this aspect of my job.” “I think there’s an opportunity here.” Then, take a minute to test those feelings.

Look for patterns. Is there empirical support for what your intuition is telling you?
Be honest. Allow facts and reasoning, rather than raw emotions to guide your actions.
Stay on target. Remind yourself of your true mission – what you’re really here to accomplish. Make sure your next steps move you in that direction.

We all have so many inputs to juggle, so many demands on our time to prioritize. It can be difficult to discern which messages we should pay attention to and which we should ignore. We have to discipline ourselves so that our intuition acts in our favor. It should be a guide – a series of signposts that keep us on track.

What’s your gut telling you today?

Which Way Do We Go?

Posted on May 6, 2019May 6, 2019 by Scott

According to researchers at Cornell University, the average adult makes somewhere in the neighborhood of 35,000 conscious decisions each day. Some of these are fairly trivial; take what to eat for example. Decisions about food account for as many as 226 of the choices we make daily. Any one of them has little impact on our lives. Other choices are more serious. Making a wrong decision can often lead to very negative consequences. String too many of those together and the stress can become overwhelming.

At least it did for one anonymous woman from the United Kingdom. Earlier this year, she took a look back at the significant decisions she’d made in 2018 and decided she needed some help. She’d lost money after trusting someone she though was a friend. On another occasion, she found herself penniless and stranded in a foreign country. Back home, she got mugged taking an unfamiliar shortcut. After entering and exiting a toxic relationship, she figured enough was enough.

So in February she posted an ad on a professional services website: “Hiya, bit of a weird one I know but basically, I feel like I need someone to make my decisions for me. I’ve had a really rubbish year and would love for someone to take control of my life (think of it a bit like a real life Bandersnatch). I have no idea if this sort of thing exists, but came across clairvoyants when I was looking for another service, so thought it was worth a shot.”

The ad goes on to offer $2,000 pounds in exchange for one month of on-call decision-making service – “long enough to get things back on track…”

While trusting important life decisions to a complete stranger may not be the wisest move, it’s easy to see how someone can get frustrated enough to go this route. With so many decisions to make, how can we be sure we’re making the right choices? How can we confidently make decisions that improve the team and our business?

Perhaps it starts by employing the right decision-making strategy. There are six common methods for making decisions, and most of us employ a combination of these as we navigate the thousands of choices we’re confronted with each day.

Impulsiveness – Leverage the first option you are given and be done with it.
Compliance – Choose the most pleasing, comfortable, and popular option as it pertains to those impacted.
Delegation – Don’t make the decision yourself. Leave it to others you trust.
Avoidance/Deflection – Either avoid or ignore decisions in an effort to evade the responsibility that comes with the consequence(s).
Balancing – Weigh the factors involved. Study them and use the information to render the best decision in the moment.
Prioritization/Reflection – Put the most energy, thought, and effort into those decisions that will have the greatest impact.

One of the best resources for decision-making is your strategic plan. It’s the physical embodiment of the prioritization/reflection technique. Your plan helps you know where to focus your time, your brain power, and your energy – because the only things on your strategic plan are those which will help you move the business forward. Any time you are faced with a key decision regarding the future of the organization, simply run it through the filter of your strategic plan. That one decision will get you moving in the right direction.

Of course, you could always just pay a stranger to tell you what to do.

Be the Spark

Posted on April 29, 2019April 29, 2019 by Scott

fire-549103_640 As far back as 577 AD, primitive matches were used to start fires in China. In 1805, Jean Chancel developed the first self-igniting match. His required dipping the match head into sulfuric acid though, and never really caught on. Like so many great ideas, the common friction match was discovered by accident. English chemist John Walker was testing different chemical mixtures, dropped a match on his hearth, and was delighted when it lit upon being struck.

Today, matches generally come in two varieties. The most common is the safety match. In order to light it, the match head must be rubbed against a specially coated striking surface. The friction combines the chemicals from the two elements and ignites the match. They’re called safety matches because you must have a particular set of circumstances in place for them to work. You need the match and a specific companion surface upon which to rub it.

Less common is the strike-anywhere match. Here, all the chemicals necessary for combustion are located within the match itself. All you have to do is apply friction. Just rub the match against a dry, abrasive surface and it will light. This resource is potentially more dangerous. It’s also, in my opinion, much more valuable. That’s why I also prefer strike-anywhere leaders.

I know, here I go again – using a random factoid to illustrate important concepts about leadership, sales, and customer service. But stay with me here. Let me contrast the two types and just see if you don’t make the connection.

Safety Leaders	Strike-Anywhere Leaders
Contain some of the elements necessary to succeed, wait for the perfect circumstances to act	Show up ready to work and looking for a chance to make an impact
Can only operate within a particular set of conditions	Self-starting – operate regardless of the environment they find themselves in
Fail to spark when rubbed the wrong way	Burst into action given the chance
View rough patches as problems to be avoided	Rise to any challenge presented
Have little impact on most they encounter	Light a fire in those they come in contact with
Only useful in specific situations	Add value in any situation

The purpose of a match is to create a spark. In and of themselves, they provide little light and no heat. The value of a match lies in its ability to create something bigger. It’s a catalyst for change; change that continues long after the match itself is removed from the equation.

That’s why I like the strike-anywhere matches. I know I can count on them to light when needed. They don’t sit around waiting for the stars to align perfectly in order to be of use.

That’s also why I try to be a strike-anywhere leader. Who knows when, or if, the perfect set of circumstances will come into play? The people around me need someone who is ready to go at any time and any circumstance. My customers and coworkers need to know they can depend on me to fulfill my purpose in any setting.

What about you? What kind of match are you willing to be?