Walking the Tightrope

Posted on by Scott

Karl WallendaLast week, I wrote about Jean Francois Blondin, the first person to walk a tightrope across Niagara Falls. As I thought about his story this week, I was reminded of another famous tightrope artist – Karl Wallenda. He and his family, known as the “Flying Wallendas,” were famous for their trapeze and tightrope routines. Their signature act was walking the tightrope as a team – stacked on top of each other in a pyramid.

Karl was not only the leader of the Wallenda clan; he was a daring individual tightrope walker as well. He was known for performing high above the ground without a safety net. He felt the net gave him an excuse to be less than perfect. He knew that the key to a successful walk lay in keeping his focus on his goal at the other end of the rope, not on what could happen if he fell. Falling was simply not an option for Karl Wallenda.

Wallenda used to perform shows where he’d walk across a tightrope stretched between two buildings. His last stunt occurred in Puerto Rico and involved a walk between the city’s two tallest buildings. But something was different this time. Wallenda overheard some people talking about another tightrope walker who had recently fallen and he began to focus on that. He began to worry about what could go wrong and on the day of the stunt was preoccupied with checking the ropes.

Halfway across the rope, Wallenda lost his balance and fell to his death.

When leaders start focusing on what they have to lose versus what they have to gain, the only direction they can go is down. The result may not be physically deadly, but the consequences are still dire. Projects stagnate, innovation dies, and communication stops. Forward progress comes to a halt as everyone either adopts the leader’s myopic focus or opts out.

To move forward, you have to look ahead, not down. You can’t blaze new ground if you’re busy building fences. You can’t WOW your customers or employees if you’re worried about the potential downside.

I’m not saying you should be reckless. You can’t ignore obvious dangers. But there’s a balance that needs to be achieved. No great achievement is without risk. But nothing great is ever achieved without it.

Doctor’s Orders

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Andrew ScrubsI recently read that 80% of U.S. adults do not meet federal recommendations for aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening exercise. In other words, they’re out of shape. Sadly, I’m one of them.

Now, before you get the wrong idea; I’m not a total couch potato. I spend a lot of time outdoors through my involvement with the Boy Scouts. In fact, my son Alex and I are about to leave town for a two week backpacking trip in the mountains of northern New Mexico. But unfortunately, I don’t get out as often as I’d like (or need) to. And the closest I get to regular aerobic exercise is watching “The Biggest Loser” with a bowl of ice cream in my lap.

I’m not happy with the way I look or feel – haven’t been in a long time. Just like most of the other people making up the 80% in the opening statistic, I know what to do. I’ve just lacked the motivation to do anything about it. Sometimes I ask myself “What will it take for me to change? Perhaps if a doctor were to deliver some bad news, it would inspire me to get serious.” Well last month I got my wish.

One minute, I was conducting a webinar. The next, I was doubled over in pain. It got worse and worse until I finally went to the local walk-in clinic. After a number of tests and a trip to the emergency room for a CT scan, I was diagnosed with kidney stones. I was treated with intravenous fluids and pain medication. If you know anything about kidney stones, you know they’re not life-threatening, but cause a great deal of pain. Furthermore, they can be symptomatic of larger health problems.

My doctor shared that I was at risk for additional kidney stones and suggested I make some changes in my diet and level of activity. Nothing he suggested was new to me. But thanks to the pain I’d just gone through, I committed myself to acting differently going forward. I’ve been drinking more water, watching what I eat and moving more – not rocket science; just simple actions I’ve known about all along.

Sometimes we have to receive some bad news before we make even the most simple changes. Operational tweaks, management priorities, even basic acts of customer service – they’re all easy to ignore, overlook or put off. But in the face of negative feedback, the basics take on a renewed sense of importance.

Earlier this year, I helped an organization develop a set of Customer Experience Standards. The standards outline basic expectations regarding how customers and coworkers are to be treated. Nothing included is revolutionary. In fact, most of the document is common sense – many employees even complained about the simplistic nature of the contents. As a result, some chose to ignore them or assumed they were covered.

About a month ago, they introduced a customer feedback survey and the results began pouring in. As you can imagine, some of the feedback was negative. Time will tell if the pain of negative feedback is enough to finally motivate them to action.

How do you react to bad news?

Flip or Flop?

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ihighju001p1Richard had two bad feet, a bad back, and a dream of being a star track & field athlete. His chosen sport was the high-jump; but he struggled to clear the minimum distance – five feet- required to make the high school track team. No amount of coaching or practice seemed to help. The proven techniques utilized by his teammates and world-class competitors didn’t work for him. He just couldn’t get himself over the bar.

So Richard began to experiment. Over several months he altered each aspect of his performance. He started by adjusting his approach. While every other athlete ran straight at the bar, he began to run at a diagonal. This gave him more speed in the final few steps.

He changed his takeoff, starting further and further from the bar. He worked at it until he found the launching point that would position him over the bar at the highest point of the jump. As the height increased, he found he needed more room to achieve apogee.

Traditional jumpers utilized a scissor kick to clear the bar, stretching out one leg and then the other before landing on their stomach. Richard started twisting his body in the air so that he cleared the bar headfirst and landed on his back. This allowed him to arch his back and kick his legs up simultaneously, creating precious space between himself and the bar.

Richard’s track coaches were worried. The methods he was using were unheard of. They feared his deviation from standard procedures would damage his ability to compete and possible lead to serious injury. But during his junior year he broke the high school record. Suddenly the critics became supporters.

After winning a series of competitions in college, Richard Douglas “Dick” Fosbury began to catch the eye of the press. They dubbed his technique the “Fosbury Flop.” During the 1968 Olympics, he won the gold medal by clearing 7 ft. 4.25 in., setting a new Olympic record in the process. Today, the flop is the most popular high-jump technique in use.

Its easy to get stuck in a rut. People do it and so do organizations. We get used to doing things a certain way and rarely question why. Most people fail to realize that greatness lies just a few tweaks away from the norm. Innovation is rarely about huge, radical changes; although even small change is typically met with strong resistance.

Innovation is a critical aspect of any thriving business. If you aren’t constantly looking for ways to improve, you’re doomed to stagnate. Those who are willing to change thrive – they can even flip an industry upside down. Those who aren’t fall into obsolescence – they flop. And anyone can be a catalyst for change.

Could your business benefit from a little innovation? Could your performance use some tweaking? What small change would make a huge difference in your success?

Winning Against the Odds

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battle-of-pueblaThey were outmanned and outgunned, but the Mexican troops made up for the lack of numbers and firepower with grit and determination. An expensive civil war had left Mexico in debt to Britain, Spain and France. But shortly after the war ended, Mexico was forced to suspend repayments in order to rebuild their infrastructure. This didn’t make their benefactors happy and now the French were coming to either collect or take over.

After suffering heavy casualties, the Mexican Commander General, Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, withdrew his army to Puebla. The small town was still heavily fortified, having survived the civil war, and Zaragoza’s troops immediately began additional preparations, digging trenches to connect the two hill-top forts sitting just north. When the French force of 8,000 infantry and cavalry arrived on the fifth of May, 1862, they assumed their victory would be swift. The inferior Mexican garrison of only 4,000 men now had no way to retreat.

 But when a show of arms failed to intimidate the Mexican troops, the French attacked. They foolishly expended most of their ammunition in an initial, ill-timed advance and quickly ran out. They were surprised by the strong showing put forth by the Mexican army, who spilled out of the forts and fought hand-to-hand on the hillside between them. After three infantry advances the French retreated, having lost more than five times as many men as their underestimated foes. Today, El Dia de la Batalia de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla) is known simply as Cinco de Mayo, and serves as a reminder of the power of determination and teamwork against overwhelming odds.

Sometimes it’s easy to lose hope when faced with a foe who seems to have everything working in their favor. The competition can seem too organized, prepared and well-funded. But history is full of stories illustrating the power of the underdog. Those who most desire to win the day often find that their own creativity and ability to pull together are all they need.

Who’s your biggest competition?

What advantages do they have over you?

How can your team overcome the competition despite their apparent advantage?

Who’s Driving the Taxi?

Posted on by Scott

imageI just got back from Houston. I spent all day yesterday in meetings, moving from group to group and topic to topic. But the business I conducted wasn’t the most interesting part of my trip. What I can’t stop thinking about is my taxi driver.

Normally when I travel for business, I’ll reserve a rental car. I like being in control of my time and will often have a free evening to explore or shop. Having a car allows me to decide on a whim where I want to go. Picking up and dropping off at the airport makes it easy.

But for this trip, I was given a last-minute invitation to fly in on a private plane. I cancelled the front end of my flight and the rental car. We landed at a small airstrip without any rental options. Another passenger gave me a ride to my hotel where the desk clerk helped me secure a taxi for the next morning.

Bright and early yesterday morning, the familiar yellow vehicle pulled up at the front entrance and out jumped Eugenio.

Now, you’ve probably heard the stories – some true, most not so much – of the taxi drivers who go super-overboard. They have a blanket in the back seat if you get cold. They have a thermos of hot coffee and a cooler filled with soft drinks. Thy offer you the morning paper and an assortment of magazines. They give over control of the car’s audio so that you can tune in to the music you like the most. They go above and beyond to provide you with the most incredible cab ride you’ll ever experience. And of course, they work off of reservations. You’re lucky they had a cancellation or you’d never have even known they existed.

Eugenio is not one of those drivers. Don’t get me wrong, the ride was just fine. He was friendly without being overbearing. And after verifying my destination, he did ask if the music he was playing was ok. But no mind-blowing, over the top gestures of customer service were forth coming. He waited patiently while I answered some emails on my phone before engaging me in conversation and quickly delivered me to my first meeting.

As I signed the credit card slip, he asked if I needed a ride after the meeting. I had already arranged to ride with others who were heading the same direction as I was, and I told him so. I did, however, need a ride to the airport this morning. Handing me his business card (Take a look at it. For obvious reasons, I’ll keep it forever), he agreed to meet me at 6:45 in front of the hotel. Sure enough, he pulled up this morning about ten minutes earlier than necessary, and I got to the airport in plenty of time.

Eugenio didn’t try to reinvent the taxi business. He didn’t seek to overwhelm me with a series of WOW moments. He simply provided the service I was looking for, secured additional business and then made sure I knew how to contact him in the future. Anything beyond that would have been unnecessary and, in my opinion, awkward.

My point is this: To be seen above the crowd, you don’t have to be a giant. You just have to stand a little taller. So many businesses try to revolutionize their industry in an attempt to out-shine the competition and then fail to live up to their own hype. It’s like the football team that pulls out the secret play – that may or may not work – when simple execution of the basics would win the game. In a world where so many organizations fail at the simplest of tasks – arriving on time, delivering the correct order, providing correct information – those who repeatedly perform in a manner that’s unremarkable will win the day. Don’t worry about offering me a drink. Just get me where I need to go on time and I’ll ride with you every time.

D-6 Does Not Work

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This afternoon I made a trip to the office vending machine for a little chocolate fix. I tend to go for Snickers, occasionally opting for Twix. If chocolate doesn’t feel right, I’ll go with a PayDay. Well, as you can see from the picture, an earlier visitor had gone looking for their favorite snack and left disappointed. So they left a note. “D-6 does not work” They even dated it 11-27.

Instantly, I felt a wave of panic. “Oh no, what if D-6 holds the Snickers? I’ve got to have my Snickers!” It turns out slot D-6 holds salty peanuts. There were plenty of peanut bags in the slot, so I imagine the issue is mechanical. Lucky, Snickers are in slot D-0. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Dropping my quarters into the coin slot, I began to feel sympathy pains for my unfortunate co-snacker. I’ve been in their shoes plenty of times. You probably have too. Remember?

It’s mid-afternoon and you’re sitting at your desk when the craving kicks in. “I need something sweet,” you think. “Just a little something to take the edge off and tide me over until dinner.” You check your pockets to make sure you have change. And on your way to the vending machine, your mind settles on a choice.

Then you arrive only to find that the machine is out of order. Or your number choice is all emptied out. Or the machine keeps spitting your crumpled dollar bill back out at you. Or, occasionally, the worst fate of all. Your selection gets hung up. It dangles there – resistant to any amount of machine shaking – until you cough up another round of payment.

A trip to the vending machine encompasses the myriad range of emotions a customer can feel when interacting with any business. These emotions can be broken into three distinct phases of the interaction.

Initially, there’s the lead-up. This phase involves everything that happens prior to the actual interaction. In the case of a vending machine visit, there’s the craving for somethign sweet, the frantic search for spare change and the eventual settling of the mind on a desired product.

Next comes the actual interaction. In the case of my frustrated co-worker, I imagine emotions such as surprise and confusion came into play as their preferred selection proved to be unavailable.

Finally, there’s the post-interaction phase. Walking away from the vending machine, you might feel satisfaction or even elation (like when someone else leaves their change in or an extra candy bar drops into the bin). Of course my coworker felt dissatisfied, frustrated and possibly even angry.

It may seem like a small thing, but empathizing with a person’s emotional state as they interact with your business is an important part of designing a superior customer experience. The key is imagine the emotions you want the customer to feel at each stage and then put strategies in place to ensure they encounter a scenario in which those emotions come into play. You also need to imagine the emotions you don’t want a customer to feel and design processes that keep them from evolving.

Were I a vending machine owner, I would want my customers to feel satisfied with not only their purchase, but their experience. I would not want them to feel frustrated or angry. Therefore I would design processes to ensure the best emotions come into play and reinforce their decision to visit my machine. After all, I’d love for them to come back day after day.

Here are a couple of things I might do to ensure the best emotions were felt by users of my vending machine.
• I’d keep track of inventory to know how often I needed to restock to ensure everyone’s favorites were available when they wanted them.
• I’d check the mechanics of each button frequently to make sure delivery was actually taking place.
• I’d post a note letting users know how to get their money back in case of a malfunction.
• I might even run periodic “sales” by discounting certain products to provide an element of surprise every now and then.

All of this ran through my head in the seconds it took for my coins to fall into the machine. I pressed D-0 and the machine’s display instructed me to try another selection. Uh, oh. I tried again thinking perhaps I’d accidentally hit two buttons at once with the same result. So I tried D-1 (Peanut M&M’s), D-2 (Twix) and D-3 (Plain M&M’s) all with the same result. The entire D section is out of commission.

Frustrated and still hungry, I decided to punt. I pressed E-4 and a PayDay dropped down. I walked away an unhappy customer.

What emotions do your customers feel as they anticipate interacting with you? What about during or after the interaction?

What emotions would you like for them to feel?

What steps will you take to ensure your customers feel the emotions necessary to reinforce their buying decision?

The Power of Positive Feedback

Posted on by Scott

This morning my phone rang on the way in to the office. It was my wife. Her first words made my heart sink. “I just got a call from Abby’s Principal.” Instantly I assumed the worst – either my daughter is hurt or in trouble. Parents rarely get good news from the school principal.

But it was good news. A new student had transferred in and Abby had taken it upon herself to befriend her and make her feel welcome – showing her around and introducing her to a circle of friends. The new student’s first few days of school, understandably full of anxiety, had been made wonderful. The parents couldn’t say enough about how grateful they were and the principal wanted us to know.

Obviously I’m proud. As I hung up the phone, I pictured the scene that will likely take place as my wife tells Abby what her principal had to say. I can already see the smile on her face and the pep in her step that she always gets when she receives a pat on the back. And her behavior, which isn’t bad to begin with, will ratchet up a few notches for several days.

Come to think of it, we’re all like Abby. We all like to hear good news, especially when it’s about us. Receiving positive feedback for something you’ve done can turn an average afternoon into a great one. I know that a single positive word regarding one of my projects can significantly affect my mood long after the event has passed.

From a leadership perspective, I’ve noticed three key benefits from the positive feedback I give to members of my team.

1. Morale improves. Something magical happens to a person’s attitude when you pay them a compliment. It’s amazing how many times I’ve given someone a bit of positive feedback only to have them say “Wow. You just made my day.” For some reason, our human tendency is to focus on the negative aspects of work. Telling someone “thank you” followed by a sincere explanation of your gratitude, is often enough to break the cycle of negative thought.

I believe that most people genuinely want to produce good work. The problem is, they never get any feedback to indicate their work is, indeed, good. They hear about what’s wrong, missing or late. As a result, the average employee focuses on staying out of trouble (a negative outlook) rather than on producing good (or even great) work.

2. People reciprocate. Any time I give my daughter some positive feedback, I get some in return. If I thank her for cleaning her room and brag about how great it looks, she thanks me for helping her with her homework. In addition, I’ve noticed that positive feedback I give to one of my children results in positive feedback they give to someone else. So not only do I get to enjoy the boost from reciprocal back-patting, the rest of the family does too.

This phenomenon also plays out at the office. Recognizing one team member’s contribution to a project almost always results in their recognition of someone else’s effort. From the outside it must look like a mini love-fest with everyone thanking and congratulating each other on a job well done. But the psychological impact of just a little positive reinforcement is often enough to lift the whole team. It’s like a wildfire – light a match and pretty soon the place is burning with pride.

3. Team productivity goes up. Long ago I realized the potential of positive feedback to produce better work from an individual. Recognize someone’s effort toward a successful project ”A” and watch how much better project “B” turns out. It’s like a little productivity switch gets pushed into overdrive. I’ve even noticed this effect on my own psyche. When someone says “thank you” it makes me feel great. And it makes me want to work harder in order to get more of that great feeling.

You’ve probably heard that praise should be given in public while corrective actions should always be done privately. One of the reasons behind this is because the feelings underlying your feedback (positive or negative) get transmitted to everyone around – not just the person receiving the feedback. So people who witness a coworker receiving kudos for their efforts instinctively begin to act in ways they perceive will result in getting their share of the praise.

For years I’ve said “You will receive an abundance of what you praise or tolerate.” I honestly believe positive feedback is one of the most powerful tools at a leader’s disposal. Unfortunately, positive feedback is difficult for most people. Like most skills, you have to work at it in order to get good at it. Thankfully, the reward is well worth the effort.

I’ll bet you can think of someone in your organization that could use some positive feedback. Imagine the good that you’ll receive when you stop reading this article and go deliver it. In fact, why don’t you go do it right now?

Redefining Excellence

Posted on by Scott

Excellence is a term that gets thrown around a lot today. I hear people talking about service excellence, sales excellence, leadership excellence and even operational excellence. The problem is that too many of these people have the wrong idea regarding what excellence really is. More often than not, when someone uses the word “excellence,” they’re really talking about “perfection.” The idea of excellence is used to refer to the epitome of achievement – the highest state of performance.

There’s a problem with that definition of excellence. If you aspire to perfection, you will never reach your goal. You’ll always be frustrated, and so will your employees.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a firm believer in having goals. But in order for goals to be effective, they have to be attainable. They need to provide a stretch, but they have to be within reach. Attaining such a goal provides a sense of accomplishment and the energy to stretch for the next one.

So I’d like to propose a new definition for “excellence.” Here it is;

“True excellence is rising above what you ‘should’ be to become what you ‘could’ be.”

You see, excellence is not perfection. Excellence is growth. Excellence is reaching a level of performance that’s eluded you in the past. Excellence is accomplishing something that you never have before.

This new definition of excellence says that while perfection is impossible – and we all know it is – the status quo isn’t acceptable. The idea of excellence requires that I move beyond my current state of performance even though it might be acceptable. The organization may say that a certain level of performance is expected – it’s what I should be doing. But a quest for excellence says perhaps I could be doing more than that. Striving for excellence allows me to set goals for improvement, celebrate that success, and then push the boundaries once more. And I’d much rather be excellent than acceptable.

What defines excellence for you?

What defines excellence for your team, department or business?

And what will you do today to achieve true excellence?