GALT Consulting LLC

Sometimes a concept is so simple, we miss it.  This concept is one of those...  ready?   Helping out other people and businesses is good for business. 

Often times business owners spend a lot of money trying to market to strangers when they really don't honor the existing relationships they have.  My friend Sean Saunders, PGA Golf Teaching Profressional and owner of SWS Golf (www.swsgolf.com) is a great example of someone who takes care of everyone who knows him.  He does whatever he can to take care of his friends.  He regularly sends cards to friends and clients and looks for ways to promote other businesses.  He is the first person to buy something from a new business, just to try out the product.  I recently asked him for a gift certificate for a free golf lesson for a client, and he gave it to me... no questions asked.

Sean is practicing the concept of "Giver's Gain".  He nurtures his relationships and guess what... they nurture him back.  People love Sean and work hard to help him out when they can.  Doing the right thing in terms of helping people is also the right thing in terms of growing your business.

There is a catch.... you must be genuine.  Helping people only when you are in the position to get something back is easy to spot and will earn you a very different type of reputation.  You'll know when you are doing it right when you help people that have no way they can help you back.  Not only will you feel good, kindness has a way of coming back around!

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Earlier this week I posted an article on Failures to Communicate, discussing how the words we choose can define how we see the world & how two people can say the same things but have completely different intentions. To follow up on that, I asked Matthew P. Block to give us some tips on how to avoid those situations.

Language is a tricky thing because it controls the way we think & is controlled by the way we think. Even though we have standard definitions for all of our words, our minds rarely work from those definitions. Instead we bring connotations from past interactions & experience to every conversation or attempt to communicate we make. Since we all have different experiences, we all have different connotations & ideas associated with our words. That can create a lot of confusion if you assume you're on the same page as someone you're talking to. Here are a few ways to avoid that confusion & get on the same page.

1. Ask "What do you mean by that?" The surest way to make sure you're taking words to be used as intended, is to ask for a definition. If you're not absolutely, positively sure how someone you're listening to would explain a term they're using, just ask. Feel free to make it clear you understand the concept, but have heard it used different ways & want to be sure you're on the same page with them. They'll be glad you're listening & really care about what they're saying.

2. Give definitions yourself. If it's a good idea to ask what other people mean, it's also a good idea to not wait for others to ask. Go ahead & offer definitions on any words or phrases that are central to the message you're trying to convey. Being proactive in this way can save you a lot of misunderstandings.

3. Avoid cliches, buzzwords, or commonly used phrases. If you have to, make up a new word, term, or phrase. When you make up something new, you're less likely run afoul of negative connotations your audience has associated with terms they've used in a different context previously. The more often a term is used, the more different interpretations people will have of what that term means. So avoid common, cliche phrases, especially when you're communicating anything important.

4. Never use words like best, worst, etc. They are the worst.....excuse me, most easily misinterpreted.....words you'll ever use. Almost unfailingly, the way other people define best or worst will differ from the way you define it. Instead use phrases like most profitable, fastest, or easiest to learn. If you want to know what the best of something is, you'd better pick what you'd want it to be best at. Very few people, places, or products can be the best at everything. If you don't set criteria for how to judge what's best, there's a good chance you're not on the same page as your audience.

5. Repeat yourself, but never verbatim. By rehashing things in different words, you increase the odds that any conflict of meaning will be discovered & help more clearly define what you're looking to get across. Try as often as possible to rephrase & rehash anything that you think is important to your message.

6. Always encourage & look for feedback. Ask if people have questions. Look for expressions on your audience's face. Always pause to give people a chance to think of anything they might not be clear on. It's amazing how much confusion & misunderstanding can be cleared up by just taking some time to listen.

Matthew P. Block studied communication at Missouri State University & is the Internet Communication Manager for Heligonix. You can find his writing on communication, public relations, & marketing issues posted fresh every Monday (& sometimes more frequently) at the Heligonix Blog.

I have been invited to speak to a communications class about how barriers to communications impede progress on change efforts.  In other words, we are going to discuss why people can't get on the same page.

I am reminded immediately of the book "The Three Laws of Performance" and the three Key Concepts Randy Mayes and I pulled out of it for our Leadership Book of the Month Review (see Review).  First of all, we all live within our own perception of reality.  When trying to get on the same page, we must first make sure we are in the same book.  Yesterday I heard a talk show host rallying against a recording made at a school where a teacher lead students in a chant exclaiming that they were "Obama Scholars".  The host's perspective was that this was an attempt at indoctrination from a socialist President.  A caller offered the perspective that the students were simply idolizing a successful man who looked like they did.  Both perspectives are based in some truth.  However, there can be no effective "debate" because the game is different.

The next key concept is that language is extremely powerful.  We use language to define our perception of the world.  Certain words carry a lot of baggage.  If I told you I was a "progressive environmentalist", you would use those terms to paint a very specific picture of me.  However, I may simply mean that I like thinking outside the box and spending some time outside.  The meaning behind the words is the important part.  In our "gotcha" media society, we place a huge emphasis on the words people use when we should be focusing on the meaning behind those words.

The last key concept is that a powerful tool for implementing change is to use "transformational" language.  Dr. Martin Luther King accomplished this in his "I have a dream today" speech.  If you are attempting to transform your life or your business, you need to develop a NEW language.  A person who wants to lose weight won't be successful by "going on a diet".  Instead, they will be successful if they simply change the way they eat.  The later verbiage implies a fundamental change.  Sometimes, new words or phrases are created to describe the change. 

Change is hard.  Start by playing the same game, understanding the meaning behind the language, then developing a common language that describes the envisioned future.  Getting on the same page requires a new chapter!

(See Part 2 Above)

"That was not where I expected us to go, but it was far better than I ever could have imagined."
- Randy Mayes

That was a quote from Randy Mayes after a recent session with a client.  Randy and I are working with the organization to implement a strategic plan.  The unique process we have developed utilizes people within the organization working with the leadership to develop and implement a plan that will improve sales, reduce costs, and improve overall morale within the organization.  This approach to management is coined "People-Centric Management" (coined by Randy Mayes) and stands in stark contrast to traditional "Top-Down Management".

In Top-Down Management, directives are brought down from the mountain by the company leadership to be simply followed by employees.  This traditional style of management is still prevalent and limits the output of the organization.  Many good companies use this style, but as Jim Collins' says in 'Good to Great', "Good the enemy of Great".  The future of a Top-Down Management organization is limited by the talents and vision of the leadership.  Furthermore, the leadership must expend a large amount of energy and resources obtaining "buy-in" from employees.  Generational differences in the workplace is making this increasingly difficult.

People-Centric Management removes the "buy-in" barrier because the people are involved in the decision making process.  This does not mean a wide spread democracy where all employees vote on every decision.  People-Centric Management simply gives employees some control over their direction. 

For example, consider a salesperson working for a sales manager.  In traditional Top-Down Management, the manager will set expectations for the salesperson which are likely to include the number of cold calls made, the number of appointments, etc.  In a People-Centric Management model, the sales manager works with the salesperson to establish their own expectations and gives them some flexibility depending ultimately on the performance of the salesperson. 

Managers who have adopted this strategy find some surprises...

1) The salesperson will set stricter goals on themselves than management would have.
2) The salesperson is more likely to achieve those goals
3) If the salesperson is not right for the job, they will see it themselves faster and actually push toward being moved to a different position.
4) The salesperson and their team will hold themselves accountable for their own performance.
5) Both management and employees will be more motivated to perform.

Randy's quote above highlights the benefits to approach perfectly.  Randy and I met with a client to discuss the future of their company.  We already had a vision of where the company could go, but instead of presenting the vision, we talked it out as a team.  The result was something better than any one of us could have created!

It is time to create a company that is bigger than you are!

I was listening to Dr. Laura on the radio during my drive home this afternoon.  (yes... I like listening to Dr. Laura).  The caller was a young wife upset with a family member who had repeatedly been unreliable.  "Every time I ask her to do something, she forgets or does a poor job!", she complained.  Dr. Laura's response was a question.  If you decided to hug a porcupine, who do you blame for getting hurt... the person or the porcupine. 

A porcupine is prickly and sharp.  No matter how much they try, they will never be good at hugging.  T-Rex's fall into the same category because of their short arms, but that's not the point here.  The point is that you can't blame a porcupine for being a porcupine.

Many employers spend a lot of time hugging porcupines...

Everyone is hardwired with a set of traits known as a personality.  Since we are intelligent, we are often able to overcome our own personalities in specific situations, but overcoming personality places internal stress on a person.  A person who naturally thrives talking and working with people will hate a job where they constantly work alone.  A person who likes changing environments eventually hates a job where they are stuck in one place all day long.  Yet employers try to "fix" people.  They try to hug the porcupine. 

Instead, employers should focus on the best ways to utilize the porcupine.  Instead of hugging a porcupine, use one to gently scratch an itch or to defend something.  The porcupine will be happier, better at the job, and the employer will be happier too!

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"Twitter is just stupid."

Look... I know why you would say that.  You've looked at someone else's Twitter account or maybe even tried to start your own.  You spent your days reading tweets like "I fed my cat today and now his breath smells like cat food" and "Going to the grocery story.  Think I'm gonna buy some groceries".  Not exactly highly valuable business information.  I get that...  but those who still think Twitter is "stupid" are missing something...

Imagine sitting in a large, crowded restaurant.  There are all kinds of people eating and having conversations.  The people are family members, friends, business associates, near strangers, whatever...  Most of the conversations are what we can now call "cat food" conversations.  They are totally unrelated to anything most people really care about (probably even at a given table much less across the entire restaurant).

Yet in that crowd, somewhere, there is a conversation between 2 people in your industry talking about an important new technology or resource.  Maybe there is another table discussing you and your product's advantages and disadvantages.  If you make the restaurant big enough, there are conversations that are extremely valuable to hear.

Twitter is a restaurant with 75 million people and no waiting time.

Carrying on with the analogy, Twitter is an efficient restaurant for those who are familiar with it.  You may not be interested in most of the conversations taking place, but Twitter allows you to filter out the boring stuff.  Some people probably won't ever say anything interesting (don't follow them).  Some topics probably don't impact you (don't search for them).  But some do...  and Twitter allows you to listen in and even jump into the conversation without being rude.

I told one company about an online market research tool under development that collected real time data from millions of consumers and even allowed the company to interact with the consumers real time to get more information.  The tool is completely searchable.  How much is that worth?  It is free... it's called Twitter.

I know... you want to control the conversation.  What if someone writes something bad about you?  The truth is, and this is brutal...  THEY WILL TALK ABOUT YOU WHETHER YOU ARE IN THE ROOM OR NOT!  Buck up!  Walk in the room!

I don't sell Twitter or even consult in social media (call Steve at Heligonix for that - www.heligonix.com), but I do help businesses.  Social media is powerful and is here to stay.  Even if Twitter doesn't last, it is one of the current dominant forms of social media and it will be replaced by something better.  The technology is here.  The value is now.  The future is uncharted.

Ignoring one of the most powerful technology developments in the last 100 years just because someone uses it to update the world on their cats is... well.... stupid!

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