Impact Today™

Life Lesson: Leaders keep their eye on the future.

Houston, we have a problem: Generation Y is more interested in cyberspace than outer space!

In the coming decades, funding for NASA is going to hinge on the support it receives from Generation Y. In a strategic move, the space agency is doing extensive research to find ways to build a bridge to Generation Y. They have discovered they must:

• Communicate to the generation what they do and why it is important to Gen Y members.
  
• Provide more real-time interaction. Things lake informative, fun links and videos on their website. Even live cams on their space ships, robots, and rovers.
  
• Understand the global perspective. Space and distance are not as important as they were to previous generations. Gen Y, therefore, is not impressed as mush with the distance to Saturn, however would love to see Saturn on a webcam.
  
• Hierarchical one-way communication does not work. Gen Y wants to be able to interact – they are very social.

Looking at this list we see the agency that brought us chap stick and Tang is now giving all businesses and entrepreneurs some keys to establishing future business with Gen Y.

Labels: Strategy

Time management skills seem to lacking in the workplace. At all levels, better use of time can dramatically increase productivity, corporate morale, and self-esteem. A recent survey from Salary.com sought to discover the top time bandits. According to their findings, here are the top three ways people waste time at work:

Labels: Survey, Time_management

Ad agency achieves 22 Return on Investment

Labels: Case_Study, Sales

A survey released this week by the Girl Scouts of the USA found that 75% of minority children see themselves as leaders while only 50% of white children view themselves as leaders. The The survey defined minority as African-American or Hispanic.

The survey also asked children the qualities of leadership. They said a leader:

• Values teamwork,
• Defends their principles, and
• Attempts to make the world better.

Labels: Leadership, Survey

According to a survey by H&R Block business owners should not ramp up stocks in anticipation of checks in the economic stimulus program. They found nearly 70% will use the money from these one-time checks to pay down debt or buy necessities. The same usage awaits the annual refund checks for 65% of respondents.

The only entrepreneurial winners will be those in debt consolidation and refinancing where the money can help reduce overall payments. Also, benefiting from 16% that want to blow the money on luxury are those in purely discretionary lines such as travel agents, jewelers, electronics, or other large ticket items. Financial Planners should also be aware that 18% say they will invest the money,

Of course, best intentions to pay down debt could disappear when a great sale is set before us. If you do develop a strategy to take advantage of the dollars, make sure you always have a risk management plan.

Labels: Strategy, Survey

Life Lesson: Diversity offers an array of ideas

There has been a lot of talk about the need for diversity in the problem solving process. Some argue only experts from the functional area where a decision is required should be part of the decision making team. Others say involve different disciplines to get to the right answer. If you aren’t sure which group is correct, consider this story:

Three people are in a car traveling down a steep mountain road. Suddenly the breaks fail. The driver, seeing a sharp curve over a deep chasm ahead, frantically tries to stop the vehicle. He spies a spot to the side where an opening in the guard rail allows access to a small meadow surrounded by bails of hay. He manages to pull into the area while his passengers breathe a sigh of relief.

The three people, all engineers of one sort or another, exit the vehicle and begin to access their situation.

“Hmm,” says the mechanical engineer, “It looks like a brake line was leaking - let's repair the split, bleed the brakes, and we should be able to get on our way.”

The systems engineer thinks for a while and says, “Maybe we need to contact the manufacturer and the dealer to confirm exactly what the problem is”

The software engineer slowly climbs into the driver's seat and, gesturing for the others to join him, says, “How about if we close all the windows and try again?”

Labels: Anecdote, Decision_Making, Problem_Solving, Story

Cutting the rejected parts rate by 52%

Profit margins in the manufacturing sector continue to narrow as costs increase and buyers become more insistent on maintaining or lowering current prices. This leaves manufacturers with little room for error.

This is particularly challenging in the automotive industry where any unnoticed quality flaw can result in the carmaker charging the manufacture to disassemble all or part of a vehicle to replace an under-par part.

These facts troubled a parts company where quality was running below expectations.

To continue reading this case study, click here.

Labels: Case_Study, Teamwork

Life Lesson: Success understands the role of culture.

Labels: Culture, Strategy, Wal-Mart

Of the many unacceptable employee behaviors in the workplace, gossip can be one of the most disruptive. A recent survey by Steelcase found that 36 % of gossiping occurs in the break room or kitchen. The good news is that the most common place is also the place where people are on their own time.

Running a close second is an area where the gossiping does occur on the clock – the office of a co-worker. One-third of gossiping takes place in the offices meant for productivity.

In a distant third was email and instant messaging, which is also on company time and, in many companies, a potential violation of technology policy.

Labels: Behaviors, Survey

Rick Weaver, President of Max Impact, was once again featured in the Conservative Voice. “Michigan and Florida: Risk Management” looked at the mistake made by the two political parties when they put punitive policies in place for scheduling early primaries. The article calls for business leaders to develop risk management plans before issuing new policies or procedures. You can read the article by clicking here.

Labels: Risk_Management

Life Lesson: Leaders look for opportunity.

NAFTA is no longer the driver behind growing Canadian business. Today it's a healthy Canadian dollar in comparison to a very weak United States dollar that is growing their economy.

Canadian business owners see a tremendous opportunity to position themselves for growth. They are borrowing money for capital improvements, new products, and other strategic expenses to take advantage of a healthy Canadian economy.

The entire world is watching the US dollar plummet in value. More distant neighbors are gearing up for imports and tourism (with their citizens visiting the United States). However no nation is as strategically positioned as the USA's neighbor to the north.

This is also excellent time for American businesses to strategize how they can grow if they're dollar remains weak and to capitalize should the dollar rebound.

Labels: Strategy

I’m not saying the economy in Michigan is bad but yesterday, while running around town accomplishing some errands, my daughter made a career suggestion to my son, who will be graduating from college soon.

“You need to work for Available”, she said.

“Available?” he replied, “Who are they?”

“I don’t know, but they’re a big company. I see their signs on almost every building.”

Labels: Humor

Company achieves a 22 Return on Investment

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study, Teamwork

If you allowed your employees to prioritize common workplace programs, what would be at the top of their list?

• 49% said the employer should offer a flexible work schedule


• 15% felt health and wellness programs were important


• 13% cited new training and learning opportunities

Labels: Benefits, Employee_Retention, Survey

Brookstone took advantage of a major mistake made by Sharper Image. When Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy, they included gift cards as loans. Typically gift cards are treated as cash in Chapter 11 filings. This means that Sharper Image gift card holders are now in line for a piece of the eventual Chapter 11 settlement, which could be as low as pennies on the dollar.

Brookstone immediately jumped in to capture the displaced and disgruntled SI customers. Anyone with an SI gift card in any amount can redeem it at Brookstone for a 25% discount on their purchase.

Not only will this strategic move win new customers to Brookstone, they will also become an unsecured creditor to SI as they collect the gift cards. This ultimately means that Brookstone will have a vote, and perhaps a piece of the company, in any bankruptcy settlement.

Do you have a strategy to take advantage of unexpected opportunities in you business or career?

Labels: Retail, Strategy

New policies are often necessary to eliminate waste, increase productivity, reduce spending, or any number of other noble business needs. There is a downside to anything new that tells employees of customers they cannot do something. Case in point: Maplewood, Minnesota.

Legislatures throughout the country and world are looking for ways to curb first-hand smoking and reduce second-hand smoking. Minnesota is no different. Lawmakers decided to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, but made an exception for actors in theaters. The actors can smoke as long as it is part of the play or story.

Several bars in Maplewood have now become “stages”. Patrons wear costumes and are able to act in improvisational plays. Even though the “actors” are playing themselves, it seems to be enough to get around the law.

Moral of the story: whenever a leader makes a new policy, someone will immediately figure out a loophole.

Labels: Change

At the foot of the mountains a BBC interviewer approached five mountain climbers preparing for an ascent. She asked a simple enough question, “Will you be successful in reaching the top?” The first four gave the same hopeful answer using different terminology.

'I'll do my best,' said a big burly guy with a heavy black beard.

'I'll give it my best shot,' said a tall, wiry man with muscles on his muscles.

'We'll see what happens,' said a blond headed poster boy for what a mountain climber ought to look like.

'I'll sure try,' said a young, dark headed woman with bright flashing eyes.

It was not until the fifth climber, a short, scrawny guy, responded that the reply changed.

'Yes.'

'Excuse me?' she said, surprised.

'Yes. I'll make it.'

And at the end of the day, he was the only one who made it to the top. Not because he was the biggest, or the brightest, or the most able...but because he was the only one who said he would. Not 'maybe' or 'I hope' or 'with any luck' or 'I'll give it my best shot' or 'I'll work hard at it' or 'I'll try!' All he said was 'yes'. Because he knew that to 'try' is to die...because when you leave yourself a way out, you'll always take it when the going gets rough.

If you were asked if you are going to be successful in a new endeavor would you be able to confidently say, “yes”? Think like a winner -- anything less could mean failure.

Labels: Attitude, Motivation

Here is a word play about communication:

• Telling employees what you expect removes all doubt
• Airing customer service complaints allows employee to find solutions
• Losing customers is not acceptable
• K nowing what's best should not be a mystery
  
• Aiming high works well if you have a target
• Burying a problem rarely makes it go away
• Owning the business makes everyone successful
• Understanding creates a common language
• Training employees is an ongoing event
  
• Ingraining good service makes it part of the culture
• Talk is not cheap when accompanied by action

Labels: Acronym, Motivation

Turnover reduced from 69% to 16%

Administrators at a mental health facility found they were devoting a great deal of time to a weekly hiring board established to determine the effectiveness of mental health workers and decide which workers to retain.

During these weekly meetings, the attendees concluded that the facility let a large number of workers go on a consistent basis. The hospital was facing an overwhelming 68.7 percent turnover rate, and administrators realized they had to take steps to control this issue.

Read the full case study by clicking here.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study, Employee_Retention

The Democrat National Committee is facing a huge problem when it comes to the allocation of delegates at their 2008 convention. Last year, when it became clear that several states wanting a piece of the profitable early campaigning were going to reschedule their primaries, both parties decided to step in to end the jockeying.

The Republicans issued a mandate that any state going out of order would forfeit half their delegates. The Democrats went further, stripping non-compliant states of all delegates.

Florida and Michigan challenged party rules and moved to the front of the season. All would have been okay if, like in past years, the nominee was decided by a large enough margin the sanctions would not have an impact on the ultimate outcome. The Republicans were fortunate to have a decisive victory before the end of the primary season. The Democrats were not so lucky.

Now neither of the two leading democrat candidates is likely to have a majority when the primary process is over. The result is that a tough decision must be made to keep Floridians and Michiganders from being disenfranchised.

The leadership lesson is clear. Before mandating policies or rules, a leader must clearly consider what will happen in all scenarios. This is the process of risk management.

Effective Risk Management
To be effective at risk management, one must follow the following steps:

Labels: Risk_Management

Are you putting in longer hours than ever before? If so, you are not alone.

The National Sleep Foundation has found that people are working an average of 52 hours per week. The recently published survey breaks this down to 9½ hour work days Monday through Friday with another 4½ hours of work being done at home.

An alarming aspect of the survey was that 18 percent of employees reported feeling sleepy during the day. They accept being sleepy and continue to work, hoping the tiredness will pass.

Could time management be part of the solution?

Labels: Survey, Time_management

Labels: Communication, Culture

A recent Harris Interactive poll has uncovered some cultural connections to one's feeling about their job.

• Generations: 53% of Baby Boomers love their job while only 37% of Generation X said they love their job. On the other hand, 19% of Generation X hate their job while only 7% of Baby Boomers claimed to hate their job.
• Marital: only 29% of those that have never been married love the job while 50% of those that are married love their job. When asked if they would like to immediately let, 24% of never-married employees said, “yes” as compared to only 9% of married employees.
• Regional: loyalty seems to increase as one moves to the west. In the Northeast only 39% love or like their job while 48% of those in Western states either love or like the job.
• Economic: 49% of employees paid at affluent levels ($75,000 in the survey) love their job while only 36% of those earning less than $35,000 love where they are working.

Labels: Employee_Retention, Survey

Here is a light-hearted look at customers that are only interested in the lowest price possible. The next time you are in intense negotiations, think of this video to reduce your stress.

Labels: Anecdote, Humor, Negotiation, Sales, Stress, Video

Two years ago my daughter had a dream of someday becoming a cheerleader. She translated her dream into action steps which involved weekly gymnastics training, the addition of a trampoline in our backyard, and occasional jogging.

She went to her first tryout and poured her heart into it. She practiced every evening and on the weekend, teaming with another to develop her final routine. She had confidence in her effort and performance. She had trouble sleeping the night before the new cheer squad would be announced as anticipation chased away all morsels of melatonin. Tears flowed when her name was absent from the final list.

She would not give up. She read cheerleading books from the library, subscriber to a cheerleading magazine, and intensified her use of the trampoline to develop and refine her moves.

Finally it was time for another try-out. She committed her body and time to the sacrifice necessary to make the time. But alas, at the end of the tryouts only the names of others were on the roster.

It was summertime when thoughts of school fall to the back of the mind, yet my daughter continued to hone the skills required for the cheerleading squad. “This year there will be more girls on the squad,” she reflected with surety that she would be among the new members. Learning, practicing, and mind-development filled the summer days, although giving into some of the uniqueness of the summer season’s special activities.

Soon the weather chilled signaling another fall with another opportunity to make the cheer team. The long afternoon tryout drills were tiring, but they did not dim her hopes – which thrived until the third occurrence of announcing the squad, without her.

Disappointment was severe – three tries and three failures. In despair, she indicated she would move on to something else.

We were surprised when she announced that another cheerleading tryout was coming up for the winter semester and stated she was once again going to make another attempt for the team. As with each prior endeavor, the try-outs occupied her time. She worked out on the trampoline, did back-walk-overs in the house, read her books and magazines, and dreamed that her action plan would finally deliver the most wanted reward. She tuned out the critics by encouraged others trying out to do better, which also helped her draw on her talent.

When I went to pick her up after the new squad was announced she was sitting in a rejected posture on the bench in front of the school. “How long is she going to subject herself to disappointment?” I thought.

As she approached the car she could contain herself no long. “I made it!”

Now the team has won two championship trophies. That’s them in the picture above.

Not only had my daughter’s dream, turned into a plan which grew to fruition, she experienced that rare feeling that she was part of championship team.

Who could learn from my daughter’s lesson? What about the entrepreneur that feels like giving up? What about the business executive that feels they are in over their head? What about the culture that feels they will always be oppressed? What about other dreamers?

Labels: Attitude, Goals

Several years ago I was conducting a three-hour seminar in a historic “meeting house” about 5 miles from Plymouth Rock. It was a charming facility, kept true its origins in the 1600s. Wide wooden floorboards held in place by wooden pegs and a rustic aroma were a part of its charm.

During the break, a man who had arrived late rushed up to me and asked, “Where is the basement?”

“When this meeting house was constructed people never thought to put in basements,” I replied trying to be an authoritative historian.

"Hasn't it been modernized?" he pleaded with a definite urgency in his voice.

"Oh no, that's the charm of this building," I replied, with the tone of my admiration to the people who maintained it.

Gazing out the window near the end of the break I saw the man rushing back from one of the secluded paths down to the Cape Cod Canal.

“Did you enjoy the walk?” I asked.

“Walk, I had to find a place to go to the bathroom!” was his angry reply.

Then the light bulb went off, Bostonians call public rest rooms “basements”.

Labels: Anecdote, Communication

Researchers at Ohio State University have concluded a study of 286 businesses that were spun off from the parent company between 1980 and 2005. Looking at 10 policy areas, they found a remarkable connection to the policies of the company from which they were spun off.

This further exemplifies the difficulty with which culture can be changed. Corporate cultures are well ingrained at all levels of an organization. New people to an organization they complain about certain elements of a culture, but once they start to follow the accepted culture of the organization they begin to find success. The more they follow the culture, success continues.

When they reach the upper levels of the organization, any proposed change to the culture is a threat – why would they want to change a culture that made them successful?

So how do you change the corporate culture?

Actually there are two ways that cultures can be successfully changed.

1. From entry-level up. Most experts will tell you that this is impossible. They are incorrect. Cultures have been change from the ground up when the culture has been so oppressive a mutiny occurs. Workers at the lowest level of the organization can create a culture that slowly passes up. It is a very difficult and very rare process, one that is not recommended.


2. From the top down. To be successful in changing a corporate culture, it has to be sponsored by the highest levels of an organization. Sponsorship does not mean approval – it means participation. Unless the top levels of the organization truly want change, it will not happen.

Labels: Change, Corporate_culture

A recent survey by Taleo Research took an interesting perspective on one's dealings about their job. He asked respondents to consider their feelings toward their job if it were to take human form.

Given that scenario, one in three said they like their job seriously enough to date it. Nine percent felt so strongly about their job that they would propose marriage. Only 5% claim they would break up immediately.

Labels: Attitude, Survey

Labels: Culture, Generation, Job_satisfaction, Survey