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Month: October 2019

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Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“Reflection – Negotiation – What Is The Expiration On A Promise” – Negotiation Insight

 

“All promises have expiration dates. Don’t let yours expire without reaping its rewards.” – Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click here to Tweet)

 

 

Click here to get the book!

“Reflection – Negotiation – What Is The Expiration On A Promise”

 

… They needed to increase their perception of power. So, they sought an ally to enhance that perception. They made a promise to support that ally’s efforts from that point into the future.

But when a new leader gained power, he abandoned his ally. The ally, upon reflection, realized they were pawns in their former partner’s game. They’d been betrayed and sold out because they no longer had the value they once possessed. Within their ranks, they asked the question, what is the expiration on a promise?

That question is one that you should ponder about every situation. Things constantly change. And thus, parameters formed in one alliance can alter a promise when people form other partnerships. So, if you feel the ground shifting, take note of where it’s flowing. That noted change will signal the possible need to develop new alliances. A promise will only last as long as it serves a purpose. To assess when it may begin to lose its commitment, consider the following.

 

Where you were

Knowing the environment a promise was made in, and the surrounding circumstances that led to its creation will give you a starting point from which to monitor its party’s commitment. Consider who the players were that entered into the alignment that made the promise. And, consider their source of power moving into the future. Making that assessment can serve as a bell-weather that indicates when you should consider forming new alliances. Being blind to such occurrences can leave you in a darkness that’s fraught with danger.

 

Your journey

As you reflect on the dilemma of lost trust, due to broken promises, think of the path that you and your allies have traveled. Consider what might have led or is leading to a separation of support you’ve provided for each other. Partnerships don’t dissolve overnight. There are always pending signs of potential danger. Look for them and heed warning signs on your path. Think about the variables that transpired that you possibly ignored due to circumstances that you didn’t want to consider or those that you intentionally chose to ignore. The purpose of that is to assess the mindset that you and your ally had as you traveled to the place that you now find the relationship. Ask yourself, what can I do now to increase my perceived value? Who might I align with to improve my position? And where might that alignment lead? You need firm footing to escape a slippery slope. Connecting with those that can extend support might be the support required to do just that.

 

Where you are

Now, you’re in a very precarious situation. Your most reliable ally has deserted you. And, you’re left surrounded by your enemies. What do you do? To survive, you must create new alliances. And you have to consider the trust factor. And you must ask, how long might a promise they make last? The answer that echoes back is, now is not the time to worry about that. You’re in survival mode.

If you want to survive, you must do whatever is required to sustain yourself. That may even include making alliances with the devil. Meaning, you may have to stretch very far outside of your comfort zone. But if survival is meaningful to you, you’ll do what it takes to prevent you from being taken by what you do.

 

Reflection

When you find yourself in a less than tenable position, due to broken promises, don’t be Pollyannaish. Look at your dilemma for what it is, not necessarily the way you want it to be. Everything changes. And as they do, they don’t have to leave you in a lurch. You can prevent that from occurring by being aware of shifting alliances and making sure that you’re aligned with powers that will remain powerful. Do that as long as an association serves your needs, and you’ll be less likely to be broken by broken promises … and everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

#Promise #Expiration #Reflection #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success #negotiation examples #Negotiation strategies #negotiation process #negotiation skills training #negotiation types #negotiation psychology #Howtowinmore #self-improvement #howtodealwithdifficultpeople #Self-development #Howtocontrolanegotiation #howtobesuccessful #HowToImproveyourself

 

 

 

Categories
Growth Management Personal Development

Psychological Safety as a Leadership Tool

With a different way of using thinking style and learning to help your employees create, innovate and produce greater than they have been, implementing psychological safety as a strategy gives leaders a way to create high-performing teams.

Leaders of a company want employees to get along and be productive in the work they are given. Too many times though leaders know that a conflict or two- many appear and that employees should be able to work out the difficulty. When it comes to resolving this issue, as a strategy to both improve employee interactions and to increase productivity using psychological safety helps you do both.

In creating, generating, producing creativity, you need the powerhouse employees you hired who are skilled and talented in these areas. The problem is that their skills and talent is squelched by the circle of a team within the team who put others down.

Get to know your work team employees. Set up either a breakfast, lunch or dinner where everyone from the team attends and brings a pot luck item. Let everyone talk about something other people don’t know about them that they want their team to know. It could be what skills they have and hope to bring with them on each project they work on.

Psychological safety can do great things for team performance. And why not? If team members feel safe and it’s easier to build trust — that helps elevate performance. Psychological safety is more important you may think. The advantages to implementing this concept helps you and your organization move forward and allows you, the leader, to stand out in your business.

Develop an Open Mindset

“Increased psychological safety is linked to everything from higher engagement and well-being to improved ideation and implementation.” –

In order to break free of judgment and strengthen the relationship between team members, it’s important to have an open mindset. Often you may look at things from your own lens, but approaching them from a different angle can help bring perspective. In order to develop an open mindset at the workplace:

Rather than criticism, encourage teams and individuals to see feedback as a way to strengthen and build upon their ideas and processes. Be open to opinions that differ from your own.

Ask Encourage Questions

“Increased psychological safety is linked to everything from higher engagement and well-being to improved ideation and implementation.

Create a safe place for feedback

As a team leader, and as a member of a larger leadership team yourself, start thinking about psychological safety with reflective questions. Ask relevant questions to your team members. Also have your team members ask questions of understanding, curiosity and of how specific things will work.

People don’t get good though unless they are given an opportunity. An opportunity to make mistakes, to express thoughts, ideas, and opinions, or feel comfortable in the group/team they work in without consequences helps you and they be more productive. An open exchange of ideas, thoughts and opinions helps stimulate team members to think of other questions to ask.

Admitting to Making Mistakes

The most successful teams were those who, ironically, make the most errors. How successful are your work teams or organization with admitting to errors or mistakes while producing great results? Acknowledging your mistakes can help you and your team members to produce better results.

Frame Failures as Learning Opportunities

Keep in Mind All the Benefits of Psychological Safety. There are more benefits that help move your organization forward than you may think.

Encourages Speaking Up- Giving and receiving feedback without consequences

Create a Safe Place for Feedback- Clarify why speaking up is valued and reinforce that through ongoing messages and behaviors.

Employees using the skills and talent they were hired for- You may even find that your disengaged employees will start to become engaged again.

High self-esteem

Greater breakthrough results

Higher revenue for the organization

When people don’t feel safe, they are less inclined to take risks. Fear prevents employees from speaking up, providing honest feedback, or sharing their ideas.

The Cost of Silence is Deceiving

Companies waste millions of dollars. That’s the price they pay because their employees don’t speak up. Organizations have a silence problem, but most don’t realize it. It’s hard to detect when employees are not being honest. Silence can encourage group-think and default consensus — people keep their ideas to themselves.

Psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams

Psychological safety is the foundation of high-performing teams. It’s one of the most important components of a great business, but you don’t hear much about it. Psychological safety may even get your disengaged employees engaged again. Great leaders make fostering psychological safety a top priority. Create a safe place for feedback as your employees have been held back from expressing themselves due to consequences they expect yet not test.

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“Negotiator – They Will Fight Back But Will They Conquer” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“To decrease your chances of being conquered, know how others will fight.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

Click here to get the book!

“Negotiator – They Will Fight Back But Will They Conquer”

He realized he’d be entering into a tough situation. In past interactions, verbal fights had broken out within this group. And tensions had frayed. Those frayed tensions led to increasing distrust amongst those discussing the proposed resolution.

Anticipating how someone might respond to an offer or proposal is something that you should always consider. Why? Because it impacts how you and they will interact. Thus, if you’ve had conflicts in the past, and nothing’s been done to address them satisfactorily, more than likely, they’ll fight you in the future.

The following is information you can use to plan, control, and dissuade others from attempting to conquer you. It’s a thought process that every good negotiator considers. And when someone fights to overcome your efforts, it’s insightful information that will arm you to combat them.

 

Planning

 

  • Fight/Flight/Stand Still
    • Before engaging in any forum, assess what occurred in prior encounters with its participating members. That history reflection will provide insights about the developments that might arise in your upcoming meeting with them. It also allows you the time to plan the actions and reactions you’ll promote to enhance your position.

In particular, consider whether you want the next encounter to end in a stalemate (you’re marking time to become stronger), you want the opposition to flee the potential conflict, recognizing your strength is too powerful for them to combat (be mindful of how you cast yourself – this may cause your opponents to seek greater power by building stronger coalitions), you’re going to fight for future positioning or as a means to get closer to its end.

  • Strategy
    • You should develop an approach based on what’s occurred in the past, the outcome that arose from using that plan, how those you engaged during that session reacted, and to what degree new players will enter into the upcoming activities. Taking into account those factors will allow you to shape the tactics you’ll develop to create and employ the best strategy.

 

  • Who are you
    • Another thought to consider is, who are you? That question answers the characteristics you possess. Some people can’t or won’t engage in some activities because it may be outside of their moral bearings. Having insight about your ethical boundaries will help you determine how far you’ll go to seek an outcome that may be crossing a line. Make the same assessment of those that you’ll be meeting.

 

Improvement

 

  • Interactions
    • Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t get what you wanted, and yet you still felt good about the outcome? Even if you haven’t had that experience, that’s the emotional state you want to instill in others that deal with you. Leave them feeling that they walked away with something that they’re proud to have achieved.

The way you accomplish that feeling lies in how you deal with people. In some situations, you don’t want to appear stubborn, dogmatic, or immobile. In the wrong condition, people will detest you. But in the right circumstances, such a demeanor will aid in fostering the persona needed to back those that pose threats away from you. So, be aware of how you project your persona and make sure it matches the outcome you’re seeking. Doing so will prevent future consternation that might impede future progress.

 

  • Framing
    • Framing occurs when you control the narrative of a conversation. And, by framing an interaction in a particular manner, you control the discussion and the flow of the communication.
    • Outcome – No matter the outcome, think about how you’ll frame it so that it appears to be beneficial to your position.
    • Opponents – Think about how you’ll frame the opponents that have engaged you during and after an interaction. You can position them in a positive or negative light, depending on how you wish others to view them. The choice you make should depend on how you want them to interact with you going forward.

 

  • Future Interactions
    • Other players – When considering how you’ll improve future situations, consider who might become aligned with whom. That’ll impact the chances of future success for you and them. There may exist the opportunity to use their alliances to your advantage.

 

Reflections

In answering the question, they will fight back but will they conquer, the answer is, it depends. It depends on the variables that you identify and address that will influence the outcome of a meeting – and how successful you are in developing a plan that accurately addresses those variables. The point is, you’ll have more control of any encounter if you plan for it appropriately. Once you do, you’ll be less likely to be conquered in your engagements … and everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

#Fight #Conquer #Negotiations #Control #Conversations #NegotiationStrategies #NegotiationProcess #NegotiationSkillsTraining #NegotiationExamples #NegotiationTypes #ReadingBodyLanguage #BodyLanguage #Nonverbal #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success #negotiation examples #Negotiation strategies #negotiation process #negotiation skills training #negotiation types #negotiation psychology #Howtowinmore #self-improvement #howtodealwithdifficultpeople #Self-development #Howtocontrolanegotiation #howtobesuccessful #HowToImproveyourself

 

 

Categories
Best Practices Growth Industries Management Personal Development Technology

Business Leader Imperative: What You Need to Know

Have you ever wished you could predict the future? What would you do if you could clearly see critical changes in the months and years ahead and use them to shape your future instead of just letting it unfold by default?

I have good news for you: you can. In fact, paying close attention to the Hard Trends, or certainties that will happen, becoming more anticipatory, and pre-solving problems before they occur will allow you and your organization to become the disruptor instead of the disrupted, positioning yourself as a leader in your industry.

Throughout the entirety of my career, I have worked with several CEOs, government officials, and leaders from all different backgrounds on facing digital disruption. Here are some principles I have discovered that are crucial for business owners and other leaders alike to heed in becoming more anticipatory.

Start with certainty (Use Hard Trends to see what’s coming)

You can use the power of anticipation to spot and profit from future trends long before your competitors do. Just look at Netflix, who accurately saw the trends of individuals looking for convenience in their consumption of media and, likewise, their frustration with nominal late fees stacking up. They went on to build a subscription service for movies and television, pioneering what Hulu and Amazon Prime eventually released as well. Meanwhile, Blockbuster not only clung to their legacy thinking but actually refused to buy Netflix when given the option.

Remember 1999, when the U.S. government predicted a trillion-dollar surplus? We’ve all made similar, wildly wrong predictions because we confuse a cyclical change like the stock market with linear change, similar to population growth. Likewise, we don’t know how to distinguish Hard Trends, like the fact that baby boomers are aging, from Soft Trends, like the shortage of medical professionals to treat aging baby boomers. But by distinguishing what’s a certain future fact from an uncertain future maybe, you can make accurate predictions.

Anyone can avoid a disastrous fate like Blockbuster or even the recording industry, which was disrupted similarly starting with Napster, eventually iTunes, and now Spotify, and instead create must-have products and high-demand services as Tesla, Netflix and so many others have by seeing what others can’t: the Hard Trends that are shaping our future.

Anticipate (Base your strategies on what you know about the future)

Change from the outside is classified as disruption. Change from the inside is disruptive. The latter of the two is the kind of transformation that allows you to direct your future and seize your destiny, and the only possible way to become the disruptor rather than the disrupted is by becoming anticipatory.

Based on the certainty of Hard Trends, this is about asking yourself what problems you are about to have and what problems your organization will face in the immediate future and more importantly, what problems your customers will face. Then, look for creative ways to pre-solve problems before they happen.

When you anticipate your future challenges and opportunities, you can redefine your product or service to capitalize on the Hard Trends you see unfolding and become the disruptor. Keep in mind that disruption and change is always headed our way no matter what. It will burst through every industry and every institution, transforming everything and leaving nothing untouched in its wake. Those who see it coming will stand strong and grow.

Transform (Use technology-driven change to your advantage)

Changing means continuing to do essentially the same thing, only introducing some variation. Build it a little bigger or smaller and faster, for example. This has worked for many industries; however, the record industry or even television providers can’t survive simply by changing. Embracing change is no longer enough: we need to transform.

Transformation means doing something utterly and radically different. In terms of television providers, Spectrum and DirecTV have changed the way we watch TV, by giving you seemingly unlimited options with OnDemand and allowing you to record live TV. However, their astronomical prices have caused their folly, therefore YouTube TV and Sling TV are now transforming how we watch television by keeping their costs down while offering the same if not more of what Spectrum and DirecTV have offered. This transformed how we watch everything.

Ask yourself how you can expect your own field to transform. Equally important, ask how you can give your current and future customers the ability to do what they can’t but would if they knew it was possible. Your answers to these questions will help you begin crafting strategies to transform how you sell, market, communicate, collaborate, and innovate.

Categories
Best Practices Growth Industries Personal Development

You’ll Never Guess Where These Success Secrets Came From!

In the early 2000’s I was fortunate to discover network marketing. Little did I know that the MLM (multi-level-marketing) industry would teach me how to start, run, and succeed in a business of my own. This is an unknown benefit of network marketing. Outsiders only see the product or service provided. There is more to what happens when representatives gather.

Also known as direct sales, the latest figures show the industry did $35.4 billion in retail sales for 2018. According to the Direct Selling Association, there are over 6 million representatives in the U.S.

The company that I represented dealt with travel. I love traveling so it was a perfect fit for me. They have one of the best training programs to teach the skills needed to run a business. What I learned from them is more than how to travel like a king at a pauper’s price.

Some of the skills I mastered were how to approach people without fear. I can walk up to anyone and start a conversation. This helped me conquer something I dreaded doing. Another ability I acquired was how to run a business. Network marketing is not about getting rich quick. It’s about building your own business equipped with tools so you react quickly, handle problems, set your goals and stay on target. I gained the wisdom and confidence I needed to be successful.

Then there are the people. When you join a network marketing group you join a family. At your disposal are experts in the field who have also gone on to create their own companies. They work alongside you, helping you realize your dreams; whether it is starting a brick and mortar store, be a professional speaker, teacher, or whatever your dream. Mine was to write a book and become a professional blogger and speaker. Being surrounded by creative people activates your creative juices, flowing with a never-ending source of ideas.

In direct sales, the focus is to help each other. It’s the polar opposite from corporate America where you claw and crawl over others to get to the top. The way to the top is not by putting others down; it’s by building people up. Network Marketing knows that working together is crucial, and that perspective allows everyone to grow. It’s this mindset that provided the tools I needed for myself and my business.

The MLM I belonged to is worldwide. What is interesting to watch is how other countries do network marketing. Two of the successful countries are Hong Kong and Greece. These countries don’t have the same work mentality as the U.S. in that they don’t function with such cut-throat actions.  They have a teamwork mentality, knowing that collectively they will achieve their goals. This attitude has made network marketing successful in their countries.

Why doesn’t the U.S. operate this way? It is hard to teach old dogs’ new tricks, but change can happen. It takes realizing there is a problem with the way corporate America operates today. As we educate leaders and employees about how working together will create more business and improve work skills, employees will be open to achieving more. No longer will we allow bad tactics like cheating, lying, and condemning others operate in our companies. We show employees that working together is more rewarding for them financially.

As far as joining a network marketing company, there are two essentials you should consider. Number One: find a product or service you love, love, love. You must believe in what you represent. Number Two: Make sure the company has an excellent training program where you are able to learn success skills. It’s about obtaining the knowledge that will help you in any area of your life; all while making a little extra money.

Network marketing allowed me to work on myself, which led to my book. Since then I discovered my love of writing and words, and I have built my expertise around that. What is it you want to accomplish and what skills do you need to get there? Being part of a direct marketing company, where building each other up, and working together is the backbone of the organization, making it possible to achieve your wildest dreams.

Categories
Best Practices Investing Marketing Personal Development Sales

The Time Value of Selling Value

You are probably aware of the time value of money, but did you know that there is also a time value of selling value?

In the finance world, when someone talks about the time value of money, they mean that a dollar received now is worth more than a dollar received in the future.  This is true even when that future dollar is absolutely a sure thing.  The idea is that you could invest today’s dollar and have more money than if you had gotten one dollar in the future.

In the sales world, building value early in your customer’s buying process pays more than building value late.  A customer’s mind is more receptive to placing value on a solution before they have started on the price justification/negotiation stage of their buying process.  The time value of selling value holds true even if your solution is not fully defined, as long as an outcome they will achieve is.

Let’s unpack this by looking at how value builds in the customer’s mind.

Value is About Differentiated Outcomes

Customers don’t buy your product or service.  They buy outcomes.  Customers buy for their own reasons, not necessarily the ones you gave them to buy.

Every purchase decision depends upon a customer connecting an offer to an outcome they desire. No outcome, sale.

There are four kinds of outcomes, illustrated below:  Outcomes are either negative (pain) or positive (opportunities).  There are known/expected outcomes and those a customer hasn’t envisioned yet (but which a trusted advisor might open their eyes to). The old sales training advice about “uncovering pain points” covers only one of the four quadrants above (top left). Think of all the potential value you miss when all your salespeople do is go after this low-hanging fruit.   As bad as that sounds, it gets worse.  This quadrant is where all of your competitors swarm.  Differentiation is often minimal here.  When all competitors look the same, guess what the customer’s decision comes down to (spoiler alert: it involves getting ground down mercilessly on price).

Value is About Expected Outcomes

Also, customers don’t buy “you” (I get the value of credibility, but if your offer doesn’t accomplish anything for a customer, it doesn’t matter how much they “know, like, and trust” you).  Customers buy an expected result.  Thus, “expected” is where your credibility comes in.  Value, therefore, grows as faith in an outcome grows. Personal credibility and proof documentation helps builds belief/faith in an outcome…no more, no less.

Value also grows as the picture of that outcome becomes more clear and detailed — in the customer’s mind. Contrary to what “rational model” economic theory predicts, real customers don’t automatically hear an outcome described and engage in detailed self-analysis of all financial impacts of any individual outcome…much less all of the outcomes available.  Accomplished value sellers help prospects build detailed mental pictures…envisioning themselves achieving outcomes and follow-on outcomes. Some trainers call this “selling beyond the sale”.  Telling stories is a great way to kickstart this process, but personalization should follow.

Value, by Definition, is Desirability of Expected Outcomes

After envisioning comes evaluating the desirability of outcomes. Desire is good.  Strong desire is better.  Desire one can justify to one’s peers in a complex sale is…power.  Specifically, it’s pricing power.

Elite selling involves guiding a customer through a process of measuring the desire for an outcome monetarily.  Once desirability is measured in dollars, euros, yen, etc., value comes into full form.  You and your customer can confidently discuss price against a known, quantified value. Discounting is less frequent. More importantly, your price exception/discounting process becomes more disciplined and objective.

Timing is Everything in Selling Value

Selling value is the art of building a detailed, monetized picture of outcomes in each prospect’s mind.  Let’s look at the components of value-building at different stages in the customer’s buying process (aka the customer journey).

  • Imagine building credibility near the beginning of the customer’s buying journey.  Now imagine trying to build it late.
  • Imagine helping them envision unexpected outcomes early.  Now imagine trying to do it while they are comparing proposals against each other.
  • Imagine showing proof of an outcome early…versus doing it to combat discounting pressure.
  • Imagine asking them to envision all of the follow-on/related results early…versus late.
  • Imagine talking to a customer about the annual cost impact of some challenges they are experiencing. What does that feel like to a customer during discovery…and what does it feel like if you start exploring it during price negotiations?

How many opportunities in your funnel right now are you feeling worse about? Did this just make you second-guess your forecast?  If we could get your salespeople to build value early, what do you think would happen to 1) probability of winning 2) need to discount?

The graph above illustrates that the opportunity to build value for your offer has pretty much passed right when customers start comparing offers and negotiating price.

Can you see why there is a time value to selling value?

Good News/Bad News

Ask your salespeople “what value does this customer see in our solution” as a sales coaching question. If your salespeople can articulate detailed value, they’ve covered all the steps above really well.  In fact, you can probably enter a highly accurate forecast for that opportunity by looking at the total customer value versus your price.

It the salesperson can’t articulate clear value, they either haven’t sold value or your offer doesn’t have any (to that customer in that opportunity).  In the former case, some high-impact coaching might rescue the deal if it’s early enough. In either case, a low-to-lost deal forecast might be the right course of action.

Want to talk about how to apply these principles in your sales team?  Contact me.  Also, feel free to like, share, or comment below.

To your success!

Categories
Entrepreneurship Management Negotiations Operations Sales Skills Women In Business

“How To Maintain Power In The Face Of Threats” – Negotiation Insight

“Threats can be disruptive. But unchecked threats that challenge power usually leads to destruction. -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

 

Click here to get the book!

“How To Maintain Power In The Face Of Threats”

 

The leaders that preceded him always supported their allies. And his allies thought he’d continue that support. Then, it occurred – the opportunity to come to their aid. But he was a different type of leader. He cared more about his well-being than that of his allies. So, he abandoned them. He did that to maintain power while a secret source threatened him.

Everyone has a degree of authority. And that authority is a source of power. So, if you want to maintain yours, consider the following.

Verbal Attacks

Sometimes, non-physical attacks work – especially in the face of threats. Thus, attacks don’t have to be physical. They can be verbal, serving as a warning of the foreboding to come unless current threatening actions cease. And, over a long period, they can shape future activities, anticipation, and mindset of those whom you convey your sentiments. So, when you consider how you’ll extend and maintain power, think about how you might use even the threat of an attack, physical or non-physical, to bolster your position.

Moving Goalposts

When confronting threats, another strategy to consider is moving the goalposts. That means, when those you’re facing get closer to a goal, move it. Do that by changing the parameters that were previously set.

You can use this tactic against those that form less of a threat but with whom you wished to maintain control. You’d implement this strategy to keep the object of your actions aligned with you, but have them guessing at what you might require next. If overused, that tactic can also introduce and ignite anger. So, be careful of how and when you utilize it.

You can also implement this strategy by assembling multiple goals and allowing your associates to choose the ones to address. Later, for reasons you create, you can state that they have to alter their course and discuss new goals. You’d use this approach to buy time or to frustrate the progress they were making that was out of alignment with your goals. Either way, you’ll maintain power, while others are chasing the altering goals that you created.

Using Surrogates

Power is real to the degree it’s perceived, and how it’s adhered to by others. Thus, if someone recognizes you as being in control, in their eyes, you’re powerful. Therefore, another way to project power is to disallow others from engaging you. You’d forbid them access to you, be it in person or via any form of communication. Instead, you should have such individuals communicate through your surrogates. You want to maintain distance between you and them. That buffer allows you to remain somewhat aloof while giving you time to consider responses to potentially threatening situations. Then, when you enter into communications with them, you’ll have the opportunity to control the situation better. Your presence will suggest that something bigger is occurring.

Your Will

When considering threats to power, some people become tyrannical to protect it. They will lie, cheat, and steal to maintain control. Others will acquiesce to threats. Thus, not only should you be aware of the personality type that you’re dealing with, having that insight will help you shape your response to the threats of others.

  • Tyrants – This individual type may have a relationship with power, new or long-established, that allows him to feel special. He rides on the clouds of accolades. And his ego is pacified while being affirmed that he exalts over his followers. It can be challenging to deal with this personality type. When confronting someone possessing this characteristic, no his sources of power, and know yours. You may have to call on your power sources to prepare it to battle on your behalf. You should also be prepared to employ dirty tricks to combat his forces if you deem it necessary.

 

  • Acquiesce – Dealing with someone that acquiesces can be tricky. The trickiness lies in the speed of his actions. If he nibbles at your power, he may do so to test the possibilities for success. Thus, he will not be as bold nor engage in the tactics a tyrant would use. Nevertheless, depending on the backers of this individual, he may become emboldened to threaten your authority because he’s being egged on by others. Keep this in mind and account for it when dealing with this type of person.

Reflection

Power is fluid. And it’s ever-changing. Therefore, if you want to maintain control, you must be aware of what might alter its flow. And, you must be prepared to combat those that would take it away. To do anything other will empower others. And for them … everything will be right with the world – but not for you.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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Categories
Best Practices Personal Development Sales

3 Must-Follow Tips for Start-up Producers

Despite how much you love your product and how much you know that everybody else will too, you still need to master these fundamentals in order to thrive.

1. Cash Flow Management

Get paid faster by how you sell. Extend credit by how you pay. Lower costs by how you buy. Consider these suggestions:

  • Treat your vendors the same way you treat your customers: They can extend credit and cut costs. Sell them on your mission and your brand’s future. Make them strategically—when you grow, so do they. If you think you won’t be able to pay, give them a payment plan in advance. They have bills to pay, too, and they’ll appreciate that you care.
  • Whenever possible, buy in quantity with terms: Your supplier’s goods have much more value as a receivable from you than they do sitting in a warehouse with no buyer. If you create your goods on an as-needed basis, your supplier might be able to hold your purchase until you need it.
  • Offer discounts to any buyer that purchases in large quantities and pays upon delivery: In general, retailers sell big when they buy big. Selling quickly creates more space in their warehouse. Then, they’re more likely to provide it at a discount. This gives the retailer (and ultimately, you) more customers. And it gives you your money before bills are due!

2. Channel Distribution Management

If your product will eventually be sold by a retailer, it must go through distribution channels. Each part of this system purchases your product for different reasons. Here are just a few:

  • Brokers or salespeople buy it for commission: They visualize how they can sell their customers, jobbers, chain stores, or distributors. They see the benefits. They know it’s a winner for them, and they’ll put in the extra effort.
  • Distributors buy it because it fills a gap in their current offerings: If your product fulfills a market segment they’re looking to sell to, or if one of their larger buyers wants to purchase it, they will want this exclusivity in their territory.
  • The public purchases it because it’s in stock and at a great value. If it isn’t in stock, they’ll choose something else: Keeping a product in stock is the greatest challenge for any start-up with a great product.

3. HR Management

You’re in the Human Resource Management business no matter what you’re selling. Your staff members are your greatest assets. They represent your product and your brand. Maintain your crucial buyer and vendor relationships and reduce turnover within your company by considering the following:

  • Make sure your staff knows exactly where their paychecks come from: Their check doesn’t come from you—it comes from the customer and everybody else involved in the process. Create a graph that shows how their paycheck flows from the customer to them with all steps in between.
  • Employees will do what they’re paid for: A start-up that’s strapped for cash can’t afford to pay just for attendance. Performers can’t afford to leave, and non-performers can’t afford to stay.
  • Once you find your top performers, learn about what they like to do and reorganize your company so they can excel: Orientation and mentoring are just the beginning! Your people need to be convinced that you really do have their best interests at heart. Acknowledge them publicly on a job well done, and they will be motivated to stay loyal.

For more, read on: http://c-suitenetworkadvisors.com/advisor/michael-houlihan-and-bonnie-harvey/

 

 

 

Categories
Best Practices Growth Personal Development

Six Practices Successful Leaders Admire in Their Leaders

My research conducted over a two-year period revealed six practices that separate the best leaders from the rest.

I’ve been in leadership roles for over two decades and read hundreds of leadership and business books.  I learned from all the books and all my experiences.  Yet I still wanted to know more about leadership from the “real world” experiences of successful leaders.  Several years ago, I did exactly that by interviewing about eighty successful, high-level leaders from many industries.  The key question that kicked off each interview was this:  “In your experience, what have you seen that separated the best leaders from the rest?”  These were fascinating conversations.  These leaders talked with clarity and conviction about the leaders they respected the most, and why they stood out.  After analyzing the transcripts from these interviews, six clear themes emerged as the practices that “separated the best leaders from the rest.”  Following is a summary of those leadership practices.

Build Trust

Build trust is listed first because it is first.  As many of these leaders explained, without trust, the rest of it doesn’t matter.  People don’t follow leaders they don’t trust.  Trust is built over time and can be lost in a moment.  In the workshops that I lead, I always ask the group, “Is it an overstatement to say that in leadership and life, trust is everything?”  The answers from the group is always a resounding NO.  It is not an overstatement.  Trust is everything.  Trust is the glue that holds all relationships together, personal and business.  According to these leaders, businesses with high-trust cultures outperform business with low-trust cultures all day long; definitely true in my experience.  The best leaders build trust.

Serve Others

 This is the age-old practice of servant leadership.  It is not as much of a skill as it is a mindset.  The essence of this practice is setting people up for success with training, coaching, supporting and providing all the tools required to be successful.  The mistaken idea about servant leadership is that it is “soft.”  Servant leadership practiced properly is a coin with two sides: support and accountability.  One of the interviewees said it well:  “This is what separates bosses from leaders.”  Many of these leaders said what legendary CEO Jack Welch was quoted to say, “Leadership is not about you.  It is about your people.”  Most of us have worked for both; leaders that get it and self-serving bosses that don’t.  Admired leaders get it.

Create Clarity

The purpose of clarity is keeping people on the same page, pulling in the same direction, toward goals that matter.  As these leaders told me, easy concept, hard to do.  Think about the barriers to everyone being on the same page.  People in different locations.  The crush of emails, texts, meetings, phone calls, initiatives and changing priorities all competing for attention.  There may be few things more important to leadership than creating clarity on many levels.  Think about a clarity ladder starting at the top and working your way down.   Vision, purpose, strategy, company goals and initiatives, projects, departmental goals and initiatives, and individual responsibilities and goals.  It is a lot to clarify.  And yet, having everyone on the same page, pulling together is a tremendous competitive advantage.  Strategy can fail in execution without clarity.  Change initiatives that lack clarity stand little chance.  Individuals at any level who lack clarity about their role and expectations will struggle.  One of the leaders made a great point.  “Clarity is everyone’s job; to create it and seek it out.”

Work with Purpose and Passion

I read a story many years ago about when U.S. President Kennedy was touring NASA in the early sixties.  As he was meeting people, he asked a gentleman who was a custodian, “what do you do here at NASA?”  The custodian’s proud response was, “Mr. President, I am helping put a man on the moon.”

I love that story.  It is about someone who understood that his job contributed to a noble purpose.  A mission larger than himself.  So it is with the best leaders.  They work with a passion that comes from a sense of purpose.  A purpose that matters.  As leaders, they convey that noble purpose to their teams through their words and actions in a way that unifies and energizes people.  One of my favorite interviews with these leaders was a woman who started a catalog business from nothing and then transformed it into a successful specialty retail chain that is still growing.  When I asked her what the secret sauce was that fueled their success, she simply stated, “Passion.  I have a passion for this business, and I hire people who share my passion.”

Fully Engage People

According to many of these leaders, the antidote to low levels of employee engagement we see in survey after survey is leadership.  One leader explained, “Our approach to fully engaging people is to consider that everyone brings a heart, a mind, and a skillset with them to the job.”  When it comes to engaging people, one size does not fit all.  As leaders, an important way to engage the heart is through recognition and feedback.  The more we appreciate the value people bring to the job, the more valued they feel, and the more value they bring.  Engaging the mind is about tapping into the knowledge and ideas people have – and listening.  We best engage people’s skillset by putting them in roles that fit their natural abilities.  Companies with higher levels of engagement have a distinct advantage over their competitors.

Act with Courage

“Leadership is not for the faint of heart,” proclaimed many of these leaders.  “It requires backbone.” When I conduct leadership workshops, I ask these two questions.   First, what situations in your leadership roles require courage?  The answers most cited include having tough conversations, holding people accountable, disagreeing with higher-level leaders, making tough decisions, letting someone go and owning mistakes.  Most of us can cite examples of when we didn’t act with courage and the painful consequences of not acting.   The second question is “Is courage hardwired or developed.?”  What’s your answer?

Applying the Practices

Once I documented the themes from these interviews, I set out to validate them in my own experience.  As the head of Human Resources for a global company, I had a lot of leadership experience but realized I still had much to learn.  While I had some strengths in each of these practices, I realized I could improve in every one of them.  So, I set out to do so.  Each week for about a year or so, I set a goal to focus on one of these practices on the job.  I let what was happening on the job guide that I worked on each week.  After about a year of this practice, I realized that my leadership skills developed more in that year than in the previous ten or so.  The key was focusing on developing one of these best practices a week at a time and understanding the synergy between these practices.  They reinforce each other.  Building trust allowed me to act with courage.  Serving others made it much easier to fully engage people.

Once I felt confident about the authenticity of these practices, I developed a workshop from these practices titled “Diamond Quality Leadership.” I delivered it to every manager at every level all over this global enterprise.  The CEO called this leadership model “The Bible” for how we practice leadership.  Maybe a stretch, but it provided a solid foundation for leadership development.

Over time, three other benefits became apparent.  First, a consistent approach to leadership strengthened an already healthy culture.  Second, it provided a solid platform for change.  Change initiatives have a much greater chance to be successful in a high trust culture, and little chance in a low trust culture.  Finally, the Millennial generation is becoming an increasingly larger percentage of our workforce.  They want better bosses, clearer career paths and healthy cultures. With the Great Resignation, companies with skilled managers and healthy cultures have a tremendous advantage in the competition for talent.

About the Author

Dr. Mark Hinderliter works with clients to align  people strategy with business strategy. His experience as a Senior Vice President for a billion-dollar global enterprise along with a PhD in Organization and Management are a unique fusion of real-world experience and academic credentials.

Mark is a Veteran-owned Business Owner and a Certified Partner with The Predictive Index, a Talent Optimization firm providing solutions for aligning people strategies and business strategies.

Mark’s LinkedIn profile is https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhinderliter/

Categories
Best Practices Growth Industries Management Personal Development Technology

Understanding Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning

Technological change is the only constant in today’s business world, disrupting everything from large organizations to small start-ups. Disruption affects everyone, but will you be the disruptor or the disrupted? You must pay close attention to the Hard Trends shaping the future of your industry, your business, and the outside world to identify opportunities used to innovate and grow rapidly, additionally using those Hard Trends to solve any problems your organization and customers might have before they occur.

The Power of Shared Understandings and Definitions

The shared definition and understanding of the words we use is an issue in business. While several companies are on course to use artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and deep learning (DL), others hardly understand the fundamental differences between these powerful technologies. How can one be successful, much less disruptive, when they themselves do not differentiate between AI, ML, and DL?

Recently, technology company Sage conducted surveys pertaining to AI and individuals’ understanding of it. Unfortunately, 43% of respondents in the US and 47% of respondents in the UK indicated they had no idea what AI is capable of in business.

In addition to under-education, many vendors rush different AI solutions to market before the ultimate decision-makers and buyers understand what they need or what the technology could actually do for their companies, causing confusion both internally and externally. Add in those other AI subcategories, ML and DL, and the convolution furthers.

While advising leaders of different backgrounds around the world, I found that we all have different definitions of and understandings about AI and its counterparts. For example, I was invited to participate in a high-level strategy meeting regarding AI in Washington, DC, among experts from the Department of Defense, DARPA, and several major defense contractors.

Before the meeting began, I heard discussions regarding what some were doing with deep learning, and others were talking about the results they received from machine learning. Wondering if we all mutually understood the discussion at hand, I asked one of the experts to give their definition of machine learning, asking another thereafter. By the third person, it was clear we all had different definitions for the same thing.

A similar result occurred when I asked for the definition of deep learning, and, to my surprise, even the definition of artificial intelligence varied amongst the participants.

If we are sharing how we apply a technology but with different definitions and understandings of what it actually is, we are not effectively communicating or collaborating. In actuality, we create more problems going forward. Therefore, in my example, we spent the next part of the meeting crafting definitions that everyone agreed on.

What Exactly Is AI ∙ Machine Learning ∙ Deep Learning

Artificial intelligence applies to computing systems designed to perform tasks usually reserved for human intelligence using logic, if-then rules, and decision trees. AI recognizes patterns from vast amounts of quality data providing insights, predicting outcomes, and making complex decisions.

Machine learning is a subset of AI that utilizes advanced statistical techniques to enable computing systems to improve at tasks with experience over time. Chatbots like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri improve every year thanks to constant use by consumers coupled with the machine learning that takes place in the background.

Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that uses advanced algorithms to enable an AI system to train itself to perform tasks by exposing multilayered neural networks to vast amounts of data. It then uses what it learns to recognize new patterns contained in the data. Learning can be human-supervised learning, unsupervised learning, and/or reinforcement learning like Google used with DeepMind to learn how to beat humans at the game Go.

Autonomous computing uses advanced AI tools like deep learning to enable systems to be self-governing and capable of acting according to situational data without human command. AI autonomy includes perception, high-speed analytics, machine-to-machine communications, and movement. Autonomous vehicles use these features to pilot a vehicle without a human driver.

Augmented thinking: As AI becomes more integrated into objects, processes, products, and services, humans will augment their personal problem-solving and decision-making abilities with the insights AI provides.

It is critical for leaders and employees alike to develop a firm understanding of the fundamental differences between AI, ML, and DL. The increasing levels of business insights that can be gained from a shared understanding of AI is evident when understanding exactly how these ever-growing, disruptive technologies can be harnessed by your organization.

It is imperative for organizations and leaders to go beyond reacting quickly. Becoming anticipatory by paying attention to the Hard Trends that will happen and solving problems before they occur is imperative. Understanding AI technologies and how they build upon one another is a great start, helping your organization move swiftly into the future.

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