Watching children at play offers valuable lessons for adults.
Many years ago I had the privilege of being a coach for my son's t-ball team. For those who may be unfamiliar with the term t-ball, it refers to a form of baseball for beginners. The main principles of baseball apply. There is a first base, second base, third base, and home plate. There is an infield and an outfield with all of the same positions. There is a pitcher’s mound that is occupied by a player, but the pitcher does not pitch. The baseball is placed on a short pole that is referred to as a "tee". The tee is very similar to an enlarged golf tee, with the notable exception that it rests on a rubber mat as opposed to being pushed into the ground. The baseball is placed on the tee and the young batter gets three swings to hit the ball and, if successful, attempts to run to first base before being tagged out.
The game of t-ball provides an excellent opportunity to teach children the fundamentals of baseball and to participate in a team environment. Watching a successful baseball team is like watching the harmony emerging from a well rehearsed symphony orchestra. The players are aware of respective roles, placement, responsibilities, and the importance of well choreographed coordination with other players. Individual players may be exceptionally talented, but success can only be achieved if that talent is properly integrated with the abilities of the other players. A perfect throw can only be achieved if there is someone to catch. It is as simple as that. For youthful beginners, achieving such harmonious rhapsody of coordination requires a little patience.
An early challenge for first year t-ball players is to learn the rules of the game and position on the field. There is very little or no scientific method to assigning positions in the first year. There are no scouting reports. There are no tryouts. There are no t-baseball cards with statistics and profiles.
Watching the children take their positions on the field, I could not help but imagine how personalities and character are well defined at such an early age. The actions, decisions, and responses of the youth on the baseball field could easily be compared with characteristics displayed by adults. I wondered how much of the personalities of my colleagues had been displayed at such an early age, and how similar mannerisms in the office would be similarly evident if those individuals donned baseball caps and took their corresponding places on the field.
The pitcher stared intently at the batter. Leaning forward at the waist, one hand tucked firmly behind his back as if hiding a knuckleball, the boy clenched his teeth and glowered at the batter. Evidently the pitcher had watched some baseball games and accurately mimicked the facial expressions of a professional. Lacking chewing tobacco or a large wad of gum, the pitcher pushed his bottom lip forward with his tongue. His protruding left cheek and lower added to the intensity of his concentration. He had come prepared to play ball.
The boy on first base stood upright. His arms dangled loosely at his sides. His gloved hand bounced up and down alternately in front and behind him. His other hand adjusted his cap, scratched a runaway itch, and adjusted his cap once more. Each time that the batter prepared a swing, the boy on first base would immediately jump into action. As the bat swung forward, the boy at first base squatted at the knees as if to prepare for something. He was prepared for anything, even though he had no idea what to expect. Ready to protect his base, or chase the ball, or chase the batter. You could tell from the look in his eyes that he was ready to respond, even if he did not yet know what to expect or what was expected of him.
Two young girls had gladly accepted the responsibilities for second base and shortstop. The proximity of the positions on the field made it convenient for them to socialize. As the batter approached the tee with grim determination, the girls giggled and whispered to each other about the latest fashion accessories and the silliness of the boys on the team. Little faces, slightly shielded by the big baseball gloves, could not disguise the chorus of laughter and the tiny fingers that pointed at the boys who took the game so seriously. The girls stood shoulder to shoulder. Their legs crossed below the knees, slightly turning side to side, and occasionally extending their arms above their heads to complete tiny pirouettes. They were completely content to be at the center of the field and the center of attention, both fully aware and completely impervious to the stares of the other players.
The young lad on third base stared at the stands and waved to his parents. His glove tucked neatly under his arm, it was rarely on his hand. Being on third base, the lad did not expect to see any action, at least not until after a runner had passed first and second bases. The time for a runner to make it halfway around the diamond was more than enough time for him to put on his glove, or at least so he thought. Having a position so close to the bleachers made it easy for him to entertain the crowd. One moment standing still and searching the faces of the attendees for an attentive audience, and the next moment dancing a small jig around third base. He was the star of his own show, infrequently looking over his shoulder to make sure that his own team was still on the field with him.
Then there was the outfield. The outfield is a very special place in baseball. Despite the fact that in t-ball the ball is placed on an immobile stick, a pedestal at the throne of the batter, the players in the outfield did not expect to get very much challenge. As they each walked away into the calm seclusion of the open field, they quietly enjoyed a lack of expectation. Center field laid down on the ground, arms and legs crossed comfortably. Center field's glove was propped under his head like a pillow. Meanwhile, right field and left field were sitting cross-legged and gingerly plucking blades of grass from beside their respective knees. Right field would throw a blade of grass in the air and try to catch it, or watch which way it would blow in the gentle breeze. Left field cupped a blade of grass in his hands and examined it in thorough detail. Left field picked up another blade of grass, compared them, tied them together, and then tried to fold them in half. As center field searched for animal shapes in the clouds, right field and left field were busy carrying out scientific experiments with grass.
As I reflected on how I could equate each of these wonderful antics with characteristics that I had witnessed in a business environment, my revelry was interrupted by the sound of bat meeting ball. The determined young batter had successfully connected with a swing that would make Babe Ruth proud. The ball sailed in a straight line past the pitcher's mound, skipped up some dust near second base, and bounced merrily into the outfield. By way of response, the pitcher jumped out of the way and then turned to chase the ball after it was safely beyond him. The girls at second base and shortstop clung to each other and squealed with a mixture of fright and delight. The actor at third base spun around like a top to see what the commotion was all about and tripped over third base in the process. The intense young boy at first base squatted nervously, stepping away from his post and back again, unsure of what to do in such an emergency. The entire baseball field seemed to buzz with excitement.
Just then, someone yelled "RUN!" I could see that the coach of the other team was running up to the batter and pointing excitedly in the direction of first base. He shouted, "What are you waiting for? RUN!"
Apparently the shouting of the other coach was exactly what the team needed. All at once they started to run. All of the players dashed madly in the direction of the baseball. The boy from first base was racing the boy from the pitcher's mound. The boy from third base jumped up from the ground and starting in such a hurry that he left his glove next to third base. The girls from second base and shortstop waved their hands in the air wildly as they trotted in the direction of the entire team that chased the ball. Right field and left field scrambled on hands and knees in the direction of the ball as it came to rest. Just as center field discovered the shape of a goldfish in the clouds, he was distracted by the sounds of thundering feet coming in his direction. Center field rolled to get out of the way of the oncoming crowd, the ball coming to rest near his glove pillow.
As I watched the entire team rush from the infield and into the outfield to chase the ball, I was reminded of countless conference calls and meetings that had resulted in exactly the same situation. How often have a multitude of colleagues gathered for meetings and conference calls, consuming the attention and enthusiasm of the masses, but leaving nobody behind to cover the bases? With everyone chasing the ball, who would be left behind to receive it? Certainly there were opportunities to get engaged at the pitcher's mound, or thwart the extent of the offensive rally with shortstop or a play from the preoccupied colleague at second base. With everyone consumed by chasing the ball, nobody was left to cover their own responsibilities and get their own jobs done. Having back-up and helping hands on the play would have been a good idea, but covering the bases and the areas of responsibility were equally important. This was an important lesson for the young players that day, and hopefully one that would be remembered in their adult years.
I smiled to myself and walked in the direction of the other coach, prepared to compliment him on the score of his young player. With no member of my team remaining to cover the bases, it was inevitable that the batter would be free to casually walk the bases and earn the first home run of his career. Yet, the other coach stood sternly with his hands on his hips, and his baseball cap pushed backwards on his head. I followed his unyielding gaze to the crowd of young players that jumped up and down with enthusiasm in the outfield. The children cheered wildly, as if they had all just won first prize. The group ran together from the outfield to home plate. In the middle of the herd of jubilant youngsters, a hand held aloft the baseball that had been retrieved from its place of rest in center field. There, in the middle of the cheering and celebration, was the batter. Upon hearing the command to 'RUN", he had joined the chase and in the subsequent celebration. As far as the players were concerned, there were no teams or rivalry, only the shared excitement.
There were many lessons that season. I only hope that the young players learned as much about teamwork and sportsmanship from their coaches and parents as we learned from them.
Play ball!
______________________________________________________
Words of Wisdom
"Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical."- Yogi Berra
"One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork."- Edward Abbey
"Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.”- Lou Durocher
______________________________________________________
About the Author:John Mehrmann is author of The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity, the fundamental guide to achieve extraordinary sales and sustain loyal customers. John Mehrmann is a freelance writer and President of Executive Blueprints Inc., an organization devoted to improving business practices and developing human capital. www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com provides resource materials for trainers, sample Case Studies, and educational articles. http://www.InstituteforAdvancedLeadership.com provides self-paced tutorials for personal development and tools for trainers. Presentation materials, reference guides and exercises are available for continuous development.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
In Memory of Circuit City Stores
In Good to Great by Jim Collins, Circuit City was acknowledged as one of the companies that rose from good to great status by virtue of the appropriate culture and exceptional business strategy. The recognition bestowed on Circuit City was considerable and well deserved. The growth and success of Circuit City was contrasted sharply by the collapse of Silo Stores during the same period of two decades. What happened to a good to great company that it is now gone, and what can we learn from this closing chapter of the second largest electronics retail chain that is painfully relevant during the current economic challenges?
There are many factors that contribute to the success or failure of any organization. Intense pressures from external market conditions can impede profitability. The rise and fall of consumer confidence, investments, and economic turmoil can create overwhelming obstacles. Competition and the evolution of technology can wreak havoc in the best laid plans. Nonetheless, these are factors that are faced by all companies to virtually the same degree. It is not the challenge that distinguishes the success of an organization, but rather the response to the challenge. Companies that slay the economic and competitive dragons survive and eventually thrive. Occasionally the internal response to external challenges can weaken and organization infrastructure to the point of collapse. Let us reflect on this with the example of Circuit City.
Through the 1980's and 1990's Circuit City succeeded in expanding a network of stores from coast to coast. This network of stores was supported by a framework of logistics centers to minimize freight and inventory. This gave Circuit City an advantage for securing and protecting margins on products by reducing overhead and freight. The stores were connected by a carefully constructed nerve center of technology that enabled the consumer electronics retail giant to track loyal customers, identify purchasing trends, and provide world class customer service. As market conditions changed, Circuit City management carefully adapted strategies to accommodate service needs, relying on a network of best-in-class service provider partners to provide professional and courteous customer support. The collaboration and carefully connected network was consistent with a culture that allowed the retail kingdom to remain flexible, profitable, and prosperous for two decades.
As with any great tragedy, there is typically one pivotal decision that defines the collapse of an empire. In the case of Circuit City, this is most often attributed to the decision to release the highest paid sales personnel from the local stores. One might surmise that this decision was based on a desire to effectively reduce the cost of manpower while maintaining the highest number of bodies at the lowest possible price. It would be unjust to speculate a hypothesis on exactly what was in the mind of the executives that crafted this plan, but it is not difficult to guess about what was in the minds of the employees at the local stores when the announcement became public. The highest paid employees were the more tenured and experienced. Some may even say that the most tenured employees are the most loyal, having elected to stay with the retail company through thick and thin. These experienced, successful, well paid, and loyal employees were trimmed from Circuit City and quickly became a wealth of talent available for their competitors.
That seemingly insignificant decision to relieve the Circuit City bottom line by alleviating the company of top shelf employees had a significant impact on employee morale, public perception, and customer interaction. This single act by Circuit City remains decisively contrary to the very core of the culture that was so highly praised in Good to Great. Alan Wurtzel, former CEO of Circuit City, wrote of his experience in the early success of the company, "Instead of firing honest and able people who are not performing well, it is important to try to move them once or even two or three times to other positions where they might blossom." Alan Wurtzel recognized the importance of maintaining the truest competitive edge, the one asset that can truly transform business, and that is quality human capital. By removing the most experienced personnel at local stores without properly evaluating the financial impact of individual performance and contributions, Circuit City removed many top performers without a proper impact analysis of how this would impact revenue. The sudden sucking sound was not the impromptu jettison of employees, but rather the evacuation of revenue associated with them. It was a bleeding of talented resources from which the much lauded retail giant would never recover.
In the final months of the slow decline, the retail giant considered mistakes that had already sealed the fate of other former store chains. Following in the footsteps of Montgomery Wards, plans were proposed to reinvent the stores, copy the competition, or expand into other unfamiliar retail space. A prominent proposal was fueled by discussions of merger or acquisition by Blockbuster. At the time, Blockbuster was also experiencing threats from rising competition of downloadable movies on demand and video by mail. Unlike Circuit City, Blockbuster elected to make strategic changes to leverage the core strengths of their own organization with focus on the brand and organization. Blockbuster decided not to pursue the acquisition of Circuit City, but rather updated a business plan that built upon an already established brand, company culture, core competency, and loyal consumers. This decision for Blockbuster placed the fate of the organization in the hands of the loyal employees to successfully implement a gradual evolution of the business model, rather then a wholesale change in direction. Without a Blockbuster partner on the dance card, Circuit City tumbled into a maelstrom search for new direction from which it never emerged.
Just a few years prior to the catastrophe, Circuit City reported several hundred million dollars in retained earnings. With appropriate and flexible organizational adjustments, Circuit City might have responded to external economic pressures with greater dexterity and still retained the competitive advantage of experienced sales personnel. By fiercely protecting the core competencies and culture on which the organization had built success for two decades, Circuit City could have reinvigorated a unique value proposition and continued to differentiate the brand with loyal customers and a competitive edge. Perhaps the revenue would have been different if Circuit City had maintained the experienced and top performing sales professionals. Perhaps the goals of the company could have been achieved if clearly defined, and if the widespread personnel were actively engaged in pursuing those goals.
With mounting pressures from external conditions and competition, many companies are similarly forced to reconcile internal costs. The need to reduce expense may require organizational adjustments and redistribution of manpower. Of course, these are polite business terms for layoffs, cut backs, and elimination of personnel. Even if this is inevitable, before it occurs, think above the bottom line. Carefully consider how the performance and value to the organization can be measured by the individual contributors. Do not merely measure manpower by the cost of payroll, but also consider the financial repercussions to revenue. How much has been invested in the development and experience of the personnel in question, and how much would it cost to replace them? How much does an individual contribute to the brand image, recognition, and marketability of your organization? How does the individual contribute to revenue? How does the individual contribute to the performance of the organization with leadership, motivation, discipline, direction, or unique skills? How much would your competition be willing to pay for the personnel that you let go, and what would that cost you?
In recognition of a theme identified by Jim Collins in Good to Great, it is important to have the right people on the bus and then to decide where to drive it. During periods of sustained growth, this means carefully selecting and grooming the right people to drive your business. During harshly challenging times, this means making sure that you keep the right people at the helm of your business, even as you are forced to let some people go. Layoffs and restructuring can be damaging enough to motivation, adding shared pressures and responsibilities to the personnel that remain to bereave the loss of former colleagues. Make sure to consider all of the financial implications of such decisions, not just the payroll. Be aware of impact to customers, revenue, and company performance as alternative financial measurements. The fate of your company may depend upon it.
______________________________________________________
Words of Wisdom
"The biggest mistake Phil Schoonover [former Circuit City chairman, CEO and president] made was deciding to fire all of their best salespeople and keep only the marginal sales people. If Circuit City really had to cut back, I would have recommended that he do exactly the opposite."- Jeannette Howe, Executive Director of SEN
"The old adage that people are your most important asset is wrong. People are not your most important asset. The right people are."- Jim Collins, Good to Great
"In the absence of purpose we are enslaved by the mundane. It is only in defining the pinnacle of the mountain that we can find the path.”- John Mehrmann, The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity
______________________________________________________
There are many factors that contribute to the success or failure of any organization. Intense pressures from external market conditions can impede profitability. The rise and fall of consumer confidence, investments, and economic turmoil can create overwhelming obstacles. Competition and the evolution of technology can wreak havoc in the best laid plans. Nonetheless, these are factors that are faced by all companies to virtually the same degree. It is not the challenge that distinguishes the success of an organization, but rather the response to the challenge. Companies that slay the economic and competitive dragons survive and eventually thrive. Occasionally the internal response to external challenges can weaken and organization infrastructure to the point of collapse. Let us reflect on this with the example of Circuit City.
Through the 1980's and 1990's Circuit City succeeded in expanding a network of stores from coast to coast. This network of stores was supported by a framework of logistics centers to minimize freight and inventory. This gave Circuit City an advantage for securing and protecting margins on products by reducing overhead and freight. The stores were connected by a carefully constructed nerve center of technology that enabled the consumer electronics retail giant to track loyal customers, identify purchasing trends, and provide world class customer service. As market conditions changed, Circuit City management carefully adapted strategies to accommodate service needs, relying on a network of best-in-class service provider partners to provide professional and courteous customer support. The collaboration and carefully connected network was consistent with a culture that allowed the retail kingdom to remain flexible, profitable, and prosperous for two decades.
As with any great tragedy, there is typically one pivotal decision that defines the collapse of an empire. In the case of Circuit City, this is most often attributed to the decision to release the highest paid sales personnel from the local stores. One might surmise that this decision was based on a desire to effectively reduce the cost of manpower while maintaining the highest number of bodies at the lowest possible price. It would be unjust to speculate a hypothesis on exactly what was in the mind of the executives that crafted this plan, but it is not difficult to guess about what was in the minds of the employees at the local stores when the announcement became public. The highest paid employees were the more tenured and experienced. Some may even say that the most tenured employees are the most loyal, having elected to stay with the retail company through thick and thin. These experienced, successful, well paid, and loyal employees were trimmed from Circuit City and quickly became a wealth of talent available for their competitors.
That seemingly insignificant decision to relieve the Circuit City bottom line by alleviating the company of top shelf employees had a significant impact on employee morale, public perception, and customer interaction. This single act by Circuit City remains decisively contrary to the very core of the culture that was so highly praised in Good to Great. Alan Wurtzel, former CEO of Circuit City, wrote of his experience in the early success of the company, "Instead of firing honest and able people who are not performing well, it is important to try to move them once or even two or three times to other positions where they might blossom." Alan Wurtzel recognized the importance of maintaining the truest competitive edge, the one asset that can truly transform business, and that is quality human capital. By removing the most experienced personnel at local stores without properly evaluating the financial impact of individual performance and contributions, Circuit City removed many top performers without a proper impact analysis of how this would impact revenue. The sudden sucking sound was not the impromptu jettison of employees, but rather the evacuation of revenue associated with them. It was a bleeding of talented resources from which the much lauded retail giant would never recover.
In the final months of the slow decline, the retail giant considered mistakes that had already sealed the fate of other former store chains. Following in the footsteps of Montgomery Wards, plans were proposed to reinvent the stores, copy the competition, or expand into other unfamiliar retail space. A prominent proposal was fueled by discussions of merger or acquisition by Blockbuster. At the time, Blockbuster was also experiencing threats from rising competition of downloadable movies on demand and video by mail. Unlike Circuit City, Blockbuster elected to make strategic changes to leverage the core strengths of their own organization with focus on the brand and organization. Blockbuster decided not to pursue the acquisition of Circuit City, but rather updated a business plan that built upon an already established brand, company culture, core competency, and loyal consumers. This decision for Blockbuster placed the fate of the organization in the hands of the loyal employees to successfully implement a gradual evolution of the business model, rather then a wholesale change in direction. Without a Blockbuster partner on the dance card, Circuit City tumbled into a maelstrom search for new direction from which it never emerged.
Just a few years prior to the catastrophe, Circuit City reported several hundred million dollars in retained earnings. With appropriate and flexible organizational adjustments, Circuit City might have responded to external economic pressures with greater dexterity and still retained the competitive advantage of experienced sales personnel. By fiercely protecting the core competencies and culture on which the organization had built success for two decades, Circuit City could have reinvigorated a unique value proposition and continued to differentiate the brand with loyal customers and a competitive edge. Perhaps the revenue would have been different if Circuit City had maintained the experienced and top performing sales professionals. Perhaps the goals of the company could have been achieved if clearly defined, and if the widespread personnel were actively engaged in pursuing those goals.
With mounting pressures from external conditions and competition, many companies are similarly forced to reconcile internal costs. The need to reduce expense may require organizational adjustments and redistribution of manpower. Of course, these are polite business terms for layoffs, cut backs, and elimination of personnel. Even if this is inevitable, before it occurs, think above the bottom line. Carefully consider how the performance and value to the organization can be measured by the individual contributors. Do not merely measure manpower by the cost of payroll, but also consider the financial repercussions to revenue. How much has been invested in the development and experience of the personnel in question, and how much would it cost to replace them? How much does an individual contribute to the brand image, recognition, and marketability of your organization? How does the individual contribute to revenue? How does the individual contribute to the performance of the organization with leadership, motivation, discipline, direction, or unique skills? How much would your competition be willing to pay for the personnel that you let go, and what would that cost you?
In recognition of a theme identified by Jim Collins in Good to Great, it is important to have the right people on the bus and then to decide where to drive it. During periods of sustained growth, this means carefully selecting and grooming the right people to drive your business. During harshly challenging times, this means making sure that you keep the right people at the helm of your business, even as you are forced to let some people go. Layoffs and restructuring can be damaging enough to motivation, adding shared pressures and responsibilities to the personnel that remain to bereave the loss of former colleagues. Make sure to consider all of the financial implications of such decisions, not just the payroll. Be aware of impact to customers, revenue, and company performance as alternative financial measurements. The fate of your company may depend upon it.
______________________________________________________
Words of Wisdom
"The biggest mistake Phil Schoonover [former Circuit City chairman, CEO and president] made was deciding to fire all of their best salespeople and keep only the marginal sales people. If Circuit City really had to cut back, I would have recommended that he do exactly the opposite."- Jeannette Howe, Executive Director of SEN
"The old adage that people are your most important asset is wrong. People are not your most important asset. The right people are."- Jim Collins, Good to Great
"In the absence of purpose we are enslaved by the mundane. It is only in defining the pinnacle of the mountain that we can find the path.”- John Mehrmann, The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity
______________________________________________________
Thursday, February 19, 2009
John Mehrmann Addresses Economic Challenges at the Reverse Logistics Conference in Las Vegas
John Mehrmann to speak on catalysts for catastrophic economic conditions and future market trends. In a special session at RLTS, he reveals secrets for short term quick results and long term strategies to preserve profitability.
Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) January 31, 2009 -- John Mehrmann presents practical solutions for coping with economic challenges at the Reverse Logistics Trade Show and Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Third Party Service Providers will be exhibiting Reverse Logistics services and solutions at the Reverse Logistics Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 3-5, 2009 (Tuesday - Thursday). The Reverse Logistics Conference & Expo in Las Vegas offers a unique educational environment with concurrent seminars, workshops, and panel discussions to benchmark best practices on a global basis. This is a rich opportunity for key decision makers from OEMs, Branded companies, and Third Party Service Providers to meet face-to-face and identify the opportunities to respond to pressures from the current economic challenges.
Registration for the forthcoming Reverse Logistics Trade Show (RLTS) Conference is available at https://rltshows.com/vip_register.php?voucher=VX97540901.
For a list of the latest articles and books by John Mehrmann, please visit JohnMehrmann.com.
Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) January 31, 2009 -- John Mehrmann presents practical solutions for coping with economic challenges at the Reverse Logistics Trade Show and Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Third Party Service Providers will be exhibiting Reverse Logistics services and solutions at the Reverse Logistics Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 3-5, 2009 (Tuesday - Thursday). The Reverse Logistics Conference & Expo in Las Vegas offers a unique educational environment with concurrent seminars, workshops, and panel discussions to benchmark best practices on a global basis. This is a rich opportunity for key decision makers from OEMs, Branded companies, and Third Party Service Providers to meet face-to-face and identify the opportunities to respond to pressures from the current economic challenges.
John Mehrmann is well known for articles that have been featured in Reverse Logistics Magazine, including 'A Pragmatic Approach to Partners', 'Seeing Green at the End of the Line', 'Reverse Logistics Financial Model', and 'Cost Avoidance'. John has been a featured speaker at several Reverse Logistics Conferences, addressing such impactful topics as Recycling and Sustainability, Comparative Cost Analysis, and Best Practices in Reverse Logistics. John Mehrmann is also co-author of the award winning book, 'The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity', with Mitchell Simon. John lends more than 23 years of industry knowledge to the advancement of logistics and supply chain services. As a featured speaker at RLTS, John will address 'Navigating Economic Challenges'.
"We are not merely in the bathtub curve of a short recession," said John Mehrmann. "We are experiencing the sudden whiplash of catching up to a transition that has been occurring virtually unnoticed for several years. Businesses cannot afford to maintain status quo and weather the economic storm, as we see with significant restructuring and closures. OEMs, Retailers, Branded Companies, and Service Providers need quick results and long term solutions that will put them in a position to keep pace with the overwhelming transition. The Reverse Logistics Conference offers a timely opportunity for companies to learn how to survive and thrive with emerging technology."
John Mehrmann is Vice President of Business Development for ZSL Inc. ZSL Inc is an ISO 9001 certified provider of Onshore, Offshore, and Near shore technology solutions and services to enterprise and technology companies around the globe. In today's dynamic business environment, Information Technology is an essential tool for business transformation.
Collaborating with the right partner can ensure return on technology investments and strengthen market presence. The ZSL Inc holistic approach and diversity of experienced talent addresses every aspect of technology needs around the globe and around the clock.
ZSL Inc leverages specialized knowledge in Custom Enterprise Application Development, Enterprise 2.0 Computing Services, Enterprise Reporting, Enterprise Data Management & Administration, Enterprise Application Integration, Mobile and Wireless Web Application Development, Research and Development, IT Infrastructure Management, and Replacement Technology Services. ZSL Inc has received numerous awards and accolades for innovation and client satisfaction, including ranking in the CRN Fast Growth, Top Technology Practices from VARBusiness, DQ Top 20, and Best of Show at TechXNY.
Reverse Logistics Conference Highlights include:
- Industry Overview Size and Forecast, by Gailen Vick, President & CEO of Reverse Logistics Trends, Inc
- Reverse Logistics as an Opportunity, Keynote Address by Kevin Winneroski, Vice President of Secondary Markets at Best Buy
- Going Green in Retail Returns by Jack Debutts, Production Control and Strategic Planning Manager at DELL
- Reverse Logistics Next Generation Support and Value Added Services by Tony Sciarotta, Director of Returns Management at Philips
- Raising the Visibility of Returns within the Organization by Eric Aparicio, Director at Yamaha
- Environmental Supply Chain by Mark Servidio, VP of Logistics at SHARP
- Navigating Economic Challenges by John Mehrmann, Vice President of Business Development at ZSL Inc
- Case Study Utilizing Third Party Service Providers to Mitigate Cost Exposure by Steve Brown, Global Product Life-Cycle Manager at HP
- Universal Model for Reverse Logistics IT, a panel moderated by Leonard Schneeman, CTO at Data Exchange Corporation
- Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility in Environmental Management, a panel hosted by Emily Rodriquez, Senior Consultant at The Results Group
- Inventory Asset Recovery and Liquidation by Richard Starr, Manager of Liquidation at Circuit City Stores
- Opportunities and Challenges of Reverse Logistics in India by Sanjeev Kakar, Director at RT Outsourcing India
- An Overview of Reverse Logistics in China by Haozhe Chen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at East Carolina University
Registration for the forthcoming Reverse Logistics Trade Show (RLTS) Conference is available at https://rltshows.com/vip_register.php?voucher=VX97540901.
For a list of the latest articles and books by John Mehrmann, please visit JohnMehrmann.com.
Monday, December 8, 2008
NY Times Business Best Sellers and Recommended Reading
NY Times Business Best Sellers & Recommended Reading
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity by John Mehrmann
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness by Esther Hicks
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Pink Daniel H.
The Speed of Trust by Rebecca R./ Merrill, Rebecca R. (CON) Merrill
Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
A Sense of Urgency by John P. Kotter
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The World Is Curved: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy by David M. Smick
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future by T. Boone Pickens
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein
http://www.amazon.com/NY-Times-Business-Best-Sellers/lm/R3DU9GN0H2SJ7V/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity by John Mehrmann
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America by Thomas L. Friedman
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness by Esther Hicks
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Pink Daniel H.
The Speed of Trust by Rebecca R./ Merrill, Rebecca R. (CON) Merrill
Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart
The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
A Sense of Urgency by John P. Kotter
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The World Is Curved: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy by David M. Smick
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future by T. Boone Pickens
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein
http://www.amazon.com/NY-Times-Business-Best-Sellers/lm/R3DU9GN0H2SJ7V/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
The Trusted Advocate is the Most Recent Award Winning Book for the Amazon Kindle Reader
The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity, by John Mehrmann and Mitchell Simon, is now available for the Amazon Kindle Reader at a discounted price.
PRLog (Press Release) – Nov 24, 2008 – The award winning book, The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity is available as an electronic book for the Amazon Wireless Reading Device.
Released just in time for holiday shopping, the paperless electronic copy of The ‘Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity’ is the perfect gift for colleagues, peers, employees, managers, and family members. Available from the Amazon Kindle Store for less than US Ten Dollars, this small investment can alter the course of a career, guiding the reader and the organization to new levels of success in the coming year. It is a gift that continues giving with a new discovery in every chapter of the book.
Popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey announced her endorsement for the Amazon Kindle e-book reader. On her talk show, joined by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Oprah proclaimed the Kindle as her favorite new gadget. Books on Oprah’s Kindle include ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, ‘The Forever War’ by Dexter Filkins, and Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones’ by Suzanne Somers.
“I recommend that once you read ‘The Trusted Advocate’, you will not want to put it down. You will find extraordinary ideas in this book which will transform your way of thinking, create a positive customer experience and create a happier you,’ said Rick Driscoll, President and CEO
The electronic version of ‘The Trusted Advocate’ is available at a mere fraction of the price of the Hard Cover version, but contains all of the same inspirational, motivational, and educational material.
“There are a few books in my collection that I keep close at hand to refer to again and again. ‘The Trusted Advocate’ is one of those books. John Mehrmann shows you how to build a business with integrity that keeps customers coming back because you are considered a valued resource and advocate for their business. You will learn how to engage customers and build relationships,” said Mike Coleman, speaker, author, and marketing consultant with Charting My Course. www.ChartingMyCourse.com
“John’s extensive experience in the arena of sales and his system of selling are right for the times we live in. John Mehrmann’s books and articles should certainly be at the top of your reading list,” said Will Fultz, author of www.TopSalesBlog.com
‘The Trusted Advocate’ has received both the Editor’s Choice Award and the coveted Publisher’s Choice Award in 2008. Hard Cover copies and Paperback versions of the book are available for purchase online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble Bookstores, and Borders. In addition, international recognition for ‘The Trusted Advocate’ have fueled international sales of the book.
For more information on ‘The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity’, and a list of suggested international online sales outlets, please visit www.Trusted101.com
To purchase the Amazon Kindle version of ‘The Trusted Advocate’, simply visit the Kindle Store at Amazon and follow the instructions to download an e-book version. For more reader reviews, chapter summaries, excerpts from the book, and a list of online booksellers, please visit http://www.Trusted101.com
# # #
John Mehrmann, author of The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity. Visit http://www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com for free articles, free download presentations and training materials, case studies, and incredible information
http://www.prlog.org/10145391-the-trusted-advocate-is-the-most-recent-award-winning-book-for-the-amazon-kindle-reader.html
PRLog (Press Release) – Nov 24, 2008 – The award winning book, The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity is available as an electronic book for the Amazon Wireless Reading Device.
Released just in time for holiday shopping, the paperless electronic copy of The ‘Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity’ is the perfect gift for colleagues, peers, employees, managers, and family members. Available from the Amazon Kindle Store for less than US Ten Dollars, this small investment can alter the course of a career, guiding the reader and the organization to new levels of success in the coming year. It is a gift that continues giving with a new discovery in every chapter of the book.
Popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey announced her endorsement for the Amazon Kindle e-book reader. On her talk show, joined by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Oprah proclaimed the Kindle as her favorite new gadget. Books on Oprah’s Kindle include ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho, ‘The Forever War’ by Dexter Filkins, and Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones’ by Suzanne Somers.
“I recommend that once you read ‘The Trusted Advocate’, you will not want to put it down. You will find extraordinary ideas in this book which will transform your way of thinking, create a positive customer experience and create a happier you,’ said Rick Driscoll, President and CEO
The electronic version of ‘The Trusted Advocate’ is available at a mere fraction of the price of the Hard Cover version, but contains all of the same inspirational, motivational, and educational material.
“There are a few books in my collection that I keep close at hand to refer to again and again. ‘The Trusted Advocate’ is one of those books. John Mehrmann shows you how to build a business with integrity that keeps customers coming back because you are considered a valued resource and advocate for their business. You will learn how to engage customers and build relationships,” said Mike Coleman, speaker, author, and marketing consultant with Charting My Course. www.ChartingMyCourse.com
“John’s extensive experience in the arena of sales and his system of selling are right for the times we live in. John Mehrmann’s books and articles should certainly be at the top of your reading list,” said Will Fultz, author of www.TopSalesBlog.com
‘The Trusted Advocate’ has received both the Editor’s Choice Award and the coveted Publisher’s Choice Award in 2008. Hard Cover copies and Paperback versions of the book are available for purchase online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble Bookstores, and Borders. In addition, international recognition for ‘The Trusted Advocate’ have fueled international sales of the book.
For more information on ‘The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity’, and a list of suggested international online sales outlets, please visit www.Trusted101.com
To purchase the Amazon Kindle version of ‘The Trusted Advocate’, simply visit the Kindle Store at Amazon and follow the instructions to download an e-book version. For more reader reviews, chapter summaries, excerpts from the book, and a list of online booksellers, please visit http://www.Trusted101.com
# # #
John Mehrmann, author of The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity. Visit http://www.ExecutiveBlueprints.com for free articles, free download presentations and training materials, case studies, and incredible information
http://www.prlog.org/10145391-the-trusted-advocate-is-the-most-recent-award-winning-book-for-the-amazon-kindle-reader.html
Performance Management
Data is worthless, but knowledge is priceless. Perhaps no single event in history underscored this more dramatically than the rise and fall of the Dot Com Era. Accumulating massive data warehouses of information and customer records proved to be worthless when data could not be converted into real world revenue.
During the Dot Com Era, some organizations recognized the benefits of using data as a means to provide meaningful and informative results. These organizations enjoyed exponential growth with intelligent decisions, both for themselves and as a service for their customers. The organizations that collected massive amounts of data and failed to transform the data into business intelligence and performance management became colorful examples of failed business plans. The failed organizations became vacant high rise versions of ghost towns, lined with ping pong tables and beanbag chairs. Meanwhile, the organizations that turned data into knowledge, metrics into performance management, and fed intelligent responses to customers, became dominant forces in a new economy. One need not look any further than Google to see a brilliant example of turning access to data into a responsive, informative, and intelligent tool for client convenience and generating internal revenue. The Internet is an ocean of publicly accessible data, most of which may be considered worthless when taken out of context. However, when this enormous vault of human knowledge and creativity is harnessed and focused through the single microscopic lens of a search engine to sort, filter, and present the relevant data, then the data becomes knowledge on a silver platter.
Does your organization harness the power of data or the power of knowledge?
Does your organization collect information for reporting or for informed real time business decisions?
Does your organization use data to measure the performance of the past or to apply measurements to predict and alter the course of the future?
You really do have a crystal ball, because history really does repeat itself. If you have collected historical data and measurements, then you have the framework to begin building your the future according to your own plans and blueprints. If you understand the cause and the effect of your actions and your decisions in market conditions and environments, then you can make knowledgeable decisions to chart the course of your destiny. You can respond to external conditions, you can react to internal changes, and you can change the course of your own destiny.
You can choose to use information to deliver focused and informed results for better understanding and decisions, using your data like Google. Alternately, you can collect data to make colorful roadmap reports of where you have been, and select the graphs that portray only the desired perspectives. Reports tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, but often do not portray the whole truth. You will know when you are on the right track when your metrics, dashboards, and performance management look forward at least as much as they report backward on historical trends.
Cashing in data and history for performance management, knowledge, and revenue is not just for big organizations. The same principles apply for individual planning and performance as well.
Advance Alerts and Exception Based Reports
Gather your most relevant data and reports that demonstrate the key metrics for measuring success. The key metrics for measuring success quite often include the following topics
Finance, revenue or costs
Customer satisfaction
Quality
Productivity
Speed
Performance
Refer to the data that you have been using to measure your performance in the past. Identify the critical components that have influenced finance, customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, speed, or performance. Make a list of events, internal, and external catalysts that have resulted in specific desired or undesired outcomes. Using your experience and historical data, make a note of the cause and effect illustrated in your trends. Study the causes to extract meaningful measurements that result in desired and undesired trends.
Once you have identified critical catalysts with associated metrics, then you can create new predictive reports to help guide your business with intelligent information.
Reports that contain all available data may be overwhelming and may actually hide important facts or trends. If you are measuring hundreds or thousands of transactions, the average performance might be acceptable enough to temporarily hide a few individual exceptions that could create a future catastrophe. Augment the reports of overall activity with specific, focused, exception based reports that isolate the data elements that you have determined to be catalysts for your business. The exception based reports are based on those exceptions from normal business that you have identified as the root cause for good or bad effects. These concentrated reports should be reviewed for immediate response, and the overall effects should create a consistent result in the reports for overall accumulated activity.
Short Term Goals and Long Term Goals
Be sure to compare short term and long term plans, goals, and trends. Monthly and quarterly activity may be the result of seasonal trends. Weekly trends may reflect consistent activities on certain days of the week. Marketing and sales activities are especially impacted by daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly trends. These activities may also be greatly impacted by external events. When gathering data for historical analysis to create predictive trends, document footnotes as a reminder of external events and activities that may influence your results.
For personal planning and internal organizational planning, balance short term goals with long term goals. This is especially true when balancing personal and professional budgets. Short term investments should be balanced with long term rewards. Spending a budget when it is available, to avoid losing it, is sometimes in the best interest of both short term and long term goals. Putting off an activity, scheduling time and resources, is often highly influenced by immediate and urgent needs. Compare urgent needs to long term priorities and extended impact to determine the best balanced approach.
Balance Company and Personal Objectives
Are the management reports accurately reflected in the personnel performance metrics? When it comes time to provide yearly reviews, have the specific measurements for individual performance been accurately reflected to coincide with the performance reports administered by the organization?
Each individual should have a personal set of defined goals and objectives that can be measured for performance. The measurement for performance may be based on speed, accuracy, quality, or simply based on completion of certain tasks. Timeliness and customer satisfaction are also common measurements for performance. Individual indicators should be directly connected with the overall performance management reports. This enables each individual to recognize how much personal performance impacts the total team achievement. When this happens it is very easy to conduct performance appraisals in a fair and unbiased manner, with no surprises for anyone. More importantly, the recognition of personal contribution becomes a daily conversation of mutual commitment, rather than a yearly review.
Balance Internal and External Objectives
If you achieve your goals and objectives, is it at the expense of your vendors, suppliers, or clients? If meeting your objectives requires unbalanced sacrifice from business partners or customers, then you have only delayed inevitable decay and your own demise. If your success can only be achieved by sacrificing vendors or suppliers, then the best ones will eventually lose interest and find alternatives to protect their own organizations. Creating this culture with vendors causes conflict and a lack of mutual commitment. Treat vendors and suppliers as partners for mutual success, and expect the same in return.
If your success requires the unilateral sacrifice of clients, then you will likely find yourself without any customers. Clients can be as loyal as vendors and suppliers when treated with dignity, value, commitment, and respect. Clients will not be as patient as vendors if this relationship is lacking.
Use Technology to Empower Business Objectives
Use technology to collect, collate, and isolate the key catalysts for your business. Use historical trends to create exception based predictive reports. Monitor the trends of short term and long term activities and objectives. Use real data to demonstrate individual performance as it contributes to overall performance, and make this available to individual contributors on a daily basis. When you empower individuals to monitor performance on a daily basis, the individuals begin to manage success of the overall business. The individual contributors are most likely to recognize the cause and effect as illustrated in exception based reports, and have the ability to apply effective change when necessary. Individual contributors typically have the most significant personal relationships or interactions with vendors, suppliers, and customers. Technology can be used to enable visibility throughout the entire organization. Technology can facilitate empowered and informed communication, supplying not only the exceptional trends, but also the specific supporting data that is necessary to make real time educated decisions.
Now the decision is yours. Will you use technology to aggregate and communicate relevant data in focused response like Google, or will you be sitting back in your beanbag chair with your colorful graphs of a bygone era?
______________________________________________________
Words of Wisdom
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."- Alan Kay
"All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse."- Benjamin Franklin
"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
"Data is worthless, but knowledge is priceless."- John Mehrmann
______________________________________________________
The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity is now available for the Amazon Kindle e-book Reader
The Trusted Advocate is also available online in hardcover and paperback from www.Amazon.com (Hardcover), www.Amazon.com (Paperback), www.BarnessndNoble,com, www.Borders.com, and www.Target.com.
"There are a few books in my collection that I keep close at hand to refer to again and again. The Trusted Advocate is one of those books. John shows you how to build a business with integrity that keeps customers coming back because you are considered a valued resource and advocate for their business. You will learn how to engage customers and build relationships rather than 'selling'.
Real world examples of the principles taught in the book are scattered throughout along with activities that will help you apply the principles John teaches. Check out the advocate cycle on page 125. If you do nothing but follow this practical example, you will have a better business, stronger relationships, and increased sales."
Mike Coleman
Speaker, Author, and Marketing Consultant
Charting My Course
www.ChartingMyCourse.com
During the Dot Com Era, some organizations recognized the benefits of using data as a means to provide meaningful and informative results. These organizations enjoyed exponential growth with intelligent decisions, both for themselves and as a service for their customers. The organizations that collected massive amounts of data and failed to transform the data into business intelligence and performance management became colorful examples of failed business plans. The failed organizations became vacant high rise versions of ghost towns, lined with ping pong tables and beanbag chairs. Meanwhile, the organizations that turned data into knowledge, metrics into performance management, and fed intelligent responses to customers, became dominant forces in a new economy. One need not look any further than Google to see a brilliant example of turning access to data into a responsive, informative, and intelligent tool for client convenience and generating internal revenue. The Internet is an ocean of publicly accessible data, most of which may be considered worthless when taken out of context. However, when this enormous vault of human knowledge and creativity is harnessed and focused through the single microscopic lens of a search engine to sort, filter, and present the relevant data, then the data becomes knowledge on a silver platter.
Does your organization harness the power of data or the power of knowledge?
Does your organization collect information for reporting or for informed real time business decisions?
Does your organization use data to measure the performance of the past or to apply measurements to predict and alter the course of the future?
You really do have a crystal ball, because history really does repeat itself. If you have collected historical data and measurements, then you have the framework to begin building your the future according to your own plans and blueprints. If you understand the cause and the effect of your actions and your decisions in market conditions and environments, then you can make knowledgeable decisions to chart the course of your destiny. You can respond to external conditions, you can react to internal changes, and you can change the course of your own destiny.
You can choose to use information to deliver focused and informed results for better understanding and decisions, using your data like Google. Alternately, you can collect data to make colorful roadmap reports of where you have been, and select the graphs that portray only the desired perspectives. Reports tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, but often do not portray the whole truth. You will know when you are on the right track when your metrics, dashboards, and performance management look forward at least as much as they report backward on historical trends.
Cashing in data and history for performance management, knowledge, and revenue is not just for big organizations. The same principles apply for individual planning and performance as well.
Advance Alerts and Exception Based Reports
Gather your most relevant data and reports that demonstrate the key metrics for measuring success. The key metrics for measuring success quite often include the following topics
Finance, revenue or costs
Customer satisfaction
Quality
Productivity
Speed
Performance
Refer to the data that you have been using to measure your performance in the past. Identify the critical components that have influenced finance, customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, speed, or performance. Make a list of events, internal, and external catalysts that have resulted in specific desired or undesired outcomes. Using your experience and historical data, make a note of the cause and effect illustrated in your trends. Study the causes to extract meaningful measurements that result in desired and undesired trends.
Once you have identified critical catalysts with associated metrics, then you can create new predictive reports to help guide your business with intelligent information.
Reports that contain all available data may be overwhelming and may actually hide important facts or trends. If you are measuring hundreds or thousands of transactions, the average performance might be acceptable enough to temporarily hide a few individual exceptions that could create a future catastrophe. Augment the reports of overall activity with specific, focused, exception based reports that isolate the data elements that you have determined to be catalysts for your business. The exception based reports are based on those exceptions from normal business that you have identified as the root cause for good or bad effects. These concentrated reports should be reviewed for immediate response, and the overall effects should create a consistent result in the reports for overall accumulated activity.
Short Term Goals and Long Term Goals
Be sure to compare short term and long term plans, goals, and trends. Monthly and quarterly activity may be the result of seasonal trends. Weekly trends may reflect consistent activities on certain days of the week. Marketing and sales activities are especially impacted by daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly trends. These activities may also be greatly impacted by external events. When gathering data for historical analysis to create predictive trends, document footnotes as a reminder of external events and activities that may influence your results.
For personal planning and internal organizational planning, balance short term goals with long term goals. This is especially true when balancing personal and professional budgets. Short term investments should be balanced with long term rewards. Spending a budget when it is available, to avoid losing it, is sometimes in the best interest of both short term and long term goals. Putting off an activity, scheduling time and resources, is often highly influenced by immediate and urgent needs. Compare urgent needs to long term priorities and extended impact to determine the best balanced approach.
Balance Company and Personal Objectives
Are the management reports accurately reflected in the personnel performance metrics? When it comes time to provide yearly reviews, have the specific measurements for individual performance been accurately reflected to coincide with the performance reports administered by the organization?
Each individual should have a personal set of defined goals and objectives that can be measured for performance. The measurement for performance may be based on speed, accuracy, quality, or simply based on completion of certain tasks. Timeliness and customer satisfaction are also common measurements for performance. Individual indicators should be directly connected with the overall performance management reports. This enables each individual to recognize how much personal performance impacts the total team achievement. When this happens it is very easy to conduct performance appraisals in a fair and unbiased manner, with no surprises for anyone. More importantly, the recognition of personal contribution becomes a daily conversation of mutual commitment, rather than a yearly review.
Balance Internal and External Objectives
If you achieve your goals and objectives, is it at the expense of your vendors, suppliers, or clients? If meeting your objectives requires unbalanced sacrifice from business partners or customers, then you have only delayed inevitable decay and your own demise. If your success can only be achieved by sacrificing vendors or suppliers, then the best ones will eventually lose interest and find alternatives to protect their own organizations. Creating this culture with vendors causes conflict and a lack of mutual commitment. Treat vendors and suppliers as partners for mutual success, and expect the same in return.
If your success requires the unilateral sacrifice of clients, then you will likely find yourself without any customers. Clients can be as loyal as vendors and suppliers when treated with dignity, value, commitment, and respect. Clients will not be as patient as vendors if this relationship is lacking.
Use Technology to Empower Business Objectives
Use technology to collect, collate, and isolate the key catalysts for your business. Use historical trends to create exception based predictive reports. Monitor the trends of short term and long term activities and objectives. Use real data to demonstrate individual performance as it contributes to overall performance, and make this available to individual contributors on a daily basis. When you empower individuals to monitor performance on a daily basis, the individuals begin to manage success of the overall business. The individual contributors are most likely to recognize the cause and effect as illustrated in exception based reports, and have the ability to apply effective change when necessary. Individual contributors typically have the most significant personal relationships or interactions with vendors, suppliers, and customers. Technology can be used to enable visibility throughout the entire organization. Technology can facilitate empowered and informed communication, supplying not only the exceptional trends, but also the specific supporting data that is necessary to make real time educated decisions.
Now the decision is yours. Will you use technology to aggregate and communicate relevant data in focused response like Google, or will you be sitting back in your beanbag chair with your colorful graphs of a bygone era?
______________________________________________________
Words of Wisdom
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."- Alan Kay
"All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse."- Benjamin Franklin
"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
"Data is worthless, but knowledge is priceless."- John Mehrmann
______________________________________________________
The Trusted Advocate: Accelerate Success with Authenticity and Integrity is now available for the Amazon Kindle e-book Reader
The Trusted Advocate is also available online in hardcover and paperback from www.Amazon.com (Hardcover), www.Amazon.com (Paperback), www.BarnessndNoble,com, www.Borders.com, and www.Target.com.
"There are a few books in my collection that I keep close at hand to refer to again and again. The Trusted Advocate is one of those books. John shows you how to build a business with integrity that keeps customers coming back because you are considered a valued resource and advocate for their business. You will learn how to engage customers and build relationships rather than 'selling'.
Real world examples of the principles taught in the book are scattered throughout along with activities that will help you apply the principles John teaches. Check out the advocate cycle on page 125. If you do nothing but follow this practical example, you will have a better business, stronger relationships, and increased sales."
Mike Coleman
Speaker, Author, and Marketing Consultant
Charting My Course
www.ChartingMyCourse.com
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