3 Simple Adjustments

In this day and age of technical efficiency it is easy to forget the little things. The simple adjustments produced by our experience that allow us to be better people. I would call them "habits" but habits can be easily forgotten. If you remember your failures, you adjust and do better.

Here are 3 Simple Adjustments that will change your life:
1. Remember even your slightest achievements
2. Start every conversation with a positive statement
3. Wake up one hour earlier

Glory Days
No, I am not asking you to bask in your better days as if you haven't progressed since high school. What I am asking is that you take time, every day, to remember how awesome you are! We have all won something: a speech contest, a girl's favor or a little league championship. Hold on to those moments, you never know when you might need them.

Misery loves company! There are those who will exist to tear you down...to question your motivation in an effort to make you re-assess. I am the first to admit that swinging at shadows is a poor strategy...I will also tell you that if you take the input of others too seriously you will never make a decision for yourself.

Remember how awesome you are and take action!

It's Good Stuff
We all know those people at the coffee shop who force us to look down when they walk by. There are others to whom we gravitate simply because we know they are going to make our day brighter. So we can reduce this to a simple point:
By starting a conversation in a positive manner you inspire people to engage you in their lives

I know a guy who complains every time I ask him how he is doing. It's just a figure of speech but he is so disconnected that he cannot acknowledge his rotten existence. There is another Gentleman who will not allow me to project negativity...any off color comments are met with:
It goes fast, that's the good stuff!

Who do you think I would rather do business with...?

I'm too busy 
I consider myself an over-achiever to an almost manic degree. I am always apprehensive when people tell me they do not have enough time to do something. Lack of time comes down to one of two things:
You are spending your time doing the wrong things (or)
You do not value the thing that has been suggested to you

A while back, I adapted the ability to wake up at 5am. It has been the single most beneficial thing I have done in my career. I beat traffic to the office and am 2 hours into my work day before my competitors wake up. My day is started within the solitude of my personal space. Every day is great, when it starts great. If you avoid unnecessary stress by ignoring the crowd; production is inevitable!

Sometimes you have to take a breath. We get so caught up in our expertise that we forget how to be human: to forgive ourselves when we fall short, to understand that others have to same deficiency, to be OK with not always being perfect, and to stop pretending that we are.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

The Ultimate Act of Definace

In 2006, William Taylor wrote a book called Mavericks at Work. I devoured the book! I loved the concept of rule breakers sticking to their guns to gain authority. This, to me, is the true definition of winning. That you do not need the most gifted players but those with conviction, an uncompromising purpose, the willingness to work hard and a lack of appreciation for convention. Yes, the aforementioned pillars of maverick leadership matched my personal mission to perfection.

The story of moneyball hits the silver screen today. An exploration of the way Billy Beane went to war with convention every day and had a lot of fun doing it. The great Jonah Hill categorized the movie as the ultimate punk rock story during his recent appearance on the Howard Stern show. Like William Taylor's book, Bennett Miller's film matches my personal mission.

I lived it, I loved it, it was punk rock, but it also made a lot of sense. 

Through my reflection on the aforementioned works of art, one theme has emerged crystal clear:
Leaders lead because they have a burning desire to challenge the status quo!

Conformity, sticking on the path most traveled and being part of the herd ~ leads to a predictable and manageable life - Booooring!

Every great leader has been met with shaking heads. The nay-sayers always shake in their boots when their inability to step out of their comfort zone backfires.

Great leaders have respect for tradition. So much so, that they feel they owe it to those who have come before them to improve upon their work. You do not need to be a conformist to climb the corporate ladder. You do not have to be agreeable to make progress. The best leaders are not the best followers. 

It's pretty simple, as a person you get to a point when your pride is challenged through your profession. Those who see inefficiency and throw their hand up open a door. Sure, there is an elegance needed to establish new ground. But, leadership starts with two things:
An inability to accept the under-developed ideas of others and the courage to make them better!

Lead, Follow, or get out of the way!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Great Expectations

In Detroit, in the spring of 1992, I attended an orientation for The University of Southern California. During the "questions" portion of the event I boldly asked, "should I take the easy classes and get A's or should I take the hard classes and get C's". Without taking a breath the head recruiter replied, "take the hard classes and get A's". The expectation was clear, direct, and at a non-pedestrian level. As if to say, if you are coming to play bring everything you have....every day!

Do you ever ask a question seeking validation with doubt in your mind? Do you fish for compliments for acts previously performed?

Think about it....those who are extraordinary in their field do not ask questions or seek validation. They take what is rightfully theirs and win. This way of thinking is met with consistent results for one reason:
People are afraid to be great because people need other people to tell them they are great!

Why Not Just Be Great?
There is a ball and a basket - you get points for putting the ball in the basket. Any questions?

At some point, a whole lot of in-between became more important than the scoreboard. I certainly understand the aspect of being under-appreciated but only effort and ability determine the final score. Did you forget how great you are or has your effort wavered? As you have done less have you looked for someone else to blame? As the market has become more challenging are you unwilling to further challenge yourself? Is your memory of your greatness in black and white?

Self Expectations
The only means for another to extend appreciation to you is for that person to assess your performance. No one lives in your shoes and therefore can never understand the extent of your effort. So why would you allow another to determine your grade of excellence?

The only external determination you are asked to conform to are the classes you take. The difficulty of your curriculum is determined by others. This is based on past averages.....do you want to be average?

So, Then....
The way to ensure success:
* Have higher expectations for yourself than the expectations laid before you by others!
* Know that most people are content with average effort...contentment is an act of cowardice!
* Your judge and jury look at you through the mirror!

I want you to think of that day in which you did absolutely everything you could do. How you submitted to the pillow that evening and how you redefined what was possible in a day's time.

Let's assume there are 14,600 days left....there is no reason why each of them should not end with submission to your pillow...when you have done all you can possibly do, nothing keeps you up at night!!!

"there are two pains in life: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret" - Russ Hellickson

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

    

5 Questions for Steven Trompeter

 Nearly 10 years ago, The Great Steven Trompeter left his Sales position in a well-established organization. He joined an industry with an average tenure that matched his years on Earth. Truly the new kid on the block, Steven established himself among his tenured peers in under a year.

Today, he is among a rare breed of Millennials that has served a company for the aforementioned extended amount of time. 

Mr. Trompeter is a man of intense competitive drive, unquenchable creative desire and an astounding sense of humor. He was kind enough to give us a few minutes of his Happy Hour as the labor day weekend beckoned.

1. You are a successful, seasoned sales professional. What advice would you give to a young person starting a sales career in this day and age?
First off, thanks for the compliment. It’s always nice to be recognized. Before I gave them any advice I’d ask them this question: Why do you want to be in sales? It’s the key to understanding whether or not you’d be great at it. There will be a lot of different reasons but ultimately it should lead back to this answer. I want to be in sales to control my own destiny! To me, SALES is the heartbeat of any company. It’s the most exciting place to be because it all starts with your efforts and when you taste success there’s nothing like it! Back to your question, for a young person starting a career in sales today here would be my advice:
• Start building your professional network immediately
• Being prepared is the ultimate sign of respect
• Embrace social media for business purposes
• Set goals and hold yourself accountable
• Understand that nobody cares what you want to sell. They care about their business problems and if what you are selling can be a viable solution
• Don’t be afraid to fail! In fact, expect it, embrace it and learn from your mistakes
• Become a student of sales - attend seminars, read books, follow blogs and become an industry expert in whatever field you’ve chosen
• Sell with integrity
• Learn to keep the door open even when you want to slam it in someone’s face
• Seek advice – look at your sales team and develop mentor / mentee relationships to advance your learning curve. You don’t need the company to assign one to you. Find one yourself, take him or her to lunch and build that relationship
• Continuously educate yourself on your clients and prospects line of work
• Have a vision and learn how to articulate it
• “CLOSING” is for losers. OPEN relationships and business partnerships that will grow for an entire career, not just one sale

2. As an incentives consultant, are you seeing trends in the way companies are encouraging staff results?
A few key trends that are moving to the forefront of our industry are:
• Eliminating programs that live in silos and developing a total rewards strategy that ties into business objectives
• Making the reward and recognition experience social
• Instant / timely recognition
• Equitable global recognition

3. What do you feel is the key to employee engagement?
• A strong leadership team
• Transparency on the status of your company
• A shared vision for all employees
• Providing a career path for your employees with plenty of opportunities for them to understand how they are doing
• Set up consistent programs to gain feedback from your staff
• Show your employees how their opinions matter and how you have listened

4. You have worked for the same company for almost 10 years. This is rare for a young professional. What’s the secret to your tenure?
I get this question a lot. I believe it’s a combination of my personality and the sales culture I am a part of at Michael C. Fina. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by some of the most talented, sincere and engaged professionals in my industry. The Fina family, our leadership team and our extremely committed employees of Michael C. Fina have helped me grow as a professional and as a person. The old expression “to whom much is given much is expected” is the way things work around here. There is an unwavering level of trust and support from the top which allows you to have the feeling of being an entrepreneur but with a proven system and financing behind you every step of the way. It’s been an amazing challenge and one that I am very proud of. Additionally, working at a privately held, family run business fosters a culture of reciprocal loyalty. Anyone who tells you they haven’t thought of leaving their company or explored other options is full of it! I believe the key is to make your own grass greener and keep pushing yourself to be the best you that you can be. Most of the time when people switch jobs it’s in the quest for something more and that "more" isn’t always money. It could be a different team, new leadership, better market position etc… Then they get to that new company and two years later it’s the same story. I don’t begrudge anyone who makes a move that they believe will put themselves and their family in a better position for success. At the same time, I encourage people to put their best work on the table. Push hard and you might just be surprised how doors open up for you.

5. You are a Boston kid. Do you feel the recent run of championships will take away from the working class, underdog mystique that has made Boston so hard edged?
DK – somehow I knew a question like that was coming my way from Mr. California-lovin… Not at all! I believe that grind it out, get it done mentality will never leave our sports community (or the people who are from Boston for that matter). Of course, it’s fun to be the underdog and climb up to championship status but I also think that gritty chip on your shoulder mentality will allow us to protect the sports dominance we have created. Cue the Duckboats!

Follow Steven on Twitter - http://twitter.com/steventrompeter
or network with him on LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/steventrompeter

Don't Forget to Remember

Dave

3 Ways to Love Your Job

Last week's post on Employer Branding ended with 3 vital questions.

I have been in sales for 15 years. My roles, markets, and client emphasis have evolved rapidly over that time. I got into Sales after spending the better part of the 90's at Arizona State University. I figured my leadership experience in student affairs coupled with my love for socializing would serve me well. It has. 

I came out of school doing tele-sales for a cigar company. I played the law of averages. If I call 100 people 2 of them will say yes. It worked....but my skill set never evolved. Two things are inelegant in this process:

- 2% is not a good ratio
- Hearing a bunch of NO's to get to YES does not foster any type of customer loyalty

Over time, my sales career has gone from transactional to consultative. It is no longer about the widget and now about the essential place I have in my customer's company culture. The law of averages no longer exists, the gift of gab has been dispelled, and the product/service/price is not enough.

In order to aid my professional development I have had to be aware of the 3 questions we pondered at the conclusion of last week's post:
•Which companies do you want to partner with because you know they cannot function without your partnership?
•What is your dream job and how can you get hired in 5 years?
•Are you willing to tell your CEO that from where you are sitting things are not working?

Gotta Have It!
There are companies out there whose products you might really love. There are other companies that might have a sexy culture that really intrigues you. But if you are not selling a sexy service said company probably does not have room for you on their 'vendor roster'. Just because a company has great product development and/or marketing does not mean they are a fun company to work with.

I go back to Simon Sinek's book, "Start With Why". In this book, Simon addresses the issues in this blog by dispelling what we seem to have convinced ourselves. You cannot pretend to be who you are not as a company. Your valuable time and effort will be wasted in chasing rabbits if they have no reason to stop and meet you eye to eye.

You need to find companies, prospects and new hires who match your WHY. The core values of your company need to match those of your desired prospects. You need to hire team players with common personal missions. You, as a job hunter, need to find that company whose business purpose matches your personal intent.

Where Is Your Rushmore?
Max Fisher had convinced himself that he wanted to be in high school forever. He had a school rich in opportunities that allowed him to form several student groups while developing himself as a leader. But, he neglected his grades and got kicked out of school. It wasn't the school that mattered. He just needed an organization that supported his ambition, trusted his intuition, and allowed him to experiment.

Too often, we think in direct extremes:
"My job sucks but it's work"
"That company is super cool but they would never hire me"

So we pass the time punching the clock and pretend that work is work.

In the movie Cool Hand Luke, our hero challenged the biggest guy on the lot to a boxing match and got his ass royally kicked. On his way back to the barracks as his constituents looked over him with shame he said, "at least I tried". Damn Right!

It's easy to hate your job because you settled for a company that would hire you. It is easy to have a job that does not challenge you but pays the bills well enough. It is easy to sit back and watch others fail...to shake your head and tell them they should have stayed off the radar. At some point, you owe it to yourself to go fight the bully!

Open Door
I bet you see things on the job every week that could be improved upon. I bet you either keep it to yourself or throw your hand up in a team meeting and bitch about it.

In a seminar I did earlier this year I asked attendees "how do you know what your employees prefer and how do you convey that to your CEO?"
The responses:
A. We take a survey (but never show the results to the CEO)
B. We do a focus group (without considering the participants)
C. We value our Executive directives and do not allow input from employees to effect our planning

Most CEOs do not know the nuances of their company culture. Does that mean it is incumbent upon line managers and employees to hide problems from their executives? If you happen upon the CEO at the water cooler and he/she asks how things are going, you will tell him/her "exceptionally well" and dart off in the other direction.

There has to be a way to inform the CEO of the issues that are causing turnover. There needs to be a way to eliminate the things that are not working and develop initiatives that make sense to the employee. When jobs are performed well employees should be rewarded, when employees stay late on a Friday they should be thanked, and if a middle manager protects employee feedback from the CEO...that person should be fired.

There are no easy answers but we need to keep in mind where our energy is best utilized.

If a company is a bad prospective customer they will be a terrible customer. This will waste valuable time and resources without producing sufficient revenue. This is an affect of pretending to be someone you are not. You cannot fit a whole donut in a coffee cup (take one bite at a time).

If you hate your job consider WHY. Are you paying attention to the right things? If someone is an a-hole...work around them. You don't have to freak out every time said a-hole attacks you....let them drown themselves. Focus on where your talent is best appreciated and make your current job, your dream job.

Executive leaders appreciate confidence, concise language and solution oriented thinking. You can tell the CEO of a issue in the workplace if you have the above mentioned 3 traits in mind.

Your job will be awesome if you love your customers and co-workers (and they love you). Your job will be awesome if you ignore the a-holes and focus on the good stuff. Your job will be awesome if your well-educated opinion is respected in the board room.

Don't Forget to Remember!

~ Dave

Just Pretend

In a former life I was a lyricist and singer in a Rock Band. I never felt right singing songs that other people had written. I wasn't able to understand the journey behind the words. I didn't feel authentic delivering the message.

My friend Mike Robbins introduced me to his concept of Authenticity in business a few years back. A seemingly simple concept but continuously over-looked. Mike's concept has spread to the masses in the last few years. Every company is adamant in promoting their commitment to transparency.

Last night the HR Happy Hour gang had a lively back channel Twitter Chat regarding Employer Branding. Authenticity, Transparency and Executive Awareness were the predominate agenda items. My passion for the aforementioned subject matter prompting a community member to call me a Bolshevik. Every company wants to admit that they are perfectly in tune with barstool banter. There are great HR Professionals (Oracle) that will tell you straight away that if you want to have fun you are in the wrong place. But if I were a CEO I would visit http://www.glassdoor.com/ and take the feedback seriously.

I am a Salesman and I love winning but at this stage in my career I am equally pleased with people who flat out tell me "we will never do business with you". Fair enough, now I can spend time with someone who appreciates my effort! Unfortunately, interviewers cannot look you in the eye and tell you that you are not a good fit for their company. Nor can a potential client tell you that your organizations don't mesh. Most CEO's have more to worry about than public perception but millions of dollars ride on barstool conversation and glassdoor.com reviews. Believe it!

At some point it became necessary to differentiate yourself by wearing a suit and tie. Dress has nothing to do with on-the-job performance and that's a fact. When we talk to the CEO, we hold our hands in front of us and speak in polite terms, instantly putting ourselves in the unremarkable category. We meet with a client and politely talk about what we do. Why would they give a shit?

There are 3 questions to ponder:

• Which companies do you want to partner with because you know they cannot function without your partnership?
• What is your dream job and how can you get hired in 5 years?
• Are you willing to tell your CEO that from where you are sitting things are not working?

We will attack this subject matter in great detail next week!

"After all, in the end, just pretend"
- Ben Folds, Ben Kweller & Ben Lee (in unison)

Don't Forget to Remember

Dave

YES

Many years ago a young man walked into an art exhibit. Curious of his environment and the motives of the attendees he looked around with eyebrow raised. He came upon a ladder that lead to the portal of sorts. He wondered what might be at the other end of the portal. Before taking action he weighted the potential of putting effort into the climb if only to witness something unfulfilling. Sure of frustration, he climbed the ladder. A microscope hung from the ceiling, he grabbed it, and discovered one perfect word:
YES

He found himself caught up in emotion. Validated and empowered by what he saw. Ashamed that he nearly allowed his judgement to deny him the experience. The young man's name was John Lennon. The power of the artistic exercise the means for introduction to his future wife. He could have considered the reward unworthy of his effort before experiencing it and walked away.

We may have missed our other in this world simply because our intuition told us our time was better spent. Then walked off to spend time doing something far less productive. This is an unfortunate aside to our existence. We want proof before we act. Our faith has been replaced by the need for factual assessment. By these measures many of us never try new things and remain unfulfilled.

Everyone wants to be great! We want a job promotion, we want to experience lands far away, we want to ask the girl to dance...but we avoid taking the chance for fear of rejection, embarrassment, or the potential frustration of time wasted. We allow NO to regulate us instead of saying YES and taking control of our immeasurable power.

It's time to take the power back. Turn that corner to see what's on the other side. If nothing else, we could try a little optimism.

When you open the door to tomorrow, think of what's possible...don't allow your fear of the worst to restrict your actions. Seek opportunity. Meet new people, volunteer, apply for a promotion.

Climb the Ladder....because you can!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

The Weight

Not much is certain in this day and age but one thing that has revealed itself as undeniably true.... If You Think Today Will Suck....It Will!

I have made many personal transitions in life that have helped me avoid a less than optimistic viewpoint. Shamefully, I still revert to old behaviors from time to time. The sunset then met with disappointment of a day wasted. I see this discontent in others: the unnecessary attention to detail, the disappointment of life's current stage and way too much Fox News! I see recent graduates frustrated with the job market and their grandparents upset with their 401K's. Last week the S & P down-graded the US economy, jobs are scarce, homes are underwater.......and all of this puts strain on our personal relationships.

The easy thing to do is cringe when the alarm clock opens the day's door. It is much more difficult to seize the day.

"Can't is the cancer of happening" - Charlie Sheen

We all witnessed the demise of the man quoted above. But in the midst of a meteoric fall from grace, Charlie Sheen's sense purpose was laser focused. As his life crumbled around him, Sheen maintained an almost Tony Robbins like life purpose. There were those who shook their head at Charlie Sheen's squandering of his fortune. There are far more who took delight is seeing a member of the elite fall from grace.

"Lord, what fools these mortals be" - Puck via William Shakespeare

You called your old friend when you lost your job simply to receive validation that they were wrong. When your stock flipping scheme disabled your ability to refinance...you blamed President Obama.

We all fall short of our ability to empower our full potential. Anything left is the opportunity of a new day.

We hate the word accountability because it makes us uneasy. But we live in a place where you can carry 100 rocks up a hill or you can carry 10 rocks up a hill. While, you got used to doing enough, enough became far too little.

Empower your possibility instead of questioning your limitations. Doubt is only a difference of perspective.

Be strong and carry the weight.

We Can Do This!

Don't Forget to Remember!

- Dave  

Personal Public Persona

Earlier this week I authored a piece about social media in potential hire profiling. The responses have been varied but one point has become certain:

Without your boss sitting on your lap at all times, the choices you make are your own!


This sentiment is not specific to social media but it may be the area in which it is most prevalent. Tony Bruno was suspended this week for his choices and many others have suffered an even worse fate. As Erica Albright stated, "the Internet is written in ink". So unavoidably true. Your company cannot police your every thought, your opinions may fall into the wrong inbox, and interpreting the mood of the written word is very difficult. We are not governed by the platform or the organization with which we are affiliated. We can only monitor ourselves. This is a massive responsibility!

I don't believe that Tony Bruno is a racist, he just got caught up in the moment. This week I saw that a person trying to help another revealed confidential mental health information about that person. The intention was good but the after effect served to further limit the person she was trying to help. I saw another post asking sorority women to disable their facebook pages during their recruitment period..? That's a super secret society.

I don't know about you but I'm not willing to give up that easily. I strongly believe that every company should be aligned with their core values (from CEO to Intern). The most prominent core value of any company is: TRUST! If you want a productive and empowered workforce...trust is essential. Everyone appreciates being given the club with the power to swing it as they wish. No one likes rules, restrictions and/or regulations (necessary as they may be).

This social media thing is not going away. In fact, more people communicate through facebook than email these days. We have an opportunity to use the power of our personal influence for good...why ignore it or attempt to regulate it. Like anything else, we learn from our mistakes in social media. We stop putting down others in blog chats, we stop voicing our opinions after 4 beers, and we refrain from jokes that may be conceived as bullying.

For the first time in my professional lifetime the villagers have more influence than the king. The voice of the people has never been stronger. Twitter is the voice of the NFL players union, blogs speak louder than the New York Times and Facebook has more citizens than most countries. We must understand that with great power comes great responsibility. We need to be aware that our words have consequences and that they cannot be erased. Accept the privilege and proceed with riotous intent!

It is certain that social media will improve our communication. We will learn what to say and when to say it. We will stop protecting our words and share them. We will grow, in honesty, together!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Social Profiling

Do you use social media to profile your job candidates? Is it even legal to do that? (these are not leading questions, I am actually curious).

It seems Social Media is here to stay. These multiple interactive platforms are an extension of one's personality that cannot be conveyed through a resume or interview. Unfortunately, people can also misrepresent themselves in these forums. People are still getting fired for saying things on Twitter or posting pictures on Facebook. There might be fringe subject matter that can be held against you in the workplace. If people know your political affiliations these things may be frowned upon at the water cooler (without you knowing it).

Do we still need resumes if we have LinkedIn?
Do we still need personality screening if we have Facebook?

Could social media participation actually benefit your job prospects? Maybe you have made meaningful professional introductions or have created a forum to share relevant industry information via social media. It  might be hard to imagine but your blog might actually give you a leg up in the hiring process?

Still many professionals are completing ruling out Social Media in their career development. There are still people who tip a few beers with the I-phone in hand and "tell us what they really think".

Is not a professional organization a collective of personalities? Do we not differentiate our company by the people who work for us. Can we not get to a point where we celebrate personalities and trust our employees to promote our brand?

Will we ever get to the point where it will be completely OK to be a person in the workplace? If you didn't always have to police yourself and those around you would you be a more productive professional?

I have a dream today....that every person in every company can wear what they want, to understand (or disagree with) one another, share their personality, kiss a co-worker and even shed a tear if they need to. Is that so hard to imagine?

Don't Forget to Remember!

~ Dave