I recently met Julie Allemagne while I was counseling at SCORE.  As with my philosophy of helping others I have invited Julie to blog on The Business Source LLC blog.  She’s an expert in Human Resources.  Enjoy her post.

John

How to drive your supervisors crazy in 10  Easy Steps!

#10.      Do not clearly define a supervisor’s project role-Are they the project lead?   An advisor to the project, with no tasks to accomplish?    If your supervisors don’t understand what role they play on a project or within an organization, they will fail to understand how they can best support the organizational goals.

#9.       Assign several bosses for each functional role a supervisor plays-There is nothing worse than wasting time by having to report progress to more than one boss, or to obtain the green light in order to move on the next phase of a project.  It’s ineffective, inefficient, and generally causes morale issues within your organization.

#8.       Do not clearly state the purpose and goals for the organization- What are the expected outcomes associated with each role in the organization?     Spell them out using specific, measurable goals.  Assign responsibilities and deadlines as well.

#7.       Make sure that the breadth and scope of your supervisors’ responsibility is unattainable. No matter how hard they work, how many Little League games they miss, how many hours they put in at the office, they will drop the ball somewhere.  This is a quick way to bring down your supervisors and to cause your best employees (at all levels) to leave your organization.    As priorities change, insure that you survey your supervisors in order to redistribute the workload accordingly.

#6.       Change priorities weekly- Leaders  in organizations have difficulty understanding the impact of  their changing priorities.   Employees, including managers and supervisors, need to feel that they are part of the organization’s progress, and that they can focus on priorities successfully.   Especially in today’s business climate, employees at all levels need reassurance that some priorities will continue on a long term basis.

#5.       Keep them busy until you figure things out-  When organizations don’t exactly know the path they will take, they develop “busy work” projects for their supervisors to complete.    This can be an effective way to gather intelligence on a complex issue, or to gain understanding about employees’ attitude on current issues, but when this  method becomes “the norm”, it can be damaging to morale.

#4        Set up your organization in a “team” format because your competitors are doing it-   Many organizations have adopted team structures because they have been told that this is a good thing.  If you are going to adopt a team structure, define the purpose of the team, and be sure that the team can be successful within an appropriate scope.    If you and your supervisors don’t fully understand and believe in team structures,  adopting teams will frustrate your employees and may become counterproductive.

#3.       Do not hold people accountable-  Supervisors  who have to manage around poor performers quickly become frustrated.  Define your policies.  Apply your policies each and every time.  Organizations get into trouble when exceptions are made because of a favored employee status.     Employee populations have a very strong BS detector and can see these actions much faster than leadership would ever realize.

#2.       Do not teach your supervisors basic organizational skills-A CEO once told me that “if someone has made it to this level, they should know how to prepare a budget and read financial statements”.     This type of thinking couldn’t be further from the truth.   Even if you have highly skilled supervisors in an organization, chances are that they are not familiar with YOUR budget process, financial statements, or other organizational processes.    Make time to train your supervisors so that your organizational and employee learning continues.

#1 ½     Make sure that 50-75% of supervisory time is spent in meetings! – Meetings take time and energy away from the real priorities of the organization.     Have “stand up” meetings, which are focused, problem solving and within the scope of responsibilities for the employees attending them.

#1.       Make sure that your meetings are redundant, include as many people as possible, have no stated purpose, and make no progress! Find more appropriate ways to communicate with employees and enlist creative ways to engage them in understanding the organization’s goals.

Julie Allemagne is the owner of Root Solutions, LLC.  We partner with small to medium companies to hire and retain the right employees, increase profits, increase sales and profits.   Using a variety of tools and a systematic approach, we will work with your organization to meet your business objectives.      www.myrootsolutions.com 608.426.0380

I was listening to talk radio yesterday and Mark Belling from WISN in Milwaukee was talking about people that accomplish extraordinary things.

Bob Lang from Delafield built Erin Hills golf course with the intention of having it become the site for the U.S. Open golf championship.

Senator Herb Kohl built Whistling Straits near Kohler and has hosted several PGA tournament events and will host the 92^nd PGA Championship in August.

To build these world class courses was a feat in itself.  The state of Wisconsin is filled with pitfalls and challenges for business owners.  According to Forbes Magazine, Wisconsin ranks 44^th out of 50 for “the best states for business”, barely ahead of Michigan, Louisiana and West Virginia.

The only thing that allowed them to achieve success was their determination, their will, their drive, their passion for a vision and a belief that would not be squelched by government regulation.

Without their true grit, these amazing golf courses would never have been built.  These are men of courage that followed their dream.  They had a vision and they pursued it relentlessly.  It’s people like Bob Lang and Herb Kohl that inspire me and keep my spirit alive.

To succeed in business today, you need more than a great idea and money.  You need determination, incredible will, drive and passion for what you believe in.

Over my 30 year career in sales and sales management John Wooden’s name and principles popped up about once a year in various training discussions.

His recent passing creates an opportunity to pause and reflect on his greatness.  Seldom in our history do we come across great leaders that are completely authentic and live by principles that guarantee success.  John Wooden was one of those great leaders.  His father passed along this 7 Point Creed as John was entering grammar school.

John Wooden’s 7 Point Creed:

• Be true to yourself.
• Make each day your masterpiece.
• Help others.
• Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
• Make friendship a fine art.
• Build a shelter against a rainy day.
• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

John went on to write his own Pyramid of Success.

John Wooden served our country in the Navy achieving the rank of Lieutenant.  As a player he once made 134 consecutive free throws in 46 games.  As a coach, he won 10 NCAA basketball championships coaching the UCLA Bruins.  Overall his coaching record was 664 wins and 162 losses.

I would say that John Wooden was an extraordinary man that we can all model our lives after.

I’ve been fascinated by all the buzz and hype surrounding the topic of social media.  When I decided I wanted a blog to go along with my website, I didn’t realize that I was ahead of the curve.   I wanted a blog to share ideas and educate.

Over the past year or two companies and consultants have popped up that specialize in helping others develop social media programs.  Helping companies learn what social media is, where it is, how it works and how to engage in social media is very similar to helping companies learn about and understand advertising, marketing or any number of related business disciplines.

What’s all the hype?  Let’s look at the facts from my point of view.  Social media is not for every company or every professional.  The four main social media sites are Face Book, Twitter, Linked In and blogs.  Face Book has some value and I believe there are strategies for companies to promote themselves and get involved in various conversations on Face Book.  But seriously, Face Book is for family and friends.  People that I observe who are fans of Face Book are rarely using it for business.  There are more potential threats with Face Book than value for business in my opinion.

Twitter is just that.  I’m embarrassed for some that use this format of communications to share personal things and professional acts that have no value to the readers.  I wouldn’t say it’s a total waste of time, but close.  Save the tweet, no one cares.

Linked In however, is a powerful business information engine and resource.  There’s many ways to use Linked In and it adds value to my work, my time and my ability to help others every day.  Linked In is easy to use and can be a powerful Social Media tool.

Blogs are web logs.  A place for people to comment, share events, experiences and education.  Video plays well in Blogs and You Tube has captured the essence of using video to entertain, communicate and educate.  Personally I think having a strategy for using video is a better investment in time and money than social media and they are connected.  Video is a stronger driver of Search Engine Optimization than Social Media.

Over the past year, I’ve asked several Social Media experts to demonstrate for me and show me what value they’ve created for their clients.  So far no one has been able to show me the value.  I’m still waiting and will probably be waiting, perhaps because my expectations equal the hype.  If it’s all that, show me where it’s at.  Having a profile and listing in one of the various social media databases (that’s really what they are), is easy and no big deal.

I do appreciate the exponential level of information and knowledge power I’ve seen at www.Mashable.com. This is the premiere website for social media information.

Technology is moving so quickly it is impossible to keep up.  What you heard, see and read is only a small percentage of what’s happening behind the scenes related to information technology.

Social Media needs to be recognized.  In the Friday May 14^th edition of the Wall Street Journal, there is a story on Procter and Gamble highlighting allegations that its’ new Pampers product creates rashes and leaks.  The sub-headline says, “Company Staunchly Defends New Pampers as Allegations of Rashes, Leaks Find Traction on the Web.”   That’s some serious stuff for P & G.  Pampers makes up $8.5 billion dollars of P & G’s total $79 billion in revenue.  P & G changed the formula and application for absorption and pissed off thousands of moms.  One mom started a Face Book page titled, “Pampers Bring Back the Old Cruisers/Swaddlers and in one week it went from 3,500 fans to 7,000 fans.  That’s what I call going “viral”.  It’s also social.  And it’s now the new media.

People across the world are now connected.  The World Wide Web is definitely gaining momentum and more and more people are getting into the conversation via whatever social media outlet suits their needs.  For me it’s Linked In and Blogs.  For others it’s Twitter and Face Book, plus another two dozen specific applications known as social media.

From my perspective, my job is to educate my clients on Social Media so they can make good choices and if they so choose, develop a communications strategy to monitor the various Social Media sites and participate in the conversation.   Today and in the past advertising was a paid form of Social Media.  Public Relations is a paid form of Social Media also.  Creating a website is a paid form of Social Media.  Taking time to visit, read, monitor and write for Face Book, Twitter or Linked In is a paid form.  Time is money.  Where do you want to spend your time?

In my opinion, value gets created when there is an exchange of knowledge, goods or services where the provider exceeds the customers  expectations.  Value occurs when the recipient feels they’ve received as much or more benefit than they expected,  sometimes for a price, sometimes at no cost.  What’s your definition of value and how do you create value for your clients?

In today’s Wall Street Journal, Walter Mossberg provides a concise cheat sheet to help clarify some of the issues that makes buying a new laptop easier.

Walter has been providing IT advice in the WSJ for as long as I can remember.  Here’s a summary of Walter’s recommendations.

Cost:  Windows thin and ultrathin laptops can be purchased between $500 and $800 with bigger screens and keyboards.  Net books prices range from $300-$500.  A desktop tower can be bought for $400 or less.  Acer has a 15” laptop for $299!  Micro Center chain is selling Apple’s entry level Mac Book laptop for $200 off the $999 retail price.

Processors:  The new Intel Core series of chips called i3, i5 and i7 come in both PC and Mac.  Good new chips that come with “Turbo Boost”.  AMD still makes a solid chip for less money.  Older chips like the Core Duo still work fine also.

Graphics:  For most users integrated graphics are fine.  Discrete graphic have more power for games and video but take more batter power.  Nvidia graphics package called, Optimus works between both platforms saving your PC power on battery.

Windows vs. Mac:  The new 7 operating system competes with Apples Snow Leopard system.  Windows 7 costs less than the $1199 Apple version.  Mac’s have a cooler design, are super reliable, boot faster and aren’t affected by malicious software.  Apple also scores highest on customer support.

Memory:  4 gigabytes of RAM should do it.  Never less than 2 gigs.

Hard disks:  320 gig should be the minimum.    On a net book, 160 gigs works OK.

64 bit:  The better choice for software to use more memory and run faster.

Touch:  Make sure your PC has a full multi-touch screen that supports all Windows 7 apps.  The I-Touch is surely hard to beat.

My daughter just bought a new laptop for a great price.  Getting online has never been easier.

Recently I was honored to be invited to the 30^th Anniversary celebration of the Wisconsin Small Business Development Network in conjunction with the Wisconsin Entrepreneurial Network.  This was a great event to celebrate the service and support that the Small Business Development centers provide for startups and entrepreneurs across Wisconsin.

Three years ago I applied for and was accepted into the Entrepreneurial Training Program at UW Madison.  A large part of my success can be attributed to my involvement with the Small Business Development Center.  The process allowed me to work with professionals to strategize, research and write my business plan.  I recommend the SBDC to anyone interested in starting a business.

In 2009 the Small Business Development Center here in Madison, Wisconsin counseled 628 clients interested in learning about starting or strengthening local companies.  Of those 628, 22% are in-business now and 13% are start ups.  Statewide, the SBDC Network counseled 4,952 entrepreneurs.  Overall this effort leads to over $22 million in capital infusion.

I plan to get more involved with the SBDC Network to help others who have a dream, who are inspired, who know that the idea that stokes their desire to provide a better product, a better service, a better way, find the right resources, counsel and support that is required to successfully launch a new business or strengthen an existing small company.

To get involved with the UW Small Business Development Center Network click http://sbdc.wisc.edu.

It’s been just over a month since my last post.  WOW has it been busy.  Too busy to write.  Too busy to think clearly about what to write.

A friend I met at Wizard Academy last July has an incredibly powerful blog and he writes and posts every day 365 days a year.  He gets up at 3am and always has quality ideas, concepts and video’s to share.  I’m not that great.  For me it takes great focus and energy to push out concepts that I believe will be of value.  Even today, I really don’t have time to blog, but I can’t let another day go by.

So today I share the thought of focus and energy.   When does something that needs to be done, get so important that you stop what you’re doing whether you’re on deadline or not and dedicate your focus and energy to that new project?  For me it’s letting a blog go 30 days.
Gair Maxwell has enough focus and energy to write great blogs every 24 hours.  Now maybe he’s not as immersed as I am with client projects.  At any rate, you’ll love his blog and you can find it at www.seamlessbrand.com.

Enjoy the day, enjoy Gair’s blog and enjoy your focus and energy on whatever subject you determine needs to be focused on right now!

We all face a continuous set of challenges.  In our personal lives we do the best we can to be a productive member of society, to create positive experiences with our families and along the way work to maintain good friendships with people we trust and enjoy good company with.  Each of our challenges is relative to real problems in the world.  In America our worst day is way better than those who face ongoing war and disaster.  Afghanistan and Haiti come to mind without thinking.

So our challenges are miniscule.

In our professional lives it’s our responsibility to be productive citizens.  The industries we’re in and the companies we work for create expectations that we’ll do what’s necessary to advance ourselves, our companies and our customer’s experience.

As a sales coach and business consultant, I’m fortunate to work with many people who have vision, and are pursuing growth by providing products or services desired by their customers.  The real challenge I think has become how to balance the day to day operations and deliverables with the necessary drive to increase performance.

That’s why I teach.  That’s why I coach.  That’s why I consult.  To help the business owners we’re in partnership with create a positive balance between the daily challenges that exist and how they can look ahead and design their business practices in a way that supports employee growth and development.

I’m in the early stages of developing a radio advertising sales training program with Radio1 Broadcast School in LaCrosse.  They’ve been focused on the broadcast side for 7 years and just this week won awards presented at the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Student Awards for Excellence event.  They are good at training prospective announcers.  Now they want to develop a quality radio sales training curriculum and I’m honored to be involved in the creation of this new professional development series.

The radio industry like many media today faces significant challenges adapting and evolving to stay relevant with changing technology.  One thing that has not seemed to change much is how broadcasters train their sales people.  I was fortunate to be the recipient of the best sales training in the world from my very first day in advertising sales.  The companies I worked for were adamant about having the best people and the best training to keep their revenues chugging along to reach goal.  My experience is the exception to the industry.  Most radio stations leadership is so busy fighting fires internally and with corporate investors that they lose sight of what is really happening on the street with their customers and their sales people.

Radio sales people come in three categories.
1.  Experienced veterans that bill 80% of the stations revenue. (top performers)
2.  Novices who are learning and committed to their careers. (mid-level performers)
3.  Beginners who may or may not make it in the business.  (entry level learners)

If the radio industry wants to continue as a viable advertising and entertainment medium, it must look critically at how seriously it’s committed to training.

Sales managers are the individuals charged with running the sales operation, managing people, taking care of key clients, going on sales calls and training the sales staff.  Only the finest broadcast companies have the sales management experience to support the daunting challenges sales managers face day to day.  These radio groups are rare indeed.

We’re developing this new radio advertising sales program to help the companies that don’t have the experience and budgets to train their people properly.  So the process has begun.  We’re customizing our sales training curriculum to fit perfectly with the challenges that radio stations and radio advertising sales people face today.  Having been in radio advertising sales, sales management, sales training and having been on the buying side as marketing director and as a consultant that still is involved in buying media for my clients, I’m excited to be able to fill a huge void.

In the days ahead I’ll begin to share the resources I’ll be using to help me become the best radio sales trainer in Wisconsin.

Over my 25 year career I’ve been fortunate to be the recipient of great sales and business training.  My library has over 60 books written by the best business experts, consultants and trainers.  Even though I’ve read them all, I consistently re-read those that pertain to specific disciplines I’m involved with in helping my clients.

One of the best is “Profitable Growth Is Everyone’s Business”, written by Ram Charan.  Ram has written or co-authored 7 books and I’ve read several.  In “Profitable Growth Is Everyone’s Business”, Ram outlines 10 tools of profitable revenue growth.  “Growth is a creative act, but it is also a social process that is disciplined and links together the moving parts of an organization to achieve a consistent increase in revenues.”

The tools for growth beg a thought process that requires commitment, dedication and a desire to win.

What are you doing to help your customer?
In every customer interaction, how well do your people extract information about customer needs?
How does that information get shared internally?
Is your focus on cost cutting at the expense of revenue growth?
Are you focused solely on one big idea or multiple small ideas?
Can you improve productivity and increase revenue at the same time?

Ten Tools
1.  Is revenue growth part of everyone’s business every day?
2.  Work to hit more singles and doubles, not just home runs.
3.  Seek good growth and avoid bad growth.
4.  Dispel the myths that inhibit both people and organizations from growing.
5.  Turn the idea of productivity on its head by increasing revenue productivity.
6.  Develop and implement a growth budget.
7.  Beef up upstream marketing.
8.  Understand how to do effective cross-selling (or value/solutions selling).
9.  Create a social engine to accelerate revenue growth.
10.  Operationalize innovation by converting ideas into revenue growth.

The implications in Ram’s Ten Tools clearly indicate the need for an open company culture, the importance of teamwork, communications and the overall need for training.

The chapters in “Profitable Growth Is Everyone’s Business” are filled with practical, easy to understand perspectives on how you can create your own high performance customer development strategy.