Trim the Fat.... its long overdue

I try to navigate around all of the negative talk- recession, lost jobs, no money.... yadda yadda yadda. It does little good to hear it. And, even worse, to hear it frequently is enough to make sure your will is up to date and check your supplemental insurance fine lines.

Make no mistake, I'm far from the "safe zone" as I have 2 of 4 family members being laid off this year (in manufacturing and labor positions). But, I don't think that surrounding yourself with this type of discussion does anything positive to move you and your family forward.

Winners don't wallow. They assess, pick up, and move on.

Now, on to the point of my blog. Get your firing gloves out. Not the ones for pottery. The ones that you wear when you have to let people go. Its unpleasant but necessary. Especially necessary now, if you ask me. You should have done it long ago but you thought you'd let them slide. Slide no more.

Take a hard look around and fire the people who shouldn't have been on the payroll to begin with. They don't do their work well. Their position is obsolete. They have no productive place in your shop.

Recognize your responsibility. You have a responsibility to keep your business profitable or afloat during hard times. You have a responsibility to your employees to give them a decent, safe, and positive work environment. Now, they have a responsibility to you. They have the responsibility to show up, do well, and take their job seriously. If they don't do that- get rid of them. If out of 8 hours you can only see 2 hours of production- you have a responsibility to investigate that. How can that be positive and productive for your business- and for your harder working employees?

Now, I'm not advocating firing from the hip or haphazardly. There is a right way to do it and many wrong ways. You also have the responsibility to ensure people know what gets them fired- and what keeps them on. And, you have a responsibility, in my opinion, to train or retrain them to see if you can keep them on. But, if not, let them go and show your respect for your business and your harder working employees.

We can all cut the fat- in our work and home lives. Its a necessary element to growth and productivity.

Get firing. If you can't do it, hire someone who can and will.

Happy Holidays. (insert tongue in cheek here)

Reading to Guide You

Clients and friends often ask my advice on reading materials for various outcomes. Here are my general thoughts.

I highly encourage you to be a active member of any national or international groups in your profession. Pick only one and become a part of it. Make sure they deliver at least monthly news from the field (peer reviewed ideally)- what is working, what's not, and what is on the cutting edge. Remember that your education shouldn't stop at any point in your successful career. You should be at the height of up-to-date knowledge in your field, know the key players well, and contribute to the information sharing.

As a business person I subscribe to Inc., Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Forbes Magazines. I subscribe to a few others but have to confess that they don't excite me very much. Forbes, is in fact on the lower side of enjoyment for me, but I love the Executive Women issues that come out seasonally.

Read for education, inspiration, enjoyment for the field and to break away from the normal day-to-day stuff. Your brain needs it. Your business needs it.

Oh, and for pleasure, I subscribe to Cooking Light and Real Simple. They just make my life better.

I encourage you to comment on your own reading lists (books, blogs, magazines, etc...).

Happy Reading!

What is Your Formula?

I hear it often. "Lisa, how did you do that?" That question is one of the pivotal keys to my becoming a life coach. I wanted to help others "do that"- whatever that was for them.

People are often disappointed with me when I can't answer them the way they want. They are looking for a course that I took, a book I read, an experience I had- that they can replicate to do the same thing. It just doesn't work that way.

Its like asking a painter how they paint or how they become inspired. Its a really hard question to answer.

Or, asking the engineer to explain how they are doing their work- it would take hours, days and maybe weeks. If they give you the broad answer you might be unhappy- you want more- yet you don't want to spend the 4+ years in education that they did learning their trade.

I often say, "that's just who I am and what I do". That isn't good enough for them. They want more. I understand that.

The truth is it comes naturally for me- because of my formula.

I get paid to give advice. And, I'd like to say that I think my advice is spot on at least 90% of the time. How do I derive at such advice- that is successful? Well, the answer is in my formula. We all have one.

The formula includes my 18 years of formal education, the dozens of various courses I took outside of that; my 23 years work experience (yes, I've been working since the age of 12) for small shops and large corporations; my upbringing and background; my voracious learning, observation and reading; my methodology for decision making and processing; the company I keep; my beliefs; my values; my creativity; ..... you see where this is going. Who I am is how I work. A simple answer doesn't exist to "how I do it".

What's your formula? How do you do what you do?

Bank Tellers Can't Add- A warning to business owners

An unnerving incident occurred this week that highlighted the decisions we make in business- and how those decisions may be adversely effecting our favorite clients.

I was at my trusty bank, where I have several accounts, and the teller asks if she could assist me with anything else (good move). I said, yes, there was a pesky charge on one of my accounts for a service fee I didn't recognize.

Problem 1: The teller could view the service fee line item but it was not a description of the fee itself- she had to go to a list of fees and match up the amount to see what it could possibly be

Problem 2: Together we deduced that it was a service fee for a deposit, some time ago, where I added the slip wrong- and the teller didn't catch it. So, the incorrect amount was posted to my account only to be later remedied by corporate. Aren't tellers supposed to check your deposits? Isn't that one of the primary responsibilities they have?

Activities like this make me question the business leaders at work. The bank is supposed to be my advisor and manager of my money. I pay them to do so. I trust them to do so. So, when they fail to do so- why and how are they charging me? Outrageous! I told the lovely teller that this error has me reevaluating my banking options. I further thought it was underhanded of them not to have a description in the line item for the service fee- why not be 100% transparent?

Businesses this is a lesson for you. Don't allow someone to tell you that you should charge your clients, additionally, for things that should be staples in your business. Be mindful that your best clients are finicky and will walk if they feel undervalued. Be smart about your fee structures. Be honest and fair in how you treat your clients. But, above all else, do your job and do it with the utmost of integrity!

Hygiene in the Workplace: It Matters

Last week I was shopping at a major retailer for business supplies. What I witnessed prompted this weeks blog.

I'm far from a germophobe- you can ask my friends and family. However, I realize that the world is getting more health conscious. People are paying attention to illness origin and germs more than they ever have before. Companies have moved to the motto- if you are sick, stay home. That has become an order to promote faster healing as well as keeping the healthy workforce healthy.

The cashier at this major chain had a chronic cough- every 5 seconds she was coughing. Sometimes she'd cover her mouth, other times she wouldn't. She then began picking at her lips with her fingers- a nervous habit or one out of boredom. She was using these same fingers to punch details into the cash register, take my credit card, and touch my purchases. Yuck. Even I was offended. She told me to have a great day. I told her that I hoped she would feel better. And, she looked at me as though I was crazy. Maybe she felt great.

Business owners beware. Part of your training needs to include hygiene and illness. What are employees to do when they are sick? How sick? What behaviors are acceptable in the workplace and not so. We are all familiar with hygiene and behaviors in the food industry. Let's set many of those same standards in other workplaces to foster better business, happier employees and customers, and a healthier environment.

Here's to your health.

Put on Your Consumer Vision

I often speak to groups about networking and building a successful business.

It often surprises me that people fail to try to see things from a consumer aspect.

To build a successful business you need to offer three things:

1. Be there (in person, on mind, and at their fingertips) and ready to deliver
2. Make a favorable and lasting impression
3. Provide value (not the cheapest price!)

To do the above you have to look at your business from a consumer standpoint. You already think you do all three. But, do they? Why don't more think that of you and your business?

I challenge you to partner up with a fellow business professional (not your best friend) and offer to review each others businesses with your consumer vision or consumer goggles. It would go something like this:

• We each agree to spend 3 hours reviewing each others businesses over the next 30 days
• We will review the following materials or items: (examples) storefront, business cards, marketing materials, philosophy, presence in the community, etc...
• We will deliver a written report to each other on such a date when we meet for coffee. The report will include our impressions of the materials, recommendations and/or feedback on how to improve them and our overall impression of your business (in the three key aspects stated above in this blog).

Now, just because your business partner doesn't accept each recommendation doesn't mean the exercise was not valuable. Remember, business is not personal! You learned about your business from another persons perspective- and you offered your valuable insight to them on theirs. You've already won by doing the exercise.

Do You Take Responsibility for Other People's Actions?

Recently, I've been disturbed by the level of irresponsibility that exists. However, I'm not talking about on an individual level. I hope that we all accept individuals should be responsible for their actions (well, most individuals there are a few exceptions depending upon age and mental capacity). My upset has been more with the powers that oversee individuals, whether it be a company, a governmental agency, etc...

Your employees/contractors/volunteers... represent you. Your employees/contractors/volunteers... represent your company/city/board... Across all pay ranges and all titles you need to make sure these individuals are acting in a manner that you can be proud of (and bank on). YOU are at risk if they are not. Your company/city/board...is at risk if they are not.

You MUST have strong training programs in place (again, at all levels for everyone). You MUST have frequent examinations (by an outside or unknown party) to test that this training has been implemented. And, you MUST take immediate action when you identify an individual that is not upholding the mission, vision, and values of your work. There are no exceptions.

Remember, the smallest most insignificant interaction to you (or your employee) can turn a potential life-long customer/fan to your competitor. And, they will take all of their friends with them.

Is your "house" in order? Make it a priority for the next 90 days. You'll thank me for it.