Excuses in Business

Excuses do not make good business sense. There is a difference between a reason and an excuse.  Many poor leaders use excuses to get out of tough situations.  Even worse, they accept excuses because they have set the example of giving them out.  They do not understand the difference between reason and excuse.


A reason is....the why with facts and a follow up plan.

An excuse is....the why with emotions and lacks confidence.

How do you fix this?

1-build action plans with specific measurable steps that are assigned to specific people
2-Admission of mistakes...they happen, people are people, not perfect. Admitting the mistake and moving on creates a more open and creative environment.
3- take time to Revise strategy, it may be what is needed to create a better product.
4-focus on Moving forward by bringing everyone along, ensuring that it all make sense to everyone involved. Take time asking and answering questions to obtain understanding.

In a nutshell, a good leader can build accomplishment by keeping focused on the vision that is grounded in culture-based values. If everyone is on the same page, with the same principles for guidance, the excuses go away quickly.

In the Tunnel

Is your Leader in a tunnel?

Tunnel Vision is a trap....some leaders fall into this trap when they are just starting out (some all the time).  The leader becomes so focused on what is in front of them that they see nothing and no one else. 

This leads to huge obstacles being ignored, momentum in other areas being underestimated, and potential flaws in the tunnel being under-alarming.

Leaders need perspective - and to keep the tunnel from closing in around them they need to look around on a regular basis....and you can help - show them what they are missing!

Customer Who?

The Not to DO leader loses site of the fact that there is more than one customer waiting for them everyday.  In fact, the Not to Do leader may not have much contact at all with the customer who pays the invoice - others are doing that for them.

The To Do Leader realizes that the end (external) customer, who pays for the product or services is just as important as the internal customer - peers, team members, service personnel, technicians.  Each person in the organization is a customer of one another - some directly, some indirectly.

It is by creating an atmosphere of customer service internally that the external service proposition offered to end users of the product or service benefits the most.

No longer are customers an interruption to anyone's day, the customer is the reason the day exists at all.

Celebrate 2011

Celebrate 2011!

May it be your BEST year yet!

from the Leadership NOT to Do Team

Freeze?!

It's winter - let's talk about the FREEZE!
Does your boss do this?  Freeze?
When it's time to make a decision, do they just walk away and not decide?
When they hear the President is coming to visit, do they just stop and not know what to do next?
When they are confronted with a problem or by a customer, do they just abdicate to someone else?
I call this the freeze.
Unlike the polar bear, this boss/leader does not like the lonely cold, even though they signed up for it when they started out in the world of work.
It can happen at any level...the situation will not go away unless you deal with it to resolution.  You can not run from it or ignore it...fixing the problem, handling the customer, making a decision is the only way to move forward.
Like the polar bear in the picture, you may need to tread lightly and be very careful about where you are going, but you can get there...just try.
Stay warm.

The Season

Blessings of the Season from our house to yours.

the Leadership NOT to Do Team

Competitiveness - Is It In You?

Does your leader do all the heavy lifting or do they just think they do?

Are they afraid to compete with you so they keep you locked down on projects that take little effort and provide even less challenge?  What happens to make a leader lose their competitiveness?

Leaders can get caught in the trap of competing with their team because the have a fear that the team can out-do them, even surpass them or get promoted around them.  Unfortunately, this type of competitiveness will not drive the organization forward...it could cause good people to leave.  There needs to be a balance between challenge and effort; competition for the sake of development.

Leaders can also lose their competitive edge in the market, become complacent and forget that to stay competitive, they need to stay visible, keep learning, keep listening and keep innovating.

What to do?  Show the leader that you are all one team...competition is healthy and helps development of everyone.  Especially in the market - devise a strategy that can help keep everyone in touch with the competition and the changing environment in your business.  Everyone will benefit, including your customers.