Creating an effective hook for an elevator pitch is crucial for grabbing your audience’s attention right from the start. Here are some strategies to craft a compelling hook:
1. Start with a Question: Begin your elevator pitch with a thought-provoking question that addresses a pain point or a common challenge your audience faces. For example, “Have you ever struggled to find a reliable solution for managing your finances?”
2. Share an Interesting Fact or Statistic: Introduce your pitch with a surprising or attention-grabbing statistic or fact related to your product, service, or industry. Make sure it’s relevant and impactful to your audience’s interests or needs.
3. Tell a Story: Engage your audience by sharing a brief anecdote or story that illustrates the problem you’re solving or the solution you’re offering. Make it relatable and emotionally compelling to draw listeners in.
4. Use a Bold Statement or Assertion: Make a bold claim or statement that challenges conventional thinking or highlights the uniqueness of your offering. For example, “Our product will revolutionize the way you think about productivity.”
5. Invoke Curiosity: Pose a teaser or hint about what’s to come in your pitch, sparking curiosity and prompting your audience to want to learn more. Keep it concise and intriguing to maintain interest.
6. Address a Pain Point: Identify a common pain point or challenge your target audience experiences and position your hook as the solution they’ve been searching for. This helps create immediate relevance and resonance with your listeners.
7. Highlight Benefits: Focus on the key benefits or outcomes your audience can expect from engaging with your product or service. Frame your hook in terms of what’s in it for them and why they should pay attention.
8. Use Vivid Language: Choose descriptive and evocative language that paints a vivid picture and captures the imagination of your audience. Aim to create a sensory experience that resonates with their emotions and aspirations.
9. Keep It Concise: Remember, an elevator pitch is typically short and to the point. Keep your hook concise and clear, avoiding unnecessary details or jargon that might confuse or overwhelm your audience.
By incorporating these strategies, you can create a compelling hook that captures attention, sparks interest, and sets the stage for a memorable elevator pitch.
Author: Claude Blanc
15 Ways to Build a Culture of Trust
Creating a corporate culture of trust is crucial for fostering a positive work environment, enhancing collaboration, and promoting employee well-being. Here are some strategies to build and nurture a culture of trust within your organization:
1. Lead by Example:
• Demonstrate trustworthiness in your actions and decisions.
• Be transparent about the company’s goals, challenges, and strategies.
2. Open Communication:
• Encourage open and honest communication at all levels of the organization.
• Create channels for feedback, and actively listen to employees’ concerns and ideas.
3. Transparency:
• Share relevant information about company performance, goals, and decision-making processes.
• Avoid unnecessary secrecy and ensure that employees understand the reasoning behind key decisions.
4. Empowerment:
• Empower employees by giving them autonomy and decision-making authority in their roles.
• Provide opportunities for skill development and growth.
5. Accountability:
• Hold everyone accountable for their actions and responsibilities.
• Acknowledge mistakes, learn from them, and use them as opportunities for improvement.
6. Recognition and Appreciation:
• Recognize and appreciate employees’ contributions.
• Celebrate achievements and milestones, both individual and team accomplishments.
7. Clear Expectations:
• Clearly communicate expectations for performance, behavior, and goals.
• Provide employees with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
8. Team Building:
• Foster a sense of camaraderie through team-building activities.
• Encourage collaboration and teamwork to strengthen interpersonal relationships.
9. Conflict Resolution:
• Address conflicts promptly and constructively.
• Provide mediation and support to help employees resolve issues with respect and empathy.
10. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance:
• Support a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements when possible.
• Show understanding and empathy for personal and family commitments.
11. Invest in Employee Well-Being:
• Provide resources and programs that support physical and mental well-being.
• Show genuine concern for employees’ health and happiness.
12. Promote Diversity and Inclusion:
• Foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
• Embrace diversity and create opportunities for underrepresented groups to thrive.
13. Training on Trust:
• Conduct training sessions on building trust and effective communication.
• Provide resources and tools to help employees understand the importance of trust in the workplace.
14. Consistent Values:
• Clearly define and communicate the company’s values.
• Ensure that decisions and actions align with these values consistently.
15. Continuous Improvement:
• Regularly assess the organizational culture and seek feedback from employees.
• Actively work on areas that need improvement, demonstrating a commitment to continuous growth.
Building a culture of trust takes time and consistent effort. It requires a commitment from leadership and the involvement of every employee. By prioritizing transparency, communication, and employee well-being, you can create a workplace where trust flourishes, leading to increased engagement, loyalty, and overall success.
1. Lead by Example:
• Demonstrate trustworthiness in your actions and decisions.
• Be transparent about the company’s goals, challenges, and strategies.
2. Open Communication:
• Encourage open and honest communication at all levels of the organization.
• Create channels for feedback, and actively listen to employees’ concerns and ideas.
3. Transparency:
• Share relevant information about company performance, goals, and decision-making processes.
• Avoid unnecessary secrecy and ensure that employees understand the reasoning behind key decisions.
4. Empowerment:
• Empower employees by giving them autonomy and decision-making authority in their roles.
• Provide opportunities for skill development and growth.
5. Accountability:
• Hold everyone accountable for their actions and responsibilities.
• Acknowledge mistakes, learn from them, and use them as opportunities for improvement.
6. Recognition and Appreciation:
• Recognize and appreciate employees’ contributions.
• Celebrate achievements and milestones, both individual and team accomplishments.
7. Clear Expectations:
• Clearly communicate expectations for performance, behavior, and goals.
• Provide employees with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
8. Team Building:
• Foster a sense of camaraderie through team-building activities.
• Encourage collaboration and teamwork to strengthen interpersonal relationships.
9. Conflict Resolution:
• Address conflicts promptly and constructively.
• Provide mediation and support to help employees resolve issues with respect and empathy.
10. Flexibility and Work-Life Balance:
• Support a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements when possible.
• Show understanding and empathy for personal and family commitments.
11. Invest in Employee Well-Being:
• Provide resources and programs that support physical and mental well-being.
• Show genuine concern for employees’ health and happiness.
12. Promote Diversity and Inclusion:
• Foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
• Embrace diversity and create opportunities for underrepresented groups to thrive.
13. Training on Trust:
• Conduct training sessions on building trust and effective communication.
• Provide resources and tools to help employees understand the importance of trust in the workplace.
14. Consistent Values:
• Clearly define and communicate the company’s values.
• Ensure that decisions and actions align with these values consistently.
15. Continuous Improvement:
• Regularly assess the organizational culture and seek feedback from employees.
• Actively work on areas that need improvement, demonstrating a commitment to continuous growth.
Building a culture of trust takes time and consistent effort. It requires a commitment from leadership and the involvement of every employee. By prioritizing transparency, communication, and employee well-being, you can create a workplace where trust flourishes, leading to increased engagement, loyalty, and overall success.
15 Elements of an Effective Communication Strategy
Effective corporate communication is crucial for the success and reputation of any organization. Here are some best practices to enhance corporate communication:
1. Clear and Consistent Messaging:
• Ensure that your messages are clear, concise, and consistent across all communication channels. Ambiguity can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.
2. Audience Segmentation:
• Understand your audience and tailor your messages accordingly. Different stakeholders may require different types of information, so customize your communication to meet their needs.
3. Two-Way Communication:
• Foster open and transparent communication by encouraging feedback and actively listening to employees, customers, and other stakeholders. This promotes a culture of collaboration and engagement.
4. Use Multiple Communication Channels:
• Utilize a mix of communication channels such as email, intranet, social media, and face-to-face meetings. Different platforms serve different purposes, and using a variety ensures that your message reaches a broader audience.
5. Timely Communication:
• Communicate important information in a timely manner. Delays in sharing critical updates can lead to rumors and decreased trust among stakeholders.
6. Leadership Communication:
• Leaders should regularly communicate the organization’s vision, values, and strategic goals. This helps align employees with the company’s mission and fosters a sense of purpose.
7. Crisis Communication Plan:
• Develop a robust crisis communication plan to handle unexpected events. Having a structured approach helps in managing crises more effectively and minimizes potential damage.
8. Training Programs:
• Invest in communication training programs for employees, especially those in leadership positions. Effective communication skills are essential for leaders to convey their messages clearly and inspire confidence.
9. Visual Communication:
• Incorporate visual elements such as infographics, charts, and videos to make complex information more digestible. Visuals can enhance understanding and retention of key messages.
10. Consistent Branding:
• Ensure consistency in branding across all communication materials. Consistent branding reinforces the organization’s identity and builds trust with stakeholders.
11. Employee Involvement:
• Involve employees in decision-making processes and keep them informed about changes that may affect them. This promotes a sense of ownership and commitment among the workforce.
12. Celebrate Successes:
• Acknowledge and celebrate achievements, milestones, and successes. This reinforces a positive culture and motivates employees.
13. Regular Updates:
• Provide regular updates on the company’s performance, industry trends, and market conditions. This helps employees stay informed and engaged with the organization’s progress.
14. Ethical Communication:
• Ensure that communication is ethical and aligns with the organization’s values. Honesty and integrity build trust among stakeholders.
15. Technology Integration:
• Leverage technology for efficient communication. Use collaboration tools, intranet platforms, and other technologies to streamline communication processes.
By implementing these best practices, organizations can establish a strong communication framework that promotes transparency, engagement, and a positive organizational culture.
11 Steps to Effective Team Building
Effective team building is crucial for fostering collaboration, improving communication, and enhancing overall productivity in a business. Here are some strategies that can contribute to successful team building in a business context:
1. Define Clear Goals and Roles:
Clearly communicate the team’s purpose, goals, and individual roles. When team members understand their contributions and how they fit into the larger picture, it fosters a sense of purpose and direction.
2. Encourage Open Communication:
Create an environment where open and honest communication is valued. Encourage team members to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns. This can be facilitated through regular team meetings, open forums, or collaboration tools.
3. Promote Trust and Accountability:
Trust is essential for effective teamwork. Encourage trust by setting expectations, being transparent, and promoting accountability. When team members trust each other, they are more likely to collaborate and take risks.
4. Foster a Positive Work Environment:
Create a positive and inclusive work culture where team members feel valued and supported. Recognize achievements, celebrate milestones, and promote a healthy work-life balance. A positive environment contributes to increased motivation and satisfaction.
5. Team-Building Activities:
Organize team-building activities that promote collaboration and communication. This could include off-site retreats, workshops, or even in-office activities that encourage team members to work together in a different context.
6. Encourage Diversity and Inclusion:
Embrace diversity within the team. A diverse group brings different perspectives, ideas, and skills. Foster an inclusive environment where all team members feel respected and included.
7. Professional Development Opportunities:
Invest in the professional development of team members. This not only enhances their skills but also shows that the organization is committed to their growth. This can include training programs, workshops, or mentorship opportunities.
8. Set Clear Expectations:
Clearly define expectations for performance and behavior. When team members have a clear understanding of what is expected, it helps avoid misunderstandings and promotes a sense of responsibility.
9. Encourage Collaboration:
Promote collaboration by providing tools and technologies that facilitate communication and teamwork. This could include project management tools, collaborative document sharing, and communication platforms.
10. Feedback and Recognition:
Provide regular feedback on individual and team performance. Recognize and celebrate achievements, both big and small. Positive reinforcement can boost morale and motivation.
11. Leadership Development:
Develop leadership skills within the team. When team members have opportunities to lead, it not only enhances their skills but also promotes a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Remember that effective team building is an ongoing process, and it requires consistent effort and attention. Tailor these strategies to the specific needs and dynamics of your team and organization. Regularly assess the team’s progress and adjust as needed.
1. Define Clear Goals and Roles:
Clearly communicate the team’s purpose, goals, and individual roles. When team members understand their contributions and how they fit into the larger picture, it fosters a sense of purpose and direction.
2. Encourage Open Communication:
Create an environment where open and honest communication is valued. Encourage team members to share their thoughts, ideas, and concerns. This can be facilitated through regular team meetings, open forums, or collaboration tools.
3. Promote Trust and Accountability:
Trust is essential for effective teamwork. Encourage trust by setting expectations, being transparent, and promoting accountability. When team members trust each other, they are more likely to collaborate and take risks.
4. Foster a Positive Work Environment:
Create a positive and inclusive work culture where team members feel valued and supported. Recognize achievements, celebrate milestones, and promote a healthy work-life balance. A positive environment contributes to increased motivation and satisfaction.
5. Team-Building Activities:
Organize team-building activities that promote collaboration and communication. This could include off-site retreats, workshops, or even in-office activities that encourage team members to work together in a different context.
6. Encourage Diversity and Inclusion:
Embrace diversity within the team. A diverse group brings different perspectives, ideas, and skills. Foster an inclusive environment where all team members feel respected and included.
7. Professional Development Opportunities:
Invest in the professional development of team members. This not only enhances their skills but also shows that the organization is committed to their growth. This can include training programs, workshops, or mentorship opportunities.
8. Set Clear Expectations:
Clearly define expectations for performance and behavior. When team members have a clear understanding of what is expected, it helps avoid misunderstandings and promotes a sense of responsibility.
9. Encourage Collaboration:
Promote collaboration by providing tools and technologies that facilitate communication and teamwork. This could include project management tools, collaborative document sharing, and communication platforms.
10. Feedback and Recognition:
Provide regular feedback on individual and team performance. Recognize and celebrate achievements, both big and small. Positive reinforcement can boost morale and motivation.
11. Leadership Development:
Develop leadership skills within the team. When team members have opportunities to lead, it not only enhances their skills but also promotes a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Remember that effective team building is an ongoing process, and it requires consistent effort and attention. Tailor these strategies to the specific needs and dynamics of your team and organization. Regularly assess the team’s progress and adjust as needed.
Creating an Inclusive and Collaborative Corporate Culture: The Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace.
Everyone knows the saying, It takes a village to raise a child. While that might be overstating it slightly, the phrase conveys an important point: kids do better when they are surrounded by people who are different from them in some way, whether it’s their culture, race, or gender identity. The same concept applies to corporations—they function better and reach new heights when they bring together people of diverse backgrounds and personalities to work together as a cohesive unit.
Defining Diversity
No one’s ever said that working together is easy—after all, people are different! From differing abilities to varying viewpoints, our differences make us stronger as a company when we understand each other and use our differences to add value. An inclusive corporate culture fosters trust among diverse employees who feel safe enough to bring their whole selves to work without fear of judgement or reprisal. How can you define diversity? What do you do to remove biases from your work environment? How does your company foster inclusion in its day-to-day operations? If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of resources available on creating a more inclusive workplace.
Defining Inclusion
As we mentioned above, inclusion means more than just getting a seat at the table—it’s about making that seat one from which you can fully contribute to your team. To create a welcoming environment for all employees, take measures to ensure that your staff feels as though they belong by developing mechanisms that promote inclusion across functions and/or generations. For example, if your company has multiple teams working on a project together, it’s important to ensure that each team is made up of members who have diverse backgrounds and skillsets. Similarly, it’s crucial to make sure that everyone is included during meetings or other events where decisions are being made or information is being disseminated. This way, no one will feel left out or unable to offer input based on their background or experience level.
How Organizations Can Promote A Culture Of Collaboration and Inclusion
You don’t have to travel far to find stories about companies that promote diversity and inclusion among their employees, customers, or other stakeholders. According to these media reports, a diverse workforce often outperforms homogeneous groups in a variety of business arenas, including marketing campaigns, sales pitches, product development initiatives, talent retention strategies, and more. But creating a culture that supports diversity and inclusion requires an ongoing effort. It can be difficult for leaders who are trying to get a handle on day-to-day operations—and who may not feel qualified to lead such efforts—to know where to start. Here are some tips for getting started: 1. Conduct an audit of your current work environment to identify areas that need improvement when it comes to fostering collaboration and inclusion across your organization. Try holding one-on-one meetings with your staff members (of different ages, races, genders, etc.) and ask them questions like: How do you feel included at work? What could we do better as a company to help you feel more welcome? What would make you want to stay here longer? 2. Consider bringing together a cross-functional team from various departments within your organization to discuss how each department can contribute to promoting a culture of collaboration and inclusion within your workplace. 3. Think carefully about what you hope to achieve by creating an inclusive corporate culture and write down those goals so they’re easy to refer back to later on if needed. 4. Build out your action plan based on your goals and priorities, then follow through with concrete steps to create change. 5. Be prepared to accept that it will take time for people within your organization to adjust to changes in culture; consider offering training sessions or workshops focused on helping people learn new skills related to working collaboratively across functions, departments, cultures, generations, etc., as well as building empathy for others. 6. Reward individuals who go above and beyond to promote collaboration and inclusion. 7. Track progress toward achieving your goals over time using metrics specific to your organization’s needs. 8. Celebrate milestones along the way!
Types of Collaboration
There are two types of collaboration that occur within organizations – horizontal collaboration between individuals and teams, as well as vertical collaboration between different levels (such as departments) in an organization. Vertical or inter-departmental collaboration tends to be more prevalent because it requires less coordination; everyone is doing their part to achieve a common goal. Horizontal collaboration is a bit trickier since it requires consensus from multiple parties on similar issues, but it can also reap huge rewards for companies if used correctly.
Examples of Collaboration Across Cultures
Globalization is upon us, and workplace collaboration has become a necessity for companies that wish to remain competitive within their industry. In order to compete on a global scale, today’s companies must have a diverse workforce—one that includes both domestic workers as well as those from foreign countries. By learning how to collaborate across cultures, businesses can prepare themselves for long-term success.
Remote Teams – Ways to Improve Communication, Build Trust and Enhance Teamwork
Remote teams have become more common thanks to advances in communication technology. Team leaders can foster better communication between employees by using collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Spark, Atlassian Stride, Jive SBS Pulse and others. These tools are designed to make it easier for remote workers to share ideas across functions and locations. Some products even automatically integrate with video conferencing systems from Zoom or BlueJeans so remote meetings feel as if they’re taking place face-to-face.
How to Break Down Silos and Enhance Effective Communication in Your Organization
Silos are organizations where each department operates independently from the other departments. Because of this, it’s difficult to have effective communication between different departments as many people only work with those in their own department and don’t know what other departments do or how they operate on a day-to-day basis. Breaking down silos and enhancing effective communication in your organization is crucial if you want your organization to be able to function effectively and efficiently. In order to learn how to break down silos and enhance effective communication in your organization, keep reading below!
Communicate transparently
Communicating transparently can help connect team members, eliminate corporate silos, and improve overall communication in your organization. While sharing open dialogue can be difficult at first, once you get into a routine it will become second nature. Try using an on-line project management tool that has built-in features for communicating with your entire team—it’s a great way to break down those silos.
Communicate with passion
According to research, companies with open communication are more profitable. Employees need channels for being heard—this means an open dialogue that allows for two-way communication (and not just from boss to employee). Team members need a way of knowing they’re contributing to the bottom line through direct connection (or clear understanding) of their efforts and contributions. Information sharing enables transparency; open communication builds trust. But effective communication is also about listening. Being able use emotional intelligence on any level requires great listening skills.
Ask open questions
Employees who feel like they are listened to are more likely to share useful information, ultimately enhancing effective communication within an organization. To help break down silos and improve your listening skills, ask open-ended questions. These will allow you to get at root of what your employees’ needs, rather than asking closed-ended questions that limit their response options. Listening involves more than just hearing – it requires active engagement.
Build your team’s trust and confidence
It’s incredibly difficult for team members to feel engaged and connected when they don’t know each other. Communication, on line project management tools, and information sharing can help solve these issues by creating a transparent environment where everyone feels valued. It will also be important to establish clear communication protocols with your team so that everyone understands what is expected of them; these guidelines should outline all aspects of an employee’s responsibilities, performance reviews, etc.
Use social media as a platform for dialogue
The use of social media presents a great opportunity for organizations to engage with clients and employees in real time. However, most brands use social platforms as one-way communication vehicles, which is insufficient for facilitating productive dialogue. To enable effective two-way communication through social channels, define clear communication protocols, establish goals for participation on each platform, train employees on proper usage of your organization’s social presence, measure progress toward these goals regularly and take appropriate steps toward increasing employee engagement when your numbers are low.
Address concerns openly.
It can be a lot easier to speak openly when you feel confident that your concerns will be taken seriously. If you’re worried about something, bring it up during a meeting. If no one responds, bring it up again in front of higher-ups and people who are more powerful than you. The sooner you address these issues head-on, the sooner they’ll be addressed for good.
Stay away from jargon.
There’s a great temptation when you’re in a meeting or talking with your colleagues that you want to impress others by using complicated words or jargon. Before speaking, ask yourself if your listeners will be able to understand what you’re saying. If it isn’t something that can be easily understood, then don’t use it.
3 Traits of Successful CEOs
How do you know if you have what it takes to be a successful CEO? You’re going to have to show your employees that you’re committed to helping the company succeed in the long run, and you’ll need to know how to be transparent with them. This article provides 3 traits of successful CEO’s: transparency, long term vision, and empathy.
Why CEOs need to be transparent
A new type of leadership is emerging that sees transparency as a competitive advantage. While some CEOs worry about being vulnerable to competitors or concerned about their public image, there are many reasons why leaders should be transparent. Communicating honestly and openly helps build trust with employees and clients, which drives innovation. If you have nothing to hide then why hide it? Instead of fearing transparency, embrace it; your company will be stronger for it.
The importance of a long-term vision
Entrepreneurs tend to be focused on their product or service—and that’s a good thing. But it’s also important to think about your company’s long-term vision. The best entrepreneurs share two common traits: they have a strong mission and they make communication with their customers easy. When building a startup, it can be easy to get caught up in day-to-day issues. However, if you want to grow your business into something sustainable, you need to take a step back from time to time and look at where you want your business to go. Having a clear mission statement will help guide you through decision making down the road.
What are the best ways to empathize with employees?
A successful leader is not just aware of their own feelings but also makes an effort to understand those around them. A highly empathetic person can put themselves in someone else’s shoes easily. However, to be able to do that at work a person needs to build trust with their executives and their employees. In order for that trust to flourish they need to show vulnerability while keeping in mind how they will be perceived by others if they say something or ask for something. It’s important to realize that empathy isn’t about feeling sorry for people; it is about understanding what they are going through so you can help them improve their situation.
Conclusion
Being a successful CEO is an art form. There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to managing other people. However, there are certain traits that separate good CEOs from bad ones. Today we’ve looked at three important ones: transparency, long term vision, and empathy. Are you a good CEO? If so, what sets you apart from others? What do you do to be a better leader? If not, how can you start building those traits into your leadership style?
To continue the discussion, book a call with me here: https://calendly.com/claude-blanc/chemistrycall
Building an Engaging Corporate Culture Starts with Clarifying Your Vision, Values and Mission
How important is it to clarify your vision, values and mission? If you’re struggling to answer that question, consider the fact that Harvard Business Review reports that corporate culture has more impact on revenue and profit than either strategy or structure (Daft, 2007). In other words, if you want to build an engaging corporate culture that drives business success, it’s critical to take the time to clarify your vision, values and mission so that your employees are clear about what your company stands for and how they can help the company achieve its goals.
The need for an engaging corporate culture
In today’s corporate landscape it is extremely important for leaders to create a clear vision for their company. A clear vision guides your employees in making daily decisions that are aligned with your overall goals. An engaging corporate culture can be created through transparent communication of your company’s vision and values at all levels. By doing so, you build a culture in which employees are engaged and motivated by their passion to make positive impacts on your business. Employees who feel valued and appreciated will be more likely to stay longer, work harder and produce better results. To start building an engaging corporate culture: Define your company’s vision, values and mission statement; clearly communicate these statements to every employee; ensure each employee knows how his or her role contributes to achieving these statements; hold regular meetings with employees where they can ask questions about what these statements mean; encourage open dialogue between management and staff members about how best to achieve stated goals; celebrate achievements regularly.
The importance of clarifying vision
When it comes to building a workplace culture, most leaders will tell you that vision is crucial. The problem is that most of us aren’t exactly sure what they mean by vision. That’s because we confuse vision with specific goals or objectives. A vision statement is not something that can be easily quantified. It’s more than just setting goals; it’s about defining your organization’s core values—what makes your company unique and worth investing in? What do you stand for? How do you want people to feel when they interact with your brand? Without these answers, how can you possibly build a strong corporate culture?
What are your shared vision, values and mission?
The most effective way to drive engagement is by creating a corporate culture that is emotionally intelligent. A great first step in developing such a culture is by articulating your vision, values and mission as clearly as possible. For example, if you want employees to be innovative, then make sure you define what innovative means for your organization. If you want employees to be passionate about their work, then make sure you articulate what it means for them to be passionate about their work. If you want employees to have fun at work (and who doesn’t?), then make sure they know how they can have fun at work—and hold them accountable for doing so!
How do we communicate the three things?
When you think about how you are going to communicate your vision, values and mission to your employees it is critical that you start thinking about one thing – Why? If we want employees who care about our company’s vision, values and mission then they have to be able to connect emotionally to them. That means they need to be able clearly understand why these things matter. Without understanding why these three things matter at a personal level we risk creating engagement challenges down line.
The importance of effective communication tools
Ineffective communication often comes down to ineffective technology. If your company is using convoluted software that doesn’t allow for real-time collaboration, it’s a major inhibitor to building stronger bonds in your organization. Start by communicating effectively internally (between employees) before tackling external communication (with clients). Remember: You can only have strong relationships outside of your organization if you have a strong culture inside of it. So don’t be afraid to spend time on internal communications first.
Tips on being emotionally intelligent as a leader
Emotionally intelligent leaders focus on managing their own emotions first before working on managing other people’s. This means making time for introspection, being cognizant of your feelings and reflecting on what you are feeling versus just reacting to whatever is thrown at you. It also means learning how to harness your natural emotions like empathy, confidence and passion so that you can use them as a strength when dealing with other people in professional settings.
The value of having emotional intelligence in everyone else in the company
Emotional intelligence (EI) is a widely used term in management today, but many people are still confused about what it means. In short, emotional intelligence is your ability to understand your own emotions and those of others. High EI allows you to read how others feel through their facial expressions or body language; it also gives you a deeper understanding of group dynamics. By being aware of such things as these, you can more easily build rapport with colleagues on any level of your company.
Strong Leadership Requires All Your Emotional Intelligence
Everyone seems to have an opinion on how to lead well, but few people have studied the question as scientifically as Harvard psychology professor Daniel Goleman has.
Goleman fathered the theory of emotional intelligence, and in his research of more than 3,000 business executives he finds a clear correlation between leadership and emotional intelligence.
You can’t be a good leader if you are emotionally unintelligent. That doesn’t mean you must be a “nice” person; just that you must understand yourself and others. Demagogues can be effective, at least in the short term, because they understand how to manipulate people.
Emotional intelligence, if you recall, is how well you function emotionally with yourself (self-regulation and self-awareness) and with others (motivation, empathy and social skills). The theory broke new ground in its recognition that being smart is about more than doing well on tests.
This is a powerful insight for any size of company that has employees. Integrating this information can make you incredibly effective.
Golf clubs in your bag of tricks
I value Goleman’s theory of leadership because it recognizes that there are different, equally valid, styles of leadership within the same leader. The title of his Harvard Business Review article sums it up: “Leadership That Gets Results.” He focuses on what works.
These leadership styles Goleman likens to golf clubs in a bag that are useful for different terrain. Most leaders only have one or two styles. But you need more than that. When you try to use the wrong style for a situation that calls for something else, you miss the mark (or should we say, the hole).
Goleman’s six styles in a nutshell:
- Coercive – Do what I tell you
- Authoritative – Come with me
- Affiliative – People come first
- Democratic – What do you think?
- Pace-setting – Do as I do, now
- Coaching – Try this
What varies are the people with and the situations in which the styles are used. Knowing when to deploy them is key.
When negative is effective
It’s interesting that in Goleman’s research the authoritative style is the most effective, yet he considers that and “pace-setting” to be negative styles to be used sparingly. Relying on one style exclusively means that you will fail when that style is not helpful.
Crisis, for example, demands that someone make authoritative, often unilateral, decisions. That’s why boards will bring in “turnaround specialists” when a company is on the precipice. If you have too much of a democratic or affiliative style, you’ll flounder in a crisis. Recognize what kind of leadership is needed and work to provide it.
When you are lacking in a leadership style
Try to work on the underlying emotional intelligence so that you have more than one club in your bag. The affiliative and coaching styles emphasize empathy and relationship building. Without those, you will probably have high turnover in your organization.
You can work on those styles by communicating with your employees more about what matters to them. Ask questions and really listen. Look for ways to develop the potential in each person.
The best leaders know how to get both loyalty and high performance out of their teams.
Did any of these styles resonate with you? I’d love to talk to you about how you can lead your team to greatness.
Spring Is Made Possible By the Death of Winter
Whether or not you observe Lent, the 40-day season between Ash Wednesday and Easter, you can understand the profound reality of life that it represents. Lent, from a word meaning “spring,” is a celebration of death and resurrection.
To get through a difficult and painful situation, our first instinct is to deny it’s happening, and to resist dealing with it.
But without winter, we can’t have spring. Without darkness, light can’t shine through. We cannot, as business people and as humans, avoid all darkness. It’s an inevitable fact of life.
The best strategy is to embrace the darkness.
Too many horses spoil the city
The largest city in the world in 1894 was drowning in manure. Literally.
More than 50,000 horses transported people and goods around London each day. Imagine for a second: A horse can produce between 15-35 pounds of manure per day. Add to that urine, disease and putrefying equine carcasses on the streets.
The ‘Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894’ seemed to have no solution. The best minds weighed in, but the problem was only getting worse.
We know what happened next. Henry Ford.
Horse drawn buses were replaced by buses and electric trams. The manure crisis was over.
Something has to die whether we like it or not
If you asked the horse and buggy drivers to choose cars, they’d have resisted, as coal miners today are resisting the inevitable death of their industry. But we can’t keep the problem alive and still have it solved.
Embracing the darkness helps us transcend the problem.
When we spy a problem on the horizon, we can pretend it’s not coming toward us for only so long. Netflix saw digital streaming in time to change its business model. Blockbuster did not. Uber knows driverless cars are the future and so it is developing one, in a race against Google. It is embracing the darkness by developing a Plan B.
Marketing expert Seth Godin says when we are in a “dip,” we are smart to quit when there is no way forward. That frees us to go in a different direction.
And sometimes there is no way to pivot so if we want to survive we must move forward and endure the consequences.
‘Why me?’ is a waste of time
When a challenge comes our way, we have a choice: Lamenting “why me?” or making peace with reality. The only way past a problem is often through the heart of it. The more you try to walk around something, the more tired you get. It’s easier and faster to just face it head on.
Death is a change that we cannot avoid. I like to think that death itself does not exist, that in fact we simply change form.
The paradox of transcendence is when we finally let go of something we think is indispensable, that our lives would be meaningless without, can be when we find the solution that we could never see before. The thing you resist can also be, miraculously, the thing that saves you, by bringing light into the situation.
It can be the time when we find ourselves.
Whatever problem you have, somebody else has solved it already. Sometimes you spend a great deal of time trying to reinvent the wheel when it’s already being produced.
Consider the message of Lent
Returning to the Lenten theme, Jesus’ followers were in despair when he said he was leaving them. They argued and pleaded with him not to go. When he died, they thought that was the end of his teachings. But as we now know, Jesus’ influence has changed the world.
And if you believe in the story of resurrection, his followers did get to see Jesus again, in a restored, perfect state. If you don’t, consider it simply an allegory.
Sacrifice yourself for something greater, whether in your spiritual life or for a dream of building something on earth, and you will find yourself. That truth is eternal.
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Getting Things Done By Learning One New Habit
At Alcoa, a gigantic company that produces aluminum, a new CEO was faced with turning the company around years ago and decided that improving safety was the answer. Wall Street, ever conservative in its approach to change, reacted to this unconventional approach by punishing the stock.
Can you predict what happened?
CEO Paul O’Neill had decided to change what Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, calls a “keystone habit.” This he defines as a habit that is so important that by changing it, one sets up a chain reaction that affects everything else one is doing. Companies and people both have habits, also called routines.
These things happen without our even thinking about it. Consider your routine when you get to work in the morning—showering, dressing, eating, coffee, driving, checking email, etc.
It can be an hour before you even make a conscious decision.
A small win can lead to big changes
If you struggle to finish tasks, it is probably because you have habits that are not helping you. Such as checking your email every five minutes. What you need is a keystone habit that will give you a small win, Duhigg explains. That little boost will keep paying off in other ways.
Exercise, for example, is a positive keystone habit. At Alcoa, the keystone habit that the CEO wanted to instill was to put safety first.
His goal: Zero accidents. He told his workers that he wanted Alcoa to be “the safest company in America.” Pretty ambitious, but not impossible.
Focusing everyone around this directive worked. It created a ripple effect where other positive changes followed, such as employees and managers working together to redesign processes to ensure worker safety. In a year, the company’s profits rocketed and, when he retired 13 years later O’Neill had raised the company’s income by 400 percent.
Just trying harder is the definition of insanity
How does this relate to getting things done? Most of us are highly distracted and have trouble staying on task. We tell ourselves we just need to try harder, but that doesn’t work.
A more fundamental change is necessary.
The main obstacles to productivity, in my opinion, are:
- The inability to focus
- Not identifying one’s mission and thus getting lost in the weeds
They are related, of course. Many business owners make the mistake of starting too many things and not finishing any. It’s tough to bring ideas to port.
A simple test that can change the way you approach your business
Here’s how to get on the right track. First, identify your mission. Then make a habit of checking everything you do against it:
Is it aligned with my mission?
If not, don’t do it.
Is it mission-critical?
If not, delegate or outsource.
If it meets the test, then: Make a note, but then schedule time to work on it. Ask yourself when you want it done by. Write down the steps and then do them.
Want more mission-critical tips? I tell a story elsewhere on this blog about an Iraq ship commander and how this worked for him. Learn five tips for staying mission-critical.
Do you have trouble distinguishing mission critical tasks and struggle to get things done? CHB can help you overcome these obstacles. Contact Claude today.
5 Tips To Become a Mission Critical Organization
The USS Benfold was the most technically advanced ship in the world, yet not coming close to its full potential.
Commander Mike Abrashoff turned things around by changing the culture of the organization. He interviewed each crew member to see what was working. He separated tasks into mission critical and “non-value added.”
This distinction, which nobody else had thought to do, proved to be enlightening.
Rust was not just an eyesore
For example, Abrashoff learned form the crew that all the ship’s hardware was ferrous metal, which rusts in salt water. When procurement didn’t have stainless steel bolts, the commander persisted. He had the crew buy up every single bolt they could find at home improvement stores, and hired a firm to finish the ship’s hardware with a rust-inhibiting process that made the paint job good for 30 years.
Why did the commander care so much about the paint job?
Abrashoff saw that his crew was spending entire days sanding and re-painting the ship, which was both a morale-killer and time waster. His talent was to figure out what was obstructing high performance, and to laser in on a solution, even if it meant bypassing conventional channels to get it done.
He attributed the crew’s high readiness to having more time to learn their jobs. The ship not only won a prestigious military award, but enjoyed a 100 percent retention rate for its sailors, vs. a 54 percent rate for other crews.
Pretty good for a ship that was deployed in the Persian Gulf during the Iraq war.
How does this apply to your business?
Think about your company’s mission. What is essential to the mission and what is not? Small problems may seem insignificant, but not if they interfere with the mission. In this case, painting the ship was not essential to the mission, so Abrashoff saw that it needed to be minimized, whatever it took.
In business, value-adding activities are the most important.
Five tips for staying mission critical:
- Divide tasks into A and B lists depending upon whether the task is related to the mission of the company—the source of your revenue.
- If it’s not mission critical: delegate, eliminate or automate.
- Train employees to perform mission-critical tasks.
- Set up systems to simplify non-mission critical tasks such as bookkeeping, payroll and benefits, collections.
- Do everything you can to maximize your cash flow, such as billing on time. Letting this go hurts your bottom line and your credibility.
Remember that today, it’s not enough to be cheaper and better, you must be cheaper, better and faster.
Are you unsure how to identify and separate mission critical tasks in your organization? Comment or contact us directly at CHB Associates to see if coaching can help you get back on course.
Six Reasons You Do Not Ever Need to Hire a Business Coach
See if any items on this list apply to you:
- My business is exactly where I want it to be. I have enough clients, and the work is the type of work I want to do. Even if it is not yet where I want it to be, I know just what I need to do to get it there.
- My family and close friends have all the answers to my questions and don’t have any conflicts of interest or time constraints in their lives. They feel free to give me impartial, honest feedback about my business without it affecting our relationship. I have made myself accountable to all of them and I feel comfortable divulging all the details about my business.
- I have a stack of reports on my desk from consultants that tells me everything I need to know about my business. After they provide feedback, the consultants are continuously available to help me implement their solutions. Even if consultants have not helped me at all, I don’t think coaching can do any better.
- I have an MBA, so what can a coach possibly teach me? I’ve always excelled so there is no reason I won’t succeed at this. I will beat the odds by myself. Coaches are for indecisive people who cannot solve their own problems and need somebody to tell them what to do.
- I don’t need therapy, and I don’t want to talk about that stuff anyway. I’m happy and functioning well in my personal life. I just need more time to get my business off the ground.
- It’s not that important to me to be successful. I don’t have the time that it would take to change things so I’ll live with it. Change takes too long and is too disruptive.
So how did you do? If these apply to you, you do not need to read on. Several of these statements, however, are based upon misconceptions about what business coaching is and what it does.
I don’t know many individuals and businesses who cannot derive benefit from business coaching, including presidents and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. It’s not a mark of failure or indecision; it’s an indication that you have high standards for excellence. Athletes have coaches. In corporate America, Forbes magazine estimates that more than $1 billion annually is spent on executive coaches.
A very common misconception is to assume that business coaching is simply a new name for something else, such as therapy, personal coaching, consulting or business education. Coaching is similar yet very different from each of these.
A coach does not help you to resolve your personal problems or traumas. The purpose of coaching is to help you improve your business performance, which is why it differs from life coaching or therapy. Therapists help you heal; coaches help you excel.
Although coaches may provide information, they do not teach you the basics of business or your industry. They assume you already are competent. Coaching takes a functioning person to higher levels of success. Coaching is not analogous to business school or getting any kind of degree. It’s not about obtaining a body of knowledge; it’s more about gaining hands-on skills for applying your prior knowledge to reaching your professional goals.
Coaches also are not there to give directives or make your decisions for you. They are guides and objective observers who work alongside you to define and implement a clearer path to your mission and goals.
If you commit to it, business coaching can take you from functioning to excelling.
Are you thinking coaching may be helpful? Comment or contact us directly at CHB Associates, LLC to discuss your options.
The 4-letter Word that Will Catapult Your Career: GRIT
The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses — behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.
–Muhammad Ali
The great boxer understood something about life that many of us don’t want to believe.
We like to think that stars are born, not made. But the thing that’s truly required to be “the greatest,” or a long-term success, is grit.
That’s why I’ll be at Brookdale College on June 22nd, to explain “The Power of Grit! 5 Steps to a Fulfilling Career: Whether You Are Just Starting Out or Mid-career.”
How can having grit help you in your career?
Often business owners give up on their goals because everything they try isn’t a roaring success. You cannot lose hope when something isn’t working or when something that worked in the past stops working.
After not getting a response after a sales presentation or email, gritty entrepreneurs don’t say, “Well, I guess they’re just not interested.” They don’t presume to know why they didn’t get a call back and they don’t tell themselves negative stories about what happened. They press on, harder if necessary, or by taking a different tack.
Ali knew that his raw talent alone wasn’t enough to keep him at the top forever. After he had lost some of his legendary speed because of age, he tried something else—he simply wore his opponents down in the ring. It was brutal on his body, but it worked.
Those with grit understand that people are busy and what they offer is probably not the first thing on their prospects’ minds. They realize that a rejection or lack of initial interest may not be related the quality of their offering or anything about them personally. A rejection is only the beginning of a conversation in many sales processes.
Most business owners, like athletes, have enough knowledge and ability to perform well. But most will stop short of excellence. Most will throw in the towel too soon, thinking that is the best they can do. Gritty people are not deterred by failure or the threat of it.
Often it’s when there is no other option that the effect of grit is felt, such as in war. Twenty years ago, I can remember that a strike on the west coast of paper suppliers was hurting my company’s ability to keep the presses running.
We needed to move paper from the east coast to the west, which required concerted pushing, negotiating and constant uncertainty. As head of procurement, this fell to me. Because I did not have a choice—losing was not an option—my goal was clear.
This kind of clarity of goals is needed in your day-to-day life as a business owner, not just in emergencies, because your livelihood is at stake. Grit without goals is just running in circles.
Clear goals are a key component of success. Another key element is to be around others with grit. We become like the people we associate with.
Selling is a long game, and being in business is a long game. Grit will get you through to the end.
At Brookdale, which is open to the public at no charge, I’ll explain what you must do to increase grit, whether you are starting out or mid-career.
I hope to see you there.
Do you want to learn more from an experienced coach and consultant about specific ways you can apply these insights to your particular situation? Contact Claude Blanc for more information at 732-995-3242.
Systemize Your Business This Year
Could this be you?
You’re a star developer whose mission is to create a game-changing software platform. You start to grow by selling some apps you’ve developed, and you hire junior level developers.
Your bookkeeping becomes more complicated with employees and a payroll. You’re a smart person and you know you can handle it. Your networking brings you more accounts.
So far so good.
Life Gets Complicated
Tax time is a nightmare because you have so much to learn. A tax law change consumes your time and you stop going to conferences for a few months, but you plan to have it under control soon. Your bookkeeping workload is exploding, because, thankfully, business keeps coming in. You promote your best employee to manage the projects and people you no longer have time for. Your spouse and children complain that you are never home.
When you get back to developing, you discover nothing has been done the way you had planned. You didn’t standardize the process, because you assumed everyone would understand what you wanted. To keep the staff busy, your senior developer has taken on a slew of small projects that aren’t even related to the core business.
Worst of all, progress on your big idea has stopped. Your best person is too busy managing the day-to-day and you don’t have time either. Tasks are being duplicated, and other things are not getting done at all because you have no systems set up.
Many organizations, large or small, wait too long to systemize their operations. This hurts the bottom line as well as morale.
A major corporation will often wait until it starts having serious problems before digging into the job of centralizing and standardizing its many departments, who are typically duplicating efforts across those departments, resulting in bottlenecks and slowdowns.
By the time management tackles this, it’s become painful and costly to change. But the price of not changing is even higher, so it must be done.
It also happens to startups with as few as one person. That overworked person, as in my example above, tends to wear too many hats and try to accomplish too many things that aren’t mission critical.
Money is tight, and it seems less expensive to do everything in-house. But it’s actually not.
Not Investing in Your Business Is An Expensive Short Term Strategy
When the owner above looked at the first half of the year, he realized, to his horror, that he’d made 20 percent less during tax time. He had skipped conferences where he had previously made valuable contacts, nor was he following up with less recent contacts, who had moved on.
If you are the best person to be drumming up business, you should be out on the front lines, but not all the time. Not so much that the mission—in this case, developing software—is being run by employees who don’t have the knowledge or training to manage it.
In this case, the owner needed to manage the team, or else train and delegate it carefully. Some of the lead generation could have been handled by a salesperson or marketing, leaving him to close the deals. And there’s no question he does not need to be handling payroll or taxes.
The owner has made what I call the “critical mistakes” of business owners, which I warn audiences about because they are so common and they do so much damage:
- Suffer from “it’s easier to do it myself” syndrome.
- Don’t understand the importance of systemizing and what that really means.
Both of these can only be successful in the short-term, but eventually, you will burn out or be unable to expand because you are just doing too much. Heed my advice and invest in your business by hiring and delegating to specialists, and systemize your operations in any way you can.
The longer you wait, the harder it will be. You value your autonomy in the beginning, but full autonomy has a price. Being a lone wolf is inefficient. Remember the reason why you started the company in the first place.
A clear mission and vision will guide you.
Have you felt out of control of your own organization because you’re trying to do it all? Comment or contact us directly at CHB Associates to learn more about systemizing.