Strategy: How to Get Anything You Want by Asking Better Questions…“If Humans all Stood Around & Asked for Nothing, we Would All Just Die.”

/in /by

“If can ask questions in the right way, you can get anything you want.” Take that from Michael Roderick, a Broadway producer and founder of ConnectorCon, a conference that helps influencers better connect, and Small Pond, a consultancy that helps people build better careers and lives — all by asking better questions.

resume-mistakes-11

It’s the art of the ask that helped Roderick transition from being a high school English teacher to a producer of Tony-nominated Broadway shows in just two years. He has been involved in more than 60 shows, including Scottsboro Boys and Rooms. This — and much of the rest of his success in life, he realized — came down to how he asked questions.

“All the keys to doors you need opened in your life are in other people’s pockets,” he says. Whether you want a job, funding, an introduction, find the perfect car or score a hard-to-get restaurant reservations – it all requires asking questions. “The core of all community is question,” Roderick says.  “If humans all stood around and asked for nothing, the would all just die.”

During his early producing career, Roderick developed strategies for opening doors. While most producers want credit, Roderick knocked on Broadway producer’s doors and made clear he was interested in only learning the trade. While most fundraisers take a cut for funds raised, he made it clear his motives were not tainted by financial gain. Doors opened. His network swelled. Within a short period of time he was credited as a Broadway producer and launched a company to help others achieve their own success.

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Visit us @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , Look forward to your participation.
  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

 

continue of article:

“At the time I was reading a lot of psychology literature and started to think critically about what kinds of questions worked better than others.” When you straight-up ask someone for something (a.k.a. “the direct ask” or “the lowest form of question,” Roderick says), “it triggers the flight-or-flight reflex in both parties’ lizard brain, like they’re in the wild and one person is trying to steal the other’s food. Anxiety happens on both sides and everyone freaks out.”

No matter what you’re after in life — a new job, an introduction to that cutie in the office, an insider track on an apartment in a coveted building — honing your question-making mechanism is key. Here are Michael Roderick’s 7 tips for the better ask:

Ask for advice – not favors. Instead of saying, “I think this is a fantastic production and you must put your entire portfolio behind it!” try: “I think this is a really promising show – I’d love to know what you think.” People feel good when their opinion is valued. People feel good when they help others. Help them feel good.

Be specific. Vague inquiries like, “Can I pick your brain?” will get you nowhere fast. Instead, present a very specific problem or need. For example, “My email list isn’t growing as fast as I’d like. Do you have any ideas why not?”

“Be as succinct as possible,” Roderick says. “Present them with a question they can answer in 5 minutes in an email, or 10 minutes on the phone.”

Be interested in others’ success. “Everyone wants to rise together,” Roderick says. Approaching potential partners with enthusiasm for their accomplishments makes it easier to share with them your goals — and brainstorm ways to come together. “Have a conversation around the idea of how your goal is to make them even more successful.”
Respect that time and expertise is valuable. Recognize when you’re asking for information or a service that the other person may charge for — like consulting services. Open these conversations with, “I realize this is the kind of information you may get paid for.”

Be a person. “People with boatloads of money expect you to ask them to write a check — they get that ask all the time,” Roderick says. If you truly get to know someone — no matter their financial status — that is when you connect with them, and that is where true networking magic transpires. Common interests, family, backgrounds — this is the stuff of human emotion and connection. Go there.

Find ways to be helpful. If you know people as people, you can identify ways to help them — whether it is helping their kid get into a good school, hard-to-get concert tickets or a vendor referral.

Practice your ask. “If you ask a good, succinct question, a person in authority will already see you in a positive light – because your communication is better than 90 percent of people,” Roderick says.

Named to AOL’s “Personal Finance influencers to follow on Twitter,” I blog at WealthySingleMommy.com and tweet @JohnsonEmma. Let’s chat.

 

Forbes.com |  January 17, 2015  |  Emma Johnson

Leadership: The Leadership Paradox Of Shared Purpose…Having a Stronger Sense of Shared Purpose Reduces Systemic Frustrations People have with Organizations

/in /by

There is a paradox in how we see ourselves in a collaborative, cooperative world of work. This is a balance within each: our self-image, where we give attention, and what we consider priorities. On the organization side, this is also the balance of centralization versus decentralization, leading versus directing, uniformity versus uniqueness, and, supporting scale versus supporting context.

man-on-staircase

Leadership, even the raison d’etre of an organization, focuses on setting and developing a sense of shared purpose. With the ebb of command-and-control approaches of management as described by management thought-leaders like Charlene Li, leaders who can build a strong sense of shared purpose are sought after.

But as I said there is a paradox: To develop Shared Purpose, to bring more people together towards collective goals, organizations need to develop more individualism and decentralization. How can one build collective mindsets and systems by purposely designing towards more decentralized individualmodels?Logically, this just seems a contradiction.

 

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.

  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

continue of article:

Geert Hofstede, one of the pioneers of modeling the cultural framework of organizations, defined one dimension, “Individualism versus Collectivism” as how much people’s self-image in an organization are oriented towards “I” or “We”. This impacts whom they care for and pay attention to in how they live or work. Shared Purpose by definition leans towards the “We” rather than the “I”.

You will see this same idea reappear in other works by Erin Meyer, Fons Trompenaars and other thinkers on Purpose and organizational culture, and appears to be a universal truth.  The point is to understand how people in the organization orient themselves. Would they do things that are better for those closest to them, or even just themselves? Would they be willing to help a greater goal? What and How much do they need to believe to do so? By nature of being in a group, there is a constant tension there. From my experience the larger the organization, the more significant the tension to workers and management

This is why the data from the Digital Workplace survey 2015 is so interesting. Jane McConnell, strategic advisor to large global organizations, shared some preliminary results from this latest version of her annual survey at Enterprise 2.0 Summit. This represents data from over 280 medium and large enterprises across 26 countries, and a broad range of industries.

One of the study’s research agenda over the many years has been on how the workplace environment has been moving toward greater use of technology for communication and interaction. In the opening keynote of the event, however, I was a surprised how much the evolving story of Shared purpose was coming to light.
In past years, the survey looked at how social collaboration technologies are becoming part of the enterprise—from how communities are used to how organizations are encouraging their employees to adopt and use them. This year, it asked a key question: what can we observe about organizations who say they have a strong shared sense of organizational purpose, as compared to organizations who do not. The results highlight this paradox I described.

First of all, having a stronger sense of shared purpose reduces systemic frustrations people have with organizations. They are clearer on their priorities. They feel less pain in decision-making and internal politics.

 

Figure 1: Shared purpose lessens Systemic Frustrations in Organizations (source: Jane McConnell)

Most of the organizations who identified a stronger sense of shared purpose (see Figure 2) have very decentralized decision-making (50%) versus only 10% have very centralized processes. It suggests that those who stronger shared purpose sense favor decentralization over more command-and-control structures.

Figure 2. Stronger Shared purpose, Less Centralized Decision-making (source: Jane McConnell)

People also feel that management is vocally active, supportive and participative, in organizations with stronger sense of purpose (Figure 3). The study highlights the significant difference—almost twice as much on average—as noticed by those with strong shared purpose versus weak. This appears almost regardless of where they are in the organization.

Figure 3. Stronger Shared purpose, More participatory management (Source: Jane McConnell)

 

Strategy: Seeking Social’s ROI? You’re Missing The Point Entirely…There are More Than 2 Billion People on Social Networks Today, & With the Proliferation of Mobile Technology

/in /by

Businesses have been obsessively trying to find the ROI of social media, which is the completely wrong approach. Don’t get me wrong—it’s not that you shouldn’t measure the impact of social media; but the measurement should be a business one, not a measure of social alone. Social Media is an enablement tool, not a standalone channel. And its true value comes in the ability to enable your business.

Meg Bear is group vice president for Oracle Cloud Social Platform.

Meg Bear is group vice president for Oracle Cloud Social Platform.

Merriam-Webster defines enable as “to provide with the means or opportunity; to make possible; to cause to operate.” And that’s what social media should do for business—provide the means and opportunity to make things possible and operational.

Great companies have already begun using social to innovate more quickly and more effectively. For example:

General Motors is developing better automobiles by seeking customer input, as well as making product adjustments on the assembly line by listening to social conversations. Social media has enabled the most comprehensive and insightful focus group ever, and GM is leveraging socially driven customer insights every day for business success.

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.

  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

continue of article:

Marriott International created an award-winning marketing promotion based on a customer remark on social media informing the hotel that its beds were a customer favorite. By listening to and learning from social media, Marriott was able to execute its highly popular “30 Beds in 30 Days” promotion. This is one example of social media enabling customers and businesses to co-create campaigns that resonate and succeed.

Polaris produced a new line of top-selling, pink snowmobiles thanks to social intelligence that informed product development. The company gleaned from the social web that there was strong buzz around the color pink. And although it went against the grain, they trusted the data and closed the loop with development, producing a new product line that has since become a fan favorite.

LeapFrog brought back a once-retired product simply by taking action on what it heard from social media. LeapFrog got more than 5,000 likes and 400 Facebook shares within only hours of bringing back its Fridge Phonics magnetic letter set.

LEGO has increased its brand marketing power exponentially by empowering employees through its social media driver’s license program. Once they’ve completed this social media training course, employees are allowed to engage with customers across social networks, helping the company share and amplify LEGO stories from across the globe, while enhancing brand marketing and awareness. The program is one example of LEGO’s socially enabled business that is helping drive and meet organizational objectives.

We are talking about real business value here: Customer insights are leading to the creation of more popular products and services, while more engaged and empowered employees are leading to greater brand awareness and loyalty.

It’s about executing business strategy, not implementing social strategy. These innovative companies are using social as a way to operationalize the business—and aren’t treating it like a stepchild of the organization.

When you view social through the lens of enabling your key areas of business, you begin to understand its power. Social should be woven throughout the fabric of your organization. It’s really less of a traditional “channel” than a seamless current flowing through today’s modern communications.

Social does have certain unique and transformational characteristics, including:

  • Data: Social data can reveal not only what consumers are doing, but the why behind their actions, revealing more fine-grained affinities. Businesses can now combine the affinity data that social provides with traditional CRM data and third-party insights to paint a much richer, more accurate picture of their customers. Companies get a universal customer profile that helps them better understand customers and leads to increased engagements and improved customer experiences.
  • Speed: The real-time nature of social allows businesses to understand and meet the expectations of today’s consumer more quickly. Social is instantaneous, and feedback happens in real time.
  • Transparency: Social provides an open, knowledge-sharing platform that has forced a level of transparency on businesses that requires a change in mindset. The days of businesses simply pushing their message without any real way for consumers to respond are gone. That has shifted the power to the consumer and forced organizations to operate in a much more open fashion. This level of transparency has given businesses an opportunity to demonstrate an authentic and human side, and to evolve from customer interactions to customer partnerships.
  • Engagement: Customer partnerships are built from relationships. Relationships develop over time, after a series of two-way connected interactions. Social helps you make these interactions more personal, further increasing customer engagement. And those engagements are opportunities for businesses to provide information when customers seek it, to anticipate customer needs ahead of time, to deliver personalized, relevant content, and in general to provide real value to customers.
  • Scale: There are more than 2 billion people on social networks today, and with the proliferation of mobile technology, there is no sign that this trend will reverse itself or even slow. Television advertising is still a thriving business because it allows brands to tell a story and reach millions. Social is giving brands that same storytelling capability, with a similar reach, but using a two-way mechanism that provides opportunity for amplification and engagement. As the number and power of social networks increase, the opportunity to develop more personalized relationships with your customers grows and expands.
  • Personalization: Social allows businesses to develop highly targeted and personalized interactions with customers and prospects in conjunction with data-driven insights. Relevance in personalization is critical, and social technology provides a path that we had only dreamed of 10 years ago. Today’s customers expect businesses to understand them and to offer them products, services, and value relevant and targeted to them, not generic for all. Social enables brands to tailor interactions that are personal and resonate much more effectively.

To understand and begin to maximize the vast potential of social, businesses must rethink how they view social. As our world becomes more customer-centric and digitally powered, social becomes more critical across every business function, from marketing and sales, to service and product development, to human resources and employee communications.

For 2015, redefine social metrics so that they are tied to business key performance indicators. Leverage the strengths of social to help lift your business objectives and build a deeper relationship with your customers. In short, let social enable your business.

 

Forbes.com |  February 16, 2015  |  Meg Bear 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/oracle/2015/02/16/seeking-socials-roi-youre-missing-the-point-entirely/

 

Strategy: 12 Ways Women Unknowingly Sabotage their Success…Women Suffer Not Only from the Glass Ceiling, But also from What some Call “Sticky-Floor Syndrome.”

/in /by

Did you think the glass ceiling was a relic of the past? Not so much.  Even if there weren’t plenty of statistics to demonstrate continued gender bias in the workplace, the marketplace, and in financing for start-ups, a depressing stories out of Silicon Valley makes it brutally clear just how far we haven’t come.

Woman Carrying LV Bag

Are you suffering from “sticky-floor syndrome?”

Unfortunately, according to Wendy Capland, CEO of Vision Quest Consulting and author of the bestseller “Your Next Bold Move for Women,” there’s a lot women do ourselves to make matters worse.

“It’s not that I don’t think there’s a glass ceiling,” Capland explains. “More women now graduate from college than men, and women are the breadwinners in almost 50% of American households. But only 22% of executives in Corporate America are women, so that number is pitiful.”

But, Capland says, her work coaching executive women has given her a different perspective. Her company has trained thousands of women leaders, both Fortune 500 executives and small business owners. And from what she’s observed, women business leaders often fail to put ourselves on the same footing as men. Thus, she says, we suffer not only from the glass ceiling, but also from what some call “sticky-floor syndrome.”

As a woman in leadership and a lifelong feminist myself, my first reaction was to dismiss Capland’s view as just another case of blaming the victim. But as she began listing the ways that women leaders undercut themselves, I had to admit that many items on her list were things I myself have done. So have other women leaders I know.

Here are 12 things Capland says we women need to stop doing ASAP so as to claim our power in the business world. See if any of these sound as sadly familiar to you as they did to me:

1. Using minimizing language.

“Women use words that minimize their own impact,” Capland says. “Like ‘just.’ ‘Let me just tell you something.’ ‘I just wanted to stop you for a minute.'” That simple word sends the subtle message that our statements and opinions aren’t that important, she says.

And there are other belittling words women are prone to using, she says. “‘I’m feeling a little bit concerned about something.’ I doubt you’re really feeling just a little bit concerned or you probably wouldn’t have brought it up,” Capland says. “You’re feeling concerned.”

 

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.

  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

continue of article:

2. Apologizing.

Women in business are prone to apologizing when there’s no reason to do so, Capland says. “Many women’s voicemail messages begin, ‘I’m sorry I’m not able to take your call right now.’ Even in our voicemail, we apologize!”

3. Asking permission.

Women are prone to asking questions when they already know the answers, Capland says. “We don’t want to be too overpowering, and we want to get buy-in up front. And we ask permission to say something when there’s absolutely no need to do that.”

4. Waiting until we’re experts before taking on a new role.

“Often when offered an opportunity, women will feel like they need to be fully skilled before taking it on, while a man given the same opportunity will say, ‘It’s about time they picked me!'” Capland says. “Men will say, ‘I’ll take the job and figure it out when I get there.'”

And, she says, age doesn’t seem to make a difference. “I just talked to two 20-year-olds, one man, one woman, both unhappy in their jobs. The woman says she wants to get a new job but doesn’t know what else she can really do. The man says, it’s no problem, he’ll just get another job because he’s so marketable.”

5. Focusing on cooperation rather than competition.

Yes, there are a thousand business articles that tell us collaboration is the more effective approach. The problem with that? “It’s not the structure of Corporate America,” Capland says. “Corporate America has a hierarchical structure. It’s not set up for collaboration to be effective long-term — I don’t care what people say.”

6. Questioning ourselves.

“A lot of women I’ve been exposed to — including myself — spend a too much time thinking about these common concerns,” Capland says. “Will I be a threat to my husband if I surpass his income? Will people think I’m a bad mother because I’m working so hard or running my own business? Will I lose my friends if I upset the balance of power or popularity? And who am I, anyway?”

7. Not setting clear goals.

“You have to be really clear about what you want,” Capland says. “Do you want a promotion or a job change? Funding for your new company? Do you want to write a book or be a keynote speaker? You have to be really clear so that you can set priorities and boundaries. You’re going to have to make big asks. If you’re wishy-washy about what you’re going after, everyone else will be too.”

8. Only setting goals we know how to reach.

“Don’t be stopped from setting a goal because you don’t know how to get there,” Capland says. “No one does when they set a goal where they’re stretching themselves.”

Years ago, she adds, she found herself declaring during a workshop that she wanted to have her own television show. “As soon as I said it, I thought, ‘I have no idea how to do that. That was a stupid goal.'” But a woman in the audience came up to Capland afterward, told her she was being interviewed by a cable show next week, and invited her to come along and observe. Capland decided this was a good way to get her feet wet.

“You can head toward a big goal one baby step at a time,” she explains. In fact, it may be better that way — you’ll avoid setting off your own fight-or-flight response.

Sure enough, Capland eventually wound up with her own cable program. “It ran locally for three years and I had 2.5 million viewers,” she says.

9. Not setting clear boundaries.

Once she’d done the show for three years, Capland was done with cable. “My next stretch goal was a PBS special,” she says. So when a woman got in touch and invited Capland to do a cable TV series, she said no. “Create some non-negotiable boundaries so you can say yes to things that lead you toward your goals and no to things that would distract you,” she advises.

10. Worrying too much about relationships.

That “no” on the cable series was harder than it should have been, Capland adds. “I was really clear that was a no for me,” she says. “But I think the woman was surprised. And all I cared about was the relationship — even though I didn’t even know her.”

11. Getting too hung up on details.

“Women tend to pay too much attention to little details for too long, versus seeing the bigger picture,” Capland says. “That can make it hard for them to delegate and therefore prevents them having the freedom to take on the next challenge. I have a client who’s been focusing on details for years and now realizes that she’s pigeonholed herself in a role she doesn’t want, rather than planning and preparing for the role she wanted next.”

12. Failing to build a personal brand.

A strong personal brand will help you get what you want whether you’re working in a company or running one of your own. “The way to develop a personal brand is to deepen your own self-awareness,” Capland says. “What makes you stand out positively from other people?”

A personal brand, she says, is an asset that defines the best things about you. “It’s the impression people have of you, and the impression you want them to have,” she says.

Businessinsider.com | February 16, 2015  | MINDA ZETLIN, INC.

http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/12-ways-you-might-be-making-gender-bias-worse.html#ixzz3RpBwj9uR

Strategy: 10 Life Lessons from legendary North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith…Lead by Example: “A Leader’s Job is to Develop Committed Followers. Bad Leaders Destroy their Followers’ Sense of Commitment.”

/in /by

Legendary University of North Carolina men’s basketball coach Dean Smith knew how to win a ball game.

dean smith

Coach Dean Smith mentored numerous successful players, including Michael Jordan.

Smith, who died at age 83 at his home on Saturday, coached the Tar Heels from 1961 to 1997. In those 36 seasons, he led the team to two National Championships, 13 ACC tournament titles, and 11 Final Four appearances.

He also led the United States basketball team to a gold medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and became the winningest coach in college basketball history two decades later in 1997.

Smith coached a generation of players who went on to have successful careers in the NBA, including perhaps the greatest player basketball has ever seen, Michael Jordan. He not only taught his players how to win a basketball game — he taught them how to win at life.

Remembered for his quiet humility, social activism, and impact on his players just as much as his impeccable coaching résumé, we can draw valuable life lessons from 10 of his best quotes, which come from his co-authored book, “The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching,” interviews, and pre-practice team meetings.

1. Stay humble, stay hungry.

“A lion never roars after a kill.”

 

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.

  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

Continue of article:

2. What’s done is done.

“What to do with a mistake – recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.”

3. Give credit where credit is due.

“I do believe in praising that which deserves to be praised.”

4. You’ve got to care to lead.

“The most important thing in good leadership is truly caring. The best leaders in any profession care about the people they lead, and the people who are being led know when the caring is genuine and when it’s faked or not there at all.”

5. Act with honor and integrity.

“Good people are happy when something good happens to someone else.”

6. At the end of the day, it’s just a game.

“If you make every game a life and death proposition, you’re going to have problems. For one thing, you’ll be dead a lot.”

7. Surround yourself with winners.

“I would never recruit a player who yells at his teammates, disrespected his high school coach, or scores 33 points a game and his team goes 10-10.”

8. Value what’s most important.

“As soon as you try to describe a close friendship, it loses something.”

9. Lead by example.

“A leader’s job is to develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their followers’ sense of commitment.”

10. Never underestimate teamwork.

“Play hard. Play smart. Play together.”

 

Businessinsider.com |  February 9, 2015  |  

http://www.businessinsider.com/life-lessons-from-legendary-coach-dean-smith-2015-2#ixzz3Rp3NeUyM

Leadership: How to Develop an All-Star Management Team…Fact: Only 44% of Executives Will Remain with Their Current Company for 2-5 Years.

/in /by

Perhaps this story sounds familiar – after months or years of hard work, your company’s business is growing rapidly. In fact, it has begun to demand so much of your time that it is starting to feel like the wheels are going to fall off the proverbial bus. The next logical step is to augment your skill set with people who are more effective than you are in at least one discipline by forming an executive team.

SheepHerder

However, you may not know how to start this process. How should you break up the different roles? What intangibles should you look for in candidates? Which executive roles should you hire for first?

As Varsity Tutors grew, so too did the need to develop structured divisions within my company, each of which was responsible for different operational goals. How to structure the operational divisions, as well as how to structure each executive role, is heavily driven by nuances of your business model and the specific strengths of the individuals your recruit for each role.

 

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.
  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

continue of article:

 

As a starting point, I recommend speaking with other executives and understanding how their companies have structured the executive roles. Does HR report directly to the CEO, should it report through the CFO, or should it report to General Counsel? All three are done in companies and the more conversations you have with other companies about what they have learned works best in this regard, the better informed you will be as you start bucketing key responsibilities and determining operational divisions.

Why do companies develop management teams?

Companies generally begin to develop management teams when their founders’ time available to manage important aspects of the business becomes a key constraint. An executive team can help a CEO more strategically devote his/her own time into growing the company and spend less time on the daily operational activities. For example, take CEO A, the founder of a technology firm – if she is approving every single in-office purchase, down to reams of copy paper, and every new hire, she probably does not have enough time for the big-picture strategic decisions that are necessary to properly grow her business.

How do I develop my management team?
Once you decide which executive roles to fill, the next step is to identify the right individual for each position. You can do this by:

Networking extensively

If you are looking to hire an executive, a generalized job posting is unlikely to be the best option. Instead, focus extensively on networking with investors, mentors, and peers at other businesses. They may know of individuals who have the relevant experience skill set you are seeking, and are operational rock stars. Before you reach out to your network, try to clarify your expectations for the role, as well as the specific skills and experiences that the ideal candidate will possess.

This way, your network can provide you with better referrals. The recruiting and onboarding process can be time-consuming and costly, so ensuring a great fit between the candidate and your company is essential to maximizing the probability that the person will be successful in the role.

Assessing for fit

Your new executive may be responsible for overseeing the activities of an entire department or team within your company, which only deepens the importance of that great fit. In addition to you personally meeting with candidates, consider asking members of that particular team to participate in the interview process. Do the personalities of the department and the potential hire complement one another?

It is often easier to find a candidate who suits the existing team than it is to ask an entire department to adapt to one person, and the first scenario is more likely to support your company’s long-term growth. This should not be a quick process – given the importance of the role, you should take time to get to know the person well prior to extending a formal offer.

Because executives typically report directly to the CEO or founder, you should also ask yourself how you would feel working closely with this candidate. A stellar résumé won’t make up for personal deficiencies that lead to internal strife. Even the most qualified person on paper may have a hard time integrating into your business if the chemistry is lacking. While fit can be difficult to assess, you can try asking yourself these questions:

Is there a match between the company culture and this candidate?

Is there a match between this person and the existing management team/staff? Will they work well together?

Does this candidate believe in our vision?

Does the candidate buy into our core business strategy?

What are the candidate’s key motivating factors driving him or her to join our company?
Providing opportunities for professional growth

Helping an executive develop professionally is not just about identifying the right candidate and elevating them to a new role. It is also about ensuring that you can keep that person and help them become more effective over time. Consider these statistics from multiple industries:
Only 44% of executives will remain with their current company for 2-5 years. More than half of executives pursue a new opportunity after five years, which can be devastating for a business. Onboarding a new executive can be time-consuming, but moreover, you also lose the creative thinking, insight, and organizational knowledge of the outgoing team member. These traits can be (and in many instances, already have been) crucial to your company’s growth.

Up to 76% of all executives are willing to consider new opportunities immediately. Why? These new opportunities may be more fulfilling if they offer significantly better chances for professional development.
Remember that executive teams are as intricate and shifting as any other group of staff members. Building an all-star management team is a continuous process. Just as you devote time and effort to recruiting the right candidates and supporting their professional growth, you should also devote time and effort to making sure that your executive team’s work environment is always productive, open, and rewarding. An all-star management team that is sufficiently supported can quickly become one of your company’s greatest strengths.

Chuck Cohn is the CEO and founder of Varsity Tutors, a technology platform for private academic tutoring and test prep designed to help students at all levels of education achieve academic excellence.

Leadership: ‘Dilbert’ Creator Scott Adams Illustrates Why ‘Goals are For Losers & Passion is Overrated’… Adams has a Chapter in His Book “How to Fail at Almost Everything & Still Win Big” Titled “Passion is Bullshit.”

/in /by

Dilbert” creator Scott Adams has a chapter in his book “How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big” titled “Passion is Bullshit.”

“When a successful person is interviewed, and you say, ‘What was the secret to your success?’ what they can’t say, because society won’t let them, is: ‘I was smarter, I worked harder, I had better connections, and I got really lucky,'” Adams tells Business Insider. “Instead, they go with a democratic trait: passion.”

Adams falls into the camp, which notably includes author Cal Newport, that believes pursuing something you love is not enough. Drawing from his own career, in which he became a successful cartoonist in 1995 after a string of failures, Adams says that finding a “system” is what’s necessary to get ahead.

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.

  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

continue of article:

He makes his point in a colorful presentation, which we’ve published here with his permission.

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Scott Adams

Businessinsider.com | February 13, 2015  | Richard Feloni 

http://www.businessinsider.com/scott-adams-on-goals-and-passion-2015-2?op=1#ixzz3RevcmEfg

Strategy: Gartner Predicts 3 Big Data Trends for Business Intelligence…By 2020, Information Will be Used to Reinvent, Digitalize or Eliminate 80% of Business Processes

/in /by

Big data has given businesses a window into valuable streams of information from customer purchasing habits to inventory status. However, internal data streams give only a limited picture, especially with the growth of digital business.

FutureView

Three trends Gartner has identified describe information’s ability to transform business processes over the next few years.

Our predictions include:

No. 1: By 2020, information will be used to reinvent, digitalize or eliminate 80% of business processes and products from a decade earlier.

As the presence of the Internet of Things (IoT) — such as connected devices, sensors and smart machines — grows, the ability of things to generate new types of real-time information and to actively participate in an industry’s value stream will also grow.

Customers, employees and citizens will become engaged principally through digital means. With operational processes quickly becoming digitalized, traditional analog and manual processes will be automated, including both physical and human elements. Many, if not most, decisions will be algorithmic, based on automated judgment.

Essentially, things become agents for themselves, for people and for businesses. Think of the car that alerts emergency services and an insurance company or the smart thermostat that schedules service. The added connectivity, communications and intelligence of things will make many of them agents for services that are currently requested and delivered via human intervention.

 

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.

  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

continue of article:

No. 2: By 2017, more than 30% of enterprise access to broadly based big data will be via intermediary data broker services, serving context to business decisions.

Digital business demands real-time situation-awareness. This includes insights into what goes on both inside and outside the organization. How do weather patterns impact inventory? More so, how do this season’s customer preferences as expressed in social media suggest greater or lesser inventory?

The enterprise data available in organizations’ vaults is increasingly insufficient to provide the kind of context awareness able to support competitive digital business in marketing, transportation, financial, manufacturing, healthcare and other business decisions. However, the broad scope of externally accessible data is highly fragmented, voluminous, “noisy” and distributed. It is found in hundreds of thousands of Web and social sites, open government data, and premium data prepared by increasingly powerful data brokers.

Enter a new category of business-centric cloud services that delivers data to be used as context in business decisions, human or automated. These information services (or data/decision brokers) will become an essential part of intelligent business operations and smart business decisions.

Your company’s biggest database isn’t your transaction, CRM, ERP or other internal database. Rather it’s the Web itself and the world of exogenous data now available from syndicated and open data sources.

No. 3 By 2017, more than 20% of customer-facing analytic deployments will provide product tracking information leveraging the IoT.

Fueled by the Nexus of Forces (mobile, social, cloud and information), customers now demand a lot more information from their vendors. The rapid dissemination of the IoT will create a new style of customer-facing analytics — product tracking — where increasingly less expensive sensors will be embedded into all types of products.

These sensors not only provide geospatial information (where the product is right now) but also performance information (how well the product is functioning). My new SUV is en route and currently in Arizona, or my new SUV is ready for its first oil change. This creates an opportunity to improve transparency and strengthen customer and partner relationships. It can become a key differentiator and a key part of your business model.

Access the Global Pool of Information

The ability to transform the business to compete in an emerging digital economy will be contingent on the organization’s ability to curate, manage and leverage big data, IoT content, social media, local and federal government data, data from partners, suppliers and customers, and other exogenous data sources that are materializing.

In 2015, business and IT leaders, especially information executives such as chief data officers, must make concerted efforts to transform from an inward focus on information management and value generation to participating in the growing global pool of information assets.

Doug Laney is a research vice president at Gartner where he covers business analytics solutions and projects, big data use cases, infonomics and other data-governance –related issues. Mr. Laney will be speaking at the Gartner Business Intelligence & Analytics Summit March 30-April 1 in Las Vegas.

Forbes.com | February 12, 2015 | Doug Laney 

Strategy: 6 Ways To Take Advantage Of Negative Reviews… You Can’t Be What Everyone Wants You to Be, & as You Go on Serving the Public, You are Bound to Disappoint a Few

/in /by

With sites like Yelp and Google Reviews a single customer can share his or her poor experience with your company with millions of people by a few clicks of the mouse.  From there, your reputation can be dragged in the mud by any crackpot or veiled competitor.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]

4 Fears That Can Sabotage Your Earning Power

4 Fears That Can Sabotage Your Earning Power

Richard Li is the CEO of 4k.com, and he confirms that “One complaint can go viral in a matter of hours, and make your company look shoddy and ridiculous.”

Of course, prevention is better than cure, which is why you must step up your customer service and focus on providing the best possible experience for each prospective customer, as well as established customer.

But you can’t be what everyone wants you to be, and as you go on serving the public, you are bound to disappoint a few.

Here are six ways to protect your company’s image and customer base:

1. Automate the process.

The first step to taking in negative feedback is to actually invest in a service to notify you when feedback about your company appears online. Yext does a good job, as it allows you to monitor feedback across multiple platforms, making it easier to track feedback about your services.

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.

  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

continue of article:

2. Stay calm.

When you see unfair and negative feedback from a customer you may want to hit back.  Wrong!  That anger may slip into your post, making the customer more angry, and this back-and-forth between you and your customer wastes time and can never resolve a negative situation.

Don’t respond immediately, and take some time to collect your thoughts and don’t be too defensive with your response. Instead, let the customer know that you heard them, and that you are going to keep their feedback in mind. Your response’s purpose is to be helpful, not to defend your services.

3. View criticism as an opportunity.

Most see negative feedback as simply an attempt to damage the reputation of their company, but you must be willing to learn from negative feedback and actually improve services. You must see what went wrong with that customer, and focus on improving your services in those areas.

4. Turn it into an advantage.

Don’t always assume that negative reviews can only be a disadvantage to your business.  Be open to customer input and you might learn something about how your competitors do things right that you’re doing wrong.  The customer is always going to compare you with your competitors, so you might as well take advantage of it.

5. Reply to everything.

You must make it a rule to reply to each and every review. It’s also smart, if you’re a small company that can’t staff a full-time trouble-shooter, to outsource your responses.  James John, the CEO of The Reputation Firm, is adamant about taking each complaint seriously: “The public loves a David vs Goliath story, so you’ve got to be careful to manage your response so you don’t come out looking like the bad guy.”

6. Make customer satisfaction company policy.

Almost every successful company makes it company policy to satisfy every customer. Tony Hsieh, for example, has asked his employees to focus on satisfying Zappos’ customers by offering refunds, upgrading shipping for free, or by the simple act of sending flowers. And they don’t stop there; their marketing department makes sure their going the extra mile with customers gets the maximum amount of exposure.

Forbes.com | February 11, 2015  |  Steve Olenski

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

Leadership:Manage Executive Onboarding Risk With Three Key Questions…Want to Avoid Being Part of the 40% of Executives That Fail in Their First 18 Months In a New Job?

/in /by

Want to avoid being part of the 40% of executives that fail in their first 18 months* in a new job? Answer three key questions before you accept the job to mitigate organization, role and personal risks:

  1. What is the organization’s sustainable competitive advantage?
  2. Did anyone have concerns about this role and, if so, what was done to mitigate them?
  3. What, specifically, about me led the organization to offer me the job?

Directions Man

Answer these questions during your due diligence. The most opportune time to complete this is between the offer and acceptance phases. Waiting until later or ignoring this step hurts your potential for success. Make sure you’re going to fit with the organization, that you can deliver what needs to get done and that you will be able to see and adjust to changes down the road.

Sometimes we fall into the trap of feeling that we should take a role because it’s what others expect us do to. Don’t do that. Make your own choices or you will fail, burnout, or worse, be generally unhappy eventually. Answer these questions honestly, before you move on.

In assessing onboarding risks, three steps can help:

  1. Leverage and supplement these questions about the company, the team, your new boss(es), and the major challenges and objectives you and the organization will face.
  2. Identify potential sources of information: scouts, seconds, and spies across customers, collaborators, capabilities, competitors, and conditions.
  3. Gather and analyze the information.

Like this Article ??  Share it !   First Sun Consulting, LLC- Outplacement/Executive Coaching Services, is Proud to sponsor/provide our ‘FSC Career Blog’  Article Below.  Over 600 current articles like these are on our website in our FSC Career Blog (https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/)  with the most updated/current articles on the web for new management trends, employment updates along with career branding techniques  .

You now can easily enjoy/follow Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with over 120K participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

  • FSC LinkedIn Network:  Over 6K+ Members & Growing ! (76% Executive Level of VP & up), Voted #1 Most Viewed Articles/Blogs, Members/Participants Worldwide (Members in Every Continent Worldwide) : Simply Connect @: @  http://www.linkedin.com/in/frankfsc , then click, ‘Add   to your Network.
  • Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

  educate/collaborate/network

Look forward to your Participation !

continue of article:

Following are key questions to answer during due diligence to help mitigate risk.

Mitigate organizational risk.

1- What is the organization’s sustainable competitive advantage?

2- Are there any risks with the current customer base?

3- Are there any risks with relationships with significant collaborators of the organization?

4- Does the organization have the capabilities required for long-term success?

5- Do competitors pose significant risks to the viability of the organization?

6- Are there any outside conditions that will impact the viability of the organization?

7- If the organization is doomed to fail, you’re going to fail with it.

 

Mitigate Role risk.

  1. Did anyone have concerns about this role and, if so, what was done to mitigate them?
  1. Why does the position exist? Why did they need to create it in the first place?
  1. What are the objectives and outcomes? What are you supposed to get done?
  1. What will the impact be on the rest of the organization? What kind of interactions can you expect with key stakeholders?
  1. What are your specific responsibilities, including decision-making authority and direct reports?

If the role is set up for failure, you need to know that in advance.

Mitigate Personal risk.

  1. What, specifically, about me led the organization to offer me the job?
  1. Is this the company and role that can best capitalize on my strengths over time?
  1. Will I look forward to coming to work three weeks, months, or years from now?
  1. Will I fit with the culture?

If you don’t fit with the organization, you can’t converge well and you can’t lead.

Overall Risk Assessment

Figure out if you are facing a low, manageable, mission-crippling or insurmountable risk. If you are facing

A low level of risk – Do nothing out of the ordinary. (But keep your eyes open for inevitable changes.) This is as good as it gets. You’ll have a high likelihood of success.

Manageable risk – Manage it in the normal course of your job. This is the most normal case. There are always risks. Identifying the main risks in advance makes it that much easier to manage them.

Mission-crippling risks – Resolve them before accepting the job, or mitigate before doing anything else if you are already in the job. This is a tough situation. Not resolving or mitigating these risks means failure. You can’t ignore them. Face them and deal with them.

Insurmountable barriers – Walk away. Sometimes the situation is beyond your ability to control. When this happens, accept it and either don’t take the job or get out. Going down with the ship is a lovely, romantic idea – for others to fulfill. Not you.

 

Note this is adapted from The New Leader’s 100-Day Action Plan. Request an executive summary.

Click here for an overall executive summary of theNew Leader’s Playbook and links to each of its 250+ individual articles on Forbes organized by category.

Forbes.com | February 12, 2015  | George Bradt 

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