Be Different or be dead

August 31, 2020

5 effective things nosy leaders do that make them great

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5 effective things nosy leaders do that make them great.

Nosy neighbours. Nosy friends. Nosy colleagues. Nosy acquaintances.

The adjective ‘nosy’ refers to someone who shows too much curiosity about other people’s affairs.

It’s a tag or label that connotes a negative attribute or character; one that most people frown upon. It represents the unwanted invasion of one’s space and the inappropriate probing into another person’s affairs.

Notwithstanding the refutation of the worthwhileness of nosy, I suggest that there IS a noble place for nosy and it lies in the conversation about what makes a great leader.

It’s not a leadership trait that you hear discussed in the hallways of organizations or in leadership seminars.

Nosy is a topic that doesn’t befriend common leadership concepts like delegation, objective setting, empowerment, financial analysis, visioning and so on; it’s viewed as a repugnant leader trait to possess.

I’m on the other side of whether or not nosiness is an attribute that leaders should have if they want to stand out and be great.

I think great leaders are nosy; here’s why:

1. Probing Proboscis

They stick their nose in everything they consider important to the execution of the business plan Of the organization. They know which functions are critical and what projects will determine success or failure.

So they make a point of probing the status of crucial activities and asking how they can help remove any impediments in the way of moving forward to the expected goal.

Every day of the week they stick their nose into something different. And they do it personally with no backup entourage. They want to personally understand what’s going on and what needs to be done to improve performance.

The Probing Proboscis sees their role to determine barriers to strategy execution and to provide the lubricant necessary to keep things moving.

2. Explorers

Their nosiness into everyone’s affairs is their way to gain insights from their activity. Action begets either success or failure and regardless of the outcome produces learning that can be used to discover new things to do and new opportunities to pursue.

A glitch in a new product launch may open up a new application that wasn’t anticipated and the nosy leader wants to be involved in the activity stream so they can spot it and witness it first hand.

The nosy leader discovers useful new stuff because they’re immersed in what others are doing.

Nosy engagement stimulates innovation; the nosy leader is the catalyst.

3. Discomfort raisers

There is usually a wake of discomfort created in the workplace when the nosy leader starts their invasive interest in a particular subject area.

Sure, discomfort raises a certain amount of anxiety in the crowd around the nosy leader, but it is a healthy force. Crowd members are required to be on their ‘A Game’ and find ways to perform at a higher level.

The nosy leader’s presence intervenes in any complacency going on in the workplace; they interfere with the momentum of ‘the way things are done around here’.

It’s healthy for individuals to not take things for granted because it challenges them to be more creative and productive. If they’re on edge because of nosy, too bad. They need to get over it.

4. Discontinuity creators

Nosy leaders sometimes change the trajectory of the activity stream they’re exploring. It could be because of a question they ask: ‘Why are you going it that way?’ which makes an employee question their current approach and decide to change it.

Or it could be as a result of a directive the leader issues when witnessing action that is inconsistent with what the organization wants.

Either way, current momentum is disrupted and a new direction is suddenly imposed on the workflow that is in the nosy leader’s crosshairs.

An abrupt change in direction on anything is positive; it removes the old and makes way for the new.

5. Talent finders

As the nosy ones probe everything around them, they stumble upon interesting people who have unique skills that can be put to use elsewhere. And without having their noses firmly embedded in the activity of the organization it is highly unlikely that their talent discoveries would ever have occurred.

It’s a collateral benefit to rubbing shoulders with people who are busy trying to do their jobs to achieve the objectives expected of them.

Every organization has talent nuggets among their employees just waiting to be discovered.
The nosy leader is always on the lookout for people who stand out; who they notice and pay attention to. High achievers are discovered and everyone benefits.

Nosy leaders are effective because they want details of what’s going on in their organization, and they want it first hand without the filtering of middle management and others ‘below’ them in the hierarchy.
If it makes employees or peer leaders uncomfortable then that’s the price paid for an intervention aimed at making the organization better.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead book series

• Posted 8.31.20 at 05:07 am by Roy Osing
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July 20, 2020

5 critically important jobs for the do-it-yourself leader

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5 critically important jobs for the do-it-yourself leader.

The one mistake leaders make more frequently than others is they delegate too much and they delegate inappropriately.

Most everything you read these days on what makes an effective leader stresses the importance of delegation and provides both advice and structure on how managers and leaders can improve their delegation skills.

Leadership pundits lump all matters to delegate into one basket. They don’t differentiate between the routine tasks of leadership that should be handed off and the action leaders personally need to take to fulfill their strategic leadership role; actions where the fingerprints of the leader are critical if expected strategic outcomes are to be achieved.

The message promulgated is that if a leader doesn’t delegate what they do, they are not functioning effectively.

Hogwash.

It’s one thing to say that a routine mechanical task should be handed off to someone else, but it’s quite another to suggest that a strategic role should be assigned (even with accountability) to a lower level in the organization.

Dump-and-run

Delegation of a strategic role can approach abdication - ‘dump-and-run’ behaviour — which does nothing to serve the purpose of effective leadership or enterprise value creation.
Yes, leaders should explore how they can be more efficient and delegate tasks, but no, they should not delegate the actions critical to delivering the organization’s strategy.

Strategic actions require the fingerprints of a leader who is a master at do-it-yourself.

These are five critical jobs for the DIY leader.

1. Communication

The DIY leader should take prime responsibility to communicate the strategic game plan to their organization. No one else should be discussing strategy with employees.

It’s not a presentation, it’s a conversation and the leader must be front and centre to explain the planned strategic intent, provide needed clarifications, be challenged on its wisdom and answer specific questions on how it is likely to affect individuals performing particular roles.

2. Execution of the game plan

The DIY leader must be an active participant in the execution of the business plan; their presence must be continually felt big time.
The plan in and of itself has latent potential only; achieving results and subsequent progress is gained only through flawless execution.

The leader’s active engagement in getting it done in the trenches is vital. And when the leader is getting down and dirty with employees to get things done, people in the organization see it and are motivated emotionally to raise their own game to see the strategy implemented.

3. The customer moment

The DIY leader must take personal ownership of architecting the customer moment; the picture of what it looks like to serve customers in an exemplary manner must be painted by the leader alone. It cannot be delegated to anyone else in the organization.

The detailed strokes of service — the behaviours expected of every employee when they are engaging with a customer — can only be described by the one who owns the vision for service. And this extends to the look, feel and functionality of the online experience as well and personal contact moments.

A standout leader is an artist who paints a vivid picture of what dazzling a customer moment looks like for all to see.

In my experience, when this work is delegated to the subject matter experts in the organization there is always a gap between the strategic goal of wanting to serve customers in amazing fashion, and what is actually delivered in the field — how else can you explain why someone can wait for a rep in a call centre queue for up to an hour?

4. Organizational values

The DIY leader should take an active role in auditing how well the values of the organization are being expressed by employees in the workplace.
Yes, you can hire a third party research firm to perform the study and get the data, but the study results are unidimensional; they are devoid of any emotional component that describes how people feel about behaving and interacting with fellow employees in the way the values require.

Leaders must schedule time on their calendar to walk-about and discover the real commitment to the values espoused by leadership. And during their walks, they must be looking for “How can I help?” moments to jump in and offer their personal assistance to solve employee problems in implementing the values of the organization.

5. Frontline management interviews

The DIY leader should be making room in their busy schedule to be engaged in the interview process for potential frontline manager candidates.

Here’s my premise: if strategy execution depends on the performance of the frontline — it does — and frontline performance is influenced by frontline management — it is — then leadership must be involved in the decision to recruit the folks who manage the frontline. Period.

How else can the leader be sure that customer moments in particular are being handled the right way by frontline staff? If managers don’t get it their frontline people won’t get it either.

If a leader doesn’t put their person stamp on the people being hired into their organization, they’re not doing their job.

This is a huge do-it-yourself imperative for leaders and it doesn’t have to be an arduous task. My personal solution was to have heavy involvement up front when I began the process and gradually reduce the amount of time I dedicated to this work over time when I was satisfied that more junior managers were understanding and believing in my direction.
It didn’t take long for people on my management team to learn how to do the interviews and find the right candidates for the positions.

The decision to delegate should not be based on improving the efficiency of the leader.

Delegation that drains organizational performance should be replaced by DIY.

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

• Posted 7.20.20 at 05:04 am by Roy Osing
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July 11, 2020

5 sales tips for creating a unique recruitment strategy

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Candidates drive today’s job market to new levels. Top candidates often have multiple options and won’t settle for second best.

As a recruiter, you know what differentiates your company from others competing for the same talent. Your job is to convince candidates to give you serious consideration.

If this sounds like sales, you are correct. You are selling your business as a desirable career opportunity, and candidates are selling themselves as the right fit for the job.

A dynamic job market can mean inconsistent results if your strategy isn’t top-notch. You might have one strong month followed by weeks where open positions languish. You can’t control all the variables, but you can prime your process to improve outcomes.

Successful recruiters leverage a sales strategy to drive performance. A sales strategy is a scalable, repeatable process that optimizes your recruiting cycle to maximize success. Benefits include:
▪️repeatable results
▪️consistent execution
▪️scalable growth
▪️actionable metrics

Recruiting is about building relationships for mutual benefit: the candidate wants the right job, and you want the right candidate.

Start with these five sales tips for creating winning relationships:

Research your candidates

Once you have your candidate pool, tailor your questions to each interviewee. Research each person to learn what differentiates them from the others.
If a candidate isn’t interested in your current position, build a relationship for the long term.
▪️Target interview questions to the candidate’s unique background. You will learn more about what they offer, and they will better understand your opportunity.
▪️Discuss other possibilities within the company. You want the candidate to think of you for future opportunities.
▪️Set the stage for referrals. Each interviewee has a network. If you treat your candidates as individuals, they will feel more confident recommending you to peers.

Tailor your communications to the candidate

Most candidates can detect canned rhetoric and are looking for authenticity in their job search interactions. You can deliver by describing the opportunity genuinely and in detail. What is the company culture like? How would you characterize the department and management style?

For example, your firm may need project managers in four different technology groups, each having its own culture. Top candidates may prefer some work styles over others, even though the job description is the same. Help interviewees navigate these options to everyone’s benefit.
▪️Do not use scripts in phone calls, meetings, or follow-up emails.
▪️Pretend you are a job candidate. Why would you choose your company? Write down three legitimate reasons to potentially share with interviewees.
▪️Listen to your prospects. Give each person your focused attention.
▪️Notice what they don’t say. A passive prospect sounds lukewarm but doesn’t mention being happy at work. There’s your opportunity.

Build rapport

It’s challenging to appraise candidates when they say what they think you want to hear. While this scenario is common, it doesn’t help you or the interviewee find the right fit. Your task is to build rapport so that they relax and speak more sincerely.
▪️Smile while calling a candidate. Your voice will convey warmth.
▪️Have a conversation. Many interviews are like a ping pong game of curated questions and stilted answers. While still guiding the interview, encourage the candidate to ask questions and expand on answers. Share job and corporate culture details in a forthright manner.
▪️Ask behavioral questions. Behavioral interviewing helps you learn more about the candidate’s experience. A typical question is, “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an irate client.”
▪️Keep your promises. If you pledge to follow up on interview results, do so even if it’s disappointing news. Candidates will remember that you kept your word and treated them as though they mattered.

Learn what the candidate wants

Nothing pleases candidates more than believing you understand their priorities. Applicants for the same position may have different values and preferences. For example, one candidate may prioritize a sense of workplace mission while another focuses on the benefits package.

Company culture also matters. Does your candidate want a flexible schedule, college tuition reimbursement, or on-site childcare? Avoid giving a rehearsed benefits speech to all interviewees.
If you did your research, then prioritize information for each person.
▪️Prepare a one-page benefits handout that interviewees can take with them.
▪️Ask questions to learn what candidates want.
▪️Listen to what interviewees valued in previous positions and why they left.

Use a CRM to manage relationships

A customer relationship management application, or CRM, is a potent sales tool for recruiters. It centralizes your candidate information, automates routine tasks, and can be customized to your business’ needs.
A good CRM:
▪️frees you up from administrative tasks to focus on active recruiting.
▪️builds prospect and candidate profiles so you can customize outreach throughout the recruiting cycle.
▪️tracks contacts and outcomes, so you always know where you stand with each candidate.
supports standardization of company HR processes and procedures.

Use a sales strategy to recruit top talent

If relationships drive recruiting, then the right sales strategy closes the contract. There are many effective sales strategies that you can adapt to your recruiting strategy. The best options are those that fit your company, market, and business goals.

You wouldn’t approach every client in the same manner, so it makes little sense to approach your candidates that way. You are hiring an individual with a unique set of talents, values, and priorities.

Playing to their unique needs might help you seal the deal.

Ask yourself whether you are consistently achieving great results. To supercharge your performance, you first need to benchmark where you are. Then, adopting the right sales strategy will help you achieve outstanding recruiting results for your firm and candidates.

— Lisa Michaels is a freelance writer, editor and a thriving content marketing consultant from Portland. Being self-employed, she does her best to stay on top of the current trends in business and tech. Feel free to connect with her on Twitter.

• Posted 7.11.20 at 04:59 am by Roy Osing
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June 29, 2020

8 proven ways to quickly and easily grow your business

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8 proven ways to quickly and easily grow your business.

Sources of growth the fast-and-easy way.

As a small business you are generally limited in terms of resources; cash reserves can get depleted, customers can dwindle in numbers and growth in your business is difficult to achieve — in fact in the COVID world, survival is your prime objective.

Here’s a quick way you can get your business back on the growth path.

Set the context for growth by a quick review of your business strategy — Survival and growth should be a function of what overall direction you want to follow based on your basic business.

Take a moment to review the business plan that has worked for you in the past; decide if you want to stay your course or if deviating from it is necessary given the new circumstances you face. It’s ok to make a change; your survival is at stake. And you just may find a new opportunity for your business in the post-pandemic era.

Dumb it down — Keep your approach simple; quick and easy sales is your objective with as little risk and investment as possible. Figure it out on the back of an envelope; it doesn’t have to be fancy just fast.
What demand seems to be there at this moment and how can you morph your basic business to take advantage of it? What assets for you have that can be used for a different purpose?

Some organizations with unused warehouse space launched manufacturing of personal protective equipment when things went sideways. Can you do a similar approach?
Decide how much revenue you need — Calculate how much revenue you need over what timeframe to turn the corner. Have a specific growth target and make it about top line revenue.

Even though the intent is to keep it simple and move fast, it’s important that you know approximately how many sales (and at what price points) you need so you can track your short term performance. You need to know if you’re making progress or not.

Declare your objective and be ok with not knowing how specifically to achieve it. Use ‘I don’t know’ to drive creativity and get your juices flowing.

Be short sighted — Look at short term performance; you don’t really have the luxury of looking far out into the future. Normally I would be recommending a planning horizon of not more than 24 months, however as I’m writing this piece three months into the COVID-19 era I’m now of the opinion that small businesses — no, all businesses — should be looking at what they need to do over the next 24 hours to achieve survival grade performance.

The shorter the planning period the more you have to execute to survive

Be clear on who you need to target — In the midst of chaos it’s really easy to start running all over and chasing opportunities. I’m not saying this is necessarily bad as long as it’s focused on customers you know have the potential to generate the sales you need to keep on breathing.

The easiest growth is achieved from the customers who buy from you repeatedly and often.
You should know who they are when they phone in an order or order something online; if you don’t, start capturing customer information ASAP so you can do everything possible to encourage them to return.

Organic growth is best achieved through the loyal customers you currently serve. Focus on THEM. Trust that with the right value proposition they will do more business with you and tell their friends and family.
Forget about trying to get new customers. If you happen to get some from word-of-mouth that’s ok but don’t try to be proactive. It’s time consuming, risky and takes your eyes off serving your existing base extremely well.

Think ‘fast-and-easy’ — An effective way to choose customers to target is what I call the fast-and-easy method.

It means choosing customers that:

Can be sold quickly — Customers you can get to fast with your current selling methods. If you have to build new sales channels, it will consume energy and precious time that you can ill afford without generating additional revenue.

In addition, as I’ve said elsewhere, it is critical to focus your efforts on the things that matter; those activities that you believe have a good chance at helping to grow your business.

Stick with what you know. Bear down on what you’re good at. Concentrate on customers you know. Ask yourself ‘Is this consistent with fast-and-easy?’ when considering chasing new stuff.

Are ‘close to home’ — In a geographic sense, explore the territory immediately around you before trying to exploit distant ones. If you have a good online presence, stay with the market focus you have.
Exploring new virtual or physical markets — probably with the need to establish new sales channels— can gobble up your time with questionable short term results.

Penetrate and dominate your current markets before you wander afar. This is an area where I’ve seen small business leaders fall flat on their face. They spot something new to do that is interesting and at least theoretically is a good idea and they decide to chase it, reducing the energy that is applied to fast-and-easy activities. They lose on both accounts: the new stuff doesn’t materialize and the current stuff suffers.

The fast-and-easy approach: get sales fast and don’t spend much time to get them.

Don’t need much selling — Where closing a sale can occur relatively quickly and revenue realized soon thereafter. An opportunity requiring a 12-month sales cycle won’t be terribly productive when you are in the survival mode.
Work with clients who will give you revenue tomorrow if you want to hit your sales targets.

And avoid customers who ask for proposals. Responding to the request and waiting for a decision will gobble up precious time you don’t have. The formal sales process is a time consumer; focus on people who are willing to deal you their business based on trust and past success with you.                         

Can give you quality referrals — Again, a short planning period requires closing as many high value deals as possible which generally means getting to deal closure without a lengthy sales preamble. High quality referrals should mean that your brand comes recommended and you can get to the solution presentation quickly.

Just do a few things — It’s critical to focus on doing the right one or two things that will kick in with sales; trying to do too much won’t work. You don’t have the resources or working cycles to pull it off. The secret is to pick a few critical objectives that you believe will give you an 80% chance of hitting your sales needs.

Avoid brainstorming as the way of setting priorities; if an action cannot be directly aligned with generating revenue from your loyal customer base, don’t chase it!

Stop! — It goes without saying that you can’t keep doing stuff that was part of your ‘yesterday’ unless you are absolutely confident it will make the survival sales you need.
Every time you’re tempted to do a comfortable ‘yesterday’ activity, stop and ask yourself whether it is necessary to meet your 24-hour sales goals.
You can’t afford to do unproductive things when you’re fighting for your life.

Yesterday’s relevance is today’s irrelevance.

Know where you are — Measure progress regularly to know if you are on track to hit your survival sales objectives or not. COVID has changed the meaning of time in this regard; you have to know literally every day where you stand. It’s the only way you will know if you have to change your plans on the run.
Pandemic notwithstanding, it takes discipline to grow your business; it doesn’t happen by serendipity.

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

• Posted 6.29.20 at 03:34 am by Roy Osing
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