Be Different or be dead

March 14, 2016

10 basic human things amazing leaders actually do most everyday

10 basic human things amazing leaders actually do most everyday.

Leadership doesn’t have to be complicated; it doesn’t have to conform to doctrine advocated by leadership gurus (many of whom have little demonstrated experience in the art in any event).

I have learned that leadership boils down to how well you practice a few basic human acts.

Help others
It’s a basic human instinct to come to the aid of someone in need. When refugees from Syria needed help, the world responded. In an organization, it doesn’t happen as much. When someone is down we seem to pounce on the opportunity to use their misfortune as our own opportunity.

Walk in their footsteps
It’s not all about the business; it’s more about the people IN the business. Decisions get implemented only if people are on board with them. Consider how individuals will be before moving forward.

Practice what you preach
Always show that you only ask others to do what you do yourself. Loyal followers are created when they see you act on your own words.

Keep your promises
If you say you will do something make sure you do it. When you open your mouth others watch your follow up to see if your intent was honest.

Leave the glory to others
Your glory comes only through the success of your employees. Lavish them with praise. Your ego will understand.

Show your emotional side
Real people express their feelings; plastic people hide them. Expose yourself and watch the magic you create.

Look in their eyes and take notes
Paying attention to and showing interest in what people have to say will ignite their passion. A simple act; an amazing impact.

Say “thank you!” a lot
It makes their hard work and ’pain’ endured worth it. And it provides fuel for them to do it again.

Share your status in the hierarchy
Everyone understands the organizational pecking order, but if you spread some of your special privileges around, They get to feel important and will engage on a higher level.

Call someone… everyday
It’s really important to connect and engage with people in your organization. Make a point of reaching out to a different person daily and have a conversation about what’s going on with them. You will gain incredible insights into what is going on in your organization, and they will transformed into a loyal follower.

Leadership is about convincing others that you are a real person by demonstrating basic human acts consistently.

It’s not about practicing textbook theory leadership dogma.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 3.14.16 at 02:05 am by Roy Osing
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March 7, 2016

Why great leaders on Monday ask “What do our customers crave?”

Source: Unsplash

Why great leaders on Monday ask “What do our customers crave?”

This is the beginning of the stand-out leader’s week (check out my book).

Monday is engage with a customer day.

The first day of your week should be about getting in the face of your customers.

The idea is to choose customers who have been loyal to you. And who generate significant economic value for you today and/or have a high upside for you over the near to medium term.

This is a learning day not a show and tell day. This day is to listen, learn and act on what you hear.

It’s not about presenting who you are and what you do. Nor is it about pitching your products and services.

It’s about opening yourself up to engage and get honest feedback. This day you are in a receive mode not a transmit mode.

It’s also a day to honor the people and organizations that have put their trust and faith in you over the years. To thank them for taking the journey with you when there are so many other alternatives available to them.

This day is anything but a meet and greet day. Today knows no superficiality. No No grinning allowed.

This day is honestly connecting with a customer to get a more intimate understanding of them; to discover their secrets and earn their trust. Their decision to continue to do business with you is at stake. You have to earn their business this day and every day.

▪️Leave your entourage at home. No bagmen should be with you to do the work and make you feel important. It’s just you, your customer and your notebook.

▪️Take copious number of notes. It shows that you think what they have to say is important. Hang on their every word.

▪️Make this an informal event. Don’t make it slick. Have a conversation. Your prime objectives are to deepen relationships, build trust, and learn what you should be doing to serve them better.

▪️Review your ONLY Statement with them. Do they know that you are trying to be remarkable and unique; to be the ONLY ones that do what you do?

Does your ONLY statement address a burning need that they have? Do they believe you live it all day every day?

▪️This day is also about getting feedback from previous meetings you may have had with them. Review your notes from these meetings. Discuss your take-a-ways. Describe the action you took and the results achieved.

Ask for their feedback on your performance.

If you allege that customers are your most valuable asset, shouldn’t you start your week with them?

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 3.7.16 at 04:37 am by Roy Osing
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February 29, 2016

Why biting the dog is the key to leader success

Source: Unsplash

When a dog bites a man, the world doesn’t suddenly sit up and take notice. After all, dogs unfortunately are known to occasionally bite people.

But when a man bites a dog that’s different. It surprises people. No one expects it. It creates shock value.

It gets noticed and talked about as a bizarre incident.

Organizations today have difficulty carving out a unique and remarkable place for what they do in people’s minds.

They are more common than stand-out.

Their value propositions could be interchanged with their competitors and few would notice any difference.

They all market more to the masses and give little attention to the special needs of the individual.

The majority compete by trying to offer lower prices than their competition because they can’t talk about value differences.

And, driven by the coolness of what technology can do, they push products and services at the market hoping they will resonate with someone.

Winning doesn’t come from being the same as others. It doesn’t result from copying best practices. It doesn’t result from being in the herd.

Success in the face of stiff competition and an unpredictable environment comes from biting the dog — providing value that people want coupled with surprise, outrageousness and noticeability.

Here are 6 ways you can bite the dog.

▪️ Refuse the temptation to go along the path travelled by the crowd;

▪️ Go in the opposite direction to the established practice of the day;

▪️ Do something outrageous that draws an “OMG!” from observers and a disdainful smirk of admiration from traditional pundits;

▪️ Attack order of magnitude change rather than try to achieve modest incremental steps of progress. Go big or go home applies here. Small steps yield unnoticeable acts;

▪️ Invite mountains of criticism from your bite the dog act. The more negative remarks the more free advertising benefits you receive. If no one reacts negatively, you have to wonder if your move was bold enough;

▪️ Study contrarians: those individuals who have a track record of introducing weird creations in the market.

If you want mentors to copy, follow the outlandish ones.

It’s all about attitude.

If you are content to be a member of the herd, so be it.

But if you want to be special and do remarkable things, you have to bite the dog and live with the consequences.

There’s no other way.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 2.29.16 at 07:16 am by Roy Osing
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February 15, 2016

Why the most amazing mentors are super good at failing

Source: Pexels

Why the most amazing mentors are super good at failing.

Why does everyone seem to look for a mentor who is just smart, who has an impressive academic pedigree?

There are so many people willing to offer career guidance. The airwaves are cluttered with opinions and advice.

Everyone’s an expert on something.

Who do you listen to? Who do you believe? Who do you trust? Who do you follow?

And how do you recognize when someone is blowing smoke at you and feeding their own ego?

My advice to you is to be guided by individuals who have had a rich and long career actually doing stuff; lots of stuff.

▪️ People who have demonstrated achievements in the areas that intrigue you;

▪️ People who have implemented successful strategies in an environment of unpredictable and chaotic change;

▪️ People who have failed their way to success in unpredictable market conditions such as the pandemic.

Be wary of those who merely postulate what should be done based on text book doctrine alone.

Theory is not always a trustworthy beacon for what works and what doesn’t work in the real world.

Just because theory says it is the right thing to do doesn’t mean it is. There are too many variables that can never be explained by theoretical doctrine.

Look to people who have been there/done that for guidance; people who have a blemished record of trying things that didn’t always pan out the way they expected them to.

These are people who have learned that a minor portion of theory with a major dose of practicality is the formula for success.

Look for those who have a track record of failure.

Don’t get mesmerized by blue oceans which sound cool on paper and in theory but rarely exist in reality (or if they do, they’re discovered to have been blue after the fact).

They are ‘sorta blue-grey’ or ‘dirty blue-green’ in reality. And they need to be treated as such.

Find someone who is guided by practicality not theory or a cool blue idea.

Find someone who has a stellar record of achievement in a vague world with murky and turbulent coloured oceans.

Who exudes trust.

Who speaks passionately.

Who has winning and failing stories to tell.

Who is a teacher looking for a student willing to learn.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 2.15.16 at 04:37 am by Roy Osing
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