THE BEGINNINGS ARE IN THE ENDINGS

I was listening to my music on my iPhone in the car the other day. I have a broad and eclectic expanse of music and if you want to figure out what I like, it would be hard to pin it down. One of the songs that shuffled up and played was a song that I had loaded long ago   and forgotten about (and as you can see from the picture on the side it is old enough to have existed on a 45--if you remember what those were!)  It is Roger Whittaker's The First Hello,The Last Goodbye. The first verse goes like this:

They say when you get a lover

You begin to lose a friend 
That the end of the beginning is the beginning of the end 
They say the moment that you're born is when you start to die 
And the first time that we said hello began our last goodbye 

This got me to thinking about whether beginnings always come with the portend of endings. Realistically we are the only species on the planet that inevitably knows that this wonderful life, will end in death. An unknown for sure, and whether you are religious or spiritual or not, we all tend to hope that death is not just an ending, but perhaps another beginning. And I will tell you, the older you get the more this "hope" resonates!

The reality is though that endings do herald new beginnings, but only if you reinvent yourself, as opposed to lamenting that which has ended.  There is a quote in Mitch Albom's book "The Five People You Meet in Heaven":

All endings are also beginnings. 

We just don't know it at the time

And if you embrace this concept then the new path will show itself to you. If you chose to always want things to go back to the way they were, well, then you will be forever stuck in the past. 

Sometimes the endings are expected, sometimes not. But either way, whether the end is  a business situation -- a job, a contract, a client, a change of location, a change of boss,  -- or  whether the end is in a personal situation -- the dissolution of a marriage or relationship, becoming an empty nester, down-sizing your home -- if you look forward, and not back, then the new beginnings will be waiting. And later when you look back, you wonder why you were upset and sad, because of the joy you've now found in your new situation.

Which brings me to the quote below from Anatole France:

We wonder sometimes why we are "grieving" or sad about a change we wanted and longed for. But each step is a step away from the "known" and somewhat into the unknown. Even if you are the one who initiated the change -- accepting a new job/position, moving to a new home, ending a relationship, getting married -- there is always excitement mixed with anxiety and a sprinkle of melancholy. But accept the fact that this is normal and don't start doubting yourself as to whether you've made the right move or not. Because you, inevitably, are the one who will make the new situation work, or not -- it is all about attitude.

So today, as you may be stepping into a new and undefined horizon, embrace the present and its new beginning, accept that to grieve the ending is normal, and go roaring into the future with enthusiasm and joy. 

Expect to be amazed by the new vistas that will open up for you!

IS PROCUREMENT A BRAND OR JUST BRANDED?

If you were asked to give the 30 second elevator speech about what benefits procurement brings to an organization, what would you say?

I have asked this question of many individuals who are professionals in Procurement and Supply Chain and inevitably, even with advance warning, there is an inescapable reliance on terminology such as cost savings, vendor evaluation, and negotiation. Some talk about strategic value-add, but when pressed to define the meaning, one is often left with the feeling that it is more about utilizing the buzz words without a clear understanding of their significance.

So if Procurement cannot clearly articulate its value proposition, we shouldn’t be surprised when our internal and external stakeholders have branded procurement as the “necessary evil”.

Some might dispute this characterization and there is no question that in some organizations Procurement is higher up the value chain than in others. However, even the most successful Procurement groups will reluctantly admit that it requires a constant concentrated effort to maintain a respected position within all aspects of the business.

So how does Procurement evolve itself from the Rodney Dangerfield’s of the organization “I don’t get
no respect”, to an integral value added partner to the enterprise?

Procurement as a profession needs to decide what it’s brand image is. According to Wikipedia, marketers engaged in branding seek to develop or align expectations behind the brands experience, creating the impression that a product or service has certain qualities that make it special or unique.

Other professions have developed effective brands. Legal is about risk mitigation; Accounting relates to the numbers; Human Resources is about the organization’s human capital; Sales provides revenue generation; and of course Marketing creates brand awareness amongst other things. No one in an organization would ever imply that they have the expertise that the professionals have in these disciplines. Yet most believe that they can achieve better results than Procurement in acquiring goods and services for the firm.

A significant reason for this is that Procurement continually carries the “hair-shirt” of cost savings, which when translated by the business means price at any cost. Moreover as the individuals within Procurement are heavily metriced on this particular indicator, the behavior that it engenders is counter to value for money.

If it can’t be measured in direct bottom-line dollars, there seems to be no marching band heralding to the senior leadership the benefit of procurement to the enterprise. When Procurement often tries to expand the discussion beyond savings, inevitably it faces the Jack Webb (Dragnet) of the organization “Just the savings ma’am, just the savings”.

So how do we as Procurement professionals get off the hamster wheel of savings to change our Brand to all stakeholders?

Procurement needs to strategically position itself as the only aspect of the corporation that truly has a 360^o lens on the entire business. It has a full scope view into the directions of the enterprise from having touch points with all of the internal stakeholders. In addition, with its on-going dealings with the external stakeholders – vendors – it has additional insight into the marketplace – trends, opportunities and pitfalls. Vendors are often clients and/or competitors which further enhances the focus on the business lens.

As the purveyors of the business standing high atop the mountain, able to see the sky, the land and the sea, procurement can provide a vision for the business which is unavailable to most and could enhance the success of the business.

Just don’t go too close to the cliff’s edge and look down. You might just be enchanted by the siren’s song of cost savings thinking it will prove your value, but which inevitably just brands procurement as a one-trick pony!

(note: I wrote this article and it was published in Supply & Demand Chain Executive magazine several years ago. It is still as relevant now as it was a few years ago)

"I'LL GET A BETTER DEAL" AND OTHER MISCONCEPTIONS

If you are in Procurement, you will have heard, more than once, an internal client say that they can get a better deal than procurement. They believe they negotiate better, and they know better than procurement what their needs are. And to boot, they will often then add "and I can get it done faster!"

Let me tackle these comments one by one with a real life example that happened years ago, in a corporate environment where I was in the procurement team. 

We discovered that one of our internal clients had chosen to buy two servers on his AMEX expense card. The supplier was a firm that we did purchase servers from, on a regular basis for the company as a whole. This individual though felt that they had gotten the best server, at a cheaper price and it was processed much faster than having had to go through procurement and our "tedious" process.

 Pricing

• Was the price quoted to this individual cheaper than the one that we would have had on the purchase order issued by procurement? Yes, absolutely it was! But there were a number of issues with this price:
• The price quoted was in US dollars, not Canadian. At that time the Canadian dollar was trading about 10 cents below the US dollar. So the "real" price would have to be converted to Canadian dollars for comparative. When this was done the price was equivalent to that in our database
• The price didn't include freight. The way it was ordered, this was being shipped from the US to Canada and you can imagine for this type of product, shipping is not chump change
• Because of the way it was ordered, on a credit card, and outside our company's contract, once it crossed the border, there would be no warranty. The person ordering said he thought that because it was on an AMEX card, that there would be a provision of warranty. Actually, I don't think he ever even thought of warranty and this comment was a Hail-Mary pass to justify his questionable behaviour.

So when taking all of these items into account the "price" became significantly higher than the one we had negotiated.

I know what I need

Actually, I accept the fact that the business unit will be able to articulate and even identify what they need, perhaps in the server case even down to the vendor and model number. So as a procurement organization it is not our role to say "no you should buy this, not that." However, if  procurement is doing their job, they will be up-to-date on what is happening in the market, across a realm of various suppliers and be able to advise on other alternatives than the one presented. 

Procurement personnel have taken a vaccine against sales pitches and are pretty immune to the "this is the best for you pitch." A lot of others are not and they may be mesmerized by the shiny new toy, and want to buy the space shuttle, when a VW bug would do. They may have developed a more fluid relationship with a salesperson from one organization vs. another, so this company has a clearer understanding than another. So inevitably procurement will get the comment "the other supplier doesn't understand out business needs." 

And you know what? All of these things might actually be true, but I have found multiple times that when providing other options/alternatives that the original "must-have" isn't. 

Procurement is never there to dictate to an internal client what they should or shouldn't do. The role of procurement is as an advisor to the business. An influencer if you will, and never the final decision maker. Working hand-in-glove with the business to proactively define their needs ensures that the company as a whole benefits.

Faster

I think by now you probably realize that faster in the front end, is highly problematic and becomes a lengthy "fix it" situation on the back end. In the case above, we could have probably actioned the server buy in about 24 hours -- of course that would have been dependent on the approval hierarchy that would be required (note, this person did not get any approvals -- was just going to expense the servers). I have yet to be in a Procurement organization, where if something is identified as urgent, that it won't be actioned extremely quickly, and often faster than if the individual does it themselves, because, procurement has the relationships within the vendor's business to make things happen -- because procurement represents the entire spend, not just a one-off buy. 

The problem is though, is that when a group always advises Procurement of the urgency of their situation, it becomes like the Boy Who Cried Wolf. We don't believe it anymore and then action it in a regular manner. And if everyone says everything is urgent? Well, then urgent becomes routine and again, not necessarily the outcome that is desired by the end client.

Granted, if urgency reigns supreme, then it is up to Procurement to engage with the internal client and discuss their needs and put together a plan to ensure that they are getting what they need when they need it. 

By being proactive and when Procurement is involved at the beginning, in the planning stages, at budget time etc., then again the entire process becomes mutually beneficial.

You are probably wondering what happened with the server scenario. We didn't find out about it until the hardware was delivered and the expense report was filed. It was Procurement that fixed this mess, and it wasn't easy. We went to our supplier reps in Canada, and indicated that the US never should have excepted an order from a company that they knew to be a client, on an expense card (without a PO). We also stated that we were sure that considering the millions of dollars of business we do with the supplier it would be worth their while to find a solution to this issue. We accepted that our company didn't follow proper protocol either, and we would put checks in place that this would not happen again.

The outcome was our vendor, on paper, took the servers into their inventory in Canada, reversed the charges on the AMEX, we issued a PO, which was based on our contract and pricing terms, and the issue was resolved. It took about a month to unravel this, but we did it.

And the rogue individual who did this? Well, he just got a slap on the wrist and was told never to do it again. Why were there not more consequences? Because at the end, we fixed it, so it was considered "no harm, no foul," because no one knew the number of hours and negotiation it took in the back room to make the fix.

Most of the internal clients in this corporation came to rely on procurement and our expertise. We listened, we understood their needs and we became part of their teams. Hand-in-Glove. We respected each others' knowledge and experience. The individual who had ordered the servers was new and who knows what kind of procurement group he had been exposed to in his former company. Probably not one like we had.

The next blog entry will be about what Procurement teams need to do to make themselves valued partners in the business and how to market their value proposition.

PROCUREMENT AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOUR -- PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!

After many years of ensuring that business stakeholders, both internal and external, find that engaging with the procurement team is of immense value, I am still astounded at the number of people who still espouse the "avoid procurement at all costs" philosophy. 

There are several elements to this Procurement Avoidance Behaviour which will be discussed over the next few blog entries

1. Suppliers thinking working around procurement is a good idea
2. Internal departments seeing procurement as non-value add and they are better dealing with the "buy" directly
3. Procurement organizations that are not working hand-in-hand with their clients and suppliers to enhance the overall business.
4. Procurement organizations that are not marketing their value proposition effectively

Suppliers 

Recently I was told by a salesperson that he is working directly with the end client in an organization and that this end client does not want to have procurement involved because they aren't working on his behalf and a deal struck with another firm a couple of years ago by procurement is affecting his bottom-line.

This salesperson had developed a whole approach, protocol and had buy-in from this end client and the next move was for the end client to "spring" this on the head office (this was a company that had a US parent from where the procurement decisions had been made) and for the end client to insist that this is what is best for his part of the business.

The salesperson was excited about undoing the loss of the business that had occurred a couple of years before. In other words, he had drunk the end client's Kool-aid.

I suggested to him that he had made himself the meat in the sandwich of a family feud and that this was not going to end well. Did he know what the contracts were with the other supplier? Could the Canadian market be split-off from the rest of the deal? Did his end-client know how the rest of the organization had benefitted by Canada being as part of the mix -- that is, even if it is costing him slightly more, how is the rest of the business benefitting? Did he realize that by working behind the

scenes and not having established any relationship with the US Procurement team, or having made any effort to find out  what their current business drivers were  -- he couldn't effectively position his firm for future business? (note he had lost the business three years prior, but hadn't made any effort to maintain a relationship -- read a previous blog of mine on this Where Have You Been). Did he realize that procurement members could help him, but if you cross them, by bypassing them, sending a message that you don't respect their input,  that a) they have long memories and b) they can make you look foolish by pointing out all the things that you don't know.

If you are a salesperson reading this, you might be thinking, "of course she's saying that, she's one of them!" But the reality is distinctly different.

I won't dispute that there are some procurement teams that don't get it, that are so rule driven and so enamoured with meeting their savings metrics that they forget that they are an enabler to the business, they should provide insight, innovation in deals and negotiation expertise. They should ensure that the company maximizes and leverages their buy. They should introduce new suppliers to their end clients who may provide a different approach which may be beneficial and help on the revenue side. They should work hand-in-glove with the business to ensure the best outcome overall.

But you know what? More and more procurement teams do get it! It is often the suppliers who are still behind the times and buy-in to the "end-client" who may have an agenda which is counter to the overall business.

To the salesperson with the scenario above, I strongly suggested that he convince his end-client to engage with procurement and that jointly, they present the planned approach. Not as a fait-accomplis, but as wanting procurement's input. 

Even if the proposal doesn't fly, he will find out things he didn't know (e.g "our current contract goes for another two years") and  the salesperson will have established himself as procurement friendly and family feud "agnostic." 

And this sets the foundation for a better relationship, one with procurement, as well as the end client and possibly business in the future.

The other way? Well, let's just say proceed at your own risk -- because it is truly a mine-field.

EVEN IF IT CAN'T BE MEASURED, IT STILL MATTERS

When did we become so measurement centric, that we have forgotten that there are so many things that aren't explainable, yet we accept their magnificence and so many inventions, novels, symphonies etc. that came from dreams.  

So why do we spend most of our efforts trying to metric, measure and KPI the world, and spend very little time on developing creativity, visioning and expanding our thoughts, that could change the corporation and on a grander scheme, potentially the world!

You are probably thinking, that someone with a science and business background with a speciality in Logistics and Supply Chain, where everything is prone to measurement, now espousing the esoteric is a heretic in the field. Personally, I like to believe that this approach would take us to the next level of conscious thought and creativity from whence amazing things can be realized.

I did not discover relativity by rational thinking alone

&

Imagination is more important than knowledge

...Albert Einstein

Even one of the most prolific scientific thinkers in our history, accepted that there are things that are not explainable, and yet we keep on the "if it can't be measured, it doesn't matter" continuum.

Rene Descartes, one of the original rational thinkers from the 1500's said "I think, therefore I am."

But what about how we feel? Isn't it equally true that because we have emotions and "feel" is what defines us? Have you ever tried to measure your feelings? Have you tried to put loving someone of a scale, benchmark it against others who are in love and then put an improvement plan in place? I certainly hope not!!

Feelings aren't measurable, and sometimes they are rational and sometimes not so much. I come from the school of gut feel and I feel therefore I am philosophy.

What about the joy and wonderment of watching your children grow? Watching their wonderment of the world around them? Their questioning of everything and their amazement at the movements of an ant, to the sky being blue is something we lose when we try to put it into a box of measurements.

Can you truly measure a corporate culture? Oh, yes, I know, you are thinking well there are awards for the best corporate culture, so, yeh, there must be a measure. Personally, I think it is a randomly made up metric, because some of the companies that end up in those lists, well I have had experience with them and I wouldn't put them anywhere near the top, yet, they know how to manipulate the statistics and lo and behold, they come out on top.

But if you do have a wonderful corporate culture, that inspires the inhabitants of the corporation to reach, then inevitably you can measure it -- on the bottom-line. Just take Southwest Airlines as an example.

As we've become more metric driven and report all the time on performance measures, we have lost the ability, nay, the opportunity to create. We are so mired down with the report, report, report mentality, that we miss the opportunity to risk, to attempt, to develop something which may result in our leap-frogging the competition and perhaps of the very survival of our business, and dare I say our planet?

Companies like to benchmark against best practices and then play follow-the-leader. But how about considering what's "best-for-you" not what others have done. Is it because you feel then you cannot measure against anyone? Well, the most successful organizations didn't benchmark, they dreamed, created and put their plans into reality. Imagine Henry Ford saying, well where is the best practice in this arena. Or Steve Jobs? Or Bill Gates?

I have also seen where measurements can drive the wrong behaviour and that is particularly apparent in the Procurement arena. The ongoing push for cost savings, without consideration of the resultant impact is unconscionable. Note that none of the teams I have led have ever not made their targets, but they did it in creative ways, not just focusing on price, but on quality, delivery and developing some innovative programs. (Read one of my blog entries on this by clicking here)

Think about your own organization. How much time do you spend on the numbers? First creating them   on multiple Excel spreadsheet...things like monthly, quarterly reports; then presenting them; and finally defending/explaining them. And then think about how much time you spend brainstorming about the possibilities, the next wave, the next grand idea? 

Don't get me wrong. I haven't gone totally to the other side. I think metrics and  benchmarking are very important, but equally important are free-wheeling thought and creativity.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

I am constantly amazed at sales people who, when they lose business, either through an RFP or some other means, won't re-engage with the client, until the next RFP or the like.

During the debrief of why they lost the business, they inevitably ask "How long is the contract for?" When told 1, 3 or 5 years, they check out and no one sees or hears from the company until near to the time that they may have an opportunity to re-engage.

So, as Dr. Phil would say "How's that working for you?"

I've seen too many sales people go off, licking their wounds and figure next time. But if the next time I see you is only when the business is up for tender, then you'll probably lose.

If you were the incumbent and lost or even if it was a potential new client and you lost, don't wait to re-engage, because quite honestly at that point it is too late. And by the way, if you were the incumbent and you lost, well, your competition was certainly cultivating the relationships over the years that you had the business. They understood the client, the client's direction and knew what was needed to win.

I know, you are probably saying, "well, you know those ______ (fill in the blank) procurement people won't make time for me." How often have you tried? And at what level? Yeh, maybe the VP or Director won't have time but others in the chain will, and you can glean valuable insights from them.

And yes, right after losing is probably not a great time to begin the next sales cycle, but even during the debrief, you can say "Well, we thank you for the opportunity. Obviously we are disappointed that we lost. We look forward to keeping connected, so who would it be best to reach out to in 8 months or so?"

And even if they say, "we'll call you," just reach out in 8 months anyway. And see how things are going with the chosen supplier. Have a coffee chat or something like that. Nothing formal, informal is best. Keep your potential client up on whatever new things your business is doing. Say "we've had real success in approaching issues with another company by doing this...."; "We've really moved forward on our sustainability platform...."; "We won an award for......" Plant the seeds. The old adage, you reap as you have sown is a truism.

Start doing your homework and keep up the contact. You don't want to show up in three years and all the players have changed, the strategy has changed and you don't have a clue what's going on.

I mentioned incumbents earlier, but let me tell you that keeping abreast of what's going on goes double for you. If you lose the business on price, then you didn't effectively put forward your value proposition when you had the chance. Furthermore, you missed the business drivers that were pushing in this direction. You missed the opportunity to develop some innovative approach to the business, which could have had the organization meet their metrics, while you maintain the business.

Don't walk away at anytime from a client or potential client. Keep up the relationship. Keep them close.

Because "Call Me Maybe" is not a strategy.

BE A CATALYST FOR THE UNEXPECTED

Nearly all the best things that came to me in my life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.

....Carl Sandburg

I have a very low tolerance for routine. So obviously, I would love change, chaos and embrace the unexpected.

Humans however seem to be creatures of habit. When you got up this morning, you probably followed the same ritual you have hundreds of times before, with perhaps the only variable (or rather should I say hopefully) -- a change in the clothing you wear. You drive, or walk the same route to work, on auto-pilot? This normalization causes us to often zone out and not pay attention, and thereby the creative side of our brain..well, it stays asleep.

When you go to a meeting with your colleagues at work, are you in the same meeting room? Do you sit in the same chair? Do you sit beside the same people? If you remember the movie Groundhog Day, everyday the protagonist (Bill Murray) woke up, it was a total repeat of the day before. Somewhat of an infinite loop, which he can eventually break, but by becoming different, inspiring.

Some of you may be saying "hey, I have so many other things that are bouncing around in my life, that a little routine is welcome." OK, but I'm not talking about a massive change-up here, just a few tweaks along the way, that may result in exciting new vistas. Sometimes a little, goes a long way, and can perhaps create a wonderful unexpected outcome.

As a leader, do you always have the same meeting routine with your team? Why not just throw away the agenda for once, have your team change chairs to somewhere else in the room and beside someone else and then ask them to share with the group, one thing that no one else in the room would know about them. Could be a hobby, something from their childhood or whatever. You'd be amazed at what you discover and each time I've done this, it has created a closer bond amongst the team.

Are you feeling that innovation is lacking in how you and your team are approaching the business? Why don't you  get a "real" physical dictionary or go online to one of the many random word generator sites? With the former, have someone call out a page and once at that page, someone else call out a number less than 25 and there you have your word. The random word generator somewhat does the same thing without the number calling. Take that word, and no matter how ridiculous it seems in regards to dealing with your current situation, ask the team the consider the elements of that word and how it could be used to be innovative in the current scenario. Again, you will be amazed at the results.

Oh, and when you are looking to hire someone new on the team? Don't go for the has experience in the same industry you're in. Try something different. Someone from a totally different perspective on your team can create wonderful, unexpected ideas and results.

And personally? Change the route you drive or walk to work. Even slightly and pay attention to the signs, to the people, to the sounds. You may run into someone you hadn't seen for a while, or if you go into a different coffee shop, you might meet someone new. A sign in the window might create an epiphany for an issue you've been pondering. 

If you are in a relationship and always go out on Friday night, try to get together another time. Go out for breakfast, or have "high tea" at one of the many places that offers such. You can also use the approaches which I suggested for the work-place...why not? I'm sure that even if you've been together with your partner for many years, there is probably things you don't know about him/her. 

These are just some suggestions...there are many other ways you can shake things up. And all of a sudden you are crafting the unexpected. You are putting yourself into a non-routinized scenario that can be a catalyst for the unexpected.

But please, don't make the unexpected the expected. That is, when you change your route to work, and you decide I'll keep going this way. If you decide for no reason at all, to bring flowers to your partner, well don't do it monthly around the same-time. The unexpected then, well becomes your routine...arrgghhh!

To be creative, to be innovative, both personally and professionally,  is hard work. As I noted at the beginning, as humans many of us have this need to develop routines, and habits. And I'm not saying that everything should be changed at once in a "big bang" type of way. Small things, every day, can unexpectedly result in the unexpected!

Variety's the spice of life, that gives it all its flavour 

....William Cowper

SEVEN GENERATION THINKING

"Before you take any decision, consider its effect on the next seven generations"

.....Native American Hopi Proverb

We've devolved into a society of short term thinking. In business it is all about month-end results, next quarter and annual reporting. Governments look only towards what will get them elected in the next go-round. As individuals most of us are just managing to keep up and are having a hard time thinking a few years into the future, let alone the impact our decisions will have seven generations (140 years) hence.

Yet, everything we do in our day-to-day lives, whether alone or as part of a corporation, or as part of a country,  leaves a lasting imprint on tomorrow and many tomorrows to come. 

Let's go back and reflect on the inventions of the past and consider if the thinking had been seven generations ahead, what might have been done differently.

• 1878 David Edward Hughes invents the carbon microphone
• 1879 Thomas Edison invents the first commercially practical incandescent light
• 1885 the first skyscraper opens in the Chicago  -- ten stories high
• 1884 Hiram Maxim demonstrates the first prototype of the machine gun
• 1885 Karl Benz develops the first automobile to run on an internal combustion engine
• 1895 Wilhelm Röntgen discovers X-rays

Each of these inventions have had significant impacts on our lives today, from the illumination of electric light, to the massive skyscrapers that dot every cities skyline, to the deaths (and victories) resulting from the invention of the machine gun, etc. And let's not forget, there would be no karaoke without the invention of the microphone.

I'm not saying the world would be a better place without these inventions, but had there been thought given at the time as to how this would impact us today, perhaps there would have been more thought given to the use and commercialization of each of these creations. 

Perhaps there would have been a limitation put on by towns and cities as to the height of skyscrapers, that now choke out the sunlight in cities, cause many birds to die, and cause major congestion in the core of cities, which has a massive ripple effect.

Perhaps the need for a machine gun that would only be used for mass slaughter of humans would have been re-thought. Because of this invention, many others were borne as the push was on to kill more, faster.

Perhaps consideration would have been made as to the infrastructure that would be needed to support all these vehicles with those internal combustion engines. The paving over of greenery. The spewing of fumes into the air.

Each one of these developments has an absolutely amazing side, but also a down side (ok,except for the machine gun, because that has wrought, as far as I'm concerned, only death and destruction). Yet think, if at the time there been some tribal elders, who would have considered the impact on us today, positive and negative, we would be living in a different and I would hope better world.

Now please understand, I'm not a crunchy granola type, who has my own cow, lives off the grid, and uses a horse and buggy to get around. Nope, I'm a product of my generation, and as such embraces all the creature comforts that today's world offers. 

Yet, I can't help but ponder, as we look at a world that is choking and straining at the seams, of what could have been done differently, had we had a forward looking mentality. Maybe not seven generations. Hell, three would have been a god-send. 

But here we are today, trying to undo the "sins" of the past, which quite honestly are difficult, if not impossible to undo. It's not like we can get rid of skyscrapers and just the opposite is happening. There seems to be some informal competition as to who can build the tallest.

And we outsource our manufacturing to countries that are only interested in building their own economies and are spewing toxicity into the air, poisoning their own populations and damaging the ecosphere. What for? Just so that we can have more stuff, cheaper. Ask yourself how that is going to play in the history books. Personally, I'd look for it under the Seven Deadly Sins tab of Greed. 

What will be our legacy to the future generations? Will they look back at us, from a planet that is damaged beyond repair and say, "If only they had ....."? 

So try one day, as you are making decisions, to consider the impact on future generations. Perhaps it would be of value, when you have a team meeting, or a sit-down with your family or partner or friends to have a discussion about decisions you made that day and what the potential upside and downside would be in a future world. 

You may be surprised at what you discover!

And personally, I think if Mr. Hughes had known that his microphone would be intrinsic in karaoke, he probably would have shelved that device! 

A TITLE DOESN'T MAKE YOU A LEADER

“If you think you are leading and no one is following

 then you are only taking a walk” ... Afghan proverb

The term "leader" is thrown around a lot and misused even more. As soon as someone has a position wherein they  have reports, they will quickly call themselves a leader.  But a title and accountability for a team, does not make you a leader. 

I have heard many more stories about "bad bosses" vs. "good leaders." And at one point you have to wonder why is this the case? Obviously people are promoted because of their competence, otherwise why would they be put into a managerial, director or executive role? And "ay, there's the rub", as Hamlet would say. People are promoted into "leadership" roles when they have shown individual excellence or even brilliance, but that does not make them a good "leader" or even a good candidate for "leading" others.

And I'm not blaming the promotees -- it is the promoters who should be questioned.

a) Perhaps you are concerned that you will lose a high-performer if you don't promote him or her. What you don't realize is that by promoting this non-leader into this role you will potentially lose other high performers and the team machine which until now had been successful will inevitably come to a grinding halt.

b) The person has indicated that they want more responsibility, and because you aren't that creative, (or your organization doesn't enable you to be) you just figure, "well, I'll put them in charge of others. Oh, and I won't give them any training or coaching on what leadership means...they're smart, they'll figure it out." And then when it doesn't work out, well, you blame them -- should be pointing the finger right back at you.

The other problem is that the compensation systems in organizations are most often not geared to provide highly effective individual performers with enhanced compensation. Most companies are still mired in the "when you have a title you'll get paid more" paradigm. And guess what this means? You have to promote unqualified people into leadership roles.

I consider myself to be a good leader. 

I believe leaders need to be inspirational. A leader  needs to support his/her teams. He needs to strip away the barriers to the teams success. She can't be in it for her own ego. A good leader creates an organization with a soul. He says thank you. She laughs together with her team. He lifts their spirit even when the going is tough. She encourages risk taking and by the way ...it's OK for someone to make a mistake, because that means they are taking a risk. He gets to know members of his team  as a people and he lets them know him. It is a place where people love to work and they do amazing things in this environment -- so much that it makes their leader look good, although she always gives them credit for an idea and a job well done.

And when you are no longer their leader, they will remember you and the example you were. Just like we all remember the great teachers we had, who "changed" us, so to do we remember the great leaders we had an opportunity to work with. They made us better, often beyond what we thought we could be.

So don't put on a title and think you are a leader. True leadership takes work, commitment and a love of  helping others excel!

To lead people, walk beside them ...
As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence.
The next best, the people honor and praise.
The next, the people fear;
and the next, the people hate ...
When the best leader's work is done the people say,
"We did it ourselves!"
...Lao tzu 

BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE

“Sometimes things have to go wrong
 in order to go right.” 

― Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sometimes stuff happens. Sometimes its totally unpredictable, other times, even without a crystal ball the proverbial writing is on the wall.

Perhaps it is a job loss, a marriage/relationship breakdown or fill in the blank. We all have our own truths, and we can chose to let them sink us, or make us soar.

I don't like being in a rut, although I will admit that there have been times in my life, where I began considering how to decorate the rut, because I'd been inhabiting it so long. As I get older though, ruts are something to be dealt with quickly and with conviction, because, well, I guess one becomes cognizant of the fact that a) it is not a very fulfilling place to hang out in; b) you recognize that time is quickly passing and you need to be a sprinter, not a marathon runner, to keep up; and c) that being unhappy and/or  unfulfilled is a wasted life.

Each time that my life has been propelled out of a rut (sometimes as the propeller and sometimes the "propellee"), I have ended up in a better place. In fact, I would say a much better place. Not that this was quite evident to me immediately, but inevitably I came to accept that these situations presented some undeniable truths and allowed me to soar. I was a victor, not a victim. Not easy, certainly not. But with the right attitude, life can open up amazing new vistas.

If you are wallowing in cognitive dissonance, ignoring the  data that indicates you are uncomfortable, unhappy or unfulfilled, aka "in a rut", try to think about what an amazing future would look like for you. No don't go into that scary place of what you would need to do to get there, just think about how wonderful life could be. No, there you go again, giving the thousands of reasons for why not. Playing all the "what-if" scenarios. Just for a moment, imagine what you would do. Imagine the possibilities and the wonderful horizon. And then figure out a way to get there. 

And I will tell you, for all the thousand of reasons you would provide to say "can't", I will give you one which supersedes all of these. 

You will be happier and fulfilled and the rest of your life will be filled with your finest moments.

 ( You can also read a previous blog entry: The Upside of Downsides)

MINDFUL LISTENING

When someone is talking to you, are you truly listening? Are you in the present, attempting to understand the entire message that is being communicated? Are you listening to the words, the intonation, the body language, and also what is not being said? And depending on the type of conversation that is going on, as a person is half way through their entreaty, are you already formulating your response and thus perhaps missing the latter half on the message?

In this ever challenging "get 'er done" environment, while being bombarded with all sorts of outside stimuli, it is difficult to be "in the moment." 

I have to admit, that for me, this is something that I continually work on because it is tough! 

I believe part of the reason is the way we are taught in school. When my son was younger, there was a continual commentary on his report cards that said "should participate more in class." His report cards were otherwise stellar, but there was always this niggling comment. One year, his dad and I pressed him on this point and said "What is holding you back from participating more? Are you afraid or what is it?" 

His answer was a lesson for both of us. He said "You know, when the teacher asks a question, I hear it, think about what the best answer would be, and then I would be ready to put up my hand. But by that time, it seems that the teacher has moved on. Others have answered with something. So I never get a chance to participate." He had learned to actively listen, reflect, and come up with a contemplated answer, but alas, to late for the hurry-up world. And you know what? We just accepted the non-participation comments after that, because we knew that his approach is something that everyone should adopt.

When someone is talking to you -- a friend,  a member of your team, a colleague, a family member, a partner, your boss, a supplier, your customer, etc. -- are you truly listening to what they are telling you? Are you paying attention to the words they are using, and not assuming that the words mean the same to you, as they do to them?  Is there eye contact? At what point do they look away? What is their body language saying? Is it consistent with the words? And what might they not be saying? There is a reason for the old adage "Read between the lines."

If we could learn to not miscommunicate, I think we will have found the recipe for world peace, don't you think? 

To mindfully listen, you have to understand the total person with whom you are having a discussion. Get rid of what you may perceive that they want to say, or forget about what you perceive to be their reality. Understand their reality, by tuning in and tuning out the rest of what's going on. Don't assume you already know. And probe, ask questions to clarify, to ensure complete understanding. And then answer. When you truly listen, people feel important and taken care of. They don't feel threatened. They feel inspired and empowered. They feel understood. And by the way, it is OK, to say to the person, "this is what I think you are saying." Validate vs. assume.

Miscommunication has tanked many relationships, whether business or personal.

This is an ongoing development task for us all. And it's not easy, let me tell you. I've been truly trying to perfect it ever since my son enlightened me when he was nine and I'm not anywhere near where I'd like to be. 

And oh, he is now twenty, and I'm still working on it!