I was just out of college and working as a manager in a distribution center and heard about a problem brewing in the warehouse.
I called the two staff members that were engaged in the conflict into a conference room to try and understand what was going on. That’s when Sue pointed her finger and blurted out HE PINCHED ME! and I thought to myself, seriously? I’d been working with Ben for a year and he did not seem like the kind of person that would go around pinching people. And besides, isn't this the kind of thing you deal with in Kindergarten or maybe Jr. High. Surely, I am not going to have to recite the “keep your hands to yourself” speech. Please, aren’t you two in your 40’s and aren't you immigrates from the same country. I’m sure we can all get along, right? Back to the conversation: Ben was so flustered that he could hardly speak. So I asked Sue and Ben to take a turn and walk me through the chain of events that led up to this altercation. When Sue shared her story it was all about how hard she worked, the sheer volume of orders that she would pack each day. She poked fun at how slow Ben worked and said that it was unfair that he would hurt her because he was jealous. This only frustrated Ben more and with his heavy accent it was all I could do to figure out what actually happened. Here is what happened: Ben and Sue had come from the same country but from different classes. So while there was a common language and it appeared from the surface that these two got along fine, there were deeper cultural issues that intensified the situation. Sue had figured out a way to cherry pick most of the easy orders and shift the larger more difficult orders over to Ben’s workload. So as they packed orders, it appeared that Sue was doing more work because her stack of empty totes was always higher than Ben’s. This was a fact that she proudly pointed out to the team, leads, supervisors and anyone else who would listen. Ben internalized his frustration and it finally came out one day when Sue came too close to him and in frustration and anger he reached out and pinched her. The outcome: I ended up giving Ben a formal warning regarding the pinching. He was reminded of the proper outlet to report issues as they arise. Sue was instructed not to cherry pick orders and a lead was assigned to go back over the process and procedures with her. Sue left that next year. Ben stayed on for 20 years. He never pinched anyone again. Even though most professional workers are more sophisticated in how they interact with each other there is still virtual “pinching” going on every day. According to Gallup, 87% of the global workforce is disengaged at work. I am sure any leader could think of a number of frustrating staff related issues that while not exactly the same have the same underlying issues. Having worked with hundreds of leaders over the years I have observed 8 things that great teams have in common.
Let me ask you a few questions: Does your team genuinely enjoy working together? Does everyone know exactly what they are expected to do each day? Are you getting the absolute best from your team every day? Have you developed your team to the point that you can take a week off without having to worry about a thing? If you answered no to any of the above then I’d like to invite you to schedule a chat with me. This is an advice only (no sales/pressure) session to help you identify specific ways to improve your teams performance.
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There is no shortage of business networking opportunities today, but how many of them incorporate true Colorado adventure?
I'd like to redefine business networking by shifting the commercial rendezvous from posh banquets to the wild & crazy waters of the Arkansas river. The Biz & Raft Networking Series, provides whitewater rafting for business leaders who are looking for a new adventurous way to connect with other entrepreneurs, clients and key industry contacts. Unlike other events where you don't know who you will meet, this event puts you in the drivers seat. Once you reserve the raft for this summer you get to invite an additional 5 people to become part of your crew for the day. I will facilitate the days activities in order to help you accomplish your objectives. When you’re all on the same boat, shooting the rapids together, you develop a feeling of oneness. It’s this solidarity which is crucial in relationship building. Our groundbreaking networking series is designed specifically for leaders who are looking for a creative, fun, adventurous way to strengthen relationships and grow their business. Go HERE to get all the details and discount information if you make your deposit in May. Or if you like send me your email address and I can shoot you over more information. What You Need To Know To Sell Your BusinessSelling your business will prove much easier if you prepare ahead of time. The worst thing you can do is rest on your laurels, take your foot off the gas pedal and assume the offers will come rolling in. You should do the exact opposite. This is the perfect time to go all out, work your tail off and maximize the value of your business. Here's how to do it. 1. Find Valuation Comps There is no way to gauge the true value of your business unless you understand what similar businesses have sold for. Take a look at what companies of similar size and revenue in your industry have sold for in recent years. Once you have a firm grasp of your company's true value, you will be able to make an accurate assessment of your business's actual worth. If you do not want to do the research on your own, hire a broker to help. Professional insight and research will give you an idea of what your business should sell for based on prior sales of similar businesses and current market dynamics. 2. Mind the Books and Records Prospective buyers are primarily interested in the business's financials. You should be able to present a clear and accurate picture of what your business income is today and what revenue is projected to be across the next couple of years. Your bookkeeper should also be able to detail current costs as well as expected cost down the line. Update your books, make sure you can provide a legitimate picture of your company's finances and potential buyers will be that much more likely to bid. 3. Review Systems and Processes The average business owner has operated his company for several years or even multiple decades. It is perfectly excusable to forget the nuances of systems and processes. Review these systems in-depth before discussing the business with potential buyers. Streamline operations as best as possible prior to putting your business up for sale. Make everything is as efficient as possible so the buyer-to-be understands he or she will enjoy a seamless transition as they assume control of the enterprise. 4. Clean the Premises for a Powerful First Impression You only have one chance to make a first impression. Though a thorough cleaning of your business will not increase its value, an unkempt business really will convince some prospective buyers the enterprise is not worth bidding on. Consider repainting the office, replacing old electronics and installing new carpets to make your business that much more aesthetically appealing. 5. Prepare Your Employees Wait until you are certain one of the proposed offers is worthy of acceptance before telling employees about the sale. The alternative is to notify your team of your intention to sell and watch them exit one-by-one for new positions with other companies. A depleted staff will make the business less marketable so remain quiet until you are certain a deal is in place. However, it will help to confide your intentions in a couple trusted employees. Explain your vision, ask them to help you plan for the sale and speak with staff members about the transition at the appropriate time. 6. Perform Your Due Diligence Instead of hoping offers will roll in one after the other, be proactive by looking within the industry for prospective buyers. You just might find one or several candidates looking to expand their operations. Some of those within the industry might be interested in your business as your unique offerings will diversify their existing product line and ultimately expand their customer base. 7. Pinpoint The Right Buyer There is no reason to rush the sale of your business unless you are starved for cash. The average buyer has less than a couple hundred thousand dollars to invest. Some prospective buyers have not owned a business of any type. Consider the buyer's motivation for purchasing your company before committing to the sale. Do not be tempted to offload the business for a low offer simply because an offer is made. Be patient, hold out for the right offer and you will get fair value for your business. If you plan on retaining a share of the business, do not settle for a buyer with significant flaws. Finding the right buyer for 100% of your company is also important as this individual will have power over your hardworking employees. If possible, try to sell the business to a caring individual with good people skills. 8. Do Not Ease Up Until Your Business is Sold Continue to work your hardest all the way up until the day your business is officially sold. Otherwise, you run the risk of putting your business up for sale and receiving underwhelming offers or no offers at all. Follow the advice set forth above and you just might be pleasantly surprised with the bids made for your company. This book was published back in 2009 but I still think it is interesting and can be relevant as you consider the interests and values of each tribe. DG Here is an excerpt: The Seven Tribes
Citing his research, Barna indicated that the United States has seven dominant faith tribes that hold the key to the restoration of the nation. “We must recover the values that made this nation great and that must be firmly in place for order, reason, freedom and unity to prevail,” the researcher explained. “Our faith tribes are central to the development and application of people’s worldviews, which in turn produce the values on which we base our daily decisions. It is on the basis of such values that a nation rises to greatness or plummets to oblivion. The choice is ours. And it is up to our faith tribes to demonstrate the courageous leadership necessary to facilitate a national restoration of the mind, heart and soul. Without a nationwide commitment to this process, we are destined to become a country of historical significance and present-day insignificance.” Drawing from the research, Barna identified the seven faith tribes as:
Here is a great info graphic that that demonstrates the power of camp and the impact it can have on kids lives. Schedule a chat if you would like to discuss how to maximize the impact of your organization.
Energy Leeches and how to stop them.Over the holidays I was talking with my 87-year-old aunt about a childhood business she had collecting and distributing leeches to people in her small town in Sweden.
As I understand it she did pretty good at it and even hired an employee (my mom) to expand her market and increase profit. The logic back then was that a good leech would get rid of a lot of bad blood and if you drained enough bad blood you would eventually get better. But, the problem with too many leeches is that a person can lose so much blood that they become weak, faint or even die. How does this relate to your organization? It’s easy to get consumed with too many things that we think are important but completely drain our energy reserves. Let me ask a few questions.
If you answered yes to any of these then you may have some Energy Leeches causing you trouble. How can you get rid of Energy Leeches and still run an effective organization? Here are 7 steps you can take to get rid of leeches and restore your energy levels. #1. List the items/activities that consume your time that you do not enjoy. #2. Rank them in order from the worst to least. #3. Indicate whether the item/activity is something that is really important. #4. If the item is not important, extract it and immediately place it in the kill jar. #5 If the item is important then find 1-2 staff members who could do a great job and would enjoy doing it. #6 If you can’t find a staff member who could do it then find a consultant or contractor to help you manage that component of the business. #7 Begin to offload each energy leech one by one until you notice a change. Try this exercise once a year and see what happens to both your personal productivity and the effectiveness of your organization. Dwight Grant 719-426-7643 P.S. I've been told there is still a market for leeches as pets and for certain medical procedures. I wonder if my Aunt wants back into the business? :)
Businesses would be nothing without loyal customers.
Customers make purchases, support, and refer people which keeps a business thriving. Through online reviews, feedback, or honest opinions, they’re also there to tell a business owner or the team what’s working and what’s not in a current product or service. However, as a business owner or entrepreneur, you’ll likely face a situation when your customer isn’t right. While it’s important to always listen to what your customer has to say, there are scenarios when it’s helpful to move forward and go a different direction. It can be difficult to grow, innovate, or surprise when you’re stuck in this cycle. If you’re looking to grow your business, it’s your job to show your customers a solution. Through advertising or marketing it’s helpful to provide an even better product or service. It’s helpful to keep in mind that your customers can’t envision the future of your business. Check out the infographic by Valpak below on when not to listen to your customer. It breaks down helpful scenarios, company examples, and common types of customers you may need to coach along the way. It’s been said that people tend to overestimate what they can accomplish in a year but underestimate what they can accomplish in a decade.
I’m not sure if that has been scientifically proven but one thing I know for sure is that when I create a plan, I accomplish more. Period! In college, I started a list of life objectives some that I thought would be impossible to accomplish. Since that time it has been fun to see the list dwindle. In fact, each year my wife and I take time to evaluate, dream, add too and update our 1-3 year plan. This practice keeps things fresh, allows us to be thankful for the many blessings we have received through the years and helps us keep our life goals aligned with one another. Some of the areas we talk about include family, marriage, vacation, money, health, etc. I encourage you to carve out some time to pause, look at your life and get some plans drawn up so that you can make the most of your year. To help you do that I have a planning guide that you can use for free. Go ahead and download it at your convenience (no opt-in required). I hope you find it easy to use :) Let me know if you would like some help walking through the process. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Dwight
In business and life, we make a huge number of decisions daily that we may not realize are based on assumptions.
The workday is busy with communications and projects, and if you’re a leader or decision-maker, it’s likely that you’re overwhelmed every day with critical decisions that must be made rapidly. Due to the limits time, information, or memory, mental shortcuts called cognitive biases are necessary to help us succeed. These cognitive biases are a way of recognizing patterns that can help streamline our work days. However, because these cognitive biases don’t rely on facts, they can keep you from correctly assessing a situation or making an ideal choice. That’s why it's important to be aware of some of the most common mental traps that you fall into as a professional or small business owner. For example, the planning fallacy that keeps you from correctly accounting for how much time a task takes and the confirmation bias that makes it harder for you to hear opinions that differ from your own. There are hundreds of biases that can have a significant impact on your bottom line. Look at the infographic below and leave a comment on your #1 bias trap. Years ago when my family ran a whitewater rafting business it was not uncommon for me to yell to one of my guides “Go get me the green van!”
Being crazy busy I just needed someone to run over the the lot next door and bring the van around to the front of the office. There was a problem… You see We didn’t have a green van! New staff quickly learned that whenever the boss asked for the “green van” that meant the Blue 12 passenger van. Why the disconnect? How about color blindness! The van looked green to me. Definitely not blue... Once the staff knew I was color blind they just adapted and the blue van became the green van. Crazy right? As the company grew I needed a better way to describe the vehicles and we adopted better names for each one. Have you have ever been shocked to find out that something you felt was so obvious, everyone else saw differently. Sometimes as leaders, we have blind spots in how we approach our work, our partners, employees, and customers. Sometimes it may be innocent enough and everyone simply adapts. Other times blind spots can create massive problems that result in a toxic work environment, loss of productivity and ultimately hurts or destroys the business. This is precisely why I have a coach. Even though I consult and coach others it is not always easy to see what is right in front of me. That's one of the reasons why I have a coach and seek insight from others. Jesus addressed that in that in the sermon on the mount when he asked: “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye?” So how can a leader find their blind spots? Brace yourself! If you are used to being right all the time this could be a difficult assignment.
Hard as it might be to swallow, this could be the first step in transforming your organization and the relationships that matter the most to you. Many organizations focus solely on attracting new customers, but you NEED to spend a good chunk of your time retaining current and former customers. These are people you already know… they’ve already bought from you! Hopefully they love you... Take the time to market and sell new products to your old customers and less time trying to sell old products to new customers and you will see a drastic change in your sales, customer quality and branding position. A few years back I was helping a camp with there summer program. Two rental groups accounted for over half of the summer attendance. I found out that one of the group leaders was thinking about switching camps. When I asked why he said that we were too small and he wanted to be able to grow his camp but someone told him he was capped out. So I asked him if we could find a way to increase capacity would he stay? "Of course, we love you guys". We then proceeded to brainstorm several ideas and landed on adding an extra week so that he could run two camps. The next summer we had 50% more kids and he still had capacity to grow! Here are a few keys to retaining your customers: 1. Stay in contact: This means by phone, email, e-newsletter, in person, what ever it takes. 2. Post-Purchase Assurance: This means you need to follow up with customers. Your customers need to feel like they are being supported for their purchase and with the item they purchased. How many times have you purchased a product, then felt completely abandoned? Something as simple as a Thank You note with your contact or customer service information can go a long way in retaining a great customer. 3. Deals & Guarantees: Always offer your current customers the best deals and guarantees you have. Show them you appreciate their business or even come up with a club specifically to reward loyal customers. You can also do this with a preferred pricing option. 4. Integrity: Using good business practices and simply upholding integrity, dignity and honesty go a long way with customers. Let's face it, there's a lot of swindlers out there and the safer and more confident you make your customers feel, the more they will trust you and that makes for an amazingly supportive and loyal customer. Stop wasting all your time on new prospects while your current customers fall by the wayside! Your best prospects are your existing customers. If you’ve been putting all your marketing efforts into acquiring new customers, stop and divert some of your resources into reselling, up-selling, cross-selling to those same customers. In every ways possible – through package inserts, regular mailings, special offers – stay in touch with those customers and get them used to buying from you.
I'm a big fan of Linkedln and I ran across this info-graphic that I thought was pretty cool. I should definitely write a whole blog/article on how to get the most from LI but for now check this out and let me know what you think. You don't have to spend all your time on social media to make it worth your time. Try 10 minutes a day for a month and let me know how it goes.
“In every long lecture there is a short lecture trying to get out.” – AnonymousIf you’ve ever bought a home, you’ve no doubt been overwhelmed by the deluge of documents begging to be signed. Often on legal-size paper, the stack of documents can be measured with a ruler! Who reads all that stuff? The tax bill that President Trump signed into law is also quite hefty at 429 pages—longer than most novels. And in recent years, nothing competes with the verboseness of the Affordable Healthcare Act weighing in at over 11,000 pages! Yikes! But consider these timeless documents and speeches that truly qualify as being brief:
Now that I’ve got your attention, I’d better be brief! So, here are three strong reasons to be brief:
How to cultivate brevity in your writing and speaking When writing or preparing a talk, ask yourself these three questions:
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” – Proverbs 25:11
Not long ago it hit me that both Business Leaders and Ravens have something in common.
They both get distracted by shiny objects! I was getting ready to launch a campaign a few months ago and I saw a software program that would provide a simple way to include video in my outbound email. After going through a demo it suddenly became my #1 priority. This would be my ticket to increased open rates and higher conversions… So I plopped down $500 and totally immersed myself over the next few weeks, learning the system, shooting videos, setting up automation's, etc. However, after 2 months and no measurable positive results I realized that I had fallen prey to the shiny object syndrome. Have you ever experienced something like this? Most leaders that I know have been tempted at some point or another to get off course because of a great new idea. In fact, my staff had come to expect a new crazy new idea just about every week until I began using the idea parking lot concept. I can hardly stand to pass up a brilliant concept or innovative approach to things but I also realized that I was driving my staff crazy with too much change. So what we did was to create a section of my whiteboard specifically for ideas. This became the idea parking lot. I wanted them to be visible or else I was afraid they might be forgotten. The other reason was that it stimulated additional thoughts throughout the week. I encouraged the team to participate as well. Every new idea was added to the board and then once a quarter we would evaluate the ideas and decide what to do with them. Only ideas that fit within the strategic plan and budget could be implemented, otherwise they needed to wait. This approach when used, has saved me countless hours of time and has prevented me from spending thousands on frivolous hardware, software, meetings, staff wages, etc. The only problem with this system is that it won’t work if you ignore it like I did last quarter. So next time you come up with the best idea ever, try parking it for at least a few weeks. If after a month or so it’s still as good or better than when you first thought of it, then go ahead and include it in your plan. Let me know how it goes. What other ideas do you have for dealing with distractions? Healthy Habits of Entrepreneurs
As a busy professional or entrepreneur, the first and last moments of your work day may often be overlooked or neglected. Yet, these minutes are essential to not only set the tone for your performance the rest of the day, but also to identify how you spend your time.
With endless requests and projects on your plate, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Instead, try shifting your mindset. Break down the beginning and end of your work day into simple, digestible tasks. Use this time to identify opportunities for improvement and cultivate mindful habits that will benefit not only your productivity, but your overall attitude toward the work you’re doing. Take a few minutes to prioritize, hydrate and check in with yourself or your team. At the end of the day, organize your thoughts and disconnect from your devices to spend time with the people in your life that you care about most. Doing so will create a fresh start and clear mind for you to take on the next day or rest of the week. Making small changes to your daily routine can help you build a work-life balance that will allow you to be the best professional possible. Fundera provides 10 helpful tips in their infographic below for how to begin and end your work day. |
AuthorDwight Grant is a seasoned businessman with over 30 years of leadership experience. He lives in CO where he enjoys whitewater rafting, mountain biking and spending time with family. Archives
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