Who are you fighting?

While it is extremely rare that I will watch the Larry King Live show, something caught my attention as I was flipping through the channels on a recent night.  He was interviewing the Maloof family.  If you don’t know, and I didn’t either, the Maloof’s are five siblings who are very successful in various business ventures including entertainment and sports.  Now I am not going to profess to know enough about the Maloof’s to comment about them.  What I am going to feature is something they said during their interview.  The question was regarding internal family relations – basically do they fight with each other about business decisions.  One of the brothers quickly responded to the question by stating that they can’t focus on fighting each other because they really need to focus on fighting the competition. 

Wow, that one comment really made me take notice!  “We can’t focus on fighting each other because we have to focus on fighting the competition.”  Clearly that statement is an excellent example of business acumen.  Think back to various projects you might have been a part of.  How many times did your meetings dissolve into bickering or hurt feelings on someone’s part?  People stubbornly dig their heels in and refuse to budge.  It becomes an endless cycle of trying to one-up your peers.  I know it happens because I have been in more than my fair share of those situations.  The organization spins its wheels as various departments have issues with other departments.  Senior management gets involved and now they have issues with each other.  It really is a scene that probably plays out every day in businesses across the world.

Instead, what if we tried to focus less on our personal pride and territories and more on pulling together? We might actually have the time and energy to prepare for the onslaught of outside threats!  Those threats are not just about fighting the competition.  They are about fighting economic conditions, addressing government regulations and legal issues and many more topics that are vital to business acumen. 

As business people we are already doing more with less.  Resources are stretched thin and people are working harder than ever. Why should we add to it?  Stop fighting each other and instead focus on fighting for your business.   Doing that will bring a sense of unity and purpose.  This will not only help the business succeed, it will also help you to succeed.    

While I couldn’t find the actual Larry King Live interview, here is a link to the CNN Larry King Live page: http://larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/18/tonight-on-larry-king-live-172/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Are you ready for some accountability?

Inevitably with football season there usually comes an opportunity to discuss how lessons learned in football can translate into the business world. This year is no different and a great example came in the very first weekend of play.

Controversial calls have become somewhat common place in many different sports this year.  The Lions/Bears football game this past Sunday was a perfect example of that! A game official used a rule that most people were probably unaware of to negate a touchdown. The Lions would have won the game had the touchdown stood. What was really striking about this situation was the head coach addressed the media frenzy with a level of accountability that isn’t often seen. It comes through very clearly in the following quote:

“As dramatic and controversial as the play with 24 seconds left might have been, there were 126 other plays from scrimmage that also had an impact on the game. Those plays kept Lions coach Jim Schwartz from pinning the loss on the one play.

"The time I stand up here blaming the officials for a loss is the time I don't have to do this anymore," Schwartz said.”
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100912/OPINION03/9120339/1126/rss14#ixzz0zX3KYjIH

The team had plenty of time to win that game – they put themselves in the position where the outcome hinged on one play. That play failed and they lost the game.

Wow, that’s standing up and honestly looking at the teams shortcomings in the entire process. That’s accountability and I really feel that it can be rare in this world. After all, who would want to willingly stand up, in front of their bosses, peers and the world, to state that they didn’t accomplish the goal to no fault but their own? It takes courage and a willingness to be vulnerable to make such an admission. Isn’t it easier to blame your boss, your coworkers, this economy or a host of other reasons? Yes, sometimes there are legitimate, concrete reasons for failures though I would suspect most of the time we, ourselves, have a hand in the process.

What is to be gained by such a pronounced display of accountability? Credibility. Respect. The freedom to become stronger.

Becoming more accountable is not easy.  It is not fun.  At the very least we must become more accountable to ourselves. By understanding our own shortcomings and actively trying to overcome them we will become more accountable. Doing that can only lead to improved business acumen!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

There is more to a thank you than just the words.

I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to write about this week but inspiration struck at the mailbox. We received a thank you from a wedding we attended back in June. Personally, I think thank you’s should go out within a month, but I do understand in the case of weddings it can be longer. Regardless, the lack of sincerity didn’t end with the timing of the message. The card was a photograph of the couple with a preprinted “thank you for sharing our day” message. No handwritten note, not even our names were written on the card/picture. For that matter even the envelope had computer generated labels. It felt so insincere and impersonal that it was more insulting than not receiving a thank you at all.

Now, you may wonder why I am mentioning this in a business blog. I thought it is very important to share because even in business a thank you needs to be more than just words. People can sense when gratitude isn’t sincere. Think about thanks you have received. It feels very different when it is warm and sincere then when it is a hastily muttered acknowledgement. One example that quickly comes to mind was a project I worked on. At the request of my manager at the time, I spent a month compiling and analyzing a segment of data. When I presented my work, the neatly organized binder of information was tossed it on a pile of paperwork. The manager barely said thanks and it was never touched again. Wow – can you feel the warmth there?! Not surprising she was one of the worst managers I have ever encountered.

It won’t hurt to add a little warmth. It won’t hurt to acknowledge someone’s efforts. It will hurt when you clearly aren’t sincere. It would have been better for that manager to have said, “Thank you so much. I know how much effort you have been putting into this and I will review it with you as soon as I possibly can.” Then maybe I would be referring to her as one of the best managers I ever worked for, instead of the worst.

Also, going back to the timing issue, don’t withhold thanks. Be prompt in your acknowledgements. Delays will only add insincerity to your message. If someone makes an effort for you, be quick in your effort to thank them.

Finally, remember that sometimes what happens in your personal life carries to your professional career. If either the bride or groom ever approached me for a job or referral I would really have to think about it. They were insincere and that doesn’t make for good business acumen.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Which came first?

No, this is not a blog about poultry, though it is the inspiration for my thoughts. I recently saw a headline about researchers who “discovered” the answer to which came first, the chicken or the egg. Of course their findings are still conjecture as they weren’t actually there, but it brought to my mind some business struggles. As it pertains to business growth, the question of what should come first can be as equally as confusing as the age-old life question. While I won’t profess to know the actual answer, I do hope to offer insight as to how to find the best path for your business.

Case 1: “If you build it, will they come?” What if you have a business that serves a large geographic area and the question is: Should you add offices for more local presence or do you establish more customers in those areas first? For a business I know, they went for it and built the offices. Unfortunately that has left them with serious financial issues. The expansion was done without understanding truly why it was being done and what ramifications would come of it. It has mired them in problems and is now a major detriment. In this situation what was missing was a strategic plan. A homeowner doesn’t build an addition without a myriad of plans, why should a business expansion be any different! By going down the path of building a strategic plan the owners could have found balance between the expansion and the revenue needed to support it.

Case 2: “Who are you really trying to serve?” I have actually seen this in many different forms. Here is just one example. For a non-profit in challenging economic times the question is: Should you have diverse programs to increase your standing in the community or do you focus your efforts towards targeted areas and expand from there. At the non-profit I worked for the rule was, the more programs the better. Some of the programs had shared missions while others were completely different. There was very little cohesion and no planning. If the executive director had a new program idea it was implemented immediately, without research or planning. Many of these new services were duplicated with other community programs. The staff was frustrated because they weren’t being supported properly and they had to watch as precious resources were wasted on new initiatives – initiatives that weren’t needed and therefore not utilized! The balance was missing. A simple SWOT analysis and employee feedback would have made expansion decisions much more successful.

Answering the question of what should come first can pertain to just about anything and the questions will always continue:

Should I hire more employees now or wait for more sales?

Can we increase revenue by acquiring new customers or should we first try to get more value from our current base?

Is it time to leave my company or should I stick it out?

There are no definitive answers. Spending the time to understand the different aspects of the potential answers will lead you to the most informed decision possible. When you reach that point, you start to answer the question of how to build your business acumen.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Be referable!

It really never occurred to me how important it is to be referable. Yes, I always wanted to do the best I possibly could but I didn’t make the connection to being referable. Think about it. As business people we need referrals far more than we realize. To find work, to find customers, to find employees and to find financing – all of it might incorporate some aspect of needing a referral.

My thought process on this topic started several months ago. A successful businesswoman, who is a dear friend of mine, was telling me about her struggles with a service provider. The service provider does an excellent job – if she could only show up and actually stay as planned. She may be five minutes late, she may be an hour late. Usually there is a call explaining the latest crisis or forgotten appointment. Sometimes during the middle of working for her clients, she’ll have to leave for one issue or anothe. Though her work is fantastic, she is completely unreliable. It becomes a huge disruption for my friend’s own work. Not surprising, the service provider has problems with her income.

As we were discussing the service provider’s situation, we talked about her inability to manage her own business. It goes beyond her timeliness issue. There have been issues in the rates she charges and her communications with her customers. All around, she is a disaster. Now, my friend tells me, the service provider is thinking about giving up her business and working for someone else. Based on this woman’s past performance, how could my friend ever refer her for a job?

Simple, she can’t without jeopardizing her own reputation. The service provider didn’t make herself referable. How can you expect to be successful in the future if you didn’t make the most of your past opportunities?

As serendipity would have it, my husband asked what my next blog topic would be. I told him it was about being referable. He immediately knew exactly what I was talking about because the topic turns out to be a core principle of a very powerful leadership program, Strategic Coach. The program has four habits that revolve around referability: 1. Show up on time, 2. Do what you say, 3. Finish what you start, 4. Say please and thank you.

Wow, sounds simple, almost kindergarten. Yet Strategic Coach is designed for business owners and senior executives. The program’s own success can be attributed, in part, to referrals. If my friend’s service provider just followed those simple principles, she would have a very successful, referable business. Instead, she just has a mess.

The topic of this blog is more than words – it really needs to be a call of action. For all of us, I recommended that we look at a sample of our customers and see if these four principles have been applied consistently. If you work for a company and don’t have customer interaction apply these principles to your internal customers. Really try to look at the customer’s perspective – dare I say it – even ask them for feedback! Use this as an opportunity to ensure you are referable. It may hurt your pride to hear the truth but it can only serve to bring you more success.

For more information about Strategic Coach and the Referability Habits please visit: http://www.strategiccoach.com/info_request/webinar/?stage=4&cmpid=NurtureWebinar&sc_v1=infusionsoft


Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Don't stop learning

Even though the graduation season is winding down, I really want to address the concept of life-long learning. I know it is one of those topics that make people groan. Yes, we are all busy. Yes, it is uncomfortable to admit that we don’t know everything. Yes, it is really important to continue to learn so we can achieve better business acumen.


When we first enter the workforce, there is freshness to our approach. There are challenges to be conquered and skills to be used! Years of school are behind us and now it’s time for action. Then we get settled into our careers. Various aspects of being in a business culture starts to wear down that freshness. Changes that we propose are met with “We have always done it this way” or “Why should we change what works.” Soon, we might even find ourselves saying those same horrible phrases to the next generation of professionals. The apathy sets in and the last thing we want to do is learn when in fact, it is exactly what we should be doing.

There is something to the adage “If you can’t beat them, join them.” New methodology or technology propels us forward as long as we are willing to make the effort to learn. Yet, so very often we don’t make that effort. Is it our pride that gets in our way? Or is it just that we are so busy we feel burdened by the effort. Whatever the case may be, the rationalization sets in.

It is really easy to rationalize why continual learning is unnecessary. Does this sound familiar? “I don’t need an MBA – I have years of business experience!” Except, there is so much outside of our little worlds that we can’t even imagine. In the MBA program that I was in, we studied organizational behavior topics, global issues and ethical case studies. I might have experienced these issues in my professional career, but I certainly didn’t understand them. The irony is that I would have been better prepared to handle some of those situations if I just had more information.

Finally, not all learning has to come from a degree. Pick up a book. Attend a seminar. Find a mentor. For that matter, become a mentor because learning goes both ways! Take the Dr. Oz approach and pass on what you learn to at least one person. It really is a key aspect of being a better businessperson.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Your product may be better but where is your market share?

This is a post that can apply to any size business as it is an age-old business problem. You have a superior product but yet your competitors have the market share. It’s hard to understand. Your devoted customers love your product – they tell you so. Why shouldn’t you have the market share? The real key is to understand the other factors that are influencing the purchasing decision. It’s not only about the quality of your products. To gain market share you have to incorporate business acumen into your efforts. To demonstrate this further, I am going to share a story about a local restaurant we recently went to and I hope it gives you some insight into how business acumen can help you gain the market share your product deserves.

In our small area, there are two restaurants specializing in the same cuisine. Both are family owned and while Restaurant A has superior food, Restaurant B has a superior business model.

Here are some comparisons of the two with the lessons learned for each:

1. Location:
a. Restaurant A is on the boarder of the worst area in town while Restaurant B is in the heart of the commercial district.

b. Restaurant A is out of the way for most of the demographic that would frequent the establishment while Restaurant B is very easily accessible.

c. Parking is limited for Restaurant A, causing the need to park on the street or in a lot away from the actual restaurant (an issue in inclement weather that is common around here). Of course Restaurant B has a very large parking area.

*Verdict: Restaurant B wins!

Lesson #1 - make your product accessible to your market – don’t expect your market to go out of their way to come to you!

2. Hours of Operation:
a. Restaurant A only offers lunch as a take-out only four days a week. Ugh! This one really gets me. It’s a family owned and run place. The husband is the cook. The wife and adult son serve. Yet they don’t open the dining room for lunch. They say it’s not “worth” it. Really, you are in an area that is not convenient so why would I drive there only to get a lunch to go??? Of course Restaurant B is always open for lunch.

b. The dining room at Restaurant A is only open 5 days a week, for limited dinner hours and they frequently close weeks at a time for family trips back to the home country. Restaurant B is open 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas, of course.

*Verdict: Restaurant B wins again.

Lesson #2 – I have written about this in previous posts – be open to your customers!

3. Service
a. Both start of equal on this one. As big as Restaurant B is, the owner will still make every attempt to visit every table. Of course, the wife and son at Restaurant A are the server so the diners get that personal touch there.

b. Where it starts to divide is the amount of attention. Customers want to be greeted and served but you cannot be overly familiar. This is still a business relationship. Don’t make it uncomfortable for your guests. The entire time we were at Restaurant A, we heard the son’s voice. He didn’t stop talking and to almost every table. The wife was a little better but still… Know when to stop or you’ll chase your customers away.

*Verdict: Restaurant B wins.

Lesson #3 – They are your customers, not your family or best friends. Give them space to enjoy your product!

4. Marketing
a. Restaurant A places small ads in the local paper. Restaurant B has ads, television commercials, billboards and a website.

b. Restaurant B has some products for sale including their spices and salad dressings.

c. Restaurant B is a MAJOR player in the local non-profit scene. They sponsor events, they donate, they participate and they are genuine in their efforts.

*Verdict: Of course, no surprise, Restaurant B wins again!

Lesson #4 – Regardless of your size, don’t underestimate the power of marketing. Keep your name out there in any way possible so your customers don’t forget about you.

Clearly basic business acumen topics such as customer experience, business practices and marketing could take Restaurant A to a whole new level. As good as their product is, they are resistant to change and refuse to take action. They are in business in spite of themselves and unfortunately will continue to lose market share. Don’t be Restaurant A. Embrace business acumen to get the market share your product deserves.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”