Clear Leadership

It hits you like a 2 x 4 on a freezing day. That strong, clear, and compelling leadership that's missing so often. But when it's present, it is awesome. 

You see it this way.

The leader that cares for the people, and is genuinely interested in them.  Who starts with assembling the greatest team comprised of the greatest people doing the greatest things.

The leader that articulates a clear vision--so clear and compelling in fact that everyone from the senior team to the team who sweeps the floors knows exactly what is important, which direction is North, and where you are headed. 

The leader who develops her people with training and coaching.

The leader who meets with his team one-on-one to provide feedback and coaching--and support the achievemkent of individual and organizational goals.

The leader that meets with all the employees frequently--to reinforce those messages you found so inspiring and compelling the first time you heard them.

And the leader who, of course--delivers the results, because she helped her team be successful, who in turn--helped her be successful.


This is the leader who "suits up, and shows up."  Every day.  In every way.

Give...What You Expect (or Need)

I call it the mirror effect.  It's the principal that states:

1. What you aren't getting and want...is what you need to give.

2. And what you get and don't want...is likely what you're giving.

3. And what you want most over anything else...is exactly what you need to give.

This has implications for personal relationships.  And the same principal of "the mirror effect" is just as applicable to business relationships.

1. If you're not getting loyalty and commitment from customers...your company probably isn't bathing your customers in the same.

2. And if you get employees who are putting in 70%--it is likely because you're not giving 100% of your best to them--personally, professionally, and treating them as your most valuable resource.

3.  And if you don't receive the absolute best products and prices (treatment) from your suppliers....it's probably because you make extreme demands and don't pay on time (again--the word is treatment).

There's a simpler way to act.  Follow the Golden Rule.

Vision and Mission Statements: Fluff or Critical?

I've sensed that quite a few managers and leaders think vision and missions statements are "fluffy' nice to haves.  Quite the opposite. They are essential...AFTER you've got your blocking and tackling down pat.


I am always stunned when I read about the courage Lou Gerstner demonstrated at his first press conference after taking over at IBM--when he offered NO vision statement.

In his book Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? Gerstner said to a press conference in July 1993, after his first 100 days, ‘There’s been a  lot of speculation as to when I’m going to deliver a vision of IBM, and what I’d like to say to all of you is that the last thing IBM needs right now is a vision [. . . ] What IBM needs right now is a series of very tough-minded, market driven, highly effective strategies for each of its businesses – strategies that deliver performance in the marketplace and shareholder value.'


Gerstner eventually gave IBM it's vision, but not after getting the boat upright in the water, heading "north" under full sail, and making profits.


So, will a vision help do the above?  Most likely not.  You have got to run and manage a viable business first.


But then you must develop a vision (where you want to go) and mission (why your company exists).  Once created (with a great deal of care and thought), the statements are organizing principles around which all employees will operate.  The statements should be some clear and focused--that everyone from the janitor to the CEO can understand them, and what their individual role is in accomplishing them.


Meaningful, well-crafted vision and mission statements are essential to organizing employees around the goals of the company--and helping decision points along the way.


Create them, communicate them, and use them.

There Needs to be a "C" in "Selling"

Slowing down the sales process so that the professional sales person can collect enough of the right information is critical.  The sales person must start by using their ears and mouth in the exact proportion that God designed--listening twice as much as we talk.  Far too often we are so tempted to "explode" on our customers with all of the product knowledge we have--and we launch into a boring monologue that the customer wishes would end.

Why not instead control the selling situation by asking key questions about the customer's needs?  Be sure you've done your advance research first, but ask:

1.  What are the type of business segments in which you operate?
2.  What do you find most challenging in this?
3.  When you are evaluating suppliers and partners, what types of things have you found difficult to find in most of them?
4.  Would ________ be of value to you?
5. We've found that  __________ has been helpful for other customers. Would this be of value to you?

Those are just 5 of the many questions you should be asking--before you get down to selling.  In fact, the answers you get from the customer will tell you exactly how to sell them.

The "C" in selling is "consultative," and if you're not practicing it, your competitor is.

If You Help Enough People Get What They Want....

...you'll get everything you want.  That's a quote from  Zig Ziglar.  But how many put it to work?

If a leader has worked with her team to set up goals which meet organizational objectives--its' likely that in a culture of achievement--the team members would also be hitting their goals--which are ideally tied to compensation, advancement, recognition, or development opportunities.

And so, by virtue of the above--when the leader helps her team reach each individuals' goals--she is helping the organization--and herself--reach HER goals.

Its just that simple.

"It's Our Policy, Grandma"

Jeffrey Gitomer, the self-acclaimed "America's #1 Sales Authority" wrote a book called "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless."  The book was put in my hands several years ago by my friend, colleague, and mastermind partner Rick VanDermyden--and I want to encourage YOU to put it in your OWN hands.

Customer service teams make or break successful business retention and new business recruitment. I have distributed this book to my customer service teams in the past--and made it a case study for the "right" ways to approach the customer interaction.

There is one section in Gitomer's book that is so insightful that it helped create the subject line of this blog post.  To quote from the book:

"Every time you speak to a customer, end it with "Grandma." If it sounds like something you would say to your grandmother or your grandmother would want to hear, then say it. If not, don't"

Gitomer's examples:

• Sorry, we're closed Grandma.
• What is this in reference to Grandma?
• It's our policy, Grandma.

He goes on. "If you wouldn't say it to your grandma, why would you say it to your customer?  There are lots of phrases you use every day that irritate customers, and you have no clue until you insert "Grandma" at the end."

There are many that argue the customer service team, or "inside office team," is the most important part of customer satisfaction and retention.  I am one of the believers.  Field sales people get all the attention, blame, and glory--but if the inside team or customer service group isn't UNBELIEVABLY professional, friendly, and customer-focused,  then the game is lost at the first phone call. 

The following is straight from Jeffrey Gitomer's website about the book. I say again, buy one for yourself, one for each of your people who touch your customers, and then lead your inside sales team through a several week group reading of the book.  You'll be very pleased that you did.

From Jeffrey Gitomer's Website

Here are Jeffrey Gitomer's 3.5 compelling reasons why you and every employee in your company must own this book, must read this book, and must act on the principles of this book:

1. It contains a game plan that any customer-serving employee, salesperson, manager, executive or entrepreneur can enact to ensure loyal customers.
2. Any front-line employee can read it and "get it." Any front-line employee can read it and "do it."
3. Customer Loyalty is the measure of your present and future success.
3.5 Your competition may already own this book.

From the Table on Contents:

Part I: Customer, the Source of your Paycheck

1. Introducing the Most Important Person in the World
2. Introducing the Customer (Help!)
3. The Reality of Service -- Lousy, Satisfactory, or Memorable?
4. Who's Wrong? What's Wrong?

Part II: The Right Principles Create the Right Words

5. Principles, NOT Policy
6. Three BIG Factors: 1. Get Real. 2. Get Friendly. 3. Get WOW!
7. What's the Word Out on You
8. The (Secret) Service Success Formula
9. If you Talk Stupid, They'll Get Angry
10. It's Not the Apology That Matters...It's the Recovery That Count
11. Benchmarks Set the Standards... for Best Performance
12. Put Your Job Skills to the Test

Part III: Lessons from the Real World

13. Lessons I Learned Sleeping in Someone Else's Bed
14. Lessons I Learned Shopping in Someone Else's Store
15. Lessons I Learned Flying in Someone Else's Airplane
16. Lessons You Never Learned in School
17. Loyalty Lessons from the Real World

Part IV: Loyalty -- The Final Frontier

18. The Loyalty Answers for the Company and You
18.5 Loyalty Mission: The End of Satisfaction

Is The Customer Always Right?

No.  But you want them to feel that way.

Some people that are part of great organizations sometimes act like the customer is on one side of the wall and the employees are on the other.

• "Us against them"
• "They're not paying attention to the rules"
• "Watch out or they'll take advantage of us"

As a good friend and former colleague said so plainly one day, "Customers Make Payday Possible."  Organizations exist to find, create, and keep customers with products and services that meet or exceed their needs. 

Why do we lose sight of that at times? Do we really understand what our customers need?  What they want? If they find it easy and beneficial to do business with us, or is a competitor looking more attractive? I have discovered that by far the best way to learn how your customers perceive your company is to visit them, see them in action, and look back at your own business through your customer's eyes.

Short of that, caring for a customer is not a "nice to do" its a "must do."  There are the same number of reasons to do so as there are competitors from which your customer has to choose.  

Be simplistically easy to do business with.  Anticipate needs. Strive to "delight" and surprise your customers.  Say please and thank you.  

This is not to say you break down procedures and give the store away.  You've got to be profitable and run a good organization.

The customer is not always right.  But you want them to feel that way.