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Some say that in business as in sex: if it is good, it’s great and if it is bad it’s still pretty good. This does not happen to be true. If business is bad, it can get very bad. There are personnel problems, production expenses, overhead, laws, taxes, fines. Faulty financial decisions, inability to accurately evaluate the situation and quickly resolve problems all lead to an extremely high mortality rate among new business: up to 95% do not survive past their first 12 months.

Modern business management is an art, based on a certain technology requiring certain skills. There is a technology of how to estimate and evaluate any situation and accurately predict future events and trends. There is a technology of finding exact problems, the underlying reasons behind them and handling those exact reasons to eliminate specific problems. Some of the basics of this technology are presented here to help anyone flourish and prosper.

1. OPERATE BY STATISTICS. Statistics reflect production of something in a unit of time. It is a tool that should be used to locate and handle any routine problem or any severe crisis. Awareness of the key statistics provides you with an insight into what is really going on in your business. They help establish causes of events. Best businesses collect up all their key statistics daily, sometimes hourly. Examples of key statistics could be Gross Income, Value of services Delivered, Number of Contacts Made, Number of Appointments Made, Number of Closes, Cash/Bills Ratio, Minutes of Operation With No Downtime, Qualified Staff Hired, Dollar Return Value per Promo Ad, etc. Anything can be represented as a statistic.

2. CONDITIONS. Everything that exists, any activity, is always in some condition. These conditions are very well defined, there are only 6 of them. Depending on statistics, every activity is in one of these 6 possible conditions. Any activity starts in the condition of Non-Existence. As it becomes better established and more known, it raises up to Danger. Then, as it expands, it passes through the condition of Emergency into Normal Operation and then may reach Affluence or even Power. So the conditions from the bottom up are: Non-Existence, Danger, Emergency, Normal, Affluence and Power. Each of these conditions has a “formula”, a series of steps which would lead the activity out of any condition it is in and move it into a higher condition.
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For example, formula for the condition of Non-Existence is:

Find a communication line - a channel on which communication can be sent out and received.

Make yourself known.

Discover what is needed and wanted.

Do, produce and/or present it.

This is the starting condition for any activity. It is easy to see that any gross non-compliance with any of these 4 steps would make it impossible for any activity to eventually reach Affluence. People either know these conditions and use the formulas or follow conditions intuitively, or completely neglect them, commit gross errors and fail.

Statistically, these 6 conditions look as follows:

- Non-Existence: statistics are crushed to the bottom or stay extremely low for a long time or it is a brand new activity.

- Danger: statistics drop sharply or there is a gradual drop over a long period of time.

- Emergency: statistics are slightly down or remain unchanged (no rise, no fall).

- Normal Operation: gradual increase in statistics.

- Affluence: significant increase in statistics, very steep uptrend.

- Power: after a period of Affluence statistics go into Normal Operation trend (gradual rise) on a brand new very high level.

3. DATA ANALYSIS/SITUATION ANALYSIS. Accurate analysis of a situation is a science in itself. It is based on the subject called Logic. It is not feasible to get into it at any length here but there are 2 points that must be understood:

1. There is a cause for every non-optimal situation in business. That cause is defined as something under your control which if handled will resolve the exact problem and revert the statistics.

2. To handle any situation you have to handle the exact reason that created it, not something else.

This seems obvious but people often do the opposite. For example, an employee keeps breaking tools, the owner keeps buying better and sturdier tools. What problem is he trying to solve and what was the cause of that problem in his opinion? The actual reason was that the employee was untrained and needed drilling and apprenticeship. It just required a little bit of an investigation and observation to figure out.

Operating by statistics, knowing and applying condition formulas and investigating the causes of problems allows any activity to flourish and prosper. I will be happy to answer any questions. Let’s flourish and prosper!

Michael Priv
Affluence Business Solutions
510-316-3346

How do you help leaders succeed? Give them some coaching, that’s the widely accepted solution. Then why do some executives give up on coaching programs designed to help them improve?

Executive coaching offers a tremendous opportunity to leverage leadership talent and resources. Coaching is no longer reserved for problem leaders. It is more frequently sought by top performers whose organizations value their management and growth potential. Yet, sometimes coaching programs just don’t work. Why?

Why Leaders Give Up

When it comes to change, some leaders lose motivation and fail to “stick with the program.” Marshall Goldsmith, the renowned executive coach who has worked with many Fortune 100 leaders, reports on several reasons why leaders give up. Regardless of the coach’s competence, failure to achieve goals may occur for several reasons:

1. Ownership: The more leaders feel the process is being imposed upon them or that they are just casually “trying it out,” the less likely the coaching process will work. If leaders are simply “playing games,” with no clear commitment, their bosses must be willing to discontinue the coaching processfor the good of both the company and the coaching profession.

2. Time: Goal setters have a natural tendency to underestimate the time needed to reach targets. Busy, impatient leaders can be even more time-sensitive than the general population. Ordinarily, our behavior changes long before our coworkers perceive any change.

3. Difficulty: Goal setters’ optimism applies to difficulty, as well as time. Not only does everything take longer than we think; it also requires hard work! Long-term change in leadership effectiveness takes real effort. For example, it can be challenging for busy, opinionated leaders to have the discipline to stop and listen patiently while others say things they may not want to hear.

4. Distractions: Leaders have a tendency to underestimate the distractions and competing goals that will invariably surface in any given year. By planning for distractions in advance, leaders can set realistic expectations for change and, consequently, will be less likely to renounce the change
process.

5. Rewards: Leaders tend to become disappointed when achievement of one goal doesn’t immediately translate into achievement of other goals. If leaders think skills improvement will quickly lead to short-term profits, promotions or recognition, they may become disappointed and give up when these things fail to materialize instantaneously.

6. Maintenance: Once a leader has put forth the effort required to achieve a goal, it can be tough to maintain behaviors that incorporate the new changes. Leaders must recognize that professional development is an ongoing process, with a lifelong commitment. Leadership involves relationshipsand relationships and people change. Maintaining positive relationships requires long-term effort.

Coaching can be daunting for some leaders, as they must be willing to be vulnerable and open. It is exhilarating for those who embrace it and commit to change. Unlike management science or academic theory, coaching is an exciting interpersonal journey.

Coaches and their clients form strong bonds built on trust, openness, confidence and achievement. For coaching to work, the connection must be firm and the coaching program must operate with clear ground rules.

Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. writes articles for business and executive coaches and consultants. She provides articles on leadership and executive development for sale, and formatted into customized newsletters. Get Patsi’s Secrets of Successful Ezines 7-Step Mini-Course to learn what you need to know to publish a successful ezine. http://snipurl.com/Ezine_MiniCourse

The ‘Assertiveness Coffee Cards’ (ACCs) present thirty two techniques for boosting assertiveness, with scores in a four-dimension space where the axes are ‘You’, ‘The Other’, ‘Thinking’ and ‘Results’. This presentation has been adopted by Cutesolutions for all its techniques for personal development and business management. It has been adopted following research on the effectiveness of communication between people and has proven to be a very appropriate approach to learning personal skills. The results-related techniques are of paramount importance, though their use should be done with utmost care. Indeed, these techniques usually tend to ignore the impact on the other person, running the risk of creating animosities, resistance and feelings of discontent. Yet, resorting to the result-related techniques may be necessary in some circumstances and keeps the focus on the main and overriding reason behind the communication with the other person.

Being centred and self-confident puts you in a state of mind where speaking out your thoughts and looking after your interests are not inhibited by personal feelings such as fear or low-esteem. The impact of your thoughts is greater the more you express yourself in an appropriate manner that touches the heart and mind of the other person. This requires the ability to read what is in someone’s mind. Because communication is a dynamic and interactive process, there are also techniques for organising your thoughts and choosing the right responses. However, the bottom line is that the use of all these techniques would be like ‘nice chatter without meaning’ if you loose sight of the results you want to achieve. Therefore, the ACCs include a class of techniques with high scores on the ‘results’ axis.

Nevertheless, a word of cautious is in order. Most of what we do, in private or professional lives, amount in fact to the implementation of small or larger projects. For example, ordering a bottle of good wine for a nice and cosy meal can be viewed and small project. Of course, we do not necessarily apply the project management methodologies to such small projects. But, the fact of the matter remains that such methodologies do apply even to such small projects. In essence, these methodologies are based on the logical framework where various elements (i.e. objective, results, activities and assumptions) are looked at in a consistent, logical and critical manner. We do undertake certain activities to realise desired results. These are in turn desired for their ability to lead to a given objective. But, the chain of causality between activities, results and objectives is only valid as long as certain assumptions turn out to be true. The point is that our instance on getting desired results should be subjected to a critical analysis and it should be put to the test of questioning on whether one is undertaking the right activities, whether the results themselves are conducive to achieving the set objectives and whether the underlying assumptions are still valid.

This is being said, there are however instances where you may conclude that achieving the desired results is of paramount importance, no matter what. In such cases, the use of techniques from the ‘results’ class is warranted. These techniques include such well known ones such as fogging, broken record, negative assertion and purpose above pleasing. In any case, this class of techniques help in focussing attention on the results. Hence, there is a need from the start for subjecting these results to a critical analysis. During the communication itself, the techniques ensure that you keep focus on the desired results and show you how to make some concessions if required to achieve the results.

For further information, please contact us at:

Cutesolutions
30, rue Josse IMPENS
1030 Brussels - Belgium
Tel +32-2-2155157 Fax +32-2-2156416
ibl.belgium@telenet.be
http://cute4u.net:8082 or http://www.cute4u.net

For decades, every summer, welcoming his scholarship players, Alabama coaching legend, Paul “Bear” Bryant, asked: “Have you called your folks to thank them? No one ever got to this level of excellence in football without the help of others.”

Bryant didn’t just appreciate the importance of other people in the development of a young athlete; he wanted the athletes to appreciate it too. Such appreciation is also a lesson in leadership. Nobody becomes a successful leader unless others want you to be; you need help; and part of your growth as a leader is to recognize and show appreciation for that help.

But you’ll give your leadership and ultimately your career a real boost by extending your appreciation not just to the people you like and who are on your side but also to the people you may dislike: the difficult people in your life, those people who for right or wrong reasons cause you grief.

One of the most effective ways of dealing with them is to appreciate them. I mean truly appreciate them. When you do, you may find that you are dealing with them in surprisingly productive ways.

The word “appreciation” comes from a Latin root meaning “to apprehend the value.” In other words, your appreciation of difficult people must be centered on your genuine understanding of the value they offer you and your organization.

You are not just understanding their point of view. You are actually appreciating it; and you are using that appreciation as a tool to get more results, more results than if the difficult people had not entered your life. Otherwise, your appreciation, at least as far as leadership is concerned, is a waste of time.

Here’s a four step process to make appreciation a results-generator.

(1) Team up. To get appreciation rolling, know that you must be a team, you and the difficult person, in the development of it. Mind you, you’re not trying to get the difficult person to appreciate you. You have little control over the other’s appreciation. You do, however, have control over yours. So, focus on cultivating yours. That cultivation happens only in a relationship — a team relationship with the other person, not necessarily a personal relationship. In a team-relationship, you don’t have to like the other person. You simply have to work with them — actively and wholeheartedly, irrespective of personal feelings. And the goal of your team is to forge out of the difficulties you’re having with one another a leadership process that achieves results.

(2) Identify. When you’re dealing with a difficult person, you’re often entangled in strong emotions. The first thing to do is, with the person’s help in a face-to-face meeting, get at the precise causes of the difficulties. Try to remove yourself from your emotional entanglements. “Break down” what’s happening the way football coaches break down the plays of opposing teams studying game films. This breaking down is a collaborative process, and it should go like this: First, have the person describe the exact moments when you were having trouble with each other. It’s important to keep focused simply on the physical facts of those moments. What were the specific actions and words that triggered the emotions? When the person gives h/her side of the story then and only then can you give yours. Only when both of you are clear as to those moments and agree on what took place can you start to talk with each other about your feelings connected to those moments of physical action.

For instance, that person may contend you are not listening to what h/she says to you. Have the person describe the exact moment when you were not listening. Where were you? What was being said? Precisely, what gave that person that impression?

(3) Agree. You and the person must agree on what is important in regard to the difficulties you are having. A gap between what you think is important and what the other person thinks must be closed. The test in closing it is results. Does the difficulty you are having with the person go right to the heart of the results you need to achieve?

The person says you don’t listen. Do you agree? Is that person’s perception important? Until you can come to agreement as to whether you were or were not listening and the importance of that, you’ll continue to have difficulties. Which means you won’t be able to go to the next, and most important, step.

(4)Transform. Transform the specific into a results process, a process that will get you increases in results. Without such a process, the previous steps are useless. For instance, let’s say you both come to an agreement that you need to be more attentive when the person is speaking. Then, you might develop a “listening process.” Such a process may involve applying “continuers.” This is a process taught in medical schools to help overbearing doctors be more empathetic with their patients. When interacting with patients, the doctors are taught to say, “uh huh” three times when the other person is talking before saying a word.

Of course, “continuers” are one of many listening processes you can draw on. And clearly, “not listening” is one of many problems one might have with the people you lead. Whatever process you come upon in whatever difficulty you are having with people, that process must achieve specific increases in results — more results than if you had not used the process.

As for the “not listening” example: You may pick out one actionable item from what was being said that can lead to results increases. I worked with a leader who did this. Several people he led accused him of ignoring them, and consequently those people were bucking his leadership. They all sat down around a conference table and went through this four-step process. They developed a process to actively and systematically listen to one another and come to agreement on what was spoken and what was heard. Then they selected actionable particulars that came out of their communication. They made sure they followed through on implementing those particulars to achieve increases in hard, measured results.

Like the poor, the people who cause us difficulties will always be with us. No matter how experienced and successful you are as a leader, difficult people will always be lined up outside your door, wanting into your life. Moreover, there are probably a lot of them inside the door too, trying to cut you down to size, thwart your plans, besmirch your reputation.

Instead of clashing with them or avoiding them, try appreciating them. When you use this process, you may find that they’re not liabilities but assets.

2006 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson’s recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. - and for more than 21 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: “49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results,” at http://www.actionleadership.com