Recently I have found myself in several interview situations which left me really appalled at the lack of business acumen that was displayed. I am going to share one of these stories with the hope that it helps interviewers, as well as candidates, make the most of opportunities.
It started with a simple email inviting me to an interview. The company seemed to have a very professional approach and through the emails that were exchanged I was initially impressed. In these exchanges, they sent me in-depth information pertaining to the position, which I was able to use to create a presentation of what I could offer in this role. I spent many hours compiling this document and studying it so as to be fully prepared for my interview. My preparation even included a “drive-by” the location, which was in a city setting, so as to locate parking.
The day finally arrived and my preparation seemed to pay off. I arrived the customary 10-15 minutes early and was ready for action. I took a seat in the reception area and began my wait. And, I waited. And, I waited. Finally, 20 minutes after my appointment was scheduled to begin, two gentlemen came out. One was a candidate for the same position I was interviewing for and the other was the interviewer. Definitely awkward! What made it worse was the interviewer didn’t even offer an apology. Honestly, I was somewhat offended. Did they not value my time? If they couldn’t properly schedule interviews, what would it be like to work for them?
I didn’t say anything and the tour and interview proceeded. The general atmosphere of the company was strange. People were working in isolated offices with minimal interaction. For the first 45 minutes, the interviewer didn’t stop talking long enough to ask me a question! When another interviewer joined us, it was clear to me that they had not reviewed my resume or presentation. While I was prepared, they were not. Sure the job was a perfect fit for my abilities and skills, but I left with serious reservations about their culture and my experiences there. Since the actual job duties where very close to my capabilities, I proceed to send a follow-up thank you and I accepted the opportunity for a second interview.
When that day arrived, once again I arrived 10-15 minutes early. Can you see where this is going? I waited and I waited and I waited. 35 minutes passed. Not only was I waiting but the candidate who was to be interviewed after me arrived and was waiting with me! It was ridiculous. On top of these indiscretions, many of the people that I was supposed to meet with were walking around and never stopped to apologize and explain. This was the second time it happened and with such blatant acts of disrespect, I walked. Yes, I walked out. I don’t care how intriguing the position might have been; clearly the culture would not have been well suited to me. If they couldn’t display common courtesy and manners in an interview situation, what would it have been like to work for them?
A few days later I received an email. It included an apology, a note that they considered me a strong candidate and of course a very defensive explanation of their actions. They didn’t get it. I knew I was a strong candidate – they didn’t need to tell me that as a person knows when they have aced an interview. They completely missed the point that while I may have wowed them, they certainly did not wow me. Their lack of business acumen cost them a strong candidate. Companies need to remember that they are not only interviewing a candidate, they themselves are being interviewed. On the other side, candidates really need a critical eye when looking at a company. Sounds harsh? Think about it – is it better to take a job regardless of the warning signals and be miserable OR is it better to walk away and wait for the right opportunity.
To sum it up, here are your take-aways for this week:
1. On both sides, first impressions count as do seconds and thirds. Make the most of these opportunities.
2. Companies, please act with courtesy and respect. Act as if you were the candidate. Be prepared and be on time. If you are unavoidably late, make the candidate comfortable. Bring them to a conference room or office so they are not in an uncomfortable situation. Show respect to win the strong candidates. By doing so you are embracing business acumen and attracting the best people to move your business forward.
3. As for candidates, in preparing to present yourself don’t forget to look closely at the whole picture. Look carefully at interactions and culture. Admittedly, you might HAVE to take a job but if at all possible make sure it will be a good fit for you, not only in the sense of capabilities but also what you want in an atmosphere. Don’t be afraid to walk away. Something better awaits – I am sure of it.
The age old adage applies here: treat people as you want to be treated. To do so will only increase your business acumen. Remember, business acumen is more than numbers - it includes the entire experience share by customers, employees and prospects alike. Embrace it and you will prosper. Ignore it and they will just walk away.
Finally, I hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday season. I look forward to sharing more stories with you in the New Year and I truly hope we find our successes together.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Just because it is entertaining doesn't make it real...
Last week I discussed the need to separate reality shows designed for entertainment from the reality of day to day business. It is such a compelling topic that I think it deserves more than one post, so here is a continuation…
In the camera angles of reality television, producers of such shows are looking for controversy and drama rather than a full description of the actual events. Who will undermine who and who will be eliminated become the dominant themes in short snippets of footage of a nearly impossible task. Forget the details – instead continually replay the shots that will create the most buzz to increase ratings. Also, condense days filled with many narrowly focused players into about 35 minutes of content. It is a formula that goes for the cheap shots that will play well in the previews. It is an approach that all too often translates into business through hasty judgments and subjective opinions that are based on incomplete facts and office gossip. Business judgments can be inconsiderate and grossly incomplete. Who among us hasn’t been hurt, probably on more than one occasion, by these situations? Who among us hasn’t wished that people would look at the entire situation before passing judgment? Who among us has actually made decisions based on hasty judgments?
To expand upon the thought of achieving better business acumen through improved judgment, consider this…how do you want to be judged in your particular business setting? Remember – judgment doesn’t just come from the people you report to. In business we are also judged by our customers, peers, mentors, subordinates or even external forces such as the media and public opinion. With any of those groups, would you want to be judged on one narrowly focused effort or event? Sure, if that effort suits your strengths than the judgment may be great, but, how often is that likely to happen? Sometimes we have a bad day or miss the mark on an effort. There may be countless other issues to consider such as a shift in priorities or a technology failure. Rather than taking the “Project Runway Approach “of such myopic scrutiny, shouldn’t we allow for the consideration of the entire situation?
By looking at the overall picture and trying to understand the different aspects of an individual situation, a more comprehensive judgment can be reached. While most of us don’t have idle hours to spend on every exacting detail, we can’t use that for an excuse. In dealing with judgments it is incumbent upon us to make the time. Because a quick and hasty approach plays well on television doesn’t mean we have a free pass to behave the same way. We must rise above the fray to be as impartial as possible. Admittedly, that is not always easy. In rising above we might have to face our own shortcomings or those of our organization – but isn’t that the point? Shouldn’t we face these shortcomings head on so as to have a clear view of our business reality and understand what it needs to succeed? Remember, this clear view cannot be clouded by the haze of what is produced for entertainment purposes – it has to be based on the development of sound judgment skills.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I do like some of these shows. I admire the innovation seen in the designs of Project Runway and it can be entertaining. As business leaders, we just have to remember that what is entertaining might not be real. By separating fact from fiction, we will continue on our road towards better business acumen.
In the camera angles of reality television, producers of such shows are looking for controversy and drama rather than a full description of the actual events. Who will undermine who and who will be eliminated become the dominant themes in short snippets of footage of a nearly impossible task. Forget the details – instead continually replay the shots that will create the most buzz to increase ratings. Also, condense days filled with many narrowly focused players into about 35 minutes of content. It is a formula that goes for the cheap shots that will play well in the previews. It is an approach that all too often translates into business through hasty judgments and subjective opinions that are based on incomplete facts and office gossip. Business judgments can be inconsiderate and grossly incomplete. Who among us hasn’t been hurt, probably on more than one occasion, by these situations? Who among us hasn’t wished that people would look at the entire situation before passing judgment? Who among us has actually made decisions based on hasty judgments?
To expand upon the thought of achieving better business acumen through improved judgment, consider this…how do you want to be judged in your particular business setting? Remember – judgment doesn’t just come from the people you report to. In business we are also judged by our customers, peers, mentors, subordinates or even external forces such as the media and public opinion. With any of those groups, would you want to be judged on one narrowly focused effort or event? Sure, if that effort suits your strengths than the judgment may be great, but, how often is that likely to happen? Sometimes we have a bad day or miss the mark on an effort. There may be countless other issues to consider such as a shift in priorities or a technology failure. Rather than taking the “Project Runway Approach “of such myopic scrutiny, shouldn’t we allow for the consideration of the entire situation?
By looking at the overall picture and trying to understand the different aspects of an individual situation, a more comprehensive judgment can be reached. While most of us don’t have idle hours to spend on every exacting detail, we can’t use that for an excuse. In dealing with judgments it is incumbent upon us to make the time. Because a quick and hasty approach plays well on television doesn’t mean we have a free pass to behave the same way. We must rise above the fray to be as impartial as possible. Admittedly, that is not always easy. In rising above we might have to face our own shortcomings or those of our organization – but isn’t that the point? Shouldn’t we face these shortcomings head on so as to have a clear view of our business reality and understand what it needs to succeed? Remember, this clear view cannot be clouded by the haze of what is produced for entertainment purposes – it has to be based on the development of sound judgment skills.
As I mentioned in my previous post, I do like some of these shows. I admire the innovation seen in the designs of Project Runway and it can be entertaining. As business leaders, we just have to remember that what is entertaining might not be real. By separating fact from fiction, we will continue on our road towards better business acumen.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Avoiding the Project Runway Approach
Happy Holidays and welcome to what should be a gracious time of year. I have been gathering more experiences to share with you over the last few weeks and can’t wait to write about them. First though is a post that I have wanted to write for a long time…
Over the past 10 years reality shows have really taken hold of our culture. What started with glimpses into personal situations has evolved into staged business settings. From the Apprentice to Design Star to Project Runway, people are putting their professional lives in the hands of reality show producers. Before I go any further, here is my disclaimer – I have watched some of these shows and really like Project Runway, my chosen example for this post. The designers are amazing to me as I love fashion but cannot sew more than an emergency repair. That being said, to achieve and maintain business acumen we must separate how a television show is produced and edited for an entertaining 60 minute time spot versus how we act in our everyday lives. After all, do we want to go around thinking that “one day we are in and the next day we’re out?”
This line is often spoken by one of the hosts of Project Runway and could be extremely detrimental if it were to be used in a true business setting. Think about it - what kind of confidence will a statement like that inspire? “One day you’re in and the next you’re out?!” Would that make you want to go to work every morning? The decisions about who wins and loses on a Project Runway-type show are based on subjective opinions. The entirety of a designers work is not the basis for elimination decision. Instead the television producers chose a format that requires a decision that is dependent on a single project. In addition to the threat of having their projects judge in a singular and subjective manner, the designers perform their work under extremely trying conditions such as severe time constraints and/or limited materials. Day in and day out, over the course of the show there never seems to be enough time to work, sleep or function as a normal human should! Seemingly all of this would combine to increase ratings as people tune in to see who cannot make it and is voted off but we absolutely must not let this mindset translate to our businesses. Let me repeat that – we MUST NOT let these reality shows, designed for our entertainment, influence the way we conduct business.
To grow and thrive, people need the freedom of being challenged without the threat of dismissal. To live under such a threat would shatter anyone’s confidence. Without confidence, you cannot obtain business acumen. Period. No debate on this one. We shouldn’t drive to work thinking that if we make one mistake we could lose our job. Of course, I am not talking about extreme situations – I am referring to judging someone on the entire course of their work. We are human and we make mistakes. It is better to take a calculated risk and be wrong, then not to take the risk at all. As leaders we need to be gracious and accept that not everyone is perfect all the time – ourselves included. By raising our level of graciousness and taking a professional approach in situations of judgment we can set an example for those around us. The goal is not to be a harsh judge of a nearly impossible task. Business acumen will flourish when we meet challenges as a team and create confidence that it is better to try and fail, then not to try at all.
Over the past 10 years reality shows have really taken hold of our culture. What started with glimpses into personal situations has evolved into staged business settings. From the Apprentice to Design Star to Project Runway, people are putting their professional lives in the hands of reality show producers. Before I go any further, here is my disclaimer – I have watched some of these shows and really like Project Runway, my chosen example for this post. The designers are amazing to me as I love fashion but cannot sew more than an emergency repair. That being said, to achieve and maintain business acumen we must separate how a television show is produced and edited for an entertaining 60 minute time spot versus how we act in our everyday lives. After all, do we want to go around thinking that “one day we are in and the next day we’re out?”
This line is often spoken by one of the hosts of Project Runway and could be extremely detrimental if it were to be used in a true business setting. Think about it - what kind of confidence will a statement like that inspire? “One day you’re in and the next you’re out?!” Would that make you want to go to work every morning? The decisions about who wins and loses on a Project Runway-type show are based on subjective opinions. The entirety of a designers work is not the basis for elimination decision. Instead the television producers chose a format that requires a decision that is dependent on a single project. In addition to the threat of having their projects judge in a singular and subjective manner, the designers perform their work under extremely trying conditions such as severe time constraints and/or limited materials. Day in and day out, over the course of the show there never seems to be enough time to work, sleep or function as a normal human should! Seemingly all of this would combine to increase ratings as people tune in to see who cannot make it and is voted off but we absolutely must not let this mindset translate to our businesses. Let me repeat that – we MUST NOT let these reality shows, designed for our entertainment, influence the way we conduct business.
To grow and thrive, people need the freedom of being challenged without the threat of dismissal. To live under such a threat would shatter anyone’s confidence. Without confidence, you cannot obtain business acumen. Period. No debate on this one. We shouldn’t drive to work thinking that if we make one mistake we could lose our job. Of course, I am not talking about extreme situations – I am referring to judging someone on the entire course of their work. We are human and we make mistakes. It is better to take a calculated risk and be wrong, then not to take the risk at all. As leaders we need to be gracious and accept that not everyone is perfect all the time – ourselves included. By raising our level of graciousness and taking a professional approach in situations of judgment we can set an example for those around us. The goal is not to be a harsh judge of a nearly impossible task. Business acumen will flourish when we meet challenges as a team and create confidence that it is better to try and fail, then not to try at all.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
A book and a cup of coffee
In life, most of us are leaders in one capacity or another. You don’t have to be a CEO to be called a leader. Skeptical – have you led a project, a community service organization or even a household? There are many aspects to leadership which stretch beyond the traditional business role. Relating to them helps to sharpen our awareness and leads heightened business acumen. I am opening this blog with this reminder because I am going to focus on Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie and I don’t want anyone to pass it over because they may not be a traditional business leader. Leadership applies to all of us in one form or another and we should embrace leadership lessons as much as possible. More on this in the future, but for now, onto this week’s thoughts…
In last week’s post I discussed how we should embrace our own strengths instead of those of someone else. Now let’s take that one step further. As leaders what if we try understanding the strengths of those we are leading and use them for the benefit of the team? Taking this positive approach will yield positive results and is the core foundation of the Strengths Based Leadership book. How does this tie back to business acumen? Going back a few weeks, I posted a definition of business acumen from CEO online that included “motivation of staff.” To motivate your staff you need to know your staff.
To know your staff you have to go beyond the surface. People are more than the tasks they are assigned. Do you know how they like to work, what their goals are and if they have ideas for improvement? What are their strengths and how can they be utilized? Are you missing opportunities because you don’t know your staff’s thoughts and ideas? What effort have you put into finding what they are? People find motivation when they feel engaged. This extends to having their strengths used. Think of yourself for a minute – how often have you had a leader that helped your level of engagement by pushing you towards your strengths rather than picking apart your weaknesses? There are times when those leaders seem to be the exception more than the rule. The funny thing is that it not hard to do.
An executive I know really embraces the concept of engaging his staff and Strength Based Leadership. So much that he has given each of his staff a copy of the book – but not in the typical way of just handing a person a book – he makes a personal effort. Whenever possible he takes the person to the local bookstore and buys them a copy. They might have lunch together before they go or they stop for coffee while they are there. He uses the purchase of the book as a connecting point in their relationship. Not only that but he follows up on their assessment and uses it to help them in their career.
Imagine that a simple book and a cup of coffee can actually help change an employee’s experience. Something so basic can go so far and yet it is often overlooked. Personally, I have never had a supervisor make that effort with me – have you? Most of my previous supervisors were too busy pointing out what they considered to be faults than promoting my strengths. In whatever your leadership capacity may be, please take this lesson and make it an opportunity that focuses on strengths and improved engagement. The results can only serve to increase motivation of your staff and your own business acumen. To think, it may just start with a book and a cup of coffee…
To take the Strength Finders assessment and learn more, simply purchase the Strength Based Leadership book. It comes with a code that allows you to take the assessment and receive a profile based on your results. If you missed it last week, here is a link to the website: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx.
In last week’s post I discussed how we should embrace our own strengths instead of those of someone else. Now let’s take that one step further. As leaders what if we try understanding the strengths of those we are leading and use them for the benefit of the team? Taking this positive approach will yield positive results and is the core foundation of the Strengths Based Leadership book. How does this tie back to business acumen? Going back a few weeks, I posted a definition of business acumen from CEO online that included “motivation of staff.” To motivate your staff you need to know your staff.
To know your staff you have to go beyond the surface. People are more than the tasks they are assigned. Do you know how they like to work, what their goals are and if they have ideas for improvement? What are their strengths and how can they be utilized? Are you missing opportunities because you don’t know your staff’s thoughts and ideas? What effort have you put into finding what they are? People find motivation when they feel engaged. This extends to having their strengths used. Think of yourself for a minute – how often have you had a leader that helped your level of engagement by pushing you towards your strengths rather than picking apart your weaknesses? There are times when those leaders seem to be the exception more than the rule. The funny thing is that it not hard to do.
An executive I know really embraces the concept of engaging his staff and Strength Based Leadership. So much that he has given each of his staff a copy of the book – but not in the typical way of just handing a person a book – he makes a personal effort. Whenever possible he takes the person to the local bookstore and buys them a copy. They might have lunch together before they go or they stop for coffee while they are there. He uses the purchase of the book as a connecting point in their relationship. Not only that but he follows up on their assessment and uses it to help them in their career.
Imagine that a simple book and a cup of coffee can actually help change an employee’s experience. Something so basic can go so far and yet it is often overlooked. Personally, I have never had a supervisor make that effort with me – have you? Most of my previous supervisors were too busy pointing out what they considered to be faults than promoting my strengths. In whatever your leadership capacity may be, please take this lesson and make it an opportunity that focuses on strengths and improved engagement. The results can only serve to increase motivation of your staff and your own business acumen. To think, it may just start with a book and a cup of coffee…
To take the Strength Finders assessment and learn more, simply purchase the Strength Based Leadership book. It comes with a code that allows you to take the assessment and receive a profile based on your results. If you missed it last week, here is a link to the website: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Focus on strength
I am going to start this week’s blog with a rhetorical question: “Why do we worry so much about our weaknesses instead of spending our energy on our strengths?” Does all of that worrying really get us anywhere?
No, of course it doesn’t and it is part of the premise of the Strengths Based Leadership book by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. This book is just one of many written about a thirty year research project undertaken by the Gallop organization called the Strength Finders assessment (Conchie and Rath, 2008). What I like about Strength Finders is that as the name implies, it focuses on an individual strengths through a series of questions. The research found that there are many different strength traits that can be categorized into four categories: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic thinking. I don’t want to go too far into this as I think you should take the assessment and learn for yourself. I do want to note that the Strengths Based Leadership book continues the research into the topic of leadership. This week I am going to talk a little about the necessity of knowing your personal strengths which will lead to next week’s topic of using this process as a leader.
Side note - to take the assessment and learn more simply purchase the Strength Based Leadership book. It comes with a code that allows you to take the assessment and receive a profile based on your results. If you missed it last week, here is a link to the website: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx.
Now, I am not advocating that in focusing on our strengths we should abandon self improvement projects. What we need to do is ensure in the process of growing and improving, we don’t forget to capitalize on our strengths. As human beings we have unique talents. By using a tool, such as the Strength Finders assessment, we can key in on our individual strengths and talents as a way to improve our business acumen.
Is it really that important? Yes, I really believe that it is and here is an example of why: Is there someone – a leader, a friend, a family member, even a public figure – that you try to emulate but don’t quite succeed? Do you try to model your business style on that of your supervisor but you don’t get the same results? It can be so frustrating! You end up spinning your wheels to become someone that you are not. That frustration may even lead to a feeling of disillusionment or loss of motivation. Those feelings certainly won’t sharpen your business acumen!
Instead of trying to use someone else’s strengths, what if you used your own? Imagine the possibilities - taking this approach will probably keep you more engaged and interested in your business. This motivation will lead to better business acumen. As a personal example, one of my strengths as assessed is being strategic. Having strategic in my strength profile indicates that I can easily problem solve and like to look at different angles of a problem. By knowing this I can focus on situations that allow me to use these skills for my own fulfillment and to the success of the organization. The use of my strategic component will be an advantage for me because successes in solving issues will serve to increase my motivation. Additionally, it will be an advantage for my business because my strength in problem solving will be utilized for its benefit. It’s truly a win-win. On the other side, if I were to go into a situation where the problems were solved for me and I just had to execute the plan, I would be miserable and unmotivated. Certainly those are not qualities one would associate with business acumen!
It’s important to note that one strength is not better than another. They are all equal and our individual combinations help make us unique!
As I mentioned before, next week I am going to move this along further by discussing how we should use Strength Finders in our leadership of others. Until then, embrace your strengths and make a difference in your workplace. May we all find our successes together!
No, of course it doesn’t and it is part of the premise of the Strengths Based Leadership book by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. This book is just one of many written about a thirty year research project undertaken by the Gallop organization called the Strength Finders assessment (Conchie and Rath, 2008). What I like about Strength Finders is that as the name implies, it focuses on an individual strengths through a series of questions. The research found that there are many different strength traits that can be categorized into four categories: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building and Strategic thinking. I don’t want to go too far into this as I think you should take the assessment and learn for yourself. I do want to note that the Strengths Based Leadership book continues the research into the topic of leadership. This week I am going to talk a little about the necessity of knowing your personal strengths which will lead to next week’s topic of using this process as a leader.
Side note - to take the assessment and learn more simply purchase the Strength Based Leadership book. It comes with a code that allows you to take the assessment and receive a profile based on your results. If you missed it last week, here is a link to the website: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx.
Now, I am not advocating that in focusing on our strengths we should abandon self improvement projects. What we need to do is ensure in the process of growing and improving, we don’t forget to capitalize on our strengths. As human beings we have unique talents. By using a tool, such as the Strength Finders assessment, we can key in on our individual strengths and talents as a way to improve our business acumen.
Is it really that important? Yes, I really believe that it is and here is an example of why: Is there someone – a leader, a friend, a family member, even a public figure – that you try to emulate but don’t quite succeed? Do you try to model your business style on that of your supervisor but you don’t get the same results? It can be so frustrating! You end up spinning your wheels to become someone that you are not. That frustration may even lead to a feeling of disillusionment or loss of motivation. Those feelings certainly won’t sharpen your business acumen!
Instead of trying to use someone else’s strengths, what if you used your own? Imagine the possibilities - taking this approach will probably keep you more engaged and interested in your business. This motivation will lead to better business acumen. As a personal example, one of my strengths as assessed is being strategic. Having strategic in my strength profile indicates that I can easily problem solve and like to look at different angles of a problem. By knowing this I can focus on situations that allow me to use these skills for my own fulfillment and to the success of the organization. The use of my strategic component will be an advantage for me because successes in solving issues will serve to increase my motivation. Additionally, it will be an advantage for my business because my strength in problem solving will be utilized for its benefit. It’s truly a win-win. On the other side, if I were to go into a situation where the problems were solved for me and I just had to execute the plan, I would be miserable and unmotivated. Certainly those are not qualities one would associate with business acumen!
It’s important to note that one strength is not better than another. They are all equal and our individual combinations help make us unique!
As I mentioned before, next week I am going to move this along further by discussing how we should use Strength Finders in our leadership of others. Until then, embrace your strengths and make a difference in your workplace. May we all find our successes together!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Getting trapped by the latest buzz
If you follow pro-football, and if you don’t please don’t be scared off as this will make sense to you too, the latest buzz is the trend by the Miami Dolphins in using what is called a “Wild Cat” offense. This play is to swap out offense players in an unconventional way. It is working quite well for them right now and more teams are trying the same strategy. There has been vigorous debate as to whether or not this play is a gimmick and when it will stop working. One of the Sunday commentators on CBS’s NFL today football show made a statement that was so profound that I instantly knew it was the perfect analogy for this blog. He said that the Wild Cat is not a gimmick for the Miami Dolphins because they have the perfect combination of talent to make it successful. For other teams, it would be a gimmick because they didn’t have the proper talent to make it work.
“Combination of talent” - the same holds true to achieve business acumen! A significant part of business acumen is to know your players and how to best utilize them. We need to develop our business strategies based on the talent we have NOT the latest business buzz words.
Here is an example of how this happens in everyday business. Take a minute and think about the conferences or seminars you might have attended at some point in your career. It might have been an association event, like the Direct Marketing Association, or a software seminar or just a workshop on leadership. Do you remember walking out and thinking – WOW – we can try this or do that! It is an energizing feeling. You walk into your office ready to make sweeping changes based on the take-aways from the learning experience. You try to share your newly acquired knowledge with anyone you can trap into listening. It may go as far as to have meetings on setting the changes into motion.
Then, in many cases, the steam runs out. Problems arise, other priorities take hold and those sure-fire ideas flame out. It’s even worse when it is your supervisor or a higher-up. THEY come back all fired up and expect YOU to make it happen. Now, I am not saying these events aren’t important –they can be – but I want to focus on the take-aways. Those take-aways are like the Wild Cat offense. They will work for some but not for others. In order to achieve business acumen, you need to know the capabilities of your talent and judge whether or not you have the right combination to make it a successful strategy.
My goal for the next few weeks is to offer some ideas and strategies for knowing your capabilities and those within your business. It is the theme that I will focus on and until then I encourage you to read Strength Finders and to take the assessment. Check out the website at: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx. I found this very enlightening about myself and will try to use it as the foundation for next week’s post.
As always please post your comments and tell your coworkers and friends about this blog. Let’s find our successes together!
“Combination of talent” - the same holds true to achieve business acumen! A significant part of business acumen is to know your players and how to best utilize them. We need to develop our business strategies based on the talent we have NOT the latest business buzz words.
Here is an example of how this happens in everyday business. Take a minute and think about the conferences or seminars you might have attended at some point in your career. It might have been an association event, like the Direct Marketing Association, or a software seminar or just a workshop on leadership. Do you remember walking out and thinking – WOW – we can try this or do that! It is an energizing feeling. You walk into your office ready to make sweeping changes based on the take-aways from the learning experience. You try to share your newly acquired knowledge with anyone you can trap into listening. It may go as far as to have meetings on setting the changes into motion.
Then, in many cases, the steam runs out. Problems arise, other priorities take hold and those sure-fire ideas flame out. It’s even worse when it is your supervisor or a higher-up. THEY come back all fired up and expect YOU to make it happen. Now, I am not saying these events aren’t important –they can be – but I want to focus on the take-aways. Those take-aways are like the Wild Cat offense. They will work for some but not for others. In order to achieve business acumen, you need to know the capabilities of your talent and judge whether or not you have the right combination to make it a successful strategy.
My goal for the next few weeks is to offer some ideas and strategies for knowing your capabilities and those within your business. It is the theme that I will focus on and until then I encourage you to read Strength Finders and to take the assessment. Check out the website at: http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx. I found this very enlightening about myself and will try to use it as the foundation for next week’s post.
As always please post your comments and tell your coworkers and friends about this blog. Let’s find our successes together!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
What is business acumen anyway?
In the weeks since I started this blog the question of “what is business acumen” has come up numerous times and from some surprising sources. One such question even came from a person who has an MBA degree! This really made me see that I should take a step back and describe business acumen and how I am going to use it as the basis for this blog so here it goes…
If you “google” business acumen there are 1.7 million search results. Clearly we don’t have time for that! I found a definition at CEO Online that really fits the intent of this blog: “Organizational business acumen is maintaining focus on business opportunity by building the capacity and motivation of staff to meet clients’ needs and maximize investor return.” This description shifts the focus away from strictly a financial view to a wider perspective. Often business acumen is tied to financial issues but a business’s lasting success relies on more than just numbers. My goal is to explore the wider perspective to highlight how we can make the most out of our business lives and I will use the aforementioned definition as a roadmap to meet that goal.
Why should we strive for business acumen? There are many aspects to this answer and I will cover many of them in the weeks to come. Until then, here are some questions to ponder:
As leaders, how can we expect our employees to serve the needs of our clients if we do not attend to their needs first?
What if as a leader or a subordinate, you don’t meet your own needs? Is that really going to move the business forward?
Are you so entrenched in your processes that you can’t see clear enough to take advantage of opportunities that are passing by?
Do you dread telling your staff about an upcoming change, knowing that you will be faced by negativity and resistance?
How often do you communicate your ethical standards to those around you and do you trust them to uphold those ethical standards?
These questions just scrape the surface of business acumen. If you have a staff of one or one thousand it is incumbent on you to ensure that they have the motivation and tools needed for success. AND – it’s not just for leaders to pass down! As noted in the CEO online article: “Staff who can demonstrate their business acumen are more successful in developing their career.” By sharpening our business acumen, we can add value regardless of our professional level! If you are an hourly employee or a CEO, there are benefits to be gained by honing business skills.
Just as I followed the theme of “believing” for a few weeks, as I write this blog I will continue to choose themes to sharpen our awareness of business acumen. Hopefully these themes will help us to answer the questions above and many more. To get you started, please check out the article I quoted in this post. It’s titled Building Business Acumen that Adds Value written by John Cleary of Blue Chip Consulting Group and can be found at: http://www.ceoonline.com.au/expert_talk/marketing/competitive_advantage/pages/id30001.aspx
It includes more questions you should ask yourself in judging your own business acumen. Please post a response or send me any questions about this or other business topics you might have.
Let’s all find our successes together!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Believing part 4 - Moving on...
Discussing the concept of believing over the past few weeks has been very motivational for me and hopefully for you as well. It is inspiring to think of achievements and success stories and it is exciting to imagine untold possibilities. However, I would be very remiss if I didn’t go back to finish my thought of two weeks ago. I was recounting the story of a presentation and an audience member who had fallen into the trap of negativity. I wrote that “clearly the audience member lost faith in the organization and its audience. He refused to believe that any effort was a good effort and instead thought that whatever the organization tried was a waste of time.” This story was to serve as the baseline for the flip side of believing – it is the ability to understand when it is no longer realistic to believe.
Tough stuff! When do you draw the line? As employees, how many of us have left for work in the morning thinking “I can’t stand my job” and wishing for a way out? Whether it is a supervisor that we perceive as being difficult, a job function that doesn’t inspire us or a company that has different values from our own, there are many different reasons why most of us, at one time or another, have “hated” our jobs. If you are in that “mental/emotional” place, it is nearly impossible to turn off that negativity so as to believe. This also applies to other areas in business besides being an employee. As leaders, have we ever done a task because we didn’t believe our employees could handle it? Do we assign tasks not because we believe it will add value to the organization but because it was assigned within the chain of command? As members of our various business communities, are there people within our communities that have lost faith and openly express their negativity? These situations are more prevalent than we either realize or that we want to admit. To do so would force us to face the stark reality of deciding to move on.
Moving on - it is a complex and powerful thought. When is the appropriate time to cut the ties? For the sake of clarity I am going to try to offer examples of moving on in the following three paragraphs:
In the situation of my presentation, it is pretty clear to me that it is time for that member to leave the organization. Not because he is a bad person – he’s not. Not because he disagrees with one issue –it is bigger than that. He needs to move on because he has gone as far as he can with the organization. He doesn’t believe. To thrive, organizations need people to believe as much as people need a place where they can believe and therefore thrive. It is a circle that has points along the arc. If a point is broken, the circle is not complete.
In my own career, I have been in the broken circles. I lost faith in an organization that I had a successful career in. I was staying because I believed I had to – I owed it to the company that had done so much to get me started. One of the hardest situations I have ever faced was acknowledging that there was no going back – the organization had changed in a way that conflicted with my own values. I couldn’t believe in it so therefore I couldn’t stay there anymore. In these situations it is very easy to second guess yourself. Maybe it will get better. We start to ask: What if I try to change my attitude? Should I just put up with it and not care? Where would I go? How do I begin again? Looking back, if I had stayed another year or 10 years, the end result would have been the same. I was sinking into misery and negativity. It was a fast and hard downward spiral. My only regret is that I didn’t leave a year earlier than I did. The signs were clearly there – I had to move on.
Finally from a leadership perspective we owe it to ourselves, our organizations and to our employees to carefully consider whether or not it is time move on. Moving on at this level might include cutting product lines, taking a different management strategy or simply letting a non-believing employee go. These might be among the hardest topics within the concept of “moving on” because our decisions to improve situations might actually seem like we are harming some people in the process. However, if it is done ethically and with honest intent hopefully it will lead to a better future for all who are involved.
This leads to my conclusion: part of the decision process of moving on is the determination to believe in a better future. Moving on is the commitment to take action that will bring more value to ourselves and our organizations so that we may be as successful as possible. As daunting as it may seem, it can and should be done. If being successful means believing, then we owe it to ourselves and the people around us to believe and to be prepared when it is time to move on.
Tough stuff! When do you draw the line? As employees, how many of us have left for work in the morning thinking “I can’t stand my job” and wishing for a way out? Whether it is a supervisor that we perceive as being difficult, a job function that doesn’t inspire us or a company that has different values from our own, there are many different reasons why most of us, at one time or another, have “hated” our jobs. If you are in that “mental/emotional” place, it is nearly impossible to turn off that negativity so as to believe. This also applies to other areas in business besides being an employee. As leaders, have we ever done a task because we didn’t believe our employees could handle it? Do we assign tasks not because we believe it will add value to the organization but because it was assigned within the chain of command? As members of our various business communities, are there people within our communities that have lost faith and openly express their negativity? These situations are more prevalent than we either realize or that we want to admit. To do so would force us to face the stark reality of deciding to move on.
Moving on - it is a complex and powerful thought. When is the appropriate time to cut the ties? For the sake of clarity I am going to try to offer examples of moving on in the following three paragraphs:
In the situation of my presentation, it is pretty clear to me that it is time for that member to leave the organization. Not because he is a bad person – he’s not. Not because he disagrees with one issue –it is bigger than that. He needs to move on because he has gone as far as he can with the organization. He doesn’t believe. To thrive, organizations need people to believe as much as people need a place where they can believe and therefore thrive. It is a circle that has points along the arc. If a point is broken, the circle is not complete.
In my own career, I have been in the broken circles. I lost faith in an organization that I had a successful career in. I was staying because I believed I had to – I owed it to the company that had done so much to get me started. One of the hardest situations I have ever faced was acknowledging that there was no going back – the organization had changed in a way that conflicted with my own values. I couldn’t believe in it so therefore I couldn’t stay there anymore. In these situations it is very easy to second guess yourself. Maybe it will get better. We start to ask: What if I try to change my attitude? Should I just put up with it and not care? Where would I go? How do I begin again? Looking back, if I had stayed another year or 10 years, the end result would have been the same. I was sinking into misery and negativity. It was a fast and hard downward spiral. My only regret is that I didn’t leave a year earlier than I did. The signs were clearly there – I had to move on.
Finally from a leadership perspective we owe it to ourselves, our organizations and to our employees to carefully consider whether or not it is time move on. Moving on at this level might include cutting product lines, taking a different management strategy or simply letting a non-believing employee go. These might be among the hardest topics within the concept of “moving on” because our decisions to improve situations might actually seem like we are harming some people in the process. However, if it is done ethically and with honest intent hopefully it will lead to a better future for all who are involved.
This leads to my conclusion: part of the decision process of moving on is the determination to believe in a better future. Moving on is the commitment to take action that will bring more value to ourselves and our organizations so that we may be as successful as possible. As daunting as it may seem, it can and should be done. If being successful means believing, then we owe it to ourselves and the people around us to believe and to be prepared when it is time to move on.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Believe Part 3 – And they soared.
Over the last two weeks I have discussed the need to believe in yourself and your company. I had planned on wrapping up the topic this week but its funny how life will provide fuel for what’s on your mind. I am going to delay the wrap up and continue with the concept of believe.
Last week, I was vacationing in the Outer Banks of North Carolina with my husband. As with many vacations, we had a list of “touristy” places to visit – some of which we were excited about, such as climbing the Hatteras lighthouse, and some of which seem to be more of an obligatory activity simply because we were there. This was the case of visiting the Wright Brothers memorial. After all, as avid travelers we really felt we should pay homage to the men who were the first to fly under their own power but the visit was more of a “should do” than a “must do.”
Without much thought or excitement, we pulled into the memorial and paid our admission. Heading first to the visitor’s center, we could clearly see an open, grassy area that had various granite stones. As we toured the visitor’s center there were numerous portraits of the firsts. The first female to fly, the first man to break the sound barrier – there were countless portraits of men and women who took those first steps. Okay, at this point our spines were tingling a bit and the awe we felt was starting to grow. These were people who believed in their dream and followed that belief!
Next we saw the timeline of the years the Wright Brothers spent working towards their dream. Years! It didn’t happen for them overnight. It didn’t come easy – they reached small milestones bit by bit. They sacrificed and suffered all because they believed in their goal. Don and I didn’t realize that they had isolated themselves in the Outer Banks. At the time, the Outer Banks weren’t filled with beautiful beach houses and restaurants. It was a rustic and tough existence. The brothers lived in a small cabin and faced scarce company and food supplies. Personally, Don and I always thought they just kind of showed up at Kitty Hawk and flew a plane, but that wasn’t the case. They had to build an engine, build their own wind tunnel, build a propeller, build a steering mechanism, build a launch mechanism, build a hanger, build a cabin and so on. They even borrowed a sewing machine to sew the muslin used as wings on the plane!!! There weren’t any blueprints. No internet to provide research. It was only their all consuming passion to reach the goal which they so strongly believed in. With so many odds against them, why did they leave their bicycle shop??? They believed. The bicycle shop was merely an ends to the means. It provided a foundation for them to fly. By this point in our visit, we were completely hooked. I whispered to Don, “Are you as moved as I am?” and he was. But it was only the beginning
As we moved outside, we realized what those various granite stones were for – they marked the landings of not only the first flight but also the second, third and fourth! They didn’t stop after the first, they believed that they could do better and they did. Each landing site was further than the previous, with the final attempt lasting 59 seconds. It seems like such a short time span to us but for them, on that day, it must have seemed like forever. The Wright Brothers kept pushing because they believed. And in return, they did more than just fly. They soared!
Can you imagine the glorious feelings on that December day? After all the countless details, failures and struggles, they soared. As we were taking in this realization, I came across a plaque at their takeoff point. It quotes a passage written by Orville to his sister Katharine in 1901, which was two years before the first successful flight. It reads: “Our first experiments were rather disappointing. The machine…at times seems to be entirely beyond control.” Wow – how many times do we as business people undertake endeavors that seem totally out of control? Yet we do it because we believe there can be a better way. To achieve success in our initiatives, we need to rely on our intuition to believe. Without believing, you are grounded.
The next part of the plaque was even more inspiring to me. It reads, “The 1901 experiments at Kill Devil Hills were considered to be a failure. Orville later recalled Wilbur, on the trip back home to Dayton, stating in frustration, “Not within a thousand years would man ever fly.” Now most, if not all of us, experience doubts in life and clearly this was a moment of doubt for Wilbur. Imagine what the end result would be if they hadn’t continued? Man was destined to fly. If it wasn’t the Wright Brothers, then it would have been someone else. If it was someone else, everything the Wright Brothers went through, all of their efforts leading up to that point would have been lost. Their beliefs that man could fly guided them passed their own doubts and they soared.
Throughout our time at the memorial, we kept coming back to the irony that I had been writing about the power of believing. Here was actual proof that it really works! It’s only natural to have doubts but we do have the power to overcome them. We can soar above those seemingly impossible problems that face us as we walk through the doors of our businesses. It may take creativity, ingenuity or just pushing beyond the limits we have set for ourselves – but I am even more convinced now that we can get off the ground if we believe. We can soar!
As always, thank you for believing in me. Let’s find our personal successes together!
For more information about the Wright Brothers memorial, please check out this link:
Monday, September 21, 2009
Believe - part 2
Thanks to everyone who contacted me about my first blog! It’s a wonderful feeling when people believe in you and I hope it is one that you experience on a regular basis.
Last week I focused on the concept that we have to believe. I want to take that further and discuss an incident which prompted those thoughts. I was giving a presentation about a tough topic and fielded a comment from the group that was so negatively focused that it really shocked me. I was illustrating the need for a different approach to an issue and an audience member stated, “I don’t know what is wrong with people. Everything we try doesn’t work. Why should we bother?”
Hmmm…where to begin with this one! The audience member truly believed the organization has done everything they could and the intended targets were to blame for missing the message. Except what has been done was very narrowly focused and without much strategic planning. It was also done without really trying to understand what the people actually wanted. How can you blame someone for missing your message without considering that the message might actually be causing the problems?! In this situation, the negative beliefs had taken hold and the broader picture was completely gone. Clearly the audience member lost faith in the organization and its audience. He refused to believe that any effort was a good effort and instead thought that whatever the organization tried was a waste of time. The room seemed to go quiet for an eternity, though it probably was just a mere moment. The effect of his statement dampened the fire of a great discussion. Openness and progress came to a standstill.
Rather than feed the flames of his negativity, I managed to move on but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had stumbled on something. He wasn’t being malicious; he was speaking from his own reality. Upon reflection I realized this brief exchange was enough to understand that even if it is not our intent, we can have a very adverse effect on progress when we don’t believe. The weight of one negative comment can crush many positive thoughts into oblivion. Believing creates energy which begets action. Not believing invites apathy and ultimately negativity.
When we don’t believe that a different outcome is possible we lose the roadmap to change. So, the million dollar question becomes, “how to turn it around?” How do I convince that person from my presentation to believe that sometimes even the underdogs win and tough topics might have solutions? Admittedly this was an “underdog” topic and success will be hard to obtain but I don’t believe that we should just give up before we even start. If you do, then why even take to the playing field. You have already admitted defeat. How many of you have had thoughts or ideas completely shattered by those who refuse to believe that there can be a different way?
There are many different leadership theories as well as change management theories that apply, and I will get into some of them as this blog progresses, but for now I want to focus on sharing personal business experiences. Personal experiences build rapport and help set the tone for delving deeper. So, please reply to this post. Share a story of how someone who didn’t believe became swept away negativity. How did you handle it? Do you have a new perspective on the experience?
As always, thank you for believing in me. Let’s find our personal successes together!
Last week I focused on the concept that we have to believe. I want to take that further and discuss an incident which prompted those thoughts. I was giving a presentation about a tough topic and fielded a comment from the group that was so negatively focused that it really shocked me. I was illustrating the need for a different approach to an issue and an audience member stated, “I don’t know what is wrong with people. Everything we try doesn’t work. Why should we bother?”
Hmmm…where to begin with this one! The audience member truly believed the organization has done everything they could and the intended targets were to blame for missing the message. Except what has been done was very narrowly focused and without much strategic planning. It was also done without really trying to understand what the people actually wanted. How can you blame someone for missing your message without considering that the message might actually be causing the problems?! In this situation, the negative beliefs had taken hold and the broader picture was completely gone. Clearly the audience member lost faith in the organization and its audience. He refused to believe that any effort was a good effort and instead thought that whatever the organization tried was a waste of time. The room seemed to go quiet for an eternity, though it probably was just a mere moment. The effect of his statement dampened the fire of a great discussion. Openness and progress came to a standstill.
Rather than feed the flames of his negativity, I managed to move on but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had stumbled on something. He wasn’t being malicious; he was speaking from his own reality. Upon reflection I realized this brief exchange was enough to understand that even if it is not our intent, we can have a very adverse effect on progress when we don’t believe. The weight of one negative comment can crush many positive thoughts into oblivion. Believing creates energy which begets action. Not believing invites apathy and ultimately negativity.
When we don’t believe that a different outcome is possible we lose the roadmap to change. So, the million dollar question becomes, “how to turn it around?” How do I convince that person from my presentation to believe that sometimes even the underdogs win and tough topics might have solutions? Admittedly this was an “underdog” topic and success will be hard to obtain but I don’t believe that we should just give up before we even start. If you do, then why even take to the playing field. You have already admitted defeat. How many of you have had thoughts or ideas completely shattered by those who refuse to believe that there can be a different way?
There are many different leadership theories as well as change management theories that apply, and I will get into some of them as this blog progresses, but for now I want to focus on sharing personal business experiences. Personal experiences build rapport and help set the tone for delving deeper. So, please reply to this post. Share a story of how someone who didn’t believe became swept away negativity. How did you handle it? Do you have a new perspective on the experience?
As always, thank you for believing in me. Let’s find our personal successes together!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Believe - part 1
Success in business, success in life – our definitions may be different but most of us strive for our personal version of success. It gets us out of bed in the morning and guides us through our days. Day in and day out we follow our routines and strive for our successes but is there something holding us back? Something that is so apparent and, dare I say, basic that we don’t even recognize the hold it has on us? I say there is and that something is the belief we have in ourselves, our abilities and our businesses.
Just like the trinkets in the card stores that show angels with the message of “believe,” in business we need to remind ourselves to believe. Believe in our company. Believe in our products. Believe in our abilities. I’d like you to think of the person you consider to be a success and then imagine how far they would have gotten if they didn’t believe. Think about an underdog sports team. The pundits announce with a sort of glee that they have no chance to win. So why do they even take the field? They believe there is a chance to win. No matter how small, the chance exists and they take it. And, sometimes they actually win.
As an owner, executive, supervisor, or employee can your business really succeed if you don’t believe that it will? Worse yet, what happens if you become the negative force that keeps someone else from believing? If a business owner says “we can’t compete” won’t the employees believe that? How far will that get any of them? This circle of negativity takes root and grows. It inhibits progress, saps our energy and many of us are not even aware it exists!
This is certainly an area that I have a strong personal attachment to because I didn’t believe in myself and it held me back for far too long. For years and years, I always talked about going back to school to get my MBA. My undergraduate work wasn’t in business and I felt it always held me back. I would bemoan that I wouldn’t be accepted into a graduate program or that I certainly wouldn’t be able to handle the math courses. The funny thing is, for most of this time I was working in a direct marketing company managing the marketing communications team. Most of my work was statistical analysis! I was a perfect MBA candidate and yet I refused to believe it.
Over time, I finally came to the conclusion that I really needed and wanted to try for the MBA. The excitement of being accepted into a program quickly turned into fear and dread of the financial and statistical courses. After receiving “A’s” in my first few course, I still refused to believe that I could handle the dreaded classes that I had yet to take. How was I ever going to pass them? The dread overshadowed my successes. The time came for the financial courses and to my surprise I easily kept my 4.0 average! Instead of rejoicing, I continued to focus on the dread. Qualitative Analysis was still lurking out there – how was I ever going to pass it?! I was certain that I was doomed. Gradually, the program progressed and I had three classes to go. It was time to face the music.
I barely slept the night before the class started. The next morning I anxiously logged on to pull the syllabus. Ok. Didn’t seem so bad but I was still sure the other shoe would drop. I refused to believe that I could manage this. Week 1 passed and hey – I aced all the assignments but I wouldn’t allow myself to enjoy the success. The weeks flew by and to my udder dismay – I loved the work! The experiences I had from my direct marketing past provided and excellent foundation for my coursework. I finally could believe that I could and would earn my MBA. And, I did with a perfect score. 100% in Qualitative Analysis! Something which the professor thought had never been accomplished before. I couldn’t believe it!
“I couldn’t believe it.” How many times have we said that to ourselves? I couldn’t believe I made that sale. I couldn’t believe my boss liked my presentation. I couldn’t believe….how many times have we held ourselves back by saying those words? Personally, I am done saying those words. I believe that I can make a difference and this blog is my way to start.
In the coming weeks and months and even years, I want to talk about making businesses better. From change management to customer service to marketing to strategic planning, I believe that I can make a difference in your company. I am asking you to believe in me. Start by posting a response to this entry and share a story about how believing or not believing has affected you. Send me an email with topic ideas you would like me to explore. Let’s break the negative hold and believe that we can help each other find our successes!
Just like the trinkets in the card stores that show angels with the message of “believe,” in business we need to remind ourselves to believe. Believe in our company. Believe in our products. Believe in our abilities. I’d like you to think of the person you consider to be a success and then imagine how far they would have gotten if they didn’t believe. Think about an underdog sports team. The pundits announce with a sort of glee that they have no chance to win. So why do they even take the field? They believe there is a chance to win. No matter how small, the chance exists and they take it. And, sometimes they actually win.
As an owner, executive, supervisor, or employee can your business really succeed if you don’t believe that it will? Worse yet, what happens if you become the negative force that keeps someone else from believing? If a business owner says “we can’t compete” won’t the employees believe that? How far will that get any of them? This circle of negativity takes root and grows. It inhibits progress, saps our energy and many of us are not even aware it exists!
This is certainly an area that I have a strong personal attachment to because I didn’t believe in myself and it held me back for far too long. For years and years, I always talked about going back to school to get my MBA. My undergraduate work wasn’t in business and I felt it always held me back. I would bemoan that I wouldn’t be accepted into a graduate program or that I certainly wouldn’t be able to handle the math courses. The funny thing is, for most of this time I was working in a direct marketing company managing the marketing communications team. Most of my work was statistical analysis! I was a perfect MBA candidate and yet I refused to believe it.
Over time, I finally came to the conclusion that I really needed and wanted to try for the MBA. The excitement of being accepted into a program quickly turned into fear and dread of the financial and statistical courses. After receiving “A’s” in my first few course, I still refused to believe that I could handle the dreaded classes that I had yet to take. How was I ever going to pass them? The dread overshadowed my successes. The time came for the financial courses and to my surprise I easily kept my 4.0 average! Instead of rejoicing, I continued to focus on the dread. Qualitative Analysis was still lurking out there – how was I ever going to pass it?! I was certain that I was doomed. Gradually, the program progressed and I had three classes to go. It was time to face the music.
I barely slept the night before the class started. The next morning I anxiously logged on to pull the syllabus. Ok. Didn’t seem so bad but I was still sure the other shoe would drop. I refused to believe that I could manage this. Week 1 passed and hey – I aced all the assignments but I wouldn’t allow myself to enjoy the success. The weeks flew by and to my udder dismay – I loved the work! The experiences I had from my direct marketing past provided and excellent foundation for my coursework. I finally could believe that I could and would earn my MBA. And, I did with a perfect score. 100% in Qualitative Analysis! Something which the professor thought had never been accomplished before. I couldn’t believe it!
“I couldn’t believe it.” How many times have we said that to ourselves? I couldn’t believe I made that sale. I couldn’t believe my boss liked my presentation. I couldn’t believe….how many times have we held ourselves back by saying those words? Personally, I am done saying those words. I believe that I can make a difference and this blog is my way to start.
In the coming weeks and months and even years, I want to talk about making businesses better. From change management to customer service to marketing to strategic planning, I believe that I can make a difference in your company. I am asking you to believe in me. Start by posting a response to this entry and share a story about how believing or not believing has affected you. Send me an email with topic ideas you would like me to explore. Let’s break the negative hold and believe that we can help each other find our successes!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
