Work Babble

Historically Relevant Business Lessons

Guest post by Terry Crenshaw

We generally remember people like General George S. Patton solely for their identities as military heroes - and rightly so. I think we would benefit, however, from reminding ourselves that the traits that made a man like Patton successful as a general surely served him well in other areas of his life - and that means they can benefit us, too, regardless of whether or not we're in the Service.

Here's one Patton nugget that I think we'd all do well to remember, those of us in the business world in particular. Said the General, "There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."

The point is well taken, I think, in its broad applicability to business: Companies that treat their employees well tend to have employees that perform well and further the company's goals. Happy and healthy employees are more efficient, more productive; an investment in morale, then, is a significant investment in the company's future. This much is fairly evident both anecdotally and through real cases from the modern business world. Consider, if you will, that companies placing on the annual Best Companies to Work For list tend to do pretty well, financially speaking. The correlation is there. It's real.

But the broader point to be made here, I think, is that military history has much to teach us about business. Warfare, after all, is a story of triumphs and of failures, of leaders and of cowards - and of how difficult circumstances illuminate who we really are as people. I'm inclined to make an analogy to the current economic hardships that we all face. These are times that test us, and provoke us to either shortcomings or greatness. So it stands to reason that we might find wisdom in the examples of the past - in military history in particular, even. In that spirit, here are five examples of companies looking to the past for guidance:

1. Netflix. It's not difficult to understand how strategy and foresight are crucial in any business scenario; the job of the effective general is, on one level, to anticipate what the future will bring and plan accordingly. Netflix is a business that saw early on where the future was headed - that is, toward all-digital home entertainment - and jumped on the opportunity before older chains like Blockbuster knew what hit them.
2. Southwest Airlines. Chalk this one up as an example of the all-important virtue of adaptability - a crucial military principle, as any combat scenario is bound to be different from anything that has come before. In a world where travel preferences are constantly in flux, give this company credit for looking beyond the hub-and-spoke approach of traditional airlines.
3. Amazon.com. The military strategist knows that it's crucial to use all the tools in the toolbox - and Amazon knows it, too. Their implementation of their Cloud Player, for instance, has led to a spike in MP3 sales.
4. McDonald's. One of the most commonly known military adages of all is this one: Know your enemy. McDonald's is clearly a company that knows the virtues - and the weaknesses - of its competitors, and masterfully exploits them. Case in point: McDonald's capitalized on the premium smoothie and coffee trend by offering both products for rock-bottom prices - and taking a big bite out of Starbucks and Panera in the process.
5. Barnes and Noble. There's a reason why this retail chain is still standing and Borders continues to struggle, and it's all a matter of timing. A successful military enterprise is a well-timed one, and the timing of B&N's implementation of the E-reader could not have been better.

Of course, we could go on. The real message to be found here, though, is simply that looking to the past can inspire us - and not in a vague or sentimental way, either. There are true lessons to be found in our collective history, and the principles that wrought success in one time and place often ring true even today.

About Terry
Terry Crenshaw is a writer for www.peterorszagsite.net who has focused her attention on what political professionals and their advisors, such as Peter Orszag, have to say about current economic policy. Through her work, Terry hopes to develop the public's understanding of how politics can influence the economy.Contact Terry at terry.crenshaw@peterorszag.info

Executive Life on the (UNEMPLOYMENT) Line

I had the pleasure of speaking with Cari of FranNet which provides a network of franchise opportunities that include a bevy of services-rich businesses. The following article is a great alternative to those who have been looking for options, in particular, accomplished executives who are ready to apply their expertise to building their own business rather than working for an employer. FranNet takes a different approach to qualification and identification of opportunities for people and I found this very unique in the franchise industry. In other words, this is not your typical weekend franchise event network. Enjoy the article!

Article re-printed with permission from Cari Lyn Vinci

Dreams Then & Now

Being unemployed ain’t what it used to be – particularly if you’ve worked your way up the corporate ladder and have some experience under your belt. As my next door neighbor Greg the Engineer, remarked, “In the past, anytime I wanted a new position, I just contacted a headhunter and a few weeks later, I had a job – usually at a better salary. Last year my company downsized and I was laid off. Since then I’ve had two interviews but neither one even came close to matching my former salary or responsibilities.”

Sound familiar? Greg isn’t alone. Out-of-work executives may be longing for the good old days when an MBA was the Open Sesame to a six figure income but in today’s workplace there are no such things as job security and gold watches. Just the rumor of downsizing can send a shudder down the back of a corporate executive because he or she knows how difficult it is to replace a lost job and lost income.

And some of those jobs aren’t coming back. According to Fox News, this recession marks the worst downturn since the 1930’s and it could take up to five years or more to get the job market back to former pre-recession numbers.

For middle-aged workers whose skills may becoming obsolete, their mortgages, college tuition, medical insurance and a looming retirement all combine to make the search for a new job intense and competitive!

As career counselors and outplacement professionals know, an out-of-work executive has some basic options such as trying to find a similar position, retraining for a new career, becoming a consultant, or buying an existing business. But there is another choice available - one that is often overlooked. That is the purchase of a franchise business. Compared to starting a business from scratch, franchising offers support and business tools of a proven business model. This reduces the risk of business ownership.   

Franchising is More than Fast Foods and Retail

Many people associate a franchise business with the purchase of expensive fast food restaurants or retail business. The truth is that franchises are found in over 90 industries and many are very affordable; in fact dozens of them are priced under $150,000.

When an executive is downsized, he or she frequently has severance pay and retirement funds available. Rather than fund living expenses during the expected months-long job search (which may not prove successful), many executives are using those funds to invest in themselves. They are becoming small business owner at record numbers. When buying a business, after the initial 33% investment of personal funds, qualified buyers can finance the balance via SBA loans, franchisor funding assistance, a 401K and IRA (usually without penalty), home equity or a loan from dear Uncle Louie.

In addition, many franchise businesses have been extremely resistant to economic slow downs and many are thriving even in today’s economy. Some of these include Property Damage Restoration, Education and Tutoring, Concierge Services for aging baby boomers, Home Services like cleaning and lawn care, Hair Care, Computer Digital Graphics, and Staffing.

Making a Match

Matching the right business to the right person is a primary goal for a good franchise “fit”. When working with a franchise consultant, in depth interviews and assessment tools similar to those used by career counselors are used to evaluate a Client’s interests, skills and goals. These are then compared to successful franchise companies whose Top Producers possess similar qualities; then specific franchise businesses are recommended.

Some times the choice of a franchise is closely aligned to career experience. For example, Richard M, a VP of marketing and business development for a national media firm, purchased an internet marketing consulting franchise.

At other times the choice reflects more personal values, like Bruce D., a construction manager with real estate background who selected a children’s sports development franchise, focusing on youth character development.

Then there was Nancy A., an independent business consultant, who wanted to help people. She invested in a franchise in the booming senior care business. Once an area of interest is determined the change from unemployed to business owner can take as little as 30 to 90 days.

Looking ahead

As hockey great, Wayne Gretsky, observed,  “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A GREAT hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” For some, that puck is going to be in the world of franchise businesses. According to the International Franchise Association’s 2011 Franchise Business Economic Outlook, the number of franchises is expected to grow in 2011 by 2.5%, or 19,000 new establishments. Nearly 200,000 direct new jobs are expected from this growth and the gross value of goods and services is projected to grow 4.7%, or $33.3 Billion.

There are tens of thousands of executives and business people from hundreds of industries who have successfully made the transition from being an employee to being a business owner – just like my Clients, Jim and Nan Bloodworth.

“Jim and I wanted you know how much we have appreciated working with you in finding a franchise. Knowing that you only work with franchises having a 90% success rate over a 5 year period gave us a positive feeling from the start. Your guidance through every step, letting me know what was to come and what to expect and advice when I was feeling unsure of things were all so invaluable. Thank you SO much! "

Nan Bloodworth, New SportClips Team Leader

The real, and perhaps painful, experience of executive life on the unemployment line can be a real wake up call. Instead of a career challenge it can become a unique opportunity to make the transition from employee to self employed by entering the world of franchise ownership!

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Cari Lyn Vinci, president of FranNet West, has more than 35 years of business experience and offers franchise consulting services in Northern California and nationwide by referral. To hear more individual case histories and super success stories, contact Cari at (916) 517-1612; cvinci@frannet.com; or www.frannet.com/cvinci.

FranNet, the nation’s oldest network of franchise consultants, has been listed on the prestigious Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies. FranNet partners with the Small Business Administration to educate potential franchisees, and wrote “Roadmap to Success” in conjunction with SCORE.

Three Conversations to Improve Your Workplace

Guest post by Ed Muzio

Author of Make Work Great: Supercharge Your Team, Reinvent the Culture, and Gain Influence -- One Person at a Time

Are you having a bad week at work, or maybe a series of bad weeks? Do you hopelessly suspect that things will never get better? Have you sadly concluded that the pay you receive is not in exchange for your output, but rather for your willingness to tolerate misery? 

If so, I know you don't want to hear about how the emotional state of a single person can influence a whole group. If I tell you to buck up, think positively, and set a better example for those around you, you'll stop reading immediately. You'll probably also come up with a few choice nicknames for me that I wouldn't want my mother to hear.

So I'm not going there. Forget it. You don't have to buck up, think positively, or set a better example. Instead, I just want you to have three simple conversations next week. I don't even care who you talk to, as long as you discuss these three topics.

1. "What I am trying to accomplish is . . . "

A huge amount of workplace dissatisfaction -- not to mention lost productivity -- comes from a lack of clear purpose. If you don't know what you're supposed to be doing, you are destined to be frustrated by feelings of uselessness. 

Pick a purpose! If you're not sure, take your best guess, and then tell someone what you think you're trying to produce. Don't discuss the steps you're taking, like email or meetings, just talk about the output itself. Summarize all of your most important output in about 90 seconds. Much more, and you risk losing your listener's interest. Much less, and you risk sounding cliché. 

Depending upon your listener, you might choose to state it with all the certainty of your most important mission in life, or you might choose to state it tentatively, as if you'd be happy for someone to correct you (I suggest the latter approach when speaking with your manager). Either way, you'll be reminding yourself, and your listener, about why you're bothering to show up.

2. "What I'm doing matters because . . . "

If you don't want to feel like a hamster on an exercise wheel, you need to attach the work you do to a real benefit. This can be a benefit to the company, a benefit to society, or a benefit to you personally. All three would be ideal, but you should find at least one.

Tell someone the why behind your work. Maybe your tireless processing of expense forms allows other salespeople to travel overseas, find buyers for company products, and enhance the bottom line. Maybe your quality inspections or document audits lead to babies being safely strapped in their car seats as per manufacturer recommendations. Or, maybe your work as a nurse gets you the experience you need to finally become an ultrasound technician. 

Reach if necessary. Take pains to find at least one reason your work is worth doing, even if you're not particularly enjoying it at the moment. On the other hand, don't brag. You're not trying to show off, or show anybody up. You're simply discussing the ways in which your work matters to you, your company, and your society at large.

3. "I can tell I'm making progress when . . . "

What you're doing, and why, are not quite enough. You also need to experience yourself making headway toward your goals. Otherwise, your days will blend together in an endless wave of to-do lists worries, and discussions, and you'll cease to have the experience that your presence in the workplace matters.

Seeing your own progress is not the same as demonstrating progress to others. Your manager may require a status update at the end of the month, but you need to experience your progress every day, even every hour. Otherwise you will vacillate between a detached disinterest in your goal, when it is far off in the future, and full-scale panic about that goal when the future arrives faster than anticipated.

Seek simple cues, like the accumulation of completed forms in your out box, a column of check marks on your to-do list, or the number of telephone calls you processed this hour. Celebrate when you're ahead, but don't be afraid to learn that you're behind. When you have this kind of insight, you will be the first one to see problems coming. So, you can get to work fixing roadblocks -- looking for more resources, perhaps, or finding the training you need -- long before you ever miss a commitment to anyone else.

Better Working through Conversation

These three topics are the practical, positive, systemic aspects of your work: what you're doing, why it matters, and how you know you are progressing. They reinforce the fact that you bring value to, and find value in, your workplace. They focus your creative energy on value, output, and mutual benefit.

Conversing about them encourages both you and your listener to think more clearly in these terms, and distracts you from less productive avenues of discussion. It's difficult to complain about an uncaring manager when you're defining the output you need to produce; it's hard to grouse about impossible customers while recounting the broader good generated by your work. 

To be sure, in having these conversations you're likely to uncover some real issues:  the fact that you don't exactly know your purpose, for example, or the fact that you're not sure whether you're making progress. They may seem frightening on the surface, but once defined, such questions can be investigated. And the answers you find will invariably lead to feelings of regained control rather than hopelessness. All you have to do is to start the process, to be the one to start the conversation.

Remember how I said I wasn't going to tell you to set a better example for those around you? I lied.

More to Talk About
Looking for more topics of conversation? Purpose, impact and progress are only the beginning. Learn all six of the elements you need to manage an employee, influence a coworker, or reenergize yourself at work -- in just three and a half minutes.

© 2010 Ed Muzio, author of Make Work Great: Supercharge Your Team, Reinvent the Culture, and Gain Influence -- One Person at a Time

Author Bio
Edward G. Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics, is the author of the award winning books Make Work Great: Supercharge Your Team, Reinvent the Culture, and Gain Influence One Person at a Time and Four Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want. An expert in workplace improvement and its relationship to individual enjoyment, Muzio has been featured on Fox Business Network, CBS, and other national media, and he has been cited in many publications including the New York Post, the Austin American Statesman, and Spirit magazine. He lives in Albuquerque, NM.

For more information visit www.makeworkgreat.com and follow the author on Facebook.

Q&A with Ed Muzio, CEO of Group Harmonics and Author of Make Work Great

By Tony Deblauwe

I am very excited to get more into the topic of Ed Muzio’s latest book: Make Work Great: Super Charge Your Team, Reinvent the Culture, and Gain Influence One Person at a Time. Ed previously wrote: Four Secrets to Liking Your Work. Both titles available on Amazon.

Ed is no stranger to the dynamics of the work environment and what it takes to succeed. Ahead of my review of his latest book, Ed was kind enough to answer some questions for me about his background and inspiration for the book.

1. Can you tell us more about your professional background?

I graduated from Cornell with an engineering degree, and I began my technical career at Intel.  As an engineer I was always a little “different” though.  While everyone else was analyzing data, I always seemed to have my attention on things like group interaction or appropriate levels of authority. Still, I loved working at Intel; I was constantly learning new things and gaining responsibility, and that taught me where I wanted to go.  From very early on, I realized that I wanted to help other people be productive, and also have some fun and balance in their lives. Within my first 18 months, for example, I had written an e-mail to Tom Peters asking about how to get into his line of work. 

By the time I left Intel, I had run a worldwide and industry wide technology advancement initiative, helped with the redevelopment of the company’s front line manager training, and run a group whose sole purpose was to develop future technology leaders. Of course, the launch of my own firm pushed me even further into investigating the pieces of social psychology and human systems.  I think it’s the application of analytical, engineering thinking to the problem of human system output that makes me uniquely qualified to do what I do.  That’s why the tagline of my firm is “Analytical Solutions Maximizing Human Potential™”

2. What is the main premise of the book and what motivated you to write it? 

A frequent side effect of my work – helping organizations and their leaders to achieve more output with less stress – is that all kinds of people tell me what they don’t like about their jobs. I’ve learned to welcome these conversations, as they provide windows into important, often fixable issues in the workplace.  Using problems to drive improvements is good practice.

But there is a difference between identifying needs and idle complaining, or what I call “THEY syndrome.”  When someone tells me that nothing can be improved until someone else does something first, I get concerned.  Usually “THEY” means management or leadership.  For a long time, my standard response was, “there is no ‘they,’ only you.  You can either quit, suffer, or make a change.”  Dr. Deb Fisher, my friend and coauthor of my previous book, finally convinced me of the inadequacy of that response.  “Your solutions can fix the biggest problems in today’s workplace,” she told me, “but only if people implement them.  You can’t just tell people to do it anyway.  You have to explain how.”

Make Work Great explains how: How anyone, at any level, can take actions that will improve their workplace experience and have a positive influence on the culture around them. Certainly, if the reader is a manager, it’s easy to see why system-wide changes may happen a little faster. But the main premise is that anyone can start an improvement.  Nothing in the book requires anyone else but the reader to do anything.

3. What is the unique value proposition of your book (i.e. how is it different)?

For one thing, it works for every level, from executives to new employees.  I was thrilled when one reviewer called it a must read for CEO’s, and another called it a first-day guide for new employees.  Whoever you are, you can pick up this book and find something you can do at work tomorrow that will help.  You can give it to your boss, to your employees, to your CEO, or just read it and do it yourself, without having to spend time on anything other than the work you’re already doing.  In that way, it’s very practical.

The other unique thing is that within the book are sidebar references to my whiteboard videos, produced by CBS/BNET and posted on the book’s website, www.makeworkgreat.com.  The videos provide depth and refreshers for readers, as well as an easy way to share the book with colleagues.  If I tell you to buy a book, you may never get around to it.  But if I send you a link to a 4 minute video, you’ll probably take a look and see what you think.  I’m hoping that the videos will provide other avenues to spread out new patterns of behavior. That’s the whole goal. (See one of the videos at the end of this post).

4. Did you have to do any special research for the book?

There were a few areas in which I had to dig a little deeper to make sure I had things right.  In many cases, my biggest challenge was to go back and find the references for things I’d read, heard about, cited previously, and/or incorporated into my thinking.  It was one of the more tedious aspects of the writing process, but the compilation of the bibliography was worth doing even as a standalone project.

5. What is the impact of your book to individuals and/or organizations?

Every worker must constantly walk a balance beam between task, or getting the work done, and relationship, or interacting positively with colleagues and customers.  Lean too far in either direction and you fall! My book encourages individuals to begin to think extremely specifically regarding that balance, overtly defining what they are trying to accomplish, and clearly determining the approach they will use with the people around them when they need answers or support.

At the individual level, this puts the employee or manager back in the driver’s seat at work, and increases engagement, accountability, and even enjoyment. At the organizational level, as members of the group become more overt and clear about what they are doing, everyone’s attention gets focused on having the right conversations, and ignoring distractions.  That’s good for overall output.

One of my earliest reviewers read the book, began to follow it, and within a few weeks told me he was seeing improvements in his own activity, and in the workplace around him.  That’s the kind of impact I love to see.

6. What is the one key message you want readers to take away?

As the band Linkin Park says, “It starts with one.”  Whoever you are, whatever level you are at, YOU have the power to make your workplace better, to make your own job better, and to increase output and reduce stress.  You don’t have to wait for authorization from anyone else to get started, and you don’t have to put your career in jeopardy either.

7. What else would you like to share with our readers?

My vision is a world in which professionals at all levels are productive, engaged, and (I daresay) happy at work. One of my strategies for achieving that vision is to give away a lot of useful tools!  Please invite your readers to visit the video page on the book’s website.  The videos are self contained, free, and (I’m told) extremely applicable and helpful.  It’s an easy way to get a feel for the purpose of the book, and at the same time to get some tools you can use in the workplace immediately.

8. Where can people get more information about you and the book?

The book’s website, http://www.makeworkgreat.com is the place to start.  From there you can also find links to me and my company at www.groupharmonics.com, and to my Facebook and Twitter pages (http://www.facebook.com/edmuzio and www.twitter.com/edmuzio).

 

Thank you Ed. Wow what a fantastic broad view you have. Your passion comes through as well where you challenge both organizations and individuals to achieve the best results possible. I can’t wait to read the book!

As a workplace guy myself, I strongly encourage people to check out Ed’s work. He understands how the work environment has changed over the years and his insight is right on target. Check his company, Group Harmonics, for more information on organization level solutions.

Having a Job Still King for Recruiters

A CNN article released today talked about how recruiters are increasingly more discriminating between unemployed workers and those with a job. It’s a fear for thousands of out-of-work job seekers who, like passive job seekers, are looking for new opportunities thanks to a better job market. The new competition that has emerged stands between the employees who were impacted due to restructuring and business closure and the waves of disengaged employees who kept their heads down waiting for companies to start hiring.

Now the dilemma arises around perception. Are unemployed job seekers less qualified or competent than those that managed to “keep” their job? You can see how this can spiral out of control where the profile of the person is questioned more than the circumstances that lead to why the person s unemployed (e.g. company or division closure vs. the employee’s performance). If this perception is growing, should unemployed workers lie on their résumés to ensure they get in the door? Are we perpetuating bad recruiting practices as a result of these perceptions?

When two equally qualified candidates are separated only by employment status as a key decision factor; then we are treading into dangerous waters. Due diligence in the recruiting process to find the best candidates is really all that should matter, in addition to how that person fits the culture and systems of the organization.

 

What do you think?