“I think I’m perfect!”

May 14th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

Do you think that you are perfect?  Of course a decent man will say no. No human will say that he is.  If someone does, then we consider him to be arrogant; and we distaste such arrogance.

However, even if we would not state, “I think I am perfect,” there are times that we act like it.  How? Perhaps cockiness, throwing our weight around or contentedness.

Let me zero-in on the last, contentedness. Being content is good in some areas of life but not in leadership, not in serving customers, and not in public service.

If we feel that we are so good that we do not think of new ways to improve, then we display a certain form of arrogance.

Consider the following conversation.

“Let us talk about innovation,” the lecturer said, “the purpose of innovation in business is to improve either process, product, delivery of value, or customer experience. What can you do to innovate in your department?”

A participant replied, “Not to boast but the engineering department has very few errors.”

“Then you have room to improve,” said the lecturer.

“We can really deliver what our internal customers require of us,” insisted the participant.

“So you are perfect?” replied the lecturer.

“No, that is not what I mean,” said the participant.

“That may not be your exact words,” the lecturer said, “but that is the way you think and act. You believe that there is no need to improve.  You are content with your good performance.  And that is the problem with most of us. We are happy with few errors. That is why you will never innovate because you are content.”

How about you? Do you think you are perfect? Are you content with a few errors?

A few errors in a surgery can result in death.  A few errors in a factory may result into wasting time & quality.  A few errors in an announcement can result in a failed project.  A few errors in public statements can drive an country’s economy down.  A few errors can cause someone his career.  A few errors in driving can cause fatal accidents.

Do you think you are perfect?  I am sure that you do not have the arrogance to say yes. Therefore, you must keep improving.

 

Tested Leadership

May 2nd, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

The test is not whether people would like to follow you or not.  It is understood that if you are a leader, people do follow you.  How is leadership tested then?  Or, what do we mean by tested leadership?

In my opinion, tested leadership would be leadership that survived through crises and made considerable progress.  It is easy to lead when there are no challenges.  But when challenges arise in the form of crisis, that is where true leadership is tested.  Will he breakdown? Will he be true to his purpose? Will he be able to find the resources needed? Will he be able to navigate through the rough waters? Will he be resilient after a setback?

Surviving crises is part of a tested leader’s experience but that is not enough to say that someone has tested leadership.  Tested leadership is also about making progress.  Without progress, then there is no true leadership.  A leader must bring his people from point A, where they are to Point B, an envisioned future.  Some visions are bigger than life and takes longer than a lifetime to accomplish. However, leadership must set things in motion to bring them closer to that vision.  I am being redundant here, but he should have measurable progress.

As leaders, have we survived crises?  Have we made progress?

 

Leader vs. Manager

April 30th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

Is there a difference between a leader and a manager?  Allow me to quote some of the opinions I have gathered.

Opinion 1: Leaders operate from strategic levels, whereas Managers operate from execution level.

Opinion 2: A leader should be a good manager but a manager may not be a good leader.

Opinion 3: Leadership is doing the right thing while management is doing things right.

Opinion 4: A leader shows direction, while a manager executes the process on how to get there.

Opinion 5: Managers think operationally, day-to-day, but leaders think strategically, year-to-year.

Opinion 6: Manager is a position.  Leader is persona.

Opinion 7: A manager is someone you obey because you were paid to do so, while a leader is someone you follow because you are inspired to.

Opinion 8: There is no difference.  A leader must manage, while a manager must lead.

Opinion 9: There are leaders who never managed.  And there are managers who never led.

What about you?  What do you think?

 

When leaders hit a brick wall

April 27th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

What happens when a leader hits a brick wall?  The leader tries to breakthrough it, go around it, or climb over hit.  But there are times that the leader knows that he has reached his limits.

What can the leader do?  Exhaust all means.  Even try the crazy ideas, out-of-the-box crazy ideas.  We must admit that many crazy ideas changed the world.

What else can the leader do? Squeeze all his partners and co-workers of possible ideas.  Get more help from within the organization.

What if that is not enough?  Get help from external forces like business strategists, management consultants, or though leaders.

And if that is not enough?  The leader can temporarily or permanently turnover leadership to a viable successor.  The important thing is to be able to move the organization forward regardless of who takes the helm.

Nuke plants, earthquakes & tsunamis, never ignore ancient wisdom

April 23rd, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

Not too long ago, Japan was ravaged by a powerful Tsunami.  This event almost brought them to a nuclear calamity.  The world watched with concern. But some Japanese claimed that they were warned of the dangers of the giant waves.

Ancient stone markers warned the Japanese communities of the dangerous tsunamis.  The stones warned that settlers must not live lower than a certain point.  Some of the stones were more than a hundred years old; some claim that some stones are even six hundred years old.

The ancestors made sure that their descendants for many generations would be warned.  A few families heeded their counsel.  They were the blessed ones who escaped the wrath of nature.  But most ignored the ancient warning and the result, suffering.

“‘We were foolish and arrogant,’ one resident of Aneyoshi is reported to have told local media, referring to the practice of building homes – and whole towns – in areas that the ancient markers specifically warned were exposed to the dangers of a tsunami.”

Though tsunamis have wreaked havoc in Japan before, the 11 March 2011 tsunami was the most devastating.  The 8.9 magnitude earthquake and the consequent radiation leak due to the damaged nuclear power plant were the main factors for the accident.

There are many lessons from this incident but the one that I wish to highlight is, never disregard the counsel of the ancients.  There is always value in reading or listening to the lessons imbedded in history.

Well, in connection with the lesson, is the use of nuclear power plants.  Recent history, 26 April 1986, states that a nuclear disaster has happened before, the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine.  Governments should never entertain the use of nuclear to power their cities.  Nukes, earhtquakes & tsunamis are a really bad combination.

 

Leader, step aside

April 14th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

There are times that the best thing a leader should do is to dive into the situation.  Go hands-on or even micromanage the major problem.  No, I am not encouraging micromanagement as a regular thing, that kills creativity.  All I am saying is that, when it is necessary and if it is the leader’s specialty, he should get involved to turn things around.

On the other hand, there are many times that the best thing a leader could do is to step aside.  Let the people do it on their own.  Yes, your people will make mistakes but as a leader, you should consider it as part of the learning process.  One of the key objectives of a leader is to find the right people for the right position.  After establishing the expectations and parameters, the leader should slowly let go.  If they are doing well, be the cheer leader & motivator.  If not, continue to provide mentoring or coaching.

It is very tempting to get involved in everything if you are a micro-manager; however, if you are a micro-manager, I don’t think you’ll ever be an excellent leader.  You would be a terrible mentor.  Your people will have no space to grow because you suffocate them with your words and reactions.

What if you cannot trust your people to execute the task?  Then it is your fault mr. leader.  You have not equipped them; therefore, you cannot empower them.  That is why you are all alone in facing the most important issues.  If you tried to equip your people, perhaps you even asked helped from experts, but nothing seems to improve, maybe you have the wrong people.  Change them.

But if you have intelligent people around you, if you believe that they have potential, then step aside.  Getting involved might make it worst.

 

Successful ideas that you’ll never know

April 11th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

Some ideas are worth pursuing, or so we think. “This is it!” we exclaimed. But after a while we say, “This is totally not it!”

Other ideas are not worth pursuing, or so we think. “That won’t work,” we lament. But we will never really know, will we?

The truth is, there are ideas that we think are fantastic but will end up lost in space.

And there are crazy ideas that we will not pursue because we think them to be ridiculous…until somebody else will make it work. And we’ll just say, “That’s my idea.”

How do we know whether we should pursue an idea or not? Well, we can never really know at the start. But as we continue to try out some sensible and/or crazy ideas, we begin to develop our gut-sense.

As our gut gets better through experience or through some supernatural gift, we earn some progress. But be warned, no matter how good you become, you will still make mistakes.

However,making mistakes is not the worst. The worst is to never have an idea. And the second worst is to have an idea, crazy or not, but never try to make it work.

Imagine, living through the remainder of your fleeting life, wondering what would’ve or could’ve. “If I only tried it when I was younger…”

Perhaps many of those reading this might actually end up in regret.

But not you, right?

Keep it short silly

February 26th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

Long is usually a drag unless it is very very good. That means that the audience is enraptured by the performance or program. If they keep looking at their wrist watches or they doodle a lot on their smartphones or they stare at the ceiling or chat then it not at all good.  Expect some to walkout if the delivery is long and boring.  To the more respectful, they will just sleep on their seats.

Why do people design programs or performances to be very long? Could it be cultural or could it be that they feel that longer is better.  Well, even if it is/was cultural or they felt that longer is more quality, quite a number of people do not think so. The world is changing.  Attention span is shorter.  Distractions via cell phone is consistent.

There is this temptation to put it all in because it feels incomplete.  That is why there are looooong graduation ceremonies, looooong wedding ceremonies, loooooong sermons, looooong speeches, looooong church anniversaries, looooong lectures, loooong presentations, looooong mission statements, and looooong meetings.  And this is just the tip.

It will never be complete as long as you have the mindset of putting all that is important.  The truth is, after you put it all in, it still feels incomplete.  And here is a food for thought.  The more information you put out there, the more clutter in your message, the more clutter, the less focus, the less focus means less impact.

Sun and Laser.  Both are forms of light; however, both are different.  Both have health benefits but in different ways.  The sun can give us vitamins but it cannot cure or be used in a medical procedure.  The laser on the other hand, if used in a targeted manner, can be used in medical procedures that can result in specific benefits.  If you want impact, be the laser.  Make your message laser focused so it is remembered well. Try it!

 

 

 

Leaders Must Chart the Course

February 20th, 2012 § 0 comments § permalink

“Having a strategic mindset is one of those qualities that separate the ordinary and the extra-ordinary,” said the Mentor. “It is also the thing that separates the inspirational leader and a leader who can chart a clear course.”

“But isn’t being inspirational a needed quality,” asked the Student.

“Yes I agree with you,” replied the Mentor, “what I am trying to emphasize is that being inspirational can only be effective if you can show the people WHERE you plan to take them.”

“I get what you mean,” said the Student. “There are people who can be charismatic and deliver inspiring speeches, but if the road map is not clear then the path to progress is still hazy.”

“People must know where you plan to take them,” the Mentor said. “But they should also know how you plan to take them there.”

“How may I develop this?” asked the Student.

“In small things or in great things,” the Mentor began, “make point A, where you are now and your point B, where you want to be very clear.

“Then determine how you plan to reach point B.

“Is there more than one way to attain point B?

“Should you ask your team if you are leading a team, for better ideas…”

“Going back to the inspirational leader,” the Student said, “to be truly inspirational, one must know why he is inspiring his people and not only that, where he is taking them.”

“I did not yet mention the WHY,” said the Mentor, “But I commend you for pointing that out because it is the deep WHY, the gives conviction. It is also the foundation.  And you are right, the WHERE is critical because without the WHERE then what is the point of leading.  Then of course the HOW.  Without the HOW you will accomplish nothing.”

“Thank you for your time,” said the Student, “I will take my leave to ponder more on how I may strengthen the WHY and where I plan to go, the WHERE.  In 30 days I will return and discuss or seek your insight on the HOW.”

 

 

 

Cold Coffee

February 11th, 2012 § 2 comments § permalink

Coffee can be such an emotional thing for some people.  I was a stranger to this thought until it happened twice in one day.  I experienced a double disappointment instead of a double treat.

It was 5AM in the airport.  I was waiting for my 6AM flight to CamSur.  “Time for breakfast,” I thought. I ordered brewed coffee and tuna pie.  I always liked eating some bread with my morning coffee.  Twenty minutes have passed and no coffee yet. I asked for my order again.  They brought the tuna pie to my table.  I wanted to eat it with my coffee but I got hungry and started to munch.  30 minutes and no coffee yet.  I was almost done with my tuna pie.  I approached the counter, “Where is my coffee?”

“We are really sorry sir but the coffee machine broke down,” said the cashier.

“I am done with my food and no coffee yet?” I said, “You could have informed me sooner.  I like eating my bread with coffee.”

“So sorry sir,” the cashier replied.

The barrista was obviously in a lot of stress.

“You know what?” I explained, “You could have returned my money sooner or you could have informed me sooner.” I sounded like a broken record.

She gave my money back.  I left disappointed.  I bought another cup elsewhere.

On the same day, in the afternoon, in Naga City, CamSur, I decided to have coffee at a well-known restaurant who served great cakes.  Coffee was not bad either.  After ordering some coffee and some cookies, I started reading the latest ebook purchases in my tablet. Unbeknownst to me that my second coffee disappointment was about to take place.

There were quite a number of people in the resto for their afternoon snack.  Ten pages and no coffee yet.  I followed up my order.  In a few seconds, the server was there. However, I felt my heart sank as I tasted my cappuccino.  It was cold. “I didn’t order iced coffee,” I mumbled to myself.

I called the server and told him that my coffee was cold.  He took it and lo and behold the coffee was back in a just 2 minutes.  It was the same cup because it was the same level to which I initially drank and because I remembered the dried coffee stain on the side. Dry?  I was disappointed.  They did not give a new cup, they microwaved my coffee!

I tried to hold my disappointment.  I diverted my attention to the really good ebook that I was reading.  But until now, I still remember the cold coffee. Let me say that again, “The cold coffee that was microwaved.”

As a business coach, I think I knew what happened.  The problem was in the system and in the customer service philosophy.

My guess is that they were serving the orders first come, first serve.  That may apply to the dishes but not coffee.  Coffee must be served immediately even if that customer is 10th in line.  His cookies or his burger can wait but his coffee must be delivered immediately.  A tweak in the system can help.

As for the customer philosophy, I am not sure if the store or the chain of resto stores had any.  They are one of the best in that province when it comes to their food but my, my the service should improve.  Otherwise, somebody might build a similar concept and beat them in the service area.  You do not microwave coffee for coffee lovers.  You may do that at home.  No, No, you never microwave a cup of coffee and give it to a coffee lover! You give them a freshly made cappuccino or latte or whatever coffee they ordered.

I would never have returned to this resto if the owner hadn’t been my friend.  Yet even though, I call to all coffee servers out there.  To everyone serving coffee in any cafe, restaurant, airport or hotel.  Please do not ever serve cold coffee, that is a serious sin against coffee lovers.

 

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