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