Thoughtful leadership and marketing

It takes guts to define a narrow niche.

Positioning a company or organization is often counter intuitive.  For example, most often the organization that most narrowly defines its niche attracts more customers as we desire to do business with people who are experts at a specific discipline. 

Attempt to be all things to all people and most people will take a pass as it is not realistic.  We all understand that no one can be good at everything.   

But it can be a painful process to define that narrow niche position because no one wants to leave a potential business opportunity behind.  And admittedly that is a result of narrowing the niche.  But it is still a good thing as it will positively impact your bottom line.

It all starts with the right process and the guts to narrowly define the niche that makes you world class.

To achieve rock star-like status: under promise and over deliver.

I’m not certain who coined the term “under promise and over deliver,” but the first time I heard it used was from Tom Peters.  As a chronic over achiever it was a light bulb moment.  It is a psychologically brilliant strategy.  When chronic over achievers and others of that ilk are asked when we can deliver something, we often feel the need to impress, so we blurt out something ridiculous like, “I can get you the report tomorrow.” 

The person who asked is usually quietly thinking, “I didn’t expect it that soon.  I was thinking a report of that substance would take three or four days, but okay.”  And then we kill ourselves trying to rush the job and miss the miracle one-day turnaround deadline, but instead get it done in a miraculous two days, but it all goes for naught because we missed the deadline and got it there late.  Whereas, if we had promised it in a reasonable three or four days and delivered in two, we would have looked like rock stars.

Conversely, I have found if I need something quickly from a supplier or colleague, the easiest way to get there is to ask the person whose help I’m requesting, when “they” believe they can get it done. 

It gives them ownership in the deadline and it is often a faster deadline than I would have requested.  Partially because of paragraph one and two.  People put more of a demand on themselves than many of the hardest taskmasters.  And they forget the old rule of under promising and over delivering, an effortless way to appear like a rock star.

Have you ever sold Girl Scout cookies door to door?

Many people are fond of proclaiming that they are not sales people.  Huge mistake.  We are all sales people.  When I interview people I always probe about their sales background.  "Have you ever held a sales job?"  And a typical reply is, "No, I'm not a sales person, I'm a graphic artist."  Often surprised and maybe even a tad irritated that I asked.

"Really, you've never sold anything?  Girl Scout cookies door to door or magazine subscriptions to benefit your high school band?"  "Well yes, I was a Girl Scout and did go door to door, and oh yes, I worked at a J Crew store in college.  Do you mean that kind of selling?"  That is precisely what I meant. 

You would be surprised how invaluable even that kind of simple selling can be to a candidates career.  By the way, it doesn't count if you had your parents post a note at work selling your cookies.  You had to make the pitch!  Parents who sell for their kids are performing an injustice to the little darlings and cheating their children out of the best possible education.

Everyone needs to learn how to sell?  HR people need to sell the company to new employees or the new health care plan to current employees.  College professors need to sell their new curriculum to their department head.  Geeks need to sell the new router they want to install to the boss that controls spending. 

That graphic artist that doesn't see herself as a sales person will be creating ads all day long designed to persuade people to make a purchase or take an action.  And she doesn't see herself as a sales person?  Are you serious?

People who have some form of sales experience are light years ahead of those with none and make for more desirable employees.  As a 12-year-old I used to sell newspaper subscriptions door to door for the Milwaukee Sentinel.  Tough way to make money but some of the best training in the world.

Details matter.

You never know when the smallest detail can affect your company.  In 1989, the then president of the largest direct marketing agency in the world came to visit me in La Crosse at the business I owned at that time, an ad agency called Ovation.  He lived in Chicago and wanted to raise his family in a small town like La Crosse, but remain engaged in the advertising business at a high level as Ovation was doing. 

I liked the guy immediately and offered him my job.  I envisioned returning to the creative side I loved and had left to manage the successful agency.  I "wined and dined" him and used all of my persuasive ability to convince him to move his family to La Crosse and take the position of president. 

His son and daughter were 12 and 13 years old and both avid soccer players.  At that time the soccer program in La Crosse was non-existent and that was the deciding factor in the family decision to stay in Chicago.  I was disappointed by his decision and remained as president of the agency for an additional 20 years, or my first book might have been about creativity rather than leadership.

My youngest daughter, born about the time of my interview with the then president, grew up to become an avid soccer player, and I got it.  Details matter.  I also learned to become involved when people in your community are doing things to improve it, like starting a youth soccer league.

Be careful with your intellectual property.

Social marketing advocates like David Meerman Scott talk about giving up control of material and putting it out there on the Internet for free as a way to make a name for yourself in the entertainment world.  Meerman sites as an example, Bec Hollcraft, a nineteen-year-old singer and songwriter who essentially put “tons” of her music up on the Internet for free and reaped the benefits later with a record contract, concert and t-shirt deals. 

A few years ago my ad agency helped an aspiring young musician attempt something very similar to what Bec Hollcraft accomplished.  We built a website that distributed his music nearly for free.  The business model was his and I didn’t understand how he was going to make money, so I shared my concerns with the likeable, talented singer-songwriter (full disclosure: I’m an aspiring guitar player and was concerned for the young artist). 

My musician friend felt exactly like Bec, that if people just heard his music they would come hear him sing and demand would increase and somehow he would get a big record contract or concert tour or movie soundtrack deal or something to pay the bills and feed the starving artist.  He had even been recognized by the New York Times as an up-and-coming aspiring artist, so he had outstanding public relations momentum going his way.  But it didn’t work. 

I think it is great what Bec Hollcraft accomplished and it is a legitimate way to “make it big” but I’m guessing for every Bec that “breaks through” there are thousands of artists who are giving up their intellectual property to the Internet and receiving nothing in return.   Bec did some interesting things on the Internet which helped her cause, but chances are with her talent, if she would have received the opportunity to perform for a record label, her chances of success may have been on par with the path she eventually took. 

It is a confusing world and unlike many of the posts on this blog I don't have all the answers. If you are an artist or a writer, be careful with your intellectual property.

Motivate the team and not the individual.

Another reader question:

“I am a group manager and wanted to promote teamwork and improve how we as a group work together to better execute projects.  I implemented a year-end Most Valuable Team Player award this year.  I asked each one of my staff to vote, anonymously, for the best team player of the group with an incentive gift from my own pocket.  I was upset when the votes were revealed a few weeks ago because half of them got together and voted for the worst person of the group. Any advice here?”  

Yes, learn from it, improve upon it and try something again.  You attempted something new and different, which places you in an elite group of people willing to try new things. 

Perhaps the possibility exists that they were sincere about their selection, but let's assume you are correct and they were messing with you and selected the worst person because they were unhappy. 

Recognition, as in best team player, can often cause problems within companies.  You are trying to promote “team work” yet you were recognizing only one player on the team.  It might work better if you recognize the whole team. 

And you don’t need to do it necessarily with incentives or gifts, although it never hurts.  Words and praise from the leader most often always outperform cash or rewards.  I’ve had employees show me an email or letter I sent them 15 years earlier complimenting them for something they did.    That is powerful beyond cash.

Much like you I’ve had trouble when I’ve only recognized one person or when I’ve started naming a few names for recognition in front of the company.  It is a slippery slope and you are invariably going to leave off names of people who contributed in some small way to the success of the team, yet you simply forgot to mention them or were unaware that most people in the company helped out in some small way, yet you said nothing. 

I’ve seen teams of people work hard for weeks on a final project and then someone not on the team drove out to the airport after normal hours and commandeered the Federal Express airplane on the runway that got the presentation to the client on time and won the day.  And leaders are not always aware of those kinds of contributions yet they are common occurrences in most organizations.   In a great company most efforts are loaded with examples of everyone contributing in some small way.  It is often best to recognize the team effort and save individual praise for a one-on-one moment. 

Are boat rockers doomed and how do you implement bottom-up change?

Great question from a reader:

"I am a new reader to your book.  I'm trying to improve the organization I work for.  I feel like I must walk on eggshells.  In the past I have tried to improve things, whether procedures or processes.  My co-workers think I am negative or trying to stir up trouble.  How does change happen from the bottom up?  Are all boat-rockers eventually doomed to be fired?"

Great questions.  Boat rockers are not doomed to be fired if they find the right leader who appreciates rockers.   They can be doomed with weak leaders, that don't like to be challenged and rule with harsh authority.  Deep down those types of leaders are insecure about their leadership position, so they do a lot of chest beating to keep their rivals in place and ideas that are counter to their way of thinking are generally not welcome. 

Allowing change to grow from a bottom up boat rocker can be the most satisfying for a great leader as it demonstrates that he or she has created an environment where people are free to step up and spread their ideas.  It sounds, however, that you are not being supported by management in your bottom-up quest to implement change.

Big, but not impossible, challenge.  Remain positive and patient.  Most leaders can tell colossal failure stories about how they unsuccessfully attempted to implement change when powerless in an organization.  I know I can.  It is especially difficult when you are in a ruthless organization where others are trying to stand out and do things to be recognized for their own benefit. They are often not averse to squashing anyone who is in their way.

You should begin with the same tools that a leader uses to implement change.  Paint "positive" stories of a better life under the new system you are attempting to implement.  And you can't just tell the story once or twice and expect everyone to high five and hug and make the change.  People pretty much hate change so you are not going to be greeted with open arms.  The exception will hopefully be your boss who realizes the importance of change to the overall well-being of the company.  

You've got to keep repeating the stories to anyone who will listen.  Work especially hard, in a positive way, on middle or upper management.  Ask for their input and thoughts about your proposed idea.   Perhaps incorporating some of their thoughts into your idea will make it "our" idea.  Allow them to hear the idea and think about it for awhile. 

Don't be discouraged if they are slow to embrace the change you are suggesting because it will probably cause them additional work and there exists the possibility that they might be worse off under your new system.  Or that is often their fear.

One other thing about implementing change.  It is often far easier if you don't care who receives the credit.  If your boss thinks it is his/her idea it is more likely to happen.  I know that can sometimes be hard to take.  The good news is that down deep the boss most often knows it was your idea and thus will value your contribution silently to themselves. Nobody said this was going to be easy.

Entrepreneur and manager are two distinctly different skill sets.

I sat down recently with someone who had experienced a significant business failure, read Celebrating Failure, and took inspiration from its approach toward failure.  He is over his defeat, after analyzing it and benefiting from its lessons, and is now seeking new business opportunities.  He wants to return to his management roots and if you are looking for such a leader I can connect you.

I was fascinated listening to him describe the new opportunity he is seeking.  He loves to manage, lead and continuously improve existing systems that are in place at existing businesses.  A true professional manager and based on his past turnaround successes he has a great future with the right company.  You can't buy an education at any university like the one he has experienced. 

His enthusiasm to manage made me see more clearly the differences between an entrepreneur and a manager.  I started my ad agency as an entrepreneur that simply loved to write creative commercials and create new enterprises.  It brought me joy.  When the business began growing rapidly, I had to step into the role of manager of the organization and my role on the creative side was diminished. 

And then there is "that challenge" that all entrepreneurs ultimately face if they stay at the company they started and it meets with success. "Sure he can start a company."  And they said it as if it were an accident the way the company grew.  "We'll give you that, he now qualifies as a bona fide entrepreneur...but can he lead and manage a company?  They are two entirely different skill sets." 

And they are correct.  Hearing it was intimidating.  You just prove yourself in one area as an entrepreneur, and suddenly you are suspect and challenged in another area as a manager and leader of people.  Always up for a challenge I got in line.

I loved leading and managing for 30 years, much like I now love rediscovering the entrepreneurial start-up and creative writing side of starting another company.  But they are two distinctly different skill sets as my new "manager" friend reminded me.    Change is my drug of choice.  I'm guessing if I now do 30 years as an entrepreneur, a manager gig would start looking pretty good.  Much like it does now to my friend.

Bad rules can kill company loyalty and teach the wrong things to your kids.

Bad rules can kill company loyalty.  If as leaders we demand that employees be at their desks between 8 and 5 (regardless of the necessity or job position), and if it cuts into quality time with their children, you have needlessly created a situation for employee resentment.  Each day they leave their children early to be at their post regardless  of the need, they will be reminded of the pain your "rule" is inflicting on their little darlings.  Not a smart way to build loyalty.

Plus by dictating a same time every day policy you have taken away the opportunity for them to learn how to balance and plan their own time.  That skill might come in handy the next time they are managing a multi-million dollar client project. 

When leaders allow their workers to shift and set their own schedule (if appropriate for the job) to optimize time with their families, you have made a loyal employee for life. You can measure the bottom line loyalty value of a work force that stays on the job longer, with a smile on their face.  Admittedly it is hard to measure the smile, but if the average turnover rate is 30% in your industry,and you cut it to 15% with compassionate leadership policies, their is a huge savings to the bottom line. 

The same can happen with hard and fast "rules" for your own family.  If you tell your kids they can’t watch TV until their homework is done they will most often rush through their homework assignments resenting you for making them miss the one good program they enjoy watching. 

If you allow children to select the time they are allocating for homework they will learn how to balance their time and they will learn how to be responsible to get work done on a schedule that they created (ownership).  Those are valuable skills they will never learn when they are ordered to follow a hard and fast rule setting a specific time they didn't choose for homework.  Put them in control of their own schedule and you won't need to hold a gun to their head each night.  It is magic when done right. 

Driving leadership decisions when the roads are snow covered.

The Midwest is being rocked by a major snowstorm as I write.  There is 18 inches of snow right off the deck in front of my living room window.  I played the "author card" and stayed home from the office today, as did my two partners.

When I managed a larger company I prided myself on being the first one at work during a major blizzard.  It was a random act of macho-ness and one of the few outwardly acts of macho behavior I displayed.  But setting a positive example is the right way to lead.

Our "storm" culture was that you are an adult capable of making your own decisions.  If you want to stay home and not drive in a blizzard that is your decision.  If you want to come in that is your decision as well.  Ditto when there was an approaching snowstorm.  If you hate driving in snow and wanted to leave before the storm hit then you were free to go home.  Or you could stay and work if you so chose.  My only "rule" was that you don't come in and ask me to shut down the office because you are incapable of making your own decisions.  

Some people were clearly uncomfortable with this new level of responsibility as they were raised in a culture where the school superintendent made the school closing decision.  My philosophy works well in an organization where you are attempting to develop a culture of positive decision making.  The new head of GM cried out this week for his own people to step up fearlessly and make decisions without regard to being fired.  That is difficult if you work in a culture where you are constantly being told what to do. 

I spoke via email with a friend in another Midwest state who is at work teaching the future leaders of America.  His was one of the few school districts that remained open in spite of the storm.  But guess who didn't show up for work today.  That's right, the superintendent!

As leader you can't ask the troops to be there to teach the children while you sit at home.  You have to be there to lead or else it is unacceptable leadership behavior.  Leaders in the Midwest who want to keep their business open in a snowstorm need to buy a four-wheel drive vehicle, because they need to set the standard.  In a car with bald tires you will not be able to lead by example.