tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25327053936058171412024-03-08T03:06:47.414-08:00Strategic LeadershipDr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-37143300239925152582010-01-08T07:27:00.000-08:002010-01-08T07:29:12.783-08:00Where is this Country's Integrity -- The Navy SealsMedia sensationalism can have a dramatic impact on public opinion. It’s often times hard to ignore. Think about the Tiger Woods incident or what American Idol’s Adam Lambert, who Tracy used to adore, that performed his perverted sexual imitation on stage at the American Music Awards. Then there are the White House party crashers; the media just can’t seem to get enough of these stories that really have nothing to do with the substance of society except that they demonstrate how low we have sunk. The major news papers and most of the television news channels just can’t get enough of “Balloon Boy”, “The Octamom”, Tiger’s Sex Life”, “The Health Care Fiasco” and many other non sense stories and yet one of the most devastating- patriotism destroying morale destroying decisio ns of the century is getting very little coverage.<br /> <br />I’m talking about the impending court marshal of three Navy Seals for allegedly punching a terrorist in the mouth and giving him a bloody lip. This isn’t just some terrorist. It is the terrorist that masterminded the slaughter of four Americans, burned their bodies, drug them through the streets of Fallujah and hung them on a bridge. These three Seals are brave soldiers and should be commended for the capture of this mad man. Instead Mathew McCabe, Jonathon Keefe and Julio Huertas face a court marshal instead of receiving a heroism medal.<br /><br />This story should be on the nightly news across the nation. It is a horrific act against the moral fiber of our soldiers and the sacrifice they make to keep us safe. Instead, short of Fox News, nobody is talking about it in prime time. Instead we hear about the part crashers and balloon boy for crying out loud. Where is our integrity?<br /> <br /> I really don’t want to believe that our main stream media has an agenda. I really want to believe that we still cherish freedom of the press. But I have to ask myself, “What the Hell is going on?” As a former military person my heart goes out to these Seals and to every other former military person that is wondering the same thing I am wondering; whose side is this country’s media on? Whose side is this country on?<br /> <br />If I were still in the military I might just have second thoughts on when to pull the trigger; on whether to capture or kill; a decision that could get me killed. Just how do our young fighting men handle this? Will they lose confidence in our leadership? Will they lose confidence in our country?<br /> <br />Just how do we defend taking the word of a terrorist killer over three honorable Seals about a simple bloody lip? I got worse than that in boot camp for bouncing while I marched. We are at War – it’s high time somebody told the leaders of this country that. Better yet, why don’t we give them a gun and let them spend some time on the front lines in Afghanistan or Yemen. Even better, lets invite every investigative reporter from the major news media to be their point men.<br /><br />www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com. Don’t forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can help you put more profit into your business.<br /> <br />And check out Rick’s new CD and workbook Real World Leadership Kit --- “Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow”<br />http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.htmlDr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-80689661461079594522009-10-20T14:48:00.000-07:002009-10-20T14:49:26.704-07:00Three Ways to Create ImprovementsOff the Cuff --- Three Ways to Create Improvements<br /> <br />#1. Best Practice - Simply stated, “best practices” are business operations that are commonly used by financially successful companies. The identification and study of best practices is now widespread and has contributed to significant operational improvements in many industries. This powerful tool originated from a simple, almost obvious premise: at some level, most business organizations do the same things. Therefore, by examining those organizations that do these common processes extremely well, we can quickly find ways to improve our own business. Significantly, best practices offer a way to learn from any organization in any industry, provided that both organizations share a “common process.” Here are some guidelines to using best practices effectively:<br /> <br />• Remember that they are only correlated with good performance – be sure to use them as ideas for solutions rather than relying on them to fix problems that are specific to your company. <br />• Good sources for best practices include the industry press, trade associations, peers in other markets, information from suppliers and customers, and general business literature. <br />• Never blindly adopt a practice, even from a direct competitor, until you know exactly how it will work in your organization. <br /> <br />#2. Streamlining (Process Reengineering) can often help you discover process improvements. Streamlining refers to the act of removing steps and time from business processes. Because time usually equates to money, streamlining can often lead to significant bottom line improvements. The following are a summary of these principles:<br /> <br />• Document the way the process really happens, not the way it should happen. <br />• Evaluate every step in a process to see if it is really necessary. <br />• Avoid unnecessary hand-offs between people. This is typically a large source of error. <br />• When in doubt choose error reduction over speed. It is estimated that over 25% of the labor cost in the distribution industry is involved in correcting errors.<br />• Attempt to do steps in parallel (at the same time) rather than sequentially. <br />• Reduce variability processing time – even if all steps have the same average processing time, variability will always reduce overall throughput. <br /> <br />#3. Benchmarking is a simple concept that is too often overlooked. Tremendous insight and problem solving ideas can be generated solely by observing how someone else runs a similar business to yours. Benchmarking involves searching for the best way to perform specific tasks in all functional areas. It is all about trying to become the best of the best and employ best practices that can generally be observed at those companies that perform in the upper quartile of performance.<br /> <br /> However, benchmarking can be valuable regardless of how the company you are benchmarking performs. Even observing less than effective functional performance can teach us something and may in fact validate the things that you are doing right. Of course, benchmarking top performing companies is the ideal situation. Looking for companies that use different methods in accounting, customer service, sales, marketing, operations and inventory management can provide tremendous opportunity to evaluate your own processes and procedures for improvement methodology. <br /> <br />There are basically four types of benchmarking.<br /> <br />1. Intercompany Benchmarking – This process analyzes the top performance in key functional areas and looks at applying it to other functional areas. <br /> <br />2. Competitive Company Benchmarking – This is the study of a friendly competitor that allows you to come into their business and observe their practices. Generally this can be done with competitors that are not in your geographical service area. Keep in mind, it involves quid – pro – quo by allowing that competitor to observe your practices as well.<br /> <br />3. Similar Company Benchmarking – This is simply observing a company that is not a competitor but may be in a similar or related business. Although products may be different, systems, process and practices are often the same. This can provide insight for improvements in your business.<br /> <br />4. Functional Benchmarking – This type of benchmarking focuses more on a specific function such as “inventory management” among any and all companies anywhere that may be willing to allow you to observe and learn. The key is searching for the very best methods to excel in that particular functional area.<br /> <br />Benchmarking goals should be centered on making your company the absolute best it can be based on the top performance of other companies. Focus on targeting newer companies in your industry. Older companies often have an innate resistance to change, new ideas and new technology.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-51587690247964084942009-10-04T18:20:00.000-07:002009-10-04T18:23:31.955-07:00On the Lighter Side ………… Washington, DC and “The Freedom March”<br />Tracy and I spent a five days in Washington, DC this month and had a terrific time. One of the highlights of our trip was a four hour Segway tour of the city. It only took about twenty minutes to learn how to ride these things. They were an absolute blast. Tracy rode hers like she was Mario Andretti and was constantly in the lead of our group of ten. I was much more conservative and seemed to linger at the rear of the pack. We also toured all the monuments at night with the most impressive one being the Korean War Monument. Standing there looking at a number of statues of our soldiers coming out of the woods at dusk was an eerie feeling; a feeling that made you proud of our veterans, proud of our current soldiers serving in Iraq and Afganistan and proud to be an American. <br /><br />The Vietnam memorial brought back many memories and the WWII memorial made me think of my Dad that served as a navigator on a B-29. <br /><br />We also went to several of the Smithsonians but you actually need several days to really take advantage of the many divisions of this wonderful and education institution. We also visited the spy museum which was quite interesting. <br /><br />When we first arrived in DC we weren’t very experienced at using the subway system and I almost lost Tracy. I don’t know how many of you remember the Kingston Trio but there song the “M.T.A.” about a subway system almost became reality for Tracy. The chorus to their hit went like this:<br /><br />“Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and his fate is still unknown. <br />He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston. He's the man who never returned. <br /><br />Charlie handed in his dime at the Kendall Square Station and he changed for Jamaica Plain. <br />When he got there the conductor told him, "One more nickel." Charlie couldn't get off of that train. <br /><br />Now, all night long Charlie rides through the station, crying, "What will become of me?!! <br />How can I afford to see my sister in Chelsea or my cousin in Rocksbury?" <br /><br />Charlie's wife goes down to the Sculley Square Station every day at quarter past two, <br />and through the open window she hands Charlie a sandwich as the train comes rumblin' through. <br /><br />Well, did he ever return? No, he never returned and his fate is still unknown. <br />He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston. He's the man who never returned. He's the man who never returned.”<br /><br /> Let me explain. The first time we rode the train we entered the station and I purchased two tickets. We didn’t realize that we needed these tickets to get out of the station. Fortunately we didn’t throw them away before we reached our destination. Unfortunately, I purchased a five dollar ticket for myself but only had two ones and bought Tracy’s ticket with those two bills. When we reached our destination, the turnstile wouldn’t allow Tracy to exit. You would have thought that she was being kidnapped by the look on her face. She kept crying out for my help but there wasn’t much I could do (except laugh). I tried to tell her to jump over the railing but she absolutely refused to do that. If she would have she probably would have been arrested and I would have had a real story to tell.<br /><br />I was already through the turnstile and Tracy was in a panic screaming at me that she was stuck. I couldn’t help myself and busted out laughing at the way she was acting. The more I laughed the madder she got. We just couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Finally a station attendent approached her and told she had to go over to the machine and purchase another ticket because she was fifty cents short. Once she escaped, (after she punched me), she was okay and we had a great time the rest of the day. She didn’t appreciate the humor in me singing the lyrics to that Kingston Trio song the rest of the day however.<br /><br />The Freedom March<br /><br />Yes, I’ll admit it. Tracy and I Went to DC while the 9-12-09 Freedom March was taking place. Many people equated this march to the war protests and other demonstrations. But, it wasn’t anything like many of those protests. The news media has reported different statistics as to how many people attended this “Freedom Rally” from 10’s of thousands to 1.4 million people. I believe there were at least a million people there. What is absolutely amazing is the fact that there no incidents of violence and this crowd of a million left the place as clean as it was s when they arrived. I was astounded to observe everyone bringing their own trash bags and cleaning up the mess before they left. As for the people that attended this rally, they were everyday people. Moms and Dads and a lot of families were there. At least twelve hundred Doctors showed up for their own special press conference. There were no angry mobsters, no evil mongers, no racists and every one there was a true American interested in protecting their personal views about the freedoms established by our constitution. <br /><br />This rally wasn’t just about health care reform. It was about Government spending, Government control, Cap & Trade, the deficit, unemployment, the recession and health care reform. The crowd wasn’t about being Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian or any other political party. The people were simply Americans expressing their concerns about the current political environment in Washington. There primary objective was to let their Senators and Congressman know how they feel and that they are concerned. This was a historic event and an incredible site. We were glad we were there to witness it.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-9922281425992103542009-09-24T14:06:00.000-07:002009-09-24T14:08:00.980-07:00On the Lighter Side…………. Michael – Farah & Your Legacy<br /><br />Do you remember where you were when John F. Kennedy died? I was in a social studies class as a senior. I would bet that the majority of readers know exactly where they were and what they were doing even though it happened in 1964; how about last week when Michael Jackson passed; a tragic event for sure. Michael was a great talent and nobody can take that away from him regardless of the fact that he did some strange things in his life.<br /><br />Death and tragedy like the events of 9-11 have a way of putting permanent marks on our memories if not our souls. We never forget. I’ll always remember the day I found out my Dad passed away even though I was only nine years old and hadn’t seen him since I was five and what I was doing when my mother passed. Death and tragedy just seem mark our memories with permanent ink. Their legacy often lives on long after their passing.<br /><br />Everyone, regardless of our status in life, leave some sort of legacy behind. Michael Jackson’s legacy has yet to be completely defined but certainly part of it is going to be about his talent and how he touched millions and part will probably encapsulate some of his weirdness. <br /><br />I prefer to remember him for his great talents. So, what do you want your legacy to say about you? I’ve posed that question to countless CEOs and Presidents --- “What exactly do you want your legacy to be?”<br /><br /> I have been impressed with how many have really put some thought into that question. However, I have been equally disappointed in how many CEOs, Presidents and owners have really never given it much thought. Speaking from my personal experience and my own deep seeded feelings regarding what I would like to be known for, recognized for and thought of as I go down that retirement pathway and even that final walk in my life, I have began keeping a journal. I believe our legacy is not only defined by what we accomplish in life but more importantly it is defined by how we live our life and by how much we give back in the way we treat our fellow human beings. <br />Maybe the fact that some famous people have recently left us can inspire you to start thinking seriously about what your legacy is going to be. It sure has made me stop and revisit my goals, motivations and objectives in life.<br /><br />I believe this journal I have been keeping will not only chronicle my own personal story; my successes, my defeats, my challenges, my GOALS and DREAMS, my own ideas and thoughts but I believe this journal will help me maintain focus and priority on my personal legacy. It will become something my family can review now and into the future. I am hoping it can become one of the more priceless collections for the family as the years roll on.<br /><br />It doesn’t matter if you are thirty years old or if you’re older than sixty. Creating your own journal can do wonders for your effectiveness as a leader. It will help you put things in perspective. It will allow you to create focus, purpose and clarity of vision.<br />No matter how old you are; learning of Michael’s death, Farah’s death and even the death of famous pitch man Billy Mays paints a clear picture of how little control we have over life and death. People die every day and the older you get the more you realize how short life is.<br />Don’t squander the opportunity to work on your personal legacy. Start doing something now that is proactive. You don’t have to keep a journal as I suggest; but do something before it’s too late. Life is short. <br />Create a bucket list. A list of things you absolutely want to accomplish before you leave this world. It is now a perfect time to begin to think about and document what you want your legacy to be. It will help you put things in perspective; it will add serenity to your family life that will help you maintain balance. It could help you define who you are.<br />Don’t leave this world with an incomplete list. Don’t leave this world with unfulfilled dreams. Don’t leave this world without a legacy that your family and friends can be proud of. The pursuit of your legacy is the chase of your lifetime. It is never too late to become what you want to become. Start doing it now. Time may be running out.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-78363486375051343452009-09-02T13:24:00.000-07:002009-09-02T13:25:22.999-07:00Developing Your Management TeamDeveloping Your Management Team<br /><br />Winning organizations continuously build leaders at every level in their organization. Leaders who actively attempt to mentor and build other leaders gain respect throughout the organization and transfer knowledge, ideas, values and attitude about success. Your management team must have the following attributes. They must:<br /><br />• Demonstrate a sense of urgency<br />• Project and articulate the vision<br />• Create stretch goals<br />• Develop trust and a spirit of teamwork<br />• Develop realistic expectations for success<br />• Promote an environment of success, trust and belief<br /><br />Your management team must have an edge. They must be courageous enough to take risk and have an unrelenting readiness to act. Popularity is not a requirement but the ability to generate respect from the employees is without a doubt one of the most critical attributes. They must be relentless in their efforts, unconscious about personal sacrifice of their time and the willingness to go beyond normal expectations. Tough decisions are commonplace; uncharted territories will be the norm. Honesty and impeccable character is a must. Being decisive, doing the right thing, setting clear objectives, motivating and inspiring employees and creating a sense of urgency are challenges that must be met by all members of the management team. Every single member of your management team has to make a difference. It’s the price to play the game. It’s part of the rules. Don’t pay, don’t play, it’s as simple as that. You are not in a position to be overly patient with team members that can’t “Bump Bellies and Grunt” to get things done in such a way that they command the respect of your employees. <br /><br /><br />Check out Rick’s new CD and workbook Real World Leadership Kit --- “Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow”<br />http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html <br />www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com. Don’t forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can help you put more profit into your business.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-31045424518470683672009-08-17T17:39:00.000-07:002009-08-17T17:40:08.571-07:00"Nothing endures but change”“Nothing endures but change” - Heraclitus-540 B.C.<br /><br />What we are facing (economic turbulence) is not at all unprecedented. Simply put, there are good times when things are going well and it’s easy to make money, and there are bad times, when it’s much more difficult to make money. Prior to 2008 we had a run of good times that exceeded most of our expectations. I have often said that it didn’t take a genius to make money during that run. However, “Profit covers many sins.” That means that many of us got a little complacent. Maybe we didn’t quite run our business following absolute best practice. Maybe some of us overlooked less than the best performance expected from our employees. Maybe we were a little too compassionate regarding employee effectiveness and as a result we haven’t “weeded the garden” to allow our good employees to flourish. <br />A historic shift must be created by you and your executive team. Employee morale and buy-in must increase every day. Don’t forget the cardinal rule. “There is no room in your organization for loyal, yet incompetent people.” Gardening must become a way of life. Continuous pruning will keep you on track as your team rises or falls to the occasion. If an assessment of the company and your team was performed properly, pruning will be a non-issue. If you made mistakes, pruning will become an active initiative.<br /><br />Confidence in execution means you are on the winning side of turmoil and confusion. More importantly, you know what it takes to succeed in this economic environment. You now have the vehicle, the process, the initiative and the team to execute. Your leadership has provided the following:<br />• A clear plan with clarity of purpose and participation of the employees<br />• A raised bar with relevant accountability<br />• A definitive marketing and sales strategy<br />• Best practices and determination to reside in the upper quartile for performance once recovery is secure<br />• A measurement of success through activity management and customer satisfaction formally<br /><br />You are now in a position to execute your initiatives. You attacked your sales process first. The sales process is at the heart of your success. It is both complex and subjective because it deals with both customer management relationship activities and contingency-recovery initiatives.<br />You have asked and answered the following questions in creating your sales plan. You must take action based on those answers.<br />• What determines a profitable customer?<br />• What methods and processes do you use to identify customers?<br />• What is new in the external environment?<br />• What are your competitive advantages?<br />• What are your competitor’s competitive advantages?<br />• What are the methods used for gathering competitive intelligence?<br />• What changes have taken place externally or with your competitors that offer opportunity?<br />• What initiatives do you have to improve highest delivered value?<br />• What initiatives do you have to reach the goal of low cost provider?<br />• What types of customers and segments do you want to do business with?<br />• Who decides what customers you target?<br />• What types of customers are the most profitable?<br />• Have you identified target markets?<br />• How do your sales representatives spend their time?<br />• How often do you plan formal business reviews to compare expectations to results?<br />• How do you measure costs?<br />• Who reviews and is responsible for customer profitability?<br />• How do you measure customer retention?<br />• How do you track lost business and lost customers?<br />• How do you determine which customers to fire?<br />• How do you prospect?<br />• How do you identify critical success factors?<br />• How many and which customers represent 80% of your revenue, your profit?<br />• Has your average order size increased or decreased?<br />• What single thing has the biggest impact on your profitability?<br />• What are your competitive strengths?<br />• What volume does the top 10% of your customers represent?<br />• What do your sales representatives claim the key obstacles to their success are?<br />• What support could be added to your sales effort to increase revenue producing actions?<br />• What is your current market share?<br />• How do you measure growth?<br />• How do you maximize account penetration?<br />• What is the role of your inside sales staff?<br />• Do inside sales proactively solicit business?<br />• How do you define supplier performance?<br />• How do you forecast usage?<br />• How do you analyze your warehouse operations?<br />• What are your inventory turns?<br />• Do you measure your cash to cash cycle?<br />• What metrics are you using for supplier performance?<br />• Have you defined and analyzed your logistics initiatives?<br /><br />Check out Rick’s new CD series and workbook “Unlocking the Secrets to Amazing Sales” @ http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/unlocking-the-secrets-to-amazing-sales-incredible-profits.html It is a must addition for your sales training initiatives. Order today and get a bonus copy of Rick’s book “Turning Lone Wolves into Lead Wolves ----56 ideas to maximize sales.<br />www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com. Don’t forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can help you put more profit into your business.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-56293149990967857892009-07-02T13:30:00.001-07:002009-07-02T13:30:53.192-07:00Leadership -- Check Your Ego at the DoorLeadership ----Check Your Ego at the Door <br /><br />A leader’s role is to serve those people that report to him. He or she is not a dictator --- their ultimate role is to serve, to allow those people to achieve their goals. It’s a style that starts by asking: What do you want to accomplish, rather than telling them what you want them to accomplish.Effective leaders demonstrate a respect for employees recognizing their value as their most precious asset and the innovative use of planning and control systems demonstrates a unique ability to balance predictability with simplicity.<br /><br />Effective Leaders are consistent, explicit and concise and they command a presence when they walk into a room. But, they are not arrogant and ego driven. When they move on, others want to go with them. Their openness and honesty creates a legacy which people admire and look up to. They gain commitment and foster trust.<br />Check your EGO ---- Don’t be Arrogant ---- Follow these tips:<br />• If you start to believe you are special and nobody is as good as you, just look at the number of people in your industry, in your state, in your country. Then ask yourself how many of this grand total of people even know your name. Unless you’re Tom Cruise or Angelina Joline, chances are not many people really even know who you are let alone actually care how good you think you are.<br /> <br />• Arrogance is often just a mask that hides your personal self doubt. Try to figure out what is causing your insecurity and work on improving that area. But first you have to be honest with yourself.<br /> <br />• Speak clearly about other people in a positive sense. Make a special effort to ask questions concerning other people’s activities and lives. Take the “I” out of your vocabulary and only answer specific questions about yourself but keep your answer short, brief and to the point.<br /> <br />• Make it a point to listen at least twice as much as you talk.<br /> <br />• Model yourself after the most respected people in your industry. Note, I said respected not the most successful. Success does not necessarily mean respect. It depends on how success is achieved and how success is defined.<br /> <br /> <br />• Create a leadership survey and ask your peers and subordinates to actually rate your performance. E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com if you would like a template.<br /> <br />You are the only person that can affect a change in your thinking or your attitude. Your thoughts are powerful. They are energy. How you feel and how you act depends on your thoughts. Master your thoughts and you control your attitude. So how do you create a leadership model you can be proud of, one that speaks volumes about who you are and not what you accomplished? The answer begins by taking an inventory of your personal values. Your core beliefs and how you treat other people will speak volumes about who you are. It also reflects the size of your ego.<br />Check out Rick’s new CD and workbook Real World Leadership Kit --- “Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow”http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html<br /> <br />www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.comDr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-22065227049381868712009-04-10T18:57:00.000-07:002009-04-10T18:58:33.765-07:00The Arrogant State TrooperMarch was a pretty busy month. I had to spend time in Arizona, Canada, Chicago and Boca Raton Florida. It was on the trip to Boca Raton that Tracy and I encountered the Arrogant State Trooper.<br /><br />Boca Raton is about a four hour drive from The Villages where we live. I had an appointment scheduled for Friday and we intended to spend a couple of extra days in Boca since it is a beautiful area. On the drive down we stopped several times at a different Turnpike Oasis. On the second stop we both had to use the restroom pretty bad. As we entered the Oasis, we split up both in search of our respective restrooms. <br /><br />As I approached the “Men’s Room” I noticed that a trash cart was positioned in front of the door. My first thought was that the facility must be in the process of being cleaned. As I arrived at the opening to the restroom, I put my hand on the trash cart to look in. I wanted to ask the attendant how long it would be before I could use the facility. There were no signs indicating any reason for the cart being parked at the opening. <br /><br />No sooner had I placed my hand on the cart, that I heard this enormous roar from behind me.<br /><br />“Can’t you see that the toilet is out of order?”<br /> <br />I turned around and no farther than five feet from me stood a grey haired, pudgy, six foot two inch State Trooper staring at me with the meanest, ugliest glare that I haven’t seen since going to my last horror film when I was a teenager.<br /><br />“Excuse me”, I replied. “You don’t have to scream at me.”<br /><br />“I’ll do what I have to do,” he screamed again in the same arrogant obnoxious voice that he used the first time.<br /><br />“Look,” I said. “You don’t have to be disrespectful. There is no sign – Ya know.”<br /><br /> “I’ll do what I have to do. It should be obvious. Can’t you see the water on the floor,” He screamed at me again. This last roar caused me to lose my patience.”<br /><br />“Obvious”, I replied. “Water on the floor”, I asked inquisitively. “I thought maybe you just couldn’t hold it any longer. What should be obvious to you is the fact that just because you have a gun and a badge doesn’t make you a King.”<br /><br />I could see the anger build in his eyes. As his mouth opened to scream at me again some drool slithered out of the corner of his mouth and started running down his chin leaving a glistening trail. Just as his face started to turn a crimson red and he was about to take a step toward me, Tracy grabbed my arm almost jerking it out of the socket as she dragged me away at quite a rapid pace. Although I felt pain in my arm I realized that she probably just saved me from being arrested and thrown in jail.<br /><br />I turned to look at him as Tracy dragged me out the door to the car but I couldn’t make out what he said. I can tell you that the jowls on his face were quivering and his arm was extended with his finger pointed in my direction shaking furiously. <br /><br />Tracy didn’t say a word and though it was my turn to drive she jumped behind the wheel and we sped out of that rest stop like Bonnie and Clyde. <br /><br />She wasn’t totally convinced that I didn’t do anything wrong since she didn’t hear the entire conversation but I personally believe I was very patient and didn’t deserve to be screamed at in that fashion. I think the trooper must have been having a bad day but needed to consider retirement. He sure looked a lot older than me anyway.<br /> “Effective Leaders NEVER let position or power go to their Head!”Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-29418611359481302872009-02-23T07:18:00.000-08:002009-02-23T07:20:32.336-08:00Now is the Time for Action….NOT… Panic<strong>Now is the Time for Action….NOT… Panic – Ten Immediate Steps to follow in 2009<br />Profit covers many sins. </strong><br /><br />We have all ridden the wave of prosperity for the past five years prior to 2008. Let’s face it, it didn’t take a genius to be profitable. You may have ignored small indiscretions, less than stellar performance, even incompetence. You may also have ignored structural issues, process issues, family issues and even corporate executive issues. “Profit does cover many Sins.” So…… Now is the time to take action if you want to maintain market share or increase it during the economic crisis we are facing in 2009. <br /><br />1. Make sure all your assets are deployed effectively -<br />2. Find and Shoot your “Loser Customers”. The easiest way to do this is to raise prices and quit giving away free services to the losers.<br />3. Recommit and focus on profitability – cost control. Don’t scrimp on revenue producing functions or process.<br />4. If you have to make cuts – start at the top – kill the sacred cows. Take a close look at your executive team.<br />5. Business survival comes first – compassion second and family nepotism last<br />6. Invest in developing your structure, your process & your key people. Don’t cut training for key people.<br />7. Make managing your cash flow a priority. Understand and manage your cash to cash cycle.<br />8. Focus on increasing market share by going back to basic best practice in sales effectiveness (targeting, goal setting, action planning & sales management vouching)<br />9. Seek out opportunities in recruitment, vendor negotiations and exploit the competitions weaknesses<br />10. “Weed the Garden” --- Upgrade your workforce by replacing those employees that have never lived up to expectations.<br /><br />This is Not the Time to Panic <br /><br />Yes, there are economic problems, but there are also opportunities! Leadership during these tough economic times is about not panicking, and that's exactly the message I want to get across... don't panic! Panic causes knee jerk reactions, and they're rarely correct. This Economic Panic that could be caused by “Media Sensationalism” can create a knee jerk reaction that negates effective leadership. <br /><br /><br /><br />www.ceostrategist.com 352-750-0868Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-19680236106678690942009-02-10T09:07:00.000-08:002009-02-10T09:11:31.514-08:00Curiosity Killed the Cat but It Can Make You a Better LeaderSeveral years ago the consulting firm I worked for did a study that included interviewing eight of the most successful CEOs in the country that were within a year of retirement. The requirement to be within one year of retirement on either side was to insure that none of them would pull any punches regarding being totally open with their answers to our questions. This was quite an enlightening experience and in fact I believe you can still purchase DVD’s of these interview from NAW (National Association of Wholesalers) <br /><br />Each one of these leaders had a different leadership model. Of course there was some commonalities but for the most part each one had a clearly defined personal leadership model. However, a personal character trait that really stood out to me in these interviews was the fact that every one of these CEOs had an incredible sense of curiosity. They were all passionate about it and each one had a new innovative project going on every year.<br /><br />My personal assessment after spending hours listening to these interviews numerous times is that they came by this curiosity naturally. It’s like they had this “need to know” their entire lives. I have personally known CEOs that have that same sense of curiosity that have told me at times that need can seem so overpowering that they consider it a curse instead of a blessing. But, curiosity leads to new ideas, creativity and innovative thoughts.<br /><br />Keep this point in mind ------ Most new ideas are simply a combination or rearrangement of old ideas and facts. What that tells us is simply the more we study a topic or situation and the more knowledge we gain about anything specific, the more likely it becomes that we come up with new ideas. Your ability and willingness to explore, study and learn is directly related to your level of curiosity.<br /><br />If you don’t feel that instinctive curiosity then you need to take deliberate action everyday to improve your knowledge foundation. One very quick and easy way to accomplish this is to read. Read at every opportunity; on the airplane, at home at night, in the doctor’s office. Take every opportunity to read every chance you get. Reading someone else’s version or opinion on something will prompt your thought process and give you your own ideas and versions of the subject at hand. Replace at least one hour a night of television with one hour a night of reading.<br /><br /><em><strong>Have the curiosity of a cat and ---- it could change your entire life.</strong></em><br /> <br />www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com<br /> <br />Strategic Leadership in Wholesale Distribution<br />CEO Strategist LLC<br />rick@ceostrategist.com<br />tel: 352-750-0868Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-40545766262474001182008-12-24T13:19:00.000-08:002008-12-24T13:20:26.289-08:00Lead Wolf Leadership TipsSuccess in any organization often depends on leadership ability to adjust quickly to a changing environment both internally and externally. Trends, regulations, competition and yes the economy may force organizational change. This change has a direct impact on employees often creating a decrease in morale which can lead to complacency and apathy. To circumvent these consequences leaders must justify, communicate and explain the long term benefits to the company and the employees. Sometimes it may simply mean survival. But, even survival can be positive when it relates to maintain security for the employee. <br /><br />Timing is a critical component that the leader must recognize. Reacting too late on any situational change can lead to panic and fear. Both of these traits can paralyze the leader’s ability to solve problems and create solutions. Stuff happens but effective leaders --- Lead Wolf Leaders react quickly and appropriately. Follow these Lead Wolf Tips and improve your chance for success even in the most difficult circumstances.<br /><br />1. Plan Carefully --- Planning saves time and money. It also prevents knee jerk decisions that are often wrong. Shooting from the hip may work in normal times but in times of crisis any risk should be calculated, thought through and executed diligently. Always consider down side consequences and create a detailed time table for execution.<br /><br />2. Anticipate Resistance --- Consider motivation regarding any anticipated resistance to change. Resistance is often a result of fear – fear of losing status, power or security. Communicate with individual employees. Discuss their position and contribution honestly. Talk about their continued career paths or new career paths. Define and discuss the reasons and justifications for the change. Express appreciation for past and continued performance.<br /><br />3. Communicate Openly & Honestly ---- Don’t make false promises. Honest communication is a must. Most resistance to any change is due to the lack of information. As a result employees make things up in their own minds that are predominantly extremely worse than the real situation. Put on your sales person hat because change, new ideas or any type of organizational change requires you to sell the idea.<br /><br />4. Employee Buy-in ---- Getting employees involved in the early stages of change has several advantages. First and foremost, it is often amazing what employees can do if you just let them. It is often amazing what ideas employees can come up with if you just listen to them. Most of the time we overlook the incredible knowledge and talent that is at our finger tips. Getting employees involved creates ownership, minimizes mistakes and expensive consequences. People that are being effected directly by change often have the best insights on how to manage that change.<br /><br />5. Trust and Respect Your Employees ----- I often repeat the phrase – “Employees won’t start trusting you until you starting trusting them.” “Employees won’t start respecting you until you start respecting them.” Credibility based on your past relationships with your employees will play a key role in creating success.<br /><br /><br />6. Execution --- The golden grail ---- nothing happens unless you execute. Create a D-Day kickoff and set up specific, timely accountability sessions to insure that everyone stays on point. Individual initiative related scorecards are a great tool to support execution. The more painful the change or challenge the more it necessitates quick action. Postponement only adds further complications.<br /><br />7. Understand Contingency Planning ---- Regardless of circumstance, all Lead Wolf Leaders understand and prepare for contingencies. When times are really good we often call it scenario planning. This is nothing more than “What if Brainstorming Sessions”. However, during tough economic times it is imperative to actually create a contingency plan that outlines specific actions that may become necessary based on circumstance. <br /> <br />Check out Rick’s new CD and workbook Real World Leadership Kit --- “Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow”http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html<br /> <br />www.ceostrategist.com – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.comDr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-75767530722305931412008-12-17T14:40:00.000-08:002008-12-17T14:42:16.714-08:00Ten Tips to Avoid Micro ManagementMicro managing may make you feel in control but in reality you are only hurting yourself and the company. It only limits an employee’s ability to be innovative and creative. This can cost the company thousands of dollars because it is the creativity and innovation of your employees that maximize the profitability of your company. Micro Management is often just a symptom of ineffective planning, too much compassion and the inability to judge performance and develop bench strength.<br /><br /> Developing a strategic plan for your company is a very effective way to address any or all of these challenges. I often tell my clients that the most valuable part of a strategic plan is the development process itself. Running a company with a shoot from the hip mentality often encourages micro management and does not allow employees to develop their skills and maximize their potential. One of the many warning signs is a high turnover rate. The reason is simple; good employees just won’t tolerate micro management and they will leave to find employment that will challenge them and help them grow.<br /><br />1. Try to understand your lack of delegating skills. If you keep things too close to the vest because you fear losing control, you may need personal coaching to help you understand that empowerment and delegation will actually increase your control as it provides you with more time to plan and work on strategic issues.<br /><br />2. If you lack trust in your employees remember the statement --- “Employees won’t start trusting you until you start trusting them”. If you absolutely can not let go; ask yourself why you hired the employee. In the end if you can’t trust them you need to replace them. If you find you can’t trust any of your employees than you need help in developing your leadership skills.<br /><br />3. Create a skills assessment inventory for every key employee. Supplement that exercise by creating a training and development matrix to improve the overall competency of the organization. Include yourself in the assessment. Communicate the purpose in a positive fashion to the employees.<br /><br />4. Consider doing a 360 review that includes you as a leader or create an anonymous survey for employees to rate the entire management team, including you, and the company culture itself.<br /><br />5. Utilize your skills assessment to make sure you have the right people in the right seats and identify future potential leadership.<br /><br />6. Stop answering questions and start asking them. When an employee asks you what they should do, ask them what they think they should do.<br /><br />7. Search for projects, issues or challenges that you would normally tackle and create a project team or empower an individual to solve the problem. Do this even if you think you have the answer.<br /><br />8. Let your employees fail. The hardest thing to do is to watch an employee make a mistake. But, unless the mistake is life threatening or is going to cost the company thousands of dollars, it is a better learning process if the employee learns from his own mistake. <br /><br />9. Provide more than just skill training and product training. Create an employee development program for those employees that show potential for future stardom. This development program must be based on empowering these employees to make tough decisions. Intern programs are also effective as a platform for development.<br /><br />10. Results happen in various ways. Remember, you may have a specific way of doing things but it may not be the only way. As long as the employee is getting the results expected, give them praise. Your way may not be the best or only way.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-55174516511743649862008-12-14T20:11:00.000-08:002008-12-14T20:13:51.463-08:00The Ghost of GriswoldOn the Lighter Side ……………………… “The Ghost of Griswold<br /><br />I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Tracy and I made our annual trip to Ohio to see the kids, grandkids and some friends. We always celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas and my son’s birthday during our seven day stay. This year was no different. It’s amazing how Tracy can shop for four kids, their spouses and eight grandkids and get everything done in one day. What’s amazing about it is that she actually finds gifts that people want. Of course she does give out gift cards to the four grandkids that are teenagers.<br /><br />My special gift this year turned out to be a “Bobble Head” made in my exact likeness. It was given to me by my son Rhett. So, it’s only appropriate that he be the main character in this month’s Lighter Side opening to The Howl. Everyone seemed to think the bobble head looked exactly like me. It was actually pretty funny. I have it on my desk in my office to remind myself not to take me too seriously.<br /><br />The Ghost of Griswold<br /><br />Most of you probably remember the Christmas movies done by Chevy Chase. Well my intelligent son Rhett actually enacted a scene that could have been right out of that movie. What happened started off as an innocent simple Christmas task of getting his decorations down from the attic. Since Thanksgiving was over, his wife Brea decided it was now time to put up the Christmas decorations. Up in the attic my son Rhett climbed with all the confidence of a climber that had just conquered Mt Everest.<br /><br />His attic space is more like a crawl space and it’s pretty crowed up there. He had done it many times before but this time while he was walking from cross beam to cross beam (his attic doesn’t have an actual floor) he noticed that the beam he was about to step on looked like it had a crack in it. In all his wisdom he concluded that stepping on a cracked beam was a bad idea. Thinking he was still in the same athletic shape that he was when he was twenty (he’s 32 now) he took a long stride to skip two beams and put his right foot on the third beam over. As he lunged to make that long stride he bounced up a little and his head scrapped a nail sticking down from the roof. That’s when the “Ghost of Griswold” took over. Imagine the following sequence of events in slow motion since it all happened so fast.<br /><br />Rhett let out a blood curdling scream as the nail ripped his scalp and blood started running down his cheek. His right foot landed on that third beam but his left that followed missed since he was grimacing in pain. His left foot came down hard on the drywall that was actually the kitchen ceiling. It plunged through the ceiling like it was paper thin ice followed by his right leg and all 170 lbs of his entire body. He managed to catch himself with his upper body so he was only exposed from just above his waist to his wife and their two sons (Dillon and Riley) who had just sat down at the kitchen table to eat.<br /><br />All three of them screamed as they looked up at the ceiling only to see this pair of legs kicking in every direction like they were riding a bike or climbing an invisible staircase. They could hear their Dad’s muffled cry --- “Help me – Help Me”. Riley the older of the two boys (4 years old) went running to his room and came back with his toy telephone. He was calling 911 on it and telling the operator that his Daddy had fallen through the ceiling. All the while insulation was floating through the air and the kitchen table was covered with dry wall dust. The kid’s food was covered with it.<br /><br />“Help me! --- Help me! Damit” – Rhett kept yelling while his wife Brea ran around the kitchen having no idea what to do. Finally she climbed up on a chair ---- Picture this ---- She grabbed his left foot with her left hand --- his right foot with her right hand and tried to push a 170# grown man up and out of the hole in the ceiling. I wasn’t there but I crack up just imagining what it must have looked like.<br /><br />She struggled and pushed. Rhett grunted and pulled – she struggled and pushed (sounds like giving birth) he grunted and pulled until he finally managed to get one leg back up into the attic so he could pull himself the rest of the way up. Brea said that when he finally came down the right way --- he looked like a victim in a Freddie Krueger movie. The side of his face was covered with blood from the nail hole in his head, both forearms were scratched and bruised and he had pink insulation all over his upper body. Both boys started crying until Rhett assured them that Daddy was okay. Once Brea was sure he was okay she couldn’t help herself and she burst out laughing. That only lasted a few minutes until she looked up at the gigantic hole in her kitchen ceiling and realized what it might cost to get it fixed.<br /><br />We had the privilege of seeing the hole covered with a plywood patch about 48” by 48” before we left Ohio. It was hilarious listening to Rhett’s sister Heather tell the story to everyone. I think the family decided to give Rhett a new nickname. From this point on we are going to call him Griswold.<br /><br />Finding Our Way<br /><br />I admit that both Tracy and I are a little bit challenged when it comes to directions. That is why we both have a GPS system in our cars. You would think however that going home to a place you spent most of your life in would not require following someone to your destination. On Thanksgiving Day we were on our way to my kids Mother’s house as we have done every year of the eight years Tracy and I have been married. Judy, the kids Mother does a fantastic job fixing dinner for over 30 people which includes both sides of the family. I was following my Son in Law - Frank to Judy’s house and decided that he was going the long way. So….. I turned off to get on the interstate. Little did I know that the entrance ramps were all closed down due to construction. Anyway, 45 minutes later after getting lost and taking several detours we finally made it to Judy’s house. Of course during our adventure Tracy made several comments that questioned my intelligence but I know she loves me in spite of my being direction challenged. Once we arrived everyone else had some observation to make about me getting lost in my own home town.<br /><br />Consequently, Tracy decided she would drive home after dinner. I wasn’t paying much attention during the drive home since she was following my daughter. She made a comment about Heather driving really fast in a residential area. I looked up from a book I was browsing and realized were doing about 65 mph. Just then my cell phone rang. Heather was on the line wanting to know where the heck we were. Tracy kept yelling; “Ask her why she is driving so fast.” Heather heard her and commented. “I’m only doing 35 mph. Where are you? I don’t see you behind me.”<br /><br />I looked at the car in front of us and burst out laughing. We weren’t following the black Jeep Cherokee that my daughter drives, we were behind a black Chevy Suburban. Tracy didn’t think it was funny and she became even more annoyed when I told her we must have driven about 10 miles in the wrong direction. She didn’t trust my instincts and called Heather back to get directions on how to find our way home since we weren’t behind her. Everyone had a laugh over that one.<br /><br />I hope everyone has a great holiday season. And ….. Remember no matter what, we all have a lot to be thankful for. I know I do.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-72788848069343606652008-12-14T20:08:00.000-08:002008-12-14T20:15:24.506-08:00The Six Strategic Success DriversThe Six Strategic Success Drivers<br /><br /><br />How much value can you place on having all six drivers of success operating in an automatic mode? What is it worth to have your team and your company operate at a high energy level even when you are not there?<br /><br />For that to happen, you need these success drivers:<br /><br />The full buy-in of your Leadership Team toward a mutually-agreed vision. Make sure your company vision (End Game) is clear enough to inspire a great strategy, otherwise you wont create ownership<br /><br />Their committed passion to execute a laser-focused strategic planning process<br /><br />Crystal clear, time-bound goals with assigned ownership and specific deadlines for completion of critical action steps, with desired results identified.<br /><br />An ownership supported system of accountability – including team-created and team-enforced key performance indicators – that ensures plan implementation.<br /><br />A roll out process that generates excitement and buy-in throughout the entire organization. Don’t keep your strategy a secret from your employees. They need to have confidence there is a plan and know what their role is.<br /><br />Make your strategy the driver of all company training so employees can make better decisions, feel more in charge, and know exactly what success looks like.<br /><br />“Excitement breeds excitement – Success breeds success”<br />.<br />Get your employees excited about the strategic end game vision.<br />How much would you invest to have all that working for you...all day, every day?<br />Strategic planning is a management tool. It is used to help an organization clarify its future direction – to focus its energy, and to help members of the organization work toward the same goals. The planning process adjusts the organization’s direction in response to a changing environment. Strategic planning is a disciplined effort to support fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does and why it does it, with a focus on where it wants to go and how it is going to get there.<br /><br />CEO Strategists Proprietary Strategic Planning Process Helps Strategic Thinking Companies Join the Upper Quartile Of High Achievers! E-mail <a href="mailto:rick@ceostrategist.com">rick@ceostrategist.com</a> if you would like to discuss your planning needs.<br />listcode=117693166100002&25Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-48337691335334221452008-10-19T12:27:00.000-07:002008-10-19T12:41:18.370-07:00Don't Panic - Take a Deep BreathOctober has been a month of sensationalizing our economic crisis on the part of the media. The "Rescue Plan" has been initiated but nobody really knows what is going on with the economy. The news media isn't helping by sensationalizing every little thing that is happening on an hour by hour basis.<br /><br />We need to "Step Back - Take a Breath - Don't Panic & Spend Wisely" this Holiday season.<br /><br />Yes --- things are tough. we may very well be heading for a deeper recession. But --- this is America. Market corrections are necessary. We'll get through it. That doesn't mean i condone the mindless actions that border on corruption that we have witnessed on Wall Street. In fact, I hope we can hold some of these CEO's that got financial bailouts and golden parachutes accountable for their actions. Some may need to go to jail.<br /><br />I also am ready to puke when I think about what Freddie Mac nad Fanny Mae have done to our housing market. Make No Mistake --- It was Reid - Pelosi and Barney Frank who drove the housing market into the ground.<br /><br /><br />God help us if Obama is elected and the Democrats get a Super Majority in the House & the Senate with a President that is as far left as Obama.<br /><br />I really believe that wont happen and we voters will rise to the occasion and put McCain and Palin in the Whitehouse.<br /><br />Then we will have a fighting chance to get this economy rolling again and see recovery start to happen by the 3rd quarter of next year.<br /><br />Get out and vote!!! And, check out my interview on Fox News about this Holiday Season.<br /><br />Remember --- when it comes to shopping this Christmas ---- "Step Back -- Take a Deep Breath -- Don't Panic and Spend W#ithin Your Means".<br /><br />Click on this link to view the interview. <a href="http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7664583&version=1&locale=EN-US">http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7664583&version=1&locale=EN-US</a>Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-59218180725084077882008-09-28T17:01:00.000-07:002008-09-28T17:02:58.793-07:00Picking Your TeamI often try to emphasize to executives and managers at all levels that you are only as good as the team you surround yourself with. You can be brilliant, visionary and exceptionally innovative but if you surround yourself with a team that is below average and close to incompetent, you will not be an effective leader. On the other hand, you can be nothing more than average but if the team around you is exceptionally competent, you will get the results of a superstar.<br /><br />The first question that comes to mind simply stated is; who picked your team? If you inherited the team that surrounds you, your first priority is to figure out both the pluses and the minuses of each individual team member. Additionally it is your responsibility to make sure that every one of your team members clearly understands your expectations.<br /><br />How Do You Know if You Have the Right Team<br /><br /> If the team you surround yourself with has such a dramatic influence on your performance as a leader, I have to ask you; when was the last time you evaluated your team? If you have never done it formally, do it now. It would be very beneficial to evaluate your team performance and individual team members every three to four months.<br /><br />A cohesive management team is the most important ingredient to your company’s success. The management team needs to function as a cohesive unit to maximize their accomplishments. Success of your management team can be defined by what they accomplish as a group. A synergy within the team that creates unity, clarity of direction with a common purpose that is in alignment with strategic initiatives.<br /><br />Here are three simple yet direct questions to use to assess your team:<br /><br />1. Do you have the right people on your team? High quality people; people who can do a number of tasks; people who support your skills and negate your weaknesses. If you aren’t absolutely certain about every single team member, the chances are you have some team members that need further evaluation or potentially you need to replace them. Individuals do not usually fail because of lack of education, experience, training, or skills. They fail because their personality and behavior is not compatible to the behavioral requirements of their particular position. If employees are not suitable for their position or if they do not achieve their potential, the organization can fail or never achieve its potential. It certainly will never maximize effectiveness.<br /><br />How can I be sure I have identified those people I must replace? A person may be highly talented but may not be the right fit for your team, your company. It's time to be honest with yourself. If you hired this person and things just don’t click, admit your mistake and move on.<br /><br /> 3. How do I help my team maximize their effectiveness and validate that I have them performing the right functions for the company. (To Quote Collins, Good to Great; are they in the right seat on the bus?).<br /><br />You must match their talents to your company needs and your needs as their leader. When you have the right people in just the right seat they will flourish. Success breeds success.The quality of your team personnel is the single most factor that determines whether you and the company are going to be successful, whether it will realize a satisfactory return on its investment, and whether it will maximize profitability!<br /><br />“If the wrong person is selected initially to be on your team, no training program or motivational system, no matter how well conceived and designed, is likely to compensate adequately or offset the original error made in hiring such a person!”<br /> William J. Winslow<br /><br />Don’t be Perplexed<br /><br />If you're just a bit perplexed on how to evaluate your team, e-mail me, <a href="mailto:rick@ceostrategist.com">rick@ceostrategist.com</a> and I will put you in touch with the Winslow Institute which provides the best tool for evaluating team members that I have ever come across. The Winslow Employee Development tool will provide valuable insight into why some employees are functioning successfully and why others are performing unsatisfactorily. The Reports this tool generates will enable employees to capitalize on their personality assets and control behaviors that are limiting or preventing success in their positions. They will significantly increase the probability that every employee will be successful and achieve their potential. The best part is that it doesn’t cost a lot and the value provided compared to what turnover costs today is phenomenal. Don’t make the mistake of cutting back on employee development and training because economic conditions are tough. It’s in times like these that it is even more important that we make sure we have the right people in the right seats and we do everything possible to enhance their opportunity to maximize the effectiveness of the organization which, more importantly, will maximize profitability and growth.<br /><br />Check out CEO Strategists Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow Planning Workbook and CD set.<br /><a href="http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html">http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html</a>Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-26698784606283123892008-08-30T09:54:00.000-07:002008-08-30T09:55:21.967-07:00Balance & The Power of GoalsYou don’t have to be trapped by success. Success is a good thing but part of being successful is creating balance in your life. There are steps you can take to create the kind of balance that will not only improve your personal life expectations but they will enhance your business platform for success.<br /><br /><strong>The Very First Thing</strong><br /><br />Sit down with your family and have an open honest discussion. Ask for their input, their observations and their opinions. Don’t get defensive and don’t act like a martyr. Listen, listen and listen some more. Refocus some of that entrepreneurial energy on creating family success.<br /><br />Start setting personal goals. Start small, a family outing, a trip to Disney World, and a commitment to a reduction in travel or anything else that came up during your family meeting.<br /><br /><strong>The Power of Goal Setting<br /></strong><br />There is power in setting goals and this applies not only to business goals but to personal goals as well. Consider the following key principles to improve the balance in your life:<br /><br />Establish a goal that provides direction or a roadmap for your life on where you want to go.<br />Created a goal that establishes your personal authority over your life<br />Create a goal that is exciting and motivating for the whole family<br />Create a goal that helps reduce stress and provides personal relaxation<br />Create goals that give you and individual family members a sense of pride<br /><br /><br />While it may be macho to live without direction in the short-term, in the long-term we all need a purpose and direction. Goals give us a sense of direction and purpose to life.<br /><br />It may be easier to allow our work, our boss, our friends and even our<br />enemies set our direction in life. However, the reality of the situation is that if we don’t set personal goals then we will find it much too easy to allow others to dictate the path we take. This is true even if you are the President or the CEO of your company. Simply put, it doesn’t matter, without personal goals you won’t have any chance of control over your destiny. Balance and happiness in our personal lives comes from the fulfillment of our personal goals and the excitement of following our own path and not someone else’s.<br /><br /><br />Personal goals not only provide us a direction but they provide motivation, encouragement and a sense of urgency for accomplishment. By setting goals not only do the goals define our destination but they help create a journey for us that becomes a foundation for our happiness. Our goals must be congruent with our unique perspective on life.<br /><br /><strong>Stress Relievers<br /></strong><br />Goals save time, provide balance but they also reduce stress<br />because using your goals to focus your life and choices makes it easier to make those choices. Goals give you a sense of personal accomplishment that can be measured, not by numbers and graphs like you are used to, but measurements of smiles, chuckles, hugs, laughter and contentment. There is nothing more powerful than a smile from your little girl, a hug from your son or a thankful kiss from your soul mate.<br /><br />Now go out there and put a priority on setting your personal goals. You will thank me for bringing it to your attention and your family will love you even more than they do now for doing it.<br /><br /><br /><br />Check out CEO Strategists Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow Planning Workbook and CD set. <a href="http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html">http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html</a>Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-2199180896522550802008-08-28T10:02:00.000-07:002008-08-28T10:05:35.359-07:00Strategic Planning - Six Strategic Success DriversHey<br /><br />Just returned from a Strategic Planning session in Cleveland (The Mistake by the Lake). The weather was actually pretty good. The session reminded me of the key drivers to successful planning and i thought i would share them with you.<br /><br /> The Six Strategic Success Drivers<br /><br /><br />How much value can you place on having all six drivers of success operating in an automatic mode? What is it worth to have your team and your company operate at a high energy level even when you are not there?<br /><br />For that to happen, you need these success drivers:<br /><br />The full buy-in of your Leadership Team toward a mutually-agreed vision. Make sure your company vision (End Game) is clear enough to inspire a great strategy, otherwise you wont create ownership<br /><br />Their committed passion to execute a laser-focused strategic planning process<br /><br />Crystal clear, time-bound goals with assigned ownership and specific deadlines for completion of critical action steps, with desired results identified.<br /><br />An ownership supported system of accountability – including team-created and team-enforced key performance indicators – that ensures plan implementation.<br /><br />A roll out process that generates excitement and buy-in throughout the entire organization. Don’t keep your strategy a secret from your employees. They need to have confidence there is a plan and know what their role is.<br /><br />Make your strategy the driver of all company training so employees can make better decisions, feel more in charge, and know exactly what success looks like.<br /><br /> “Excitement breeds excitement – Success breeds success” <br /><br />Get your employees excited about the strategic end game vision.<br /><br />How much would you invest to have all that working for you...all day, every day?<br />Strategic planning is a management tool. It is used to help an organization clarify its future direction – to focus its energy, and to help members of the organization work toward the same goals. The planning process adjusts the organization’s direction in response to a changing environment. Strategic planning is a disciplined effort to support fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization is, what it does and why it does it, with a focus on where it wants to go and how it is going to get there.<br /><br />CEO Strategists Proprietary Strategic Planning Process Helps Strategic Thinking Companies Join the Upper Quartile Of High Achievers! E-mail <a href="mailto:rick@ceostrategist.com">rick@ceostrategist.com</a> if you would like to discuss your planning needs.<br /><a href="http://www.ceostrategist.com/">www.ceostrategist.com</a> – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail <a href="mailto:rick@ceostrategist.com">rick@ceostrategist.com</a>. Don’t forget to check out the Lead Wolf Series that can help you put more profit into your business.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-1205170856820383562008-08-22T10:58:00.000-07:002008-08-22T11:43:22.591-07:00Quebec CityHey -- TGIF<br /><br />It's Friday the 22nd of August and I just returned from Quebec City, Canada. Unfortunately the tropical storm/hurricane Faye is still hanging on in Central Florida and we are getting drenched. There are some cities that got at least 24" of rain. Living in The Villages in Central Florida has it's advantages since we don't have to deal with the surges from the ocean and costal waterways.<br /><br />Quebec City was great. I was there to do a session titled "Effective Leadership in Turbulent Times" for CHRAW & HARDI. The audience was great and the host for the event (HRAI) was even greater. Thanks to Heather Grimoldby-Campbell for making everything go like clockwork.<br /><br />Current times can certainly be termed turbulent not only in the distribution industry but in the country in general. However, this session focused on dealing with current economic conditions, leadership, building a co-hesive team, recession proofing and Releasing the Power of Profitabilty in your employees.<br /><br />For those who don't know, HRAI is the Heating, Refrigeration and Air conditioning Institute of Canada.<br /><br />I was a little concerned about getting out of Florida before the hurricane hit and was hoping to return after it was long gone. No such luck.<br /><br />So, as I sit here watching the rain fall in buckets, I can't help but wonder if my Tee Time for tommorrow will be cancelled or not.<br /><br />Have a great weekend.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-54894210097493907772008-08-18T09:50:00.000-07:002008-08-18T09:54:45.178-07:00Hiring is not EasyHiring is not Easy ---- Interviewing Techniques to Improve Your Success<br />By: Dr. Rick Johnson, CEO Strategist<br /><br /><br /><strong>Interview Objectives</strong><br /><br /> The first thing we need to establish before we go through any interviews are the objectives of the selection process. Interviewing should not be just about filling an open position. Anytime you have an opening to hire someone, you have an opportunity to build<br />bench strength, organizational effectiveness and the opportunity to introduce fresh ideas and new insights into the organization and it doesn’t matter what level in the hierarchy the opening exists in. Consider the following key objectives of the selection process.<br /><br />Filling the immediate opening with an individual with the required skill sets.<br /><br />Building a talent pool for future job openings at higher levels in the organization. Promotion from within is a building block for unity, cohesiveness and validation of respect for employees. Make sure you select the best based on not only current skill sets but also based on future potential for individual growth.<br /><br />A cultural fit. Developing or maintaining a specific cultural identity should be a consideration. Teamwork and camaraderie is essential to success. Personality profiling can help you determine if the job candidate will “fit in” to your organization. Peer interviews of final candidates can also prove beneficial.<br /><br /><strong>Consider the “Team Interview” Approach</strong><br /><br /> When a job opening occurs, this is an opportunity to do a job function analysis to determine if the current scope of authority and responsibility are in alignment with departmental and corporate objectives. A hiring team made up of the departmental supervisor, a Human Resources (HR) representative, and another departmental manager that has a stake in the functions that are performed by this particular job injects balance and insight into the hiring process... Of course, HR does all the initial screening of candidates based on the qualifications and skill sets outlined by the manager that the candidate will report to. It is very possible that these job requirements have changed based on the job function analysis. In fact, I have seen cases where the entire job has changed and even the person the job candidate reports to can change.<br /><br /><strong>Now, Let’s Face Reality</strong><br /><br /> Hiring the right individual, with the right skill set, that has the right attitude and the right personality to fit in can be one of the most challenging endeavors any manager will ever face. Leveraging your chance of success by using the team approach, profile testing and seriously checking references helps. But, if you have several qualified candidates it’s still like flipping a coin. You just can’t be positive about your choice until you see the individual in action. Sometimes it takes months, even years to see the real person you hired whether it’s really good or really bad. Finding the really bad ones months after you have hired them can be extremely expensive.<br /><br />Face it. What you are trying to accomplish in the selection process is to predict the way an individual will behave in the future in your environment working for a specific manager. The question that needs to be answered is ---- “How will this candidate perform on X job in department Y at your company.<br /><br />Obviously, you can not predict the future behavior of any individual regardless of the testing, the interviews or the reference checking with a high degree of accuracy. No one can. However, if you study the environment that the individual will be working under, you have leader’s not just managers in your organization that understand the concept of coaching and mentoring and if you have done your homework on the individual candidate, then your odds of success improve dramatically.<br /><br />By the way, nobody ever provides a reference on a resume from someone that isn’t going to sing glowing praises about them. If you really want more realistic references, call the candidates former employers and just ask to talk to someone in the department that the candidate worked in. You may even be able to get some names while you are interviewing the candidate through casual conversation.<br /><br />Remember, prediction of candidates probable future behavior can be based on the assumption that people tend to behave consistently under similar circumstances. Knowledge of present and past behavior is derived by asking the right questions during an interview and doing thorough and complete reference and back ground checks.<br /><br /><strong>Key Principles of a Successful Interview Process</strong><br /><br />Know everything possible about the job requirement that need to be filled. Don’t depend solely on a written job description. Define the requirements for both good performance and exceptional performance. Try to anticipate the leadership skills required regardless of the level of responsibility of the position.<br /><br />Do your homework. Find out as much as possible about your final candidates. Check references (Including some not listed by the candidate), do a back ground check, analyze the data on the application and the resume and collect as much data during the interviewing process as possible. Using the team approach for separate interviews allows you to collaborate and compare answers and opinions.<br /><br />Match the candidate’s skills/qualifications to the job requirements and evaluate his future development potential. This process should utilize structured questions to solicit and evaluate the candidate’s level of skills that match the skill requirements of the particular job.<br />Make your decision based on the evaluation of all the data as well as the collaboration between the individual interviewers.<br /><br />Sign up for "The Howl" @ ceostrategist.com and download the Lead Wolf interview guide that provides the following:<br /><br />What an interview team should know about job requirements<br />What an interviewer should try to discover during an interview<br />A basic understanding of the interview process including<br />Interview objectives<br />Conducting the interview<br />Sample thought provoking questions<br />Evaluating the candidate using the data collected<br />Pre-interview question guide. A list of both legal and illegal questions to help you avoid problem areas. (Note—this is not a comprehensive list and it is not intended to give legal advice)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ceostrategist.com/">www.ceostrategist.com</a> – Sign up to receive “The Howl” a fre*e monthly newsletter and get your choice of "CEO Strategist's Hiring and Interview Guide" or "The Guide to Effective Training Sessions", valuable resources for all levels of management. The Howl addresses real world industry issues. – Straight talk about today’s issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution’s “Leadership Strategist”, founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail <a href="mailto:rick@ceostrategist.com">rick@ceostrategist.com</a>.Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2532705393605817141.post-63456872608092208182008-08-18T09:07:00.000-07:002008-08-18T09:15:17.311-07:00Picking Your Management Team<strong>Picking Your Team<br /></strong>Dr. Rick Johnson<br /><br />I often try to emphasize to executives and managers at all levels that you are only as good as the team you surround yourself with. You can be brilliant, visionary and exceptionally innovative but if you surround yourself with a team that is below average and close to incompetent, you will not be an effective leader. On the other hand, you can be nothing more than average but if the team around you is exceptionally competent, you will get the results of a superstar.<br /><br />The first question that comes to mind simply stated is; who picked your team? If you inherited the team that surrounds you, your first priority is to figure out both the pluses and the minuses of each individual team member. Additionally it is your responsibility to make sure that every one of your team members clearly understands your expectations.<br /><br /><strong>How Do You Know if You Have the Right Team?</strong><br /><br /> If the team you surround yourself with has such a dramatic influence on your performance as a leader, I have to ask you; when was the last time you evaluated your team? If you have never done it formally, do it now. It would be very beneficial to evaluate your team performance and individual team members every three to four months.<br /><br />A cohesive management team is the most important ingredient to your company’s success. The management team needs to function as a cohesive unit to maximize their accomplishments. Success of your management team can be defined by what they accomplish as a group. A synergy within the team that creates unity, clarity of direction with a common purpose that is in alignment with strategic initiatives.<br /><br />Here are three simple yet direct questions to use to assess your team:<br /><br /><strong>1. Do you have the right people on your team?</strong> High quality people; people who can do a number of tasks; people who support your skills and negate your weaknesses. If you aren’t absolutely certain about every single team member, the chances are you have some team members that need further evaluation or potentially you need to replace them. Individuals do not usually fail because of lack of education, experience, training, or skills. They fail because their personality and behavior is not compatible to the behavioral requirements of their particular position. If employees are not suitable for their position or if they do not achieve their potential, the organization can fail or never achieve its potential. It certainly will never maximize effectiveness.<br /><br /><br /><strong>2. How can I be sure I have identified those people I must replace? </strong>A person may be highly talented but may not be the right fit for your team, your company. It's time to be honest with yourself. If you hired this person and things just don’t click, admit your mistake and move on.<br /><br /><strong>3. How do I help my team maximize their effectiveness and validate that I have them performing the right functions for the company.</strong> (To Quote Collins, Good to Great; are they in the right seat on the bus?). You must match their talents to your company needs and your needs as their leader. When you have the right people in just the right seat they will flourish. Success breeds success.<br /><br />The quality of your team personnel is the single most factor that determines whether you and the company are going to be successful, whether it will realize a satisfactory return on its investment, and whether it will maximize profitability!<br /><br />“If the wrong person is selected initially to be on your team, no training program or motivational system, no matter how well conceived and designed, is likely to compensate adequately or offset the original error made in hiring such a person!”<br /> William J. Winslow<br /><br /><strong>Don’t be Perplexed</strong><br /><br />If you're just a bit perplexed on how to evaluate your team, e-mail me, <a href="mailto:rick@ceostrategist.com">rick@ceostrategist.com</a> and I will put you in touch with the Winslow Institute which provides the best tool for evaluating team members that I have ever come across. The Winslow Employee Development tool will provide valuable insight into why some employees are functioning successfully and why others are performing unsatisfactorily. The Reports this tool generates will enable employees to capitalize on their personality assets and control behaviors that are limiting or preventing success in their positions. They will significantly increase the probability that every employee will be successful and achieve their potential. The best part is that it doesn’t cost a lot and the value provided compared to what turnover costs today is phenomenal. Don’t make the mistake of cutting back on employee development and training because economic conditions are tough. It’s in times like these that it is even more important that we make sure we have the right people in the right seats and we do everything possible to enhance their opportunity to maximize the effectiveness of the organization which, more importantly, will maximize profitability and growth.<br /><br />Check out CEO Strategists Learning to Lead So Others Will Follow Planning Workbook and CD set.<br /><a href="http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html">http://www.ceostrategist.com/resources-store/real-world-leadership.html</a>Dr. Rick Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05457510888834577226noreply@blogger.com0