#Leadership : How I’ve Learned To Fight Loneliness And Isolation As A CEO…When Everyone’s Looking to You for Answers, one CEO Recounts from Experience, the Pressures can be Intense.

/in /by
 Martin Senn, the former head of Zurich Insurance, committed suicide in May this year, less than three years after two other top Swiss executives took their own lives. It’s difficult to generalize from individual tragedies like these, but it’s just as difficult not to see a common thread. It’s long been argued that companies could do a lot more to support their employees’ mental health and well-being, considering that so many of those pressures arise in the workplace.

Free- Bench on a Lonely Beach

What’s clear is that CEOs aren’t exempt from the pressures. Many execs face intense scrutiny in their roles and bear the mental and emotional burden of guiding their companies to success and protecting their employees’ livelihoods—and that’s outside of any issues in their personal lives.

LONELINESS IN THE CORNER OFFICE

So many roll their eyes at the notion that highly compensated business leaders need or deserve special attention. And at a time when so many Americans struggle just to find a decently paid job, that sentiment is understandable. But it doesn’t diminish or negate the reality that the c-suite offers no shelter from psychological pressures—many of which are unique to those in leadership positions.

A survey by RHR International found that half of CEOs report experiencing feelings of loneliness in their roles. Of this group, 61% believe isolation hinders their performance. That’s a significant proportion of top executives who are suffering and not performing at their peak. Executive loneliness and isolation is bad for people and bad for business.

In my experience, fear and ego are two of the main causes of this kind of isolation. On the one hand, there’s fear of appearing inadequate and the concern that asking for help could make others doubt your judgment. After all, CEOs are supposed to have all the answers—the buck stops with you. Meanwhile, your ego is telling you that you really don’t need others to help make big decisions; who knows your business better than you do? Combined, these two factors can prevent even highly capable CEOs from turning to others for support when they need it most.

When times are good, you may not even notice this. It’s when your business faces real struggles that the risks and consequences of loneliness come into play. In the 2008—2009 financial crisis, my business was in desperate shape and everyone was looking to me for answers. I could feel the walls closing in. Here are some steps I was able to take to overcome those feelings of anxiety and loneliness and get myself—and my company—back in gear.

1. DON’T WAIT TO FIND PEER SUPPORT

For me, one of the most revelatory things was simply realizing that I wasn’t alone in being alone. Lots of other CEOs out there were experiencing the same challenges and going through the same emotions. I just had to look outside my own company and immediate circle to find them.

For me, the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a group of CEOs from companies around the world, has been an incredible channel for connecting with peers who’ve had similar experiences. During regular meetings with my YPO forum group—eight to 10 CEOs or other top decision makers from non-competing businesses—we all share the challenges we’re facing and speak frankly about how we’re trying to tackle them.

In 2009, when BuildDirect was teetering on the brink of collapse, I confessed to my forum mates that in about a month’s time we wouldn’t be able to make payroll. This was an incredibly scary thing to admit, but just being able to say it out loud to others helped me unlock the creative thinking it took to come up with a solution.

Bottom line: There are other people out there who have gone through the exact same challenges. Finding them—even if it means looking outside your company—is a first step toward overcoming isolation.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

2. LET YOURSELF FEEL VULNERABLE, THEN LET PEOPLE IN

Vulnerability is all about inviting others into your world, making it a natural antidote to loneliness. The challenge is taking that first step and letting down your defenses. I’ve found that simply confiding in people from the get-go—essentially, trusting first and asking questions later—can dramatically improve ties with your team. While you never know what kind of response you’ll get, in my experience the benefits far outweigh the risks.

This isn’t a unique perspective on my part. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has spoken previously about the importance of vulnerability and transparency and the role they played when his company was struggling in 2008. Instead of trying to become the lone savior of Starbucks, Schultz helped his employees understand the challenges the company was facing and empowered them to become part of the solution. But he first had to let his own guard down as their leader in order to do that.

I’ve seen the power of this firsthand. During the crisis, I held a company-wide meeting and explained to everyone that we would have to shut down BuildDirect if we couldn’t figure our way out of the problems we were facing. Rather than drawing up a strategy behind closed doors and hoping for the best, laying everything out there in the open encouraged the whole team to take ownership of our challenges and work toward solving it, which we ultimately did.

3. STAY GRATEFUL WHEN IT’S HARDEST

When I think about how fortunate I am to have a loving family, good health, and the ability to make positive contributions to the world around me, it’s hard to get bogged down in despair or loneliness for too long. A 2007 study, in fact, found that gratitude led directly to “higher levels of perceived social support, and lower levels of stress and depression”—just one of the psychological benefits of simple thankfulness.

The challenge, as always, is remembering all of this in the heat of the moment. For me, maintaining this perspective is all about routine and repetition. I work hard to carve out dedicated time for family and friends—then try and protect that time when I do. My family sometimes takes trips to a cabin, and when we’re there, I do my best to make sure I give my full attention to things like swimming, campfires, and enjoying each other’s company—not work. That may sound simple, but any business leader knows how hard it can be. In the end, gratitude is almost like a muscle: It’s something you have to consciously exercise or else you risk losing it.

Media coverage of high-profile CEOs tends to ramp up whenever things are going really well or really badly, and that can add a real psychological pressure on execs themselves. For leaders who judge their success by that popular narrative, the pressures on them can build, sometimes with terrible consequences.

But great CEOs know—and always try to remind themselves, especially when it’s hardest—that it’s never about them. It’s about the impact that their businesses have on others. They build relationships and teams that pass credit for success onto other people. They stand in when mistakes are made, shielding their teams so that experimenting and learning can continue. As I’ve come to understand, win or lose, knowing it’s not all about you—and never has been—can make a big difference.

Jeff Booth is cofounder and CEO of BuildDirect. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBooth.

 

FastCompany.com | JEFF BOOTH 07.27.16 5:00 AM

#Leadership : 10 Tips for Planning a Successful Company Conference…A Conference that Isn’t Planned Well can Impact your Career Like a Lead Balloon. If the Speakers Don’t Impress Attendees, or You Run Out of Food, It can be Talked About for Months Afterward…And you Might Shoulder the Blame, or at Least Share It.

/in /by

Planning a company conference can boost your career and visibility. It can strengthen company sales and morale, depending on its purpose.

Networking Diverse Group

Conferences are complex, though, and can be tricky to plan. A compelling agenda and great speakers are a must. But so are food, comfortable seats and a myriad of elements behind the scenes. Think air conditioning. Heat. Morning coffee.

A conference that isn’t planned well can impact your career like a lead balloon. If the speakers don’t impress attendees, or you run out of food, it can be talked about for months afterward … And you might shoulder the blame, or at least share it. 

So plan your company conference thoroughly. Don’t leave anything to chance. Here are 10 tips for planning successfully.

Initial steps:
1. Decide on a clear purpose

Successful conferences have a clear purpose. Do you need to motivate the sales force? Introduce a new product? Engage in team-building activities? Bring separate geographical regions together? The purpose determines much of the rest of the conference: its size, its speakers and the agenda.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

2. Brainstorm a wishlist

Once you have a defining purpose, begin to brainstorm. What would you — and the meeting committee, if there is one — most like to see? Do you want to engage dynamic and well-known speakers? Do you want plenary sessions, where the entire group of attendees gathers to hear speakers? Or do you need a series of break-out sessions on multiple topics? What about the conference venue? Should it be near the company? In an area convenient to attendees throughout the U.S. and overseas?

3. Create a budget

Once you have a purpose and wish list, set up your budget. Be sure to include all the categories you need. Set up a line item for each thing on your wish list.

Will you need paid speakers? Will meals be part of the meeting? How about the venue? What kind of conference rooms will you need? Plenary session rooms may have to accommodate several hundred people, while break-out session rooms may only need to accommodate 20 or so. Will you be hiring vendors to create printed or web-based material? For meeting-related information?

Create a list of everything you need and how much each item will cost, roughly. Then begin your search for a venue that can accommodate all of it. Look for meeting places that offer flexible meeting packages and are well equipped to handle your needs.

4. Narrow down the wish list and budget

Once you’ve paired your wish list and the budget, one of two things might happen. One: Your available budget and the wish list are a match! You can now start the planning stage in earnest.

If you have a shortfall in the budget for your wish list conference, revise the plan so it fits within your budget. If you planned eight breakout sessions over two days, for example, streamline it into four sessions over one day. If your desired speakers quote expensive fees, scout around for an equally good one who will speak to your business for less — or pro bono.

5. Research Available Dates

The planning period of a conference needs to be at least one year, and preferably more. Why? Because meetings have a multitude of logistics. You need a venue, vendors and speakers all available on a particular date. If your planning period is less than a year, availability of one or more of these elements may be limited.

You will need to place a tent pole in the form of a date before all the planning is complete. It’s a good idea, though, to research availability dates for 1) venues that can accommodate the number of people and type of meeting you want, 2) well-known speakers and 3) vendors. Once you have their dates of availability, decide on the meeting date(s).

The Rubber Hits the Road: Planning in Earnest
You’re now ready to begin planning the conference!

6. Book the venue

Set up commitments for the place where the conference will be held. If the venue will be responsible for preparing and serving meeting meals, set up commitments for those as well.

7. Hire the speakers and vendors

Make arrangements with any speakers. Send them the meeting date, time and any other material needed. Hire any vendors you will need.

8. Develop the agenda

You may have a good sense of what the agenda is from the initial brainstorming sessions. Or, you may at this point need to sit down and draw it up, point by point. Developing a firm agenda should begin immediately once the date for the conference is firm.

Related: Need Help Networking? 4 Rules to Remember.

Be sure to circulate the agenda so that all relevant parties have seen and contributed to it before it is finalized.

9. Publicize the conference

All meetings, whether internal or external to the company, should be publicized. If attendance is mandatory — say it’s a motivational meeting for the sales force — publicity will excite the attendees and let them know what the meeting is all about. If it’s not mandatory — rolling out a new product, so employees can attend or not — publicity can provide reasons to attend.

Publicity should provide reasons that the meeting will be beneficial for attendees. Use it as an informational channel as well, to let people know the dates, the agenda, the venue and any surrounding attractions.

Decide what the publicity methods should be. Web site? E-mail blasts on a regular basis? Flyers and brochures? A story in the company newsletter? A mix of all these?

10. Evaluate the conference

This post-conference step is sometimes skipped. It shouldn’t be. You need concrete and measurable feedback on the conference for attendees. A short questionnaire asking what participants gleaned from the conference is a good idea. Go back to your purpose here. If the purpose was motivating the sales force, what was their take-away? If a new product launch, did attendees learn valuable information about the product? Were they comfortable during the meeting? Did they find it valuable to their careers?

Conference planning is a great way to build your visibility and profile within a company. Because conference planning is complex, it needs to be handled with an overall plan in place and specific steps to execution. These 10 tips will set you up for a memorable conference.

Entrepreneur.com | July 30, 2016 | SARAH LANDRUM

 

#Leadership : Management is a Minefield- 10 Things the Boss Wishes You Knew…What Kinds of things Do Managers Wish Employees Better Understood? Here are 10 Things Bosses Wish Employees could Empathize with, to Realize that Being in Charge doesn’t Necessarily Mean that Every Day is a Picnic.

/in /by

If you’re a part of the rank-and-file, it can be hard to get inside the head of management or your company’s leadership team. They seemingly make decisions merely to anger or stir up the lower-level employees, and the boss can be amazingly inept or unable to respond to employees’ concerns. They can devise and deploy stupid rules with little logic or reasoning, and some even seem like they’re out to get you if you rub them the right way.

business woman with her staff, people group in background at modern bright office indoors

It can be hard to figure out what’s going on in the C-suite. But you have to realize that the boss is only human, and has a job to do. As difficult as it is to try and rationalize or figure out the logic behind some decisions, empathizing with the decision makers can be just as hard. Giving it a shot, though, may go a long way to explaining some of their flabbergasting decisions.

What kinds of things do managers wish employees better understood? Here are 10 things bosses wish employees could empathize with, to realize that being in charge doesn’t necessarily mean that every day is a picnic.

1. “I have a boss, too.”

You have a boss, and your boss has a boss. That means that the same issues or negative feelings you’re harboring toward your boss? Your boss is harboring many similar feelings toward their boss. Everyone’s a part of the chain, when it comes down to it. Even the CEO — they answer to shareholders.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

2. Honesty goes a long way

If you can get something done, great. If not, don’t pretend that you can — just tell your boss so they can figure out an alternative. If your manager or team leader is counting on you to take care of something, especially after you’ve assured them that you can do it, they’re banking on the fact that you will. Don’t blindside them at the last minute by coming up short. Just be up front about your ability to handle a given task.

3. Scheduling is very difficult

In certain businesses and workplaces, scheduling employees is a nightmare. If you’ve worked in a restaurant, for example, you have an idea of the juggling act that building a schedule can be. Many employees have school, families, or other jobs they need to attend to, and asking for a day off at the last minute isn’t as easy as slotting in another name.

4. 9:00 does not mean 9:10

Some jobs allow for some leeway in when you come and go to work. Others do not. If your boss needs you at work on time, that means you need to be there on time — not 10 or 15 minutes late. You may send the message that you’re not coming in at all, and send the rest of the staff scrambling to cover your station. Everybody’s late from time to time, but if you make it a chronic habit? You’re only giving your boss ulcers.

5. If you’re quitting, let them know

People quit jobs all the time. But there’s a reason the “two week” rule exists — it allows both parties, the quitter and and the employer, to have some time to cover their bases. Yes, companies lay people off with little or no warning all the time, but if you have a good relationship with your employer, or don’t want to burn any bridges on the way out, give a heads up so they can replace you.

6. They don’t want to be there on Saturday or Thanksgiving either

Yes, working nights, weekends, and holidays sucks. Nobody wants to be there, not even management. But the world doesn’t stop just because it’s your favorite holiday, or because it’s Sunday. Somebody has to work, and somebody has to take the reins. If you’re complaining about having to work Black Friday, your complaints are probably falling upon deaf ears; your boss is probably just as stoked to be there as you are.

7. The boss isn’t out to get you

Management doesn’t want you to fail. They’re not typically setting traps or land mines for you to walk into, to give them a reason to dock your pay or write you up. They want you to do your job and be good at it. If you’re doing well, it makes your manager look better. Sure, some employee-employer relationships can fray, but it’s rare that someone in charge is gunning for you. Paranoia isn’t going to help.

8. They’re your boss, not your friend

Ever hear about awful parents who try too hard to be “cool,” and let their kids run amok? It’s similar in the workplace. Your boss is there to manage you, not be your bud. While you may have a good relationship with your manager — which is great — you don’t need to tell them how trashed you got last night or invite them to smoke a joint with you during a break. Respect the relationship, and professional boundaries.

9. Management knows you’re screwing around all day

Do you really think nobody realizes that you spend half of your day surfing Facebook, Snapchat, and Reddit? They know — so you don’t have to scramble to cover your tracks every time you’re on your phone and somebody walks up behind you. Of course, if you’re on the sales floor or in a customer service position, then this can be a real problem. But managers know that you’re not always being productive.

10. Saying “I don’t know” is OK

Sometimes, you’re not going to know the answers. Not sure how to work a machine or piece of equipment? Ask for a run-through. Does a customer have a complicated issue or question? Don’t B.S. them, and give them bad information. Even if it’s a little uncomfortable, ask for help from a higher-up, and treat it as a learning experience.

Follow Sam on Facebook and Twitter @SliceOfGinger

 

CheatSheet.com | July 30, 2016 | Sam Becker

#Leadership : Learn When to Delegate and When to Micromanage…Micromanaging has become a Dirty Word in the Corporate World. It’s used by Employees to describe Overzealous Managers, who Don’t Trust them to Perform the Simplest of Tasks without Constant Intervention.

/in /by

Certainly, no one wants to work for a boss, who allows them no freedom, and who doesn’t want them to grow and gain experience by facing new challenges every once in a while. Additionally, a boss who spends all of their time obsessed with tracking their team members’ actions is probably not making the best use of their resources.

The Office

However, some tasks are so vitally important that you, as a small business owner, need to ensure they are done correctly. In such circumstances, it’s better to think of micromanaging as opposed to delegation.

Delegating and micromanaging both have their places. Several years ago, when my company only had one location, I could afford to oversee numerous aspects of the management without spreading myself too thin. Today, I have three retail locations, so I’ve had to learn to strike an effective balance between delegating and micromanaging.

When delegating, set your employees up for success.

As your business grows, you’ll inevitably have to hand over tasks that once fit comfortably into your schedule to other members of your organization. It arouses conflicting feelings in many entrepreneurs. While you obviously trust the people you’ve hired, you also want to make sure your baby is in capable hands.

When deciding whether or not to delegate, one of the worst things you could do is assign a task to someone who is unequipped to handle it. If they fail, it will be damaging to their confidence, your faith and the company. One of the best strategies for avoiding such a scenario is to follow the 70 percent rule.

Essentially, if you believe that your employee is capable of doing the work at least 70 percent as well as you then it’s beneficial to delegate it to them. Experts say that once you do decide to delegate, it’s important not to undermine the trust you’ve placed in them by letting your instinct to micromanage creep in.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

Delegating allows your employees to embrace new challenges.

Delegating tasks to your employees becomes a necessity as the demands on your time rise, but even if you have the time to work on everything yourself, you probably shouldn’t.

Most employees are more satisfied when they are given new challenges that allow them to expand their skill set in new and interesting ways. Of course, you’re far more likely to retain an employee if they are satisified with their job, and employee retention has important consequences on both your bottom line, and business culture.

Furthermore, asking your employees to take on new responsibilities is a cost-effective way of assisting them with professional development. They’ll have the opportunity to learn things that will make them more versatile contributors, and you and your company will reap the benefits of said versatility.

Don’t lose sight of what you’re there to do.

Eventually, I realized that there were very few things that needed to be done absolutely right in order for the business to be successful. When there are tasks that are critical to the survival of the company, such as hiring, raising capital and pursuing an acquisition, I make sure that I take control of the project myself.

Ultimately, your job as CEO is to focus on the one thing that you can do better than everyone else, which will facilitate the performance of your team and allow you to take your company to new heights. Avoid distractions from this one thing by delegating tasks that could easily be performed by others, and understand that delegating and micromanaging are both important skills for any leader to master.

 

Entrepreneur.com | July 29, 2016 | Fan Bi

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

#Leadership : A 3-Step Technique for Deciding Which Advice to Follow…If you Ask 10 People for Advice, you’ll Get 10 Different Prescriptions. You can’t Act on All of Them so Which Person Do you Listen To?

/in /by

Whether it’s getting the green light for a new venture or securing the next round of funding, entrepreneurs are constantly faced with the challenge of communicating their business ideas and plans with stakeholders – board members, advisers and investors.

Free- Thinking Plasma Ball

In addition to serving as a status update, stakeholder interactions are huge learning opportunities for entrepreneurs, but they are largely underutilized for two reasons.

First, we tend to only share good news with our stakeholders and hide any bad news from them – for as long as we can anyway. In the Lean Startup world, we call this “playing success theater.” When you don’t expose the problems in your business, you close yourself off to new ideas that might become your next breakthrough insight.

“A business should be run like an aquarium, where everybody can see what’s going on.”
– Jack Stack, The Great Game of Business

Second, when we do get advice, we tend to want to follow all the advice we are given, especially when it’s coming from someone we respect or someone who is paying the bills. Left unchecked, this does more to distract and derail you than help.

“Advisor Paradox: Hire advisors for advice but don’t follow it, apply it.”
-Venture Hacks

If you ask 10 people for advice, you’ll get 10 different prescriptions. You can’t act on all of them so which person do you listen to? Should you listen to the advice coming from the person who had the most recent exit, or the person who made the most money?

Here are three ways to overcome this advisor whiplash problem.

1. Expose the problems.
Don’t pitch your advisors or simply seek validation by asking them what they think about your solutions. When you present skewed or selective data to advisors, you create bias, and their advice will be much less helpful.

Instead of simply pitching your solutions, objectively share your business model progress story, and let them uncover any problems. An effective way of telling this story is with a one-page diagram of your current business model depicted below using the Lean Canvas worksheet.

When sharing your business model story, don’t just read the Lean Canvas aloud, because people can read faster than you can talk. Instead, use your canvas as a visual aid. While your advisor is scanning the canvas, share the backstory behind your business. Answer the following questions:

How did you stumble on this customer or problem?
What’s been done so far?
What’s keeping you up at night?

2. Solicit possible solutions.
You can usually deliver an effective business model progress story within five minutes. With that out of the way, you are now ready to solicit their advice. This is the heart of the conversation.

Leaving the Lean Canvas open, in front of people, almost always evokes a reaction because it helps them visualize the entire business model, and they typically always have an opinion.

“A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.”
– Charles Kettering

If needed, ask them specific questions to trigger the conversation.

What do they consider to be the riskiest aspect of this plan?
Have they overcome similar risks? How?
How would they go about testing these risks?

3. Test big ideas with small experiments.

The key is not taking the feedback you receive as judgment or validation but rather as a means for prioritizing what’s riskiest in your business model. If eight out of 10 advisors raise similar concerns, there’s a high likelihood those problems are worth prioritizing.

However, it’s still your job to own your business model. Remember that you are the ultimate domain expert of your own business. You don’t get a gold star for following advice but for achieving results.

Using validation techniques, such as customer interviews and split tests, it’s possible to test any idea or strategy by conducting multiple small, fast, additive experiments.

Your next course of action should be crafting such an experiment to test the efficacy of the advice. Then double down on the best advice (and advisors), and ignore the rest.

Entrepreneur.com | July 28, 2016 | Ash Maurya

#Leadership : How We Survived Getting Sued in Our First Year of Business…When People Talk about Running or Starting a Business, Oftentimes they’ll say Something Like, “We Need to be Careful, so we Don’t get Sued.” But, Deep Down, they Don’t Foresee that ever Happening; and, Unfortunately, It does Happen. A Lot.

/in /by

Battling a lawsuit is hard work, but it is possible for a small business to fight and survive. Doing so will require planning, cool heads and a legal team that is the right fit for your business. With those factors in place, your business will be in a position to not only survive, but to thrive moving forward.

Directions Man

When people talk about starting a business, oftentimes they’ll say something like, “We need to be careful, so we don’t get sued.” But, deep down, they don’t foresee that ever happening; and, unfortunately, it does happen. A lot.

Related: McDonald’s Mozzarella Sticks Are at the Center of a New Lawsuit

I know, because in my first year of starting a business, which I thankfully still own, we were sued by a company with deep pockets, years of experience and two high-end law firms on retainer.

And, back in those days, all we had to call our own were a sub-lease and a handful of employees.

Overall, it was a terrifying and expensive process, but our company survived. We made some mistakes, but we also got some things right, and today, looking back, I realize that the whole process would have been easier had I known some of the key insights that I’m now prepared to share about my first — and, hopefully, last — lawsuit.

How it happened.

Zilker Ventures was the initial name of the company I launched. But it was totally restructured in the wake of the lawsuit: We retained our entities, Zilker Ventures, LLC, and ChooseWhat.com, LLC, keeping Zilker as the top-level holding company for ChooseWhat, which in turn owns five other entities, each with its own website project.

All these efforts date back to 2007, in Austin, Texas, when our goal was to create a Consumer Reports-style resource for entrepreneurs through a series of websites. Our first website went live in early 2008, and saw immediate success, so we went on to launch two more that same year.

Then, in late 2008, our troubles began: Zilker received letters alleging we were violating a trademark with one of our websites, FaxCompare.com. The core of the dispute was that we were using a word that the plaintiff had trademarked to describe a general service type in addition to its brand name. We were also bidding on that word via Adwords and Bing.

The plaintiff alleged several other complaints — including unfair marketing practices — and eventually added patent infringement to the list. We disputed that any violation had occurred, and hoped the letters were simply a threatening tactic. Unfortunately, they were not.

Related: Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. Accused of Dishonesty in Lawsuit

In late 2008, Zilker received letters alleging we were violating a trademark with one of our websites, FaxCompare.com. The core of the dispute was that we were using a word that the plaintiff had trademarked to describe a general service type in addition to its brand name. We were also bidding on that word via Adwords and Bing.

However, the plaintiff alleged several other complaints — including unfair marketing practices — and eventually added patent infringement to the list. We disputed that any violation had occurred, and hoped the letters were simply a threatening tactic. Unfortunately, they were not.

And, eventually more letters arrived, notifying us that we were indeed being sued. To call this scary is an understatement; that’s why we initially looked into finding a fast way to settle and move on. But it became clear that going the settlement route would ruin our business.

My partner at the time, Gaines Kilpatrick, and I believed that we had done nothing wrong and that we had a case, even though we would be going against a company with more resources than we had.

We also knew that because we were young, we didn’t want to handcuff ourselves to a one-sided agreement that would impact our ability to grow the way we wanted to. So, we decided to risk losing the whole thing rather than be hamstrung from the start.

After all, we didn’t have much to lose.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

First steps

Our first step was to find a lawyer who specialized in online trademark disputes but wouldn’t bill for endless hours. We found the right fit through an industry contact. There were a few factors that madeTraverse Legal right for the company: its up-front quote for the work that needed to be done; expertise in the legal area in which we were involved; and access to the technology that would help us efficiently share information between our base in Austin and that of the firm, in faraway Traverse City, Michigan.

Our lawyer laid out all the relevant information from the legal perspective, and, using Basecamp, updated our project as the case moved forward, so that we could see what the firm was working on. That visibility was extremely helpful.

Even with clear communications, however, the legal process moved slowly, taking almost a year in the end — during which we couldn’t afford to stop running our business. We needed an operational plan so that Zilker wouldn’t languish while we worked through the lawsuit.

We responded by having my partner focus on the lawsuit, while I focused on the business. That decision helped keep Zilker from floundering, although we still needed all hands on deck for responding to time-sensitive discovery requests.

That was one of the biggest challenges for us. But it was critical for us, as the smaller company in the lawsuit, to keep the judge from postponing our trial date. We had fewer resources than our opponent and knew we couldn’t afford to let the process drag on.

In the end, our perseverance paid off. As the court date approached, we were able to reach a settlement (the terms of which I’m not legally free to disclose). The settlement set up a deal that worked for both parties; we both got what we needed to move forward with our respective businesses.

My advice, should you find yourself in a lawsuit

While our company made it through the process, one of the most time-consuming and worrisome parts was those overwhelming discovery requests. We had never been through this process before, and had no idea how to efficiently produce the documents that were required by the court.

Even at that early stage, our company ended up having to search, review, properly mark and reproduce hundreds of thousands of pages of material. We were going up against a much larger legal team that could process information incredibly fast, and any mistakes were noticed immediately and reported to the court.

In hindsight, I wish that we had developed a process to help streamline production of those documents. For our emails, I would have submitted to the plaintiff, and requested approval for, a list of keyword searches that we would run through our email clients (Outlook and Google Apps), as well as the format by which we would produce the emails before actually doing the work. I would have done the same for our server and each of our company’s computers.

Lessons, learned the hard way

A lawsuit is scary and costly, but we came out of ours with some important lessons learned:

Map out a plan. If you too get caught in a lawsuit, mapping out a plan to help keep your business on top of the court deadlines and discovery requests and understanding the biggest costs up-front will save you time and prevent nasty financial surprises.

Don’t rush to settle.The first was to stick to our position and be prepared to fight all the way to court. We made a mistake early on in seeking a settlement too early in the process, and the opposing party took advantage of that.

When you’re in a lawsuit, the whole process is a negotiation until you go to court; our premature desire to settle gave the opposing party leverage and a major negotiating advantage. Fortunately, we made that mistake only once, and were eventually able to maintain our position and gain a workable outcome.

Separate your projects into different business entities whenever possible. That way, a lawsuit against one doesn’t put everything at risk. Zilker’s websites were all connected and had no legal insulation from one another when the lawsuit hit, which meant they were all affected by the process.

Keep hold of your emotions. While it’s hard not to worry when you’re being sued, another piece of advice is to try not to let emotions get the better of you. There are serious lows to the process, and hopefully some highs, too. But the pendulum swings fast, and if you’re trying to keep a business going, it’s best not to let any of the highs and lows impact you too much.

Don’t burn your bridges. Finally, if the outcome is a settlement, you should come up with a policy for working with the opposing party in the future. Chances are, you might have to continue dealing with that company — or at least co-exist in the same industry — so, if at all possible, try to set yourself up for a healthier working relationship.

Related: 4 Potential Lawsuits to Watch Out for in Small Business

Battling a lawsuit is hard work, but it is possible for a small business to fight and survive. Doing so will require planning, cool heads and a legal team that is the right fit for your business. With those factors in place, your business will be in a position to not only survive, but to thrive moving forward.

 

Entrepreneur.com | July 28, 2016 | Leo Welder

Your #Career : 11 Mistakes Standing Between You and Your First Million (4 min read)…Becoming a Millionaire isn’t as Far-Fetched as You would Believe. With Dedication, Patience and Focus, Becoming a Millionaire is Completely Obtainable. If I can Do It, Anyone Can.

/in /by

I’ve been a millionaire three separate times in my life. The first time I saw $1,000,000 in my bank account, I almost fainted. Even though I knew it was hitting my account, it still caught me off guard.

Free- Lens Close Up

Becoming a millionaire isn’t as far-fetched as you would believe. With dedication, patience and focus, becoming a millionaire is completely obtainable. If I can do it, anyone can.

The hardest part? Actually reaching your first million. After that, everything else falls in place. But why is it so difficult to reach your first million? I find that most people are pretty close, but hold themselves back with the following mentalities:

1. You’re not thinking the right way.
As Napoleon Hill discovered in his landmark 1937 book “Think and Grow Rich,” wealthy individuals think differently than the average person. After interviewing 1,200 of the wealthiest individuals in the world, self-made millionaire Steve Siebold agrees with Hill’s findings. They include:

The rich believe poverty is the root of all evil.
Selfish can be a virtue.
They have an action mentality.
The rich acquire specific knowledge.
They dream about the future.
They follow their passion.
The rich enjoy challenges.
They use other people’s money.
Millionaires focus on earning, not saving.
They know when to take risks.
In short, if you want to become a millionaire, start changing the way you think about money and success.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

2. Being too concerned about perfection.
Here’s one of the most important and valuable lessons I’ve learned in life — nothing is perfect. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can move forward, instead of being stuck in one place.

If you’re starting a business, the more time you spend perfecting your product or service, the more time your competitors have to tap into your market and take away potential customers. Don’t hesitate to experiment. Get to market as soon as you can. You can always work out the kinks later while you’re still making a profit.

3. Spending everything you make.
You just received a fat six-figure check. It’s tempting to go out and buy a luxury car. The thing is, wealthy people know how to live below their means, as opposed to spending everything that they just made. Many wealthy people, like Warren Buffett, live in modest homes and drive practical cars.

As Dale Carnegie once said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

4. Setting unrealistic expectations.
While the wealthy definitely dream big, they also set realistic expectations. They’re well aware that they’re not going to become millionaires overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and patience to achieve their goals.

As any marathon runner will tell you, you can’t expect to run 26 miles without the proper training and conditioning. Review the progress you’ve already made and where you’re headed.

5. Following others blindly.
It can be incredibly beneficial to seek mentors or read words of wisdom from those who have struck it rich. The thing is, what worked for them may not work for you. For example, launching a company like Apple or Microsoft may not work today. So, following how Jobs and Gates became successful step-by-step isn’t going to help your subscription-based cleaning service.

Understand what works for you and your business and how you can be successful in that industry.

6. Relying too much on plastic.
Credit cards can be useful if you need to build your credit or invest in your business — as long as you’re smart with how you use them. It’s incredibly easy to get yourself into credit card debt. That means that instead of making wise investments or putting money into your business, you’re busy paying off your credit card bills with those high interest rates.

7. Plan for the long run.
The wealthy have a knack for always looking and planning for the future. They know where they want to go and what it will take for them to achieve success. This allows them to anticipate any obstacles and have a plan in place to handle those challenges.

If you are starting a new business venture, you need to have a long-term plan that addresses how to attract and retain clients and customers and outlines how you’re different from the competition.

8. Spending time with the wrong people.
The rich don’t waste their time by associating with the wrong crowd. I’m talking about the naysayers and negative people who keep telling you that you can’t achieve your dreams, or the people who are using your success to their advantage.

Instead, the rich spend time with like-minded people who are driven, passionate and are thinking about how amazing their future is going to be. They are always building their brand.

9. Doing everything yourself.
Despite wearing multiple hats and being a jack-of-all trades, it’s impossible to do everything on your own. Let’s say that you just launched a startup. You need to hire talented individuals who enhance your strengths and pick-up the slack in your weaker areas.

Related: The 4 Golden Rules of Millionaire Time Management

Learn how to outsource and delegate the tasks that you’re not familiar with or aren’t as strong in. This is one the secrets that entrepreneurs rarely tell you, but it’s essential if you want your business to grow.

10. Not being in the right place at the right time.
Whether it’s making an investment or starting a business, timing and location is everything.

Take Ryan Graves, for example. He simply tweeted “hire me : )” to Travis Kalanick in 2010. Graves became Uber’s first employee, then the company’s head of global operations. He’s estimated to have $1.4 billion in equity.

Instead of daydreaming, seize the opportunities that are right in front of you.

11. You don’t believe in yourself.
What’s the biggest thing holding you back from becoming successful? It’s probably the fact that you don’t believe in yourself. Instead of second-guessing every move you make, trust your gut and go with your intuition instead of waiting for insights from those around you.

As Dale Carnegie once said, “Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

 

Entrepreneur.com | July 27, 2016 | John Rampton

#Leadership : Why You Should Hire People With ‘Slash Careers’…The “Slash Career” is all Rage with Millennials, and it’s Important for Employers to Pay Attention.

/in /by

You know what I’m talking about, right? “I’m a lawyer/writer.” “I work in marketing; I’m also a professional actor.” “I’m in tech, and I have photography business on the side.”

Cross Training

In the last ten years or so, these slash careers and side gigs have been on the rise, and many motivated millennials have realized that they can, indeed, have it all: A full-time “day job” they enjoy as well as a creative endeavor that brings them additional revenue.

So why is this important for business owners, the employers of these ”day jobs?”

Many traditional employers may have a negative reaction to slash careers. They’d assume that an employee won’t be as invested in their work if they only consider it a “day job.” They’d think that someone who has passions in other areas won’t be as valuable an employee.

And they’d be wrong.

Hear me out here. I speak from experience. Over a third of my team atVanderbloemen Search Group is made up of millennials with slash careers, including fitness instructors, calligraphers, actors, and photographers. And we have even more team members whose extracurricular pursuits don’t bring them additional revenue, but they invest a huge amount of time in them outside of work. One team member runs his own podcast. Another has a well-received blog. One is a three-time ironman. One is on the board of a charity. And let me tell you, these team members are worth their weight in gold.

Simply put, employees with side jobs are invaluable …. The next time you’re interviewing a candidate with pursuits outside of work, don’t write them off. You just might be interviewing your next rock star.

Here’s why employers should hire candidates with slash careers.

1. They are motivated and take initiative.

If your candidate has a side hustle, that means they are a passionate, hard-working motivated individual. They don’t come home from work and sit on the couch watching Netflix NFLX +4.00%, they continue to pour themselves into their other job. And these character traits transfer to every job they do. Looking for a team member who takes initiative and is a self-starter? Hire someone with a slash career.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

2. They have a diverse skill-set.

Employees with interests outside of work are well rounded, and well rounded individuals are valuable assets to any company. They can wear many hats, have diverse skills, and are often great problem-solvers. At my company, we place a huge value on agility and solution-side living, and my well-rounded team is always able to think outside the box, pivot on a moment’s notice, and bring a variety of perspectives to the table.

3. They are creatively fulfilled.

Rather than going home from work and singing, “Well I’m sure that I could be a movie star if I could get out of this place,” employees with side careers are creatively fulfilled. They aren’t miserable at work wishing they had pursued something else. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen that happy and fulfilled employees are often the hardest workers.

Their creativity spills out into your company.

At a company where brainstorming, innovation, improvement, and problem-solving are huge priorities, creativity is absolutely vital. If someone is creative in their endeavors outside of work, you better believe they will be creative in all their work for your business as well. I have a huge amount of team members who are involved in the arts or studied them in college – be it music, theater, or visual art – and I believe the creativity represented on our team is a huge part of the success we’ve had as a company.

Simply put, employees with side jobs are invaluable.

The next time you’re interviewing a candidate with pursuits outside of work, don’t write them off. You just might be interviewing your next rock star.

 

Forbes.com | July 26, 2016 | William Vanderbloemen

 

Your #Career : How To Make ‘I Just Got Fired’ Sound Better When You Interview…Interviewing when Fired is Strenuous, Because it Feels Like you Have to Justify yourself All the Time, But on the Plus Side, you’re Immediately Available, so That’s there’s That.

/in /by

Your answer should:  #1- Be true….#2- Help you advance in the interview process (or at least not stop you).  It’s very important to keep both of these things in mind. You should answer in a truthful way because it’s the right thing to do, but also because if your potential employer catches you lying before you even work for them it’s very unlikely you’d get the job. Yet, the goal of your answer is not to put you down, it’s the opposite. You want to leave a positive impression.

Interviewer2

Another thing to keep in mind, even if less important than the two above, is to be concise. You really don’t want to spend your interview time talking about this. There is still a lot of latitude and what you should say depends on the circumstances and the employer. Perhaps nobody will ask you why you left your previous employer (just kidding, everyone will ask!).

You probably don’t have to disclose that you were fired. Assuming you’re in the US, and employed at will, you left your company. Perhaps you were unhappy there for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with your old boss. Perhaps the job you are applying for is better suited to what you really wanted to do. And sure: those reasons were not really the ones why you left, that’s fine, but as long as these reasons are true and sincere, you are leaving your interviewer with an explanation to a legitimate concern they had.

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

You also may want to say that you have been fired. You and your boss didn’t agree on how to do your work. You didn’t have the same view on things, you were no longer aligned, she wanted to try a new approach which involved replacing you, which is her prerogative, and it’s actually a humbling / learning experience, etc. (there’s surely a great way to phrase it).

Here are two wrong ways to answer this question.

  1. Appear confrontational or resentful towards your old company. Saying things like, “It was totally not my fault, so unfair, she keeps lying about me,” etc. sends all kinds of wrong signals.
  2. Come up with an answer that is so obviously untrue that it will leave your interviewer convinced that you’re hiding something ugly, “Yeah, they fired me, but the weirdest thing is they never even said why. Crazy right?”

Interviewing when fired is strenuous, because it feels like you have to justify yourself all the time, but on the plus side, you’re immediately available, so that’s there’s that.

This question originally appeared on Quora. Ask a question, get a great answer. Learn from experts and access insider knowledge

How do I explain being fired to a potential employer? originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Jérôme Cukier, software engineer, on Quora:

 

Forbes.com | July 25, 2016 

Your #Career : Getting Fired Was Step 1 to Increasing My Pay 1,000% in 3 Months…”Gulp.” My Boss had just Told Me the Company was Going in a Different Direction when that Embarrassing Sound Squelched from my Throat.

/in /by

Though I had under $3,000 in savings and no immediate prospects, I wasn’t devastated. I was relieved.

free- Office Space

Movie: Office Space

I’d been blogging for a premium men’s site for nearly a year. After writing four 800-word articles a day for months, I was burned out, bleary eyed and begging for the end. My heart had abandoned the work. I knew I wasn’t growing as a writer because my only challenge was to eek through the day without going cross-eyed.

I needed a wake-up call.

Luckily, I got canned. My newfound joblessness made me evaluate what I was doing. It forced me into action. Having stashed $3,000 in the bank, I had two months to plan and execute something better than churning out bad articles for peanuts, or I’d be homeless.

Here are three factors that shaped my plan.

I knew I couldn’t skimp out on quality to make a living because it had just gotten me fired. It also caused me to hate writing.
I refused to work with one-dimensional clients, who would sooner fire me than help me grow as a writer.
And I needed to work with real people in real life. The faceless business relationships had gotten me quick cash, but I still hadn’t found the security I needed to flourish as a writer. I wanted to be needed on a team where my growth was valued as much as my contributions.
Considering all this, I put a massive effort into getting the right clients and being the right writer. Here’s what I did.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network: (Over 15K+ Members & Growing !)   www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc/en

Facebook: (over 12K)   http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

educate/collaborate/network….Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

I looked for the right clients.
I spent four hours a day researching the best companies within 100 miles of my home in Albuquerque. I poured through different companies’ websites and marketing materials to see where I could be useful. When I found a good match, I’d spend a couple hours drafting the perfect proposal for how I could enhance their business.

Then I made a couple daily cold calls to the companies I really wanted to work for – to let them know I was serious. I also scoured the local newspapers to see which businesses were doing cool things I could feel good about supporting.

I improved as a writer.
Two months of expenses gave me a bit of breathing room but not enough to be comfortable. I knew I had to improve as a writer and make myself indispensable, or I’d be broke and begging for change. So I learned about my profession as if my life depended on it. It helped that my life actually depended on it.

When I wasn’t researching new companies and drafting new pitches, I was nose-deep in any writing book I could get my hands on, such as The Elements of Style and Sin and Syntax. When my eyes got too tired to read, I practiced what I learned writing for authority websites and random freelance gigs. I disciplined myself to spend four hours a day each on learning, writing and job hunting.

Far from getting burnt out, I got hungrier for success. Job hunting landed me interviews with some of the best companies in town, where I met with creative directors and marketing managers. They showed interest in my work, and it motivated me to keep pushing ahead.

Because I had put so much effort into improving as a writer and approaching new companies, I had faith that I’d land the right job.

If you’re looking for job security, a bigger paycheck and better opportunities, just remember the the most important word you’ll ever read: Quality.

I increased my pay.
At precisely the time my savings ran out, I was hired by a wellness company that I’d put days into researching and pitching.

The marketing manager and I were about the same age, and we liked each other. I was excited to be her go-to writer. The company brought me on for in-house copywriting and editing, which I had zero experience in. But, because of my portfolio, my dedication and the sincerity of my interviews, the company had faith in my ability to add value to their team.

I started writing articles at $450 per piece and editing at $45 an hour, which gave me time to put my best effort into the work. Sometimes I’d spend five hours writing and refining. Sometimes I’d spend seven. But I never submitted a piece that I wasn’t completely satisfied with.

Because I shifted my focus to quality, I wowed my colleagues and cemented myself as the writer who knew his craft. And instead of getting fired over the phone, I was asked to collaborate on bigger projects. I even was referred to other businesses in the community.

Today I earn 10 times more than I used to because I bring 10 times the value. And after devoting so much of my time to learning and improving, I’m confident in that value. So are the companies who hire me.

Here are 10 things I do differently now.
I constantly encourage myself, and challenge myself to become better.

I visualize the businesses I want to work with; how excited they are to work with me; how good it feels to be needed; and how accomplished I feel while writing my best.

I write and edit for several hours each day – no matter what.

I limit my use of social media, email and text messages, committing to hours of real work before checking any incoming information.

I read as much about writing as I write, and I read great authors to break down their style.

I never rush myself. For every article published I spend many hours over several weeks writing, revising, editing and polishing. I only submit work that increases my reputation.

I take care of my body through diet and exercise so that I have the energy to focus for hours on end.

I give myself time to detach completely from work and relax. I recharge by meditating, listening to classical music, going for walks and playing my favorite sports. If quality work means taking care of my personal needs for most of the day, then I just do less work.

I choose quality friends because I know they influence my behavior. So if I have a choice to be around complacent and underachieving people, or to be alone, I choose the latter. In the words of George Washington, “It is far better to be alone than to be in bad company.”

I journal. Every night I reflect on what I did, how well I did it, where I need to improve and what I can accomplish tomorrow.

I increased my pay by 1000 percent in three months by learning as much as I could, by disciplining myself to improve as a writer and by finding the employers who would invest in my best work. My quality of life skyrocketed along with my quality of work.

If you’re looking for job security, a bigger paycheck and better opportunities, just remember the the most important word you’ll ever read: Quality.

 

Entrepreneur.com | July 25, 2016 | Daniel Dowling