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

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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:

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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
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Franks Consulting Group
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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