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The trifecta of business building that I consistently talk about culminates in the third leg of “not going crazy in the process.”

1. Get new customers
2. Serve existing customers better
3. Don’t go crazy in the process

I’m not a mental health professional, nor do I claim any expertise in the area. However, I’m very accomplished in building and leading organizations. I’m an expert in human behavior and interaction. And I’m well-acquainted with the impact of stress, anxiety, and fear. I know how universal these are for everybody, especially business owners and leaders.

I also know how bravado works. Especially in the ownership or C-suite. Leaders can falsely believe they’re superhuman, impervious to the dangers of stress on physical and mental health. I’m rolling all that into one phrase, “emotional health.” I’m using the term holistically to include the whole of who we are as human beings. You’re not merely your education, experience or skills. Nor are you just your intellect and logic. Any more than you’re just feelings, thoughts, opinions, and viewpoints. You are ALL of those things. At the same time.

Now may be a great time to look in the proverbial mirror. Intently. Not just a glance. Lean in and look at yourself very hard.

Self-deception is always lurking close by. Ready to pounce on us. Especially when it comes to our strengths and weaknesses. We’re all prone to overestimate our strengths while we under-estimate our weaknesses. Simultaneously, we can do the same when we’re looking at others…except in reverse. We underestimate their value (all everything that makes them who they are) and we overestimate their faults or weaknesses. Funny how that works, huh?

As our country begins the slow process of emerging from this coronavirus pandemic, leaders in every sector need to make sure their own self-awareness has a high degree of accuracy. I can see the skepticism in your face. 😉 But deep down you know this is right. And very useful. No, beyond useful. Necessary.

We’ve seen how all kinds of people have reacted to the added stress of something as enormous as this coronavirus. Truth is, most of us aren’t nearly as effective under stress as we are under more calm conditions.

Over the years my church work has involved working with younger men in publicly preaching. Sometimes I’ll encounter a young man determined to work from very limited, card-index type notes. It’s an easy challenge to meet. I simply tell them about how the most effective public speaking world leaders carefully work on what they want to say. Winston Churchill, for example, would carefully craft his words. It’s easy to argue that when we’re preaching the Word of God we’d want to handle it as carefully and in the most prepared way possible. I’ll then ask the question, “Do you suppose that you can craft better wording while you’re home preparing, or can you better think of the best wording on the fly in real-time?”

I’ll make the same point with you regarding your behavior and decision-making as a leader.

This pandemic has certainly shown all of us the power of preparedness. It’s much better to prepare then to react.

So much of our daily lives require us to react, doesn’t it seem smart for us to prepare as much as we can to reduce the things that demand a reaction?

And doesn’t it make sense that we should take care of ourselves so we can better leverage our whole self?

You’re uniquely you. But that doesn’t mean we don’t share some very common challenges. Challenges like fears, worries, and anxiety. Mine may look different from yours, but they still exist in some form or another.

While it’s true that some perform well under pressure and others…not so much — preparation is where the rubber meets the road. Besides, the things that can make or break success in every moment remain the same: talent, opportunity, ability, confidence. Because we’re talking to about leaders, then I’m going to assume a degree of competency. Talent can vary, but you unquestionably have sufficient talent. But you may not always have the confidence you need in your talent. And you may not always see the opportunities to best leverage your talent. See, it still comes back around to your emotional health.

That whole “not going crazy in the process” is very important to your leadership success. And your life. And your organization.

Clutch. We all want to be clutch. We’d like to be able to shine when we most need to shine…during very stressful times. When things really count.

Today I just want to give you a few things that can help. I’m going to cheer you toward taking better care of yourself so you can shine today and in the days to come.

Just yesterday the governor of Texas announced that his “stay at home” order for our state will expire on Thursday, April 30th. Beginning Friday, May 1st many businesses including restaurants and retail can open up with 25% capacity while maintaining social distancing practices. Bars, hair and nail salons are still forbidden from opening, but there’s optimism that they may be able to open by mid-May. So this week leaders are working hard to figure out how to conduct business and meet the government mandate. Still others, who are not yet able to open, to busy trying to figure out how they can hang on.

Preparation isn’t practical or possible. We’re about 6 weeks into this thing so the time to have prepared is long past. But here’s something we can do. Stop lamenting about what we didn’t do. Stop pining about what we wished we’d done.

Let’s think about doing two things at the same time. While we tackle the reality of today let’s grow increasingly more determined to prepare for a better tomorrow!

What’s our reality? Legally. Morally. Ethically. We all want to conduct business safely – for our employees and our customers. How that looks will depend on the business you operate. Overkill is in order so you can display that you’re going to do everything in your power to protect people. It’s also your opportunity to show your staff and the public how dedicated you are to doing the right thing.

Many of you have been smart in assigning these tasks to small teams whose duty is the focus on sanitization and health. These team members are constantly making sure that all workers and customers are properly protected.

Here in Texas, beginning Friday, 25% capacity rules is going to require more thoughtful strategies. If your business has a people capacity of 200 then you now have to limit it to no more than 50 people at one time. So now we have to manage our traffic flow – incoming people and outgoing people. Customer service and happiness need to remain at the forefront trumped only by safety and the current rules in place by the government.

These and many other solutions need to be created by listening. I use these specific business activities to illustrate how much better our solutions can be when we include others…as opposed to us sitting in our space trying to figure it out alone. If you want to be clutch, then decide to be clutch in leading others to help you figure out what to do. Here’s how…

Gather the team members you feel can be most helpful. Make sure you include front line people. Don’t select team members based on title or seniority, but based on their viewpoint and perspective because of what they do. The people who have to perform the tasks are ideally suited to help you form the strategies. Those health and safety teams that many of you have formed are people who are especially detailed oriented with a high degree of sensitivity to client happiness. This is where your leadership may be able to shine most. You can ideally find the people best suited for the tasks that must be done as you begin to open your business.

And there’s a big area where you must shine as a leader. Orchestrating where and what team members can best do to serve.

But you can best do that with the help of others, too.

The Dallas Cowboys are getting rave reviews for this year’s draft class. NFL teams have a large scouting staff. They have analytics people. They have substantial coaching staff. Lots of people who work together to help figure out the best players to draft each year. With a brand new, Super Bowl-winning coach, people inside the Cowboy’s organization have reported how well they worked together this year to have one of their best drafts ever. Somebody, the leaders, has to make the final call, but that call isn’t made in isolation. Don’t make your calls in isolation either. You need intel and input. Don’t be bashful where you get it. Be bold. Be clutch. Open your eyes and ears to whomever you feel can best help you. Cast the net even wider than you might normally because it’ll help you make better decisions AND it will serve to make people more enthusiastic about the solutions you implement.

Stop putting pressure on yourself to have all the answers. This is the time for you to maybe at long last learn a very important lesson in leadership. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. You just have to make you lead the parade to create the smartest rooms possible as you navigate this crisis. And you need to create smart rooms so you can prepare for the future.

That’s your best path forward to protect yourself and your own emotional health. To avoid going it alone. To put yourself in the smartest rooms possible so you can improve your vision and thinking.

Be well. Do good. Grow great.

Randy

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Here in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, we began to be safe at home five weeks ago. Many Americans didn’t think March would ever end. Now it seems like April won’t either. Just today Dallas County’s city council voted to keep the stay at home order in place until May 15th. This global coronavirus pandemic has stunned all of us, providing this surreal daily existence none of us could have imagined.

Shock.

Stunned disbelief.

Panic.

Dread.

Fear.

Daily we hear these words describing how people feel about the current state of things. Business owners are just as prone as anybody else, maybe more so, to feel these things. Those of us who serve business owners have been busy doing whatever we can to help entrepreneurs face the challenge. Along the way, we’ve listened to heart-wrenching stories of business owners who risk losing everything, including the companies that were soaring high just six weeks ago.

Let’s focus on the opportunities, positives and high-potential moving forward. It’s easy to dwell on what’s wrong. I mean, much of it is very obvious. Which is why the throngs are likely going to spend their time there. And it’s why we have this extraordinary opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity for our lifetime – to make something special happen.

I agree with Mark Cuban who has said in a recent podcast interview that now is a great time to start a business. Click the link below to the interview he did with YOUR FIRST MILLION with host Arlan Hamilton.

Cuban has always been a fan of sweat equity and forgoing debt as much as possible. Sound advice for existing businesses and start-ups. However, if you’re operating a small business and you’re able to leverage the SBA packages offered by the U.S. government, which could be morphed into grants (instead of loans) if you use the money according to the rules…then, by all means, jump all over that if you haven’t yet.

Part of the reason Cuban is such a fan of avoiding taking on investment is our ability to develop our own vision for the future. Business owners mostly love control and hate having to answer to others. It’s why we carved out the path to do our own thing. Debt makes us beholden and we hate that.

Cuban is a contrarian against the two prevailing business thoughts of the moment. One is double down and work super hard while others are sitting back trying to figure out what to do. Two is to rest and regroup while the whole planet has been disrupted. Cuban has a third alternative. Take small steps. Get and keep your priorities where they most likely belong – on your family’s welfare. Simultaneously take small steps to advance and move forward. As the saying goes, “Inch by inch anything is a cinch.”

Six weeks ago people weren’t likely taking things all that seriously. I know I wasn’t.

Five weeks ago things began to change. Suddenly, the NBA shut down, followed quickly by March Madness being canceled. That got our attention.

Then the other sports leagues followed suit. And many of us were in areas of the country where our local governments ordered us to stay at home. Suddenly, businesses were shut down, or they shut themselves down before the government did it. Apple Stores, for instance, closed up shop.

Then the mad dash for paper towels, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. Suddenly, within less than a week our local grocery stores looked like they had been missed a week’s worth of deliveries. Shelves were bare. Everything from meat to eggs to paper products…GONE. Nowhere to be found.

It became very real very quickly. It was shock and awe for all of us.

Then the furloughs and terminations began. And the unemployment soared. Many of us were likely impacted because business owners whose doors were shut could no longer make payroll for work that couldn’t be done anyway. And our lease payments were coming due with little or no revenue coming in. Now it was time to panic. So most of us did.

For some, the panic is still in full swing. For others, we figured we’d best get busy trying to figure something out.

Universal Vulnerability To The Rescue

A funny thing happened on the way to isolating ourselves at home. We weren’t able to single ourselves out from the herd. The entire herd of humanity was experiencing the same thing. For the first time in our lives, everybody was in the same boat. From famous Hollywood actors to pop stars to billionaire business people, we were all huddling with our immediate families inside our homes. Nevermind that some had nicer digs in which to isolate themselves. For the first time in our history of being alive, we had one big thing in common.

Our common challenges gave us a gift.

Vulnerability. The vulnerability of being human.

“It’s going to be brutal. There’s no way to sugarcoat it at all. And when we get to the other side, companies are going to be operating differently,” Cuban said on Fox Business Network just this morning (Wednesday, April 22, 2020). Cuban predicts 2 to 3 years to get back what most of us considered “normal.”

Wait a minute, didn’t you say you weren’t going to dwell on the bad? Yes, I did. And I’m sticking with that notion. What Mark said isn’t negative as much as what many of us believe is the truth. But none of us, including Cuban, know for sure.

He’s right about one thing, based on information I know firsthand from various CEOs and owners. Companies with more than 500 employees are hit as hard, if not harder than small outfits. The companies with revenues in the hundreds of millions and more than 500 employees need more. They need more capital, more revenue and more profits. Size matters. Big animals need to eat more than small ones. Companies in the wild are no different.

Whether you believe in what Cuban says or not isn’t the point. You absolutely believe in the uncertainty and in that uncertainty is the high value of vulnerability. Universal vulnerability.

Just yesterday I spoke with a Vistage Chair in Boston, Phil Holberton. You can watch or listen to the conversation Leo Bottary and I had with Phil for our joint podcast, What Anyone Can Do.

Phil commented on what I’ve heard from a number of people involved in mastermind or peer groups – people are coming closer together. Now more than ever!

It only took a global pandemic to make it happen.

But hey, it DID happen. So that’s a good thing. Not the pandemic, but our universal (mostly) realization that we could use some help. And that maybe we could help somebody else.

Maybe you’ve seen this heart-wrenching story about Ken Bembow, a British veteran, who has been sleeping with a photo of his late wife Aida following her death nine months ago. A caregiver made a pillow with his wife’s picture on it so he could sleep with that instead. The video is sure to make you tear up. It speaks to our collective humanity during our collective vulnerability.

Scroll through Instagram. You won’t find the normal stuff there. Go back 6 weeks ago and it was the same old crap. Fancy cars. Fancy locations. Just all FANCY. People showing off. People fronting. People faking it. Little to no vulnerability. Just mostly fraudulent posing. Aimed at making others envious or jealous.

Gone.

Done.

Now kindness, compassion and service have bubbled to the surface where they always belonged.

Now business owners once cocky and sure are surrendering themselves to peers admitting that they’re clueless about what next step to take. The fear of not knowing what to do has finally trumped our fear of looking smart. ‘Bout time.

I HATE that it took a global pandemic to get us there, but here is where we are. And I’m during you and me to seize the moment. Let’s make full use of this disaster. Let’s refuse to go back and start hiding again behind our false bravado and arrogance. Let’s wise up and keep the wisdom move forward. Let’s step on the accelerator and get moving faster than ever in leveraging our humanity.

Because there are bound to be better answers found together than those answers we find by ourselves. 

Shortly after things grew very grim I made a decision with my own professional services. For starters, I slashed my rate. I’ve never been a “by the hour” guy, but I went to a $50 an hour Zoom video conferencing rate just to try to help as many people as possible. Next, I decided to launch The Peer Advantage by Bula Network free of charge. Both seemed like good ideas at the time and neither of them was aimed at any sort of money grab (obviously). But both backfired magnificently. 😀

The global disruption was so pervasive. The fear was so widespread. The panic was so real. Nobody – and I mean NOBODY, including me – was ready to do anything for what seemed forever. We collectively stood around like deer in headlights. Not knowing what to do.

The lesson was learned though and I have no regrets. I was like you, just trying to figure out what I could do that might make a difference. My business is likely very different from yours though. I’m a one-man-band. That’s by design. I have no inventory. I have only my wife and me to worry about. This affords me the aim of my business design – the ability to focus on the work and those who might benefit from my services. I was fortunate in that I could squarely aim at how I might be of greater service to more people. I wasn’t being altruistic, just practical. Keep in mind, I’m an INFJ so “counselor” is my natural wiring. I was merely leaning more heavily into who I am.

People were too afraid. My empathy compelled me to fully understand it, too. In those first moments of wanting to be helpful, I had neglected to understand the scope and depth of the uncertainty and fear. Honestly, I hadn’t even come to grips with my own anxiety, worry, and fear. Like news of sudden death, we all needed time to process what was happening to us.

So here we are about 5 weeks or so into the stay-at-home routine. Most of us.

Even essential businesses have been disrupted. Mostly in a bad way, but some in a good way. Walmart and others are experiencing quantum leaps in demand for their goods and services. Cuban is likely right when he predicts we’ll learn of 30 or so companies who will make a name for themselves during this ordeal – or the outgrowth after it’s over.

As days rolled into weeks and weeks have morphed into a few months, thankfully the shock wore off. Hopefully, most of us “came to ourselves” realizing that we’d best get on with figuring out what to do next. Enter that vulnerability again.

Some have confessed for the first time in their professional lives they’ve opened up and been willing to ask for help. And many have wondered why they didn’t do it before…after experiencing such positive results when they realize others with a different viewpoint have quite a lot to offer. Nevermind berating ourselves over past neglect. Who cares? What matters is this is where we are today. And while it’s bad, it’s not all bad.

We needed to overcome our shock. We do not need to overcome our newfound vulnerability and willingness to lean on each other.

Your company has employees. You have suppliers. You have partners – banks, real estate people, advertising people, etc.

Leverage all of them.

Huddle with your employees. Invite them to join you on a Zoom call to simply let them know you care about them as people. Lean into humanity…your own and theirs.

Share with them your challenges and ask them what they think. Lead productive conversations about what your new normal might look like. Allow them to be part of the solution and opportunity. You need it. They need it. Worst yet, your company needs it.

You’ve likely already had many conversations with your landlords. Figure out ways to make it work so everybody minimizes the downside. Maximize the opportunity together.

Same with suppliers and other partners. Remember, everybody you talk to is going through the same ordeal. You’re going to find – maybe for the first time in your life – that you’re able to have the most open, transparent conversations you’ve ever had with all of these people. The result? You’ll get closer!

You’ll also likely develop some answers you wouldn’t otherwise have found. And some opportunities along the way.

I’ve heard quite a few stories of employees who have helped owners identify newfound opportunities in this crisis. And I don’t mean just making masks and other products useful during this time. I mean companies whose employees have figured out new products and services to offer. Things congruent with their existing business.

In recent weeks I’ve seen a theme emerge among some innovative leaders and their teams. They’re looking past the shock to begin to think, “What are we really good at that might provide new opportunities for us?”

Is your company great at sales? Logistics? Manufacturing? Quality control? Service delivery? What?

Most of us operate businesses where we get stuck thinking we’re in the car business or the widget business. Reality is often very different. We’re just do deep into our industry we can’t see it. Now is the time to venture out beyond the bounds of your limited vision and leverage the power of others to see if there may not be an even bigger opportunity for you.

Do not go it alone. You’ve been there, done that. It didn’t work so well.

You thought you had it all figured out when times were great. You – like most of us – felt it would never end. Sky was the limit. Until the sky fell.

So don’t retreat back into the same behaviors that may have prevented you from future-proofing your company like you should have. Time to saddle up and ride ahead. Go slow. Go fast. That’s for you to decide for yourself. But GO. And make sure you’re riding alongside people willing to help you – and people willing to let you help them.

Be well. Do good. Grow great!

Randy

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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