Surrounded By Geniuses

Leaping Ahead

Greetings and Happy Birthday to everyone born on February 29th.  You've waited a long time to celebrate so make sure to have the best day possible.  After all, your next real birthday won't come for another four years.  Yes, it's another "Leap Year" and a time for the rest of us to set the calendar straight by adjusting for the odd fact that our days are only 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds long.  It's the amount of time that it takes our favorite little planet--known affectionately as the "Earth"--to rotate on its axis.  And a year, in case you're wondering, is actually 365.2425 days long--or 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds.  But who's counting, other than the Gregorians?

Though we should be counting for another important reason.  Because it turns out that the idea of "Leap Year," and having an extra day, is a great way to think about achieving greater business success.  And a great way to challenge us to view time as a gift.  Especially when it always seems to be in such short supply, and when we struggle to "find the time" to focus on the things that matter most.  What if we could commit to giving ourselves and the geniuses we work with an extra day to pursue ideas and projects that have great potential but are too often confined to the back burner?  What if we could give ourselves an extra day to question the way we do things in order to make them better?  To pause in the midst of business as usual to take a fresh look at our products, services and solutions to make sure they deliver the greatest value.  Or a fresh look at the customer experiences we provide to make sure we truly engage, inform and empower those we have the privilege to serve.  Or to take a fresh look at our organization's culture and the results of our attempts to enhance innovation, collaboration and learning.

Simply by giving ourselves, more often than once every four years, the gift of a day well-earned by a business working overtime to compete on a spinning planet filled with challenges and opportunities.

We win in business and in life whenever we take the time to be more remarkable.  In fact, it should be a cause for celebration!

Cheers! 

Genius on Sale

Greetings.  If you haven't read "Surrounded by Geniuses" and own a Kindle or a Kindle-enabled device now is a great time to read one of my favorite books.  I mention this less as a promotional plug and more as a unique opportunity to buy the book for a mere $1.99.  Yes, the kind folks at Amazon.com have decided to put the book on sale which means that for a limited time you and every one of your closest friends, colleagues, neighbors and family members can have your very own electronic copy of this award-winning book for less than half the cost of a double decaf skinny mocha chai latte with soy milk.  Or roughly half the cost of a gallon of gasoline.  Or half the cost of a "Happy Meal" at MacDonald's or an "Unhappy" meal at another fast food restaurant.  Or less than half the newstand price of the latest issue of People magazine (which you can also read for free at your dentist's office).  Or roughly one fourth the cost of a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts (which are tasty but a bit unhealthy and provide very little insight on innovation and business success).  

Seems hard to believe, doesn't it?

But before I get you too hungry to read, I'll simply leave this link ("Surrounded by Geniuses" for Kindle) and go back to drafting an even more substantive blog post for tomorrow.  After all, a sale like this won't last forever.

Or will it?

Cheers!

Books Worth Reading: "Mindset"

Greetings.  If you haven't read Carol Dweck's fascinating book "Mindset" yet, it's well worth your time.  In it  Dweck, a renowned psychologist currently teaching at Stanford, addresses the popular notion that talent and our innate abilities are the real keys to success.  Instead she argues that, while talent is an important part of the equation, the real key to success in any field is having the right mindset.  She distinguishes between having a "fixed" mindset--one in which we believe that our intelligence, personality and character are carved in stone--and having a "growth" mindset--in which we perceive that our natural talents are simply a starting point that can be developed through our own efforts.  She then shows how people with growth mindsets can develop a habit of learning and personal improvement that enables them to reach higher levels of achievement and greater results.  And she also shows how all of us can develop a growth mindset even if we don't start out with one.  

It's powerful insight for businesses and organizations looking to learn, innovate, unlock the genius in all of their people and prosper in challenging times.

We win in business and in life when we are committed to learning and growing in order to reach our full potential.  While ability matters, our attitude and mindset might be way more important.

Cheers!

Dear Wells Fargo

Greetings.  "Happy" is a very nice word and in recent years it has become a very popular idea in the world of business as companies work to make their customers and employees happy.  In fact, there are even books, articles, blogs and seminars dedicated to the simple proposition that happy employees make happy customers. And we all know that having happy customers makes it a lot easier for employees to be happy.  You might say that these two groups have a "symbiotic" relationship.

So you can imagine my delight (or happiness) when I called Wells Fargo and was told by the customer service representative that she was "happy to help."  Happy to help me complete a form that would enable our newest customer to directly deposit payments into our corporate account.  The only problem was the fact that she was unable to do it.  And so were the next three people I was handed off to during my thirty-five minute call.  Though each one began and ended our conversations by saying:

"I'm happy to help you!"

Sounds like this part of their training really worked.  They had taught them to be happy to help (or at least 'say' that they were happy to help) but not how to be helpful.  And I suddenly realized that I would rather have someone help me than be happy to help me.  Of course, I'd love both.  But given the choice, and a limited amount of time to spend on matters like this, I guess that I'd rather accomplish my objectives with the help of someone who isn't even that happy to help me.

And to make matters worse, I had an even bigger issue with Wells Fargo.  Because for some reason unknown to me I have been living without a banking relationship manager since mine decided to leave the bank.  Without telling me, or presumably her colleagues, that they might want to connect with a loyal customer.  I can only imagine that I fell through the cracks while they were all attending a workshop on the importance of being happy to help.  And when I made my status as a customer who was lost in the Wells Fargo wilderness clear to the representative on the other end of the phone she didn't even offer to remedy my situation.  Instead, she decided to offer me a business platinum credit card--a card I absolutely didn't need but one that she would be happy to help me obtain.  "No thank you," I replied in response to her insistence.  "I'm happy to not have a business platinum credit card.  In fact, I'd be kind of uncomfortable having one given that I don't even qualify to have a banking relationship manager."

We win in business and in life when we actually help those we have the privilege to serve.  And when our happiness is the icing on the cake.

Cheers and have a happy Presidents' Day Weekend!

A World of Entrepreneurs

Greetings.  According to a new study by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the world is becoming even more entrepreneurial as a growing number of people everywhere are taking the initiative to start new companies.  In some places they are doing this as the only way to earn a living, while in other places entrepreneurs are creating businesses around entirely new products, services and solutions that fill a new market need.  And they're even starting new manufacturing companies which seems to run counter to popular perceptions.  In fact, there are now more that 400 million entrepreneurs in 54 countries that were part of the study and in several countries the number of women starting businesses is now equal to the number of men.

We all have the potential to be entrepreneurial, even if we decide to stay in jobs in established companies or organizations.  Because we all have the ability to see new opportunities to deliver greater value to the internal or external customers we serve.  And we all have the ability to take a fresh look at our areas of responsibility and figure out how to do our work smarter, better, faster or just plain differently in ways that achieve a better result.  

By thinking and acting like entrepreneurs.  And in the process becoming one.  In fact, it's the best way to remain relevant in today's fast moving economy.

The world is becoming even more entrepreneurial.  And that's a very good thing.  Because more and people are tapping their unique potential to innovate and create economic value.  It's clearly a bright spot in a world filled with challenges.

We win in business and in life by being more entrepreneurial.  Maybe it's your time to follow your dream.

Cheers!

Rethinking Davos

Greetings.  Another World Economic Forum has come and gone with even less attention than in the past.  And that seems a bit strange given that the world's economic problems seem to be even more daunting.  But at least the usual cast of government leaders, corporate executives and world-class academics had another chance to debate strategies for avoiding "Eurogeddon," the continuing problems of the global financial sector, restoring the housing market, reviving manufacturing and spreading economic prosperity and a higher quality of life to people across the developing the world.  And in a somewhat bizarre and amusing twist, Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund brought an exceedingly large designer handbag to the gathering in an attempt--albeit mostly symbolic--to encourage developing countries to contribute to the IMF.  Possibly so the organization would have the resources to bail out several developed countries that have somehow lost their way.  

Maybe part of the problem with "Davos," as this event is affectionately called, is the fact that not enough "real" people are invited.  You know, people who actually make up the global economy at its best and worst.  Now I know that the titans of government and industry are kind of like "real" people, but what if they decided to change the mix of attendees to include more entrepreneurs and cutting edge managers from a variety of cultures, industries and companies of all sizes who are successfully building businesses in today's economy.  And public sector managers who have figured out how to deliver more effective government services with much lower cost and complexity.  And visionaries from smaller nonprofit organizations that have figured out clever ways to empower people to create greater economic opportunity through a variety of means.  And students from the world's renowned and not-so-renowned universities who have already begun to use their learning and innate genius to create the innovations required to solve our most pressing challenges.  And families working hard to reinvent their own economics.  And people determined to collaborate from countries unwilling to communicate.

People who are the agenda...coming together to set the agenda.  Rather than the elite looking to frame the agenda and ask each other for money.

If they tried this modest "tweak" they might discover even more possibilities and solutions.  Just like leading companies do when they seek to listen to all of their customers and employees.

We win in business and in life when we try to bring the right people to the table.  And when we give them a chance to shape the future.

Cheers!

How Strong Are You?

Greetings.  If you've ever tried Altoids you know that they are "curiously strong mints."  It's a boast, and a marketing concept, that's printed right on top of every box.  

But how strong are they?

Well...

"If you sail to an island, defeat a giant, and scale a mountaintop, Altoids are still stronger than you."

Now that's strong!  And it's also a fun way to get people to spend a little bit more time thinking about a product that they use but take for granted.  A simple product that is trying to leverage the power of curiosity as a way to generate more interest and buzz.  In fact, the Altoids website contains a "Hall of Curiosity" where you can learn more "curious" and ever changing facts about the mint "so strong it changed the course of history."

Which begs the following questions:  "How strong are you?"  "What strengths do you have that really matter to those you have the privilege to serve?"  And, "What are you doing on a consistent basis to invest in your strengths and genius so you can deliver even greater value and possibly change the course of history?"

Because if a breath mint is that important, your company or organization must have a pretty impressive upside too!

We win in business and in life by accentuating our strengths in a way that is upbeat, helpful and even silly.

Cheers and have a great weekend!

The Value of MVPs

Greetings.  If you follow sports you likely know that the acronym "MVP" stands for "most valuable player."  It's an award given to the player who made the biggest contribution to the success of the team or even the league.  Though it isn't always the player with the most talent...after all, there's a lot that goes into making a real difference including hard work, long hours and focused determination.  Along this line, many companies and organizations also recognize their own MVPs or  "most valuable people" (or employees) each year or even each month.  These are the folks who've made the most significant contributions to business success.  Again, they don't have to be the most brilliant or most important person, but rather the person who has worked the hardest to satisfy customers, create a new product or service, open a new market or improve top- or bottom-line performance.

But there is another definition of "MVP" that has become quite popular in business today, and it's almost the opposite of the more traditional idea.  It's the concept of creating "minimally viable products" that we put into the marketplace before they are totally baked in order to get feedback from customers and users in advance of putting in the time, effort and focused determination required to get them right. In this way, the logic suggests, we can find out if our initial concept strikes a cord and, if so, how to make them better prior to any real investment.  Simply create the crude prototype for a new product on your 3D printer, or the very rough design for a new software or smart phone application, then get fast input without spending a lot of time or money.  It's an idea that makes a lot of sense in certain disciplines assuming that the prospective offering is intriguing enough to get people to see beyond the faults to its potential.  But it requires us to come up with a concept that is likely to really matter to customers and an ability to engage them in the effort to make it a truly meaningful offering.

More importantly, it suggests the value of brainstorming with customers as often as possible as we try to figure out ways to enhance their success.

One very hot company that started as a minimally viable product is Dropbox--the personal cloud company that allows you to store and access all of your stuff on any of your devices or anyone else's.

We win in business and in life when we turn half-baked ideas into powerful possibilities.  And when we make customers an essential part of our development efforts.

Cheers!