Contagious

The Journal of PLoS Computational Biology finds that obesity is contagious among friends. In short, says the study, the more obese people you have contact with, the more obese you are likely to become.
Researchers admit they’re not sure why that is.

Wouldn’t it make sense that we are partly a function of our environment, and that what our friends do influences what we do?

If that is true, consider what else might be contagious:

Success. Napoleon Hill famously recommended being part of a mastermind alliance of like-minded people committed to success.

Character. As the old saw goes, when you lie down with dogs you get fleas. Maybe if you hang out with angels you’ll get a halo.

Energy. What is the energy in your workplace like? I’ve found I can catch energy from my colleagues and, when I speak, my audiences (and vice versa).

Are you contagious? What are others catching from you…and you from them?

Startling Statistics are Symptoms

Leaders and educators take note:
According to The Kipplinger Letter, 25% of mortgages in the U.S. are underwater; that is people owe more than their homes are worth.

USA Today reports that among Medicare patients, 44% of the harm done by medical treatment clearly or likely was preventable.

Two startling statistics, one about education and responsibility and the other about excellence and quality control.

Neither statistic is a cause. Both are symptoms.

Not every underwater loan is the fault of the borrower (few predicted the abrupt decline in home values). The lack of understanding (or just bad advice) about debt and leverage are the cause of misery for many. Uninformed borrowers and lenders are both causes for some of these problems.

Clearly preventable harm is a critical quality control issue. When mistakes are made in healthcare, people are hurt or die. The concept of “routine work” in healthcare is dangerous. Clerical mistakes in accounting rarely have the same impact as a mistake in medication.

Education, responsibility, quality control, excellence–these topics often illicit yawns from readers and listeners…that  is until they become startling statistics with personal impact.

Good leaders and communicators talk about how to avoid startling statistics, not just how to deal with them.
What are you doing to prevent regrettable numbers and startling statistics in your work and life? Research, identify and address causes before they become startling statistics.

Quick Feedback is Better than No Feedback

My Audi was in for service. I like my car, I like my dealer and I like the Audi brand but all those fond feelings were diminished when I started taking the online survey.
I’m an advocate of asking for customer service feedback. I’m also an advocate for making it quick, easy and painless.

After clicking through what seemed like endless pages of questions and numerical scoring, I finally and thankfully arrived at the end. “Is there anything else you’d like us to know?” was the final question, to which I responded, “Yes. I won’t complete another ridiculously long survey like this again.”

I often don’t respond to surveys because I have neither the time nor inclination. I did in this case because I was quite pleased by the job my service advisor did and wanted Audi and the dealer to know. I came to rue the decision.

Deciding how much to ask and how long the survey will take are important considerations. I realize that more information and detail is more helpful. But beware: asking for too much of the customer’s time is off-putting.

Why not bundle a short survey with a long survey? The short survey may be 5-10 critical questions or scores that don’t take more time. Tell the customer how long it will take before they opt in. Then, after they’ve finished the short survey, ask if they’d be willing to answer some additional questions (and let them know how much longer that will take).

J.D. Powers provided the painfully long survey for Audi, and I respect their ability to gather and crunch useful data. But in the age of perpetual distraction and limited attention, we’ve got to remember that if you don’t get feedback quickly, you may not get it at all.

How to Increase Creativity in 128 Words

In your business, what is the kill ratio for ideas?

You know: the number of ideas suggested versus the number of ideas thoughtfully considered and implemented?

The innovative nurture new ideas; the staid and stodgy neuter them.

To destroy an idea, ask “Why should we?”

To develop it, ask “Why shouldn’t we?”

To destroy an idea, discuss why it won’t work.

To develop an idea, discuss how it could be made to work.

To develop creativity, reward the attempt.

To destroy creativity, reward only successful ideas (which of course means you’ll only get tried and true ideas).

Good leaders encourage and reward followers for getting out of their mental ruts. That means doing business with a little less predictability, a little more risk but a whole lot more fun and innovation.

Is it God or the Devil in the Details?

For years I’ve talked about an old client that reinvigorated their business by giving their electricians hand-held vacuum cleaners. The idea was simple: when you’re done with the job, clean up after yourself.

Clients called in thanking them not for getting the electrical done right–that was expected–but for not leaving a mess. It is a simple but powerful illustration of how little things make a big difference.

I finally got the shades installed in our new offices. A few are crooked and we’re asking the vendor to come back and straighten them out.

The crazy maker? Metal shavings and debris everywhere. I spent 20 minutes cleaning up after the installers.

So I’m not going to be calling the provider with any positive feedback or to express my appreciation. I’m just going to remember how important it is to pay attention to the details.

Don’t just do what is expected. Do the little extras that make the customer or client remember you in a positive way.

Team Leadership: Problem or Solution

Being a team leader is tough. You must balance the needs of the organization with the needs of the team members. You coach, counsel and develop. You mediate conflicts of personality and performance.
In short, you’re either the solution or the problem.

Whether you inherited your team (most likely) or chose the members yourself, you as team leader are responsible for making the team work.

While it is tempting to blame the team (“they didn’t work together” or “she is the real problem”) you need to realize that YOU are responsible for getting them work together and for dealing with whoever is problematic.

Do as much correctly as you can and you’ll avoid many problems. Practice the basics of good team building. But when you see a problem, seek a solution and make sure the problem is addressed rather than ignored.

Team leadership is about taking responsibility. Once you get past blames and excuses, you can do the difficult but important work of a team leader.

Take responsibility for being the solution

Vision Done Right

For followers to embrace the vision, the vision must embrace the followers.
What does that mean exactly?

Most organizational vision statements range from bland to grandiose. More often than not they paint a picture of the future desired by leadership. Rarely do they speak to the aspirations of followers.

Look at a few vision statements. Generally they are about future aspirations and describe how the company or organization wants to be known and what it wants to do for customers. This is a good start but not enough.

For employees to be committed to the vision, they want to know what the future will look like for them, not just for leaders, shareholders or customers. Market share and organizational acknowledgement is important but so is workplace improvement and employee recognition.

Is your company’s vision statement memorable or mundane? Does it inspire passion or passivity? Does it describe the future for employees as well as leaders and customers?
The only thing worse than no vision is a vision done poorly.

MISS to HIT

Just as a confused customer buys nothing, neither does a confused student try something (and in the rare instances when they do, the results are predictably poor).

If leaders want to convert ideas into action, they should remember the acronym MISS to HIT:


Make It So Simple to Have It Tried.

Even complex ideas and actions can be broken into basic component parts. Making a first step so simple not only makes it easier for the student to try, but also increases the chances of success. This creates a virtuous cycle of confidence. Once successful in the basics, the learner can build on them to do more difficult things.

This idea can be used to clarify soft skills. Recently I worked with a client that tells employees not simply to welcome customers but to make them feel welcomed. Welcoming a customer can be rote and rigid; making a customer feel welcome is about creating a warm, positive experience.  What makes anyone feel welcomed? A sincere greeting accompanied by a smile and willingness to help. The specific words are less important than the sincere actions. So simple…once explained.

What have you asked someone to do that hasn’t been tried? If it isn’t a lack of cooperation or motivation, it may be that the person simply doesn’t know how to begin.

Having anything tried begins with making it so simple. That’s MISS to HIT.