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Author: Evan Hackel

A dynamic, innovative, thoughtful and inspiring leader with 30 years of experience in franchising, distributed networks and cooperatives. Successful history of: (i) turning around a $700 million distressed franchise system into a $2.0 billion revenue business in four years, (ii) reviving and re-energizing a $3.5 billion revenue franchisor and (iii) founding three franchise systems. Experienced corporate board member.

Currently, a consultant to some of the largest franchise systems in North America. A franchise industry leader, widely published, keynote speaker, member of the New England Franchise Association Board, and Co-chair of the International Franchise Associations Knowledge Share Task Force.|A dynamic, innovative, thoughtful and inspiring leader with 30 years of experience in franchising, distributed networks and cooperatives. Successful history of: (i) turning around a $700 million distressed franchise system into a $2.0 billion revenue business in four years, (ii) reviving and re-energizing a $3.5 billion revenue franchisor and (iii) founding three franchise systems. Experienced corporate board member.

Categories
Best Practices

Let the Power of Curiosity Inspire You to Reach Your Life and Leadership Goals

An excerpt from my upcoming new book, Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generations

by Evan Hackel

Curiosity is the force that has led human beings to conquer polio, to fly to the moon, and to discover the new world. But curiosity is not only a force that has changed history. It is also something that can transform your life in ways like these. It can . . .

  • Turn you from a pretty good student into an academic standout.
  • Lead you to discover your best career and higher purpose for your life.
  • Inspire you to live in new places and lead a more adventurous life.
  • Discover and use new technologies and tools.
  • Make you a “life learner” with an insatiable hunger to keep growing.
  • Improve your fitness level, health, and athletic performance.

But Those Are Only a Small Part of What You Unlock when You Empower Your Curiosity

Yes, curiosity can transform your personal life in the ways we describe above. But when you release its power to transform the people in your organization, even more remarkable changes will happen. Assets like the following become part of your culture and happen organically . . .

  • You and your team learn about and use cutting edge technologies, simply because you are curious about them.
  • You talk to your clients and customers in an ingaged way because you really want to know what they are doing and how you can help them.
  • You keep a close watch on what your competitors are doing.
  • You investigate new business opportunities in new locations, simply because you really want to know.
  • You deeply study metrics and results that shed light on what you are doing – again, because you really want to know.
  • You are constantly on the lookout for new products, new customers, new vendors – and all things new.

And it all starts with curiosity. But how can you trigger that kind of organization-wide urge to learn and inquire? Here are some proven strategies.

Unleash and Showcase Your Personal and Passionate Curiosity

“Model the behavior you would like to inspire in others” is a familiar leadership axiom. It simply means that to encourage specific attitudes and behaviors in the people you lead, you should start by practicing them yourself. For example, a kind executive will cause kindness to extend through the ranks of his or her organization, leading to a kinder overall atmosphere system wide.

Similarly, you can encourage curiosity in others simply by being personally curious about the world. As a leader at any level in your organization, you can encourage curiosity by . . .

  • Exploring everything that is new in your sector, in your region and in the wider world, and then talking about it in every appropriate setting – from meetings with your executive team to one-on-one sessions with the people you supervise.
  • Speaking openly and enthusiastically about what you are exploring and learning. Your enthusiasm about being curious is a force that can spread throughout your team and organization – but only if you let your passion show.
  • Making it clear that research and inquiry are part of your job, not something you hide away or do in your off-hours. When you show you are an executive who learns, other people will follow suit.
  • Taking part in executive development programs, certification programs and other activities that demonstrate your eagerness to learn and grow.

Make Research Projects Part of the Work You Delegate

Assigning research projects to your team is one effective way to encourage curiosity in your organization. And with the right kind of curious mindset, you can position more projects as opportunities to learn. You can say, for example . . .

  • “I would like your task force to investigate and recommend the more forward-thinking systems for inventory control and report back to us” instead of, “Go pick a good inventory management product.”
  • “Please talk with representatives from our five biggest customers and discuss five things we could be doing better for them” instead of, “Go find ways to sell more to our customers.”
  • “Please visit the business locations of five other companies in our sector, see what they are doing, and report back to us on facility best practices” instead of, “Call a real estate agent and find some new facilities we can consider.”

You get the idea. Curiosity is more than just something you do. It is a way of doing things which, when practiced enthusiastically and consistently, will change your organization for the better.

Cultivate the Ability to “Listen to the Listening”

This means that when others are speaking, you should focus not only on the words they say, but on deeper questions that can include . . .

  • “Why are they saying what they are saying?”
  • “What other external factors could be motivating them to say this?”
  • “Could there be hidden reasons why they are saying this – or reasons there are certain things they are not saying?”

Action Step: Talk to people across functional lines: to the people who report to you, to the people who report to them, to your coworkers and to the people who report to them. Discuss questions that have been on your mind, like “Why do you think our company does this?” Listen to what you hear, see where the conversations go, and keep on asking still more questions.

Find Good Ideas Hiding among the Bad

I am often amazed that a “kernel” of value can be found hiding in a group of unusable, flawed ideas that someone expresses. Or even hiding in one “Big, Bad Idea” that is simply not usable at all.

So instead of tossing aside the whole idea that will not work, learn to look curiously for good, usable aspects that can be set aside and put to work. This is yet another way to tap the power of curiosity in all your interactions with other people and get them to contribute the best they have.

Assign Work to Multi-Functional Teams Whenever Possible

I have found – and I am sure you have discovered too – that multi-functional task forces can do a better job of completing many projects than can teams made up of people with similar skill sets.

When a group of salespeople are charged with the task of increasing sales revenue, for example, they will come up with a sales solution. When a group of social media marketers are charged with the same task, they will devise a social media strategy. And when a group of programmers is given the assignment, they will suggest a programming/software solution.

But sparks really start to fly when you bring together members of different disciplines, with different skill sets, and assign them to a project. (If you can, describe that project as “fact finding,” since those words spark a curious outlook.)

When members of different divisions who have different disciplines coalesce and work together, curiosity will start to infect and inspire people across your organization.  So my advice to you is, break down the silo walls and bring people together.

Action Step: Look at the work and projects that are being completed by your department, division, or other structural unit. Is there a way you can bring in more participants from other units or divisions – in effect, transform it into a multifunctional team?

Assign Leadership Opportunities to People who Have Shown Curiosity

Curiosity will be most powerful when you democratically reward curious people for the work they have done and the things they have learned. In other words, awarding a “Most Curious Employee” award will probably demotivate more people than it motivates. You want everyone to be encouraged to inquire and learn.

However, there is nothing wrong with rewarding your most curious people with new projects that will allow them to become even more curious and to learn and grow more. You can bring the leader of a research project into your office, for example, and say “Do you think the strategies you learned on your last project about improving customer service training could be used to improve the training we give to our service reps? . . . can you put on your thinking cap about that?”

The idea is to identify the team members who have shown the greatest aptitude for curiosity and find ways to keep the ball rolling.

Action Step: Privately, identify the people everywhere in your organization who have shown the greatest enthusiasm for learning. Without marginalizing other people, is there a way you can cultivate these top curious performers, so they express even more of their curiosity and draw other employees into the process?

Talk about the Results of Curiosity throughout Your Communications and Activities

In your town hall meetings with employees, talk about the results that curious people achieved. Do the same in the videos and employee profiles you post on your company website and elsewhere. Write about the results of curious activity wherever you can – in the newsletters you send to your customers, on your company blog, in the customer profiles you post on your website, and even in your sales materials.

Don’t hide your curiosity or what it has achieved. If you talk about it enthusiastically and openly, you can further help the power of curiosity spread company wide.

Also, reward curiosity and learning with awards, commendations, and other public shows of appreciation. You want everyone in your organization, as well as your clients, vendors, and others on the “outside” to know you are a curious organization. It is up to you to tell them . Who else will?

Stress Team Culture and Team Structure

A team of curious individuals can be a powerful and transformational force in your organization. There is an old, slightly over-used saying, “There is no `I’ in the word TEAM.’ Is this saying overworked? Yes, but as is usually the case with any saying that is overused, there is more than just a kernel of truth in it.

Let me reshape it slightly so that it says, “There is no one standout star in a team of curious peers.” Everyone is curious together, everyone learns together as the team transforms your organization.

It is a beautiful thing to see.

In Conclusion . . .

As you have read this chapter, I hope that you have gotten excited about curiosity, and eager to expand its use in your work and your organization. There are few outlooks that can deliver more amazing results quickly. It is a critical part of what I call Ingaged Leadership, and it “speaks” especially compellingly to younger employees.

I’d encourage you to get excited about the power that curiosity has to transform your organization in positive and powerful ways. I hope that after you have read this chapter, you will want to get it working for you.

About Evan Hackel

Evan Hackel is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, the author of the book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation and is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success. Evan has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with systemwide sales of more than $5 billion.

 

Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting, Delta Payment Systems, and an advisor to The Learning Network. Reach Evan at ehackel@ingage.net, 781-820 7609 or visit https://www.evanspeaksfranchising.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Uncategorized

The Problem with Hiring People Who Are Just Like You

By Evan Hackel

An excerpt from my forthcoming book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation

Many company owners, managers, and executives make the mistake of hiring people who are just like they are or putting together teams of similarly minded people. Software engineers tend to like to work with other software engineers, for example, and people who launched businesses by selling assertively tend to hire assertive sales professionals. As a result, their organizations fail to have the balance that they need for peak performance.

Instead, look at what’s happening within your organization. As you look at your team, do you see people who are doing only what they are required to do, rather than what they love to do and at which they excel? If this is the case, your company and your team could be better served if you recruit a mix of people who together provide all the skills necessary for success.

Imagine that your business is like a symphony orchestra. Now imagine your orchestra is made up only of musicians who can play strings and tympani. What kind of music will it make? Granted, it might sound okay, but it will not make beautiful music. A full symphony orchestra usually has a group of musicians who play more than 13 different instruments, not just one or two. Chances are that your organization needs people who can perform well in a dozen or more specific roles.

When considering your business teams, think of yourself as a conductor who, with the right mix of Ingaged people and a beautiful score, can achieve brilliant success.

Consider the variety of people in your company. Are there gaps in ability, attitude, or experience that are preventing your organization from achieving its greatest potential? If you were starting up today, what kind of staff would allow the business to grow and prosper?

Hire and Support People Who Have the Right Attitude

Attitude is the most important trait among your people.

Attitude is a game-changer. If you populate your organization with people who are positive, they will lift others and lead them to excel. On the other side of the equation, negative people can drain the energy out of everyone around them. Negative people in an organization can kill your chances of success.

I am not recommending a staff made up of people who are irrationally positive all the time like artificially upbeat cheerleaders who have no grounding in practical business. You want resilient people who adopt a strongly positive yet realistic point of view when facing business challenges and setbacks. Those will be the same people who will look for ways to make things better, even at times when everything seems to be going well.

Negativism kills. You can talk to some very skilled people who will say, “I know that everything seems to be going well right now, but I am waiting for the other shoe to drop. Negative things are bound to happen, and things will then get worse.”

Although it is good to look ahead and anticipate future problems, you want people who are going to be positive, and who are going to inspire others realistically. When people are inspired, they will perform better, and your enterprise will prosper.

About Evan Hackel
As author, speaker and entrepreneur, Evan Hackel has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with systemwide sales of more than $5 billion. He is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, is author of the book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation and is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success.
Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting, Delta Payment Systems, and an advisor to Tortal Training. Reach Evan at ehackel@ingage.net, 781-820 7609 or visit www.evanhackelspeaks.com

Categories
Case Studies Leadership Management

Why Training Plays a Critical Role in Hiring and Retention

Keeping employees from quitting their jobs after only a year or two is becoming a big challenge for many businesses across the country. Is it a problem for you?

“The New Reality of Employee Loyalty,” an article that Peter K. Murdock wrote for Forbes, suggests that to keep new employees, companies should discuss their career futures with them and have three-year development plans in place. “If you can’t see where your employee will be in three years within your organization, assume they will be working for someone else,” Murdock writes. And he is probably right.

And here is a secret for building employee loyalty . . .

Offer top-notch, comprehensive training for new employees

Why is training a secret for both hiring and keeping new hires? Here are some of the reasons we have seen.

  • Great training convinces new hires that you care about keeping them with you in the years ahead. If you demonstrate your willingness to invest in training employees, they realize that you believe in them and want them to be with you for the long term.
  • Great training sets your company apart from others. When job-hunters are given the choice of working for a company with a comprehensive training program and one that does not, they consistently decide to work for the company that does. It only makes sense.
  • A comprehensive onboarding program that brings in a wide variety of your new hires demonstrates that you are not a company that discriminates on the basis of background, religion, ethnicity, lifestyle or other factors. Your training program can be a vibrant and engaging experience that tells everyone, “This is a company where you belong.”
  • Training that teaches your company history and values increases the perceived worth of working for you. It shows that you are not only training people to perform specific tasks, but to join a company that stands for something. Note that videos that tell the history of your organization and that profile your leaders and customers are a low-cost way to create a compelling, value-added training experience that lays the foundation for employee satisfaction and long-term employment.

Another Way to Use Training to Encourage Retention . . .

As Peter K. Murdoch notes in his Forbes article, it is important to take the extra step of using training as a time to create long-term development plans for every new hire you bring on board. If you offer management training programs for employees, for example, talk about them. If you can identify certain hires for specific promotional tracks, talk about those opportunities during onboarding training. New retail salespeople can enter training programs to become future store managers, for example, and IT technicians can take additional training to join your team of digital marketers.

If you want your new employees to envision a bright future working for you, remember that training is the place to start.

About Evan Hackel

As author, speaker and entrepreneur, Evan Hackel has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with systemwide sales of more than $5 billion. He is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, is author of the book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation and is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success.

Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting, Delta Payment Systems, and an advisor to Tortal Training. Reach Evan at ehackel@ingage.net, 781-820 7609 or visit www.evanhackelspeaks.com

 

 

Categories
Advice Best Practices Management

New Delegation Strategies for Franchise Success

All successful business owners have to learn to delegate. But I would argue that delegation is especially critical for franchise owners who want to own more than one franchise location, and who would like to see all their franchises succeed and grow.

I would also argue that many franchise owners have an especially difficult time learning to delegate to others. Many tend to fall into a pattern like this . . .

An owner starts by buying one franchise, and works extra hard to make it successful. That owner learns that in order to succeed, it is necessary to stay on top of every detail of running the business. That owner can have a very difficult time transitioning from being the owner of just one location to being the owner of several or many. And similar difficulties can emerge even in one location if it starts to grow.

One supervisor cannot be hands-on in multiple locations, or in one location when it reaches a certain size. At a certain point, the owner has to hire competent employees, trust them, and delegate responsibility and work to them.

That poses a contradiction for many owners, because the same style of supervision that brought success earlier on has to be left behind.

Steps to More Successful Delegation

First, have a clear vision and expectation of the roles you are hiring for. Perhaps you’re hiring a person whose job will be to open up new locations. Or perhaps you’re hiring a person whose job will be to hire and help you staff up – in other words, to be your HR manager. Or maybe you’re hiring someone who will be a retail and sales manager. To succeed, you need to hire people who have the experience, aptitude and skills to handle the specific tasks you need done. You can then delegate those tasks to them and loosen your control over many details. You can then stop micromanaging and start to concentrate on bigger issues of expanding your business.

As the expression says, you can stop working in your business and start working on your business.

Second, hire people who can be delegated to. Does their experience indicate that they have been in the past, and that they are open to input and suggestions? During interviews and screening, do they demonstrate the kind of a cooperative, personable and enthusiastic attitude that tells you they will be open to being delegated to?

Third, hire people who understand and communicate well. You can get a sense of this in interviews. When you explain a current challenge or set of expectations, is the candidate quick to understand and grasp the essence of what you are saying? Is he or she able to listen well and to ask questions until a solid level of understanding is achieved? Pay attention to this issue. Hiring managers and then having to explain things repetitively to them is a frustration that can convince you that it is necessary to micromanage. And that is something to avoid.

Fourth, provide excellent training in the critically important skills the job will require. Often, franchise owners like to hire managers and other employees who have lots of prior, applicable experience. Those owners expect that a new employee’s previous experience will take the place of training – in essence, that the employee will arrive on the job “pre-trained.” There may be some truth in that. However, it is always more effective to carefully define the skills your new hires should have, develop metrics to measure them, and to train those abilities.

And Think about Relatability

As you meet with possible hires, ask yourself, “Is this someone I can relate to . . . someone I can see working with closely in the years ahead?”

One way to increase the likelihood of productive, long relationships is to consider offering very promising employees an opportunity to work their way toward limited partnerships in your franchise.

Evan Hackel, Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Podcaster

As author, speaker and entrepreneur, Evan Hackel has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with systemwide sales of more than $5 billion. He is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, is author of the book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation and is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success.

Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting, Delta Payment Systems, and an advisor to Tortal Training. Reach Evan at ehackel@ingage.net, 781-820 7609 or visit www.evanhackelspeaks.com

 

Categories
Management Operations Strategy

How to Create Better Training Programs for Younger Millennial Workers

Two young entrepreneurs or businesspeople are working together to brainstorming analyze investment data in documents and laptops.in planning the company's profitability and dealing with the recession

The so-called millennial generation (also called “Generation Y”) includes people born between 1980 and 1998.  Many older millennials, now in their early to mid-30s, are already established in their careers. Chances are that many of them are already working throughout the ranks of your organization. They have taken part in your training, maybe even designed parts of your training, and chances are very good that you already understand their learning preferences well.

Let’s take a closer look at younger working millennials – people born between about 1990 and 1995. These are the younger workers who might be applying for their first “real” post-college jobs with your organization right now.  They’re young and fresh-faced, yet if you’re a a generation or two older than they are, chances are that you’ve hit some roadblocks when creating training programs that work well for them.

Key Traits of Younger Millennials

Although generalizations tend to be flawed, here are some attitudes that we have found to be shared by significant members of this cohort.

  • An entrepreneurial mindset – They want to stake out a business identity and space for themselves – even in larger companies.
  • Risk tolerance – Many are self-confident and are willing to help their employers take risks.
  • A love of technology – They tend to be highly mobile and like to access information and training on smartphones and tablets.
  • Social consciousness – They tend to be compassionate and respond positively to working for companies that embrace and support social causes and “doing good in the world.”
  • Openness – Many welcome being part of diverse workforces. Furthermore, they are more welcoming of alternative lifestyles than preceding generations were.
  • Career mobility – Many do not have a lot of company loyalty – they will change jobs often as a way to achieve personal goals and success.

Critical Steps to Take when Training Millennials

As you develop and improve your training programs, here are some ways to make them more compelling and effective with younger millennial workers:

  • Keep it short – Present learning lessons and modules in small “digestible” chunks that millennials can absorb quickly. They are a fast-moving cohort and often become uninterested as soon as training seems irrelevant.
  • Use animations, WAV files and other moving images to deliver key concepts. They work better than words or text to convey big concepts to millennials.
  • Deliver training on platforms that millennials prefer and already use, including smartphones and tablets. They are the mobile-friendly generation.
  • Ask for their ideas and suggestions during training, because millennials think like entrepreneurs, value autonomy, and like to shape the content of their jobs.
  • Express your company values in your training. You can explain, for example, that your organization is trying not just to generate profits, but to support employees and do good in the world. When younger millennials see that their work supports those objectives, they are more likely to believe in company leaders and initiatives – and more likely to experience levels of satisfaction that make them want to continue working for you in the long term.
Categories
Advice Case Studies

Selling Smarts: Why No Is the Second-Best Thing You Can Hear!

As a salesperson, of course you want to hear yes, and you’re a little afraid of no. No of course is failure. Who wants to fail? Certainly not me.

The fear of failure though, causes you as a salesperson to play small. You don’t ask the questions you need to ask because you’re afraid of no.

But No Is Actually a Fantastic Answer

No is a fantastic answer. When you hear it, it frees you up to focus on a prospect and do the work that can lead to a yes later on.

And what about hearing maybe? Too many of us love maybe because it isn’t an outright rejection . . . it isn’t no. And prospective clients can feel better when they say maybe. Why? Because they can tell themselves, “At least I didn’t say no.”

Chances are your prospects like you. You have good people skills and something worthwhile to offer. Plus, you have spent time with them. So they say maybe so as not to hurt your feelings.

Everybody might feel better because they got to maybe instead of to no. But if you get to maybe, all you really got was a colossal waste of time. An amazing amount of time and productivity are wasted, simply because people try to get to maybe.

Some Bigger, More Effective Ways of Selling

Here’s the point. Ask the tough questions and bring up the tough issues early, and don’t be afraid. Getting to an early no (and of course, an early yes) is preferable in every way to investing too much time to only arrive at maybe.

Some of the tough questions include:

  • “Do you know how much work this is going to be?” Give a prospect a realistic understanding of the expectations of them and what the work is going to be like for them, every day, if they buy what you are selling. While discussing about those issues might not be fun, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later. And it offers a more time-efficient way to sell.
  • “Have we discussed how much this is going to cost?” Many salespeople don’t like to talk about money at the beginning of a sales effort. They assume that is better to sell prospects on the concept first and then talk about the cost. But how much sense does that make? If you talk about money at the beginning and they don’t have enough, you can get to no really quickly. It doesn’t matter how much they love your concept if they can’t afford to buy it.
  • “Have you got the people, technology and other resources to successfully implement what we are talking about?” Many salespeople avoid asking questions like that, because they are afraid of killing a sale before it has gotten due consideration. But stop and think. Any prospect at some point is going to think about those issues. You don’t want to hear at the last minute, “We’re sold on what you’re offering, but we lack the ability to do it.” You want to hear about those problems early so you can solve them, address them, or even get to that early no.

And Remember . . .

No is also not always no. It is often an opportunity to start a new conversation and overcome objections you might not hear otherwise.

Many times, no is the start of a valuable conversation. If you hear no, start digging into the issues at hand. Be careful though. If the no is really a no, let it stand.

So stop to review your sales process. Are there questions in it that you put off because you’re afraid of turning off the prospect?

My advice? Move those tough questions up front. If they’re going to disqualify a customer, it’s best to do it early. You don’t need to wait until the fourth or fifth conversation to get into the more difficult conversations. You can have those conversations in your first conversation.

Like anything, this is a skill you need to learn and practice.

mailto:ehackel@ingage.net

Categories
Advice Leadership Strategy

It’s Time to Replace Performance Reviews with Check-In Meetings

For years, managers have been giving performance reviews to the people they supervise.

The idea behind them is sound – to review what employees have been doing, set new goals, and schedule a time to meet again to review the progress they have made.

My issue is that the structure of job reviews has led employees to view them this way . . .

“I am going to have to admit things that I have not done well, and my supervisor will correct and blame me.”

That expectation has caused employees to dislike, or even dread, job reviews. Many of them think the best way to survive one is to hide or misrepresent problems, which obviously will not help them or the organization attack the right issues in the right way.

The solution, in my experience, is to replace classic performance reviews with frequent check-in meetings between managers and the staff members they supervise. These check-ins should be held about once a month, or more frequently during times when a lot of critical work is being done.

Structuring Your Check-In Meetings

It is important to frame the check-in discussions in positive and motivational ways that drain the blame from the entire manager/employee discussion. Here are some suggestions that can make that critical change happen.

Start by asking, “What have you done since we last met that you have felt especially good about?”   

This question encourages the employee to discuss things that have gone right, not wrong. And it sets a positive tone for the entire discussion.

Follow up by asking, “Is there a way the organization can support you better in this area?”

Perhaps the employee needs a temporary worker to do administrative work, a piece of technology or some other resource that will make the work more efficient. When you ask this question, you show that you are there to offer encouragement and support, not blame.

Use what I call the “Five to One” Rule

This means that as a manager, you should make five positive statements for every one that could potentially be viewed as negative criticism. One example of those five positives could be, “I would like to compliment you on the way you have motivated people on your team to complete the recent customer survey.” One statement that could be viewed as criticism could be,  “Why did it take six weeks to gather and summarize the results of our survey?” Note that both questions will lead to an operational discussion about a survey, but the second one will reveal the same information in a positive and proactive way.

Finish the Discussion with Yet More Positive Motivation

A process-centered question like, “When should we follow up to discuss what you and your team have gotten done on this?” can be followed with a positive statement like, “You are doing just a great job on the projects and processes we have talked about today. Great job!”

When the employee leaves a meeting with a positive statement like that still ringing in her or his ears, there will be positive motivation to perform.

Resist the Temptation to File a Detailed Report in the Employee’s Personnel File

Yes, it is a good idea to document what was discussed. But you can note the topics and goals that were set in a short memo that you keep on file.

One thing for certain? Handing the employee a memo that itemizes everything you discussed – and requiring that he or she sign it before it is placed in a folder in your HR department – is not a way to motivate employees or make them feel energized to do great work.

In Summary . . .

If your company’s policies require you to do annual or semi-annual job reviews with every employee, you need to go ahead and do them. But you can also hold frequent check-in meetings like the ones we have discussed in this article.

If you try it, I know you will achieve remarkable improvements in your leadership and your team’s progress.

About Evan Hackel, C-Suite Advisor

As author, speaker, and consultant, Evan Hackel has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with system-wide sales of more than $5 billion. He is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, is author of the book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation and is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success.

Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting, Delta Payment Systems, and an advisor to The Learning Network (formerly Tortal Training). Reach Evan at ehackel@ingage.net, 781-820 7609 or visit www.evanhackelspeaks.com

 

Categories
Advice Marketing Negotiating

Is Your Small Business Ready to Franchise? . . . A Checklist of Basic Considerations

Many owners of small to medium-sized businesses dream of turning their companies into franchises, and with good reason. Becoming a franchise could let your company expand rapidly into new regions, become a nationally recognized brand, increase your bottom line, and offer other meaningful returns.

But the reality is, not all companies are ready to transition and become franchises. Another reality is that a number of companies try to become franchises but fail in that attempt because they are not prepared.

With that said, what are some of the basic assets you should have in place before you try to franchise your business? Here is a checklist for you to review.

Do you have the following?

  • A proven business model – You should have a proven business model – preferably one that has been successful in multiple locations. If you do, you have a business model that can be replicated in different markets.
  • Strong profits and financial stability – If your company is not performing strongly, don’t expect a franchise structure to cure that problem. Your company should have a strong financial track record with positive cash flow and a healthy balance sheet. This will provide potential franchisees with confidence that they will succeed.
  • Brand recognition – A well differentiated brand is a big consideration. A strong brand is essential for a successful franchise system. Your company should have established brand recognition that can continue to expand.
  • A well-defined customer base – Do you know who your customers are and why they buy from you? If you don’t, you will have a difficult time supporting your franchises as they attract new customers and repeat business.
  • Excellent training – Work with a training development company and create excellent training programs before you start to sell franchises. When prospective franchise owners see that you will train them in all aspects of running your franchise, they will have greater confidence because they will see you are invested in their success.
  • Committed leadership and management teams – The company should have strong leaders who are committed to the success of the franchise system. These executives should have a clear vision for the future of the company and the franchise system.

And Remember, You Can’t Do It All!

Yes, you built your business, and nobody knows it as well as you do. But please be modest enough to accept the fact that you might not personally have all the knowledge that your new franchise will need to succeed. I would encourage you to bring in a franchise consultant – if not permanently, for at least long enough to get your new franchise off to a strong start. And build a top franchise management team that brings you all the legal, business, accounting, supply chain, marketing, and technology knowledge you need to be stronger than your competitors in the marketplace.

Getting the expertise you need can make your franchise a stunning success on the franchising landscape.

Evan Hackel, Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Podcaster

As author, speaker and Evan Hackel has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with systemwide sales of more than $5 billion. He is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, is author of the book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation and is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success.

Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting, Delta Payment Systems, and an advisor to The Learning Network (formerly Tortal Training). Reach Evan at ehackel@ingage.net, 781-820 7609 or visit www.evanhackelspeaks.com

Categories
Advice Growth Leadership Management

Fight Complacency

A confident businessman standing in red boxing gloves on his hand in front of blue wall background with drawn strength lines illustration concept.

An excerpt from my new book, Ingaged Leadership Meets the Younger Generation

Complacency comes in a variety of forms. You can recognize it in statements like:

  • “Business is good—I’d like it to keep going well, so I don’t need to do anything.”
  • “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
  • “I’m making enough money; I don’t need to make more.”

I actually had someone tell me, “I don’t need to raise my margins. I’m making enough money. I’d rather just give more to my customers.” On the surface that sounds noble, but it isn’t. Profits might seem like greed, but they’re not. They’re about growing and investing in your business. They’re about protecting your job and your employees’ jobs. Every business needs profits.

If you’re suffering from this pitfall and believe your business is so good that you don’t need to grow it, I urge you to shake things up a bit and shift your perspective.

Unfortunately, your competitors probably didn’t get that same message that they are doing well enough. They are innovating and growing their businesses. That is one reason why you constantly have to work to make your business better.

Another temptation to become complacent:

Some people seem to believe that if they work harder, they will destroy their work-life balance. I am a very big believer in establishing a good work-life balance, but the reality is that you want your business to achieve all it can achieve. I like to remember that even in a company that has become wildly successful, it is still possible for people to enjoy time with their families.

To summarize, work-life balance doesn’t mean your business goes on hold so you can attend to personal pursuits. The reality is if your business is on hold, your business is going backwards; some other company is going to outperform you. You will then have a serious issue when your business encounters problems in the future. Leading an enterprise that is going downhill will have a way of doing more harm to your work-life balance than you believed possible.

Cultivate the Ability to “Eat Elephants”

You have probably heard the old question, “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer: “One bite at a time.”

The answer to that question is a good one to keep in mind every day as a leader and a manager. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of certain critical initiatives or processes that you would like to tackle, simply get started by taking a small step—in effect, by “taking one small bite at a time.”

Those big elephants are the projects that seem so complex you tend to put them off. One could be writing a business plan for a new company or division that you would like to launch, so that you can obtain funding. Another might be studying the efficiencies of the outsourced call centers you are using so that you can decide whether to open an internal call center of your own. 

When we are faced with tasks like those, “taking a first bite” is critically important. That bite could be creating an internal task force to explore an issue or calling some of your contacts to ask for input.

The first bite can be small, but here’s one piece of advice that I can offer: Whatever that first bite will be, try to take it soon. Do it today, if possible.

Categories
Uncategorized

How to Apply Ingaged Leadership in Multi-Tiered Organizations

Leading in multi-tier organizations requires a specific set of skills and strategies to effectively manage teams across different levels. These skills and practices can be used by all effective leaders, but are especially important to keep in mind if you are using Ingaged Leadership.

Let’s Review the Basics

Here are some best practices to consider:

  1. Establish clear communication channels: Create open and transparent communication channels between all levels of the organization. Ensure that information is clearly communicated up and down the chain of command and that feedback is actively encouraged.
  2. Encourage collaboration: Foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork by encouraging cross-functional communication and shared goals. This can help break down silos and increase productivity and innovation.
  3. Delegate effectively: Delegation is crucial in multi-tier organizations. Ensure that tasks are delegated appropriately to the right people with the necessary skills and authority to complete them. This can help reduce micromanagement and improve efficiency.
  4. Lead by example: As a leader, it’s important to model the behaviors and values that you want to see in your team. This includes being accountable, transparent, and respectful in all interactions.
  5. Develop leadership skills at all levels: Invest in leadership development programs to help develop the skills and abilities of leaders at all levels of the organization. This can help create a culture of leadership and foster innovation and growth.
  6. Implement effective training through the ranks: Training is like a lubricant that makes everything work better in any organization. Don’t let training be an afterthought Make it a top priority.

In Summary . . .

Overall, ingaged leadership in multi-tier organizations requires a strategic approach that focuses on communication, collaboration, delegation, modeling behavior, and leadership development. By adopting these best practices, leaders can create a culture of success and drive the organization forward.

About Evan Hackel, Entrepreneur, Author Speaker, Podcaster

As author, speaker and Evan Hackel has been instrumental in launching more than 20 businesses and has managed a portfolio of brands with systemwide sales of more than $5 billion.  He is the creator of Ingaged Leadership, is author of the book Ingaging Leadership Meets the Younger Generation, and is a thought leader in the fields of leadership and success.

Evan is the CEO of Ingage Consulting, Delta Payment Systems and an advisor to Tortal Training.  Reach Evan at ehackel@ingage.net, 781-820 7609 or visit www.evanhackelspeaks.com