Interpersonal Business

Volume XXXXVIII

Dear Manager,

Certainly aspects of business have changed over the years. Good business and the standards to retain it have not. “Big is much, much bigger today.” But this was true ten, twenty, fifty years ago as well. The stories of “when I was a kid,” and the changes that have occurred, have gone on for multiple generations. While very little actually changes, the dynamics of everything change again and again. The fundamentals of ethics, by comparison, have changed very little. I believe that today’s competitive environment demands an even stronger sense of ethics than in past generations.

The baggage of cynicism comes with a lack of ability to trust anyone, even those who maintain a very high ethical standard. A cynic has compromised their willingness and ability to discern the difference! One person’s cynical approach has the potential to carve a wide path of doubt for those who lack the disposition to define their own conclusions. One bad apple …

THE EASY WAY OUT

It is certainly easier to cast aspersions on an entire segment of civilization than it is to set an example, expect high standards in others, and resolve to improve the standards of others with the process.

Are all businesses ethical in their practices? No. In order to create a positive environment and potential for change, we must first show trust in the most positive aspects of human nature. How are we to know, with absolute certainty, the ethical standards of another? At first blush, all individuals, all business, must be assumed to be morally and ethically sound. With this foundation, all of business can be judged and held accountable.

Given time, all animals will show their spots. Only then, will those who choose less-than-ethical standards be defined. Only at this given moment will our own ethical standards be tested. Accept the spots, challenge them, or move on.

Cynics show their true colors in all areas of business. Those who do not share their attitude are often caught flat-footed by the cynic’s potential to create chaos and mayhem. We’ve all known individuals whose focus is centered around their cynical approach. I always wonder what the outcome would be if their destructive efforts were focused instead towards a more successful and constructive challenge.

Those who take themselves out due to their condemning perspective are left with few options but to align themselves with less-than-ethical working environments. I have always believed that those who look for trouble will be drawn squarely back to their self fulfilling prophecy. Birds of a feather, cynics of a feather, find their just rewards. And the beat goes on!

I’m not suggesting that we live in a Mr. Rogers world. If we don’t maintain some sense of innocence and idealism (yes, just like when we were kids), standards become blurred. Everyone has the understanding and ability to be trusted. We must collectively hold the standard, and expect others to measure up. Only then can we find the best in our work environments.

Over the years I’ve been cautioned regarding the ethics of certain individuals. In practice, I’ve very rarely found these concerns to be relevant. Perhaps in my case they’ve held a higher standard. If this is so, then all parties have benefited for the relationship. The idealist in me would like to think this standard has helped them develop a frame of reference they’ll bring to their future relationships.

Our own attitude is essential to creating a greater ethical standard in management. When the motives of highly ethical individuals I’ve known are quizzed or second guessed, they simply have no foundation from which to respond. These individuals have no place in their thought process for a rebuttal, let alone an insight into the accuser’s mind-set. When conversing with a cynic, it is a pure waste of time to lower one’s standards to acknowledge and dignify their concerns and perspective.

As managers, we have no reason to accommodate cynical and suspicious speculations. If our intentions are consistently in question, either it’s deserved, or we have surrounded ourselves with individuals undeserving of our valuable time and expertise. In either instance, change is now required! Regardless of their talent, these individuals impact management’s credibility, the morale of one’s organization, and ultimately the organization’s roots and foundation. Cynicism, let alone unethical business practices, is truly a cancer of the most malignant form.

There are unethical elements in all aspects of life. This can be defined, this can be quantified. My greater concerns are for those desperate individuals whose cynicism plays a much greater role in day-to-day business operations. Their numbers are much greater, their hazard much greater, than the issues they purport to reform.

QUALITY TO THE ROOTS

In today’s challenging employment market, the lower spectrum of the job market takes on a greater visibility. Rocks are turned over and cynics crawl out. As managers, we must have the resolve and the patience to avoid the temptation of hiring purely on talent and less on character. As a voice with over thirty-five years of experience, I have found the price to be extraordinarily high.

The quality of our organization is always judged by the character of those with whom it is associated. Our ability to maintain these relationships is, in many cases, determined by the quality of one’s peers. The first clue in determining the ethics of an organization is to look beyond management to its roots: its staff members. All the answers are available to those who take a moment to listen.

The high road is essential to all aspects of business. Rather than subscribing to “prove to me your high ethical standards,” I would suggest “prove to me otherwise.”

Being able to manage from a perspective of face value and benefit of the doubt is essential to managing a business. Managers will make more mistakes than they choose to admit. Regardless, management deserves to be judged purely and simply on ability and performance, not on motives, personal agenda, or self serving egos.

Expecting the best in others will surround us with those who deserve to have the best expected of them.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2009. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Volume XXXXVII

Dear Manager,

Yes, experience is critical for all of us. It is what we learn that has the potential to protect us from making the same mistakes twice. This is a huge asset in a very competitive world. The problems begin when we rely too heavily upon the past, and take for granted the potential of a new business age. This may be the most difficult of all transitions for mature managers.

Fresh eyes can certainly be hard to maintain. Much of what we do can seem so similar to what we experienced in the past; same script … new cast of characters. While it is truly this experience that will save us, it can also sink the ship! Showing enthusiasm for the “first experience” of another will challenge our abilities to relate with others on a daily basis. Do you remember the first time you rode a bicycle without training wheels? I would bet you remember how important it was to you at the time. It was a significant moment!

So, too, are the first experiences of those around us. I remember how difficult it was for me to make the transition from full time sales to management. I still miss that consistent one-on-one personal victory, and even the setbacks, that are a part of the selling process. Once you have that selling fix, it’s very hard to get the monkey off your back. The emotional rush in sales when you know you have exceeded your wildest dreams is truly irresistible.

In contrast, as managers we begin to live through the victories of those we manage. Much like parents, we must bring our own sense of excitement and awareness to a level similar to those we manage. Only then can we truly share their current frame of reference. Our child’s first solo flight on a bicycle was undoubtedly similar in exhilaration to that of our own.

Yes, this freshness must be maintained if we are to continue to maintain our effectiveness as managers! Some days will be harder than others, and some days the rewards will exceed any that could have been accomplished as an individual.

THE EXPERIENCE FACTOR

From personal experience, I have found it to be exceedingly easy to judge those around me from the foundation of my experience, as compared to another’s frame of reference and their experience factor. If you think about this, it is simply human nature. All levels of experience are different from our own, yet our tendency is to hold others accountable to our own level of experience. Don’t they get it? Can’t they see it? It’s so obvious to me, it must be obvious to others. As managers, we cannot take for granted the experiences of those around us and the foundation for the decisions that they make.

It is common to hear conversations in which details of the mistakes others are making in their lives are being discussed. Criticism can be so pompous and so easy to dole out. If you think about it, the only way we could have these opinions of others is if we have personally experienced a similar situation. If this is true, how can we possibly be critical?

A great example is in the decisions of the heart made by those we love. A common dialogue might include, “This person is simply not right for them. They have to open their eyes, I just don’t want them to get hurt. Don’t they see what they are getting into, they deserve so much more…” and on and on.

We are all experts only because we have a much clearer vision from having made the same mistakes. Yet there truly are no mistakes, only learning exercises. In all likelihood, I would not have found the love of my life had I not built a foundation of past experience to recognize it. We still try to protect others from similar pain. We never listened, why would they?

Having recognized this, its application for management is very similar.
It is time to throw away criticism, a condescending attitude, and an all-knowing approach to business. We don’t have all the answers. If we did, they would not apply in all instances and for all individuals.

Each person’s experience and personal make up allows for as many different approaches to an objective. For example, I attended a sales meeting where the individual making the presentation took a startlingly different approach to the subject at hand. I would never have considered using the manner and thought process chosen by this speaker. I decided to simply sit back and watch the presentation play itself out.

In the end, the meeting was a great success, with a conclusion far better than I anticipated. I left feeling honored to have watched it unfold. I was a member of the right team! Gee, I love it when my all-knowing approach has been shattered. If there is always another way, then there will always be a better way!

These experiences consistently remind me to take a much more objective approach to most situations. We all have confidence in doing things “our way.” We must remember to leave space for those we manage in support of “their way.” Our own management experience, and our foundation for future decisions, depend on it!

ACKNOWLEDGING EXPERIENCE

As a teenager, do you remember thinking your parents were nuts? Some of us might even have concluded that adults didn’t understand, didn’t live in the real world, and were over-protective. With the experiences that brought us to adulthood (and our own set of close calls), their decisions now seem to be miraculously on target (most of the time) and in our best interest. Have you ever uttered a dreaded phrase used in similar situations by your own parents? It’s frightening. Yes, those in an experienced position may, on occasion, have a good idea.

Obviously, our single desire is to make only good decisions. Will our life experience allow this desire to always come true? Never. Our frame of reference is developed from our personal experiences, and those we share through others. Seldom will we listen to others and fully understand, let alone be wholly guided by, their perspective. Human nature suggests we have to find our own way. With this thought in mind, we can never hold others accountable to our own current frame of reference.

I recently heard a quote that applies exceedingly well to this topic. “We did then what we knew how to do. With what we know now, we can do better.” Oprah Winfrey

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2009. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Volume XXXXVI

Dear Manager,

With the evolution of how businesses and consumers manage their lives in the years to come, what is our future? The lessons of the past suggest there will continue to be major changes in how we analyze and manage the marketplace. With the sheer speed of communications, I am convinced our evolution has picked up its pace dramatically. As we look back five years from now, we will either have adapted well, or will no longer be involved in our current career.

My father was in sales for many years. I remember him being on the road for weeks at a time. I now know how difficult this time in his life was. In the 1950’s and 60’s it was very common for factories to ask their salespeople to cover a number of states. Dad was asked to cover all or part of seven western states. This meant weeks on the road in non-air conditioned cars and motels, many small towns, small diners, and most evenings devoted to the day’s paper work. Manually maintained ledger books were the only accepted form of accounting for one’s sales and expenses.

Perhaps these were simpler times than we know today. There is no question in my mind we have the opportunities to work smarter. Dad provided very well for his family. He did what he knew how to do, and did the very best job he could. Most individuals are a direct reflection of their parents, and he emulated the work ethic of his father. Would he have enjoyed a much smaller territory, more time with his family, and the many advantages we enjoy today? Without question. The very last thing I wanted to be when I grew up was a salesman!

When I was in college I developed a product that was (I thought) perfect for gift and craft stores. Since the only one interested in selling the product turned out to be me, I hit the road. Did I mention that I never wanted to be in sales? The early years took me to five states. In order to make the trips more profitable, I began to represent multiple lines. At that time, factories had very little territory data available. “Simply do the best you can” was a common form of goal-setting, and success was measured by “Oh, by the way, how are your sales?” It was much easier to please in those years!

TODAY

Our sales regions are, in most cases, much smaller than in those years. With the metro areas supporting multiple associates, travel, expenses, and nights away from family have been dramatically reduced. I continue to have a great deal of respect for those individuals who need to spend weeks on the road in rural areas. These individuals are the true sales warriors. Many metro area associates have no clue of the demands of selling in these regions.

If productivity has grown significantly over the years, so has documented accountability. Computers have provided us with near instantaneous answers to questions that were not even thought of in the past. There is no longer any place to conceal a challenged territory, or a performer inconsistent with their peers. The information is right before our eyes. Sales management is one of the largest beneficiaries of technology. There is no place to hide.

This new information demands that we look differently at our day. Productivity is now quantified. Revenue Producing Hours, RPH, hold our current and future success. With so many priorities in our lives, discipline relating to RPH is crucial. As sales people, we must protect these hours in each of our days. The one area that has neither changed from the past, nor is likely to change in the future, is the number of Revenue Producing Hours, on a daily basis. In very real terms, we are being asked to squeeze more juice from the same size orange. This can only be accomplished through our ability to manage time very, very well, in order to achieve greater results. The key for all of us is to create a plan, rather than to simply accept additional stress.

TOMORROW

I’m sure you have noticed that the technological train is headed down the track at full throttle. There is no stopping it now! Are you going to be blown away by the vapors, or do you have reservations at the next stop? If this is the only question, then there is only one option. Don’t hesitate or delay, as seats may be limited!

If you have been sitting on the sidelines, hoping that the train would derail, then you had better make plans for a new career. Technology will play a critical part in your future, period. What would our current business lives be without the advantages of a cell phone, blackberries, and specialized computer programming; let alone the internet? Even those who have been slow to become fully computer literate they too have enjoyed huge benefits from those who are! If you remember how the last power outage crippled your ability to communicate and process information, then you can begin to understand how dramatic the changes will be in the next ten years.

Will technology herald the end of the field salesperson? Will products be bought and sold from monstrous web pages? Will reorders simply be placed electronically? At some level, all of the above will become reality! In fact, it is reality for some industries today.

At all levels, technology will demand greater skills from the seasoned sales professional. There is no question that personal and professional contact are critical to the sales equation. Sales are increased by 30% to 50% when conducted face-to-face. I believe that professional individuals will continue to flourish as technology continues to mature. Problem solving and the “the personal touch” cannot be replaced by technology. Hold on tight to these skills.

Today’s “order takers” are the dinosaurs of tomorrow. Those who are unable to take ownership of their sales region, manage their RPH effectively, and consistently drive to expand their business will no longer be needed. It will simply become more efficient and cost effective for customers to work with outsourced professional techno-marketers in the cyber-world.

The actual writing of orders in the field is currently the area of greatest transition. Many industries have already adopted the use of electronic means to develop and transmit their orders. By comparison, current options make past applications remind us of a telephone made from two cans and a long string.

With much more capable portable computers, catalogs as we know them will be gone. Orders will be entered on the computer screen. Need a different angle on a specific product? Allow me to enlarge and turn. How many do you need? No problem, I’ve placed that quantity on hold for you. In fact, your credit has been approved and your order is being printed. It will be in our warehouse for packing this afternoon and shipment in the morning. No delays, fewer mistakes, and greater opportunity for reorders due to a much quicker turn around. Imagine the immediacy of new introductions – simply wake up to them on line. Backorders will no longer exist. Efficiencies in our factories and warehouses will meet unheard-of expectations.

Oh yes, expectations. As these advantages continue to become “the norm,” they will inevitably all be taken for granted. The competitive edge in American business is about to take a major shift. Product innovation and development, the foundation of business as we know it, will take a back seat to instantaneous convenience and service at levels we cannot even begin to currently understand.

My greatest concern is for the survival of the creative, mom-and-pop start-up operations. They are the foundation for some of the best aspects of our lives. It will be exceedingly difficult for these businesses to compete with the speed and convenience of the “tech guys.”

I hope you have enjoyed this retrospective and crystal ball. Our future has never been quite so clear. We are collectively well beyond the “when,” and thundering down the track to “now.”

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2009. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM

Vol. XXXXV

Dear Manager,

To paraphrase a recent statement by baseballs Sparky Anderson, “The only meaningful identity we have in life is that of our integrity. We are all born with it, but only a few will leave this world with it.” We have grown up with the understanding that one’s identity or title is exceedingly meaningful. If this is true, to whom should it be meaningful – the individual, or those with whom they come in contact? This is where things begin to blur. Could this be where some American politicians have compromised their fundamental sense of values? It is the clear contrast of substance versus form.

The greatest individuals I have known have all lived a very simple life; a great deal more substance, a whole lot less form. They enjoyed great success, managing to keep the playful aspects of life, and their identity, in proper balance. I feel so fortunate to have been shown their contrast, their depth, and their compelling sense of priority in simply “doing what is right.”

These individuals rarely live “in the now.” They are in a constant thought process and actual transition relating to their evolution. They watch, with a bit of humor, those individuals who are leveraged into their master identity. This letter was inspired by their teachings. It is dedicated to their meaningful legacy of substance.

We all have many identities. Most we develop over time, others come our way through decisions we have made. Our center stage is usually devoted to where we have found success or what the majority of our waking hours employ. The balance of our identities seem to take a subservient role to their master.

We have all noticed that, for some, their primary identity consumes them. Similar to an actor who assumes their stage role in real life, all waking hours are devoted to their personal identity. These individuals may come dangerously close to losing touch with their own reality. The phrase, “Get a life.” was coined for these individuals! Take them out of their dominant identity, and there is truly nothing left. This is the risk we all take if the balance of power shifts to a single and dominant focus.

There is a tendency to take one’s own perception too seriously. Certainly, what’s most important to me in my waking hours will be of much less importance to anyone else, and vice versa. Each of us has our own priorities, interests, triumphs and challenges. No one else can possibly feel our pain, or be expected to.

Our identities included, we can all be replaced. Our legacy in life can never be defined by our identity. There is great irony in the belief that upon our passing, our master identities will in some way carry us to the golden gates. This is how truly ridiculous individuals can become. Have you ever seen a peacock strut with its feathers on full display? Have we become confused with “what we do” as compared to “who we are?”

For years, business and management has been selling the virtues of creating an identity through the “Title Game.” How many Buyers or Assistant Buyers are there at the local department store? How many Vice Presidents does one Bank or Corporation truly need?! In many instances, these identities have been granted as an alternative to compensation. A title can also be a golden hand cuff. How much is a title worth? Advertise a title, and watch humanity come knocking on your door.

This phenomenon is not unique to the business world. We’ve all read the letters in advice columns from parents who have just sent their youngest child off to college. After so many years of complete focus and devotion, their identity is now seriously challenged. Their self-worth has taken a serious hit, their anguish is genuine, and they are desperately seeking help in re-defining themselves.

If we rely on others, or in our stature in life to define us, when it no longer exists, we have no definition! Wayne Dyer, a renowned psychologist and writer once said, “If we define ourselves by the feeling and outlook of others, I should be focusing my counseling on them … so that you can feel better!”

We spend our lives developing our identities. As our life evolves, so will each of the identities we choose to assume. One’s career, marriage, children, retirement, and death are considered to be the five most dominant stages in one’s adult life. If we can be consumed by a single identity, what happens when the inevitable and ultimate change in our life’s description takes place?

Much of our identity comes from our chosen profession. Our first stages in life seem to be in total preparation for the career we are to develop. At what time do we begin to prepare for our next transition? Our work ethic has taught us to work until we no longer can. How can anyone possibly maintain a professional identity once they are no longer working? And yet, are we not all working for a reason: for a better life now, and in the future? Is there not a means to an end? There must be a life of even greater significance and a few more simple pleasures.

Society has taught all of us the Work Game: Our only value to society is through our productivity in the work force. Continued growth through ownership is essential to maintaining our stature and identities. My point is not that we shouldn’t enjoy the abundance in our lives. The question becomes, when does the need for continued expansion of possessions end?

Why do so many work into their seventies and beyond? In the absence of a sincere desire to continue one’s career, one of two reasons typically apply: poor preparation for their later years, or a serious lack of personal distinction outside of their current master professional identity. We have all heard of individuals who, once retired, felt a tremendous lack of purpose, became ill and quietly passed away. These individuals worked very hard, for many, many years. For what?

How can we possibly maintain our identify through others or through “what we do?” All aspects of life are temporary. Children, job descriptions, one’s title and current identity are all temporary by definition!

PRIDE IN OWNERSHIP

I believe this to be the ultimate oxymoron. What do we truly own? Every possible aspect of ownership is temporary. What we have will be sold or passed along to others. There is no aspect of perceived or material ownership that can transition our current life span. The only aspect of life for which we can take ownership is our feelings, our integrity, our spirit and our substance. Only these aspects of life will survive us.

The first challenge for all of us is to not take our identities quite so seriously. Balance relating to all of our identities provides us with flexibility, opportunity and future growth. With our last breath, no one will truly care about our job description. What will carry on is the spirit that was brought to the lives of others and the integrity with which we lived our lives. All other aspects of our current identity seem to shallow and to be very small by comparison.

Personal Regards,

Keenan

INTERPERSONAL© is published by INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM, Keenan Longcor, Editor, ©2009. Duplication of this publication is permitted for both personal and business use. Excerpts may only be quoted with acknowledgment of INTERPERSONAL/INTERPERSONALBIZ.ORG as the source. For re-publication rights, please contact the editor at KEENAN@INTERPERSONALBIZ.COM