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Last week I made the decision to open up The Peer Advantage by Bula Network to SMB owners without any financial cost to members. I also decided to open it up globally to English speaking SMB owners. Those major changes were made due to the current coronavirus pandemic. I want to be a valuable resource for SMB owners.

So let’s talk about leveraging the power of others especially during a time like this.

Something almost magical happens when people help each other. We’re seeing it worldwide right now. Communities, towns, cities and entire countries are coming together. Some in ways like never before. Prompted by an over-arching need that has dwarfed other concerns.

But it has sparked other concerns. Especially for small business owners.

Pain. Fear. Anxiety. Uncertainty.

I know you’re afraid. We all are. Because of all this uncertainty.

How long is this going to last?

Will I be able to hang on until things return to normal?

What do I need to be doing today to protect myself, my business, my employees…and I’m just talking about protection from this virus?

Decades ago I realized that business building could be summed up in 3 activities that I eventually dubbed, The Trifecta of Business Building.

I know that you’re very worried about the first two because revenues are a top priority right now. This is a cash flow crisis for just about every business.

Permit me to flip this order upside down given the present distress. And I’ll tell you why.

Your mental health is THE most important thing right now. Keeping your wits sharp and your emotions properly under control so you can make the best decisions possible – that’s what will impact the other two. So I’m urging you to avoid not going crazy in the process of caring for your business. And I want to help.

So I’m doing two things…with the biggest thing being completely FREE.

Let me first address small business owners. You’re a major priority for me because you’re my people. This isn’t based on a dollar amount or an employee headcount. It’s mostly based on how close you are – as a business owner and operator – to the work. Small business owners are close to the work, to employees and customers. So I’m putting in the work to serve you in small peer advisory groups of no more than 8 with me personally serving to facilitate each group. You can find all the details at ThePeerAdvantage.com.

Click that APPLY NOW button and complete the short Google form. Once you do that I’ll call you on the phone. We’ll visit about this opportunity and decide how we’ll move forward.

I plan to start meetings as quickly as possible so I urge you to go apply right now.

Here’s a recap of the important details:

• We’ll meet weekly instead of twice a month as originally planned. For now, I’m planning on these being 1 hour each week, but honestly, I’m going to leave it to each group to decide with a maximum time being 2 hours.

• There’s no cost whatsoever during this crisis. Zero investment. Zero obligation for any future investment. This is completely free.

• Members will be required to make a commitment to the group to be present, to share their insights, to share their experience and expertise, to help each other and to be helped.

• When the crisis is over you’ll be able to decide what you’d like to do moving forward. I have zero expectations of members once this crisis is over. My only objective is to help as many small business owners get through this as successfully as possible. I believe our great advantage is one another – this truly is the power of others.

The second thing I’m doing is providing online, virtual one-on-one coaching to any business owner, leader, entrepreneur or anybody I may be able to serve. Yes, I’m going to require a nominal fee for this. Partly because I need to make a living to provide for my family, but I also want to make myself available to more people who otherwise would never be able to afford my services. This service will be available using a video conference platform. Each session will be one hour. Multiple sessions can be purchased individually. I’m only charging a small percentage of what I normally would charge. I’m hoping this puts my services within reach of many more people.

The availability will be Monday through Friday from 7 am to 3 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm.

One Hour – $50

Note: After you submit payment via PayPal you’ll be directed to a page where you can select your time slot.
If you encounter any technical problems, use the contact page to reach me and we’ll work it out.

Let’s talk briefly about this one-on-one coaching so you can decide if it’ll be helpful to you.

My coaching isn’t an hour of you listening as I spew forth advice. No, it’s about spending a profitable hour together so I can help you figure it out. You get to define what IT is.

We’ll begin our hour with you telling me what you want to get done. I’m going to want to know what you’d like to do. Together we’ll work hard to figure out how you can figure out what you should do to make it happen. And I won’t just take your money then run. We’ll have some follow up via email. I’m going to want to know how you’re doing so you can be certain to move forward. All I’m going to ask is that you be respectful of my time.

Before I leave you today I want to give you something to help you this week.

Unprecedented challenges are the hardest because of the uncertainty. Known problems are difficult. Unknown waters are especially problematic. They drive up our fear. Driving down our confidence. And our optimism.

The stress doesn’t make many of us better. Or more effective.

Leaders react differently under the strain.

Some are more prone to outbursts. Patience with employees can run thin. Anger, frustration, and even rage can overwhelm us. These are understandable but unacceptable. They don’t move us forward. It’s important that we maintain a thoughtful, professional demeanor as we remember that people are looking to us to show them the way forward – even though we may be very uncertain about how.

Now, more than ever, we have to concentrate on showing calm confidence that even if we lack answers today…we’ll continue in our search until we do figure it out. Today and every day forward, I encourage you to remember your responsibility to your organization and all the people affected by it. Great leaders see the future first. You need to see a future beyond this present crisis. Be optimistic. Focus your work – the work of your entire organization – on what yous can do (and are doing). Don’t get sidetracked with things beyond your control.

Your leadership is being tested. Probably like never before. Now is your time to shine. Greatness emerges during the toughest times so seize the moments to prove yourself to yourself – and to everybody associated with your organization.

Yes, you should put on a brave yet human face with your employees, but you must – I reiterate, you MUST – find somebody with whom you can be completely candid with any fear of judgment or consequence. That’s a large component of my personal coaching. I’m such a person. Somebody to whom you owe nothing. Somebody with whom there is no strings. I’m a person with only one aim – to help you move forward. To help you accomplish what you most desire. Without judgment. Without fear of betrayal. Without consequence.

It’s urgent for your emotional and mental health that you have somebody who can serve as a sounding board as you investigate various solutions. You need somebody able and willing to ask you tough questions to help you gain clarity. Again, this is a major component of my coaching. Asking you questions that can serve you. And questioning answers you may have.

In short, you need somebody to help you through this. Somebody with whom you can be completely free to say whatever you’d like. Nothing will stiffen your resolve more than having such a person. That’s why I’m now offering this low-cost answer for you. I want to provide this level of service to as many people as possible. I’ll continue to offer this service for the foreseeable future as we endure this present crisis.

Whether you choose me or not isn’t important. What IS important is that you choose somebody with whom you feel safe. Remember, let’s flip my trifecta of business building on its head and put it at the forefront of our emotional and mental health. Make it a top priority and let the other issues be addressed from there.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Randy

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Bula!

No, I don’t have a coronavirus. Or any other physical malady. Just an urge. To be quiet for a bit. Which includes being more careful about what I consume. Catching up on some much-needed reading, polishing some workshops I’ve been working on, writing and avoiding the panic-driven hysteria as much as possible. I’ll be back when I’m good and ready. 😉

In the meantime, if you’re a small to medium-sized business owner who is ready to supercharge your business (and your life), then please check out The Peer Advantage by Bula Network. It’s a virtual, online peer group – a mastermind group – comprised of SMB owners from around the United States. I’m even going to accept applications from English speaking SMB owners from around the globe. And the big announcement is, it’s free of charge due to the present distress. That’s right. Zero cost. Zero obligation except you must be willing to meet the demands required to be a great member! Which means you’re willing to devote the time and willingness to share, to help and to be helped.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Randy

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Mike Ehrmantraut, the cleanup guy in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, asks soon-to-be-known as Saul Goodman attorney, Jimmy McGill…

“Are you still morally flexible?”

I’m not including the word “still” because I’m going to assume the best. That you’re morally inflexible, unwilling to do just anything for a buck. Jimmy became Saul Goodman because he was morally flexible at some point…and Mike wondered if that was still the case. Sure enough, it was. We now know how the story ends even if we are still enthralled with how it unfolds from Jimmy’s perspective. Stories of immoral, unethical and illegal behavior never end well. Never!

You ready for a TV series recommendation? Dirty Money on Netflix. It’s a series about corporation greed and corruption. The few episodes I’ve been able to watch demonstrate the pitfalls of pursuing profits no matter what. In one particular episode with a business owner who eventually suffered an enormous FTC fine and a prison sentence, the interviewer asked him, “Are you moral?” His reply, after a long pause, “I’m a businessman.”

It was offensive implying you may not be able to be one while being the other.

History has countless stories of greed and corruption. I don’t think the producers of that TV series will ever run out of great stories to tell. Unfortunately.

Cheating. Cutting corners. Skirting laws, rules, and ethics.

And it’s not just in business. It’s pervasive. Ask the Houston Astros. Ask major college programs who’ve suffered NCAA sanctions. Go ask your local youth rec league directors and I promise if they’ve been doing that work for more than 2 seasons they’ll also have stories of cheating in youth sports.

“If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”   -Eddie Guerrero

Eddie was a wrestling Hall of Famer. No, that Olympic wrestling. Soap opera wrestling. His quote is a common sentiment though.

In spite of the books, movies, TV shows, investigative reports and whatever form the horror stories take about immoral, unethical or illegal behavior in business — greed still corrupts people. From small business owners who choose to not report income to multi-billion dollar company CEOs who choose to violate laws.

The lure? Quick. Easy. Vast.

People who are going to steal from you – whether they’re employees or shoppers – are going to figure out how. I’m not sure you can prevent it, but you can work hard to catch it. If you’re successful you can uncover it quickly to minimize the losses.

Then there are people who won’t steal from you unless they’re given an opportunity. Some will avoid stealing unless the opportunity seems irresistible. Others will steal more easily, but only if the opportunity persists. So you do your best to help keep honest people honest. You remove as many opportunities as possible. For yourself and for the people who may be tempted to misbehave.

That’s how I feel about business morality and ethics.

Scoundrels are going be scoundrels until they’re caught.

Others can be tempted to be scoundrels if the rewards are high enough, easy enough and fast enough. It’s the temptation that has resulted in poor behavior to bring down many, many business people.

What about us? What about you? What about me?

How can we safeguard ourselves and our businesses? What can we do to ensure that we’re behaving ethically, morally and legally?

It begins with character. Our character.

“The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and how he treats people who can’t fight back.”
– Abigail Van Buren

Our character is who we are. It’s also who we most want to be. It’s our willingness to be a better person. And it’s our determination to work toward becoming our ideal self.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”  – Abraham Lincoln

Some have commented that our character is who we are when nobody is looking. That doesn’t just happen. We have to put in the work to make it so. That’s likely where some of our problems start. We’re not putting in the work on ourselves. Sometimes we disconnect ourselves from who we are at work. We can be tempted to think there are work rules, but those don’t have to be congruent with our personal rules. So we can more easily compromise our personal convictions because we can be fooled thinking it’s all good because it’s under the guise of business.

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”  – John Wooden

I’m a teenager working retail. “Bait and switch” is illegal. State government agencies would pay attention to the practice. Somewhat. But I’m introduced to it when my employer runs an ad in the paper for an item we don’t have in stock, except for the floor model. I learn it’s perceived as “common practice.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it didn’t matter to me because I just choose to ignore it. The object of “bait and switch” was to get people to come into the store and/or get people to buy something with higher profit. Well, I knew I wasn’t in control with what brought people into the store, but I was in complete control over my interaction with the shoppers. That experience is likely what led to my ability to employ “step down” selling. Rather than show the low-end loss leader that was advertised I’d start toward the upper end, just beyond the reach of the shopper – based on what they told me they wanted to invest. And I’d honestly, candidly tell them, “You don’t want to spend this much, but I want to help you figure out what is worth paying for and what isn’t.” After reviewing that item I’d quickly step down to another item within their budget, but I wouldn’t stop there. “You may be able to save some more money and be very happy. You need to decide.” I’d show them another item that might only give up one or two features that might not matter to them. Or maybe those few features mattered a lot. I wanted the shoppers to decide that for themselves. My job, as a teenage hi-fi salesperson, was to help educate them on what was available by being as honest as I knew how to be. It’s just something I figured out and did. Nobody trained me in that art.

Treating other people the way I wanted to be treated was rule one. I wanted to just tell people the truth and let them make up their own minds. As for the door-busting “bait and switch” items, I could easily go to something that provided much higher value to the shopper. I wouldn’t make an excuse. I’d just tell the shopper that the only one we had in stock was the floor model and that would end it, but it always bothered me. I wasn’t in control of advertising or stock levels.

By the time I was responsible for advertising and stock levels (and everything else), it didn’t happen. I choose to not live like that. I choose to not make employees live like that.

I’m not noble. There are many things I’m not, but I had decided even as a kid that I wasn’t going to be dishonest. At some point, I had a thought. If my employer will rip off customers then they’ll rip me off, too. I found another job. I found more honest people to work for. And like you, probably, I found out I’d endure many more temptations to cut corners for the sake of profits. Or revenues. Or both.

Certain truths helped me along the way.

One, doing the right thing is always more profitable over the long haul. Nobody loses when you do the right thing. Especially you. The math isn’t as simple as people are tempted to think. I cut a corner and I double my profits. No, cut a corner and people inside your company know. That fosters a different kind of workforce, one willing to compromise their character just as you have. Cut a corner and now you risk people outside your company finding out. There goes your reputation and word of mouth can kill your enterprise. Cutting the corner, no matter how much money is gets you in the short-term, isn’t enough to risk your company or career.

Two, if you’re willing to do the wrong thing today you’ll be more willing to do something even more wrong tomorrow. That’s how it works. Like the addict, enough today won’t be enough tomorrow. The crime gets worse and your conscience gets calloused. Justification gets easier and easier. Delusion becomes your way of life. Deluded business people don’t last long. Never long enough to overcome their delusion.

Three, if you do the wrong thing you lose empathy and compassion. You have to in order to live with yourself. Nobody matters. Dollars do. Your loss of empathy and compassion don’t just take a toll on you professionally, they destroy you personally. Relationships falter. Your self-importance grows. Along with your greed and corruption.

Four, you think you won’t get caught, but you will. It’s only a matter of time. Bigger and brighter people thought the same thing. Until they were found out. Whether it was an early morning FBI raid on their house or a team from the IRS along with federal agents coming to seize all your records…they eventually come seeking payment for the wrong you’ve done.

Moral flexibility isn’t a virtue. It’s a character flaw at best. Willful criminal intent at worst.

Five, doing business the right way has overwhelming benefits that no corner-cutting can match.

You prove what an honorable, upright and moral business you’re determined to lead. That prompts you to attract people who want to work in that type of environment. Scoundrels need not apply.

You prove to the market how you’ll conduct business. That prompts shoppers and prospects to give you an opportunity to serve them. Everybody wants to deal with a company they can trust.

You build what I’ve come to learn is the number one asset any company can have – a rock-solid, loyal customer base. You have customers who tell everybody they know how terrific you are.

Your growth may be slower, but it will likely be steadier and more sustainable. Working daily to perform great work is a reward not merely measured in dollars. Devotion to the daily processes of building a great company is the path toward growing great in every way.

You build character along the way. And pride. Pride in accomplishing something valuable and worthwhile. To yourself. To your employees. To your customers.

Sure, right is right, but there are compelling reasons why doing the right thing makes perfect business sense. Let me leave you with a few suggestions that may help you in the quest to grow great the right way.

1. Don’t have any moral flexibility at all. None. Never give an inch. Never entertain it. Just go in assuming you’ll always refrain from compromising. That’ll make it easier because you’ve determined it ahead of time.
2. Coach for performance, fire for poor behavior. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t fire for poor performance, but you should be more tolerant as you try to help a person elevate their performance. An employee who knowingly lies to a customer though – or commits some other wrong – should be fired. If you tolerate it you signal to all your employees that you’ll allow it. That’s their signal that you indeed are morally flexible. Bad signal to send…unless of course, it’s true.
3. Walk the talk. Training people how to cheat customers while extolling how you’d never cheat the employees is foolish. Even more foolish…the belief that they’ll never steal from you. You’ll wind up running a den of thieves. Instead, be honest all the time. Expect honestly from others, all the time. Through thick and thin it’s the best option.
4. Your biggest wins may come from losses. I think back over the years and the times when I’ve walked away from something because it was unethical or immoral or illegal…and the company found out the dollars that were at stake…it made an enormous impact on the culture for good. It shows people that you’re not just preaching a sermon, but you’re living it. When people see how much you mean it, how much it matters to you – they join the revolution with you.

If you’ve been willing to do wrong in the past for the sake of profits or anything else, then draw your line in the sand today. Better yet, etch it in stone. Stop. Make up your mind, enough. No more. Don’t con yourself into thinking everybody does it. They don’t. Don’t keep telling yourself it’s not a big deal. It is a big deal. I don’t care how much money is on the line. You’re eroding your character every time you flex. You’re diminishing your value as a person. Stop doing that so you can begin to build yourself up. Life is about fortifying yourself so you can grow and become a better version of YOU -the best version of you.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Randy

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I officially entered the workforce when I was 16. Unofficially I had been working summers for at least 3 years prior. I’d hear managers and business owners complain about how hard it was to find “good people.” Initially, I understood “good people” to mean people who were reliable. That was about it. Would they show up when they were supposed to? Would they do their work reasonably well?

I never understood “good people” to mean people who’d perform at a very high level. It seemed to me they mostly just wanted people they could depend on.

Whenever the places I worked as a kid were looking for help they’d often ask the rest of us (employees), “Do you guys know anybody?” Most of us were afraid to suggest somebody for fear it’d reflect badly on us. So much for trusting our friends, huh? 😉 The problem was, we didn’t know our friends in the context of working. Sure, we could depend on them as friends. We had fun with them. But we couldn’t vouch for them showing up every single time when they were scheduled.

Such a low bar and still too high for many people to clear!

Ask any manager of a big-box retailer and they’ll likely tell you one of their daily challenges is the schedule. Daily they come to work wondering, “Who won’t show up? Or who will call in and say they can’t come in?” Having enough bodies show up to get the work done is a critical issue for every company. Never mind that the roster of employees may not be comprised of all A players. We just need enough players of any caliber.

I recall giving the name of a friend to a boss when I was in college and the only question the boss asked was, “Does he have reliable transportation?” There it is. THE major concern. Can he get to work? Can he get to work on time? Who cares if he can do much else?

I quickly learned that fogging a mirror and having reliable transportation were the top qualities every employer was searching for.

By the time I was in my mid-20’s running a company I got it. Somebody is better than nobody. So I thought. Me and just about everybody else.

For years I thought that was a retail thing. I mean when you’re running retail stores that are open for lots of hours and almost every day (or open every day), then it’s understandable. I mean look at your local Walmart store. All those hours and all that floor space, and all those check-out lanes. All those shelves need to be stocked. All those trucks need to be unloaded. All that inventory must be checked in. You get the idea. Somebody is better than nobody when you’ve got all that work needing to be done.

Seems very different if you’re running some hi-tech lab filled with folks who have highly technical skills. But it’s not.

By the time I was 30 I had figured out that we all have the same problem. Our rosters don’t look the same, but the hi-tech lab and the retail store both have the same problem. Having people available to do the work. Walmart doesn’t have many engineers or scientists on the roster ’cause that’s not who they need. The lab does. But engineers and scientists can be unreliable just like a retail clerk or stockroom person. So when you consider who we’re hiring – skill-wise – then you begin to figure out the real issue and why I grew up in the 70’s hearing bosses lament how they just needed dependable employees.

Some things never change.

I continue to hear managers and owners complain about how difficult it is to find “good people.” For years I’ve asked employers to more clearly define “good people.” Depending on the job opening I’ll almost always hear words like “integrity, honesty, dependability, trustworthiness.” The technical skills most often are just a given. It’s these other qualities that appear to be rarer. That’s always fascinated me. That such qualities could be the make or break difference in a career. But it’s been like that for as long as I’ve been working. I don’t see it changing.

I was no more than 2 years into my first big leadership role when I learned what I really needed in an employee. Thanks to older, wiser heads and putting in the work to figure it out…I learned one of the biggest leadership lessons ever before I hit 30. And I was thankful because it changed my life as an operator.

Technical prowess is a given. Depending on the business you’re in, you need certain skills and know-how. Those can be somewhat easy to assess. Does the person have the essential credentials? My son-in-law is a scientist. He’s up the food chain with the company. He has a master’s degree in chemistry. He has a verifiable work past in the industry. He has an undergraduate degree in chemistry with a math minor. The company where he now works – and where he’s worked for more than a decade – had plenty to check out before hiring him. I doubt they struggled to find out if he could handle the technical aspects of the work. They likely had a pool of people qualified, but they had to assess if some people had greater potential to perform at a high-level in these technical areas. They’re a big company and I’m certain they ran him through a series of tests and assessments. He’s proven to be a great hire. He’s been regularly promoted.

I don’t doubt his technical prowess, but I know business enough to know that he’s not been promoted for any genius he may bring. And I rather suspect he brings plenty of genius to the work. He’s a high-quality human being. He’s rock-solid dependable. He’s got the one quality everybody really needs. The one every employer is looking for above all else.

Willingness.

Early on in my career, I learned this is the ingredient for success. Sure, a person has to be competent for the task, but the most competent people often fail because they lack the willingness to do what needs to be done.

I stopped looking for the most brilliant people who I felt had the highest potential. Potential didn’t mean much I realized. Especially unrealized potential.

Finding people with a high degree of willingness can be tricky, but figuring it out after you hire them isn’t so tough. And I’m not talking about people willing to sacrifice their souls to work for you. I’m talking about reasonable demands required by the opening you have. I’m talking about our willingness to be candid and open with prospective hires on what need or what we think we need. Too often the willingness of the candidate is hampered because we’re often unwilling to be as candid as we need to be for fear our opening may not be attractive enough.

Show your willingness first.

Be willing to clearly define what makes for success in your company. Think like your potential hires.

If I were hired by your company I’d get busy inquiring, “What makes somebody in this company super successful? What’s the difference between them and everybody else?” I’d also be busy trying to figure out who those people are so I could learn from them.

Not everybody would do that. But you should assume they might. Go ahead and help them learn that BEFORE you think about hiring them.

At some appropriate point during the process have that conversation. Tell them what makes somebody in your company super successful. Tell them why people fail in your company. Tell them about your role in helping people reach higher performance. Be clear. Be candid. Don’t sugar coat it. If you don’t do much to help people, then don’t act as though you go to great lengths. Don’t oversell it. Far better to undersell it then have the new hire be appropriately dazzled to learn it’s better than you described.

Be a company where willing people want to work. That’s really the key to attracting and hiring willing people. You can’t fake it and succeed. Top people will quickly figure out you duped them and if they’re smart, they’ll quit. Sooner than later.

Let them show you their willingness.

By the time you hire somebody, you have a sense of what you think. You have a feeling about them. The key is to have a sense or feeling about the right things. The things that will foster success for them inside your company. I’m telling you the chief thing – once you’re figured out if they have the competence to do the work – is their willingness. If your gut questions their willingness, pass. If your gut feels like they’ve got a high degree of willingness, then advance the process.

Find ways to test their willingness. It can be something big or something subtle. It can be increasing the number of interviews. It can be asking them to do something. Put your creativity into it and figure it out. Think of it as a test to help you better figure out how willing they are to not just get the job, but to perform well at the job. Talk is cheap so make them perform something!

Let them continue to show willingness after you hire them.

From the time they’re hired – after you onboard them well (please do a great job of onboarding them) – be watchful on willingness. Encourage it. Reinforce it. Applaud it when you get it.

The moment you see it wane, confront it. Challenge it reminding them of how important it is to their success.

If unwillingness persists, end it. Quickly. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll correct it. Maybe you will, but not likely. Sure, you can take on a project if you’ve got the time and inclination. I wouldn’t, but you can do what you want. It’s your time. It’s your life. Experience has taught me that people who are unwilling only grow increasingly more unwilling. Don’t be tempted to think, “Man, if they’d just do this they could be great.” If they don’t want to “do this” then they’ll never do it. Dream on.

Willing people enjoy working with others who are also willing.

Think about yourself. Measure your own willingness. Now weigh it against the people with whom you’ve had to work in the past. Have you ever been frustrated because you’d do something while others watched? Or you’d be diligent while others were slacking off? Well, that’s how it rolls with your employees, too. So make sure you don’t tether your high achievers with unwilling, underachievers.

Be well. Do good. Grow great.

Randy

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“A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.”
– Winston S. Churchill

Sir Winston had a way with words. That’s for sure.

Many bosses and leaders regularly address their team. Most of the time, these presentations or speeches are delivered during rather informal meetings. Sometimes they’re more formal and include some slick slide deck. Sadly, we’re in a meeting intensive era where workplace meetings often consume more time than actually getting anything done. We’re often busier meeting about the work than we are doing the work. So it goes.

Constructing and delivering effective presentations or speeches to your team is a worthwhile study, but that’s not my point today. Today, I want to focus on how we speak to our team to foster higher performance and a more achievement-driven culture.

What we say matters.

How we say it also matters.

How long and how often we say it can matter, too.

If you don’t think so, just ask any successful professional sports team coach who has been fired?

People stop listening. Some may never start.

Jack Welch died a week or so ago. In spite of how you may feel about him as a corporate leader, this much is true – the man had the ability to quickly turn a 300,000 person behemoth. Nobody in corporate history had proven as effective as Welch in getting a message through to the troops, up and down the chain. His candor cut through the clutter and got into the hearts and minds of GE employees faster than companies many times smaller than GE. General Electric had no peers during Welch’s tenure. That’s why Wall Street loved him. The man delivered financial results, not just speeches.

How much time do you spend on your speaking ability? Are you growing and improving your ability to communicate so everybody understands…clearly?

Some leaders put the burden on others. “It’s their job to know and understand what I want,” says one CEO. That’s a foolish perspective. He’s the one doing the talking. They’re listening. Yet he wants to put the full burden on them while he hides behind the fact that he’s the boss.

I’ve worked with top-level leaders who struggled with all sorts of communication challenges. Some go to great lengths to avoid confrontation. Others struggle to stand in front of a sizeable crowd. Still, others find saying precisely what they want difficult. I even worked with one CEO who intentionally communicated with ambiguity in order to create what she called, “productive tension.” Being unfamiliar with that phrase I asked and was given this explanation. “People are left to wonder about it and that makes them work harder to please me.” Interesting. Horribly abusive in my opinion, but interesting. 😉

What are we trying to accomplish when we speak? Or write?

It’s important to know the answer before we communicate. Situations dictate different desired outcomes.

What you need to communicate can range from bad news to good news, from major problems to exciting opportunities, from stern warnings to enthusiastic encouragement. Public speakers learn to know the audience. Know who you’re speaking to. Top leaders know who they’re speaking to already – or they think they do. But context, the specific context of the people, matters. Not all the people in your organization are capable of hearing the exact same communication. That doesn’t mean they can’t get the same, or similar, message, but you’d better not deliver it identically to everybody.

So you have to figure out what you need to communicate – and that will determine what you say and how long you say it. It’ll also likely impact how long you want to spend saying it.

Dallas Stars’ hockey Stanley Cup-winning coach, Ken Hitchcock, used to talk about addressing his team after a loss. He’d say that most losses meant not even entering the dressing room after the game. He argued they knew they had failed. He didn’t feel any need to call their attention to the obvious. Besides, he felt the next day’s practice would provide a bit of time and distance where they could more critically view the videotape and their bad performance. Hitch understood what he was trying to accomplish.

How do want people to feel about what you say?

Yes, feelings matter. How people feel about what you say will have a direct impact on their performance. So yes, feelings matter a great deal.

“I don’t care how they feel. I just care about what they do,” says the tough-nosed CEO. The problem is he fails to understand that people are driven to do based on how they feel. So don’t be stupid. Or hardheaded.

When you’re delivering bad news you may be tempted to just want to get through it. Avoid that. Instead, concentrate on how you want people to feel when you’re finished. Do you want them to feel safe? Secure? Do you want them to feel panic and despair? (don’t say that)

It’s fine to consider what you want them to DO once you’re finished but work your way back to how they need to feel first. Do you want to help them elevate their performance? Then make them feel things necessary to help foster that.

Sure, it’s perfectly fine – and sometimes appropriate – to insert some “productive tension.” I don’t have a problem with that idea. I just have a problem with creating it by making sure you’re not being clear. I find that’s a foolish use of it. I’ve used it effectively when trying to coach higher performance but found a person – or a team – rather unresponsive. You could read people the riot act or you could insert some tension to let them know things are now more serious. It can give people a stronger sense of urgency and accountability.

Design your communication to spark whatever feelings best serve the situation.

What do you want people to do? What’s the call to action?

Here’s a big shock. It can’t be, “Live better, be better, do better!” Way too generic.

Learn to be specific. Learn to always be clear. Make sure everybody – I mean EVERYBODY – understands what you’re saying.

If people leave your presence and huddle in the hallway asking, “I wonder what he meant by that?” — then you failed. If people are wondering what you mean, then how do you expect them to perform anything at a high level?

Make it clear what you need people to do with the information you’ve passed on. Ask them. Tell them. In the clearest terms appropriate for the setting. For example, you’re going to relay information to your executive team differently than you will to your entire organization. Likewise, the calls to action are going to be different, too.

This is why I began with how you want people to feel. Once you make each group feel whatever will help them move forward, now you have to arm them with a plan – a strategy – to do that. Move forward. You must avoid leaving people wondering, “Now what do we do?” You have to answer that for them with a clearly defined plan so they can act with confidence.

Keep people updated. Don’t leave people hanging.

How do you feel when somebody tells you something important, then they go dark? Exactly. Don’t do that to the people under your leadership. Remember, there’s a big difference in being a leader and just being the boss. Any rube can be a boss, but it demands skill and talent to be a leader. And it takes work. First on yourself.

You’re constantly asking, urging, coaching and challenging people to grow and improve. It seems only fit that you ought to be first to answer that bell. So don’t neglect your own self-improvement. 

Keep people in the loop. Modern culture is in love with the word, “engaged.” Or “engagement.” Keep them engaged. That’s assuming you did a great job all along the way to get them engaged.

Don’t let the good work you did falter because you drop the ball.

You’d never allow a salesperson to fully captivate a prospect, deliver a killer presentation and have an intensely engaged potential client — only to neglect to ask them for the sale. Or to get the sale, then neglect to follow-up with the necessary actions required to dazzle the client. You’re no better than that if you have all your people engaged, but then you forget about them and assume they’ll keep up.

“If it is to be, it’s up to me.” Stop relying on the system, the culture or the machine to do your work for you. Your communication is critical up and down the line. People want to hear from you. They need to hear from you.

Let me leave you with a powerful truth my experiences have taught me.

People need a story. They need to know the role they’re playing in the story. As their leader, it’s up to you to give them the story that can ideally serve them to perform at their best. If you fail to do that, they’ll write their own story. And it will be awful. People who lack knowledge and understanding will always write a bad story. They’ll write a story based on their fears and paranoia. How do you suppose that’ll help the performance inside your organization? Then take command of crafting the story and make sure you tell it well.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Randy

P.S. I grew up being a fan of Edwin Newman, the famed newsman who was fanatical about clear communication. Here’s an interview I found to help foster more curiosity about him and his work. Enjoy!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:47 — 42.4MB)

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“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Age and experience have taught me that fear is ever-present. You never conquer it. It changes with time, but it never goes away. Fear is a constant in all of our lives.

Bravery ebbs and flows. The ironic thing about bravery is that without fear, there is no bravery. So if you’d like to be brave, you have to acknowledge and recognize fear.

Fears don’t care what you do. Be brave. Be cowardly. Fears don’t care either way.

“Don’t let your fears win.”

Most of us have heard that admonition. But here’s the thing. Fears aren’t motivated to win or lose. Fears have no expectation because fears are mostly irrational. Well, the ones that really stymie us seem that way.

“Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil.”
— Aristotle

Maybe I should more precisely define fear, at least as I’m using it for today’s show. I very much like the acronym – false evidence appearing real. That makes my usage of the word different than those real challenges you face. For instance, an annual medical checkup can reveal some serious health concerns. Your doctor sits down with you and lays out a course of treatment. Yes, you’re afraid, but your fear is based on real evidence of something that is very real. Your fear of the unknown is understandable. It takes the human mind some time to adapt and adjust to this news. That’s why your knees buckle at the news, but within days you’re back on your feet with greater resolve to battle through and do whatever you’re able to improve your condition. But that doesn’t happen immediately. The processing of this news takes time. Real fear. Real issues. Nothing fake or false happening here.

Maybe it’s splitting hairs, but I hope you get the difference.

And I hope you’re not having to endure something of that sort, but I suspect some of you are. You’re battling through some bad news. Some very real bad news that you simply must face as best you can. Some bad news that requires you to simply do your best in whatever decisions lay ahead.

“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

I don’t believe life is merely filled with imaginary monsters or boogeymen. There are some real ones.

I also believe terror is real and fueled by our panic and fear. For instance, the coronavirus is very real. It’s not imaginary, but the panic and fear partly are. As I record this there are about 84,000 cases worldwide. There are almost 2,900 deaths. Almost 37,000 have recovered. There are 60 cases reported in the US. But I have a buddy who was scheduled to travel from Dallas to Nashville to a conference. The conference was canceled due to fears of the spreading virus. I know a seminar company that has already capitalized on the fear by selling hi-end seminars to organizations panicked about what they might do if the virus strikes. The fear and the virus are both real. The level of fear is amplified though because we imagine this thing is far worse in scope and scale. In our minds, it’s like this worldwide plague spreading faster than we can even identify it. That’s not true.

What is true, we have questions about this thing. There are many things we don’t know. Those unknowns make us more afraid than we might otherwise be. It’s how fear works. The less we know the greater our fear.

Just look at the stock market’s reaction to the coronavirus. The stock market is proof that fear works.

Almost 3,300 people die every day worldwide in traffic accidents. It eclipses 1.25 million people. But we still buy 74 million automobiles in 2020. We’re not afraid of cars or driving cars. We’re comfortable with cars. We understand cars and driving them.

“What you don’t know can hurt you.”

We hear it and believe it. Even though it’s not necessarily true. Think about it and it fails to even make sense in many regards. I know about the dangers of smoking. I know about cancer. I know about heart disease. I know about gun accidents. There are many dangers that I’m completely aware of. They’re still very dangerous. My knowledge about them doesn’t make them any less dangerous except I can be on guard and do whatever I’m able to avoid them. Simply knowing doesn’t protect me though.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
– Dawson Church (Mind To Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality)

Here’s the fact: what you don’t know can scare you half to death.

Talking And Listening Our Way Toward The Truth

I’m sitting in the car with one of the grandsons. We’re having a perfectly fine conversation when suddenly he grows solemn. And I notice he begins to cry. Just slightly. I ask, “What’s wrong? What are you feeling?” No answer. He’s young. Command of emotions isn’t easy (or even possible) for a child. We weren’t talking about anything that would have prompted this reaction. At least nothing I could recognize.

For the next few minutes, I assure him he can tell me if he wants. I talk to him about people with whom he can be safe. I urge him to make sure he can talk with somebody, even if I’m not that person. Again, he’s young. We’ll keep helping him understand that the path forward will be much easier if he’ll talk and listen his way toward the truth. I have no idea what he was feeling or what prompted it. Over time he’ll learn that helping people understand such things can help him, provided the people he confides in are safe – which I told him means “they won’t ever use what you tell them against you.”

Enough business owners, CEOs and leaders have sat down with me and over the course of our conversation, they’ll make a confession. “This feels like therapy.”

It happens during many first time meetings. Years ago I was puzzled by it, but I’ve come to understand the reality. People – ALL PEOPLE – crave being heard and understood. We all want and need others who will listen to us and work to understand us. People need to be understood by somebody. Even those folks who seem to thrive on being mysterious have a yearning to be understood by somebody. It’s universal.

I speak with a CEO on the phone for the first time. People I’ve never met. Within minutes I ask them about challenges, problems, and hurdles. It’s extremely rare for me to face resistance to that inquiry. These top-level leaders are so hungry for somebody with whom they can feel safe – somebody they feel will not use what they say against them – they begin to talk about their biggest problems, concerns and fears. It’s my superpower. Active listening and asking good questions.

I’ve witnessed how meaningful talking and listening our way toward the truth can be. I’ve also seen how hard it can be for most people. For some, like my grandson, they simply can’t do it. They can’t find the words. They physically are unable to speak. I have family members wired that way so I’ve come to understand it. Sure, it begins in their head, but they just can’t bring themselves to speak. Not at that moment. Some can talk later, but not at that moment. It took me a long time to understand that because I’m not like that at all. I can readily and easily summon the verbiage needed to help you know what I’m thinking or feeling. For me, it’s less about my ability to talk and listen, but more about my selectivity in who I want to talk to…and who I want to listen to.

Here’s why this is important stuff — your fears don’t care, but somewhere there are people who do. Or who will.

People who will care enough to help you overcome fears (and problems).

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
— Eleanor Roosevelt

Great Eleanor, but how?

As much as I’d love to agree with her first statement I can’t. Because it’s not true. It sounds terrific, but you’ve looked fear in the face at times. Sometimes you’ve looked at it for a split second then run like a wild hyena the other way! Me too. No strength gained. No courage. No confidence increased. Just sheer panic.

There’ve been other times you looked fear in the face and didn’t run away, but it still kicked you to the ground and stomped all over you. Going through something doesn’t necessarily improve us. That’s mostly just a passive act of endurance. Not quite the same thing as enduring fear with a purpose or intent to conquer it. Conquering is a lot more than enduring.

Doing that thing you THINK you cannot…yes, agreed. But I have to emphasize the thing you THINK you can’t do. My little grandson doesn’t yet know how to express what he’s feeling when he’s embarrassed or upset. I hope to help him figure that out as he grows up. He’s convinced he can’t tell me what he’s feeling. And he’s right. He can’t. But I know a secret he hasn’t yet learned. Nothing is stopping him. It’s all in his head. Emotionally he struggles. Those emotions paralyze him physically from talking about it. It’s not fake. It’s real. That’s the power of fear. But we owe it to him as a family to help him learn that he’s got a bigger power – a power that can conquer that fear. He can decide for himself what he wants and be freed from that specific fear. My hope is that by learning how to conquer that fear he’ll better understand his ability to overcome just about any fear. It doesn’t mean he’ll never be afraid. He’ll be like us, always afraid of something. But it means he’ll feel powerful enough to look fear in the face and conquer it.

The good news is your fears don’t care. They come. They go. You embrace them and hold onto them. You let them go and conquer them. They just don’t care.

Because of that they just are.

Here’s what I hope to help you with – conquering yours. You are in control of the fears. I know it doesn’t feel that way, but it’s completely true. And I’m not downplaying your fears. I’m not saying they’re not real. I’m not even going to say they’re completely unwarranted. I don’t know.

Here’s what I do know – your fears can spur you onto growth and improvement or they can freeze you right where you stand (or sit).

Let me give you just a few key points that I’ve learned in facing my own fears and in helping others face theirs.

Giving fear more time helps fear grow.

Every time we dwell on our fears they expand. Whatever time or space we’ll give fear…fear will take it all. And then some. The key to first managing fears more effectively is to restrict time and space.

Look closely into the details of your fears.

The way to reduce the time and space is to closely examine the fear. When you look closely at the coronavirus you begin quickly see that the hysteria isn’t appropriate. It’s very disproportionate. So it likely will go with many or most of your fears.

Let me share with you one fear I’ve always had. Imposing on people. I hate imposing on people. That fear is manifested in my reluctance. Reluctance to sell me. Reluctance to contact prospects who may desperately need my help. Upon close examination, that fear is completely unfounded. Do you experience impositions? Of course, you do. Every single day. But what may be an imposition to some is going to be an opportunity for others. That’s the truth of it. My fears are ridiculous and without foundation. Besides, if I’m imposing on somebody don’t you suppose they’ll quickly blow me off – and who among us hasn’t been blown off. But we’re still here in spite of all the times people have said no to us, or in spite of the times people have ignored us. There are NO CONSEQUENCES to my fears. Whenever I ask, “What’s the worst thing that will happen?” I must answer, “The same thing would happen if I never made the effort. The outcome would be identical. I wouldn’t get the business.”

Act fast.

“In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

The faster you get to the details, the better. The slower, the worse it gets. Your fears! Remember, they thrive on misinformation and time. Added together they’ll create panic. So you must dive into uncovering the real source of the fears. A few things can help.

1. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Last week we talked about making something so easy you can’t resist doing it. Figure out one little step to take toward overcoming the fear. Just one. You’ll be tempted to think you’re not doing the right thing. Your self-talk will kick in and you’ll berate yourself for not doing enough. That’s fear just holding on because even though your fears don’t care they do want to remain alive as long as possible. They’ll cling onto any life you’re willing to give them. Job one is to suffocate them so they can die more quickly.
2. Make sure to accurately identify the fear. It may not be what you say. Or what you think. My fear of prospecting isn’t so much the fear. My fear is imposing on people. But boil it down even further and my real fear is what people might think of me imposing on them. They may think less of me. Truth is, the people I prospect aren’t thinking of me at all. I’m not even on their radar. Then when I do get on their radar by reaching out to them I can be fearful of what they’ll think. A closer examination reveals my foolishness with this fear though. If they rebuff me, then they move on with their life and I move on with mine. No harm, no foul. If they engage then I get to know them better and they get to know me better. It’s a win any way you look at it.
3. Take action. Right now. Don’t delay. Don’t talk yourself out of starting. Procrastination gives time and space to fear – the components fear needs to thrive.

It’s never over.

You can conquer fear, but remember…fear doesn’t care. It can come back. It will come back.

That’s okay. Fear will obey your commands. Command fear to go away and it will. Command fear stay…and it will.

Your battles with your fears is a battle you can begin to win right now. In this very instant.

You can’t stop battling. It’s best for you to take on the role of a warrior. For life.

Make up your mind to give every fear you have a fight. The good news is, you can win each one of those fights. Nothing prevents you from winning every single battle. The only question is whether or not you’ll figure out how to fight effectively.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Randy