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December 2017
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| New Feature! Ask Herman |
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This month’s question is one that I often get:
“Herman, what is the best advice you have ever received?”
To answer that question, I must provide some background. I was fresh out of college and working for Belk Department Stores. I had been sent from Kingsport, Tennessee to Valdese, NC to assume responsibility for management of the mens’ department.
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I was an energetic young manager full of myself. I also drank the Belk “kool aide” on Belk’s private label clothing and accessories. One day a long time customer from the bank came into the store to purchase Hanes underwear for her husband. I had recently returned from a buying trip and demonstration of how our private label men’s underwear was far superior to name brand comparables. I went into my presentation and put the “hard sell” on her but to poor results. In fact, she went directly to my boss and complained.
Later that day as we were closing up the store, the store manager came into my department and spoke to me about the incident. He did a great job of going through the good, the bad and the ugly of the situation. He explained how the customer should be served not sold and that to grow and gain as a leader, you had to follow set standards. Then he provided me with the best advice that I have ever received and advice that I continue to convey to others. He smiled and humbly said, “If you will do things my way now, you will always know a way to do them better.”
In its form that advice may sound poor; but, if you will stop and think about what it is saying, you will feel otherwise. In its most pure sense, that advice says this: “By following guidelines and processes that have been successful to date, you have a platform to gain some measure of success. However in your repetitive actions, you are also exposed to learning new techniques, new word tracks and even new visions of what might be possible. You are able to discover possible shortcuts or better use of products that can make the experience even more successful.
As a new manager, I put that to work and have been successful in every business endeavor I have been fortunate to follow. I even used that premise with my kids and it also worked. They did not and still do not always agree with me, but they use old dad’s process and have always found better ways to get things done.
So, sometimes, good advice comes when we least expect it. Now, following that lead, “What is the best advice you have ever received?”
We will do our best to compile the responses and list them in an upcoming edition. I look forward to your participation!
Herman
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Business Moment: The Pecking Order
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In mid-1913, a Danish zoologist, Thorlief Schieldorup-Ebbe, did a study on barnyard chickens. During his study, he discovered that the chickens had a very strict organizational structure. It was led by a “top” chicken who could peck or take food from any other chicken in the yard to express its dominance. There was also a second layer of chickens who could peck and deprive a third group but could not interfere with the “top” chicken. The structure continued down through the hierarchy of the barnyard. He called this simple discovery “the pecking order.” The “pecking order” from that time forward became part of the business vocabulary which still exists even today. It is important to know that every business needs some sense of order for it to be successful.
It is important to understand what makes your business successful and to understand specifically what constitutes your business. Thus the purpose of virtually all business is to create and keep customers. Pretty simple, but at times very hard to accomplish. It is important to realize that you must do things that will make people want to do business with you. It is the old “95/5 Principle” which says that, “…business in its purest sense is 95% focused around people and 5% focused on economics.”
Understanding your personal business “pecking order” will enable your business to have growth and to avoid becoming counterproductive. Not from the standpoint of exhibiting your dominance, but from the standpoint of utilizing the strengths and talents of those you lead to most effectively understand the needs of your customers and then to satisfy those needs with your products and services. As Walt Disney once said, “People spend money when and where they feel good.”
As you build your “pecking order” and begin the process of pushing your business to new limits, keep in mind the following four (4) keys:
- You must have direction. Know where your goals are to take you.
- Build a competitive-resistant culture and structure so that your brand sells your product or service. When strength is visualized in the market, your business will flourish.
- Expect accountability. When you have expectations and others buy into the process, you will control your business versus having it control you. The end result is a well-run profit machine.
- Be alert to change. Change is not a dirty word in business. To the contrary, change is the power cell that often can push your business cycle to new heights. Simply because an action brought you success today or this year, does not guarantee the same action will do so tomorrow or next year. Be alert to what you can do to improve, build upon or develop that will enable you to stay in the forefront of your marketplace.
American retail magnate H. Gordon Selfridge sums it up best. “Get the confidence of the public and you will have no difficulty in getting their patronage. Inspire your whole force with the right spirit of service; encourage every sign of the true spirit. So display and advertise wares that customers shall buy with understanding. Treat them as guests when they come and when they go, whether or not they buy. Give them all that can be given fairly, on the principle that to him that giveth shall be given. Remember always that the recollection of quality remains long after the price is forgotten. Then your business will prosper by a natural process.”
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Feature Article: A Merry Christmas
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At this special time of the year when you strive to focus your mind and energies on the fulfillment of the holiday spirit, it becomes easy to get caught in the grasp of the “Christmas Crunch.” You can find yourself voicing your disagreement over the failure to obtain that special gift online or find another in a store that is packed with people busily shopping for gifts no one will use.
To further complicate matters, it seems that every driver on the roadway is crazy. Horns blow and tempers can rise without warning. Disgust can even find its way on the home front if decorations don’t turn out well or this year’s tree falls short of expectation. However, if you could simply take a short pause, catch your breath and sidestep the Christmas hustle and bustle, you just may discover that despite all the potential rudeness and push, there remains much to be thankful for this special season.
One of the most remarkable Christmas stories I have heard comes from a small part of history in World War I. It is a true story and occurred only 50 miles outside of Paris, France. French and British troops were engaged in a battle against German forces. As Christmas Eve approached, the war had already killed or injured over 800,000 men.
On the eve of December 24, 1914, the weary German soldiers hoisted from their trenches a large, glittering sign saying, MERRY CHRISTMAS. ... Click here to read more.
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Energy Leadership Article: Understanding Emotions
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We have thoughts, feelings and emotions, but we are not our thoughts, feelings or emotions.” ~ Frances Vaughn
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Several newsletters ago we discussed the fact that anabolic leaders are aware of their own and others’ emotions, and are able to step back and recognize that their emotions are not automatic. Let’s take a closer look at emotions.
First, let’s clear up a common misconception. The words “feelings” and “emotions” are not interchangeable, although most people use them that way. Feelings are physical – for example, a pit in your stomach, tightness in your throat, or simply a sensation of warmth. Emotions are actually just responses to those feelings.
Emotions FEEL good or bad, but in reality, they are neither good nor bad. They just are – and one of the best ways to grow as a person, and as a leader, is to listen to and understand your emotional responses and know that emotions are part of a process, they are not automatic... Click here to read more.
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| From the BLOG |
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Here are some recent posts from the Thoughts to Think BIG Blog...
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Memories - Part I
Memories - Part 2
Procrastifear
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Think BIG! Coaching & Training, Inc.
Herman Dixon
Author, Speaker, Executive Advisor
P. (304) 839-5101
https://thinkbig-coaching-training.coachesconsole.com
Author of the forthcoming book,
Principles of Life and Leadership My Cat Taught Me
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