Ole Carlson

Incumbency is an erroneous strategy with your customers in today’s world markets.
Relying upon what worked for you yesterday with your customers, employees, service providers, suppliers and others may not serve you justly as well today or in the near future. Conditions can change overnight dramatically. Just because you were favored yesterday by someone does not guarantee that you will be today. It’s fickle out there. Be aware!
You must be willing to deconstruct and reconstruct continually and consistently what you are doing in the organization, including your time worn leadership style. Examine objectively what you are doing; why you are doing it and question yourself is it still working according to expectations. Most organizations engage in those investigative activities when they discover there is an internal (slow receivables) or external (worst recession in eighty years) problem. The reactive approach is most often too little and much too late. Head off the disaster before the ensuing storm hits stressing the organization into terminal paralysis or rapidly making an ill-considered decision. The last nine words of any decaying organization is, “this is the way we have always done it.” Do not fall in love or become totally enamored with yourself when things are going good and the tide is raising all yachts.
It is best to audit the organization in times of strength not when you are wounded, have a shifting, unstable landscape beneath your feet or have your employees looking over their shoulder wondering if they are next to visit the HR director’s to discuss the latest severance package. Success often hides and disguises weaknesses and as soon as the organization experiences explicit severe pain the fault lines become obvious and difficult to overcome. Habitually deconstruct and reconstruct all elements of the organization and you will head off balance sheet threatening difficulties.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011

The last 2-days I was fortunate to spend time learning from the world acclaimed TEC Speaker Ole Carlson.

He is widely recognized as a true leader of leaders, Ole has served as a CEO coach, group facilitator and corporate trainer for TEC/Vistage, Inc, the world's largest CEO membership organization. Nearly two decades of experience working with business leaders at the highest levels have given him remarkable insights into what makes people and businesses work.

Ole has been so effective in this area, that he was honored as one of the Top 5 Speakers in the history of TEC/Vistage International at the Vistage International 50th Anniversary Celebration.

In his latest book "Aspire" he shows us how we all allow our internal filters to prevent us from creating what we really want out of both our professional and personal lives. In "Aspire", Ole helps us break that pattern and outlines a positive plan for those who want more - more time, more money, more life.

Here is a link to Aspire...I suggest you buy it.
www.influencemany.com

Incumbency is a bad strategy with your customers in today’s world markets.
Relying upon what worked for you yesterday with your customers, employees, service providers, suppliers and others may not serve you well today or in the near future. Conditions can change overnight dramatically. Just because you were favored yesterday by someone does not guarantee that you will be today. It’s fickle out there. Be aware!
You must be willing to deconstruct and reconstruct continually and consistently what you are doing in the organization, even your leadership style. Examine what you are doing, why you are doing it and ask yourself is it still working according to expectations. Most organizations engage in those investigative activities when they discover there is an internal (slow receivables) or external (worst recession in eighty years) problem. That approach is often too late and too little. Head off the disaster before the storm hits stressing the organization into terminal paralysis. The last nine words of any decaying organization is, “this is the way we have always done it.” Do not fall in love with yourself!
It is best to audit the organization in times of strength not when you are wounded and have a shifting landscape beneath your feet. Success often hides weaknesses and as soon as the organization experiences explicit pain the weaknesses become obvious and difficult to overcome. Habitually deconstruct and reconstruct all elements of the organization and you will head off balance sheet threatening difficulties.

Trust your gut when making decisions especially about people.
I wish that I had a dollar for every time that I heard a leader say, “I wish that I just would have trusted my gut on that decision.” If I had, I suspect that I would have made a considerable deposit over time into my bank account. Leaders can often over analyze a situation and remain paralyzed into non-activity or making the choice that goes against what they deep inside know to be true and right. It is not our “gut” that is telling us what to do, but something much greater. Call it what you want; insight, intuition, a deity speaking to you, inkling, supreme wisdom, higher self or whatever you like. What I am talking about is a resource that is at our disposal under most normal conditions. Whatever it is, it is wise and can circumvent all the procrastination and continual gathering of more information looking for the magic potion and just the right time prior to pulling the trigger on an important decision.

I’m not suggesting that you eliminate all other sources to assist you in making that choice. That would be foolish and irresponsible. What I’m suggesting is that you include your “gut” in the decision making process and weigh it at a minimum equal to or above the more cognitive approach. Once you get used to trusting that source, the more active and influential it becomes. Shut it off completely and it fades into the background and eventually may disappear from lack of use.

It takes faith, courage and an elevated view of the Universe to rely upon your “gut” when making critical decisions. You have become successful in what you are doing by using all three. Please continue.

People are your most valuable asset. Invest in them as you would invest in any tangible capital assets.
The most effective strategy for consistent retention and continuation of an existing and future flow of talent (aka rock stars) into your organization is to engage them in a continual and authentic conversation. That’s a high return investment. My dentist told me to just floss the teeth that I wanted to keep and the same applies to keeping your high performers. Real conversations are your version of flossing, therefore “converse” them regularly with intention, sincerity, focus and authenticity. Otherwise, you’ll witness the gradual and then sudden decay of what you are attempting to preserve and grow.

Be IN the conversation with your winners. Not OF the conversation, not ABOVE or BELOW the conversation, not OBSERVING the conversation, not BESIDE the conversation, not when the conversation is CONVENIENT to you, but directly IN the conversation with all physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual facilities operating at 110%.

You leadership role is to listen with every communication mechanism and sub-atomic particle available to you (aka eye contact, leaning forward, open arm position, and other physical and emotional signs that signal that you’re available). Stop preparing to talk. You can’t listen and prepare to talk simultaneously. It’s impossible. Stay in the moment. Be here and now and in no other place.

You need to listen FOR what’s not being said. Listen for what you don’t want to hear, for what makes you uncomfortable and may contribute to your current stress level. Listen for what’s outside of your view, for clues of disengagement from you and your balance sheet, for what are the present and future needs of your talent. Invest in them as they have invested in you. Invest with your ears, not with your mouth.

Stay in the conversation with your winners until death or a better opportunity for them or you do you part. When the separation occurs bless and congratulate them and yourself for a courageous decisions. Do not burn a bridge, scorch the earth or litter the sometimes-painful path between you and them with anger, indignity or ego.

Most rock stars (aka high performers) will leave you or you’ll leave them relative to what you and they are passionate or strategic about. You’re sitting in the seat that they aspire to. You may see a better future somewhere else for yourself. Remember, accept what you can’t change, change what you can and understand the difference between the two. Possibly you and the departing talent may become future customers, suppliers or a buyer of your company. They may return to the familiar fold of your current enterprise. It boils down to either creating a short-term win resulting in a long-term loss or a short-term loss resulting in a long-term win. Be accountable and do the right thing for all involved in creating the future that you and they desire and deserve.

Never make a promise that you can’t or are unwilling to keep.
If you don’t keep your promises, you’ll destroy or erode any trust that was at one time a potential outcome between you and with who you made the promise to. People who don’t trust you will seldom tell you the truth, the real truth with a capital “T”. Subsequently, you’ll waste your time and money solving the wrong problems and be a witness to the eventual erosion of your corporate balance sheet, P & L, vision, mission, values and personal net worth. Be a promise keeper not a promise breaker! It’s your choice. You have the authority, but they have the power. Remember that.

Do you realize that most of the obstacles that confront U R only obstacles created by your mind. Change your thinking & the obstacles leave.

On the road again to Birmingham, Alabama! Love it!

WA DC and Breckenridge, CO next week to do speaking to Vistage groups and spouses. Going to enjoy my "home time" as the heat settles down.