The Monday Morning Quarterback has a lot of competition.

Hiding behind the screen gives the critic confidence.  Jumping on the bandwagon is a popular pastime and criticism is becoming a very crowded place.  When the work is easy, anyone can do it.

This can make the heckler angry.  The critic doesn’t like to be irrelevant. So they yell a little louder to cut through the noise.  Shock effect that doesn’t have a shelf life.

The better alternative?

Go do something that matters.  Create, develop, deliver, serve, support, help, risk, learn, grow, add, adapt, adjust, evolve…do!

The world needs your gifts. Your contribution.  Your art.

There is plenty of important work to go around.

There will always be people with an opinion watching from the sidelines and waiting to offer up their criticism.

Those willing to challenge the status quo, serve as a catalyst for change and do something remarkable often face the harshest criticism.

They also make the most meaningful impact.

Seems like the kind of work worth doing.

I recently shared a few thoughts about the C Suite & HR relationship:

What Does The C Suite Want From HR?

This week I had the opportunity to continue the conversation with Peter Clayton on a Total Picture Radio podcast.  Here is the link:

The Relationship Between the C Suite & HR

I look forward to total immersion into the 2012 HR agenda at The Big Show this June.  If you are an HR practitioner driving change and navigating the challenges of this complex business landscape the SHRM experience is a can’t miss.

Tom Brokaw will be there.  Jim Collins.  Condaleeza Rice.  Even Jerry Seinfeld is getting into the act!

Hope to see you in the ATL!

I opened my eyes 5 minutes before the alarm clock sounded.  5:25 a.m.  Atlanta.  Still half-asleep.  I was into the third day of a 3 city, 3 keynote speeches on 3 different topics stretch.  Time to help a national sales organization kick of their annual Sales Summit.  We finished our sound check around 7:30.  Attendees were starting to fill the room to an upbeat playlist.  Coffee.  Breakfast.  Name tags.  Networking.  You know the drill.

My client, the CMO of the organization walked over, smiled nervously and asked if I was ready.  I smiled and answered in the affirmative.  Then she added:

“Ryan, you better be good.”

I understood.  Incur the expense of bringing your entire national sales organization into downtown Atlanta for 3 days and you want to get the party started properly.  That was my job.  90 minutes to offer some inspiration that leads to action and outcomes.  Time to make a difference.

I have heard it before.  John Jorgenson, Director of Illinois SHRM State Council was evaluating keynote speakers at the National Conference in San Diego a year ago.   A few minutes before my session started he approached me for a quick introduction. We shook hands. John added:

“Ryan, don’t suck.”

Got it.  A colleague suggested he attend my session.  He isn’t going to get that hour of his life back.  That hour needs to matter.  John was dead on right.

{sidebar: I didn’t suck.  John hired me.  We have been friends ever since we met in San Diego.}

 I know I need to deliver an exceptional experience every time out.  That is my job.  The expectations are clear.  The pressure to perform comes with the territory.

I don’t think that makes my job unique. Today, everyone is faced with elevated expectations and increasing pressure to deliver extraordinary performance and results.

In the new economy and world of work it really is this simple:

You better be good.  You better bring your A game.  You better not suck.

Seth Godin will tell you that if you’re an average worker you’re going straight to the bottom.

Next generation leaders are making people strategy a priority and part of a progressive strategy is an ongoing effort to ensure you have the right people in the right jobs.  Adjustments and upgrades are mandatory.

This means you have to compete and succeed daily in delivering more value than the alternative choice (the next guy or the outsourced and likely cheaper option to do whatever it is you do).  Tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us.  We earn it through exceptional performance.

That might be hard for some people to accept.  That might not be fair.  That might be different than what we expected.  That might make you feel angry, anxious, uncertain and overwhelmed.

That doesn’t matter.  This is our new reality.

Tom Friedman will tell you that average is officially over (he sheds some light on what to do about it in this video).

This is the exact moment in time that demands we become the very best of who we are capable of becoming.

The opportunity exists for the GameChanger who steps up, challenges the status quo, makes bold choices, inserts themselves into the chaos and creates something new.

That might seem inconvenient.  Or really hard.

It’s better than the alternative.

I rarely watch professional sports.  However, this past week was an exception.

Man down with flu I started out trying a little Television and the programming was so abysmal I quickly moved to a steady diet of ESPN and College/Pro hoops.  This put me front and center for the Friday night headliner between the LA Lakers and NY Knicks in Madison Square Garden.  Enter the underdog.  With a fever and wrapped in a blanket I was literally moved to my feet multiple times bearing witness to what is now being described as Linsanity.  Thank you Jeremy Lin.

If you haven’t heard the story, Jeremy Lin is a 23 year old rookie sensation who has taken the world of professional basketball by storm. The Harvard graduate was hardly projected to make his mark on the NBA.  Undrafted, he was cut by two teams as recently as December before the Knicks picked him up for what should have been a season watching in warm ups at the end of the bench.  At least that is what most of the so called experts, analysts and people paid to evaluate talent would have had you believe up until a few weeks ago.

In Jeremy’s own mind he was just waiting for his opportunity.  He had been overlooked and under appreciated before.  This was familiar territory.  He was fine with the odds stacked against him.  He would be ready when it was his time.  Yes he would.

On Friday night he faced off with arguably the best basketball player on the planet in Kobe Bryant on basketball’s most famous stage.  Jeremy was 11 years old when Kobe won his first NBA Championship.  11.  So, how did the Rookie fare?

He didn’t flinch.  In fact, he attacked and lead his team to victory (scoring 38 points) over Kobe and The Lake Show. Fun to watch someone stare down such seemingly superior competition and play so fearlessly.  Intimidated? Not for a second.  He holds the very powerful self belief that he belongs and actually seemed to relish in the opportunity to prove it by taking on the best in the world and kicking their ass.  He loves to compete and win.  That doesn’t make him arrogant. He is actually incredibly humble offering respect to his opponents and deferring much of the praise and accolades he receives to teammates and coaches.

The story is so popular because it actually is quite incredible by NBA standards.  Additionally, it is hard not to root for the underdog and share in the jubilation when a guy most people counted out emerges victorious.  In part because most of of us have been there.  Overlooked.  Under appreciated.  Passed up. Rejected.  In need of an opportunity.  Just one real chance.

The Jeremy Lin story offers a compelling case study on competition and confidence with valuable lessons for anyone competing for a job, sale or kitchen tabling it to chase the dream.

This isn’t just an athlete playing a sport.  This is a recent college graduate who faced intense competition in the job market (and has been fired twice already). This is a young man working in an incredibly demanding industry with limited experience and what many experts claimed was inadequate skills for the position (his so happens to be point guard for the NY Knicks). This is a story about someone who is thriving against the odds in large part because he simply believed he would, put in the work and seized his moment.

Self belief is powerful.  When you are making art (doing your very best work) you have to believe.  The competition is formidable.  The hecklers are present. The setbacks are hard. Art requires courage which is defined as: The quality of mind that enables one to face danger with confidence, resolution and firm control of oneself.

Confidence, resolution and firm control of oneself.  This kid has it in spades and he takes it into his arena of competition to make his art and take on adversaries that are stronger, faster, more experienced and better than he is.

Just don’t tell him that.  Waste of time.  He isn’t going to listen.

He simply plans on going out to compete and win.

A few weeks ago he posted this status update on his Facebook page:

“Everytime I try to get into Madison Square Garden, the security guards ask me if I’m a trainer. LOL.”

I have a feeling he isn’t going to be having that problem anymore.

A little inspiration for all of us that compete as the underdog.

“I decided tonight I want to be a professional salesman.”

A big decision.  Particularly for a freshman in College.  He was winding down that first year.  Learning.  Growing.  Experimenting.  Tonight he shifted to a place of commitment.

His words moved me.  I truly felt inspired as we continued our conversation about his life choice and next steps.

I was meeting him for the first time last Thursday evening following my keynote to several hundred college students at Northern Illinois University. The content was focused on Accelerating the Transition from Campus to Sales Career.

This kid and so many of his classmates  are going to become BIG producers.  They have a huge head start thanks to the cutting edge professional sales curriculum offered at NIU.  They also have so much of the right stuff inside them.

In partnership with event host CDW I had the privilege of sharing a few ideas with these students to help jump start their transition into a successful sales career.  No doubt the class of 2012 is graduating into a climate of economic uncertainty and anxiety about the future. There is intense competition for every job.  There is intense competition for every sale.  These students know this and embrace it.  I actually believe it represents their most significant opportunity to compete and win.

These students/soon to be rookie sales representatives don’t have bad habits. The Sales 2.0 movement is transforming the professional selling landscape mandating a skills and competency upgrade perfectly suited to this next generation of sellers.  When the game changes enter a new generation of GameChangers. They are more prepared than you think, less entitled than rumored and ready to compete for your job and your client roster. They don’t see their limited experience as a barrier or disadvantage.  They might just be right.

Just about every student attending the event stayed around for the networking.  They had questions for me.  Wanted to connect with CDW and genuinely seemed interested in connecting with each other around a night dedicated to their future.  I couldn’t help but wonder how many veteran salespeople routinely sacrifice a Thursday night (or any night) and come out pocket for professional development and some hardcore practice to advance their own skills and competency?

I loved being back on campus because I love being around students.  I love the mindset of the student.  Curious. Inquiring. Listening. Learning. Growing. Improving.  If you want to succeed in sales today the student mindset is one you have to embrace to compete at the highest levels.  The best salespeople are students of the game.

What else are they?

Prepared:  Most new jobs, sales, wins and opportunities are secured not in the moment of truth but in the hours upon hours of preparation prior. GameChangers show up prepared.  They do the research. Prepare questions in advance.  Have a point of view, compelling position of value and compete to win every time out.

Interested: Sales isn’t about you.  Your prospects don’t care all that much about you.  Your product or service probably isn’t all that different from your competition and it likely costs abouthe same. GameChangers make the sale all about the customer. They spend a lot more time being interested than they do trying to be interesting and understand that selling is asking, not telling…selling is listening, not talking.

Consistent: Best practices.  Good habits.  Discipline. Systems.  Process. Hustle. GameChangers don’t do things right once in a while or every other week.  It is an every day, all the time commitment to excellence.

Connected: GameChangers develop meaningful relationships and a robust network of connections. They connect people to each other, ideas and earn influence by participating and providing value. They understand you cannot automate relationships but recognize the opportunity to expand, accelerate and impact relationships online though friends, followers and connections.

Committed:  GameChangers present to earn commitment.  Not to simply share information. Every meeting has an outcome objective and they work with the end in mind.  They are also committed to performance.  They deliver their number and compete to win regardless of the circumstances. No excuses. Just results.

That big decision?  Well, I couldn’t help but complement these students on their outstanding choice.  What great skills to develop.  There simply isn’t a better place to launch your career!

No idea, insight, innovation or invention will ever see the light of day without a salesperson who can bring it to the marketplace.  Master that skill, put up big numbers and you’ll have an abundance of opportunity for the rest of your professional career.  Sales makes business happen.

I saw limitless potential on display last Thursday night.  With the right organization, committed to investing to develop sales talent (CDW is a great example) this next generation of sellers has the opportunity to do big things in the world.

Will be fun to watch!

Many thanks to Team CDW for making this special night happen and including me!

{photo credit: Ven Sherrod}

I am trending toward 70 live events/engagements this year, focused predominantly on the drivers of business performance (Leadership/Sales/Innovation) during this incredible time of transformation and change.

Each engagement is a little different.  We go the route of customization and focus on delivering a consistent experience.  That keeps me on my toes.  Where I like to be.

Occasionally we’ll insert an engagement into the lineup that is a departure from the conference or corporate event that challenges us to think different.

Going back on to a college campus next Thursday qualifies.  In partnership with premiere technology solutions provider CDW, Delta Sigma Pi, Pi Sigma Epsilon and the American Marketing Association I will be presenting Sales Shift: Accelerating the Transition from Campus to Sales Career.

This one is personal.  I want this evening to matter.  I recognize that sacrificing a Thursday night a few months before graduation is tough call for any college senior.  That fact that a few hundred have decided to do just that and join us at NIU is inspiring. I wouldn’t have done it.  That’s the honest truth. I would have been doing the Court Street Shuffle and that makes these future sales stars a little different from me.  Good for them.

It is also precisely why in making my own transition from campus to sales career I was 7 months into the shift with a goose egg on the scoreboard.  I couldn’t close.  I couldn’t even open.

I came dangerously close to making the transition back to my parent’s basement.  Selling baseball cards for beer money wasn’t the game plan but it was exactly where I was headed.  I had a little natural talent.  I had absolutely no sales skill.  Talent alone isn’t good enough.

Jim Rohn saved me.  He delivered an epic seminar that I still count as the single most transformational moment of my career. One night. Three hours. Jim opened the door.  He gave me permission and some powerful tools to jump-start my success.

I read Think and Grow Rich and the The Greatest Salesman in the World in the next 3 days.  (my homework from the seminar…I still have the notes).

That was the beginning.  I never looked back.  It’s funny how once you become good at something that begins to fuel your passion.  That is how it was for me.  I wasn’t passionate about sales or leadership until I was good.  That is also the truth.

Today it is even more important to be good.  Scratch that.  Today any VP of Sales is searching for the extraordinary.  Every spot on the roster counts.  Today you need to be better than good.  Average is over.  I know this because I asked.  I asked 5 of the strongest sales executives in my network what they want from new hire graduates.  What they expect.  What they need.  I will shed more light on that Thursday night.

Bottom line, they are looking for an edge. They are all very impatient when it comes to results.  They all are facing enormous pressure to hit a number.  They have no choice but to demand sales excellence and high impact performance out of the gate. That is also the truth.

In looking back today I was lucky.  That night with Jim proved to be transformational.  The decision to change happens in a moment.  That was mine. In preparing to go back to campus I plan to bring some of his timeless insights with me.

My Alma Mater has an Alumni Gateway at the corner of Court and Union Streets where Ohio University and the City of Athens meet.

The Alumni Gateway greets all who enter the campus with an inscription that reads:

So enter that daily thou mayest grow in knowledge, wisdom and love.

The inscription over the alumni gateway for those departing the campus reads:

So depart that daily thou mayest better serve they fellowmen thy country and thy God.

Beautiful words I have always remembered.  Today I am reminded of the significance in their meaning.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to connect and share next week.  I hope my words can serve to inspire.

I know these students will most certainly inspire me to continue to grow in knowledge, wisdom and love.

A few years ago (at 38 years old to be precise) in the recess of my mind I knew I was facing a key inflection point and some important life choices.

Career.  Relationships.  The big stuff.  Change was imminent.

The little voice of doubt and insecurity we’ve all heard was growing louder.  The questions seemed overwhelming.

Will I pass this test?  Can I make a difference?  What if…?

It was exactly during this moment of introspection (and indecision) a friend shared a little note of inspired thinking that read:

“You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be, and one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls upon you to stand for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid.

“You refuse to do it because you want to live longer. You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab or shoot or bomb your house. So you refuse to take a stand.

“Well, you may go on and live until you are ninety, but you are just as dead at 38 as you would be at ninety.

“And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.”

{Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the sermon “But, if Not” delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church on November 5, 1967}

The right message at the right time.  I appreciated the thought and interpreted the intended personal challenge.  I hit print and have carried that piece of paper in my bag ever since.

Inspiration can come from a variety of sources.  It can come when we least expect it.  Often, it will arrive when we need it the most. A likely source of inspiration are the people around you.  Friends.  Family.  Colleagues. Co-Workers.  Collaborators. Working and spending time with people that are inspired, creating, contributing and taking bold steps forward is helpful, particularly when faced with an inconvenient choice or a more specific challenge.  The people around us have enormous impact on our being.  How we think, act and experience the world around us.

If you want to get Switched On it certainly helps to pay attention to people that embrace inspired living because it  is going to require your own inspired thinking first. Today as we recognize and honor the birth of activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy these 10 lessons serve as an inspirational reminder of the opportunity we all have to embrace change, confront challenges, make an impact and live the change we want to see in the world around us.

Did you talk to a customer today?

Simple yes or no answer.  According to Frank Pacetta (a hero of mine) and his Blueprint for Success a “no” gets the leader or manager (CEO especially) an immediate failing grade.

{click through and take the rest of Frank’s Blueprint for Success Management Test}

Today’s leader is charged with navigating through chaotic and disruptive times.  Employees are anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, uncertain and have far less trust in senior leadership.  Customers have an evolving set of expectations around the business relationship and brand experience.

Progressive leaders are recognizing this shift in the balance of power, removing barriers, improving access and leading from the front to cultivate a more connected and compelling brand experience for all stakeholders (employees, customers and investors).

The People Economy is here and to thrive amid this transformation true leaders are embracing the transparency that is required, leading from the front, connecting, communicating and collaborating to elevate trust, earn emotional commitment, accelerate innovation and effectively navigate change.

There are examples of next generation leadership all around us.

Consider Dallas Mavericks outspoken owner Mark Cuban who makes his e-mail address public (and has been know to offer it up for fan access on the jumbotron during games).  Don’t like the variety in the Food Court?  Send the owner a note.

How about Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh?  You can follow him on Twitter, check out real time company updates on his blog and employees can stop by his cubicle any time for a high five {forget the corner office…he rolls without walls}.

Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn responded to the recent Forbes article Why Best Buy is Going Out of Business…Gradually via his blog with His Thoughts on Best Buy’s Recent Media Coverage where people are free to comment, invited to connect with him or follow him on Twitter.

Ford CEO Alan Mullaly (notice how he starts this recent keynote!) recently did better than just talking to customers.  He actually delivered a new customers Ford F-150.  CEO service.

These leaders may not always be right.  Their companies may not always win.  But they are real, relevant and represent a shift from the antiquated Command & Control style leadership to a more Collaborative & Connected  approach that is proving far more effective for the time.

How accessible and transparent is your CEO?  Senior leadership?  You?  Worth considering.

This next generation approach to business (Generation Flux) is opening up opportunity for those willing to embrace change, challenge the status quo and connect people to each other and a common purpose.

Change is hard.  It is also the one constant we can count on.

“21 appointments next week” I proudly offered before ingesting a large amount of a very cold tap beer at our Friday afternoon happy hour to close the week.

“Incredible! You are going to have a huge week!” my friend replied.  He understood.  He also made his living making sales.

Another round.  After all it was time to celebrate.  That was a record.  A new personal best. 21 new business meetings in 5 business days.  Each one of those appointments was secured via good, old fashioned cold calling.  You smiled, dialed, pushed and pressed until a 60 minute face to face was locked or you didn’t pay the bills.  Simple.

I planned to head out that Sunday evening and make the two hour drive from Cincinnati to Indianapolis.   I covered the whole state of Indiana and my trunk would be full with the required 21 presentation kits.  Armed with a map of Indiana I was “prepared” to hustle and win.

My friend was right.  I had a huge week.  I called on and closed BMG Music.  Remember BMG Music Club?  12 CD’s for the price of one?   At the time their business was booming and they became a very big client.

That was selling then.  This is now.  Not much of what I did then would pass as sales competency now.

The world changed. BMG Music?  Out of business.  That old school approach to professional selling? Dead end.

The best sellers are making the sales shift, gaining a huge competitive advantage and exploding past plan.

Unfortunately this is the week that a lot of sales professionals part company with their organization for missing plan the previous year.  I had a CEO just say this to me directly, “show me a sales organization where a bunch of sellers who missed plan the previous year are still employed and I’ll show you an executive team that doesn’t know how to establish and adjust targets and plans.” That is tough.  That is sales.

Missing plan isn’t an option for the best sellers.

The best sellers today are experts.  They rigorously prepare for every prospective client encounter and customize solutions to fit for the specific opportunity {TIP:  You cannot do that 21 times in one week}.  The best sellers know how to deliver value first, earn a reputation and wield influence. Yes, they still hustle.  The difference?

I don’t cold call anymore.  I don’t enjoy it and more importantly the effort/outcome equation doesn’t compute.  Time is a precious commodity and there are simply more efficient/effective ways to end up with a calendar full of quality meetings with qualified decision makers eager to do business.

I prefer warm calling and social selling (click the enclosed link for my Social Selling Keynote).

More effective.  More fun.  Makes it a whole lot easier to make plan.  New techniques, tools and technology give the more progressive sales pro an abundance of opportunity and huge advantage in competitive selling situations.

Knowing that the way we connect, communicate and ultimately make decisions has changed means knowing that professional selling requires a new and improved approach.

One constant does remain.

Sales drives the business.  All of the ideas, innovation, strategy, interpersonal relationships and process initiatives don’t matter much if you don’t have the revenue to turn on the lights.

Sales success today requires a shift in approach, strategy, skill and competency.  Are you ready?

I have been writing about New Year resolutions for the last few years:

Resolve 2010
Accelerate 2011

The objective for this year is Breakthrough 2012.

Notice the progression?  With a little patience and forward progress the trend line can start to look positive.

If you are ‘resolutioning’ this weekend (and 44% of Americans will make resolutions) there are techniques to help improve goal setting and achievement (I share a few in the previous post/link).

I have also updated a few thoughts from 2010 to support resolution readiness and manifestation into meaningful outcomes:

Review:  Change requires an honest inspection and assessment.  What specific decisions lead to the destination?   As a leader/manager, individual contributor or in the personal life it helps to focus inward.  Take stock of the I that impacts the “we” or “they”.  Understanding where you’ve been is critical to help you get where you want to be going.  Look in the mirror.  Be honest with yourself. The critical component of a good resolution review and setting is accountability.

Reinvent:  This is a time for reinvention. Your company, your strategy, your brand and your career.  Transformation requires BIG ideas.  This is the exciting part.  Change.  Business models being ripped apart and reconstructed.  Customer expectations evolving.  Value propositions being reset.  The accelerated pace of transformation.  Information overload.  A global marketplace.  New skills and competency required to compete. Opportunity that is now a constant moving target.  Reinvention requires working a differently.  Welcome to The People Economy.

Reset:  What I like to refer to as adjusting to the new normal.  Constant change. Continuing education.  A climate that mandates authenticity and transparency to earn trust.   Bold Choices are required to simply stay even.   When you hit reset as an organization you need to have a clearly articulated strategy and core alignment around mission – vision – values.  These guiding principles create a culture of engagement, performance, accountability and trust.  When you hit reset as an individual it helps to begin with the end in mind.  What does success and happiness look like on December 31, 2012?  Decide today.

Relationships:  The most essential aspect to my own professional reinvention has been relationships.  A big part of my own resolution strategy is to do more relationship inventory and focus on respecting the important relationships I have.  I am fortunate to have developed a few new, meaningful relationships over the last 12 months. That is a gift.  I also had to make tough choices around relationships that needed to change or end.  You know when it isn’t working.  So did I.  Our natural tendency is to stay in them too long. We are all in the relationship business and surrounding yourself with the right people is the key ingredient to accelerating your success.  The right people hold you accountable and help propel you forward. With the right people you can thrive.

Resolve:  This is required for turning a resolution into reality.  The elevated sense of discipline and commitment required to see things through to the finish line.  It requires the understanding and acceptance that effort and results are two very different things.  It also mandates focus.  Deciding what not to do and where not to spend time are essential ingredients to staying the course. If you want to accomplish a BIG thing personally or professionally it requires alignment of a lot of little things along the way. By eliminating and avoiding unnecessary distractions you’ll be better positioned for success. Creating something new is hard work.

In the words of legendary football coach Vice Lombardi you have to “plan your work, and work your plan.”  Plans change.  The ability to adapt to new circumstances is essential.  The notion that plans can change and need to be flexible isn’t a good reason not to plan at all.

I hear and see the backlash around goals and resolutions. I get it.  After all it is so much easier to fear change, commit to nothing and simply stay the same.

I love resolutions.  The start of something new brings the hope of something great.

{BONUS: If your resolution is related to fitness or weight loss like most everyone else I know you might find these Top 12 Diet & Weight Loss Apps useful}

My favorite part about resolutioning is that I am solely responsible for making my own Breakthrough 2012 plan a reality.   I intend to have fun, be realistic and know I can count on a little help from the right people along the way.

Be Humble.  Stay Hungry.  Always Hustle.  Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year!