Interview Attire for Men on a Budget

Men of all ages sabotage their interview as soon as they walk in to meet with the hiring manager or human resources. What you wear does matter. By following the advice outlined in this article you can be sure that you are wearing the right interview attire while at the same time staying within your budget.

Suits

You do not have to travel to Savile Row in London or the most expensive men's store in your city to get a suit that will serve you through a series of job interviews. Most chains have men's suits. You can buy them as a coat and trousers or sometimes you can buy them separately. If you can do the latter do so. It will require less tailoring and fit better off the rack. If you can only buy one suite get a solid navy blue one. If you can afford two suits get a medium to dark gray one also. For your initial suits avoid pin and chalk stripes, plaids, other patterns plus black or tan.

The suit jacket should site well in the shoulders most importantly. Make sure it is large enough that you can easily button the middle button only on a three button suit and the top button on a two button suit. The suit jacket should have a handkerchief pocket on the front to the wearer's left breast and two flapped pockets at hip level - one on each site. You WILL NOT use these pockets. At minimum you will need to take the suit coat to a tailor to get the sleeves hemmed. Plan to show a bit of shirt cuff (more on that to follow). The only additional coat tailoring may be in the back of the coat if one is very thin or very narrow shouldered.

Trousers must be the same color as the suit jacket (and of the same fabric - close does not work). Pleats or no pleats are an individual matter. But they must be dress suit trousers - not casual or twill trousers. The waist should have belt loops (more on that later). Wear or bring your dress shoes when trying on the suit trousers. They should touch the top of the shoes and allow for a small dent call a "break" in the front crease of the trousers. If they do not they are too short. If there is more than one dent or break or if the puddle around the shoes then you will need to get them hemmed by a tailor. You can wear them with cuffs or not. Again it is a matter of personal taste (I prefer cuffs).

Note: always make sure the suit has been dry cleaned and is free of spots, lint and wrinkles before any interview.

Shirts

Even in this age of Casual Office attire and a range of colors and patterns for men - from head to toe - the white shirt is still standard for interviews. Modestly priced white dress shirts can be round at most retail chains. The shirt of choice should not be patterned or textured. The ideal collar is the plain point collar rather than the button down, tab (a small tab with a snap or button under the tie) or pin (worn what looks like a safety pin under the tie) collars. Button cuffs are preferred for interviews over cuff links and French cuffs (too dressy). Make sure the shirt is made to neck and sleeve size rather than Small, Medium and Large. If you need to, try on a couple in the dressing room. The collar should be comfortable and not too loose or too tight when buttoned. The cuffs should come down to the end of your wrist joint. Cotton is better than polyester and cotton but that is better than polyester. Many shirts today are no iron but they are more expensive. If you do not know how to iron well, take your shirts that require ironing to the cleaners to be cleaned and pressed. No short sleeve shirts. No pocket flaps, cowboy themes or epaulettes (unless you are Charlie Wilson).

Ties

Again, try the department stores and also the value stores that sell merchandise that has not sold at the big department stores. Look for a tie that is not too thick or too thin. Three inches to three and one half inches works well. For the navy blue suit look for the following ties: red or maroon with small white or blue dots or patterns, light blue with small white, red or maroon dots or patterns or yellow with small blue or maroon dots or patterns. No navy blue, no green or other colors. Silk ties are best. Silk and polyester are next best. Avoid 100% polyester. For the gray suit go with a navy blue tie with small red, maroon or white dots or patterns. The Maroon and the light blue ties work well too. Striped ties are acceptable (the President of the United States wears them) but they turn some people off as they can represent British regiments, men's clubs and private ("public" in UK terminology) schools. While I like striped ties you have to be careful with them due to the variety of reactions they stimulate. The same applies to bow ties. As has been often said - unless you are applying for a position as a college professor or a pediatrician - forget the bow tie.

Belts

Wear a thinner black leather belt with a plain buckle that is gold or silver colored. No woven leather, cloth or brown belts.

Shoes

While I have written who articles just on the subject of shoes, a couple of points about shopping for interview shoes at a reasonable price. First, look for leather shoes. They should be black. Laced shoes are best. Shoes with rounded toes are better than those with square ones. Thinner soles are better than thick ones. Leather soles are better than rubber ones. The perfect shoes are the oxford, the split mock toe and the cap toe. You can see these at any good shoe department or store. They are more traditional and never go out of style. Avoid anything that looks like a running shoe. While I like dress loafers - which come with and without tassels and can be very expensive - some people react negatively to them and view them like the striped ties. As such it is best to avoid them for interview situations. Make sure the shoes you do buy are polished to a shine for each interview.

Underwear and Socks

Men today wear underwear of all styles and colors. Make sure you wear a tee shirt style undershirt in white for the interview. Wearing no undershirt or a colored undershirt is not acceptable. You are on your own as to under shorts - until you get to the gym or country club locker room that is. Wear plain black socks. The higher the better. Do not go without socks or wear the short athletic socks in any color. Never wear white socks unless it is with sneakers or running shoes.

While none of these points will assure you a job, they will serve to keep your attire from draining your bank account and also making it either a positive or at least neutral so your skills, experience and drive can speak for themselves.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. George has over twenty-five years of experience working with companies of all sizes plus not-for-profit organizations and individual leaders. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and many other professional and non-profit organizations. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be contacted at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group also publishes a free monthly e-zine on career, leadership and work place topics at:
http://careerandleadership.com

High Heels for Women and the Power Look for Men

Much has been written and said about women having a power look with expensive high heel shoes regardless of what else is worn. There is a power look for men but it is much more subtle than the expensive high heel shoes flaunted by the women who have shattered the glass ceiling. According to a recent article in the WALL STREET JOURNAL, CEOs are dressing down and have done away with suits and ties. Our take on this topic, first published in August 2007 is still an observant snapshot of the details required for men to achieve the power look.

Hair

The very expensive haircut is crucial. For those who do not have enough hair to pull-off the expensive haircut – it all must go. No more comb-overs or even implants. The really powerful and the extremely rich just cut their own hair or go to the same corner barbershop they have gone to since they were kids.

Shirt

White shirt of a fine 100% cotton shirt. Straight collar. French cuffs with tiny – ideally antique – cuff links (1920s not 1950s). Preferably tailored in England. Always laundered and starched. No “no irons” or “stain proof” shirts please. At least one fresh one daily – sometimes more often so it looks crisp.

Tie

Silk. The only acceptable material. Hermes and the other designers with fine silk, bright colors and very small and complex patterns or figures. Also acceptable is foulard in silk with small diamond or circle patterns in navy or maroon. Purple, yellow (its back) and pink are favored too. Sky blue has become a cliché for politicians and their underlings.

Stay away from green and brown. Black is for funerals. Regardless of what the fashion books say – the knot is a function of personal style – and where you went to boarding school (or which military branch you served in).

Belt

Does not matter. You will not be taking off your suit coat. And you will only unbutton it when you sit down. Period.

Shoes

If the higher the heel is the key to the power look for women, then the thinner the sole is the key to the power look for men. Italian and English shoes are best. The rule about laces is out unless you are a diplomat or an investment banker. Otherwise, tie shoes or slip-ons are fine. They must be expensive, black or brown (a whole other article about this trend) leather and very traditional in style. Any shoe that looks trendy, cheap or like a walking or athletic shoe is a no-no. And any shoe must be highly polished – regardless of whether they are new or 30 years old (yes I have some that old in case you are wondering – I have them cobbled).

Suit

The power suit is still it. No khakis and polo shirt – unless you are on the links. No sport coat and dress trousers – unless you are at a cocktail party or the yacht club. A suit. Preferably English. Preferably bespoke (if you do not know what that is then do a search on the term please). It should be navy solid or striped or very dark grey. It should be of very expensive and fine wool. And it should fit impeccably (that does not mean off-the-rack and adjust the cuffs and hem the trousers by the way). If you cannot afford this suit – then go to a very expensive men’s store and examine the most expensive traditional suits they sell. Try one on. Look at all the details. Short of a bespoke suit – this is what you are looking to duplicate regardless of where you choose to shop.

While the topics of belts, braces (you know – suspenders), socks, pocket squares, watches, spectacles, rings, pens and other accessories could go on for pages – the point is that unless you get the basics right (and above are the basics) then all the other things really don’t matter because you will not have the power look.

Female executives can have their expensive high heel shoes. You have your expensive haircut/shirt/tie/suit/shoes. Now it is time to get down to business. If you think the computer programmer who is worth more than most small countries has it made because he can wear an old rock band t-shirt, baggy shorts and ratty sneakers – then you do not need to worry about the men’s power look. You need to evaluate your professional goals.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership mentoring practice. George can be reached by e-mail at:

gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

Steps to Entrepreneurial Success

There has rarely been a more challenging time to work for a large corporation. Layoffs, pay freezes and the elimination of retirement and other benefits are daily occurrences. More and more people are deciding to start their own businesses. Unfortunately most of them fail within two years. While there is no one secret to success as an entrepreneur, there are step that every entrepreneur should follow to increase their potential for success.

Focus. It is easily for entrepreneurs to lose focus. Make sure that your new business has a mission statement. Print it and post it on your office wall and even on your bathroom mirror. Everything you do must directly support your mission.

Strengths. Focus on doing what you do best and what you are passionate about. Just because there may be a market opportunity for something does not mean you should peruse it. Follow your strengths.

Strategy and Business Development. While early stage companies are built with one or two people doing all the work, focus on the strategy and on business development as much as you can early on. Do not delegate these to contractors or employees once you have them.

Branding. Develop a brand, stick with it and build on it. Many new companies jump from brand to brand to brand and never have an identity to build on for marketing and name recognition.

Resources. Do everything you can yourself initially to reduce expenses. But if there are areas where you have no skills or experience contract it out to the best people you can afford.

Partnerships. Businesses – even new businesses – can grow quickly thought partnerships. Take advantage of those who have established distribution networks that you can build utilize. But remembers, partnerships should be entered into carefully (due diligence to establish that there are common values, goals, a business win/win).

Value. Even new businesses should not undervalue their services and products. Everyone wants something for nothing. It is important to establish a rule of thumb regarding when to walk away from potential clients and deals.

Metrics (or scorecard). All new businesses, even one person start-up operations, must establish clear business objectives. Performance needs to be tracked against those goals on at least a monthly basis. Metrics are essential to the success of the business.

Starting a new business is tough. By following these rules combined with a customer focus and persistence, any new business can grow and become successful over time.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership mentoring practice. George has over twenty-five years of experience working with companies of all sizes plus not-for-profit organizations and individual leaders. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and many other professional and non-profit organizations. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George can be contacted at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Innovation Leadership

The success of any business today is reliant on not only outstanding products and services, innovative marketing, well-oiled sales channels and flawless, customer-focused operations. These are not optional; rather they are essential elements for business success. But what makes the difference between future industry leaders and those back in the pack? Innovation. Leading for innovation is critical for success today, tomorrow and in the years ahead.

Engage all employees and their ideas

Even though companies have been espousing this idea since the invention of the "suggestion box" few companies really take this principle seriously or use it effectively. There need to be easy ways for all employees (plus suppliers and customers) to provide ideas. The ideas need to be reviewed in a timely manner and feedback needs to be provided to those who provide the ideas. This cannot be a short term "program" or project but an on-going process which become part of the way of doing business.

Continuous planning

Strategic and business planning are central to any effective corporation, business or other organization. Unfortunately, many get caught up in the process (annual) rather than using it as an on-going opportunity for bubbling up new ideas and integrating them into the short and long term product and financial plans for the business. Planning should not just be about products, sales, revenue, costs and expense by period, but rather it should be about monetizing ideas and place resources against those ideas which are going to generate the most sales and create the most efficiencies.

Rewarding risk taking while rewarding success

Many companies have recognition programs from trophies, to certificates to financial incentives for contributions to the success of the business. Frankly, the type of award, reward or recognition is less important than the fact that it is done. Companies are quick to award sales success for closing the big deal and exceeding revenue quota. It is equally important for companies to find ways to reward the contribution of ideas to the front-end of the process. The ideas which evolve into new products, services and improved operations must result in recognition for the individuals and teams who contribute them.

Challenge how it's done today

Now matter how anything is done today it can be done better - whether faster, with less costs, with more quality, with greater revenue contribution or in other ways better achieve to goals and objectives of the business - not matter how challenging they may appear.

Making communication easy

The most innovative companies communicate often and easily. They communicate from above. They communicate across. They encourage their customers and suppliers to communicate about what is working and more importantly what is not working. And they make it easy to communicate from the trenches to the top. Whether face-to-face, by e-mail, blogs, letters, IM, telephone or other means, communications is essential to innovation. But it only begins with receiving the message regardless of the means of communication.

More bottoms up than top down

Innovative companies are not driven from the top down. They are driven by their customers and those front line employees who deal with the customers day-to-day. While R&D is essential, customers may express their real needs and line employees may see inefficiencies before they are ever raised through a formal scientific process or formal efficiency task force produce their reports.

Time is the enemy

When fighting a war, every single day counts. This has fact has been recognized by warrior-generals going back to the earliest conflicts and continuing on to high tech battlefields. The same holds true in business. The longer an idea for a new product or service or a process improvement is analyzed by working and leadership committees, the less likely they will provide a positive, competitive business impact. Once an idea or recommendation has been submitted - especially by customer or a front-line employee, the clock is ticking. A timely evaluation, development and implementation process is needed to insure they are screened and action is taken while the idea still has its "punch".

Global ideas

The best ideas do not come from your town. Or your state. Or even your country. There is a whole world go great ideas out there. Tap into them globally. Even if your company is not yet global, ideas for new products, services and better ways of doing thing can come from sources Memphis to Singapore not just the office conference room and the corporate planning retreat.

Seniority agnostic

New employees, whether fresh from college or from another employer are a great source of innovation (we are not recommending stealing proprietary information or intellectual property). And at the same time, employees who have performed the same function year-after-years may be discounted as not have an original idea. Nonsense! New employees, long tenure employees and all in between need to be free to offer up ideas and recommendations. And all ideas and recommendations need to be taken equally seriously regardless of the source.

By applying all of these concepts, any corporation, business or other organization can thrive. There is no such thing as too many ideas or too much innovation. The business imperative is to create a culture built on ideas and to vet the implement those ideas with velocity. Not every idea will be successful. But may will and that will make all the difference in the marketplace.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership mentoring practice. George has over twenty-five years of experience working with companies of all sizes plus not-for-profit organizations and individual leaders. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and many other professional and non-profit organizations. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George can be contacted at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

10 Steps of Successful Crisis Management

Crises affect the best run companies and organizations. They also spring-up with great frequency in less well run companies and organizations. Generally crises are the result of smart people doing dumb things. Sometimes they are the result of poor quality, greed, corruption or worse. Regardless of the reason for crises, it must be handled with the utmost care, speed and professionalism. The ten point outlined below identify the key elements to success crisis management.

1. Identify the problem

What is the crisis? Define it. Not what caused it or who is to blame but rather what it is in clear terms. This can also be referred to as the problem statement.

2. Create a team

Now that the crisis is defined, what areas does it touch? Assemble a team with the owners of the subject matter experts in each of those areas. For a business this generally means: executive management with a representative, marketing/product management, operations, legal, human resources, information technology, finance, PR or media relations sales and research & development. If any of these functions are not necessary, do not include them in the team just to fill a seat. For other organizations such as non-profits it may include: executive leadership, development, IT, member relations, finance, PR or media relations, human resources and marketing.

3. Set up a command center

Find a place where all the members of the team can meet and updates on the crises can be monitored and tracked. The command center should be manned 7x45 by a representative of each key functional area until the crises has been resolved.

4. Communicate out

The first thing the team needs to do once the problem has been identified is communicate the problems and what is being done about it quickly and clearly to all appropriate media outlets through PR or media relations. Generally, more information is better. The more senior the person providing the updates is the better also. Ideally it should be the CEO of the company or organization or the most senior person directly involved with the crisis. Also update customers, investors, employees, clients, constituents, and members – anyone with an interest in the company or organization.

5. Problem breakdown

Break down the problem with the crisis management team. Identify what the problem is, what the potential solutions are and which are the most viable courses of action. Bring in other subject matter experts as needed but do not take the accountable functional areas owners out of the loop or off the hook. They own a successful resolution from their area.

6. Receive communication

Concerns of customers, employees, shareholders and constituents need to be addressed. Set up phone hotlines and email folders related to the crises. Have knowledgeable people take the calls. If they cannot, have a mechanism so every call is returned with an answer in 24 hours. The same holds true with e-mails.

7. Resolve the problem

Nothing is more important than resolving the problem or crises because it is a disruption to everyday business. It could ruin the reputation of the business or organization. For a company it can destroy shareholder value. For other organizations it can impact membership, causes, careers, lives and worse. The crisis team needs to commit their time, money and energy and also grab the best and the brightest internal or external to the company or organization to resolve the problem or crisis quickly.

8. Provide updates and resolution

Communicate updates through all outlets and communicate final resolution of crisis at the most senior level available. Communicate frequently. Communicate in a timely fashion. Do not hold information back. Make leaders, functional owners and subject matter experts available to questions from the media (all forms). Have all communication controlled through the command center i.e. centrally.

9. Investigate (the post mortem)

After the crisis has been resolved establish a team to investigate what happened, why, who was responsible and what actions need to be taken to insure that it does not happen again (or is minimized). Insure the team has full access plus as much time and budget as they need to do their jobs effectively.

10. Integrate improvements

Integrate the findings of the team into business as usual. Take the learnings from the crises to change the business or organization so there is a minimal chance of the crisis repeating itself. Make these changes know to all the company’s or organization’s stakeholders.

Crises happen – no matter how careful, quality conscience and integrity focused any company or organization considers itself. And when they do, it is up to the leadership to establish a crises team and command center quickly. By following these 10 steps, the best will be made out of any bad situation.

A Career Within a Career?

Recently there have been several articles published about the value of working for huge companies and moving from field to field and department within those companies. I would discourage most employees from doing so unless that is part of their “career path” as guided from at least two levels of management above them.

Why are moves within a large company not career enhancers?
• Everyone needs an area of expertise until they hit middle management. By moving from department to department, you only have a moderate level of expertise and will be judged as such.
• Moving from department to department labels you as a short timer rather than as someone on the way up. Staying in one department or field and creating a record of success in that department or field will get you noticed. If you just move around, odds are you will not build a period after period set of performance results and accomplishments.
• Whether it is marketing, sales, operations, IT, finance or another area, to become middle management or higher requires both knowledge and performance over time. A few years in each just creates as career patchwork.
• If you are unhappy with your company, moving to another department will not change things. If you are truly unhappy, stay in your field and find a job with another company.

Rather than moving from department to department, spice up your career – and your resume with:
• Additional education and certifications.
• Professional organizational participation.
• Actively network within and outside of your company within your industry and your field.
• Volunteer for task forces and special projects which will have a major impact on the business and which have executive level sponsorship and visibility.

After all of this, if you still have time and energy, follow your passion through your hobbies and avocations outside of work.

Your Q and Our A

An opportunity for readers to bring specific issues to our attention and for us to share our recommendations.


"Dear George..."

"I am thirty-five years old. I have worked in the same industry and for the same company since I graduated from college.

There are alot of rumors at my company, where I work in marketing at the corporate headquarters, about outsourcing of jobs and deep job cuts across the board. I have always received good performance ratings and raises but my boss is not well regarded by the top leadership. Additionally, I am nervous that if I go over his head with ideas or recommendations, that it will jeopardize my job.

What do you recommend that I do?"

Sandy M.
New York City, NY


Dear Sandy,

Your situation is more common than you might realize.

First, make sure you have an updated, top-notch resume. Keep it on your home computer, not the one at work.

Secondly, network like crazy OUTSIDE of your company. Join professional groups - if you do not already belong. Go to at least a couple of meetings per month with different professional groups. This will help you meet people outside of your company in your field. And remember, offer to help others, do not just ask them for help. Bring business cards too but write your personal (non-business) e-mail address on the back of them.

A few points about outsourcing, pending layoffs and your boss:

- If your company is going to cut, you may be impacted no matter how well regarded you are BUT do all you can to stand in the top 25% of the company based on performance. This can only help you. To that end, focus on meeting and exceeding ALL of your objectives.

- Network within your company. Volunteer for business-related committees, task forces and other cross-functional and cross-organizational teams to make sure you are known outside of your work group. Make sure people do not view you as a clone of your "not well regarded" boss.

Finally, if you have a great idea, do not limit sharing it with your boss. Find ways to communicate your business ideas beyond your "chain of command". Make sure you do it in such a way that your boss does not feel "blind-sided". But at the end of the day remember, "if it is going to be, it is up to me".

George

CareerandLeaderhip.com Quarterly E-zine

Unfortunately the service that hosts our quarterly e-zine (Dot5Hosting Inc.), CareerandLeadership.com, has seen fit to move to a new platform without notifying us. As such, the April-June 2008 issue of CareerandLeadership.com is "on hold" until further notice (read that as until we find a new web hosting service that provides some quality level of customer and technical support).

In the interim, we will continue to publish articles on career, work life, leadership, image and related topics here.

Additionally, our "Dear George..." feature, will move to this blog until further notice.

Thank you for your patience and your support.

George F. Franks, III
Editor-in-Chief
CareerandLeadership.com

The Economy Is Down Blues?

It may be hard to stay focused and motivated when the economy is down, layoffs are in the news daily and all we hear is about higher prices and fewer jobs. What is the answer?

• Whether you work for someone else or yourself, treat every day as a new adventure.
• If you work for someone else, make sure that you have a clear job description, performance objectives, your last performance appraisal and an updated resume.
• If you work for yourself, make sure you have a clear business plan with specific performance objectives (not just financial), a list of accomplishments from the past three years and an updated resume.
• Make a list of how you spend your time during one week. Anything that is not helping you achieve your performance objectives or business plan, stop doing it.
• Forget the "four hour work week". Start working earlier and stay later whether you work for yourself or someone else. And do not use the extra time to just catch-up on e-mail.
• Cut your time doing e-mail in half. Regardless of when you do it. Spend that time on customers and professional networking.
• Speaking of networking, make sure you attend at least four professional networking functions (formal or informal) every month. If you work for someone else, these must be external to your company or employer.
• Follow-up with former bosses, co-workers, college and graduate school contacts and others. Make sure people know who you are, where you are and what your are currently doing professionally. And always make sure you offer to help others if they are looking for a job.
• Whatever time you spend talking to or meeting with customers – double it. Only customers pay the bills whether you work for yourself or someone else.
• Finally, whatever you are saving for a rainy day – double it. Cut back where you can. You should have enough money put aside – beyond college funds and retirement – to live for SIX MONTHS without a steady paycheck. This may sound exaggerated but it is essential.

Economic downturns come and they go. This one may be worse the after the “dot com” bubble burst in 2001. Maybe it will not be. Either way, you need to take the steps NOW to insure you are marketable whether you lose your job – or your business – or not.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland-based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group's clients include businesses, associations, non-profit organizations and individual leaders. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com.
George can be contacted by e-mail at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group's free quarterly e-zine on career and leadership topics is at:
http://careerandleaderhip.com

The Death of Telecommuting

Much has been written over the past several months about the pending death of telecommuting. Companies and their management have been taking steps to reduce if not totally curtail telecommuting by employees across the USA. The move is not limited to any one market, sector or industry. At the same time, employees fear more and more that being “out of sight” will also lead to their being prime candidates for lay-offs as the economy continues to flounder. Is this the death of telecommuting or should companies and employees continue to promote it and why?

History

Three big reasons drove telecommuting going back to the early 1990s. The first was to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. In many cases this was a mandate by state, county and local governments to the largest employers. One of my former companies, AT&T, was in the vanguard for this very reason. Secondly, companies were looking to reduce overhead. Telecommuting mean less office space, lower overheads...and a healthier bottom line. Finally, in the battle for the best and the brightest, companies used telecommuting as benefit to new and younger employees – just like “casual Fridays” and eventually casual working environments.

A New Supervisory Dilemma

Most executives, middle management and supervisors learned their craft under the watchful gaze of their bosses over the years. They managed, to a large degree as they had been managed. Perhaps with the exception of sales people and service people “in the field” (with customers), most employees sat in offices for company locations near their supervisors. Meetings and daily face-to-face interaction were a way of life. With telecommuting, all of this changed – much to the discomfort of most bosses at all levels. All of a sudden their employees were working from home rather than the office. Meetings became conference calls. Team meetings were often quarterly, if that often. Globalization and remote or virtual “teams” added to the complexity of the situation.

Benefits

In addition to reducing pollution, reducing overheads and improving employee satisfaction, most studies about telecommuting found that employees working from home actually worked MORE than when they worked from an office. Additionally, they had fewer “sick days” and they had higher satisfaction levels with the companies. Higher satisfaction often translated into lower turnover – further reducing costs (hiring and training).

The “Bad Apples”

As with any benefit or privilege, some employees took advantage of telecommuting. They used it as an opportunity to avoid daycare for children (often against company policy). They used telecommuting as a chance to run a home business in addition to their regular job – and on company time if not resources. Employees spend hours shopping on-line, looking at porn or just doing as little as possible until they had a “deliverable” to the boss. Finally, some employees used telecommuting as an excuse to withdraw from their company culture – not meeting co-workers, only communicating with their boss as required and rarely showing up in the office.

The Answer

The ideal answer for any company is to not “throw out the baby with the bathwater”. They can continue to reduce pollution, keep overheads low and maintain high levels of satisfaction. It is up to bosses to be clear about telecommuting rules and responsibilities. These are sometimes called “telecommuting agreements”. One example is coming into the office one day per week and to participate in essential meetings and conference calls. Employees too have responsibilities. Maintaining “face time” with their supervisors, delivering on all performance objectives and building a professional network within and beyond the company environment are all essential. Additionally, many employees schedule weekly or monthly updates with their supervisors to review roles, responsibilities, project status, quality of deliverables and priorities. These meetings produce dividends for both the supervisor – at any level – and the employee.

Telecommuting is not yet dead. But unless companies and employees step up to the challenges and needs created by telecommuting, it may soon go the way of manual typing pools and company defined benefit pensions.


George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland-based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group's clients include businesses, associations, non-profit organizations and individual leaders. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com.
George can be contacted by e-mail at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group's free quarterly e-zine on career and leadership topics is at:
http://careerandleaderhip.com

An Open Letter to the CEO of Sprint Nextel

News item: “SPRINT NEXTEL yesterday reported a $29.45 billion fourth-quarter loss and said legions of subscribers continue to abandon its service, many because they can't pay their bills.”

Dan Hesse who took over from Gary Forsee in late 2007 as Sprint Nextel’s CEO has the unpleasant task of presenting more bad news to Wall Street, the media and his shareholders yesterday. Hesse, a veteran of the old (versus new) AT&T, like Forsee, has more than his work cut out for him. While he has announced a number of initiatives – such as consolidating the corporate headquarters in Kansas (currently there are two headquarters locations with one in Reston, Virginia), the turn-around is not yet apparent.

Some steps this management consultant would recommend for SPRINT include:

Stop the Bleeding

Sprint is losing customers due to poor customer service AND a push in the past to offer service to customer with poor credit histories. Retraining and shifting more resources to customer service is a “no brainer”. The issue of customers with poor credit is tougher. Tightening up their standards for new customers AND cracking down on delinquent accounts NOW is essential. Hesse must drive Sprint to take the hit now rather than drag it out over time.

New Products and Offers

Sprint needs to bring in customers and listen to them. They also need to bring in “front line” sales and customer service people and gather their ideas. These efforts should produce a snap shot of customer needs and issues. These then can be prioritized with product management “SWAT Teams” charged to develop new products and offers for maximum market impact.

Resources

The majority of resources should be focused on generating revenue. As such, a top to bottom assessment should be made of all functions, roles, processes and performance results. The goal is not lay-offs or even cost reductions but rather putting most of the resources in areas where they are generating revenues or improving customer satisfaction.

Cost Cutting

Similar to new products and offers, the ideas of the employees – at all levels and across all functions is essential. Everything must be done better, faster and in a totally results-driven manner. These ideas need to be quickly gathered through “SWAT Teams” and then brought to the leadership for real time decisions and action. If there are to be lay-offs and pay freezes or reductions – the actions should begin AT THE TOP, rather than in the ranks. Leadership by example is powerful and all too rare.

Speed

The larger organizations are, the longer time they take to make decisions and then to turn the decisions into actions. Steps must be taken to focus on speed – but not at the cost of quality. The speed to market, the speed to turn decisions into actions, the speed to improve financial and other performance results all must be driven home daily at every level in the organization. Sprint is a big company. Unless they become more nimble, they will be acquired or just die a slow corporate death.

Sprint Nextel’s Dan Hesse would be well served to abandon his “old” AT&T experience and move to embrace the many things that new technology start-ups do right. The old formulas of reorganization, lay-offs of workers and other corporate shell games will not help his company go from Wall Street’s outhouse to the penthouse any time soon.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group – a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be contacted by e-mail at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Layoffs at Starbucks!

When one thinks of high growth, innovation and the new corporate model – one of the first names that comes to mind is Starbucks. In recent days, Starbucks has been in the news because their CEO has announced layoffs, store closings and a slower pace of growth. What – a corner without a Starbucks coffee shop? The shake-up at Starbucks can serve as a lesson for any business or organization.

Growth

The bigger a company or organization grows, the harder it is to stay true to it’s “roots”. Even if quality and image are strictly controlled – as they are with Starbucks (like McDonalds), there mentality, vision and passion of the corner start-up is difficult to maintain. Having a clear mission and staying true to that mission is essential for every location and every employee.

Core Business

When I think about Starbucks I think about coffee, maybe something to nibble with the coffee and a place to work, meet clients or read the WALL STREET JOURNAL or NEW YORK TIMES. While some people may think of it as a place to buy CDs, coffee mugs, calendars or other items, I do not. And it seems that Starbucks began to stray further from their basics. The point – stick to your knitting (your core business).

People

Starbucks is not about coffee – it is about people. People take the orders, people prepare the coffee, people keep the locations clean, and people manage what could be chaos during busy times. There people are the face of Starbucks – not the CEO and not the headquarters staff. While Starbucks has been very public about how people-oriented they are (benefits, training, respect for employees), there is a slippery slope that will be created by lay-offs. A people oriented business that lays people off and shutters locations can soon become just like any other fast food outlet or massive retail chain – cold, impersonal and full of clock watchers.

Overhead

Organizations that grow love to create new positions, new rules, and new bureaucracies and new titles (each requiring their own staffs for “support”). This is not unique to Starbucks. But every dollar that goes to overhead steals a dollar from the customer-facing resources and also from the profitability of the enterprise. Headquarters, regions, areas – each with their own functions, executives and support staffs drain the life out of any business rather than invigorate them. As a business grows, unless every function can demonstrate in some way there are generating revenue or creating value, I recommend the function either be outsourced to support business with that core competency or incremental to “line” (profit-focused) responsibilities.

Down-sizing people and locations will not be the death of Starbucks. But any business or organization can learn from downside of rapid growth as demonstrated by Starbucks. The tendency to grow quickly, lose focus, to treat employees as overhead, to build non-customer facing staffs are not unique to Starbucks. But any entrepreneur or executive with a growing business would be well served to avoid the same pitfalls.


George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be contacted by e-mail at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Real Team Building

Much has been written about teams and team building over the past decade. Much of it has been either based on psychology or corporations. I have nothing against psychologists. And I myself, spent many years working for large corporations. But to understand teams and team building you need to understand what teams are, how they form and what makes them successful.


What are teams?

Teams are groups of people brought together to achieve a common goal, objective or purpose. Teams can be large. Teams can be small. Teams can be global or they can be local and co-located. Teams can be people who are all different. And teams can be people who are all of very different backgrounds. So what makes a group of individuals a team? Teams differ from groups of people in that they are brought together or they gather together to achieve a specific purpose as that group.

What do teams look like?

The very best teams have different educations, backgrounds and experiences. They come together to achieve a common purpose. They commit to subjugating their individual needs, goals and desires to those of the group. This does not mean that they do not have individual needs, goals and desires. They do. They just make them secondary to those of the group. The best teams often:
- Meet as a group face-to-face when forming.
- They have many events where they internalize their goals, objectives or purpose.
- They clearly define “success” for the group.
- They establish effective means of communications.
- They define what is common to all members versus what is specialized by individual to achieve their goals.
- They bond through socializing rituals (such as meals, activities or like events).
- They establish success rules (time lines, targets, rewards, roles, priorities, how to communicate outside of the team as examples).
- They define ways to maintain team effectiveness (future face-to-face meetings, regularly scheduled conference calls, group “touch points” and other communal activities).


What do the best teams do right?

The very best teams achieve their goal, objective or purpose through a singular focus, effective communication, flexibility, encouraging innovation by all and displaying respect for all members. Specifically they:
- Set high standards for all members and help one another achieve those standards.
- They do not tolerate those who do not carry at least their share of the “burden” (work).
- They respect input by all but do so in a crisp and disciplined manner.
- They make sure all members of the group know and have internalized the goal, purpose or objectives.
- They make sure all communication is clear, effective and timely.
- They insure that all members clearly understand all roles and responsibilities but are willing to modify them based on the needs of the group to achieve the objective.
- They do not tolerate egos based on prior performance. Every member has to earn their slot every single day.
- Members of the group treat the other members with respect and integrity. Lapses are not tolerated.
- A group mindset that “failure is not an option” is maintained from day one.

Why teams fail?

The list of reasons why teams fail is like a grocery list of human weaknesses and failings. The key reasons that teams fail include:
- Lack of a clearly defined purpose, goal or objective.
- “Team” members who spend less than 51% of their time working with the team.
- Lack of clear or timely communication.
- Team rituals (fun, awards, and other recognition) override the goal, mission or purpose as the reason for the team.
- Egos (putting self before the team rather than subordinating to the goals and needs of the team).
- Sub-elements within the team with agendas other than the goal, purpose or objective.
- Lack of respect for innovation.
- Lack of ability to change as needed (flexibility).
- Lack of integrity by any team member.
- “Failure” mentality as opposed to “success” mentality.

Many companies, organizations and other groups try to spend part of a day or a weekend together once a year to “team build”. Team building is not about a day or even a weekend. For a group to become a team and then to succeed as a team requires many elements – including time and often shared adversity – for an organization of any size. By applying the elements outlined in this article, any organization can more effectively operate at the “team” level.


George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group's clients are businesses, associations, other non-profit organizations and individual leaders. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be contacted by e-mail at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Visit Franks Consulting Group's free quarterly career and leadership e-zine:
http://careerandleadership.com

The Myth of Consolidating "Headquarters"

The buzz in telecom, especially in the Washington, DC metro area, is about Sprint-Nextel closing their Reston, Virginia headquarters location and shifting the focus to Overland Park, Kansas. While Sprint-Nextel is as good a textbook case as any on how NOT to integrate two large companies following an acquisition, the issue of retaining two headquarters is of particular interest.

Why ONE headquarters location? Other than the symbolism and the potential cost savings, it is fascinating that a technology company refuses to embrace technology themselves. Some points that the current and previous Sprint-Nextel executives should have considered include:
- Executives should be out with customers, employees and investors, rather than sitting in any headquarters location.
- Technology allows for both audio and video conference calls from anywhere at anytime.
- The idea of a singe headquarters location is as archaic as castles, forts and bunkers.
- Many companies no longer have a single, sacred board room but rather meet at a location where board members can stay overnight (the outsourcing of board rooms).
- Staffs, like headquarters are now virtual. There is no reason why a CEO cannot be in Silicon Valley, the CFO in New York and the Sales and Marketing Chief be in London while their staffs, perhaps with the exception of the Executive Assistants could be anywhere globally if they are truly the best and the brightest.
- If and when “all hands” executive meetings are held, they are best held, like board meetings, at an outsourced location where all can be away from the disruptions of any office and focus on the tasks at hand.

If technology has freed executives and their staffs from being “hard wired” to their offices, it does indeed appear odd that executives still claim the need and benefits of being co-located at a “headquarters” facility.

Business, Leadership and the Writers' Strike

The end of the writers’ strike, which brought the world of entertainment to a near standstill in the USA, brings several points to mind for managers and executives in all industries and markets.

- Understand the needs of your suppliers – both internal and external.
- While the bottom line is often shareholder value, it is essential to understand those who contribute and how they benefit the overall enterprise.
- Listen.
- If you say “no”, make sure you understand all the potential consequences.
- Never underestimate the power of any group (writers, customers, regulatory agencies, production workers, parts suppliers, etc.) to bring your business to a halt.
- Always have a “Plan B” and ideally a Plan C” too.
- Even after you say “no” be willing to negotiate.

Obviously many articles, white papers and books will be written about the writers’ strike. Perhaps even a couple of movies too. Hopefully, managers and executives beyond the world of entertainment will learn some lessons from the event.

Hire Like a NFL Team Owner

There has been a lot in the media lately about Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder, a successful business entrepreneur, interviewing candidates for his team’s head coach position. There have been stories about the 32-day search and twenty-eight hours of interviews per candidate until Jim Zorn was selected. What are the lessons from this for hiring managers for businesses and other organizations? Take all the time you need to find the right people for your key jobs and do not delegate the time-consuming task to either the human resources department or your underlings. The interview process is only worthwhile if it allows the hiring manager to determine the following…

Skills

A resume can only tell you so much. What are the job candidate’s skills? A face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball interview can tell you more than all the resumes and phone calls in the world. Having the prerequisite skills, as defined by the hiring manager, is essential.

Personality

No resume can speak to a candidate’s personality. Are they passive, aggressive, rebellious, and innovative or a “yes” person? An interview with a number of questions and scenarios followed up with informal interactions, such as over a meal, can reveal quite a bit about a job candidate’s true personality. This is not something that comes out over a one hour interview with a set of “canned” questions.

Drive

What motivates a job candidate to get up in the morning and to do not only what is expected but to take the initiative? Do they have a “fire” burning inside of them? Are they motivated to give 110% every single day? Multiple interviews over a period of time will directly and indirectly reveal the answers to these important questions for any position.

Experience

Job candidates can have skills and not experience. They can even have experience but not the skills. The combination of both skills AND experience is unbeatable. Again, a resume can only tell so much. An exhaustive interview process will speak volumes in terms of real hands-on, done successfully (or perhaps learned from failing) experience in a field, functional areas or leadership position.

Attitude

It is nearly impossible to pick up on a job candidate’s attitude from a resume or even a screening telephone call. What kind of attitude will complement the organization? There is no one right answer, but attitude is important. Generally, a positive, can-do attitude is ideal. But that must be balanced with a degree of pragmatism and shrewdness for most leadership or other key positions.

Persistence

Job candidates who have had a record of success, according to their resumes or personal references may not necessarily be persistent. Some have been fortunate to have been at the right place at the right time. Those job candidates who have, time and again, demonstrated persistence are often valued by hiring managers – especially for when things get tough.

Goals

Every organization has long term and short term goals. Most, if not all, successful people have short and long term goals also. These may not be overt on a resume or through a reference. The goals of the individual and of the hiring organization must be in alignment. If they are not, then the fit will not be a good or successful one.

Weaknesses

Individuals being human have weaknesses. To determine what they are you must look beyond a resume or a phone interview. Formal and informal interviews and related exchanges and observations help to identify a job candidates weaknesses. A love of drink? A habit of gambling? Laziness? Slovenliness? Lateness? Disorganization? Or perhaps treating others badly? The list is endless. But faults and weaknesses must be identified before a candidate is hired to determine if they are contrary to the culture and needs of the organization and pressures of the position.

Style

Every successful person has their own personal style. It may be low key. It may be flashy. It may be loud. It may be introverted and analytical. Also every company culture or other organization has its own “image” or style. A good fit between individual style and an organization’s culture is not essential but tends to be beneficial (although there are exceptions). An extended face-to-face interview process is an opportunity to directly observe a candidate’s personal style.

You may not be as rich or powerful as Dan Snyder, you may not be a NFL team owner and your may not be hiring a head football coach. But you should take hiring any candidate for a position in your business or organization just a seriously as Snyder did for the Redskins. Taking the time to personally and exhaustively interview candidates for jobs will pay dividends in terms of “winning” in the increasingly competitive marketplace regardless of your industry, sector or field.


George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group’s clients include businesses, associations, other non-profit organization and individual leaders. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA), Telecom Hub and the Maryland Society of Association Executives. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be contacted by e-mail at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Your Business Can Thrive During the Economic Downturn

The natural inclination of business leaders during an economic downturn is to cut people, programs and reorganize. Examples of this are in the newspapers and web sites daily: Alcatel-Lucent, AOL, Sprint, the airlines, Dell, Discovery Communications and many other companies plus countless medium and small business which never hit the media. There are alternatives to cutting and pulling back during an economic downturn.

Strategy

Review your business’s strategy. Does it make sense? Can it be executed? Is it too “pie in the sky”. And how does it address your markets and your businesses core strengths? A clear strategic plan is the basis for success in good times – and bad.

Execution

The best strategic and business plans are worthless without execution. Do you have measurements or metrics in place to measure performance against financial AND operational targets (objectives)? Which are hitting the mark and which are not? Why? Who is accountable? And what is being done to address weak areas of performance?

Customers

It seems that during a downturn in the economy businesses of all sizes are quick to put customers – those who pay the bills – last. No! This is the time to re-evaluate what your business is doing to delight your customers. No matter the business, product or service – your customers have choices. Take the steps necessary to make you business their FIRST choice. To do this, ask THEM how you are doing and what can be done to improve it.

Cost and Expense

Businesses are quick to cuts expenses and people when there is softness in the economy. This is so easy, that a kid with a lemonade stand can do it. But it is often NOT the right answer. First look at where resources are deployed. Most resources should be involved in driving revenue and delighting your customers. Keep you overheads to a minimum. If that means redeploy and retrain, it should be done. Secondly, before there are lay-offs cut the contractors and consultants first and do the work in-house. Also, cut salaries and bonuses at the top of the organization first. The biggest cuts should be among the biggest bosses – not the customer-facing clerks and sales reps. Finally, ask for input, the people on the floor and in the back office usually know where the biggest opportunities for REAL efficiencies exist. Ask them, act on their recommendations and recognize them for their ideas.

Speed

It is amazing to me to read what the USA did to mobilize resources in a very short time during World War II on the home front. Factories went from making cars and refrigerators to making tanks and aircraft in huge quantities in amazingly short time frames. This was before computers as we know them today. So why does everything (except perhaps the internet) take so long today? The time frames required to develop new products and services are often years rather than months. Look at whatever time is required in your business today and cut it by 25% to 50% while maintaining the same level of quality if not better. It can be done. And it is a competitive advantage.

Innovation

It is the natural tendency of businesses of all sizes to take fewer risks when times are lean. This includes new and innovative ideas for products, services, marketing and doing business. The BEST time for risk taking and innovation is when the economy is challenging. While most businesses retrench, those that take risks and push innovation stand out among their competition. And innovation is not limited to research and development or marketing, it should encompass all functions and aspects of any business.

Downturn, recession, soft economy. All of these terms drive chills through most business people at any level. In fact, even money is tighter and market opportunities shrink, there are winners and losers in both good and not so good economies. By addressing the areas of: strategy, execution, customers, cost and expense, speed and innovation, any company – regardless of size, market or industry – can be a winner during an economic downturn.


George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group's clients include businesses of all sizes across a variety of industries, associations and other non-profit organizations and individual leaders. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). His web site is:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
He can be contacted by e-mail at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group publishes a free quarterly e-zine:
http://careerandleadership.com

Business Etiquette 101

Today, most people pay little attention to social or business etiquette. While some elements of traditional etiquette may seem dates and pre-“high tech”, they are worth reviewing – and incorporating into your daily business life.

Telephone calls

With the exception of “cold calls”, all calls received should be returned within no more than twenty-four hours. This applies to “internal” and “external” calls. Of course, calls to customers – current and potential – should be returned first.

Office Visits

When visiting someone’s office, whether a customer, boss or “internal” customer, take no more time than is absolutely necessary. Treat other’s time as if it were your own.

Bids

When you bid on a job, follow-up directly with the potential client or customer. When you are in receipt of a bid, follow-up with the vendor or consultant whether they win it or not. If the bid is delayed, communicate this fact to the vendor or consultant.

Resumes

When you post a job opening and you interview someone by telephone (screening) or face-to-face, follow-up the interview with either a call or e-mail. When you have selected a candidate, let those you interviewed who did not get the job know that you selected someone else.

Meetings

Schedule no more meetings than absolutely necessary. Make your meetings brief and to the point with an agenda and a time limit.

Conference Calls

Schedule conference calls when they are most convenient for all participants. If you have participants globally, schedule them at different times to share the inconvenience among all participants. Send out an agenda and time limit in advance. Make sure all participants are on time and remain for the entire call.

Customers

The customer is first in all things. Ahead of the boss. Ahead of subordinates. Ahead of suppliers. Even ahead of your family and personal life. They pay the bills. Do not ever inconvenience a customer.

Email

E-mail is both a blessing and a curse. Those who worked prior to e-mail remember regular mail drops and office couriers. Respond to all customer e-mails within no more than twenty-four hours. Respond to all other e-mail sent directly to you (excluding “spam” and mass group e-mailings) within forty-eight hours. Only address emails to those who absolutely need the information (response, request or whatever) within them.

Time

Respect the time of others. If you are going to be late, call them to let them know. If you must leave a meeting early, let the “owner” of the meeting know in advance. And if an appointment or meeting must be cancelled, let the participants know as far in advance as possible so they can rearrange their schedules.

Business etiquette may seem basic but increasingly, business people think of themselves and not others. Not their clients or customers. Not their employees. And not their vendors or suppliers. Business etiquette is often rewarded by others behaving in a similar manner. Take the first step by making an example through your actions and those of your team.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group – a management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group’s clients include businesses, associations and other non-profit organizations and individual leadership. George is a member if the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). He can be contacted at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com

The Kings of Customer Satisfaction

Over the past decade, businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations have tended to shift their focus away from their customers, constituents and members. While many of these organizations have been growing, they have put their resources into areas other than customer satisfaction. Outsourcing, globalization, technology and consolidation have all served to reduce the level of customer satisfaction. But during this same period, there have been some entities that have put the customer first. It is worthwhile to examine these exceptions to the prevailing trend away from customer satisfaction.

The world of retailing is full of look alike store with look alike products and services. Some have even declared that the department store is “dead”. Not a Nordstrom. A visit to a Nordstom is a breath of fresh air after a day of trying to find whatever at other department stores. The stores are clean, well organized, they often have live piano music and plenty of sales people at hand with only one purpose – to help the customer. Most Nordstrom customers happily pay a slight premium for the higher level of service. And they come back to the store again and again.

Hardware stores have become cavernous warehouses serving both contractors and do-it-yourselfers alike. Unfortunately, there is usually little apparent rationale to what is located where, the staff is usually nowhere to be found, the lines at the registers are usually backed up and it is difficult to get an answer to any question without asking two – or three employees – once you find them. We are fortunate to have a local hardware store where we live. The hardware store is backed floor to ceiling with every conceivable thing a homeowner could need in the broad category of hardware. And every aisle seemingly has one if not two experts who glory in answering questions and pointing customers to what they are looking for. The lines are rarely backed up. This store, while not as big as the chain hardware stores does a tremendous business and always charges a premium on whatever it sells. And yet customers come back there again and again.

Even with the challenges in the consumer electronics business, there are still a number of “big box” electronics stores. They usually have anything and everything in the way of technology and entertainment products. They are staff by poorly trained sales people who seem only to be waiting for a better job. The customer service and check out people seem to be even a notch below the sales staff. The atmosphere is both oppressive and overwhelming to most customers. Then there is the Apple Store. The technology and the design of Apple products aside, much thought has gone into everything from the floor layout and materials to the training and attitude of the staff. The employees at the Apple store seem less sales people and more disciples of Steve Jobs and Apple Culture. People go out of their way to spend time in the Apple Stores and are always ready to buy the next new device or gadget from that maker, almost regardless of price.

Government at any level is not thought of as an example of striving for superior customer satisfaction. Whether at the local, state or Federal level, most avoid dealing with the government if they can help it. Think of your experiences with the US Postal Service, your state motor vehicle bureau or getting a document to or from your county government. No, not a pleasant customer experience. I recently found out that the US government is committed to be “citizen-centric” which is government consultant speak for treating you and me like we are what it is all about. I have yet to find that in my dealings with the Federal government with one exception. The Department of Education handles college student loans. Dealing with this organization sets a standard of excellence that few corporations or other organization could match. If you have had the pleasure of dealing with them you know what I mean. While they cannot command a premium price, I am sure that they do more business than they would otherwise due to their execution of the citizen-centric model.

Finally, there is the cup of coffee. Even though there has been a lot in the media about Starbuck lately it worth repeating. How many times have you bought a cup of coffee at a fast food restaurant? Not only is the coffee usually burned or watery. The level of service is poor (regardless of what their signs and ads say). The sugar and cream are either tossed at you or spread along a dirty condiment station. The overall atmosphere is anywhere from sterile to circus-like. Most likely not a place where you want to spend a lot of time or money. But Starbucks has focused as much on the level of service and the customer experience as they have on the coffee and other products. The overall experience is such that people choose to spend time at Starbucks whether to meet friends or clients. By focusing on the customer, Starbucks made the simple cup of coffee worth a premium price.

If price is the only consideration, perhaps customer service does not matter. But time and again, the marketplace shows that superior customer service will support a premium price. In addition to a healthier bottom line, excellent customer service drives loyalty. Customers come back again and again. And they encourage their family, friend and co-workers to do the same. Hopefully the examples of these establishments and others like them will spur larger segments of the market to refocus on customer satisfaction.


George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group – a management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group’s clients include businesses, associations and other non-profit organizations and individual leadership. George is a member if the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). He can be contacted at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com

Ten Steps to Becoming a Better Leader in 2008

New Years is a time for many people to evaluate where they are, where they want to and what they need to change in their day-to-day lives. For leaders, whether they are supervisors, managers, mid-level executives or senior executives in any field, being more effective is the key to success – for themselves and their organization. The New Year is a good time to evaluate what leadership skills and traits are working and which ones are inhibiting success. Here are ten of them for your consideration.

Start

By learning at least ten facts about each of your “direct reporting” employees. Take time to know more about them, and their lives in and out of the work place makes them more human and builds respect and rapport between the two of you.

Stop

Micromanaging the daily activities of your employees at any level in the organization. Micromanaging decreases productivity, creativity and motivation. If you give them clear objectives and then monitor their attainment of those objectives on a periodic basis, most employees perform at higher levels.

Start

Having a direct face-to-face conversation with your people at all levels in the organization about what is and – more importantly – what is not working. The key here is to listen rather than to talk. But asking lots of questions is good. While you may not act on every point, issue or idea, it is important to gain a more a front line perspective of what is going on in the organization.

Stop

Putting off writing and giving performance appraisals to your direct report employees at the last minute. Most managers at any level make this mistake. As a leader of people, continuous feedback which culminates in the comprehensive and thorough performance appraisal is essential.

Start

Being more candid about all feedback. Do not say something is good if it is mediocre. Do not say something is adequate if it is poor. Whether it is a product, a presentation, a report, an advertisement or a strategy, being more honest and candid is the right thing to do for yourself and for your organization. Far too many people are generous with praise and accept substandard work.

Stop

Interacting with people by email. Face-to-face is ideal. If not face-to-face then over the telephone. The last resort should be by e-mail. Too many managers at all levels hide behind e-mail rather than dealing directly with their peers, bosses, employees or even customers. There is nothing like the personal touch for a leader.

Start

Encouraging your people to get more training and education. The natural instinct is to say “no”. You cannot afford for them to be away from the office. But more training and education will make them more effective, more creative and more valuable when they are at work. Invest in your people.

Stop

That fake “rah-rah” program of the month type initiatives. They waste everyone’s time, energy and the organization’s budget. Understand your vision, your mission and your values. Ensure your objectives and clearly and quantified. Then focus on getting your time energized about what needs to be done to meet those objectives.

Start

Being a real “coach” by making sure that you communication the goals and objectives clearly. You should be able to ask any member of your team about their objectives and you should get a clear and concise response including where they stand relative to achieving them to-date. If they cannot to this, then you have not been clear enough about their objectives.

Stop

Accepting recognition for yourself. Direct all recognition to your people. The soldiers on the front lines deserve the medals. Not the pencil pushers behind the desks at Headquarters. When something good happens, make sure the right person gets recognized – and promptly.

Being a “boss” is not easy. It is really about being a leader – not a manager – regardless of the title. To be a more effective leader in the New Year, starting and stopping the behaviors and actions outlined above will provide a good new beginning.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be e-mailed at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

What to Wear to the Company Holiday Party

Holiday parties and other work-related functions are both a blessing and a curse this time of the year. One can count on co-workers getting drunk, making a pass at the male or female “hottie” from the office and plenty of folks kissing up to the boss. You can also count on people wearing the most outrageous and unacceptable attire. So what should you wear to a company holiday function?

For Men During the Day

If the holiday function is during the day, it is best to wear what you wear to work if the invitation does not say anything special. That means if you wear a suit normally during the day, then wear a suit. If you usually wear business casual, then do the same but it is always a good idea to at least bring a sport jacket or blazer. Do not wear jeans, work-out attire or sneakers even if those are the things you normally wear during the day. Avoid the funny Santa hats, reindeer antlers and ties that play “Jingle Bells”. That is not how you want the boss – and her boss to remember you.

For Men During the Evening

If the holiday function is in the evening, the invitation may say business attire or formal attire. If it says business attire and you have a very casual office, then you may be able to wear a sport jacket, shirt and tie and dress (not cotton khakis) trousers with non-sport shoes (and NO sandals). You are safest for evening “business attire” wearing a dark suit. Dress as if you are going to an appointment with an important client and not like a teenager’s first job interview. Take the time to look right and together. Make sure you suit is clean and pressed, that your tie is clean and press too and that your shirt is clean and crisp looking. Polish your shoes. And again, no Santa hats, reindeer antlers and ties that play “Jingle Bells”. You want to make a good impression with your co-workers, your boss and her boss too.

For formal attire, you can often get by with the dark business suit, a white dress shirt and serious looking tie with dress shoes. Ideally, for formal attire, you are going to need to wear a tuxedo with a white shirt (no ruffles please) and a black bow tie. Polished black dress shoes are acceptable unless you own patent leather formal shoes (ideally slip-ons with grosgrain bows). Remember, no powder blue suits, spinning Santa ties or holly motif shirts. Simplicity is elegance.

For Women During the Day

If the Holiday function is during the day, the attire rules for the women are the same as the men. If you wear suits to work – either with a skirt or slacks – then wear the same to the Company Holiday party during the day. You can dress it up with very good shoes (heels NOT flip-flops) and a bit better jeweler than you would normally wear – but nothing overwhelming for the event. A holiday themed pin is acceptable for women but not encourages. And please no reindeer pins that light up or play songs digitally. In lieu of a suit, a business cut skirt (dark) and a dress blouse with or without a pin also works for daytime events. Again with the good dress shoes. The skirt can be replace by a pair of dark, business cut slacks worn with dressy shoes. As with men, no workout attire, non running shoes, nothing “cute” and no, No, NO! Flip-flops. If skirts are worn, remember to wear stockings – it is not the middle of summer.

For Women During the Evening

For many companies, the evening Holiday function is a place to see and be seen. Dressing well is something many women thing about long before December. There are three different types of attire that can pass based on how formal the evening is noted as in the invitation. If the event is right after work, then attire mentioned for the daytime event may be appropriate – a suit with a skirt or slacks and a dressy blouse with the addition of tasteful jewelry and good shoes (read that as heels). For the more formal function during the week, a dress may be appropriate. It should be conservative and tasteful unless you are in a glamour industry (in which case you don’t need to read this). Match the dress with heels and stockings, pearls and a pin or other simple jewelry. No short skirts or plunging necklines please. Again, you want to impress you boss and her boss with what a brilliant employee you are, not sleep with her husband.

Finally, if it says “formal” and is held at a private venue in the evening – and probably during the weekend, then the sky is the limit. You had best go shopping now if you have not already. A couple of points to remember. What you wear should be conservative, it should be classic, it should say that you are educated and success and it should be something that you can wear again in the future. Do not forget the pearls. You can wear a little more jewels. And no matter what, do not wear anything with a holiday theme or with red and green in it. You might as well be standing by Santa at the mall if you do that.

Employees work hard all year to get good performance ratings, raises and promotions. But many people, regardless of their career level, do stupid things and wear the most inappropriate attire at the holiday function. While you want your attire to say all the right things about you, it should be traditional and tasteful enough that what you say is listened to by the boss, her boss and those further up the organization’s chain of command. Make the holiday event a career boost and not a career killer.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be e-mailed at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

"Executives vs. Managers"

From the WALL STREET JOURNAL, November 14, 2007, Letters to the Editor:

"I read your article "Alcatel Stakes Turnaround on More Cuts" (Leading the News, Nov. 1) with great interest having worked for Patricia Russo both at AT&T's Business Communications Systems division and at Lucent Technologies, pre-Alcatel-Lucent.

I had anticipated nothing less than "more cost cuts, operational improvements and a slimmer management team" as her "much-anticipated turnaround plan" for Alcatel-Lucent. Those executives who cut their teeth at AT&T, including Ms. Russo, Carly Fiorina, Rich McGinn and Gary Forsee, had a formula for any crisis. It included: cut headcount, cut budgets, reduce senior management (especially those who were threats or outspoken) and always reorganize. From 1984 on, this formula played out again and again at AT&T and its spinoffs.

Anyone can lay off personnel, cut budgets and change an organization chart. It takes true genius and creativity to grow a business. Without that genius, executives at any level are just managers.

George F. Franks III
Bethesda, Md."

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be reached by e-mail at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Business Card Do’s and Don’ts

The business card is one of the most used and least understood tools in business today. Whether CEO of a Fortune 500 Company or founder and part-time CEO of a web-based start-up, the business card is an effective communication and marketing tool. But like any tool, it must be used properly. The do’s and don’ts of business card etiquette, while not the key to wealth and success are helpful to prosper in a business or organization of any size.

The Business Card. If you work for a mid-sized to large company or organization, the style and format of the business card will have been decided for you. If you have your own company or organization, then keep the business card traditional in size and shape. Have them printed with all your key contact information in additional to you company or organization’s name, logo and tag line. For those who order and design their own business cards, I highly recommend the services of VistaPrint. They are hard to beat in terms of ease of use, support and price. You can get 75% Off Premium "Custom" Business Cards at VistaPrint.com!

When to Carry Business Cards. Unless you are going swimming or otherwise actively engaged in sports, carry your business cards. Do no limit carrying them to work days, the office or business functions. Some of the best opportunities for business networking are at the least likely events or times.

How to Carry Business Cards. Some people carry business cards loose in their pockets or their purse. The best thing to carry them in is a business card case. These are available in metal and leather. I carry the leather one made by COACH and it has served me well. The metal ones are acceptable also as long as they are no bigger than the business cards.

When to Offer Your Business Card. Some people whip out their business card every time they meet someone at work or at a work related function. The best times to offer your business card are:

- When someone asks for your card.

- When you ask someone for their business card.

- At the END of a meeting with a client or potential client before they leave.

- If someone asks for your contact information (business or otherwise).

- At the end of an air flight if you have talked with the person sitting next to you.

- If you dine next to someone outside of your company at a professional or networking function (business-related), you may tell them that it was enjoyable talking with them and offer them your card as you shake hand and leave.

Business Card “Don’ts”.

- Don’t give your business card to people who work with you. If you are that unmemorable you may need a professional coach.

- Don’t give your business card to people at a reception or networking function unless they ask for yours or your contact information.

- Don’t drop them in bowls for raffles as you will only be contacted by someone trying to sell you something.

- Don’t give them to others to hand-out for you.

- Don’t leave them on bulletin boards or in stacks at any place other than your own desk – and only then if you meet face-to-face with customers or clients.

- Don’t hand them out to anyone at a church service (social functions are acceptable) or at funerals.

Old Business Cards. Old business cards make great book marks and also work well for “to do” lists.

Business cards are both a blessing and a curse. Until everyone passes all contact information through technology, we will still have a tool called the business card. Know when and how to use them as an effective business development and communication tool remains essential to success.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Why Engage a Consultant?

Why should any business, association, non-profit or other organization, regardless of size, engage and utilize a management consultant? Most owners of small business believe no one knows more about their business than they do. Most non-profit organizations, with the exception of the very largest ones, believe they cannot afford a consultant – it’s just not in the budget. CEOs of mid-sized companies often believe that the kinds of activities performed by management consultants can and should be carried out by their own management on top of their day-to-day responsibilities. And CEOs and senior executives of large global corporations, while generally more open to management consultants that their counterparts with small and mid-sized companies often resist engaging management consultants either due to their corporate ego or in view of cost controls.

So what should a company engagement a management consultant?

- Management consultants bring an independent perspective.

They value of having a new and different perspective for a business or non-profit organization is invaluable. Most organizations, regardless or turnover and bringing in “new talent”, are caught up in the day-to-day of how they perform any function or activity.

- They often have specialized skills in areas such as strategy, finance, operations, human resources or marketing.

With the exception of the very largest companies and corporations, most companies and non-profit organizations have members of their staff wear multiple hats and perform a variety of functions. As such they end up not being experts in any one of those functions or roles. Consultants often specialize in a function or type of activity.

- Management consultants work from the perspective of best practices and use these as a benchmark for evaluation and recommendations.

Regardless of how much companies and non-profit organizations know about their industry, their competitors and marketplace, they rarely have the time, resources or the inclination to benchmark against others. Best practices – a term that has been greatly overused – is a area where consultants can identify who does various functions and activities with excellence and compare (or benchmark) that against any client. While best practices change from field to field and year to year, the concept continues to reap dividends for those who utilize it either internally or through a consultant.

- They can provide additional resource in specialized areas for a limited period of time to support a project, initiative or change such as an acquisition or divestiture.

Let’s face it, even in good times, businesses and non-profit organizations do not have the resources – meaning staff – to do all the things they need to do. They need to generate revenue or raise funds. They need to delight their customers or members. They need to deliver on the core activities as defined in their mission statement. As such, there is a need for additional resources for everything from fine-tuning to a complete re-engineering of processes. Consultants – who are brought in for a set period of time and for a given amount of money can fill the gap for even the most budget constrained business or non-profit organization.

While the reasons to engage management consultants are numerous, more often than not, these four are key to the decision-making of businesses, associations, non-profits and other organizations of all sizes.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesdsa, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group's clients include associations and other non-profit organizations, businesses of all sizes and individual leaders. More information on Franks Consulting Group is on the web site:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George can be contacted via e-mail at:

gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

George Patton's Words

With the renewed interest in all things related to World War II, it seemed an opportune time to share some of the gems spoken and written by the great battlefield leader General George S. Patton, Jr. One of the most controversial military leaders of the war, Patton was a great orator (in spite of his shrill voice) and a prolific writer. His favorite topic, other than military history, was leadership. Patton's words on leadership can provide us some insights and guidance today, in a world where "great" leaders seem to take the safe and politically correct path.

"Do not take counsel of your fears."

"Lack of orders is no excuse for inaction."

"There is only one kind of discipline. Perfect discipline."

"New tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

"There is a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and much less prevalent."

"When a decision has to be made, make it. There is no totally right time for anything."

"The more senior the officer, the more time he has. Therefore, the senior should go forward to visit the junior rather than call the junior back to see him."

"No one is thinking if everyone is thinking alike."

Although George Patton was talking about war, the points that he made about leadership are applicable today in business, the nonprofit sector and government.

Credit to PATTON ON LEADERSHIP by Alan Axelrod, a "Business Week" bestseller.


George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George Franks can be contacted by e-mail at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Ten Steps to a Top Performance Rating

The current world of pay for performance, whether one works for a business, a non-profit organization or even government at any level, requires a different way of working. In the past, it was enough to work hard, do what you were told and be a team player. That would get you a cost of living raise for sure and maybe a bonus. Not any more. In the pay for performance world, those who follow the old rules are left behind – and in many cases without even the full cost of living increase much less a bonus. No, new rules apply for success and top ratings with pay for performance. These are the new rules.

1. Learn your organization’s mission inside out. All objectives should relate directly back to the mission. It is important not only to do your job but also to know how it fits into the bigger scheme.
   
2. Make sure you have a job description. Learn your job description well. Make sure you have all the skills that it requires. If you do not, take steps at night and on weekends to insure that you have all the skills described in your job description. Anyone who has more or better skills than you could replace your tomorrow.
3. Get a clear set of performance objectives from your supervisor. Whether you are a first level boss, a business unit executive, a department head in a local government or an executive director of a nonprofit, you have a boss and your boss has objectives. Make sure your boss or supervisor provides you with your objectives. Take the time to go over what is expected of you and make sure you understand what is due by when and how it is measured and by whom.
4. Again, everybody has a boss. Even CEOs and Executive Directors report to Boards of Directors. Your number one objective is to make sure you understand what your boss expects of you and how your boss’s success is measured. While your boss may be successful and you may not be, if your boss is not successful, then any success on your part will be for nothing. Get inside your boss’s job and her head.
5. If your boss has a boss, get to know her too. Make yourself known. Understand her job and her objectives. How does she define success? If your boss is gone tomorrow you are nothing without having a relationship already in place with her boss too. Note of warning, some bosses are jealous about access to and relationships with their bosses so be sensitive to this.
6. Unless you are in the military or professional sports, forget all this team stuff. Few organizations measure much less reward teamwork. You must often get things done with and through teams but this is often over emphasized. Your success is about you – not about some amorphous group of people brought together randomly to accomplish whatever task. You must shine alone – and stand out a star performer – not as a member of “the team”.
7. While some organizations us peer ratings or what have been called 360 degrees ratings (above, peer and subordinates), these are far from a science in terms of data collection, reliability and linkage to performance. At the end of the day, you are fighting for your performance rating, your raise, your bonus and your next promotion against your peers. Do not view them as team mates, friends, buds or family. They want your money, your rating and often your job. Be professional but not familiar. The world of pay for performance is survival of the fittest to the extreme.
8. Subordinates ARE important. If you do have people who work for you, then your success is based on their success. You must do all you can to make sure they know what their objectives are, that they are on track to meet and exceed every one of them and that you eliminate poor performers who work for you. Make sure they have what they need to do their job. Make sure they shine as stars and make you shine as a star too.
9. Special projects are the kiss of death. Some bosses include in objectives: “special projects are assigned” or “other responsibilities based on the needs of …” Fight these tooth and claw. They are deadly. You can be 110% on every objective and these will drain your time, your focus, your resources and ultimately cause you to fail to meet your overall objectives. If your boss wants you on a special assignment, then have her suspend – in writing – your current objectives and write special and specific ones for the special project including time frames, criteria, dates and so on. Anything less will doom you to not meeting or exceeding your performance objectives. Remember: get it in writing and get it signed and dated.
   
10. Even if your organization only has on annual performance review per year, sit down with your boss to review your performance formally every six months. Every three months is even better. Come prepared with a summary of your objectives and your quantified accomplishments for each of the objectives. Do not throw in extra things like “ran the company bowling tournament”. Have a candid and formal review of each of your objectives and your performance to-date against each. If you are not on-track to meet an objective, include an “action plan” to pro-actively meet and exceed the objective with specifics.
    

Pay for performance can be good and it can be bad. It can be good if your work at being the star of your organization by knowing and exceeding every one of your objectives and knowing how to make your boss successful at the same time. Pay for performance is deadly if you work hard and do your job and expect to get a raise much less a bonus. It is a new world and that new world requires a new and different set of actions to be successful.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George can be contacted at:

gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

High Heels for Women and the Power Look for Men

Much has been written and said about women having a power look with expensive high heel shoes regardless of what else is worn. What about men? Is there a 2007 power look for men? Is did the male power look die with the crash of 1987 or with the dotcom bust?

There is a power look for men but it is much more subtle than a pair of expensive high heel shoes flaunted by the women who have shattered the glass ceiling.

Hair

The very expensive haircut is crucial. For those who do not have enough hair to pull-off the expensive haircut – it all must go. No more comb-overs or even implants. The really powerful and the extremely rich just cut their own hair or go to the same corner barbershop they have gone to since they were kids.

Shirt

White shirt of a fine 100% cotton shirt. Straight collar. French cuffs with tiny – ideally antique – cuff links (1920s not 1950s). Preferably tailored in England. Always laundered and starched. No “no irons” or “stain proof” shirts please. At least one fresh one daily – sometimes more often so it looks crisp.

Tie

Silk. The only acceptable material. Hermes and the other designers with fine silk, bright colors and very small and complex patterns or figures. Also acceptable is foulard in silk with small diamond or circle patterns in navy or maroon. Purple, yellow (its back) and pink are favored too. Sky blue has become a cliché for politicians and their underlings.

Stay away from green and brown. Black is for funerals. Regardless of what the fashion books say – the knot is a function of personal style – and where you went to boarding school (or which military branch you served in).

Belt

Does not matter. You will not be taking off your suit coat. And you will only unbutton it when you sit down. Period.

Shoes

If the higher the heel is the key to the power look for women, then the thinner the sole is the key to the power look for men. Italian and English shoes are best. The rule about laces is out unless you are a diplomat or an investment banker. Otherwise, tie shoes or slip-ons are fine. They must be expensive, black or brown (a whole other article about this trend) leather and very traditional in style. Any shoe that looks trendy, cheap or like a walking or athletic shoe is a no-no. And any shoe must be highly polished – regardless of whether they are new or 30 years old (yes I have some that old in case you are wondering – I have them cobbled).

Suit

The power suit is still it. No khakis and polo shirt – unless you are on the links. No sport coat and dress trousers – unless you are at a cocktail party or the yacht club. A suit. Preferably English. Preferably bespoke (if you do not know what that is then do a search on the term please). It should be navy solid or striped or very dark grey. It should be of very expensive and fine wool. And it should fit impeccably (that does not mean off-the-rack and adjust the cuffs and hem the trousers by the way). If you cannot afford this suit – then go to a very expensive men’s store and examine the most expensive traditional suits they sell. Try one on. Look at all the details. Short of a bespoke suit – this is what you are looking to duplicate regardless of where you choose to shop.

While the topics of belts, braces (you know – suspenders), socks, pocket squares, watches, spectacles, rings, pens and other accessories could go on for pages – the point is that unless you get the basics right (and above are the basics) then all the other things really don’t matter because you will not have the power look.

Female executives can have their expensive high heel shoes. You have your expensive haircut/shirt/tie/suit/shoes. Now it is time to get down to business. If you think the computer programmer who is worth more than most small countries has it made because he can wear an old rock band t-shirt, baggy shorts and ratty sneakers – then you do not need to worry about the men’s power look. You need to evaluate your professional goals.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC USA). George can be reached by e-mail at:

gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George's career and leadership e-zine is found at:

http://careerandleadership.com

Leadership: What the American Civil War Can Teach Leaders Today

Today when we think of leadership we think of corporate Chief Executive Officers, talking heads on political talk shows and management gurus. There was an era when leadership meant men living and dying for their beliefs. While this happens occasionally today – professional military people, firefighters, law enforcement offices and a few other rare instances. During the era of the American Civil War, Americans from the North and the South routinely died for their causes. The men who led them are after one hundred forty five years still examples for us today.

Integrity

The men who led soldiers into battle – at all levels of the military North and South often left careers and families to serve. Many senior officers on both sides had attended West Point and had gone on to lucrative careers as engineers and businessmen. Others at various ranks left businesses, professional practices or political offices to lead men in battle. They were not looking for financial gain or in most cases not even glory. Rather they were looking to serve the cause they believed in. And once the stepped into those leadership roles they lived their beliefs and put their lives on the line for them every day.

Lead from the Front

Today whether it is CEOs, politicians or other leaders, it is common to find when something goes wrong, the first one to get fired is not the leader but rather those around her – the chief of staff, the CFO, the next in line, the spokesperson or whoever. When the going gets tough, the leaders of today find someone, anyone, else to “take the bullet” for them. Their focus is to survive. The leaders of the era of the Civil War, whether non-commissioned officers, junior officers, field officers or general officers, led their men from the front. In battle, it was the leaders who were most visible in front of their men and who were the first casualties. Now that is truly leading from the front. Just one look at the number of officers killed or wounded in any major battle demonstrates this leadership in action.

Take Responsibility

Similar to leading from the front, accepting responsibility for failure was more common, although not universally so, than among today’s leaders. Today, leaders generally find anyone to blame when something major or minor goes wrong. It is a rare thing to find leaders today to step forward and accept responsibility. During the Civil War – a number of times both President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate General Robert E. Lee accepted responsibility. Lincoln accepted responsibility for failures in both the way the war was being fought and also for policies that were not successful. Lee, rather than blame his subordinates, who were certainly due their share, accepted responsibility for failures throughout the war – especially after Gettysburg and at Appomattox. Other leaders during the war often did the same.

Aggressiveness

Through much of the Civil War Robert E. Lee made up for his lack of men and supplies with cunning and aggressiveness. His bold moves kept the Union forces off balance and led to a number of victories for Lee including the Seven Days Battle outside of Richmond, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. His moves into the north led battles at Sharpsburg (Antietam) and Gettysburg. Although not Southern victories, they did provide benefits to the South but at heavy prices. The North’s aggressiveness appeared later in the War under Grant with his campaigns of 1864 and 1865 in Virginia where he never ceased waging war regardless of the price in men and material. It also appeared in the ruthless campaigns of total destruction late in the war by Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and by Sherman in his Atlanta Campaign and march to the sea. Aggressiveness and bold moves are rare today among leaders in a world of committees, teams, alignment and political correctness.

Innovation

We think of today as the age of innovation and our leaders as the most innovative ever. In fact the Civil War was the first “modern” war from telegraph, to observation balloons, to iron warships, to troop movements by rail, to machine guns and advanced spy networks. The leaders of the South and the North grasped every new innovation and technology and applied them to their advantage. Additionally, innovation was not limited to technology. While soldiers may have fought with muzzle loading cannons and muskets and endured cavalry charges, their leaders developed new and innovative strategies and tactics to give their armies every advantage and to win battles, campaigns and the war. One example is the use of swift moving “foot cavalry” by General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson to get his men to where they needed to be in record time. He then boldly move his men to take advantage of the Union forces weakness through flanking movements (hit their sides). This was most evident in his last battle – Chancellorsville. Other leaders – north and south – also used innovation to overcome obstacles and give them any advantage on the field of battle.

Today we think in terms of leaders reading statements at press conferences, annual corporate meetings and other public occasions. The deeds of the leaders at all levels during the American Civil War provide examples for our leaders of today and tomorrow. By better understanding their use of innovation, their leadership from the front, taking responsibility, aggressiveness and integrity we can produce more effective and better leaders for both the public and private sector today and in the future.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group. A management consulting and executive coaching practice based in Bethesda, Maryland, Franks Consulting Group serves businesses of all sizes, non-profit organizations and individual leaders throughout the USA. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). More information on Franks Consulting Group is on their web site:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George can be contacted by e-mail at:

gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

The Best and the Brightest: Hiring

Hiring people for your team is always a challenge. Generally you know your budget and your headcount – but what are the skills that you need? What are your short term needs? What are you long term needs? What are you skill gaps? Hiring is often more about finding those who fit your near and long terms needs than bringing on the “best and the brightest”.

Inventory

Regardless of what vacancy you have on your team – either through someone leaving or through picking up additional responsibilities, it is important to do an inventory. First list the people on your team. Next list their primary and secondary job responsibilities. After their job responsibilities it is vital to list their functional strengths. Finally, what are the functional areas where you have gaps – such a financial analysis, marketing, technical skills or strategic planning. It may be helpful to fill a matrix with this information so you can see what you have (check it) and what is missing (blank).

Near Term Needs

For the next twelve month what are the skills that are essential for you and your team to be successful. By this we mean to meet and exceed every single objective assigned to you by your leadership. It may be helpful to look at where you met your objectives in the past and where you did not. If you met them, have the key people left creating a void? If you did not meet them was it due to a missing skill or area of expertise? Looking out to the next twelve months what objectives will be the same? Which will be higher or new? What skills will they demand? And how do those skills match with the current team’s skills? Again identify the needs versus the inventory of current team members and their skills.

The Future

Looking out eighteen to twenty-four months based on your team’s or your organization’s strategic plan, what are the major initiatives? How do they differ from those your team is working to achieve today? What same skills do they require? What new or different skills do they require? Focus on the new and different skills? Do you have them within the current team or do you need to acquire them? A matrix to highlight the gaps and voids in skills is an effective tool for looking at the future also.

Bench Strength

Leadership success is much talked about but seldom addressed – until it is too late. If you were promoted tomorrow who would take your place immediately? And who would take that person’s place. You need to think about this for every function in your team and also for every position on level above your team in your organization. You boss wants to know who can take his place when SHE is promoted too. Identify who would move into what roles based on skills, expertise and performance over time. Here is one more area where a matrix to highlight the gaps and voids is helpful.

Conclusion

It is time to submit a requisition to Human Resources. You know your budget. You know your headcount. Now you should know the skills that you need to deliver on your performance objectives this year, in the next two years and when you or members of your team move up or on to greener pastures. While there is nothing wrong with hiring the best and the brightest – the most important thing is to hire people who will make your team successful now and in the future plus make the larger organization successful in the long term.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. Franks Consulting Group has worked with companies of all sizes, non-profit organizations and individual leaders. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). His web site is:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be e-mailed at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
See his FREE monthly e-zine on career and leadership topics at:
http://careerandleadership.com

Tony Soprano: Great Leader

Television and movies, like history, can provide us with insights on leadership – both good and bad. The mob boss as a leader is not new. It has been explored in both movies and on television going back to the early days of both forms of entertainment. The latest television mob boss will soon be gone. Left to the world of reruns and DVDs. What was Tony Soprano taught us about leadership? Is he a leader to be emulated or to be avoided? In spite of the profession (crime), I say that many but not all of Tony’s traits are those of an effective leader regardless of the profession or field.

Listening

Whether it is his lieutenants, his opposition or his “customers”, Tony Soprano has demonstrated time after time that he is a good listener. Not that he lets people go on and on. He is looking for the facts so he can make a decision. A big part of every leader’s job is to listen. Many leaders are very poor listeners. An effective leader must learn to listen: to employees, customers or clients, professional peers and others. The more a leader listens, the more she will have better points of reference for any issue or decision that arises.

Communication

Although Tony Soprano does not have a Harvard MBA, he is a good communicator. He knows how to get his message across to those around him. He is clear and to the point with his lieutenants and other underlings. Tony is clear in his business dealings with his “customers” and his competition (rival mobs such as in New York). The people around him always know where he stands and what is expected of them. He may not have talking points on a PowerPoint presentation but he always has his talking points. Today, some leaders like to talk to groups. Others like to talk to individuals. And others prefer letters or e-mails. There is no one right way to communicate. The point is to communicate. It must be direct, clear and to the point. Say what you mean. It is easy to get caught up in business or professional jargon. Regardless of the audience, make sure you communicate thoughtfully and clearly.

Decision making: Gut vs. Analysis

No spreadsheets for Tony Soprano. But he operates from the facts. Time and again he gathers the facts and then makes a decision based on his evaluation of the facts based on his experience and his “gut” (a sizeable one at that!). Sometimes he asks for input from those around him. Regardless, he stands by his decisions – no flip-flopping for Tony. The MBA revolution has produced many business leaders who require mountains of data and reports to make even the smallest decision. There is a growing movement among leaders to “go with the gut” when it comes to decisions large and small. Is there a right way to make decisions? Frankly, the best decisions evolve from some level of analysis plus experience (or “gut” instinct). The point is to make decisions. Make them often. Too may leaders today avoid making decisions and defer to teams, committees and task forces. While input may come from these bodies, ultimately the leader should make the final decision.

Lead by Example

Tony Soprano NEVER asks his men to do what he wouldn’t or hasn’t done himself. Whether it is collecting pay-offs, arson, teaching someone a lesson, murder – or just getting “in someone’s face” Tony demonstrates what the military describes as leading from the front or leading by example. He gets his hands dirty. Tony takes risks. And his mob lieutenants and other underlings love and follow him for just those very reasons. Most great leaders have someone they look up to – whether an historical figure or a mentor. A model for leadership is not only valuable – it is essential. At the same time, every leader – regardless of position or stature – should mentor others and serve as an example. An effective leader will want others to live up to and carry on their style and techniques in the future.

Prioritization

Tony Soprano loves his family, golf, fishing, watching the HISTORY CHANNEL, good food, the pleasures of the flesh, animals and travel. But he (almost) always puts his business (making money through his mob organization) first. Yes, he mixes business with pleasure more often than not. But business is business and takes priority. He know what he has to do every day and who has to bring in what (in cash) to keep the machine well-oiled. Every leader wakes up every day with a “to do list”. Some items on the list are at their discretion. Others are imposed by others: customers, investors, subordinates, other external or internal bodies. Are you a prisoner to someone else’s priorities for your day? It is up to the leader to insure that every block of “work time” every day focuses on actions essential to meeting and exceeding the short and long term objectives of the office or position. This does not mean no time with family or to exercise or to socialize. What it does mean is that working hours – whether from 8-5 or from 5-8 should be focused and deliberately spent on activities which will serve – in the end – to meet and exceed specific performance objectives.

Be Authentic

While Tony Soprano from time to time discusses his heroes such a John Kennedy and military leaders such a Generals Patton and Rommel, he is his own man. He is the product of his New Jersey mob-based culture and his environment, but he does not pass himself off as a copy cat of any other mob boss or other leader. His style is uniquely his own. Imitating Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will not serve any aspiring leader well. Your style of speaking, dress and more evolved from your family background, education and career-to-date. Be yourself. By imitating the gestures, speech patterns, attire or other mannerisms of someone who is famous, you are only making yourself a caricature of that person – and that does not translate into effective leadership. Authenticity is the mark of a real leader.

Walking the Talk

When Tony Soprano says something – he lives it. His decrees care enforced as the law of the land. While unwritten, his mob organization has a vision, values and a culture. And Tony with the help of his lieutenants makes sure that all the members of his organization live them every day – as odd as that may seem. Tony lives them and he expects those around him to do so also. Today one only has to look at the front page of any newspaper to see examples in business, government and the non-profit world of leaders who are not role models. These leaders are the height of “do as I say, don’t do as I do”. Leadership by example should be one of the most fundamental goals for leaders at all levels regardless of their profession or field. Employees at all levels perform better for leaders who “walk the talk”.

Good bye Tony Soprano. We have learned a lot about leadership from you over the years. Many future leaders will have an opportunity to continue to learn from Tony’s leadership through endless reruns and DVDs of the cable television series. While a mob boss may seem like an odd role model for leaders today, in many ways, Tony Soprano has served as a better one than many in the corporate America, the non-profit sector and the US government.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). His web site is:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
His FREE monthly e-zine is:
http://careerandleadership.com
George can be contacted at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Interview Shoes: The Right Styles for Men and Women

Interview attire advice often focuses on suit colors and cuts for men and whether to wear a skirt or slacks for women and the color of either. Other articles of interview attire are even more important. A case in point is shoes. For both men and women, wearing the right style and type of shoes can often serve as the most important and most visible item of interview attire.

For Men

For men there are four types of shoes that are acceptable for interviews. There are from most to least formal: the black oxford shoe, the black brogue shoe, the black tassel loafer and finally the black dress penny loafer. Each of these shoes has a distinct style and message. Regardless of which style of shoe is worn, they should be well maintained – meaning not scuffed or worn at the heel and highly polished.

The black leather oxford shoe. This is the classic tie shoe. It has either a plain to or a non-perforated cap toe. This is the dressiest of men’s shoes and are popular with investment bankers, government officials and other’s who must portray formality and consistency.

The black leather brogue shoe. Often described as the wing tip, this is slightly less formal than the oxford. It may be cap toed or have the wing shaped toe decoration both of which are perforated. Acceptable with suits, the brogue has been a favorite of businessmen for decades although it fell out of favor during the “casual Friday” dress down era of the 1990s.

The black leather tassel loafer. The tassel loafer has been around for decades. Once classified as Ivey League or preppy, it is now a business staple. It is a loafer with stitching around the toe and a pair of leather tassels. The shoe is not as formal as either the oxford or the brogue but is acceptable with business suits in all but the most formal and tradition bound professions.

The black leather penny loafer. This is not a casual loafer with the big “beef roll” and the rough hand stitching around the toe. The penny loafer for dress is more refined in cut and stitching. It looks like and is a dress shoe. The least formal of the business shoe styles, it is sleek and clean and works with suits for all but the most formal occasions.

What kinds of men’s shoes to avoid for interviews? First, the heavy soled and big toed lace and slip-on shoes popular with younger men should be avoided. Even if they say they are dress shoes, they say all the wrong things about one. Secondly, avoid casual shoes such as weekend loafers or other very casual shoes with leather, rubber or plastics soles. Finally, avoid trendy shoes. If attracted to a pair of shoes that would look great on the dance floor at a club or at a wild party, keep them for those events. Do no wear them to an interview. Trendy is not an interview look unless you are a fashion designer or in the arts.

The right kinds of shoes are available at stores and on-line. The most popular traditional interview shoes are sold by: Church’s Shoes (English design, very traditional), Alden (American and very traditional), Allen-Edmonds, Cole-Haan and Johnson & Murphy. Stores that carry the right kinds of shoes for interviews include: Brooks Brothers, Joseph A. Bank and Nordstrom.

For Women

While there are infinitely more styles of women’s shoes available than men’s, the styles that are appropriate for interviews are even more limited. The rules about the condition of shoes for women are the same as for men. The shoes must be in top condition and well maintained if not new. While all the colors for men included black and black, there are more possibilities fro women. While black and navy are safe bets 95% of the time. Other colors are OK but must complement the suit or outfit and should match the purse or handbag too. Avoid light colored shoes for interview and never wear white shoes to an interview unless it is for a nursing position. If brown, dark shades are best. Avoid suede and never wear shoes that have metallic sparkle, glitter or sequins for an interview (or for business ever).

The styles of shoes that are appropriate for women to wear for interviews fall into four categories: classic leather pump with a heel, the leather sling back style with a heel, the classic leather Mary Jane style shoe with a heel, the flat or ballet style shoe in leather. All should be leather. All should be well maintained and worn with neutral colored stockings or pantyhose regardless of the season or temperature (or knee highs if work with slacks).

The leather pump. Heel heights and shapes vary. This is the traditional shoe for women in business. Solid color.

The leather sling back style with a heel. Again heel heights and shapes very. This shoe while very traditional has an adjustable strap rather than a closed back. The shoe is classic and in good taste but with a bit more style and is considered a bit more dressy than the plain leather pump.

The classic leather Mary Jane shoe. This is not the flat soled cloth model or even the funky thick soled model worn by teens. It is basically a leather pump in style and cut with a thin strap ending in an adjustable buckle across the instep. Better with skirts than with slacks.

The flat or ballet style shoe in leather. This kind of shoe if made of fine leather and in a traditional cut is classic, flattering and is worn by women of all heights. But it is favored by very tall and strangely enough, very short women. It may be plain or decorated with a discrete bit of gold metal or grosgrain bow at the toe. The casual ballet slipper style in fabric, needlepoint or less dressy leather should be saved for wear with jeans or khakis.

What shoes are not appropriate for women to wear to interviews? Frankly, everything else unless the interview is not for business, non-profits or one of the professions. Anything in unnatural colors or with sparkles or anything novel just will not do. Flip flops are a no always. As are sandals. Big, clunky shoes are for teenagers or weekends. Loafers are for khakis and weekends. Tie shoes are not appropriate for women in business unless running an art gallery or a church order. Finally, strappy, very high heeled shoes should be left for weekends and never for work. Forget what they say in “Sex and the City”.

Women’s interview shoes are available at many women’s stores, shoe stores and department stores. The list is really too long to do justice here. Some of the more traditional sources are: Cole Haan, Talbots, Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor and Brooks Brothers plus the some of the designers who offer quality shoes in more classic styles.

Shoes speak volumes about a person. This is never truer than in an interview environment. Make sure the shoes that you wear say all the right things. While they will not guarantee a job, the will not be an obstacle if the points outlined above are observed.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. A world-class speaker, facilitator and coach, he has worked globally with business, non-profit organizations and executives. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coaching Federation (ICF). George can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com George's monthly e-zine on Careers, Leadership and Work Life is: http://careerand leadership.com

It Is Not Just About the Money

Much has been written in the media about who makes what both by name and by profession. Whether PARADE magazine, the WALL STREET JOURNAL or other periodicals, there seems to be a focus on paychecks. What do doctors, lawyers and Indian Chiefs make per year? How little do the people who keep our streets safe, clean and in good repair make per year? How much do university presidents make vs. the teachers who educated our kids day-to-day. While I think this information is interesting, it only tells PART of the story. The paycheck is just a small part of any career, occupation or job. It is not just about the money. There are other factors that anyone looking toward a job, career or field should consider even long before college or university.

Prerequisites

Having desire is sometimes not enough. I always wanted to be a naval officer. Although I received an appointment to the U. S. Naval Academy, I was found while there to be color blind. The PREREQUISITE for a line officer in the U.S. Navy to have unimpaired color perception. Even though it was my dream, it was not to be and I left the Naval Academy to follow another career direction. Want to be a basketball player? Odds are if you are short it is not going to happen. Want to be musician but are tone deaf? Unlikely that success will follow. Desire to be an astronaut but afraid off small spaces and confinement? Think again. Interested in high finance but hate mathematics. Probably not the best choice. Some limitations, such as my color blindness, we are born with and cannot change. Others the strong preferences, likes and dislikes. More on that to follow. The point is – consider whether you are even “in the game” as your set your sights on a career.

Talent

What are you good at? Do you have a “gift”? Are you musical? Are you athletic? Are you mathematically talented? Do you write well? Do you have a knack for taking things apart and putting them together again? Do you have the “gift of gab”? Are you a talented public speaker? Are you a natural leader? Think about what you are really, naturally good at doing. This is the next area to think about after you get past the “prerequisites”. If one has a natural talent in an area, it may be the launching point for a career that relates to that talent. Keep in mind it may be academic, athletic, artistic or it may be a manual or mechanical skill.

Passion

The phase is overused these days but it still holds true - “what do you love”? What do you think about every waking moment and dream about while sleeping at night. This is your passion. What would you do even if no one paid you to do it? This is your passion. What do you care about regardless of the views and opinions of others? This is your passion. Think about and identify your passion. And then think about it as it relates to careers. Do you have the prerequisites? Do you have the talent? If you have the passion, then you have a winning combination to follow it into a career or occupation. If you follow, train for and do what you love, then you will not count the minutes, hours and days until the weekend, your vacation or retirement. You will look forward to doing it each and every single day.

Pay

My father used to say “there is more to life than money BUT you can’t live without it”. How true! Even if you have the prerequisites, the talent and the passion, if there is no demand for the skills that you have then there will be no money in the field or occupation. Think of it as supply and demand. It is about what is needed and about what is valued. I used to thing that the most educated people were the highest paid when I was a youngster. What a shock to find that many without college degrees make more than some job requiring PhD’s. It is balance. Again, look at the prerequisites, look at your talent, think about your passion and THEN look into the supply and demand for the occupations and jobs that relate to the fields you are both best suited for and also most passionate about. The dollars should not be the only factor driving one’s decision – but they are a factor.

Most people today have multiple jobs if not multiple careers over a lifetime. Regardless, when one is starting out – ideally before college – it is time to think about four factors. These are: prerequisites for any field or profession, one’s natural talents, what one is passionate about (what you live, eat, sleep and breathe and would do for free) and finally what the compensation or pay is for a related job or occupation. It is important to look at all of these factors and not just one of them. Especially not just the pay factor which is so common today. By looking at all four factors, the potential exists to be happy, enjoy one’s work, make money and use natural talent to make a living and hopefully contribute to the world in a positive way.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. A speaker, facilitator and coach to both individual leaders and organizations, George is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). His practice spans businesses and non-profit organizations globally. George can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

His web site is http://franksconsultinggroup.com

See the FREE monthly E-zine on career and leadership http://careerandleadership.com

Big Boys and Girls Don’t Cry (At Work)

Quite a bit has been written recently about crying at work for some reason. Articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post to name a few. The point of these articles has been that especially for the “new generation” of workers, it is acceptable to cry at work. Well, the workers may be changing but the workplace is as unforgiving as ever.

OK To Cry

There are only two times when it is acceptable to cry at work. The first is when you are physically hurt. If something falls on you, cuts you, bangs into you and you a really hurt – bleeding or not – it is acceptable to cry until or as you are getting First Aid or waiting for the rescue squad to arrive. Of course OSHA is going to be after your employer and it will show up as a work place accident in your personnel file, but at least it is fine to cry when you are hurt. Secondly, a sudden death in the immediate family is another appropriate occasion to cry. This does not mean thinking about your long lost cat or your Great Grandmother who passed away decades ago. What this means is that it is acceptable to cry at work if you are notified while at work that a grandparent, parent or sibling has passed away. Distant relatives do not count. Once you have been notified, make arrangements for vacation time or leave to deal with the death, do not hang around the office in widow’s weeds sobbing away. Death in the immediate family and a significant physical injury are the only two instances where it is acceptable to cry at work. The end.

Why No Crying?

Whether you work for a big company or a small one, whether your are a new employee or ready to retire, whether you are a man or a woman, whether you are young or old, you are judged at work by what you do and how you do it. This applies to your job function, you work, the accomplishment of your objectives and how professionally you perform the tasks and activities that you are paid to perform. But like business attire, work space, language and social interaction, you are judged at work by how you act. Crying, with the exception of injury and death in the immediate family says a couple of things. It says that you are not in control. It says you are sensitive. It may be interpreted as saying you are weak or that you are unstable. Regardless of whether crying is read as one or all of these things, none of them are positives for your JOB much less if you think you have a CAREER (meaning you hope to stay for more than a couple of years and that you hope to advance within the company or organization). Crying can only say bad things about you. The people who say they like to see sensitive men are talking about in bed or at the movies – not in the Board Room.

What To Do?

There are plenty of occasions that could evoke tears from any man or woman in the work place. These include: notices of layoffs or reorganization, a co-worker leaving, the end of an office romance, a poor performance review, a low raise or no raise or bonus or just a session with a screaming boss who is a pompous ass. I have seen all of these scenarios. I have seen co-workers experience them and break down into tears. And I have seen them stoically absorb the impact apparently without emotion. If you must cry, do all you can to hold off until you reach the bathroom, the parking lot, home or (worst case) until you are alone in your office. Tears in front of your boss, co-workers or subordinates say all the wrong things. If you think they will understand or forget about it – think again. They will never forget the image of your blubbering at work.

In spite of what the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and other publications say, it is not now, never has been and probably will never be acceptable to cry at work. Only injury or a death in the immediate family make tears OK. Otherwise, suck it up and find a way to deal with the upsetting moments at work. If you must cry, do it in a private place way from co-workers. Being sensitive may be in vogue socially but it is still a career killer for anyone in today’s work place.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. His web site is http://franksconsultinggroup.com. He can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

What Does Your Office Say About You?

Appearances count. This is not only true with clothing and personal grooming but it is also true when it comes to offices. Whether you have a work station, a cubicle, an office with a door or the corner office on the top floor, you office speaks volumes about your background, your education, you priorities, your work ethic and your strengths. It may seem like these are stereotypes – and to a degree they are – but they are stereotypes based on over twenty-five years observing work environments across industries in the US and globally.

Sales Person

Most sales people are either very successful or move on to another company. They travel light. They spend most of their time with customers. So those sale people who do have offices usually keep them very spare. A picture of the wife and kids. Some golf items. Maybe something related to a sports team. And that’s it. Not a lot of binders, books, reports or other business trappings. Their most important documents are the compensation plan and the latest quota report. The office is easy to pack up when they leave for a better offer or another city.

Creative Person

Creative people often have non-business related objects in their offices. Books including poetry and literature. A poster from an art gallery or show. A small abstract sculpture. Flowers in a contemporary vase. Creative people also have lots of professional magazines, journals and newspapers neatly stacked in the offices. Computer printouts, financial reports and technical manuals rarely if every are found in a creative person’s office. And do not forget the comfy sweater on the chair and the sneakers or slippers under the desk.

The Technologist

Most technologists fill every square inch of their work space with paper AND technology. Most people have one phone and one computer. Most technologists have multiple computers and related gadgets and stacks of office and cell phones plus their plugs and cords and accessories. When is comes to paper – they never throw away a report, binder, journal, article or memo. They may need it someday. Often they are in mounds overflowing the desktop and the shelves. Usually they are stacked on the floor too – not just under the desk but around all the walls too. An unusual poster or picture usually is taped on the wall or some other surface – such as a picture of Einstein or Star Trek or Monty Python. The PhD in EE diploma is framed and also stuck under the desk more often than not.

Number Cruncher

She may be in Finance or the Accounting Department or just may be the organizations budget person but every organization has their number cruncher. Her work area has one computer, one telephone and lots of accounting books and binders. Even though every single number and analysis is on the computer, she has a copy of every report and business plan by month, quarter and year five years back and five years forward in binders. Although the office has not pictures, art, sport memorabilia it does usually have a business card for an accounting company she will apply for a job with when she has time – right after the next close of books. The business card is next to the number for the local pizza delivery service for the late nights at work getting the numbers to agree.

People Person

The people person’s office is “warm and fuzzy” to the extreme. He has pictures of his family (even if he has no spouse or kids), drawings by the kids taped to all the surfaces and lots of little “toys” on the work surface such a stress balls and troll dolls. The people person has never turned on his computer. And he rarely uses the phone. He likes face-to-face communication. The office is full of professional journals and magazines. It is also full of literature and business cards from coaches, consultants and facilitators. While the people person may not have sports memorabilia in his office he will fill it with photos of every team building event from the past ten years.

The Warrior

The warrior most likely was never a Navy SEAL or a Marine or in the Special Forces. His office is filled with military history books. The walls have pictures of great military leaders of history and framed quotes by each of them. The only journals visible are “Soldier of Fortune” and “Strategy & Tactics”. The desk top is squared away – usually with an in and out basket and no more than one piece of paper on the desk at a time. Pens are in a mock artillery shell (security confiscated the real one – and the hand grenade “take a number” paper weight). A name plate is on the front of the desk – usually “Mr. XYZ, USN (or USMC or USA), Ret.”. No doubt a shelf is full of baseball caps with unit insignia and combat campaigns. The computer and the phone are unadorned and used constantly. And the warrior keeps his fitness bag with workout gear for the early morning or afternoon run next to the desk where it can be seen (and smelled) by all visitors.

The Up and Comer

You know the image. Good college. MBA from a name university. Hired on the “fast track” program. And the office – whether cubicle or real with a door – matches the diplomas on the wall. No photos of spouse or kids. No time for them – even if they do exist. Photos shaking hands with the Chairman or the President – usually signed too. Only a notebook computer and a phone on the desk. And the phone is not used – just the PDA/Cell Phone/Camera/Computer device which is always on the desk when not is use. A huge white board adorns the wall with notes on the latest strategic plan – even if the job has nothing to do with strategic planning. The only periodicals are the Wall Street Journal and the Harvard Business Review. The latter are neatly stacked and read cover to cover. The fine leather computer case is under the desk and ready for a trip to the coast or Europe or Asia at a moments notice. And a stack of resumes (updated weekly) are in the right middle desk drawer at all times.

Stereotypes? Yes and no. Be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of the competition or your customers or your people. Their offices tell you a lot more about them than you may think.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation. His web site is:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be e-mailed at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Also see his hot new e-zine at:
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Spring and Summer: A Men's Guide to What to Wear to Work

Spring and summer bring to mind images of love, vacations, walks on the beach and evenings by the pool. But you need to get a job in an office. Or you already have a job and you want to move up the ladder of success. What to wear? Contrary to the popular myth, unless you are in a glamour or very artistic industry there is no such thing as summer work casual. You can, though, fine tune your attire for the summer season though. Here are a few ideas.

Shirts

First, unless you are a pediatrician, a chemist or a barber – ban short sleeve shirts from your spring and Summer wardrobe. Long sleeves are the only acceptable style. A variety of fabrics and colors are acceptable. Pure cotton shirts are best (I prefer pima cotton but oxford cloth and poplin are popular too). Polyester can get warm. The collar is more a function of formality and style. English spread collar is the most formal. The American straight collar in the next most formal. The button-down collar is the least formal. Tab and collar pin styles are traditional but on again – off again styles. As for colors – white and pale blue are best. A fine muted blue or gray stripe is next best. Pale yellow and pink are best left to preppy outfits such as law firms and white shoe Wall Street enclaves. French cuffs are best left to the more senior executives and the power brokers.

Ties

Every spring men put on a whole rain forest of bright splashy ties. Avoid the trend. Go with small patterns (neat diamonds or circles) or regularly spaced wide stripes (regimental or old school) in natural colors. While darker colors are more popular in fall and winter, spring and summer open the door to: yellows, purples, reds (vs. burgundy), sky blue (vs. navy) and salmon or pink. Big tropical prints, words, graphics or pictures (with the horsy exception of very small snaffles or stirrups) and heavy fabrics are OUT for spring and summer. Think light weight silk and cotton madras vs. wools and heavy drapery fabric silk. Now that MSNBC’s Tucker Carlson has shunned bow ties – as have the leadership of Nation of Islam – perhaps you should take a wait and see attitude on the classic too.

Suits

The cut for spring and summer suits are the same as for fall and winter suits. The wools should be lighter weight. The colors are the same: medium gray, gray pinstripe, navy blue and blue chalk stripe. Stay away from plaids and more fancy stripes unless you have at least six basic suits in the combinations noted above. The suits should be either two or three button depending on your build. Trousers can be either pleated or flat front depending on build but must be properly hemmed with cuffs. No spring or summer vests. Cotton suits of tan, olive and navy are acceptable once you are in the work force. The question of seersucker should be based on observation of those around you at least one level above on the corporate ladder. Most likely they will fit in on Wall Street or at preppy law firms. Finally, the blazer and trousers is not the spring and summer replacement for the suit. Keep them for the country club and dinner parties.

Shoes

There is no such thing as fall and winter vs. spring and summer shoes for men. Perhaps there should be but there is not. No white shoes except for classic bucks to wear to the club or parties. No sandals with suits and no woven leather shoes - ever. They are just too tacky for words. The classics are for year-round wear: cap toed laced shoes in black and dark brown, tassel loafers (expensive dress ones – not the outlet store types) in black and dark brown, expensive dress loafers of either the penny or snaffle style or the European-styled monk strap shoe in black and dark brown with the buckle on the side (very popular with non-Asian businessmen in Asia by the way). Shoes should be well maintained and polished at all times. No clunky shoes, no flip flops, no sandals, no boat shoes and no white plastic loafers – regardless of what the salesmen say. And if your shoes look more like running shoes than dress shoes then they are wrong for both interviews and work unless you aspire to a career in law enforcement.

Belts

Two belts for suits. Classic leather, thin with brass or silver metal small buckles in black and dark brown to match the shoes. Period. No white. No cute logo belts. And always wear a belt (unless you choose to wear classic braces also called suspenders – and never clip on ones and never with a belt).

Underwear

You are a grown-up now. Pick your own underwear. But in the spring and summer you must wear a WHITE tee shirt under you shirt. No one wants to see your nipples or you sweat stains. As for socks - wear dark ones. They should be black or navy blue or dark gray depending on your suit. No white or tan or creatively colored socks. And unless you are a genius or you work for the most preppy of Wall Street law firms – socks are required at all times.

Putting it all together

Wearing a crisp cotton shirt, a spring toned but traditional tie, a classic suit in light weight fabric, traditional shoes and belt and the right underwear will not necessarily get you hired or get you promoted once you are employed. But it will not hurt you either. Follow these steps on spring and summer attire and you will have an advantage over 90% of men whether you want to get hired or be considered for the big promotion.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Managmeent Consultants (USA). Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

Are You a Leader or a Manager?

Manager

• A good day is one when you can get all your paperwork done.
• A manager looks forward to meetings with the boss and peers.
• A manager checks e-mail frequently throughout the day.
• A manager will visit customers when required by the higher-ups.
• A manager spends time with the front line people who support and talk to customers only when absolutely necessary.
• A manager gets a personnel forms in complete and on time.
• A manager volunteers for personnel, quality and event-related task forces.
• A manager eats lunch in the office to catch up on e-mail and paperwork.
• A manager never misses a conference call.
• A manager gets objectives and accomplishments into the boss before they are due.
• A manager looks forward to company outings and retreats as an opportunity to get face time with the boss.
• A manager delegates customer calls to others.
• A manager spends more than 50% of the time in the office.
• A manager notes what peers and subordinates do as it relates to company policy.
• A manager is up to date on company news and the latest organization chart.
• A manager always sits toward the front for company broadcasts and major announcements.
• A manager keeps performance objectives on hand.
• A manager networks within the company or corporation.
• A manager encourages subordinates to take internal company courses and programs.
• A manager relishes keeping on top of who got promoted, transferred and fired – and why.
• A manager loves to keep on top of the latest office politics.
• A manager will kill to play golf with the boss or the boss’s boss.
• A manager wears all forms of company pins, hats and other paraphernalia and decorates the office with the same.
• A manager reads the latest business book provided by human resources or the boss.
• A manager seeks out those who think like him or her and have a similar background or education when hiring new people.

Leader

• A good day is one when you spend time with customers and your front line employees.
• A leader looks forward to meetings with customers, competitors and front line workers.
• A leader checks e-mails at the beginning and the end of the day at the most.
• A leader lives to visit customers and learn from them.
• A leader spends time with staff people only when absolutely necessary.
• A leader spends time developing subordinates and mentoring people rather than obsessing over paperwork required by human resources or personnel.
• A leader creates and leads task forces to get things done in a timely fashion that are focused on action and measurable results.
• A leader eats meals with customers, competitors, industry leaders and front line workers.
• A leader schedules conference calls only when absolutely necessary and keeps them short and to the point.
• A leader makes sure the boss knows what he or she has accomplished through the significance and impact of those accomplishments.
• A leader creates outings and retreats as opportunities to learn from customers, competitors and front line workers.
• A leader will drop everything to deal with a customer personally.
• A leader spends more than 75% of their time with customers, industry leaders and front line workers.
• A leader could care less about company policy but lives by a higher code of personal ethics and standards.
• A leader could care less about office politics and organization charts but knows who to go to when things need to get done for customers or front line workers.
• A leader sees company broadcasts and major announcements as a waste of time unless he or she is the one presenting about how to move the company forward.
• A leader always knows their mission and objectives but does not need to have them in writing.
• A leader networks with other leaders, visionaries and innovators outside of the company and even outside the industry.
• A leader encourages subordinates to constantly learn and to look for new challenges.
• A leader fires those who do not perform and promotes those who deliver real results.
• A leader disdains office politics but may be active in real politics.
• A leader will kill to play golf with a customer, competitor or front line worker.
• A leader wears what is appropriate to the occasion whether it is the first day on the job or the day he or she leaves for the next challenge.
• A leader does not need an office but rather a mission and objectives and can work anywhere at any time.
• A leader writes books and articles about the next big thing in their field or any other topic related to innovation or change.
• A leader seeks out those who are smarter, with different backgrounds and with differing views than himself or herself.
  

Are you a manager or are you a leader?

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. His web site is http://franksconsultinggroup.com. His monthly e-zine is http://careerandleadership.com. George can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

You’ve Lost Your Job. Now What?

Losing your job is painful, humiliating and traumatic experience – whether it is for the first time or the umpteenth time. What will I tell those around me? How will I pay my bills? What about my retirement? What will my friends and family say? And what will I do to make a living and how? While the initial questions are appropriate for other articles, this one will focus on the last question – “what will I do to make and living and how?” It is best to think of concentric circles when thinking about where to find your next job.

Bulls Eye

Your company is the center circle. They have made clear that your job no longer exists. Think about the suppliers to your company. If you have done business with them, contact them. What about the consultants to your company? Who are they? Are their areas of specialty the same as yours? Contact them? You company probably does not have less work but will have fewer people doing the same work or more. Most companies increasingly turn to their suppliers and their consultants after a downsizing to fill the gaps. Unless you are a “C-level” officer, do not worry about “non-compete” agreements or clauses. If you were that important, they would have dismissed you with a nice big golden parachute.

First Circle

Unless you work for a monopoly your company has competitors. Who are your company’s top ten competitors? You should know. But you must do your homework. Learn everything you can about them and quickly. What are their strengths and weaknesses? After you have learned all you can about your company’s competitors you need to contact them. First use you professional and personal network to find someone – anyone – who works for each of the companies. Before you send one resume, talk to at least one person in each company. Tell them a little about yourself and find out what departments may be growing. Get contacts in those departments. And then contact them by phone to tell them about yourself and see if you can meet with them face-to-face. No e-mail. No letters. Person-to-person. Do this for every company you former employer competed with.

Second Circle

New businesses are created every day. Which ones are forming to compete with your former employer? Read the WALL STREET JOURNAL and other business and finance publications and professional journals to find out who is getting start-up venture funding to compete with your company or in your market. Find out all you can about these new companies. They will be lean and mean and hungry for expertise. They want workers, not overhead so you must be willing to put in long hours and serve with no support staff. But being in on the ground floor has its advantages also. Find out who the officers of the new company are and who is providing the funding to them. Get the names and contact information for both and start contacting them. These are busy people so you have to catch them on the phone or face-to-face. No e-mails. No resumes in the snail mail. Get an appointment to meet for coffee or dinner or lunch or over the weekend – whenever they can make five minutes to see you in person. Then it is up to you to sell yourself on how you can help the start-up be successful.

Third Circle

Just as there are new companies going after your former employer’s market space, there are also older, more tired companies that want and need to get “back in the game”. They are under pressure by investors and others to improve profitability or market share or both. Identify these “turn-around” candidates. Who in you network – professional or personal knows individuals who work for them? Follow the same model. Contact them directly. On the phone. Talk to them. Get an appointment. Meet with them. And sell yourself. No one can turn them around better than someone who knows the market or product or industry inside out. You!

Fourth Circle

Every company – not just your former employer – uses suppliers. Nearly everything a company uses – product and service – except their flagship product – and sometimes even that – are provided by another company. Who are those suppliers to your industry or market? Who are the top tier? The second tier? What are their strengths? Weaknesses? Again, turn to your professional and personal network to find individual real people who work for these suppliers. And again – yes – contact them directly by phone and meet with them. To sell yourself. No e-mails. No resumes. You can be THEIR competitive advantage.

The Outer Circle

Consultants. Companies love them. Companies hat them. Find out whom the lead, second and third tier consultants are to your industry, product or market. Research them. Learn all you can about them. Are they growing? Shrinking? What are their strengths? Next find real people in those consulting firms through your network – both professional and personal. Try to find at least two – ideally three – live contacts in each consulting firm. And contact them directly. Like the others, they will say they are too busy to talk to you so be direct and be persistent – but stick with it. Contact every consulting firm in your industry or market space. Once you get to talk with them, tell them how you can make them more successful starting TODAY in that market space or industry.

Only by exploring all these concentric circles: your company’s suppliers, your competitors, start-ups, turn-around companies, other suppliers to your industry and consultant. Each need quality and experienced people now. But unless the talk to you, they will not know what you can do to make them more successful. The opportunity is yours for the taking!

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He has over 25 years of experience working with companies globally, the US government, non-profits and individual leaders. George is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). His web site is:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

Blank Sheets of Paper for the New Year

The New Year is always a great opportunity to evaluate where you have been, where you are and where you want to be in terms of your career.

Take a blank piece of paper and write down the characteristics of your perfect job. If you could design your own job what would you be doing, where would you be doing it and what would your days be like? Do not limit yourself to one or two items but fill up the sheet of paper.

Now take another sheet of paper. Write down the characteristics of your current job. What do you do, where do you do it and what activities fill your day? Do not think in terms of goals and objectives but in terms of the specific job functions and activities. As with the first sheet, do not limit yourself to one of two items but fill up the sheet of paper.

Now look at your perfect job list and compare it to your current job list. Are you doing what your want to do? Are you working where you want to work? Are the activities that fill your day the matching? If not, how many do match? This is not about salary or compensation but rather about your dream job. If you are doing what you love, then the compensation will follow.

If you already have your dream job, then congratulations. You are one of a fortunate few. If more of the items on the two lists match then not match you need to ask yourself what you can do to bring your current position in greater alignment with you view of the perfect job. Then write those steps down. Finally, if your current position and your dream job are worlds apart you need to ask yourself how to achieve your dream job. Another employer? Moving to another part of the country? Gaining additional education and training and seeking a career shift? Or starting your own company at night and on the weekends?

The perfect job is within your grasp. You need to evaluate where you want to be, where you are now and map out a plan to get you to your dream job. Finally, you need to act with singular focus to achieve that dream job…and it will be yours.

Happy New Year!

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). His web site is:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

See his new e-zine on career and leadership topics at:

http://careerandleadership.com

George can be contacted at:

gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

The Company Holiday Party: Do's and Don'ts

Holiday parties are a reality if you work for a business or other organization whether it is small, medium or large. Some people love them. Many people hate them. Either way, here is a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” for your review before you attend your upcoming holiday function.

Do:

• Attend your holiday event unless you are in the hospital or away on business
• Wear something appropriate to the invitation. When in doubt, dress-up but do not over dress. Santa suits, Santa ties and holiday sweaters have been overdone through the years and are considered in poor taste.
• Drink ginger ale, tonic, diet Coke or club soda.
• Make a point to speak with your boss and her boss plus as many of their peers as possible. Always introduce yourself and say where you work and what department you are in. This is important.
• Arrive early – most people will still be sober.
• Eat food at the event unless you plan to have a full meal before.
• Bring your spouse or significant other if that is allowed. It will give you someone to talk to after you have talked to the important people.
• Work the room. Do not just stand by the bar, the food table or in the corner.
• Bring business cards. Even if you all work for the same company.
• Look your best. This is not a good time to show off your counterculture other self.
• View this as a “career opportunity” like a big meeting or a business trip.

Don’t:

• Over or under dress
• Bring a first date. Only bring someone you are serious about - like your spouse or significant other.
• Show up half way through the function, especially after attending another event.
• Make-up for your 6 month diet by eating everything in sight.
• Hang-out with the people on your staff or the people who have cubicles near you. This is not middle school.
• Stick the celery or straws up your nose to get some laughs.
• Dance unless you know how. If you do not know what this means, then play it safe – DON’T DANCE.
• Try to break your college drinking record.
• Throw-up on your boss or her spouse.
• Make the moves on any member of the opposite (or same) sex who works for your company while at the function. This applies to co-workers’ spouses and dates too.
• Stand on your chair, table, the bar or anything other than the floor
• Wear any part of the holiday decorations
• Talk about your religion
• Talk about office politics – you never know who is standing next to you or behind you.
• Be one of the last to leave.
• Do anything that you would not want to see in your next performance appraisal or on the front page of the newspaper.

While nearly everyone complains about holiday parties, they endure year after years, in business good times and in bad. Make the best out of the opportunity.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation. His web site is:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

Books to Add to Your Shopping List

Whether you are shopping for your boss, colleagues, family members for yourself, books always make a wonderful present. For those in fields related to business, leadership, consulting or coaching, the issue of which books is more problematic.

The following books have served this author, business executive, consultant and leadership coach well.

“Winning”
By Jack Welch with Suzy Welch
Whether you love or hate his management style, there are nuggets that anyone can take away from this book and apply daily.

“Tough Choice: A Memoir”
By Carly Fiorina
A well written book about an amazing business leader, who rose through the ranks at AT&T, helped created Lucent Technologies and led Hewlett-Parkard. As a side note, one of my more brilliant career moves was to turn down a job offer to work on her staff at Lucent.

“Patton on Leadership”
By Alan Axelrod
While you should read a biography of General George S. Patton is you want the history, this book serves as an excellent resource for leaders at all levels and in all fields.

“Blink”
By Malcolm Gladwell
An argument for the effectiveness of snap judgment from the author of “The Tipping Point”.

“The Portable MBA”
Bruner, Eaker, Freeman, Spekman and Teisberg (The Darden School, University of Virginia)
While there are many MBA summary resources for day-to-day reference, this slim volume has served my well and is easy to use.

“Making a Living without a Job: Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love”
By Barbara J. Winter
The title says it all. Highly recommended.

“Now, Discover Your Strengths”
By Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph. D.
A tool for “develop(ing) your talents and strength – and those of the people you manage”.
Buy it. Try it.

“Good to Great”
By Jim Collins
A classic. You will read it again and again. Just on of the best books on business – and more – written in years.

“Leadership Secrets of the Rogue Warrior: A Commando’s Guide to Success”
By Richard Marcinko
Everybody talks about U.S. Navy SEALS. Learn how to be a more effective leader from one of the greatest former SEALs.

“The McKinsey Way”
By Ethan M. Rasiel
“McKinsey, McKinsey, McKinsey”. Stop complaining about them and start learning from them.

“Napoleon: How to Make War”
By Ediciones La Calavera
He conquered a large chunk of the world. Learn the principles that Napoleon lived by on a day-to-day basis.

“One Christmas in Washington: The Secret Meeting Between Roosevelt and Churchill that Changed the World”
By David Bercuson and Holger Herwig
Power leadership at the highest levels with the greatest stakes. A fascinating book.

“Live Rich: Everything You Need to do to Be Your Own Boss, Whoever You Work For”
By Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine
As the title states, a resource about how to work for yourself – regardless of where you work.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation. His web site is:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

Super-Success: Five More Traits

In my original articles about “Five Steps to Super-Success”, I outlined and described the essential traits of successful people. These included:

• Passion for the job or work
• Balance of work, family and other interests
• High tech/low tech trade-offs
• People powered
• Reading and learning

A lot of readers and colleagues came to me with the question “is that it?” The answer is “no”! While these stand at the top of the list for success, there are other traits and attributes for success that deserve mention. While this article is not exhaustive, it does focus on the most essential of those other traits.

Vision

Those who are super-successful have a vision. They know where they are going. They may not know how to get there. And they may not achieve their goals the first time or even the second but they have a vision. What does that mean? It means they see something that may or may not be their now, they picture it in their minds in incredible detail and it powers their every action and decision daily. They are not satisfied until their vision is a reality. And by then, many of them have a new vision that they are moving toward daily. What is your vision?

Energy

Few super-successful people spend their lives on the couch or easy chair eating junk food and watching television. I have nothing against relaxing from time-to-time. In fact it is essential. But the fact is that most super- successful people have high energy levels. They are on the go constantly. Their energy is electric and positively affects those around them. They are not just busy. No. They have their vision and all the energy is channeled toward making that vision a reality. How is your energy level?

Communication

Regardless of your political views – the greatest Presidents, Generals and innovators were often the best communicators. You may not think this is important in the age of sound bites and mass public relations machines – but it is. The ability to communicate clearly and effectively – both by speaking and by writing have never been more important. Super-success comes to those who can communicate their vision effectively to all those they come in contact with, whether those people are doctors, lawyers, politicians, bankers, soccer moms, homeless or regular everyday working people. In the age of information clutter, the ability to communicate clearly and effectively has never been more important for success. How are your communications skills?

Inquisitive

Reading and learning are important. But so is being inquisitive. The super-successful want to know about everything. They are like sponges. They need to know how things work and why – whether they are organizations, machines, medicines or processes. Inquisitiveness means asking lots of questions. And then digesting the answers and storing them away for future reference. Being inquisitive means not just learning about your job or your business but others jobs and other types of businesses. And the economy, and the law and government nd on, and on, and on. Inquisitiveness is its own reward. How inquisitive are you?

Focus

Many people have heard the overused phrase “laser beam focus”. Super-successful people may be inquisitive but they have the unique ability to focus. Whether it is on a problem, a question or options. They clear their minds and look at the issue with single-mindedness. It is something they can turn on at any time – on a plane, in the office, in the board room, sitting in a coffee shop or while talking with colleagues. Focus means being able to shut everything else out but those things pertinent to the matter at hand. Focus creates a clarity of thinking, of analysis and of decision-making that is necessary for super-success. How is your ability to focus?

While there may be some super-successful people who do not have a vision or energy or communication skills or inquisitiveness or focus – most have all of these skills. Anyone who wants not just success – but super-success should take time to evaluate their skills in each of these areas. Do not just look at yourself but talk to friends, family and business and professional associates. Some people are born with these traits but many others cultivate them. And you can too…on your way to super-success.

George F. Franks, III is the President and Founder of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management Consulting and Executive Coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). His web site is:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
See his new E-zine on at:
http://careerandleadership.com
George can be conacted at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Ethics Now!

There has been a lot in the news about ethics lately. Or rather about he lack of them. The headlines include students’ cheating, Congressmen lying, CEO's back-dating stock options and executives spying on their boards – among other things. The question is often asked “why do smart people do dumb things?” Let me put it a different way, people who are smart – or not so smart – need to do the RIGHT thing. So what does that mean?

The Right Things…

Do not lie, cheat or steal. Ever. No excuses. “But everyone else is doing it” should have stopped before junior high school.

Treat others the way you would want to be treated. This applies to customers, employees, suppliers and family members.

There are no short cuts to success. Success is the result of hard work over time. Anything less is luck.

Communication. Say what you mean and mean what you say. We are all caught up in double talk, buzz words and spin. Think about what you say – whether it is one on one, to a small meeting, to the board or to an auditorium of people. Put is out there in plain English.

Walk the talk. If you say something – others look to you to live it too. If you expect something from others then you must live it and lead by example.

No secrets. Whether it is over the phone, e-mail, conversation – or even “IM” – there are NO secrets. If you would not say something to your mother – then do not say it to others in the “privacy” of conversation, e-mail or other communication vehicles.

Visibility works both ways. PR is great when you want everybody to know about something wonderful you have done. How about when you do something that is not so wonderful? Think about it. Would you want your actions on the front page of the newspaper or on the 10 O’clock news report?

Don’t forget…

Whether you are in the mail room – or the corner office – or anywhere in between, the way you act every day – in and out of the office – speaks volumes about you. Live your life as an open book. Follow the simple principles outlined above. You may not become a Fortune 500 CEO or achieve FORBES list of the wealthiest people – but you will be able to sleep at night, look your colleagues in the eye and leave a wonderful legacy for all of those you have touched during your life.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group – a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and success coaching practice. George is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants. His web site is:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

His new e-zine on career and leadership topics is:

http://careerandleadership.com

Six Steps to Effective Meetings

Most people in medium and large businesses, government, non-profits and other organizations spend the majority of their time in meetings. As managers and executives, their most valuable resource is their time and that of their people. And yet more time is wasted in unproductive meetings than all other activities combined. Making meetings more productive is one of the most important thinks and any business or other organization can do. There are six key steps to making meetings more effective.

People. Insure that the right people are at the meeting. That they are there on time and that they focus on the meeting rather than taking cell phone calls and doing their e-mail. As much as people complain about meetings, people hate to feel they are missing something important. They feel excluded. It is critical that only the people who need to be at meetings attend them. Presenters who are not key participants should attend meetings only to give their presentations.

Purpose. While most meetings have a purpose, that purpose must be clearly stated in the meeting invitation and again at the beginning of the meeting. Someone should be designated to keep the meeting focused on that purpose. Any issues that arise that are not tied to the purpose should be noted and captured for another appropriate meeting. Also, at the end of the meeting, the purpose of the meeting should be stated again prior to the attendees leaving. Invitation – Opening – Stay on Topic – Closing.

Meeting type. Within the purpose, there are three types of meetings. Meetings must to be limited to information, decision making or idea floating. Informational meetings are those where people present new information to the group. These meetings need to leave time for questions. Decision making meetings are those where issues have been previously raised, recommended courses of action presented and decisions must be made by the body. The decisions must be documented. The final type of meeting is what we call an “idea floating” session. At these meetings, a pertinent issue or issues are raised and the people attending the meeting provide recommendations to address the issue or issues. These are then documented with owners to take the recommendations the next step.

Time. No meeting should last longer than one hour. Period. Meetings that last longer than an hour are not productive, they lose focus, they take on additional topics and purposes and they become forums for grand standing. People should arrive at the meeting on time. The meeting should start on time. There should be no more than five minutes to review the purpose of the meeting, who is attending and their role in the meeting plus the agenda for the meeting, which should have been distributed in advance. The meeting should cover the entire agenda in the next fifty minutes. The final five minutes should be used to recap the decisions, who will distribute the notes from the meeting and when the next meeting is scheduled. The meeting should end within the hour and not over. It is ideal to keep the meeting to 55 minutes including the opening and closing comments so people can be on time for their next meeting (on the hour) and are not distracted.

Document. Someone should be charged with documenting the purpose of the meeting, who attended it, the decisions made, any open issues and who owns action on them and when the next meeting will be held. Anything else in the notes is excessive. The notes should be distributed electronically within twenty-four hours only to the attendees. There is a habit of forward meeting minutes to the world – up and down the chain of command. This serves little purpose and bogs down future meetings and creates excessive and unproductive work for all involved.

Follow-up. It is up to the meeting lead (or chair) to insure that all items decided at the meeting including the open issues are either closed or a recommendation made by the owners of the issues. Often, issues remain open for months if not years. It is up to the owner of each issue to do whatever is required to bring them to closure or recommended next (action) step.

Considering that meetings take the majority of managers’ and executives’ time during any given day, it is essential for them to take steps to make meetings more productive. By focusing on the critical elements of effective meetings, this can be done immediately. The key elements include: the right people, a clear purpose, a limited amount of time (and on time), documenting decisions and owners and follow-up. These simple but seldom followed steps will make any organization more effective and improve job satisfaction for the participants.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a management consulting and leadership coaching practice based in Bethesda, Maryland. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation. Franks Consulting Group can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George's weblog is: http://consultingandcoaching.blogspot.com

See our much talked about NEW E-zine on career and leadership topics at:

http://careerandleadership.com

Super-Success: Five Steps

Successful people, whether they are in business, government, non-profit or a professional field have five characteristics in common. These characteristics distinguish them from those who are in the middle of the pack. Some leaders have displayed these since their youths. Others have learned them, in many cases painfully, over the years. With drive, passion, hard work – and a degree of luck (i.e. being in the right place at the right time) anyone can be successful.

The common traits of successful people include:

Passion for the current job or profession. Successful people wake up every day exciting about both the challenges and opportunities facing them in the day ahead. There is no “oh it’s Monday!” or “thank goodness it’s Friday”. Most work, in some way, seven days a week and do not clock in/out”. I one way or other, they are always working. Everyday single day brings new challenges and new opportunities for those who have a passion about what they do to make money.

Balance of work, family and other interests. Successful people do put how they make a living first. But they also find ways to weave their family and their interests into the way they make a living. Whether it is traveling with family, supporting a non-profit cause tied in to a personal (and professional) interest or just relaxing on the beach, successful people find ways to integrate work, family and personal interests together in a way that enhances each and is not to the detriment of their professional objectives. You can have it all.

High tech/low tech. There are super successful people who use pencil and paper. There are super successful people who use typewriters (yes, this IS getting more challenging). And yes, there are super successful people who always have the latest notebook computer, cell phone, PDA device and the other latest cutting edge devices. Does one or the other make one more successful? Wit the risk of sounding like a Luddite, I say “no”. What works for you is the right technology. Now there are some fields and some professions that demand a high degree of technological savvy and tools. That is clear. But in other, more entrepreneurial endeavors, the low tech person may be just as successful if not more so than the one checking their email and answering their cell phone non-stop.

People powered. Successful people thrive on other people. Customers, clients, investors, potential clients, employees and others energize successful people. It is difficult to be successful if your idea of a good time is being in your office or even just with a few close associates. Listening to the thoughts, ideas, needs, questions, issues and concerns of a variety of people opens up whole new possibilities for successful people. And they create situations where they can have these exchanges constantly.

Reading and learning. While there are many ways to learn: classes, TV, radio, CDs and other medium, the one that propels most successful people to the top of their field or profession is reading. Most super successful people read constantly. And they do not just read professional journals and reports. They read everything they can get their hands on. They are curious about the world and they see opportunities and tie-ins for themselves in much of what they read. They devour books, magazines, newspapers, journals and just about anything else they can read that serves to expand their mind and their horizons.

Success, while a state of mind, is also a series of behaviors. And the most successful people exhibit these five behaviors consistently. Even if one does not achieve the stratosphere of the super-success, adopting there habits into daily life will leader to a higher level of success and personal fulfillment in the future.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and the International Coach Federation. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George's NEW Career, Leadership and Work Life E-zine is: http://careerandleadership.com

10 Steps of Crisis Management

Crises affect the best run companies and organizations. They also spring-up with great frequency in less well run companies and organizations. Generally crises are the result of smart people doing dumb things. Sometimes they are the result of poor quality, greed, corruption or worse. Regardless of the reason for crises, it must be handled with the utmost care, speed and professionalism. The ten point outlined below identify the key elements to success crisis management.

1. Identify the problem
   

What is the crisis? Define what it is - not what causes it or who is to blame. Define it in clear terms. This can also be referred to as the problem statement.

2. Create a team
   

Now that the crisis is defined, what areas does it touch? Assemble a team with the owners of the subject matter experts in each of those areas. For a business this generally means: executive management with a representative, marketing/product management, operations, legal, human resources, information technology, finance, PR or media relations sales and research & development. If any of these functions are not necessary, do not include them in the team just to fill a seat. For other organizations such as non-profits it may include: executive leadership, development, IT, member relations, finance, PR or media relations, human resources and marketing.

3. Set up a command center.
   

Find a place where all the members of the team can meet and updates on the crises can be monitored and tracked. The command center should be manned 7x45 by a representative of each key functional area until the crises has been resolved.

4. Communicate out.
   

The first thing the team needs to do once the problem has been identified is communicate the problems and what is being done about it quickly and clearly to all appropriate media outlets through PR or media relations. Generally, more information is better. The more senior the person providing the updates is the better also. Ideally it should be the CEO of the company or organization or the most senior person directly involved with the crisis. Also update customers, investors, employees, clients, constituents, and members – anyone with an interest in the company or organization.

5. Problem breakdown
   

Break down the problem with the crisis management team. Identify what the problem is, what the potential solutions are and which are the most viable courses of action. Bring in other subject matter experts as needed but do not take the accountable functional areas owners out of the loop or off the hook. They own a successful resolution from their area.

6. Receive communications in.
   

Concerns of customers, employees, shareholders and constituents need to be addressed. Set up phone hotlines and email folders related to the crises. Have knowledgeable people take the calls. If they cannot, have a mechanism so every call is returned with an answer in 24 hours. The same holds true with e-mails.

7. Resolve the problem.
   

Nothing is more important than resolving the problem or crises because it is a disruption to everyday business. It could ruin the reputation of the business or organization. For a company it can destroy shareholder value. For other organizations it can impact membership, causes, careers, lives and worse. The crisis team needs to commit their time, money and energy and also grab the best and the brightest internal or external to the company or organization to resolve the problem or crisis quickly.

8. Provide updates and resolution.
   

Communicate updates through all outlets and communicate final resolution of crisis at the most senior level available. Communicate frequently. Communicate in a timely fashion. Do not hold information back. Make leaders, functional owners and subject matter experts available to questions from the media (all forms). Have all communication controlled through the command center i.e. centrally.

9. Investigate (the post mortem).

After the crisis has been resolved establish a team to investigate what happened, why, who was responsible and what actions need to be taken to insure that it does not happen again (or is minimized). Insure the team has full access plus as much time and budget as they need to do their jobs effectively.

10. Integrate improvements.
    

Integrate the findings of the team into business as usual. Take the learnings from the crises to change the business or organization so there is a minimal chance of the crisis repeating itself. Make these changes know to all the company’s or organization’s stakeholders.

Crises happen – no matter how careful, quality conscience and integrity focused any company or organization considers itself. And when they do, it is up to the leadership to establish a crises team and command center quickly. By following these 10 steps, the best will be made out of any bad situation.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group – a growing Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants. His web site is:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

His e-zine on career and leadership topics is:

http://careerandleadership.com

Winning OR Success?

There has always been a lot of discussing in the leadership and coaching fields about winning. Are winning and success the same things or are they different?

According to DICTIONARY.com, winning are defined as:

1.	to finish first in a race, contest, or the like.

2.	to succeed by striving or effort: He applied for a scholarship and won.

3.	to gain the victory; overcome an adversary: The home team won.

–verb (used with object)

4.	to succeed in reaching (a place, condition, etc.), esp. by great effort: They won the shore through a violent storm.

5.	to get by effort, as through labor, competition, or conquest: He won his post after years of striving.

6.	to gain (a prize, fame, etc.).

7.	to be successful in (a game, battle, etc.).

8.	to make (one's way), as by effort or ability.

9.	to attain or reach (a point, goal, etc.).

10.	to gain (favor, love, consent, etc.), as by qualities or influence.

11.	to gain the favor, regard, or adherence of.

12.	to gain the consent or support of; persuade (often fol. by over): The speech won them over to our side.

13.	to persuade to marry; gain in marriage.

14.	British Mining. a. to obtain (ore, coal, etc.). b. to prepare (a vein, bed, mine, etc.) for working, by means of shafts or the like.

15.	a victory, as in a game or horse race.

16.	the position of the competitor who comes in first in a horse race, harness race, etc. Compare place (def. 27b), show (def. 27).

17.	win out, to win or succeed, esp. over great odds; triumph: His finer nature finally won out.

While there is nothing WRONG with winning, I see it related to wars and battles (military), political contests, sports (at all levels), games (at all levels), fights and arguments. Winning also means there are losers (unless you believe in that “win/win” stuff!).

What about SUCCESS? Is success the same thing as winning? The same source, DICTIONARY.com defines success as:

1.	the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.

2.	the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

3.	a successful performance or achievement: The play was an instant success.

4.	a person or thing that is successful: She was a great success on the talk show.

5.	Obsolete. outcome.

Seveteen definitions for WINNING but only five for SUCCESS. And yet, there are many more personal definitions for success than there are for winning. Winning means that you did not lose and that someone else – an individual, group, team, organization or entity (such as a country or an army) – lost.

Success can apply to individuals, companies, groups or other entities. At the personal level, success does not have to mean winning. It can related to a state of being, the accomplishment of a goal, it can be financial or inner-related. Successful people sometimes define themselves by what they have done, the title they hold or what possessions they have accumulated. Others define success by experiences the have had, relationships and a condition of being such as heath or fitness. All of these are build around the individual’s definition of a goal or goals (about me) and not based on someone else losing (about them).

Whether is leadership, supervision or organizational strategy and goals, there needs to be much more focus on success and how to achieve it at the individual and group level. The talk of winning can stay on the battlefield, the political sphere and sports arena.

GEORGE F FRANKS III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group – a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants. His web site is http://franksconsultinggroup.com.
His e-zine on career and leadership topics is http://careerandleadership.com

Five Steps to Super-Success

Successful people, whether they are in business, government, non-profit or a professional field have five characteristics in common. These characteristics distinguish them from those who are in the middle of the pack. Some leaders have displayed these since their youths. Others have learned them, in many cases painfully, over the years. With drive, passion, hard work – and a degree of luck (i.e. being in the right place at the right time) anyone can be successful.

The common traits of successful people include:

Passion for the current job or profession. Successful people wake up every day exciting about both the challenges and opportunities facing them in the day ahead. There is no “oh it’s Monday!” or “thank goodness it’s Friday”. Most work, in some way, seven days a week and do not clock in/out”. I one way or other, they are always working. Everyday single day brings new challenges and new opportunities for those who have a passion about what they do to make money.

Balance of work, family and other interests. Successful people do put how they make a living first. But they also find ways to weave their family and their interests into the way they make a living. Whether it is traveling with family, supporting a non-profit cause tied in to a personal (and professional) interest or just relaxing on the beach, successful people find ways to integrate work, family and personal interests together in a way that enhances each and is not to the detriment of their professional objectives. You can have it all.

High tech/low tech. There are super successful people who use pencil and paper. There are super successful people who use typewriters (yes, this IS getting more challenging). And yes, there are super successful people who always have the latest notebook computer, cell phone, PDA device and the other latest cutting edge devices. Does one or the other make one more successful? Wit the risk of sounding like a Luddite, I say “no”. What works for you is the right technology. Now there are some fields and some professions that demand a high degree of technological savvy and tools. That is clear. But in other, more entrepreneurial endeavors, the low tech person may be just as successful if not more so than the one checking their email and answering their cell phone non-stop.

People powered. Successful people thrive on other people. Customers, clients, investors, potential clients, employees and others energize successful people. It is difficult to be successful if your idea of a good time is being in your office or even just with a few close associates. Listening to the thoughts, ideas, needs, questions, issues and concerns of a variety of people opens up whole new possibilities for successful people. And they create situations where they can have these exchanges constantly.

Reading and learning. While there are many ways to learn: classes, TV, radio, CDs and other medium, the one that propels most successful people to the top of their field or profession is reading. Most super successful people read constantly. And they do not just read professional journals and reports. They read everything they can get their hands on. They are curious about the world and they see opportunities and tie-ins for themselves in much of what they read. They devour books, magazines, newspapers, journals and just about anything else they can read that serves to expand their mind and their horizons.

Success, while a state of mind, is also a series of behaviors. And the most successful people exhibit these five behaviors consistently. Even if one does not achieve the stratosphere of the super-success, adopting there habits into daily life will leader to a higher level of success and personal fulfillment in the future.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and the International Coach Federation. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com George's NEW Career, Leadership and Work Life E-zine is: http://careerandleadership.com

Old Men in Coffee Shops

On any week day go to any coffee shop and you will find a relatively new and growing phenomenon. Men age forty and older sitting drinking coffee while working on laptops, talking on cell phones and reading business journals. Who are these men and why are they sitting in coffee shops?

THE SITUATION

The number of men who work for corporations and are over forty who have been either laid-off or forced into “early retirement” has grown every year over the past decade in spite of a robust economy. These men are mainly white and middle to upper middle class. They have at least a college degree if not an advanced degree. They started their careers in a variety of capacities with large corporations but invariably they found themselves in white collar management positions at some level by the time they were age forty. By the 1990’s companies were flattening their hierarchy to be more competitive in a global economy and reduce expenses to improve profitability. The people at the top rarely went. The people at the bottom were either needed or protected by unions or other conditions. The easiest targets were the white collar middle managers. More work could be shifted to those below them. And if they needed to be replaced over time, younger workers could be promoted or hired to do the work at a much cost. At the same time, many companies began outsourcing “non-core” work functions to contractors who also were selected for their low cost approach. And some functions were just eliminated as unnecessary.

The unspoken contract that these middle age white men believed in and worked for was broken when they needed a job and a paycheck the most. They had kids in college, mortgages and many had large debts from chasing the middle class dream. They were told if they went to college, got a job with a “good business” and worked hard, they could count on a job until they retired. They also were told if they did a good job they would slowly advance up the many levels of the corporate ladder. All of these implied promises proved to be false. And they proved to be false when, for many, it was too late to start over at a low paying entry-level position. Those making $75,000 to $125,000 per year in salary plus full benefits plus a pension were now left with no paycheck, no benefits and a gutted pension with too little to retire “early” on.

While much can be said about their options, the more important question is what SHOULD be done to help this great and underutilized resource?

The answers are not always the typical ones: become a consultant, become an entrepreneur or get retrained in a highly technical field. There are already too many consultants going after the same work. And big consulting firms dominate that field anyway. Many of these men went to work for large corporations for the very reason that they were NOT entrepreneurs. Contrary to the current popular myth, not everyone is an entrepreneur. And finally, many of these men studied engineer or programming or accounting while in their youth. Many at age forty plus have no desire to learn the basics of a technical field and compete for those entry level jobs with a twenty-two year old.

So what are the options left for these forty plus white men who have a life-time of business experience and no jobs?

SMALL BUSINESS

There are many existing businesses that make less than one million dollars a year. Most want to grow and be more successful. The functional and organizational skills that these men have developed over the years could be invaluable to helping small businesses succeed and grow. Many small business people have never worked for large businesses. As such they dismiss many of the good – along with the bad – ideas that make corporations operate.

TEACHING

Teaching is another option. In this case I am not talking about walking in as an elementary or middle school general teacher. Rather, the skills in business and functional areas that these middle age former managers developed over the years would be very valuable in a high school business, community college, junior college or professional – trade school environment. The key is to meet the skills and background with the need. And the need is great.

GOVERNMENT

We see in the media on a daily basis who 30-40% of those in government will retire over the next ten years. The professional and functional skills that these unemployed former managers have could be invaluable to the governments of towns and municipalities, counties, states and at the Federal level. Not to displace the people working today. And not in lieu of hiring the new college graduates. But to supplement the work force in roles requiring experience in engineering, accounting, management and administration to name only a few of the many areas of need.

MENTORING

Finally, these is the need for formal mentoring programs that take advantage of the resource that sits in the nation’s many coffee shops in lieu of a corporate office today. They have, without exception, years of experience in business plus many functional specialties. That experience should be tapped to mentor young people, struggling business people and non-profit organizations. There is a very real need to match the skills and the talent with the need in this area.

While there always have been and will be men sitting in coffee shops rather than offices, the number has grown to shocking levels. Steps should and must be taken to identify and channel their skills, experience and motivation into the areas lacking in resource and ability today. Government, small businesses, education and mentoring programs would all benefit greatly from the infusion of their experience and skills.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. His web site is:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
His hot, new career and leadership e-zine is:
http://careerandleadership.com
George can be contacted at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

A Daily Ritual for Success

Some individuals have daily rituals. So do some athletes. But very few businesses have daily rituals to improve the business and drive results. One daily business ritual that has worked for a number of companies and other organizations is the daily meeting or conference call.

“Daily!” I can hear you saying now. Yes, daily. Here is how it works.

First, identify what the most important objectives for the year are. These are usually defined in the business plan. Next see which ones are broken down by month. If they are not broken down by month do so. Then break them down by day – either calendar day or business day depending on the nature of your business.

Secondly, who owns each of the results for the company or organization? There must be an accountable owner. This is the person the Board or the CEO looks to for the delivery of the business result. The second in command for each of these people must be identified also.

Finally, the logistics. What time, where, call in bridge only for those who are not at the primary office location and a format for reading out daily and monthly cumulative results plus related issues.

The call must go on every business day which may be five, six or seven days a week. The most senior accountable owners must be on the call. The only excuse for their not being on the call is being in transit on an airplane, with a customer or sick. Every call, every day will review the result for the previous day, the cumulative result for the month and any significant issues impacting performance. These issues raised must be specific and must be assigned to an owner with a follow-up within 24 hours.

While the daily results review meeting may seem like overkill, it serves to create focus, crystallize accountability, raise the sense of urgency and improve communication across organizations. Try it and let me know how it works for YOUR company or organization.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group – a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. His web site is:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com. George’s career and leadership e-zine is at:

http://careerandleadership.com

He can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Hot New Career and Leadership E-zine

See the September issue of our HOT new E-zine on career and leadership topics:

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Features include articles on:
- Career topics
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- Work life
- Q's & A's
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- And more!

http://careerandleadership.com

George F. Franks, III, Editor-in-Chief
Franks Consulting Group
Management Consulting and Leadership Coaching
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Hot New Career and Leadership E-zine

htt://careerandleadership.com

See our HOT NEW E-zine devoted to articles and reviews about career, leadership, work place issues and related technology topics.

- Articles: on important current issues such as: career issues, interview skills, workplace dynamics, office, politics, what to wear, how to advance, early through mid-career issues, second careers and working from home.
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A Little Bit Extra

Business results like warfare and sports are often based on inches and minutes rather than hours and miles. In other words, a little bit can make a big difference. A little bit extra in each of the key areas of business can make the difference between success and failure on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis.

Product Management

While great ideas and innovation are important in product management, so are developing and introducing products on time and within budget. More often than not, new products are introduced to the market late and well beyond their budget. The little bit extra in the area of product management is for each team member to commit to new product launches on or before the target date and within or below the budget.

Sales

Sales are about being in front of the customer with the product or offer at the right time and at the right price. If the customer does not know about the product, he will not buy it. If the customer does not know or see the sales person or account executive, he will not buy it. If the account executive does not follow-up or return calls, the customer will not buy from him. And finally, if the product is does not meet their needs or their allocated budget (they all have budgets) they will not buy it. A little bit extra by each and every member of the sales team in this area will make the difference between success and failure.

Customer Service

Ultimately, we are all customers. And what we want is to be able to reach someone knowledgeable who can answer our question or resolve our problem when we need them (regardless of when that is). Easy access to expertise with ownership for resolution. Sounds simple enough. The little bit extra in customer service is to build it around meeting these very simple customer needs. Resources, tools, processes and training all needs that little bit extra to create and keep satisfied customers who will never want another (car dealer, bank, phone or cable company, etc.).

Management

If product management, sales and customer service do a little bit extra that should leave less for management to do right? Wrong! Management serves many masters: their bosses, the board, the shareholders (if public) and (ideally) the employees. While there are huge debates about who serves whom and why, the truth is that for profit companies exist to generate wealth for either the owners (if privately held) or for the shareholders (if publicly held). The little bit extra is to insure that every day, ultimately every action supports those goals and objectives.

Acting in less time can win a battle. Gaining an extra yard can win a football game. And taking these steps in the areas of product management, sales, customer service and management can turn a business from a market laggard to a profitable market leader. It is a matter of a little bit extra.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

See the new E-zine on career and leadership topics:

http://careerandleadership.com

George can be contacted at:

gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

The Early Career Dilemma

For those who do not jump from job to job during the first several years of their working life there comes a point – usually within the first five years when they have to decide “do I stay here or do I move on”. While gut and instinct are always important, there are other factors to consider when deciding whether to stay with an employer early in the career.

Peers

Look at the people hired a year before you, those hired at the same time and those hired a year after you. Do they have comparable responsibilities? Have they moved from job to job within the company? Have they been promoted? Do they get more or less exposure at meetings and with task forces? If you look to this group and they are ahead of your in any of these categories, then it is time to move on to the other questions.

Geography

Are you happy where you are geographically? If not will the company move you to where you want to be (do they have operations there)? Can you live further away and commute? Can you work virtual office or telecommute? If the answers to these are “no”, then continue with the remaining questions.

Lifestyle

Do your co-workers work 60-80 hours a week all the time? Does that work for you? What is the pay-off for those hours? Does everyone come in early and leave early? Or do they come in late and work late? Do the people at your office socialize together whether via softball, drinks after work, entertaining and bar-b-q's or bowling? Or do people go to work and go home and not associate with those at the office. Regardless of the situation, is it one that reflects you likes, interests and values? That is a vital question.

Challenge

Are you doing the same thing you were hired to do five years ago? How many regular jobs have you had at the company? How varied were they? Have you been trained to do them effectively? Are you on task forces? Are you on committees for business issues? Are you challenged every single day and learning and growing in both expertise and responsibility. These questions say a lot about the company and how the company views you as a resource in the future.

Fit

How does the office environment fit? Is it casual? Is it formal? Is it rigid? Is it flexible? Do you feel like you are in elementary school? Or do you feel like you are in your Dad’s office? In other words is it a good fit for your style, personality and temperament.

Education

Do your peers have the same level of education or more or less? How about your boss and her peers? And how about her boss and her peers? Are you being encouraged to get more education? Have you done so? Are your peers pursuing further education? If you need an advanced degree and you are not pursuing one, it may be trouble. If you have an advanced degree or more and others around you do not have it, you may be seen as overeducated. And finally, if additional education is essential, will the company pay for it?

Travel

Are you a road warrior? Or have you never been beyond the office where you were hired. More importantly, to either extreme or in between, does it fit for you? Do you want more travel? Do you want less travel? Is either going to be the case in the near future? Either too much or too little travel can be early career issues.

Compensation

Compensation includes salary, bonus, other pay such as options or stock, benefits and 401K or other retirement and savings plans. First, look at salary.com for your job and your area. Are you paid within the range? If you are below, then you have an issue. Do the benefits work for your lifestyle? If not, you may have an issue. Are you on commission? Does that work for you? While the amount of pay is important, you need to look at the total compensation and benefit package. Think about your lifestyle and then do some homework in this area.

Beyond the question of peers, a negative response to any one of these categories may be the sign that it is time to move on. While this decision should not be taken lightly, any one of these factors noted above has the potential to trigger great pain and unhappiness in the life of anyone early in their work life.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group – a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants (USA). Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George’s new E-zine on Career and Leadership topics is at:
http://careerandleadership.com

George can be contacted at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

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George F. Franks, III
President
Franks Consulting Group
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

How to Love a Job Than You Hate

Work is where most people spend the majority of their waking hours. Not with their family. Not with their friends. Not doing their hobbies. But doing what they want or have to do to make a living. Work. Unfortunately most people are not happy with where they work, who they work with or what they do. And some people hate work. There is hope. You can love work. It is not easy but it is better than being miserable day in and day out.

Hours

What are your work hours? 7-7. 9-5. 8-4. Whatever your “scheduled hours” are, unless you are CEO, you are probably putting in more hours than you are paid for. Start by working your “scheduled hours” and only you scheduled hours. If you find that you need to work more hours you need to step back and ask yourself “why?” if you are not being paid for those hours.

E-Mail

How often do you check your e-mail? Once per day? Twice per day? Hourly? On the weekends? In the evening? Again, unless you are the CEO, if you check your e-mail more than twice per day during each “work” day, you need to ask yourself “why?”

Meetings

How many meetings do you attend per day? Are they all mandatory or can you not pass up the opportunity to be at a meeting. Regardless of what is said about “matrix management”, do not attend a meeting unless you boss tells you to attend it. If someone other than your boss asks (or tells) you to attend a meeting – fly it by your boss first before you attend it. The number of meetings that you attend will drop significantly.

Entrepreneur

Whether you are the mail room clerk or the CEO, do you view the company as your business? How would you run it as your business? Well it is your business. View it as such every day. Make decisions as if it was your business and any expense or expenditure of time was coming from your personal account or wallet. It changes your perspective of the workplace and the company.

Leisure Time

When not at work, are you at work? Do you check your e-mail? Do you call in for voice mail? Do you bring work home? Or do you do other things such as jog, garden, white water raft or collect antiques. How you spend your leisure time is very important. It is a break from work. It is an opportunity to relax and stretch you mind – and body – in a different way than at work.

Co-Workers

Do you love or hate the people you work with? Do you socialize with them? Do you talk to them when not at work? Work is work. Outside of work is for you. Beyond those you need to work with, only spend time with those who share interests, likes, dislikes and views similar to yours. Socializing exclusively with co-workers is like extending the work day into your evenings and weekends. Again, unless you are the CEO, you are not paid enough to do that.

Objectives

Do you have specific performance objectives? If not, do not let the day pass without asking your boss or supervisor for them. Once you have reviewed and agreed upon them, post them above your desk or work surface. Look at them every day. Every time you get a project, are asked to go to a meeting or sit on a conference call ask yourself “will this help me achieve one of these objectives?” If not, skip the activity. This includes so called “special projects”. Only spend time each day on what is going to be covered in your performance review. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Training.

How many days and dollars of training are scheduled for you for the current year? This is something that needs to be specific, scheduled and committed to by your boss or supervisor. The training should tie with both your objectives and also you career goals (short or long term). The response that “it is not in this year’s budget” is unacceptable. If you get that response, see your supervisor’s boss.

Boss

Do you love you boss? Hate your boss? Tolerate your boss? Love, hate or tolerate, she is just that – your boss. She is there to insure that you do a portion of what her boss demands of her. It is not unreasonable to ask to see her objectives and understand how your job fits into her objectives for the year. You don’t have to love or hate your boss. View her as someone tasked to accomplish a job and are the means by which that will be achieved. If you see it as more than that, you are setting yourself up to be frustrated, disappointed or worse.

While following each of these points will not insure that you love your job, they will go a long way to putting your job in perspective and make it much more manageable day-to-day.

George F. Franks, III is the President of Franks Consulting Group – a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants and the International Coach Federation. His web site is:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

He can be contacted at:

gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Business is War

Much has been written over the years about business. Much has also been written over the years about war. There are many parallels between the two. The more business people from the shipping dock to the executive suite view business as war, the more the spoils of war: success.

The Troops

Armies since ancient times have not been known for selecting the best and the brightest. At times, the bulk of armies were criminals, debtors and drunks. How did these cast-offs of society become armies able to conquer huge areas of the world and win massive battles? Training and discipline. Businesses today are so enamored with the best and the brightest that they seem to forget about the importance of training and discipline. Forget this bunk about baby boomers, gen-X and gen-Y. For a competitive edge, a business would be well served to get good (not great) people and invest in extensive training and that disciplines such as good management, quality and process control.

The Officers in the Field

Battles and wars have been won as much by the officers who are with the troops – such as lieutenants, captains and majors – as by the generals back in their tents and command posts. The officers in the field have the pulse of the people who serve under them. They see the enemy in action. They also see where the orders from above become a day to day reality – including all the things that can and do go wrong. For any military force, the field officers are a competitive advantage. For business too, lower and mid-level supervisors and managers can be a competitive advantage in the same ways as they serve between the troops and the executives. Unfortunately, most businesses have gutted these resources. On a percentage basis, the field and mid-level managers have been reduced more than the workers or the executives in many industries and corporations. As such, these businesses are less attuned to their workers, competition and have few vehicles for relaying the commands (and visions) from the executives above.

Generals

Generals in history have been killed by the enemy. They have been gravely wounded by their adversaries too. Generals have been fired by their superiors – both military and civilian for a variety of reasons. Why are the generals killed? They are up front with their troops. They are gravely wounded. And why are generals relieved of command or fired? For not meeting their objectives. Often this comes down to not meeting AN objective. Generals are expected to not only provide visions, missions and values – they are expected to lead their troops. And they are expected to WIN battles and wars. Those who do not effectively lead their troops and who do not win battles are replaced by others. The same should take place on a day-to-day basis in business. The executives who demonstrate they cannot effectively lead their people, who cannot meet their objectives, who cannot win new business over the competitors should be relieved so others can step in and drive success.

Technology vs. People

The rock. The axe. The arrow. The spear. The crossbow. The gun. The machine gun. The bomber aircraft. The rocket. The missile. The nuclear bomb. Technology has changed warfare of the ages. But there is one constant - people. In spite of all the innovations and technology, wars cannot be fought without people. That even applies to the most extreme and obscene form of warfare – nuclear war. Men and women must be recruited, uniformed, trained, trained more, armed, led and put in place with a mission and specific orders to each perform their own small task within the vast machinery of war. Businesses today are enamored with technology – both as products and as tools. And yet the basic elements of business have not changed. Even on the internet. A business is only as good as their people – even in the most technical sectors. In fact, as technology expands into the products and tools of all forms of business, people become even more important. They must be trained, led, motivated and rewarded – constantly for businesses to grow and be more competitive.

Strategy vs. Tactics

In war, civilians and military leaders develop winning strategies. The winning strategies are translated into tactics. The tactics are executed at the operating level on the ground, in the air and at sea. The tactics are used to win battles and ultimately wars by the troops and their officers as they face the enemy day in and day out. Strategy is important in winning wars. So are tactics. And so is execution. All three are required to be victorious in battle and in war. So why do business spend so much time developing strategies and then spend little effort on developing tactics. Then they wonder why something always falls short in the execution. In business, as in war, all three are important. Businesses must learn to balance resource and focus to insure that strategies play out in the day-to-day tactics and that the tactics are then executed with precision.

Battles and wars have gone on since the beginning of time. So has business and commerce. While warriors have learned to be more effective at their art, businesses have often grown stale due to technology, egos and the latest fads in management. If business people became more like warriors, workers would be better led, leaders would be more accountable and ultimately businesses would be more successful against their competitors.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting, leadership coaching and speaking practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation, the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the Company of Military Historians.

George can be contacted at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com

Revenue: That Extra 10%

Business people often talk about given an extra ten percent. But how often do they talk about getting an extra ten percent? With some extra effort, you can turn your business planning process into a way to bring in any extra ten percent of next revenue each year.

Business as Usual

Develop the business plan with the usual rigor. This includes: market, competitors, new products and offers, take rates, pricing, discounts and other assumptions such as sales and distribution channels. Use these steps and processes to develop the gross and net revenue projections for the upcoming fiscal year. The process needs to not only involve planners but also line organizations responsible for delivering the results.

The Extra 10%

Once the business plan is complete including all the assumptions and strech for year over year growth the plan must be reviewed and approved by management. This being done, it is up to the senior leader or the senior planner to overlay an additional ten percent NET revenue on top of the total projected revenue for the upcoming fiscal period. The new uplifted figure must go back to the planners and line management team to relook every assumption and data element in the plan to achieve the high net revenue figure. Nothing less is acceptable.

Approval

After the business plan has been developed by the planners and line managers it much be reviewed by senior management. While nothing less than the ten percent uplift or overlay is acceptable for net revenue, even so every assumption in the plan must be tested and challenged. After a complete review of the plan, all line and planning senior management must approve it. If agreement cannot be reached on any of the assumptions of resulting revenue figures (by product and sales channel), then the plan must go back to those who developed it to reconcile any open issues. The importance of buy-in and complete alignment on the plan cannot be stressed enough.

Business planning is more than an annual exercise. It is the fundamental building block for future revenue in any business. Organizations must do more to challenge assumptions and go beyond "stretch" objectives. A ten percent additional net revenue growth exercise on top of a stringent business as usual plan is one excellent way to accomplish this goal for any business.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting, leadership coaching and speaking practice. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George can be reached at:
gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Mature Workers: An Undervalued Resource

Look at any business magazine or journal. You will see that the vast majority of “movers and shakers” featured are under age 50. Increasingly they are in their 30s and 40s. Why? Are those the real movers and shakers in the world of business? The fact is that corporations and large businesses, for the most part, value employees under 40 the most. By the time employees are in their 40s they are either executives or on they are not. Those who are not executives or at least on the executive track are viewed as being on the “pre-retirement track”. Most companies will do all they can to displace those employees with younger (and almost always cheaper) employees. Layoffs, early retirements and reorganizations confirm this fact time and again. So why should companies value mature workers?

Stability

Mature workers are often more stable in terms of their life style than their younger counterparts. Dating, job hopping, babies and post-college drinking binges are less likely to consume them during and after working hours. Workers age 50 and over view work as work and not source for dates or other social activities. Additionally, by age 50 most workers are established in their communities and are less likely to leave for greener pastures. While this is often seen as a negative, it should be viewed as a positive.

Teamwork

The vast majority of workers age 50 and over have extensive experience working as part of a team at work. Most have worked as part of many formal and informal teams. The more experience a worker has being part of teams, the more effective they are in the ever-changing environment where there are new formal and informal teams established daily. Mature workers are less likely to want to “show boat” but rather understand the value of everyone’s contributions to the team effort.

Flexibility

Since the early 1970s, the workplace has undergone huge social and technological changes. The generations age 50 and older have lived through all those changes. That has required and instilled in them a high degree of flexibility. Reorganizations, consolidation, flattening of organizations, computers, new technologies, recessions, go-go years and globalization have all forced great changes in the workplace and no generation since the Industrial Revolution has experienced that change more than the mature workers of today. Working through all those changes has enabled them to not only accept change but to embrace it.

Perspective

The more mature workers are, the more likely they are to have worked directly or indirectly in functions beyond their current primary one. Most younger workers in sales know sales. Or in accounting know accounting. Or in engineering know engineering. Mature works age 50 and over have perspectives beyond their current functions. Mature workers in sales may have engineering experience. Mature workers in accounting may have marketing experience. Or mature workers in engineering may have sales experience. The more functional and careers experiences employers have, no matter how “dated” they may seem, make them more valuable employees today.

Balance

Businesses today often hyper-focus on near term results. Employees over age 50 have experience 25+ years of business. That is over 100 quarters. Or 300 months. And more than 1300 weeks. There is a tendency on the part of younger workers to view every day, week and month as a crisis of results. There is nothing wrong with urgency. But urgency has to be balanced with the longer term. Businesses must balance short and longer term results. The ability of mature workers to see beyond the near term is one of the great strengths of their longevity in the workplace.

Expense

Finally, the media often talks about the expense of mature workers. Paid more due to their seniority and longevity. More vacations (sometimes). More medical expenses (sometimes). This is a fallacy. The turnover of younger workers, jumping from job to job for better offers and greener pastures costs companies much more overall than do mature workers. Also most mature workers put in as many, if not more, hours as their younger counterparts. When viewed on a total cost perspective, high turnover – high absence younger workers cost companies more overall than mature employees.

Business is about results. When all things are considered, companies are operating from emotion and conformity in their treatment of workers age 50 and over. The benefits that mature employees bring to the workplace including stability, teamwork, flexibility; perspective, balance and lower overall expense make mature workers a competitive advantage for any company or organization. It is amazing how few companies and organizations have taken steps to leverage that advantage to-date.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting, leadership coaching and speaking practice.

Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com

George can be contacted at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Summer Time is Personal Development Time

People think of summer as a time to leave work early, take vacations, visit the beach and read a good book. Summer is good for all those things. But it is also the perfect time of the year for evaluating your professional life and addressing areas in need of personal development.

Evaluate

The first and most important step is to evaluate where you are versus your career and professional goals. Are you on track? Falling behind? Ahead of your peers? These apply not just to titles and compensation but also experiences and responsibilities. Where to you see yourself in a year? Five years? Are you on track to meet those career goals? If not, identify, as specifically as possible, the gaps and what steps you must take to address the gaps.

Education

Education, whether a college degree, an advanced degree or a professional certification is one of the most common gaps identified during the evaluation process. Young professionals and junior executives are often too busy and put off taking on additional coursework. This is a huge mistake. If it is not done early in the career it is never done. And bosses and more senior executives not only are forgiving when the educational work is taken on by workers early in their careers, they often cut them some “slack” in terms of their day-to-day workload to off-set it. Find a program, register for it and start in September. If too late for September, register for the winter program.

Skills

Everyone has skill gaps. Whether it is technology, writing, public speaking or analytics and financials, evaluate your specific areas of skill deficit. Summer is an excellent time to take classes, do reading or on-line work to fill in those skill deficits. Summer is also a good time to practice your newly enhanced skills at the workplace.

Reading

Professional journals and books abound. Find those that are most directly related to not only where you are today but where you want to be professionally in five to ten years. Read all you can at the professional and technical level. White papers on professional topics are always good to have in your arsenal of knowledge for meetings too. Find out what the movers and shakers who are above you in the organization are reading. Read those books and journal and then read others in addition to those.

Networking

One of the biggest mistakes that employees of corporations and large organizations make is failing to network OUTSIDE of their company or organization. During the summer, make the time to find the top professional organizations in you field and geographic area. Many are less active in the summer but still look for new members. Talk to colleagues and also search on-line. Belonging to one or two top local professional organizations is a smart move by establishing yourself outside of your company or organization in additional to expanding your professional knowledge.

Mentor

Everyone needs a mentor. Whether you are in the mail room or the CEO's office. Find someone inside your company or organization who has more experience and is at least two levels above you (if you are the CEO, you already have mentors). Ideally the personal should work for the same company or organization although they may be in the same field or profession and work elsewhere. Summer is an excellent time to find and establish a mentor relationship. Be candid about your goals and objectives and what you are looking for from your mentor. Experience, candor and “chemistry” are crucial for the relationship to be productive.

Special Projects

Most businesses and organization have too much work and too few people due to vacations during the summer. It is an excellent time to volunteer for additional work outside of your area of expertise. The goal is to gain additional professional experience and exposure to more executives and other contacts. Business planning, new marketing plans or new product launches are all terrific opportunities for meeting these goals. But remember that special projects are almost always in additional to rather than in place or the normal day-to-day responsibilities and workload.

While other co-workers are relaxing on the beach or fishing at the lake, you can more effectively prepare for where you want to be in five years. Effectively use the opportunities provided by the different pace of the workplace during the summer to your professional advantage.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group - a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting, leadership coaching and speaking practice. George has over 25 years of experience with businesses of all sizes globally plus non-profits and other organizations. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation.

He can be contacted at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com

The Formula for Success in Leadership

The best leaders I have met over the years have had several traits in common. Those aspiring to become leaders in business, government or other organizations would be well served to review these and take them to heart.

As quaint as it sounds, there is no substitute for hard work. The most successful leaders I have encountered worked hard at the beginning, middle and ends of their careers. They got in early. They left late. They took on additional responsibilities. They welcomed special assignments and task forces. They did not look for the easy jobs or to pass off the challenging tasks to others. Hard work is the foundation for success in leadership.

There are lots of generalists in all professions. The difference is when the generalists have built up their general knowledge of their profession as a result of being experts in whatever area they were working in at the time. Great leaders learn everything they need to know to do their current job and more. As they move on to the next job they do the same thing. They do not stay put for the most part. They build a portfolio of being expert in many areas within their profession. While it may be possible to “get by” through just knowing enough, the true leaders who are successful learn all they can in each job.

There are many egomaniacs in the world of business, government and other professions. While they may get most of the headlines and other media coverage, they are not the great leaders of our time (or any time). The greatest and most successful leaders are selfless. They approach problems for the best solutions. They do not care who gets the credit. In most cases, they direct the credit and the attention away from themselves and to others. This process serves to make teams and organizations more effective and more successful in turn.

Leaders young and not-so-young need mentors. A mentor is not just someone who can pull the leaders along by way of their coattails. It is someone who listens, provides advice, points out the “landmines” along the way and can tell the bad along with the good. Every great leader has had a mentor. Many have several mentors throughout their professional lives. The mentor a leader has at the beginning of their career may not be the mentor they have at mid-careers or as a successful senior executive or professional. The key is to find someone who one respects and who is willing to take the time to build a mentor relationship.

Everyone makes mistakes and has disappointments. Successful leaders in business, government and the professions accept their shortcomings, learn from their mistakes and move on. Those who dwell on mistakes or are so cautious as to rarely have missteps are unlikely to become great leaders.

The topic of personal balance has been overdone by the media and in professional literature. Most successful people are, at face value, hyper focused on their career goals or their profession. But once this is pealed back, most of them are people with varieties of interests. They take time to exercise and participate in sports. And their families and friends are quite important to them, even if the time they have to spend with them is limited. Those who can “have it all” are rare, but the most successful leaders to find ways to balance their professional lives with their personal interests, their health and fitness plus the role of family and friends.

The model of the successful leader is a dilemma today. Do we look to political leaders? Do we look to CEOs? The industrial titans of the past? The great leaders from military history? By reading biographies of the great people past and present, future and current leaders can gain insights into how they can become better and more successful leaders. Readers see time and again the roles played by hard work, expertise, humility, mentors, resilience from failures and balance.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation. George can be contacted at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com

Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:

http://franksconsultinggroup.com

Is It Time to Look For a New Job?

Whether working for a company or organization for a year or decades, it is always difficult to decide when to move on to another employer. There are certain signs that any individual can look for around the work place. While may of these seem like common sense, others are more subtle and are just an important, if not more so.

Time in the job

Consider how long you have been in the same job with the same title performing the same function. If it is longer than twenty-four months and a new job for the same employer is not pending, then it may be time to look for a new job. Consider changing jobs within a company or organization every eighteen to twenty-four months. Anything longer labels you as a “lifer” in the role.

Promotion

Are others around you in similar roles and organizations getting promoted and you are not. Ask yourself why. If they have similar functions, skills and background and they are getting promoted about you, it is time to move on.

Raise

Even though it is one of the last taboos, raises and bonuses are important indicators of who is valued and who is not. If others are getting raises and bonuses and you are not, it is time to change jobs. If others are getting larger raises or bonuses than you are, then it is time to move on too. Bosses make lots of excuses and reasons for disparity in pay treatment. Do not let these stories persuade you to stay in place. Follow the money as they say.

Ranking

Many organizations now rank employees within departments, divisions or other teams and work groups. If you are not ranked number one or two – then it is time to move on. The money and the promotions will always go to the top people. Being in the middle or the bottom just means you have a job – and only for the present.

Appraisal

If the six month or annual appraisal is anything but glowing, then it is time to move on. Most bosses are even more generous in performance appraisals than they are with raises and bonuses. As such, if the appraisal does not have you walking on water, then you are less than valued in your current role.

Training

Most companies, organizations and businesses have annual training budgets. If you are only getting the minimum or the mandatory training, then it is time to move on. If you are being offered extra training or special executive training, this may be a good sign when balanced with the other points raised here. Similar to ranking, extra and special training is a sign that you are valued and being developed for beyond the current job or role.

Business Trips

While business trips are often less than they are show as in movies and on television, companies and organizations usually only send the best people to meet with customers and executives. Travel is also a sign of value. If others in your department or team are traveling and you are not, ask yourself why. This too may be a sign that it is time to look for a new position.

Recognition

Beyond pay, bonuses, appraisals, travel and training, recognition is important. When was the last time you got a plaque, a certificate, a letter from one of the top leaders in the organization? If the answer is you never have or it was so long ago that you cannot remember, and then it is time to move on. If what you do is valued in your mind but is not recognized and rewarded, it is time for a new job.

Meetings

While not the sign of prestige that they once were, important meetings are an opportunity to shine in front of peers, bosses and executive leaders. Are you included in the important meetings or told not to bother to attend. If you are told to just do you work and others will attend the important meetings then it is time to look beyond your current job.

Development Programs

Most companies and organization have programs for future executives – for the “jet jobs” or “fast tracks”. If you have been with a company less than five years and you have not been asked to participate in one of these you need to know why. And if the answer is that you were not selected for it but others were, then it is time to look elsewhere.

Promotion List

Companies have “bench strength” also call leadership continuity programs. If leader A is gone then B is ready to step into her shoes. If you are not slated to slip into someone’s position by way of a succession plan after at least two years with a company or organization, then it is time to move on. Again, this is something to talk with your boss or supervisor – or her boss or supervisor – about.

The hard reality of work is some people move up the ladder. Other people stay put. And still others are the first to go when there are budget cuts and reorganizations. Take steps to make sure you are always in that first category. That will not always mean staying where you are working currently. But it will mean that you are taking care of NUMBER ONE – and that is the most important thing in any job or occupation.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation. Franks Consulting Group is on the web at:
http://franksconsultinggroup.com

International Business Success

There is a lot of talk today about being “global”. What does global mean? A person of the world? Every country is as different. So is every locality and city or town. The skills a business person needs to be successful in international business go beyond being global. While not comprehensive, this list based on over a dozen years of international business experience should help.

Travel

For the international business person, travel is a way of life. Long distance air travel can be especially brutal. The best advice is to arrive one day before any important meetings or conferences to adjust to any time difference. In the air, eat, sleep, work and read but do all in moderation. Air travel gluttony is common among international travelers. The on thing you cannot do is exercise on an airplane.

Lodging

Stay where your host, whether a local office or a client recommends. While cost is a consideration, so is safety, convenience to meeting locations and services provided. This is the home away from home so chose it with care.

Meals

Eat in moderation. Business travel is not the time to make up for every diet that one has ever been one. There is the temptation to eat more than usual. On the other had, when with people who live locally, whether colleagues or clients, ask what they recommend when dining together. Apart from allergies, one should be open to eating local cuisine.

Drinking

Some cultures drink more than Americans. Some drink less. And some not at all. The best advice is to drink in moderation or not at all. Similar to eating, international business travel is not the time to beat ones college drinking record. It is not healthy and it is insulting to clients and colleagues.

Dress

Most American business people, even after the business casual trend, still dress much more casually than business people internationally. Find out from local colleagues or even clients what attire is appropriate. If you do not know, dress in traditional business attire (suits for men and for women). This can always be dressed down if appropriate. Dress like you mean business but more importantly, dress appropriately. The same applies to evening dinners and functions outside of business hours.

Meetings

Be at meeting early. Do not leave until the meeting is over. Even if others leave to take calls, do not do so except at scheduled breaks. Eat in moderation if lunch is brought in. Do not drink too much coffee but bottled water is good. Clean up after yourself after the meeting. And do not sit in the meeting with your laptop and read your email. That is rude. Do make sure you bring plenty of business cards. Introduce yourself to everybody. Do not interrupt, raise your voice or swear. If you have other calls, schedule them for the evening when not meeting with the clients or your colleagues.

Recreation

In the evenings it is common to have dinner with clients or colleagues. After dinner is often a time to relax, exercise and catch up on some work before the next day. If staying over a weekend or taking a day off, visit local historical sites, museums, cultural events and also shops and restaurants. Staying in the hotel doing work is not healthy and it does not make one more internationally-minded or cultured.

Communication

Find out how your clients and colleagues prefer to communicate when not face-to-face. E-mail is common today. Conference calls are important too. Video conference calls can be very effective. Snail mail and faxes are less and less common today but are still necessary from time-to-time. Keep all communications clear, crisp and to the point. On international conference calls, listen more than talk. And do not interrupt. Ever. Take notes or minutes and make sure they are distributed within one business day of the call. Never e-mail jokes, gags, anything obscene or off-color. Do not swear or raise your voice on calls or video calls. Listening and patience are valued in most non-US cultures.

Language

While most non-US business people speak 2-4 languages most from the US speak 1 or perhaps 2 and not well. To this end, speak clearly in English. Be patient if asked to repeat or explain. This is especially true on conference calls. It is acceptable to pick up local words or phrases. Make sure they are appropriate and that they are pronounced flawlessly. Do not make a joke out of local words or phrases. This is insulting to clients and local colleagues.

While business has a lot to do with finance, technology, human resources, research and development and law, it has more to do with people than anything else. To that end, doing business internationally is about people. By traveling and working with dignity and respect for customers and local colleagues, one is taking the first step toward the extensive skills needed to be successful in international business.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants (USA).
George can be contacted at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George's web log is: http://consultingandcoaching.blogspot.com

New Employees: How to Treat Them Right

One of the biggest challenges for any supervisor or manager is dealing with new employees. While new employees range from chronic underachievers to future CEOs, the essential activities for the supervisor are the same. Every good supervisor needs to focus on training, objectives, feedback coaching, more training and career development.

Training

Just because an employee has a college degree, a CPA, an MBA or other academic or professional credential does not mean they are trained to do a specific job. One of the first roles of a supervisor is to insure that the people on her team are trained. Some training is common for all employees such as general administrative practices. Others are specific to a technology such as a system or a tool. Finally, there is training that is role specific. It is the responsibility of every supervisor to insure that each employee is trained in each of these areas. It is best to set expectations before training, to follow-up after training and then to review how the training is being utilized after the employee has had an opportunity to use it in the job.

Objectives

Management by Objectives (MBO) appear to be making a strong comeback after a number of years in disfavor due to other management philosophies and motivational tools. It is up to every supervisor or manager to insure that her employees have objectives. The objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. The objectives need to be reviewed with the employee by the supervisor. The employee should have an opportunity to provide input and ask questions about the objectives. Finally the employee and the supervisor should each have a copy of the objective document.

Feedback and Coaching

Timely and candid feedback is one of the most important things a supervisor or manager can provide an employee. While formal feedback on performance against assigned objectives is essential, day-to-day feedback based on work activities and actions is even more vital. The supervisor must note not only what the employee is doing wrong, but also what the employee is doing right. And in the cases where the employee is doing job functions right, it is up to the supervisor to explain how to perform even more effectively. Feedback and coaching by the supervisor should be constant and done with the goal of overall performance improvement.

More Training

Observation, feedback and coaching will always identify the need for additional training. Whether to re-train areas of weak performance or to increase skills and proficiency in areas of strength (and business need), training is a process and not an end in itself. As employees are on the job longer, their training shifts from organizational and functional basic training to more in-depth functional training. Over time, broader cross-functional and managerial training are in order. The top performers are in line for specialized programs including those designed for future leaders often called “fast track” programs and the executive educations programs offered by many of the top business schools. A key point with training beyond that offered initially is that there is no such thing as “one size fits all”.

Career Development

Last but certainly not least for the supervisor or manager of the new employee is career development. While there has been much in the business press about career self-management, this reality does not relieve the supervisor or manager of her responsibility. Formal discussion periodically – at least twice per year – should be focused on the current job, the employees desired next position, the needs of the business, skills and other requirements for the next job and where the employees sees himself in several years. By supervisors having these discussions they can be prepared to provide input into training budgets, course openings, and vacancies inside and outside of their department and leadership succession plans.

Supervisors and managers often clamor for new and talented people. Among the pool of new people can be the future leaders of the business or organization. It is up to the supervisor to launch the new people on a successful path through a combination of training, objective setting, feedback and coaching, more training and career planning. While new employees can be time consuming for the supervisor, the skill, energy and commitment they bring to the workplace are vital for growth and innovation.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the International Coach Federation and the Institute of Management Consultants (USA).
George can be reached at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com
George's web log is: http://consultingandcoaching.blogspot.com

The Most Critical 30 Days

A new job is always traumatic, whether just out of college, graduate school or a veteran of the working world. As traumatic as it may for the new employee, this is a period when opinions and judgements are made in the workplace. These judgments are made based on observations and the comments of others by co-workers, the immediate supervisor, the supervisor’s peers and those in senior management above the supervisor. What the new employee does – or does not do – during the first thirty days can have a huge impact on all aspects of the job well beyond that short period of time.

When to Arrive at Work

Arrive the first day at the time the supervisor or Human Resources communicate officially. After the first day, arrive earlier than you are expected. Use the time to check e-mail and get organized for the day.

What to do at Work

Do everything the supervisor expects (whether they are “to do’s” or performance objectives). If any opportunities arise to participate in a task force, special study or volunteer to assist at a work-related event, do it. The military maxim “never volunteer” does not apply in the work place. Make sure those tasks assigned are done 100%, by no later than the date assigned and that the supervisor thinks you did them effortlessly – even if you had to stay up all night or work all weekend to complete them.

Lunch

If coworkers go to lunch in a cafeteria, join them. Conversation there will be more enlightening about work and the company than any meeting or conference. If coworkers go out to eat together, join them if money is not a concern. If money is a consideration, join them at least once per week. It is OK to bring lunch, just do not eat it by yourself at your desk. East with those who are at your level in the workplace or above (I know this sounds awful and snobbish but follow it anyway).

Attire

Many articles have been written about what to work – including several by this author. Dress professionally. Look to those of the same gender one or two management levels above you. Do not dress to fit in with your peers. See who is admired and viewed as being on the fast track. Dress similarly but not identically to them.

Conversations

Everyone is going to what to know everything about your personal life: your spouse, kids, boy or girl friend, hobbies, college, etc. The less you tell about yourself the better. You have a clean slate. Use that clean slate to build a great story about you as a business professional on the way up.

Work Space

Whether assigned a desk on the floor, a cubicle or an office, the work space speaks volumes about the worker. Keep it clear of clutter, neat and professional. Nothing cute. Nothing that evokes bad habits or wilder days in the past. Keep that for home. The office should tell everyone that you are efficient, serious and at the office to work.

Fitness Center

If the office has a fitness center, use it. Similar to the cafeteria, there is some great networking about the office in the fitness center. Ideally you want to go before working hours or after working hours – and not during lunch. People of all levels are friendlier and let their guards down while working out and in the locker room.

Professional Organizations

Find out what the most popular and powerful professional organizations are for your function at your company. Ideally the organization will not be overpopulated with people from your company. The goal is to expand professionally beyond your company but within your geographic area.

Out of Hours Activities

Out of hours activities range from softball to bowling to drinking at a local watering hole. Similar to attire, see what those one to two levels of management up get involved in. Also see what those identified as “on the fast track” do after hours. In all likelihood these people work later at the office rather than engage in any of these above noted after hours activities. Unlike lunch and the fitness center, these activities are usually of limited value in the work place.

Days Off

Even in the unlikely event that you are allowed vacation days during the first thirty days, do not take them. No matter what. Do not take any sick days either. Become a fixture at the office from day one.

The End of the Work Day
Observe when others leave. Consider their responsibilities and management levels. No matter what, stay a little later than your peers. First of all, your supervisor may need something. Everyone else will be gone and she will know she can count on you. Secondly, there is a tendency of more senior business leaders to observe who leaves when. Staying later than others puts your face in the category of those who “are committed”. Make sure they quickly tie that face with a name. Do not pull all nighters. If you need to pull all nighters just to get on board with a new job, your supervisor will question what you will need to do when a real crisis hits and extra hours a required to deliver the big project.

Reading

Outside of the office, read everything you can find about: the company, the leadership, the market, the competition, the products and anything else in professional journals to keep you at least one step ahead of your peers in the office. You will quickly be viewed as an indispensable expert.

New jobs are a challenge to anyone whether young or older, experienced or freshly minted MBA. What one does in the new office environment during the first thirty days sets the tone for the entire time in that office and with that company. While there is no easy road to success, following these points will go a long way to creating the image that supervisors and senior executives look for to identify those on the “fast track” to promotion, more responsibility and increased compensation.

George F. Franks, III is the founder and President of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland management consulting and leadership coaching practice. He is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation.
George can be contacted at: gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com
Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com/

What Large Corporations Can Learn From Small Businesses

Read any business magazine or newspaper and what you will see are stories about large corporations and their executives. What you will not see, except in a few specialized journals, are stories about small businesses. There are many things that large corporations can learn from small businesses.

Sales

Everyone is in sales. Most large corporations have sales organizations with sales managers and executives. They also have extensive sales processes and infrastructure. The key for a small business is that it is up to everyone to sell. All the time and regardless of role.

Customers

Customers are the beginning and the end and everything in between for small businesses. Somehow large corporations lose sight of that fact. They create special, complex and inflexible points for touching new and existing customers. In a small business, everything is about the customer. Part of that includes making things as easy for the customer as possible.

Planning

Large corporations are not the only businesses that do planning. I have yet to meet a small business owner who does not have a business plan on their desk on in their brief case. The difference is that in a large corporation they are organizations that handle business planning. And there are designated people in each organization who do the business planning. In a small business, business planning is above and beyond the “day job” of the business. And all the key people are directly involved in creating the business plan.

Costs and Expenses

Large corporations are famous for saving on nickels and dimes and spending millions. They often squeeze the workers and spend money on lavish perks for executives and sales conferences. Small businesses look at every single expenditure. They view the expenses like it was each employee's own checking account. Each expense is reviewed to insure it is absolutely essential and to determine what revenue benefit it will bring to the business. Small business is not trying to keep up with the joneses but rather be as profitable and successful in their market space as they can be.

Ideas and Innovation

Large corporations have two streams for ideas. One is dubbed “research and development”. The ideas people. The scientists and professional innovators. The other is the executives. They are up their and make a lot of money. They must be smart and have great new ideas. In small businesses, the ideas of everyone count. This includes all the employees, customers, suppliers and basically anyone who touches the business. No one person, role or function has a monopoly on new and innovative ideas for growing the business and making it more successful.

Executives

In most large corporations today, the executives are well educated and have worked for many other corporations of a number of years. Some are sales people, some are financial people and some are from a professional background such as law. Most are long removed from dealing with entry level workers and their interaction with customers is at a level equal to their rank and status. The leaders of small businesses often have had other small businesses. Some have succeeded. Often others have had businesses fail. Most love building businesses and creating something from nothing. They love dealing with customers directly. And they love creating value whether it is a product or a service for the marketplace. Most small business leaders value rank and its trappings less than the satisfaction of creating jobs, satisfying customers and generating wealth. When they tire of this they sell it and create something new rather than move from the pinnacle of one enterprise to the pinnacle of another.

Large corporations do many things right. But large corporations would be well served to step back and evaluate what makes small businesses successful. Many of these traits and practices could make large corporations even more effective and less self-serving.

Job Interviews: Questions To Not Ask

Much has been written about job interviews. The literature includes what to wear, how to act, questions to ask and how to follow-up. One area that the job interview literature rarely touches on is what NOT to ask.

For today’s job hunter, whether right out of high school or college, or a seasoned veteran of the workforce, what a candidate asks speaks volumes. Some of the questions to NOT ask as outlined below including why the job candidate should not ask them.

“How long does it take to get promoted?” While this is a seemingly innocent question, it says that the candidate is already looking beyond the interview job. It also is worthless to ask because the promotion cycle for most jobs is related to a great number of variables. Wait until you are in the job to ask this one.

“When do I get to take vacation?” I you are asking this question at the interview, then you are thinking about not working rather than doing an outstanding performance in the new role. Save this question for after you have been offered the job, not for the initial interview.

“Why do some people have cubicles and others have offices”? Unless you are an interior decorator, the size and type of offices should be irrelevant during the interview process. Wait until you are in the job and find out for yourself. Also, you can stop someone in the hallway on the way FROM the job interview and ask them inconspicuously if it is important.

“Do I have to work overtime?” Asking about how many hours you have to work per day or week says that you are a clock watches. This is not what a hiring manager is looking for unless you are on the assembly line or a steel mill.

“What are the employee activities?” Even if you are an avid softball player, chess champion or bowler, this question is an interview killer. It says you are more interested in the activities than working hard and moving up the ladder. Again, wait until after you are hired or asked someone in the hallway after the interview.

“Can I work from home?” While this seems like very good and important questions, new employees need to understand the politics, faces, dynamics and tempo of the office. They cannot learn these things from home. The hiring manager is looking for someone who will be right there, working and soaking up the office dynamics to help her become more successful.

“Will the company pay for me to go to graduate school in (underwater basket weaving, ethno musicology, Greek literature, etc.)?” I asked this right out of college. DON’T! They want you focused on what will make you more valuable to their business. No matter how much they say they care about you, they don’t. So don’t ask – unless it is about getting an MBA.

“Are shorts, tee-shirt and flip-flops acceptable on Fridays in the summer? I plan to go to the beach house from work.” Even if this is true, do not ask it. You are not in college. Give the impression you act and dress like an adult.

“Can I use my company computer for video games?” Even though many if not most employees use their company computer for non-company purposes, do not ask about it during an interview. It shows a lack of maturity and business sense.

“What is the cafeteria like?” This does not matter unless you are in a catering firm. For other companies, the answer will be a lie anyway.

“Where can I shop around here?” The hiring manager does not want you thinking about shopping, he wants you thinking about working. This gives him visions of preparing for a board meeting and you are out at the gap trying on new jeans.

“How do you like working here?” Similar to the cafeteria question, even for caterin