Fortune Group Blog

Being a buddy, not the boss (Part 7 of 13)

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:51:05 GMT

So often managers want to be an employee's buddy out of work hours, then attempt to manage them in the work environment, and the employee will not allow it. It’s an either-or situation: be the buddy or the manager. Successful hybrids don’t exist in such a situation. As a guide to your employee-manager relations, think of this: Never do anything with an employee that you wouldn’t do with your company's number one customer.

Concentrating on problems not objectives (Part 6 of 13)

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:37:37 GMT

We call the opposite of concentrating on our problems and losing sight of our objectives "creativity." Creativity fails us when we become absorbed in problems and ignore the end results we want to obtain. Creativity dies, or at least withers, until we shift our attention back to our objective. In our opinion creativity in business can best be defined as "the ability to understand the forces impacting upon us, and being able to utilise those forces as a means of reaching our objective."

Managing everyone the same way (Part 5 of 13)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:41:24 GMT

Wise managers make the effort to get with their people one-to-one when dealing with specific problems or issues. They also remain highly ‘aware’ and available. When employees are angry, dejected or tense, they pick up on that and steer them somewhere they’re able to talk in private.

Failure to manage ourselves (Part 4 of 13)

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:51:22 GMT

So far in this series we’ve covered two managerial pitfalls. Now we come to probably the single most evasive challenge for all managers; namely the importance of managing ourselves and the consequences when we don’t.

Having a we/they attitude (Part 3 of 13)

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 06:53:19 GMT

When speaking about any part of the organisation there should only be one pronoun used, ‘we’. There should never be a ‘they’. But if a manager is to use a they, then they, by necessity, must be the people they manage.

Attitudes in any company are highly contagious and must be managed correctly. Ensure that you and your team develop and maintain healthy attitudes.

Failure to accept personal accountability (Part 2 of 13)

Tue, 29 May 2012 00:51:47 GMT

In business, everything begins and ends with the quality of leadership and the quality of management. And in order to work effectively, management must be accountable. There are two actions in life: performance and excuses. Make a decision as to which of these you will accept from yourself – and from the people you manage.

Major mistakes managers make (Part 1 of 13)

Tue, 08 May 2012 23:55:44 GMT

To our mind, the quality of management and leadership is the single most important ingredient in the recipe for business success. So how would you like to sharpen your leadership and managerial skills by avoiding the common mistakes managers make with the people they manage? Over succeeding posts we're going to give you 12 of the truly classic mistakes.

Three key elements of sales strategy (Part 5 of 5)

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:34:48 GMT

The organisation's tolerance for change is the most important factor in determining how quickly it will move through the purchasing cycle. That's why salespeople must be change agents; you/we are in the business of inducing people to change.

Defining objectives: The foundation of sound sales strategy (Part 4 of 5)

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:59:09 GMT

Before you initiate any sales process, regardless of whether you have direct access to the buying team, ask yourself: What's my purpose? By identifying one, it forces you to think about your environment, drawing upon the knowledge outlined in the previous posts, and what you need to do to transfer your belief in your solution throughout the rest of the target organisation.

The three people on buying teams: What every salesperson must know (Part 3 of 5)

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:48:46 GMT

It's crucial to understand the types of people that make up a buying team, in terms of the roles they play, and the forces impacting upon them. With this knowledge, you can create an effective sales strategy for your prospect that will address the different needs and motivations of the buying team members.

The purchasing cycle: A core construct to improving sales creativity (Part 2 of 5)

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:15:06 GMT

When making a major purchase, the vast majority of organisations (public, private, small and large) go through a process that is comprised of a series of sequential steps that inform their decisions. Although much of the content of the process is unique to each organisation, the structure of the process can be distilled to some universal basics that are shared amongst all. Even with a very general understanding of where the prospect's organisation is in this cycle and the forces impacting upon them, you will glean invaluable information that will support and enhance your creativity.

The four steps to help your prospect sell internally (Part 1 of 5)

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:40:20 GMT

In a perfect world, salespeople would always be able to communicate directly with whoever has the purchasing authority. Unfortunately it's not unusual for the authority to go out of their way to shield themselves behind gatekeepers.

Whilst selling to a customer who doesn't possess purchasing authority is not ideal, it’s often the norm and there are certainly ways that you can help your prospect/contact sell internally... and thus help you make the sale.

Happy holidays from Fortune

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:53:55 GMT

A holiday message from The Fortune Group – looking back on the last year and ahead into 2012.

Not all experience is created equal – here's the type to look for

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 22:43:26 GMT

The longer you've worked, the more experience you have, the more qualified you are. Or so the theory goes.

Generally speaking, the theory holds. But not for the reason that most people assume.

It comes down to how you interpret "experience", and for any manager or leader, it's a critical distinction to make.

Perfect at your peril

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:19:31 GMT

Voltaire is quoted as saying, "Perfect is the enemy of good."

The principle applies to all walks of life, and today we look at how it relates to your business and innovation efforts.

Shun the status quo by harnessing the wisdom of the anthill

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:13:50 GMT

As managers attain more and more seniority, they generally become more and more wedded to the status quo. It's a mindset that can cripple entire companies... if allowed to spread.

How can leaders ward off the status quo? It starts with spurring growth and innovation by harnessing the wisdom of the anthill.

Are your people swimming through peanut butter?

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:25:08 GMT

In describing the challenges facing her company, a senior manager once said to us, "Trying to get things done around here is like swimming through peanut butter."

It's a perfect visual representation of active inertia, a dangerous state for any organisation to fall into. What is active inertia? What are its causes? And how can businesses avoid it? Read this week's blog to find out.

Bud Boughton: For creative organisations, "it's an all-hands-on-deck mentality"

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:19:08 GMT

This week we complete our conversation with Bud Boughton, a sales coach and leadership development consultant, as we look at how leaders can encourage a culture of action and risk taking within their organisations. And from whom exactly does a business' creativity come?

Questioning Christine Nixon's decision: trust versus oversight

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 18:59:48 GMT

As with Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation, the Christine Nixon saga has provided yet another opportunity to consider the ultimate accountability that leaders must bear.

The episode also surfaces a balancing act that every leader must strike: At what point does an event's urgency supersede whatever trust a leader has in their people to get the job done on their own? In other words, when should a leader take a more hands-on role?

We want to hear from you! Please provide your take in the comments of this week's blog.

Bud Boughton: "It's not enough for leaders to think creatively"

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:23:58 GMT

Over the next few weeks, we sit down with Bud Boughton, a long-time customer and advocate of The Fortune Group, who now acts as a sales coach and leadership development consultant.

This week we discuss Bud's views on the current state of leadership, specifically in regards to not only thinking creatively, but putting their ideas into action.

Why managers must (sometimes) be problem solvers

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 18:26:58 GMT

We've recently stressed that managers must develop and strengthen their people so they can solve their own problems. That's because until they can do so, managers won't be able to fulfill their core purpose of creating a business that can literally function (and prosper) in their absence.

HOWEVER... there is a caveat to add to this point, because as a manager, there actually are times when you should act as the problem solver.

At News Corp, who exactly is "sorry"... and accountable?

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:41:39 GMT

Failure to accept personal accountability is a fatal error for any leader, and in the wake of the phone hacking scandal that's engulfed News Corp, Rupert Murdoch gets no free pass on this. By passing the buck to others, he misses the mark on Leadership 101 and threatens to undermine his entire organisation.

Is trust earned or given? There should be no debate

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:23:23 GMT

We've had the debate a thousand times with managers: Is trust earned or given? Micromanagers are generally a lost cause; they adamantly believe that trust must be earned. But even some really great managers see this as a true dilemma, as if it was a chicken and egg scenario with no right answer. But to us, there is a right answer.

Read this week's blog on how we believe managers should handle the "trust issue".

The perils of Management OCD – an undesirable management malady

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:47:13 GMT

Although we say that managers must act as problem finders and givers (and not as problem solvers), some managers take it to such an extreme that they nitpick every last detail of their people's work. Popularly, we know these managers as micromanagers. But at Fortune, we like to say that they're suffering from Management OCD – and it's a malady that strikes far too many managers.

Anecdotally, we all know that micromanagers create problems for themselves and the organisation. But what are they? Today we dissect the two biggest problems and how they can be so damaging.

Why managers rob their people and business of growth opportunities

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 20:01:02 GMT

Ask any leader or manager if they want to rob their people and business of growth opportunities and of course they'll tell you that they don't. But the reality is that many unintentionally do just that! Unintentional or not, it's a serious problem. We look not only at how it happens, but more importantly, two reasons why it happens.