SUCCESS learned from SPECIAL FORCES ~ John J Arent

Our special forces are incredible defenders of our country.  Not much is written about these extraordinary people due to the covert missions that they engage in but I wanted to devote my blog today to the special forces that risk their lives for us. I learned a lot from reading some "fictional" books that are centered on the CIA, FBI and other "alphabet" organizations that operate secretly and protect our interests. I am a huge fan of fictional thrillers particularly those that involve Special Forces such as the Seals, Army Rangers, Delta Force and the Green Berets among others.  Books by David Baldacci, Harlan Coben,Vince Flynn, James Grippando are among my favorites.  These “Special Operations” elite have a number of skills that top business leaders could benefit from. I believe that the following characteristics could help make our executive teams stronger.

Belief in the Mission ~ Once the assignment has been defined, there is only one goal – Get it done!  Whatever it takes.  As executives, we need to have a clear understanding of the tasks involved in order to complete our mission. All expectations are to be met with no deficiencies.

Total Comprehension of the Mission ~ The goal is always the same, Get it done!  The commandos know that failure is not an option due to the global fallout from failure.  The failure would not only hurt the operation but affect the entire nation and our identity.  Gaining a complete and accurate knowledge of the tasks, using SWOT analysis, maximizing on your strengths and at least neutralizing any weaknesses.

“Deliberate practice & Rehearsal” ~ As mentioned in my blog on June 26^th, beyond the natural abilities that we are born with, the best way to take advantage of those innate skill sets is “deliberate practice”. http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/06/talent-and-little-bit-extra-john-j.html

Special Ops use “intelligence” to gather critical information so that they can masterfully plan their operations.  They draw up a blueprint, visualizing and anticipating problems and solutions through pinpoint planning.  Preparation, both mental and physical is key to their productivity.  They work together as a team, with specific tasks assigned with no open questions surrounding the mission.;  Everyone knows their job, expectations and their results.

“Practice makes Perfect” ~ In their planning exercises, all possible results are analyzed and practiced.  During this practice, any unanticipated results are dealt with and much attention is given to both what went right and also what did not go according to plan. Through this series of repetions, they can improve on any imperfections or eliminate those tasks that they felt could derail their plan. The goal during these exercises is to eliminate the source of any distractions and determine what will work best to have positive results.  Key word is FOCUS

“Gather the Correct Equipment and Tools” ~  Master planners of the covert action will make sure that they have the correct equipment in place.  In our setting, it may include various departments  that will have to collaborate on the plans.  This will only be accomplished with the right people.  Those people who put the team above themselves. 

Special Ops are selected due to their individual service history but trained to work as a team.  This blending of a Dream Team is what makes them so effective.  It is also why it is so difficult to do.  Do you have what it takes to learn business lessons from our special forces?

Customer Service ~ John J Arent

I was recently asked to define just ONE requirement that is critical to be successful in sales.  This was not an easy task due to the fact that I have been in the sales profession since I was a youngster.  Over the years, I have been blessed by the good fortune of working side by side with some of the best sales professionals on this planet.  I have had the opportunity to work with top performers and observe the many attributes that helped result in award-winning results.  Most sales people possess multiple talents that when taken together as a whole will result in extraordinary outcomes. I am a firm believer in the fact that we would never want or desire to have a “robotic” sales person represent our company.  Success comes in many flavors and I would submit to you that this blog would be much larger than my normal blogs if I were to list the various characteristics, traits or behaviors of some of the finest achievers that I have had the pleasure of working with.  Since the challenge was to define only 1, here it is….

CUSTOMER SERVICE ~ This is a “catch-all” but as I wrapped my mind around this challenge, I am committed to making this the most desirable behavior that exemplifies top performance.  This is the foundation or established starting point which every successful person that I know has solidified as their  base of operations.. The reasons for this are as follows:

• Great Salespeople are a resource to their customers ~ They are driven by results but they also are genuinely concerned about bringing value to their customers.  A special TLC and consideration for their customers is strength of these highly professional and ethical ambassadors of the company.  They are quite passionate about what they do and are able to extend their beliefs to their customers.
• These representatives are dependable and trustworthy ~ They take great pride in knowing how they can best assist their clients.  Beyond product knowledge, they are expert in the “lagniappe” that the company has provided.  [I am a fan of Louisiana and “lagniappe” is a Cajun term for a “little bit extra”]  These representatives through their listening skills take on the cares, wants and desires of their customers and make them their own. They exhibit an incredible understanding of the support or service items that will help overall customer satisfaction.
• These representatives show many of the traits that top executives illustrate including empathy and humility.  They would never jeopardize their customers with faulty information or service and go to great lengths in ethical promotion of their company and products.   
• I have often wondered if anyone would buy something from someone that they simply do not like…I’m sure it happens, but is has got to be the exception.  There are some people who are very successful by being relentless, high pressure type sales people.  To each his own, but I have found that the top sales professionals have an uncanny ability to “read’ their customers and adjust to their customer’s style.  They have a “WOW” factor and quickly make a great first impression.  From there, they continue to build on their reputation for quality service.

Those representatives who can deliver customer service with a smile are the foundation for success.  The nice thing about this trait is that it is a learnable one and with good mentoring and coaching is generally easy to master.  You have to truly care about someone and appreciate the fact that no one cares how much you know until they realize how much you care. 

This “customer service approach” may be a paradigm shift for a number of sales managers who are reading this blog.  My caveat to you is if you have salespeople on your team who are not willing or able to adopt a customer service profile to their business approach, either help them by taking the necessary steps in training them or reassign them out of the sales department.

5 steps to success for the ENTREPRENEUR ~ John J Arent

To be a trendsetter, you need to have the traits of an innovator.  We talked about these traits in my recent blog:  

http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/06/fostering-innovation-by-john-j-arent.html  The purpose of today’s blog is to list a couple of steps to help you realize success in your driving your business.  There are several steps involved but the good thing is that each one of these is totally learnable.

  

Vision ~ Your visualization of what you will be in the next 6 months, 1 year and five years from now.  It is not just a dream but a prediction of your success.  Putting this in writing helps but you need to keep it visible for you to reach it. 

Financial return ~ Many companies fail due to the fact that they start out without completely understanding what their costs will be and how much revenues they can produce.  You need to have a clear understanding of the various components that go into your income statement, your balance sheet, your cash flow systems.

Customer profiles ~ What do your customers want?  More importantly, what do they need?  Gaining insights into what makes your customer tick, what they like and the reasons behind what they would like to see in the future is incredibly valuable information.  Take the time and money, if necessary to invest in getting to know your customers.  It will be money well spent.

Invest in partners ~ Watching “Shark Tank” which is aired on TV on Friday evening, it is so important to have partners who have the skill sets that we may be lacking.  As mentioned earlier, financial return or ROI is so important but also having the right distribution systems in place.  First time ventures into new business often fail due to not having clarity or confidence in how you plan on getting your product to your customer. These experts will brings years of experience to your plan and help to avoid the many potholes that inevitably we will fall into.

Your front line will be your employees ~ Know who they are and what makes them tick.  Make sure that you “onboard” your staff so that they are familiar with your company culture, core values and ultimate goals.  Help them become a part of the team by allowing them to prosper and grow with you. Ensure that your employees have the skills and tools necessary to be successful.  Invest in their future…it will help the company achieve success.

Maximizing your TALENT ~ John J Arent

No one is born GREAT, it takes work.  When I think of greatness, it is easy to think of sports figures who have stood out from others in their respective sports:  Wilt Chamberlin, Ted Williams, Jerry Rice, Muhammad Ali and a host of others.  I also think about Professionals in entertainment, Elvis, The Beatles, Oprah, Elton John, Bob Hope etal.  In business, it is the same:  Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs, Jack Welch, Henry Ford are names that come up a lot.  These people have all excelled but were they born great?  No

I will submit that each of these people were born with extraordinary natural talent.  At over 7 feet tall, Wilt was an unstoppable force on the BB court. Growing up in the 60’s, watching him go against Bill Russell was a weekly treat when it seemed that every Sunday, the Sixers and Celtics would play on TV.  In most sports today, there is definitely a certain physique that you are born with that will make a big difference in overall results.  You can’t be a 150 lb lineman in the NFL nor could you be a 7 foot tall gymnast.  Beyond Natural talent, there are some skill sets that need to be developed in order to be GREAT.  In Music, no one would dispute that John, Paul, George & Ringo  had the ability to play their respective instruments and bring a whole new musical genre to us. How often did they practice?  Years!  Warren Buffett claims that he was “wired at birth to allocate capital” and thus was born with that natural ability!  Mr. Buffett, you are not wrong a lot of times but in this instance, don’t quit your day job!

It brings me back to the need that all people need to hone their natural skills by a relentless approach to hard work that stretches you to the next level. Warren Buffett was recognized as one of the greatest investors of our time, he worked hard in his investigation of various business targets and was persistent in his abilities to interpret financial statements. As the Oracle of Omaha, he became famous for his discipline and the countless hours that he would devote to accounting principles and financial analysis of his prospective buyouts.

In the book Talent is Overrated, Fortune Magazine editor, Geoff Colvin highlights recent studies that show that greatness can be developed by any man, in any field, through the process of deliberate practice. How does one practice deliberately? There are three key descriptors that differentiate Deliberate Practice from Practice itself.

1. Deliberate practice is an activity designed specifically to improve performance, often with a teacher’s help.

Carrying out practice sessions in this deliberate fashion is a skill that takes time to develop. That’s why having a teacher help you design your practice sessions can be invaluable. Think about the PGA tour and the world’s greatest golfers all having a teacher.  Dirk Novitski of the 2011 world champion Dallas Mavericks has his own shooting coach.

2. The practice activity can be regularly repeated. 

The world’s top performers spend years of their lives practicing. Ted Williams, the greatest hitter in baseball history, would practice hitting balls until his hands bled. 

To be the best, you have to put in the time. In fact, as noted in one of my earlier blogs, if you want to become an expert in your field, you’ll need to put in at least 10,000 hours or 10 years of practice first.

3. The practice activity provides feedback on a continual basis.

Constant feedback is crucial for improvement. With some activities, getting feedback is easy. For example, if you’re hitting each 3 iron 210 yards and within 20 feet of target, you are on track.  If every 3^rd shot duck hooks into OB, you are not.

You might have a more difficult time getting feedback for activities that require a subjective evaluation. Business activities such as Presentation skills, coaching, analysis, delegation, problem solving, decision making etc..are examples of this type of activity. Lean on your manager or mentor for feedback as you strengthen these skill sets.

The ability that one has in taking God’s given natural talent and the hard work in development by Deliberate Practice can help you excel.  Don’t get the wrong idea. These studies don’t say that just because you spend a lot of time deliberately practicing a skill, you’ll become a master at everything you do. If you’re 7’3”, no amount of practice will allow you to be a graceful ballerina nor would a 5’1” BB player aspire to be a slam dunker like Michael Jordan. 

8 overused cliches packed into 1 sentence ~ John J Arent

I wanted to have some fun with an article that I recently read that listed about 100 business clichés.  These were great and I remember using a number of them myself over the years.  Here is a much shorter version with some additional quips that I have used as well as my own translations and summary of my takeaways from these often over-used expressions.  I hope that this starts your week off on a fun note!  Enjoy!

“We are going through a Re-Org”  ~ Get your resume out, we close shop in two weeks!

Go after the “low hanging fruit” ~ Even an imbecile would get this, the fruit that the worms already got!

“Don’t get thrown under the bus” ~ CYA, always think of yourself first.

“Draw a line in the sand” ~ Remember the Alamo, it didn’t work!

“Deal with it” ~ No more whining!

“The view from 40,000 feet” ~ Makes you feel good due to the altitude. A little light-headed.

"The View from 20,000 feet" ~ get your parachutes ready!

“The view from 500 feet” ~ Too late...We are about to crash!

Paradigm shift ~ A word to use if you can’t spell “model”

“Best in class” ~ We’ve done a ton of research on this program

“We put together Best Practices” ~ Simply a way to blame others when it doesn’t work.


Any Quotes from Brian Tracy, Malcolm Gladwell, Stephen Covey etal ~ Makes you sound smart!

And finally putting them all together..... “Peeling the Onion” so when we have exhausted “best practices” as well as a crash landing from 40,000 feet, we will draw a line in the sand so we don’t get thrown under the bus, this way when the early bird gets the worm from our low hanging fruit, there will be no whining and we will not go through the paradigm shift that will force us to make a Re-Org.

Now that you read these again, and have memorized them....the hope is that for eternity that you will never, ever say one of these senseless, overused worthless expressions again...

                                      Adios Amigos!

How to prosper? ~ John J Arent

“If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want ten years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want one hundred years of prosperity, grow people.” Chinese Proverb

Theodore Roosevelt on Adversity ~ John J Arent

Years ago when I was struggling with a major challenge in my career, I received this quote from a colleague.  It was written by President Theodore Roosevelt.  I had it framed and on my desk and I referred to it daily.  It gave me strength to get through the day and ultimately we were able to be successful.

In this time of economic uncertainty, I want you to have Teddy's words close by you to help you in your time of trouble.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Life Lessons from elementary school ~ John J Arent

Today is Friday and I will always remember that Friday in elementary school was the best day of the week.  Particularly, Friday afternoon when we got to do a special art class.  This was fun time compared to most of the week when we had to pay attention to our teacher and work in a very tight agenda ensuring that the precious syllabus was being followed.  Everything was so structured all week long then came Friday afternoon when either the teacher was tired, we were tired or a combination of both when we were able to do our drawings to impress our parents at the end of the school week. Attending parochial school as a child was a given growing up in my neighborhood.   It is with a fond memory that I share with you some of “life’s lessons” that I take from surviving first grade!

We learned Life-Work Balance was important ~  Most of us had a favorite time of the day, recess, but we learned that life cannot be all play but also some work as well.  In the early years, we also had some nap time….I often wonder why they stopped that?

We quickly became socially conscious ~ We all knew who the best athlete was and we also knew who was not athletic.  We knew who was smart and also those who were not.  We quickly learned who was most popular and also who was quite shy.  We learned a lot about positive people and those who whine.  We also learned quickly who had those many talents that would draw people towards them.

We learned to interact in group sessions ~ Being immersed for the first time in a group setting beyond our immediate family, we were exposed to the “golden rule”.  We may also have been exposed to less desirable actions such as teasing, bullying and domination by others that could damage our self-confidence.  We learned through these experiences that prepared us for the greater challenges that we would face as we grew up.

We learned to take responsibility ~ “Keep your desk clean” still brings back a smile to my face when I think about it.  Taking this many steps further…I view this as “owning up to your mistakes”, showing humility and recognizing the fact that we are not perfect but have the ability to work on our developmental areas without fear of failure.

We learned to be punctual ~   School Bell Rang, you better be in line!  We had time limits on various projects and many of us became expert on our “to do” lists long before we knew what a “to do” list was.

We learned to Pay Attention & Follow Directions ~ One of the toughest grades for myself and most of my friends was in Self-Control.  If you went to catholic school in the 60’s, you probably have some battle wounds on your knuckles to prove it. 

We learned to Deal with Peer Pressure ~ There was the “in-group” and those of us outside it.  Be it sports, social groups or other circles, there was always social clicks forming. In most businesses today, there appears to be similar groupings.  We learned to select what was important based on our needs and hopefully not mindlessly following certain people.

Elementary school was a sensitive time for everyone. A lot of our likes and dislikes were formed during this period of time. It’s when we became absorbed into a mini-society, learning valuable life lessons that have remained through adulthood

Arent Management Consulting: Fostering INNOVATION by John J Arent

Arent Management Consulting: Fostering INNOVATION by John J Arent: A very popular subject in business today is Innovation.  I have posted several blogs recently on innovative people, companies and the ho...

Arent Management Consulting: Innovation ~ 175 years of Success! ~John J Arent

Arent Management Consulting: Innovation ~ 175 years of Success! ~John J Arent: I was doing some research on innovation and came across the following list of companies who are considered some of the greatest innovator...

Arent Management Consulting: INNOVATION killers by John J Arent

Arent Management Consulting: INNOVATION killers by John J Arent: A few weeks ago, we talked about innovation and the fact that true innovation will lead to success, see my original post   http://amgtcon...

Arent Management Consulting: 9 Ways to Build CONFIDENCE by John J Arent

Arent Management Consulting: 9 Ways to Build CONFIDENCE by John J Arent: I know several very talented people that sometimes lack confidence in themselves.  This can happen to people throughout their lives due t...

Fostering INNOVATION by John J Arent

A very popular subject in business today is Innovation.  I have posted several blogs recently on innovative people, companies and the how’s of innovation.  My topic today is on the common traits that are often seen in Innovators.  According to Entrepreneur, An innovator is someone who pushes the boundaries of the known world--a change agent who is relentless in making things happen and bringing ideas to execution.  In essence, the qualities that make up the character of Innovators can be broken down into 5 behaviors.

Persistence ~ Determination and Diligence to come to a final resolution.  The Innovator will show optimism and maintain a positive outlook on their challenges viewing them as opportunities rather than problems. A certain amount of confidence to weather setbacks is inherent in these individuals.  They are not easily beaten by occasional setbacks and will continue to see the job through to its completion.  They seem to have the uncanny ability to know when to nix a project when it is wise to do so based on market or economic uncertainties.  They involve as many people and departments as they can to get the complete picture on their endeavors. 

Salesmanship ~ The Innovator has a passion for what they are doing and are able to champion people for their cause.  They can and must work with a number of different types of people and departments to sell their ideas.  They have a very sharp sense of communication skills which allows them to network openly and gain support from those who were originally negative to their ideas.  At the very least, they know how to neutralize opposition. Interpersonal skills combined with Interdepartmental skills are critical to the innovator.  They know how to politic to secure “buy-in” from the various stakeholders to support their ideas.  Often times these stakeholders are both internal, executive management and external, customers or potential companies on the outside of the organization.

Creative but realistic ~ The Innovator wants to have his ideas or processes fit within the culture of the company if at all possible.  In this way, they have the global ability to see the big picture and the effects that it will have on the organization.  They can quickly gain support or at least minimize opposition by neutralization. He realizes that the more that he can stay within the current corporate culture, the greater his ability to get the needed support to move forward. 

Team Orientation ~ The innovator will not focus on a single department but rather draw on a larger network of support within or perhaps outside the organization.  Similar to my blog about Procter & Gamble and using external forces to help them grow, the pacesetter for change will go above and beyond their individual and narrow lines of vision to a much larger, more global application.  More and more businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the need to tap into all possible sources of technology, process and products either internally or externally. The formation of a team is a core driver of innovation because you need a number of capabilities at the same time to make it happen.  The trick will be to balance the individuals to a common goal, thus the team orientation skill set. 

Risk Tolerance ~ The combination of persistence, passion and salesmanship will help the innovator face the inevitable failures from time to time.  In most cases, the innovator is going into “uncharted waters” and needs to have courage and conviction to steer the company forward.  Learning from the unavoidable  failures is key to becoming a true innovator. 

It is unfortunate that the reason that companies often fail is that executive management is fearful to take the steps necessary. The new breed of employees coming into an organization will help to promote innovation.  Companies today are more wary of hiring people who will simply toe the line.  Many are looking for those ‘tree shakers’ that will make major discovery with innovation!

Innovation ~ 175 years of Success! ~John J Arent

I was doing some research on innovation and came across the following list of companies who are considered some of the greatest innovators in our time….

           Apple

          Google

          3M

          GE

          Toyota

          Microsoft

          P&G

          IBM

         Samsung

         Intel

The interesting thing about these companies is that one stands out as quite different from all the others.  P&G.  I worked for P&G for several years early in my career and I am particularly proud of the fact that this company was on this list.  Primarily started as a consumer product company, it has branched out with broad exposures beyond its founding soap products.  Today, sales have reached  82.6B compared to the 10B that the company was doing when I first arrived in 1979….Some incredible growth for a company that continually reinvents itself.  One of the amazing statistics is that each and every day, there are over 3B usages of P&G products worldwide!

How has this company survived since it was founded back in 1837?   Simply put, Imagination and Innovation!  When I was an employee, the R&D was extraordinary.  P&G’s growth came from “in-house” research and development of it’s existing product line.  There was a book written in the early 80’s, “Eyes on Tomorrow” by Oscar Schisgall.  This book was eye-opening about the first 150 years of success that P&G created.   When I was an employee from 1979 until 1985, a proud theme of the executive management of the company was that our company had doubled revenues each decade.

P&G’s growth in the following decade began to slow and they had to once again re-invent themselves. Since then, the company transformed itself and developed it’s open source innovation strategy which it called “connect & develop”.  Rather than rely solely on it’s in-house innovations, the company expanded to embrace the world of business outside P&G.  It’s goal was to gain acceleration by growing 50% internally and the other 50% from products that they would acquire outside of the company and then work feverishly to develop innovation from those products. 

 It created new job classifications, such as "technology entrepreneurs," or TEs, who acted as scouts, looking for the latest breakthroughs from places such as university labs. TEs also helped to develop "technology game boards" that mapped out where technology opportunities existed and helped it’s inside team gain valuable insight from  inside the minds of its competitors.

Each business unit, from household care to family health, were charged with driving cultural change around the new products and industries that were acquired. As has been seen with the “rules of innovation”, the goal was to have a coherent strategy across the organization. As P&G studied outside sources of innovation, it was estimated that for every P&G researcher there were 200 scientists or engineers elsewhere in the world who were just as good—a total of perhaps 1.5 million people whose talents P&G could potentially use. But tapping into the creative thinking of inventors and others on the outside would required massive operational changes. To reinvent themselves as a company, they  needed to move the company's attitude from resistance to innovations "not invented here" to enthusiasm for those "proudly found elsewhere.”  The company maintained it’s very large R&D group  and how they thought of themselves from  7,500 people inside to 7,500 plus 1.5 million outside, without silos or boundaries  between them.  This is certainly not an easy undertaking but it definitely has defined P&G’s success in the past 10 years. 

The model works. Today, more than 35 percent of P&G's new products in market have elements that originated from outside P&G, up from about 15 percent in 2000. And 45 percent of the initiatives in their product development portfolio have key elements that were discovered externally. A model of innovation with major roots from external sources for the past 12 years.  Great job, P&G!

INNOVATION killers by John J Arent

A few weeks ago, we talked about innovation and the fact that true innovation will lead to success, see my original post  

http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/06/innovation-new-buzz-word-for-success.html

Today, we will focus on  a couple of reasons that will starve innovation.  These center on the leadership of the organization and can quickly transcend the entire company.

Conservative Leadership ~ Often seen in companies that have experienced some success due to product or service improvements.  There is a general feeling of “not rocking the boat” mentality.  The executive team is afraid to go beyond what has proven successful and often stifles creativity.  Their goals are often maintenance rather than growth.  They play defensively to protect and maintain their business but ultimately someone or something will break through their protective defense.  When this happens, they lose traction, become reactive and often spiral out of control. How many times have you seen the “prevent defense” gets beat when the first 58 minutes they held and then lost in the final two minutes of the game?

Loss of customer focus ~ Top Management has lost touch with front-line employees and the ultimate customers of the organization.  They have become desk jockeys making decisions that worked in the past but may be out of touch with what is truly happening on the front lines.  I’m reminded of an old TV commercial where a decision is made by the CEO that it is now time to get back to their customers who put them on the map and they plan a large-scale “boots on the street” approach.  Often times, losing customer focus comes about when executive management “thinks’ they know what makes customers tick but somehow forget that updates are important.  Once your competition finds a better way to do things, it is much too late for you to recover!  I have seen this first hand in organizations that are "top heavy" in the decision making processes.  This often happens after initial success has allowed early achievers to rise through the ranks.  Once they are executive management, they tend to lose first hand knowledge with what got them there.  

Business Departments operate in a Silo ~ To innovate, departments need to work together to solve issues.  It is through the blending of talents and sharing of expertise that true innovation results.  Many years ago, I happened to work for an organization where our CEO talked about silos and the need to break down any silos that were forming in our company.  This man proved to be a great innovator and helped our organization grow from a very small company with sales south of 100M to an organization that surpassed 2B in just 10 years.  To do this required a team approach and combination of skills from the various departments that were created within the company.  Often a company will try to “force” innovation with a special ops team or small department who will spearhead the drive.  This is the “silo” mentality and has rarely shown to be effective. 


The need to innovate has never been more apparent than in the recent past.  However, early success often  has a way of acting as a roadblock to innovation.  Do not let these 3 things detour your road to excellence!

9 Ways to Build CONFIDENCE by John J Arent

I know several very talented people that sometimes lack confidence in themselves.  This can happen to people throughout their lives due to numerous factors or setbacks.  Considering the economy the way it has been for the past several years, we could all use a booster shot of confidence. People can overcome insecurity and boost their sense of self-confidence, provided they have the right strategy, tools, and support. Self confidence is the difference between feeling unstoppable and feeling scared out of your wits. Your perception of yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. Perception is reality — the more self confidence you have, the more likely it is you’ll succeed.

There are a number of things you can consciously do to build self confidence. By using these 9 strategies you can get the mental edge you need to reach your potential.

1. Refuse to allow others to dictate your Future – I read an article a few months ago that stated “If you are concerned with your future, change your past”.  You have a major role in molding your future, don’t let others shape it. Take control!
2. Build Your Life Around Truth and Facts – It is so easy to tell the truth.  Just do it!  When you start to fib, those fibs catch up to you and you do not realize that you are living in a dream world built on dishonesty.  Don't base your character on emotion and feelings. Build ‘who you are’ around facts and truths.
3. Adopt an Ethic of Learning and Education - Education never stops. Never stop learning or developing new skills. Keep your mind open to learning new things. As I have stated many times in my blog, “Always be learning”!
4. Learn and take positive action on your failures - Accept and welcome the learning experience that failure allows us to have.  Learn from the rejection, do not repeat it and do better next time.
5. Take personal criticism calmly - Refuse to let other people's opinions and feelings decide how you feel about yourself or your potential in life. Grow your “Emotional Intelligence” factor!
6. Know the Difference Between Perfection and Effectiveness – Always give 110% but keep in mind that you will never be able to operate at 100%.  This sounds strange but what I am suggesting is to focus on effectiveness rather than perfection. What is it that you're trying to accomplish? Are you accomplishing that objective, even if you fall short in some of the details or particulars? While people should dream big, they should set goals that are realistic.  Follow the SMART goal settings system that we talked about earlier.
7. Speak Positively About Yourself and Others – Always practice the “Golden Rule”. Stop the negative talk. Stop putting yourself down and stop criticizing others. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it!
8. The glass is always half full - Keep your mind focused on the good things in your life and in the various situations you face. What do you spend most of your time thinking about? The answer will say a lot about your mood and perspective on life. Think positively.
9. Volunteer and help the less fortunate – Lend a helping hand to those in need.  Coaching youngsters, becoming involved in charity work, volunteering at your children’s school or at church.  You get to socialize, meet new people and gain so much from the personal interactions. 

Happy Father's Day!

In honor of father’s day, I offer the following quotes.  I am not certain of all the authors and their backgrounds, but their words mean a lot.  For those fathers who are no longer with us and the millions of men who are fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers and those men who someday will be fathers….these are for you!

 "If the new American father feels bewildered and even defeated, let him take comfort from the fact that whatever he does in any fathering situation has a fifty percent chance of being right." -- Bill Cosby

 "A new father quickly learns that his child invariably comes to the bathroom at precisely the times when he's in there, as if he needed company. The only way for this father to be certain of bathroom privacy is to shave at the gas station." -- Bill Cosby


 "I watched a small man with thick calluses on both hands work fifteen and sixteen hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example." -- Mario Cuomo

 "A father is a banker provided by nature." -- French Proverb

 "Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad." -- Anne Geddes


 "If the past cannot teach the present and the father cannot teach the son, then history need not have bothered to go on, and the world has wasted a great deal of time." -- Russell Hoban

 "My father died many years ago, and yet when something special happens to me, I talk to him secretly not really knowing whether he hears, but it makes me feel better to half believe it." -- Natasha Josefowitz

 "The father of a daughter is nothing but a high-class hostage. A father turns a stony face to his sons, berates them, shakes his antlers, paws the ground, snorts, runs them off into the underbrush, but when his daughter puts her arm over his shoulder and says, 'Daddy, I need to ask you something,' he is a pat of butter in a hot frying pan." -- Garrison Keillor

 "My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it." -- Clarence Budington Kelland




“I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be." -- Abraham Lincoln


 "My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it." -- Abraham Lincoln


"Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance." -- Ruth E. Renkel

 "It's only when you grow up, and step back from him, or leave him for your own career and your own home—it's only then that you can measure his greatness and fully appreciate it. Pride reinforces love." -- Margaret Truman

 "A man's children and his garden both reflect the amount of weeding done during the growing season". -- Unknown

 "A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty." -- Unknown

 "Small boy's definition of Father's Day: It's just like Mother's Day only you don't spend so much." -- Unknown

 "A father is a guy who has snapshots in his wallet where his money used to be." -- Unknown


 "By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong." -- Charles Wadsworth

Arent Management Consulting: Emotional Intelligence ~ John J Arent

Arent Management Consulting: Emotional Intelligence ~ John J Arent: Last week I wrote a blog on “mental toughness”, please see: http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/06/6-ways-to-build-mental-t...

Emotional Intelligence ~ John J Arent

Last week I wrote a blog on “mental toughness”, please see:

http://amgtconsulting.blogspot.com/2012/06/6-ways-to-build-mental-toughness.html

Today, I wanted to focus on the need for “emotional toughness”, which when combined with the “mental’ side of things can help you become a great leader.  There are several definitions of emotional intelligence linked to the individual psychologists who studied this behavior but in essence it is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups.  People who have a high degree of emotional intelligence have a much greater opportunity to lead successfully.

Emotional Intelligence can be broken into 3 main components:

1. Perception of Emotions
2. Comprehension of Emotions
3. Management of Emotions

Perception of Emotions ~ is the ability to detect and decode emotions in body language and personal oral communications.  Your talents to empathize is critical in your capacity to perceive accurately. As mentioned numerous time in my blogs, the ability to show true empathy by “walking in their shoes”.  Opening yourself up so you can look at a situation from various angles rather than a myopic point of view.

Your perception is heavily influenced by both your personal body language and the non-verbal cues that your people are sharing.  First, be aware of your message and the way in which you are communicating.  Work on open communications without showing signs that you already have set responses.  The way in which you communicate both orally and by body-signs will help open up true communications and hopefully give a clearer, more accurate picture.

Comprehension of Emotions ~ the interpretation of emotions is the aptitude to understand emotional body language and communications.  Your ability as an executive to be confident without being “block-headed” can have a terrific impact on your leadership ability. Leaders do not have to be perfect…like everyone, they make mistakes.  True leaders have an inner strength and share not only their confidence and strengths but also are open about their weakness.  In essence, they show and are great symbols of humility!

In addition a key trait that leaders have in comprehending emotion is to be able to “control” their own emotions.  An exemplary leader is one which despite major challenges will be able to slow down and monitor their own body language.  They are non-reactive at least in a emotional way!

Lastly, those who have the ability to best understand emotions also have a strong sense of personal accountability. They do not blame others.  They are reflective of outcomes and work on ways to innovate for the future.

Management of Emotions ~ This is a tremendous skill that allows you to be the mediator.  Your tone will dictate the result.  You will have the capability to referee both yourself and your colleagues.  There are not many instances where “shouting” will win in the long term.  You may win some battles but ultimately will lose the war.  When I think of leaders who do well with management of emotions, I immediately think of Ronald Reagan and his accomplishments.  I also was quite impressed with George W. Bush and the emotional intelligence that he showed to the nation shortly after the 9/11 attacks. 

The ability to rally a team after gathering the necessary information is deeply ingrained in those who possess strong management of emotions.  These leaders do not just talk the talk, they actually walk it.  They set the example with their behavior and leadership!

Relationship building is a key to long-term success.  The skill sets needed to build emotional intelligence are able to be learned.  Combining them with mental and physical intelligence is unbeatable!

Arent Management Consulting: What your company wants? ~ by John J Arent

Arent Management Consulting: What your company wants? ~ by John J Arent: When it comes to expectations that companies have about their employees, it really comes down to just a few requirements in most cases....

What your company wants? ~ by John J Arent

When it comes to expectations that companies have about their employees, it really comes down to just a few requirements in most cases.  Ethics, Integrity and Honesty as well as Character.  Here is a short list of these qualities...


Let me know if you have any additional comments...




Performance & Results
This may sound elementary but make sure that you deliver on your expectations.  The first step is to make sure that you know what is expected of you.  Situations and management change from time to time and the position that you started with a few months ago has probably changed as well. Insist on getting updated progress checks or performance reports as to how you are doing and continue to build on your strengths and hone development areas.


Be a Team Player
Follow the Standard Operating Procedures and be a champion of both the company and your team.  Never say anything bad about people in public.  Praise often and do so publicly.  Reprimand when needed and only in private.


Bring Value & a Positive Attitude
Do more than collect a paycheck.  Show motivation and inspiration to go above and beyond the expectations.


Always be Learning
You can always make time to research recent developments in your field, read relevant journals and online material, attend seminars and conferences.  Do not accept that you already “know everything”.  Don’t create an image that you are “old school”.


Make yourself irreplaceable
Earn a reputation for honesty, integrity and hard work.  Be a resource to the company and your department that has delivered results on a routine basis!


Relationships are critical
Surround yourself with good people who are focused, have good character and are on target.  Avoid commiserating with negative people or complainers. 


Culture fit
As an employee you need to fit the culture of the company not have the company fit your needs.  To seek an enjoyable collaboration with your employer, ensure that you and the company have similar core values and cultural accord.

Arent Management Consulting: DREAM JOB by John J Arent

Arent Management Consulting: DREAM JOB by John J Arent: “I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate”. – George Burns I know that ...

DREAM JOB by John J Arent

“I’d rather be a failure at something I love than a success at something I hate”. – George Burns

I know that this article may raise some people’s  BP. I was thinking about what my next blog would be and the thought came out about Dream Jobs.   I have and always will believe that “If you truly enjoy your job, it will never be thought of as work”.  Work has that negative connotation of a “must do”.  Yes, most of us need to bring in money to survive, but what if money did not matter, what would you like to do?

I am amazed when I hear about stories of young children who know what they want to be when they grow up.  How is it that a five year old knows that she wants to be a neurological surgeon?  How is it that young Joey wants to run a hedge fund?  There was a contestant recently who was a finalist in a national contest for youngsters who at the age of six, knows that she wants to be a specialized surgeon when she grows up.  Are these kids following their parents’ dreams or careers?  Is it money? Is it parental pressure? I wonder…

Over the generations, most youngsters wanted to grow up to a professional athlete, singer, actor or actress or perhaps President of the United States.  It doesn't appear to be that way anymore.  Children today are very set in their ways and have specific roles that they aspire to.

I reviewed several sites in a Google search and came up with some very surprising “dream jobs” as compared to what is mentioned above…

It's interesting to see the wide variety of jobs that visitors' to this site dream about [the survey was not taken from youngsters but rather adults who are re-inventing themselves] :

Stand-up comedienne on a cruise ship for singles

Jockey

Concert promoter for charity

Help disadvantaged families

Work for an outdoor adventure travel

Work for a cruise line or any fun and adventure job

Freelance writer or editor

Work for a dolphin therapy organization

A back-up dancer for famous singers

Travel the world and bring joy and change to the lives of others

The best martial arts superstar 

Work for the gaming industry

Thoroughbred Racing/Training/Breeding farm owner

Chocolate maker

Ice Cream creator

Winemaker

Special Ops i.e. Navy Seal, Green Beret

As you can see, dreams come in all shapes and sizes. They are often more attainable than you would think. This is not a knock on doctors, lawyers and other highly paid professions but rather a “wake-up” call to be and live the way that will make you happy.  The other night, I saw a singer on a TV reality show who “did not look the part”.  This individual was unique in appearance but sang a song for the first time in public.  His voice was magnificent and in my opinion could land him in star roles in operas. He had never sang in front of anyone in his life.  His parents did not know about his skills and have never seen or heard him sing.  He claimed to lack a certain confidence in himself but something empowered him to move forward.  He may have found himself and that is the purpose of this blog.  Don’t be afraid to take that  first step to follow your dreams!

 If you are fortunate enough to have the talent…Then follow your dreams as best you can...