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Ensure your production capability
This is the time of year companies most often talk about sales goals. They should. Without adequate sales, we can’t write paychecks.
There is also another important part of sales that is easy to overlook: The ability to consistently deliver the products and services we sell. That is production capability. For our business to grow so must our people. Unfortunately, many growth opportunities are missed in favor of expediency.
Here is an example:
Let’s say you have an important project to do and you are considering who you can delegate the job to. Here are your options:
Person “A” – Someone who is highly experienced and competent for the job.
Person “B” – Someone who has potential to do the job, but not the level of skill or experience of “A””
Person “C” – Someone who does not have the experience or potential to do the job.
Which one would you choose? Probably not “C”. That would be a set up for failure. Many would choose “A”. We want to “get’er done!” Employing person “B” would require more coaching and monitoring, but if we were to make the investment, we are increasing our production capability. When possible we should build the “B’s” to make them “A’s”. In my experience with expanding companies, the organizations that grow in good health do everything they can to cultivate the “B’s”.
Caring: Where a strong team begins
In the 1989 movie, Steel Magnolia’s, actress Shirley MacLaine plays Louise Boudreaux, a grouchy senior in a laidback southern town. Louisa was among a group of friends who always hung together, even though there were times when they drove each other nuts. They were a community that always had each other’s back.
At the time, this movie was labeled as a “chick flick”. I think that that means it was an intense human interest drama. All that aside, the theme of the movie has stuck with me all these years: Close communities support one another and give each other strength in tough times.
In the past couple months I have taken on the project of going through all my father’s pocket calendars. Dad passed away in ’05, and I decided to take a look at all his old calendars before we discarded them. I am glad I did. His calendar entries were specific and detailed, and each day Dad had faithfully gotten out his yellow highlighter and checked each one that was completed.
As I was going through the entries I noticed how diligent he was at attending funerals and comforting others when they were ill. What surprised me most was the funerals he attended. Some of the deceased were people I knew he clearly didn’t like. Even so, like the movie, they were all part of one community, and they were there to offer comfort and support when needed. Dad didn’t show up to impress someone. He couldn’t have cared less about that. His presence was an act of support and community strength in this small Kansas town.
Today, the world often seems divided. Dad’s calendar is a refreshing reminder to me that things don’t need to be so split apart. Someone once told me that the definition of love was toleration. That’s a good place to start!
What is charisma?
Do we know what “charisma” is? I thought I did until I heard the most boring definition of charisma I have ever heard. The definition came in two words: “Paying attention”. That’s charisma? After much pondering, I think the author was right.
A little over 30 years ago, I was visiting with the manager of a large hotel. He was talking about his favorite all-time guest – President George H.W. Bush (Bush 41). Jim (the hotel manager) knew President Bush loved tennis, and Jim had a custom racquet made just for the President. (Racquets were made of wood in those days). Jim presented the racquet to the President, and he was thrilled. He immediately began carefully studying the racquet and took note of the details in workmanship and materials. The President took the time to study the gift and appreciate all the effort that was put in to it. How was the President able to do this? Aren’t Presidents too busy? Mr. Bush made the time to demonstrate the important value to him. If you were to ask Jim if he thought President Bush had charisma, I am confident he would say yes…emphatically.
After I heard Jim tell this story, I reflected on some times when someone had done something special for me, and gone out of their way. In particular, I thought of this old rocking chair I sat in as a toddler. My brother-in-law, Ron had done a beautiful job refinishing the chair and surprised me with it during a visit to his home. At first, I didn’t recognize the chair, and then it all came to mind. Even though I thanked Ron for the gift, I could have spent much more time looking it over and commenting on his special work. I regret that I did not.
Here is my advice. If you are given something special that someone put their heart and soul in to, SLOW DOWN!. Pat attention. Take the time. You’ll be glad you did. That’s charisma!
Laughter: A minimum daily requirement
Mark Twain once said, “A sense of humor is a sense of proportion.” If that maxim were true in the 19th century, it must be even truer today. We live in a world full of tension. It goes from global to family gatherings. Whether it be health, finances, or relationships, our thoughts can take a downward turn if we are not careful. I have found that a good, “laugh-at-life” sense of humor can often take the tension out of many human interactions that are headed south. There are numerous examples I could use to illustrate this quality. I will share my favorite:
In the spring of 1999, I went to a travelling baseball team tournament with my son David. My parents came along. My father had recently been treated for skin cancer, and it was necessary for him to wear a hat. I must say it was the ugliest “floppy hat” I have ever seen. Dad went to fill up his car. Afterwards he headed for the snack shop to buy a cool drink. As he approached the window, the lady behind the counter snapped, “We’re closed!”, and abruptly shut the window. Rather than becoming angry at being treated so rudely, Dad calmly asked,”Was it the hat that did it?”. The woman immediately began to laugh, opened up the window, and waited on my father. Afterwards she said, “Thanks for brightening my day”.
As I reflect on this story I suspect the woman behind the counter was stressed about something in her life, and the last thing she wanted to do was interact with some old man wearing an ugly hat. Dad’s humor was like medicine to her soul, and a tense situation was turned around into a memorable experience.
Knowing where we stand breeds open communication
There are certain things that irritate us. They just do. We know what those things are. Do others?
Whenever someone is saying or doing something in a way that angers us, that is not good for teamwork and good communication. Here is an example:
Beth is a bookkeeper at a community bank. Her job requires that she manage projects that are time sensitive. Sometimes her supervisor gets twitchy as the deadlines approach. As a result he starts to nag Beth about getting it done. That is not so bad. There are times when most of us need a little nudge. Here’s the problem: Beth prides herself in knowing priorities and making every deadline In Beth’s mind the nag from Nick interrupted her focus, and aggravated her. She decided to address this frustration with Nick. She detailed what he was doing and how it affected her ability to do her job. At this point, Nick knew. That left him with two choices: Either keep nagging so that he could upset Beth, or stop nagging and allow her to enjoy her work with better focus. Nick chose to back off. That’s a “win-win”.
I’ll bet there are things people do or say that make your work more difficult. Consider addressing the other person in a friendly way. Explain the behavior that offends you and how it makes you feel. Then request that they refrain from said activity. Keep your team running smoothly.