Leadership is an Active thing

How good are you?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:33:00 +0000

As managers and leaders we often wonder about this question. While the question forces one to focus internally, the irony is that our measure is external.

The measure of how well you are doing is how well your people are doing. That is the ultimate reflection of how we are performing as leaders – how our team is performing. We all provide a function as a leader and manager.

Gregg reminded of a book called “Multipliers” which talks about this. The impact you have on your team is the measure of your success. Can you get your people to give 120%? Can you get them to do more than they could otherwise? This is what we can bring out of our teams. You can think of your role as “5+5” which is of course 10 OR “5x5” which is 25.

When we measure ourselves strictly by our own performance all we look at is “5” – it is limiting and it is not accurate. And by ignoring our people’s performance we are giving it a weight of “0”. And what happens when you multiply something by zero?

So take a moment and see how your people are doing – that is a true measure of how good you are doing as a leader and manager.

A classic story to leave you with which talks about this in a different way:

More than a century ago, a young woman who had dined with both William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli explained why she preferred Disraeli: "When I dined with Mr. Gladstone, I felt as though he was the smartest man in England. But when I dined with Mr. Disraeli, I felt as though I was the smartest woman in England."

The power of creative tension

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:11:00 +0000

Creative tension is one of the key components for improvement.The normal, and a very good, way to visualize this concept is with the following picture:

The top hand represents where we want to be and the bottom hand is where we are. The rubber band is the desire we have to bring our reality to where we want to be.

1) Remember that both hands can move to relieve the tension. We can either improve our reality or change where we want to go. Too often we change where we want to go instead of improving our reality.

2) There are three key parts that we must think about to use creative tension appropriately

a. A good picture of where we want to go.

b. A clear understanding of where we are. This is a key component that we rarely focus on. People think about goals a lot – we all talk about goals a lot. But for creative tension to create improvement we must understand the reality of where we are – we cannot lie to ourselves about our current situation. Only if we accurately assess where we are can we then create the appropriate improvements.

c. Maintaining the desire to close the gap. We must constantly fuel these efforts. Whether it recognition, reminder of the longer term and higher purpose of the goal and creating small wins along the way so that we keep on going, we MUST be committed to continually closing the gap. And the ONLY way to close the gap is to IMPROVE our reality to our GOAL. If we compromise on where we want to go we have simply delayed the work that we must do or accepted substandard performance – neither is acceptable.

Take a moment and think about where you want to be, think about where you really are (and that is key) and recognize creative tension as a powerful force that we need to use to get better. That tension can pull us forward and keep us falling back. Instead of the two hands shown above I sometimes think of creative tension as the following picture:

It is up to us to make sure that the nail is the future we are heading towards and not the current reality pulling us back. Creative tension is a powerful force.

With a strong commitment to the goal, and understanding of where we are and the desire and energy to keep working; it will compel us to great improvements. Understand it, use it and let’s start closing that gap today.

Work smarter....

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:14:00 +0000

(apologize it has been a bit since my last post... I am sure the world has been waiting on pins and needles!)

Was thinking about that phrase “work smarter, not harder” over the last few weeks. It is something you hear all of the time. At its core this phrase generally means do not waste your time on activities that have little value – focus as much as possible on the things that have the biggest impact. And of course there is a lot of insight we can gain from this philosophy.

But there should be a second part of that phrase. It should go “once you know how to work smarter… NOW work harder”. Working smarter is not a desired goal because we can work less – but a desired goal because now we have a better way to work. With working smarter – the more effort we put out the better we get. Look at world class athletes and musicians – they have clearly learned how to focus their energy on high value actions. But they also work harder at perfecting those skills than anyone. Michael Jordan was famous (infamous even) for working harder in practices than he did at games. Jerry Rice’s training routine was legendary for its degree of difficulty. The world’s great musicians spend their day practicing their instruments for HOURS. The obvious point is that to develop the world class performance you not only have to work smarter, you must work harder.

The great news about this is that working harder is something we all can do. We must be willing to put in that focus and energy into that smart work and be willing to push ourselves. The comfort zone and world class performance are rarely ever in the same neighborhood. Comfort should be a signal to try to do something more challenging. As we work and develop we need to work smarter AND harder. We can push ourselves to higher and higher levels of performance – and the fact that it is our effort that contributes to the improvements is both empowering and inspiring.

How focused are we on what area we need to improve? How do we commit to practicing it more? Find something that you need to focus on – and just see what improvements can happen if you just focus on practicing and working harder on that skill for the next few days - deliberate, focused practice is both smart and hard work. Enjoy it because when you do it you are taking control of your performance and improvements. And while that is hard to do – it is also very smart.

ask me no questions

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:20:00 +0000

When we think about communications we often think about what we are saying and sending out – and when we are really focused we even think about listening. I want to share with a communication rule (or trick) – that is very impactful and I always wish I used it more:

9 time out of 10 you will be more impactful with a question than an answer.

When you are talking with anyone we often look to add instead of ask. Questions lead us to solutions – and let us engage others in the discussion.

The next conversation ask before time it is your turn “Can I address this issue with a question rather than a statement?”

We naturally want to add our own two cents – so do not worry about that – the point here is to put the focus on the person you are talking to?

Think of it this way (this is an adaptation of a clichéd story): do you think it is more effective to have them feel like you are the smartest person in the room or have them feel like you think they are the smartest person in the room?

That is a question we all know the answer to.

+1

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 14:14:00 +0000

Just a simple improvement reminder that I wanted to share with everyone.

And yes…it is “+1”. This means always take that one extra step.

Take 30 minutes over the next week and concentrate on adding one to everything you do. Ask one more question from a customer or someone on your team, try to plan just 1% better, do one more bit of follow up, praise one more action or drive to ask what is the one more thing I can do right now to most impact us having a better day.

See what just a small amount of this focus can do to improve your communication, your results and your morale. Imagine if you could do this every day for a week? A month? A year? As you can see “+1” is powerful.

We so often think of the large goals we are aiming for – and that is important. “+1” gives us a way to think about moving things forward and a realistic pace – sometimes in a way that even seems easy! (imagine that)

Take the time, think about “+1” and how it could impact you and your team.

The math and impact is compelling, the concept is simple to execute and share and the results will be amazing.

Five by five

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:55:00 +0000

Five by five is an expression that means your signal (radio etc..) is coming in perfectly strong and clear. It is also referred to as “loud and clear”.

We often forget when communicating to check what message has been received and how clearly. We do not always check that we are “five by five”

In the past I have spoken about asking someone to repeat back their understanding of what we said. Take a moment over the next few days and think about an expectation we have set. Go up to someone on your team and ask them to tell you what that expectation is. If they have – you have communicated. If not, well now we can have a great conversation. Periodically check how your communication is being received by your team. Is it strong and clear enough to stay with them when you check in later? The formula is very simple in this regard – if they know what you intended to send you have communicated that part of it well.

So take some time over the next few days and do a “communication check in” with your people. If you make this a habit the response will soon always be: “five by five”

The best in the room

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:37:00 +0000

I was at a meeting this week – and a person made a comment that I thought was a wonderful communications and leadership lesson. He said “I know I will not be the smartest person in the room, so my goal is to be the best listener in the room”.

The idea of “the best listener in the room” is a great leadership message and powerful communication tool. No one has ever griped “that guy listen too much!”

Whether we are talking with our people and customers – let’s remember that when it comes to making people feel important, connecting with them and finding out what we can do to improve the situation – listening is the best tool we have. If we were talking with someone do we want them to show us how important they are or would we rather they made us feel important? That is the power of being the “best listener in the room”.

A great, powerful, simple communication and leadership tool we can all start doing immediately.

What next step... the sequel

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:55:00 +0000

Last year I spoke about a powerful question. I wanted to bring it up again this year. The question was:

“What next step should I be taking to make my goals happen?”

This little question is so powerful that I wanted to bring it up again. Take a half over the next week and focus on simply asking yourself this question and then doing the answer. This continual focus on this question allows for several things:

- It keeps you focus on the longer term goals, not just the fires

- It is an action oriented mindset

- It naturally breaks down larger goals into smaller achievable tasks – this is key to success for any long term goal

By simply focusing on this questions and the answers to this question you will be unleashing the powerful weapons of strategy, focus and execution with a simple exercise. Now imagine if you can get your people to ask the same question and respond to their answer. Take some time this week to make sure you have communicated this powerful little thought to your team and see what they can do as well.

“What next step….?” is a key to unlocking a great day, one where you can look back and be proud of what you got done. “What next step …?” is the key to giving you the excitement of a new day with even more you will get done.

Ask the question, complete the answer and then commit to asking it again and again. Each little step will push towards a completed goal.

With this powerful question in your hands you can be like a river that shapes the landscape and cuts through mountains – you can be a force of nature. I think this question and attitude is that powerful and important.

“What next step should I be taking to make my goals happen?”

Ask it. Answer it. Do it again and again. Step by step, you will be amazed and amazing.

It’s time for action.

while you're busy making other plans

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:53:00 +0000

“Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans”

This John Lennon quote reveals a powerful idea on management and getting things done that we have touched on before. We often bemoan plans because things never turn out how we, well, planned.

So the obvious next question is why spend so much time planning?

Because plans may be relatively useless … but planning is invaluable. Planning is what gives our action legs. When we have planned something out there is a powerful change.

We go from doing… to doing something. The intent and direction that come from planning is impactful and vital. And most important of all – it prepares us to react and move when (inevitably) things do not go exactly accordingly to plan. Planning allows us to respond – because we are moving with intent.

So when you are thinking through goals, and how you get there, and your days and weeks and what you will do. Take a moment and realize that the act of planning it out is as important and meaningful as the plans themselves. Do not fall to the temptation to short circuit this aspect. Plans change, planning allow us to succeed.

We talk about several concepts that at a surface may seems to be at conflict

The basis of good morale, is good discipline
The key to dynamic changes and improvement is standards for operating
The requirement of flexibility is a solid structure

And I wanted to add a fourth concept: Things never go as we plan…so planning is invaluable. It allows us to think through, be ready and to act with direction and purpose.

So recognize the power of goals – both because they allow us to focus and force us into the powerful act of planning.

And to end with two quotes

“Those who plan do better than those who do not plan even though they rarely stick to their plan” - Winston Churchill (British Prime Minister)

“Plans are worthless. Planning is essential.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower, general and president (1890-1961)

Is it on their radar?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 19:39:00 +0000

Think about a radar…

There is an object that is “out there” – as you move toward it you send out waves and how they bounce back tells you what is out in front of you and around you. Any slight changes in that object get noticed and impact what is bouncing back to the radar. People change their course and actions towards their destination based on these signals that come back.

When it comes to leading this provides a useful thinking tool.

We as a team are heading in a direction. Us, as the leaders are moving towards our goals. Our people look to us and watch everything that we do – we are the object that is :out there” and our people watching us are the are the “waves”. We all think about the big things we want to model – but the radar comparison also reminds us that little things send out changes to what people see as well. Now stop and think for one second – do you spend more time sending out big messages or little messages?

Exactly – our whole day is little messages. So much so that if we take care of the little things, the big things don’t catch us; and if we ignore the little things, the big things come crashing down all over us. This is especially true with the messages we send out with our small words and deeds.

Take 20 minutes over the next few days and think about yourself as the center of your team’s radar. What are they seeing? More importantly, what are the small signals you are sending out? Do any of these signals change their picture enough to make our people change course that moves them away from our goals? Pay attention to these little things – they are the ones that prevent goals from being achieved. The little things and signals are powerful things, both to the positive and negative. Take a few moments from time to time to really zone in on what little signals are being relayed.

Are the small signals we send on our people’s radar?

We better believe it – and we better act like it.

I can name that tune in 1 note...

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:28:00 +0000

As we approach the end of the year and think about goals and objectives – I am reminded of the game show “Name that tune”

The gist of the show was that based on your knowledge and the clues given by the host you would name a song in the fewest notes possible.

So what is the strategic lesson here?

Ken Blanchard talks about goals being “one minute goals” or no more than 250 words – i.e. short enough to be easily read in a minute. If you have never done this – it is a great idea.

Other people talk about one-page strategic plans – an extremely valuable tool.

There is another exercise that always reminded of “Name that tune” – we used to joke and call it “8 is enough”. Went something like this:

1) Think of a strategy, objective or key point you want to focus on.

2) Write down your best thought or description

3) Edit it down to 250 words (thank you one minute manager!)

3) Edit it down to 125 words – look at getting rid of adjectives

4) Take it down to 50 words – Sentences can be chopped and combined; think more about the key you want to communicate and less about composition. No duplication of ideas.

5) Take it down to 25 words – usually this ends up one long sentence.

6) Highlight anything that is a verb or a noun

7) Cut it down to a single phrase that is 8 words or less (it is OK to add in an adjective or adverb here if needed)

I suggest you take the most impactful goal you can think of and walk through this exercise. The process and result give our focus a clarity of thought, and a huge level of impact. “8 is enough” is a worthwhile (and challenging) exercise that I highly recommend.

The end of the year is when we focus on our goals for the next 12 months. When we think of them for our team, it is important that we look to make sure that they can be easily understood, repeated and transmitted. A process like the one above is a great way to push our thinking and communications about goals to the next level.

It may not be as impressive as the one note answers from the game show – but imagine how great our team would perform if they could “Name that goal” in 8 notes or less.

Drill or hole?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:45:00 +0000

Harvard professor Ted Levitt famously pointed out “People don’t buy a quarter-inch drill bit, they buy a quarter-inch hole.”

We often focus on the product or process – or what I will call things. But we must always remember that what things produces is a solution to a need. And we must remember that these “things” are vital, not necessarily because they exist, but because of the job they do for the customer or user.

The process or product is the drill – the need is the hole. Two key points to think about

There is no need for the drill without the hole. We come up with an approach or product to suit the needs of a job – the thing does not exist without the need
Without the drill, the hole would be must harder to create – and almost impossible to insure the right quality or create improvements

Each is extremely important to the other. But the process and solution are distinct entities.

We can focus on the solution and need, while also focusing on better process, or product – because while the needs that we have to achieve are pretty consistent, the tools we can employ can, should and must always change and improve. We can shape and craft the tools and approaches we use so we constantly get better at getting the job done.

Look around your world today and ask… what jobs are these people looking to get filled? How would a customer answer? How about an employee? How about your supervisor? A vendor? How about each of us? How about yourself?

So let’s make sure that while we are using the best drills, we remember that our focus, and purpose, is the hole we are trying to make.

It don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing….

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:45:00 +0000

I wanted to review two key tenets that we have discussed before

Discipline is the basis of morale
Standards are the basis of improvement

Wanted to add a third rule to this… structure and schedule are the basis of flexibility and improvisation. We need to create a rhythm to our work world. If we have a rhythm, we can make changes as needed during the day. If we have no established structure and schedules (or rhythm for short) than we have made it hard to a) adapt to new situations and b) to get things back on track after something new has come up.

Whether it is a music band, a sports team or a work team – you have to develop a rhythm of how you work. This allows everything to flow together. You cannot wake up one day and expect it to be there. Any more than a band that gets together for its first practice would expect everything to be in the same time the first go round, or a sports team to anticipate each other’s moves in a first practice. This rhythm is essential to achieving excellence – and is something that must be deliberately worked on.

The key point to remember here is this: You have to work to create a structure, schedule and rhythm. And the good news/bad news is – we can never stop working on it. if we are doing great, we need to keep it up, if we are having some challenges – well we have to keep it up.

Checklists, calendars and regular meetings/updates are all part of how we establish rhythm.

Standards, expectations and schedules help us make rhythm habitual.

Debriefing and reviewing lessons learned are also a part of establishing and improving rhythm.

And this type of structure than gives us the power to:

To adapt to anything that comes up in a positive way
Frees us to focus on how we can be better; as opposed to simply how we keep going.

The more structure and systems we can put in our day, the more freely we can address the challenges in front of us and the opportunity ahead of us.

Discipline, standards, structure and schedules = Morale, improvement and rhythm.

That is our winning formula.

What's for Breakfast?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:16:00 +0000

We often think of goals and objectives as key. And of course they are vital. As the cliché goes (roughly) “if you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there.” So over the next few weeks we will be talking about objectives and direction a good bit.

But there is an important internal check we must think about, and honestly assess before we begin the crucial, direction setting work that is goals and objectives. And that is about getting our words and actions in line with one another. When our words and actions are reflections of one another, we are in alignment. If they do not match up, we are out of alignment.

A company’s whose culture is in alignment is a powerful thing. And conversely if we are out of alignment, it is very difficult to move forward positively. There is another remark that is almost a cliché that is normally attributed to management guru Peter Drucker:

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

So before we worry about the direction we head, if we do not want to get eaten for breakfast (and who does?) we should take a moment and think the words and actions of our culture.

What areas if we were out of alignment would be the most damaging? What areas do we have the best alignment? Our ability to think about these questions, and then address them together is a crucial job for all of us.

So take a moment, and let’s think about our foundation, which is our culture. What values to we say we have? What values do we act out every day? Where we are out of alignment we are weak and it makes it hard to build. If you ever see any of us acting out of alignment, it is vital – and required – to let us know. We must be each other’s check and balance for keeping our actions and words in line.

But where and when our alignment strong, watch out world, because from there we can build something powerful and strong together. We must also point out to each other when we are getting it right so we can aggressively build on success.

So we, as managers and leaders, must spend a lot of time talking about where we are heading – which is to say our objective. But to make sure that we are not “eaten for breakfast” we should take a moment, and make sure that the foundation we are building from is strong and built from both our actions and words.

Actions and words, in line and in harmony with each other – this will be our breakfast of champions.

Vision = objective = to dos

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:57:00 +0000

A quick thought ....

Often we think of vision, execution and to-do lists as distinct.

David Allen (of "Getting Things Done" fame) defines a project as an objective to achieve. I think visions are the same. (check out his website for books, newletters etc... I am a big fan - http://www.davidco.com/)

And once we have an objective to achieve defined, it is on us to begin putting down tasks to accomplish this vision. (http://bit.ly/95O28w - - a nice column from USA today on a business plan as a business tool not just a financing presentation - sent to me by http://www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp - also a great service)

Resist the temptation to look at tasks and tasks planning as menial work. Instead recognize that it is the point, and function, of making strategy happen. Strategy and objectives exist for the purpose of execution, not the other way around. Think of it this way... if you stopped strategic planning tomorrow you could still be successful and operate as a business and person for a long time. If you stopped executing tomorrow... well you have stopped.Do not get me wrong ... strategy, objectives and vision are vital aspects of business and leadership. I just want to make sure that we have them in the proper perceptive ... they are servants to execution not masters. Have a dream, have a vision, but remember Thomas Edison's famous quote "Vision without execution is hallucination."

We often flip the importance of vision, strategy and execution, which may be why we so often complain about not getting things done.

A nice editorial from USA Today that talks about a business plan as a business tool that leads to tasks and to-do lists as opposed to simply a VC financing tool - http://tiny.cc/n6634

Are you a model?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:31:00 +0000

References to small talk and pick-up lines notwithstanding, the answer to the question of “Are you a model?” is simple and powerful.

YES. YES. YES.

As a leader, your team looks at everything you do (and don’t do) as a model of how they should be, act, and what they should think is important.

You are a model with every action you take. As we have done in the past, think about the example you want to set. Then observe yourself for a day and then ask yourself…how well did I model the example that I wanted to set?

We model what we think, value and want with every action from the moment we walk in, until we leave. Take some time and think about how powerful of a tool that is. We can send a resounding message about our values and goals every day, in a powerful way, that is impossible to ignore. Embrace the power of being a model and use it to lead your team.

We do it every day, imagine how powerful it can be if we focus on using this reality as the powerful force that it is.

So imagine the example you want the team to act on, imagine the attitude you want them to have … and then be a model. They are watching, and looking to follow – let’s be intentional, positive and powerful in how we choose to lead. You are a model every day, choose to be the one you want to be.

Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:14:00 +0000

A quick thought today….

Superheroes have sidekicks that are as important and well known as they are. They are sometimes sounding boards, sometimes saviors and sometimes they need to be saved. But to be sure the superhero of the story would not be the same, and worse off, without them.

Do we treat the people we work with as though they are just as valuable?

If you are the hero of your day (and you are), take a moment and thank your team that supports you and makes you better. And remembers the rules of thanks and praise:

Be timely: go out and give them the feedback right at the moment they are doing something great
Be specific: the more specific the better. General and generic compliments get put into a general and generic bucket. We want better, we should give better.
Be excited: remember your attitude, voice, body language and emotions give out 92% of the messages people receive. Do not ignore your energy and attitude when you are thanking and praising your team
Be positive: Focus on the positives. Do not worry about coaching and correcting. Be positive and be done.

So remember, take a moment today and thank the “sidekicks” that make you the “hero”. They could be helping anyone be better, but they are helping us so we should thank them.

Take the easy way out

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:04:00 +0000

A word, or reminder, about improvements.

When we think improvements, we are almost always pulled toward the most complex, thorniest problem. And, not surprisingly, it is quite difficult to come up with a solution.

Instead I want to push you to think about the opposite of this approach. What is the quickest and easiest way I can do my work, or approach an issue? This may mean taking just the smallest, or first aspect of a major issue, even if it seems trivial. And instead of searching for a perfect solution, just ask yourself the following “what is the easiest way to get this done?”. And then start. By following the quick and easy formula you will unearth a lot more ideas, a lot more improvements and you will see things get going. Improvements and ideas are as much an action or a habit as it is a thing. By looking for quick and easy ideas you can build a lot of momentum towards success. Also, because they are small, and easily done by you and your team, you can get past internal resistance that accompanies so much change. When we look at a huge problem, we can feel overwhelmed with the enormity of the challenge. Quick and easy solutions allow us to get past that resistance and start doing. And once you start going, then you will see it is harder to stop than keep going.

A few of the basic rules for quick and easy improvements is

1) Internal: You should be able to do the improvement yourself (no need for outside help or approval – if you need that your idea is too complicated, it may be a good idea … but a different type of good idea)

2) Focus on ease: It should make your work easier. An improvement that will help you or your people do a task quicker and easier.

3) Quantity first: The goal is continual quantity – that will build quality. Because these are small and easy solutions to implement, their impact will be seen quickly and if they do not work they can be rolled back. Perfection should not be a goal.

4) Think small: Remember easy is the goal here – the smaller and faster the scope of solution the quicker and easier it will be

5) Purposeful Be aware of the improvements and what you are trying to do. Without this you are in trouble. Ann improvement without awareness of it or purpose is a formula for chaos. With awareness and purpose, you have a powerful tool in your hands.

So take a few moments today or tomorrow, and look for ways to make things easier. If you were to simply look with your team and find 5 quick and easy improvement every week or so it would take no time to see a huge impact on your work. “Taking the easy way out “ often implies a cop out. I just wanted to remind everyone that in the right context it can also be a great strategy for improvement.

Double Down

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:19:00 +0000

In blackjack it is called “doubling down”, in craps it is “pressing” or “maximizing odds”, but the simple gist is that the player has an opportunity to risk more chips to win more. The way this works out in the real world is that when the player has an advantage, they use these strategies to try to win the most that they can. This is considered basic strategy in the gaming world. But there is a valuable lesson for all of us to learn here.

There are moments in life where we have an advantage, usually when we are using the skills we know we are good at. The temptation is to not focus on these moments (because hey…we are good at it right?). And that action, that failure to look for when we can use our strengths best and more often, is the mistake. What the casino teaches us is that if we do not look to “press” these situations, we are literally leaving money on the table.

Take a moment and think about when you are really great. What moments do you shine? What are the skills that allow you to do that?

When you use these skills you are “doubling down”. And you have increased the odds of success, and a big payout. Think of these skills, and take a few moments later today and spend a half hour consciously trying to apply those skills to every situation. When you play to your strengths you are giving yourself the best chance of success, or “maximizing odds”. It is obvious statement, but I bet we all would be amazed at the amount of time we spend NOT playing where we are strongest.

So take a half-hour and “double down”, really focus on using your strengths actively and purposefully. I bet you will be amazed at the return. Good luck.

How would you like that prepared?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:51:00 +0000

The other day at lunch someone was asked that standard question “how would you like that prepared?”

I thought about that question as it pertains to work. The parallels to me were striking (warning: there may be some groan inducing comments below)

- If we prepare just a little and then get the work out the door – our chance of success and improvement is Rare.

- If we prepare the same as everyone else, we should expect the chances of success to be about the same as everyone else or Medium.

- If we take the time and prepare more than everyone else – we have insured that our most likely result is a job Well Done.

So we should take a moment each day, and think about what we have coming up that is key to our success and achieving our goals. Then look at your calendar and check to see if you have set time aside to prepare? We all think to prepare, but if we do not schedule time to do the preparation then life gets in the way, and we scramble just to barely get enough done. Take a moment, look at the major tasks that our key to our success, and make sure that you have scheduled in a ton of preparation time. This is an investment that will pay off.

Whenever you are looking at getting something done ask yourself “have I schedule enough time to over prepare for this?” When you add this to your routine you will have learned a valuable lesson that will lead to continued improvement and success.

The lesson: be prepared, in fact be over-prepared. It is the key ingredient to a job well done.

(sorry…couldn’t resist one last one!)

Question: how can you tell if your customers are satisfied?

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:09:00 +0000

Answer: look at your team.

Just wanted to remind everyone of the simple rule that is the key to monitoring and improving the service we give our customers. The more satisfied and loyal our team is, the more satisfied and loyal our customers will be.

Remember, satisfaction and loyalty does not mean that they “like you”. But it does mean that they like working with (and for) you. It means that they know they are appreciated, know how they are doing and know the expectations for them and the whole team. If your team is happy and satisfied, they will treat our customers like gold, if they are not… well you can see where that will lead us.

This is a simple rule that I know we all have heard and thought before, but it bears repeating because it is so impactful.

How we treat our team is how they treat our customers. Every chance we interact with one of our people it is not only a chance to make them better, but it is a moment to vastly improve our customers’ experience. Take a moment and look around at your people. What you see in their body language, their attitude and performance is a reflection to our customers of who we are.

It is powerful, impactful and in our control; so take a moment, think about out it, and take advantage of it.

How we treat our team is how they treat our customers….know it, use it, own it.

Go ahead, make yourself uncomfortable

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:25:00 +0000

“Make yourself uncomfortable” is a powerful rule when it comes to excellence and management. When you are in a decision mindset, you must fight the temptation to immediately look for resolution and agreement. Instead you should seek out areas of discomfort and possible conflict and follow that lead. If you are reviewing steps you have to take in getting something done, look to which one you have the most discomfort about and address it first. Now a quick word on what I mean by discomfort. I am not talking about a lack of confidence or certainty that comes from doing something we are not competent at – this is called trying something new and learning. That is a totally different discussion.

Being uncomfortable has to deal with finding conflict, having tough discussions and making hard decisions. And the rule is simple: when in doubt, seek discomfort out. The more you do this, the better you will be. It is that straightforward. That is the good news.

The bad news? Well… seeking uncomfortable situations is not always fun. In fact, it rarely is fun at the moment. But what you achieve by doing this is always better and always pushes you closer to excellence. And THAT is fun. I can tell you in my own life when I follow this rule of thumb, the results always get better. As I said above, it is not always easy, but it is always well worth it.

So take a moment, think and look around, and then go ahead – make yourself uncomfortable. It will not be the easiest thing you do all day, but it probably will be one of the best.

Run your day...

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:21:00 +0000

Or it will run you. There are two aspects to running your day that I wanted to touch on briefly. These are attitude and Planning.

Attitude is a very simple idea… a simple idea that is very hard to execute. When things go wrong or get out of control, we all get angry, frustrated, illogical and a whole host of other emotions. These emotions have the ability to completely trample us down if we let them.

“If we let them” is the key phrase. Getting out of control is something that we let happen to us. By definition it means that we have let things get out of our control. So when you feel these emotions coming on there are three things you need to do.

1) Be aware of it. Awareness of emotions is one of the great (and underrated) leadership skills. Learn to recognize when emotions are overwhelming your situation. If you do not spot this coming on, you will not be able to react until too late.

2) Remove yourself and breathe. Whatever is going on, call a timeout. If you can physically remove yourself than you should, if you cannot do that then figure out a way to slow down. Then take a second and take a deep, deep breath. Breathe in for six seconds, hold your breath for a count of two or so, and then breathe out for seven seconds. This is a trick athletes use to get their emotions in control during a game. It may sound hokey and new age-y, but try it the next time you are getting worked up and then you can make fun of it.

3) Small first step. Look around and see what is going on and then take the first, and smallest, positive step towards moving to a solution that you can find. Whether that is writing down possible solutions, listing out the possible causes or even writing down rewards you may enjoy once you have resolved the issue, it is key to take a positive step forward. A simple reminder that you are able to control your situation.

This last point reminds us of the second part of running your day. That is planning.

If you do not have a plan to your day, then – in short – you have no chance. You will get pulled around, and pushed around in every direction, every day. Take 5 minutes over the next few days, and think about how you approach your day.

Do you have a plan of attack? Can you describe a structure to your day? Do you know where you and your people are supposed to be and when?

The more concrete the answer to these questions, the more structure you have to your day. And the more structure you have to your day, the more you can be on top of, get done, and respond to.

We all think we have an approach to our day and time. And many times we do, but I urge you to take a moment and think about what structure and blueprint you bring to your day. When you build a house you have a blueprint and a plan. Our approach to running our days should be the same.

Take a moment and review the blueprint and plan you have for every day. Always good to review how you approach this vital task. Every day we wake up and face the challenge of getting the most out of those 24 hours.

Will you run that 24 hours or will it run you? With the right attitude and plan you know that the answer.

I also wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a wonderful Independence Day weekend. This is always a wonderful time to reflect on the blessings we have in our lives. We live in a country that allows us all to express our thoughts and intentions, not as silent hopes, but as audible and visible actions bound only by our ability to dream and willingness to act. The United States of America allows us the opportunity to act and take on the challenge of building a better life for ourselves and our families.

We should be grateful; grateful that we live in such a nation that allows each and every one of us to act and lead. We are blessed to live in a world that allows us an unfettered option to dream, and act upon that dream. This is an opportunity we should be appreciative of, and work to make it better now and for the generations that follow.

When I say jump...

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:58:00 +0000

“How High?”

We have all heard this at one time or another. It is usually associated with someone making it clear who is the boss.

But I have often thought of this quote in parallel to the following famous vaudeville joke:

Q. How’s your wife?

A. Compared to what?

Both of these well-know and overused clichés hit at the same central point. That in order to succeed and improve you must have a standard to compare your performance to.

That is why the correct response to the “boss” who says “jump!” is not bending our legs and powering up, but is instead an emphatic request for clarification on the standard I have to meet to be successful. The same point is made in the old joke. Obviously, this is not the only point either quote makes, but they both point out this vital point.

This vital aspect is the idea that improvement comes from setting a standard. It is the basis for improvement, much like discipline is the basis for morale as we discussed last week. Without a standard, improvement is a haphazard, wandering effort that is difficult to spot, harder to measure and impossible to maintain. With a standard improvement is easy to see, measure and maintain. Which is the world you would want to work in?

So when you look around, stop and ask “if I asked everyone to ‘Jump’ would they know how high”? Anywhere that the answer is not 100% locked down there is a great opportunity to set the stage for continued improvement.

A myth about discipline

noreply@blogger.com (Ross Kogon) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 19:02:00 +0000

I want to address a myth today. Lots of people talk about discipline and morale. If you talk with people or type the words into Google you will see a lot of references to the relationship between the two factors. And the generally accepted wisdom says that the relationship to discipline and morale looks something like:

So in short, the more discipline you have (or create) the less morale you must have in an organization. This comes from the negative connotation of discipline. Resulting largely to the association we have tied to discipline with punishment. I could make comments about this probably starts when we are children … but let’s not get into that. The point here is that people confuse discipline with punishment and have therefore turned it into a negative thing.

However, what discipline is in reality is setting of standards, and working with people to make sure we meet those standards. It is creating the expectations, and setting the conditions to make those expectations happen. It encompasses the entire range of things we do to coach and make our people better.

If we look at discipline we see that, in fact, all of the components of discipline are the key pieces to improving morale – which is the exact opposite of what we have been conditioned to believe! If we have true discipline the relationship looks like:

But we have to remember that discipline is more than just punishment. It is the system for setting, teaching and reinforcing our performance to those standards. But when we approach discipline correctly, contrary to the common myth, discipline CREATES MORALE. Look around your world and see where you think morale could be better. You will see that the discipline in that area is always less than you want.

Therefore the recipe for the solution is simple. Just add a real system of discipline and improved performance and morale will surely follow.