As The Leaves Begin To Fall….

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

Those of us in the northern climates are enjoying the annual fall display. For me, it is a reminder of the cyclicality of life and of business. Time to reflect on what has passed, celebrate our successes and remind ourselves that whatever may have been our failures, we get an opportunity in the new year to begin again.

In my experience, putting some intentionality, around what I want to happen, ups my chances of being able to look back at this time next year and notice and measure progress and success. With that in mind, I offer these questions to consider before the year comes to an end:

  • What was one significant 2015 accomplishment?
  • Have I articulated my vision for my team and have I validated that everyone knows what it is?
  • What is our theme for 2016?
  • What are our specific business objectives for 2016?
  • What are the specific initiatives (action items) for achieving these objectives?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

How Do You Keep Your Mojo?

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

Sometimes the demands of one part of our life, work or family, consume us. Sometimes because of a crisis, sometimes because of a spike in workload or children’s sports or…, sometimes just because we become consumed.

These days, mobile devices link us 24/7 to the office, our bosses, our employees and coworkers. We are, as I heard it said recently, living in time poverty. It may be necessary, now more than ever, to pause, regroup and allow ourselves to do something counterintuitive; listen to music, go sailing, jogging, practice yoga, make pottery or simply go for a walk.

Why counterintuitive?  Because our responsible self says, stay with it, do the work, finish the project, take care of the sick loved one, etc. We tell ourselves its selfish to do something for ourselves “at a time like this”.

If we think of our lives as a three legged stool….when one leg is gone, it won’t balance and falls over. We can’t take the pressures of work and family and go back and forth between them alone….that’s where the third leg, a completely different activity that is our individual interest alone, comes in.

At the height of World War 2 when the pressures were immense, President Roosevelt would escape to his stamp collection for an hour or so, doing something completely different. General George Marshall would ride horseback many mornings to relieve the pressures of his job of building and leading an Army of 8 million men and women.

Think about it—

  • What is your third stool leg to balance your life?
  • How often are you trying to balance on only 2 legs?
  • How might you feel if all three legs were grounded on most days?

Why Vistage Works

Elisa K. Spain

The War For Talent (Or Is It A War ON Talent?)

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

Two important statistics begin this discussion…

  • Starting in 2016, more people will be leaving the workforce than entering it
  • By 2020, 46% of all U.S. workers are predicted to be Gen Y

Thus the foundation for the war for talent, or what my friends at large companies are calling, ‘the war on talent’, as in competitors targeting and soliciting our top talent.

Not since World War II, when soldiers were leaving the workforce to fight, have we experienced a shrinking workforce. Moreover, with millennials soon representing 46% of the talent, this war for talent must be fought strategically, with different methods and different incentives than before.

Continuing the theme of execution as the driver of success and hiring the right people being a key part of execution, successful leaders are taking a two-pronged approach, focused on retention of older workers AND attraction, retention and incentives for younger workers.

In short, the war for talent is a competitive war with the same goal as winning business, i.e. getting your unfair share of the market.

We have begun conversations in all my Vistage groups on this topic. Here are some creative actions I am hearing; please share yours.

  • Apprenticeship – once reserved for the trades, today Vistage members are starting to create positions for apprentices to learn the expertise of seasoned executives before they retire.
  • Project Time – Google began this practice as part of their innovation culture; other companies are adopting a variation to give millennials the opportunity to make an impact early in their careers.
  • Social Impact  – Gone are the days when matching contributions are enough; companies who make a social impact attract Gen Y workers.
  • Long Term Incentives – As young executives start families, companies that offer “golden handcuffs”  retain their executives through the business cycles. While common in the large corporate world, these incentives are beginning to show up in middle market companies. Offerings include deferred compensation, stock options and stock grants.

 

Elisa K. Spain

Good Intentions…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

One of the key things we learn in Vistage is the Socratic Method. Stay in a questioning mode and let people come to their own answers.

Most humans want to make a difference, have an impact somehow on others. Sometimes when we want to be in service, it is so tempting to tell others what they need to do. It seems so obvious to us. And, yet, the impact of giving advice can often have the exact opposite result.

The thing is…we all hear through our own filter and what is intended and what is heard are often not the same.

What I have learned, and continue to learn, is there is a hidden benefit of questioning, the filter becomes visible. Telling is passive; I can take it in or not; I can react or not. On the other hand, when I am asked a question, the engagement is active. I am a participant and I have the opportunity to pause and consider, rather than react and respond.

 

What Happens When Market Forces Intervene?

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

Last week I wrote about healthy body, healthy mind = healthy business. One of my readers reminded me, there is a corollary. While, the CEO’s health can and does impact the business, what happens when the business faces market forces and impacts the health of the CEO?

On the one hand, what happens when the market cycle is a down cycle?

While we all would like to believe we can separate ourselves from what is happening to us, we know that, at least for most of us, that isn’t so. Losses in our life affect our well-being. And, business losses, which are part of our lives, can impact our sense of well-being and therefore our health.

On the flip side, what about when things are consistently good for an extended period of time? Do we become complacent, or what I call the “fat cat” syndrome? Life is good, so why not enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. And, when does enjoyment become a negative health factor?

Here’s the story of the reader who contacted me…

  •  Each time his business hits a tough cycle, competitors have gone out, his company dipped and then survived and then thrived each time – with new achievements. And, at the same time, while his well-being was impacted, feeling depressed, losing weight, he continued to focus on health and fitness. My sense is, his business recovery has consistently outperformed because he continued to take care of his mental and physical hygiene, even when things looked their bleakest.
  • And then when things are on an upswing, he began to relax; life feels good, he feels good. He continues to work out, and finds himself eating, traveling, enjoying more and gaining weight. Again, he is mindful of this result and once again begins to focus on health and hygiene.

I am grateful to this reader for reminding me that maintaining our mental and physical health is a balancing act that ebbs and flows, and to be mindful of the impact of both ups and downs.

Celebrate Your Gift

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

 

Each year at this gift-giving time, I am reminded that we all have natural gifts.

Our challenge is to notice our strengths and work to enhance them. In my Vistage work, and as a leadership coach,  I refer to this as discovering and working in our genius.

While personal growth and development are part of living a full life, and after all this is what Vistage is all about, the successful CEOs and executives I know are the ones who work to become excellent at what they are already good at. And… these same successful people surround themselves with people who bring their own strengths, filling in the gaps.

As you reflect on your accomplishments for 2014, and think about 2015, take a moment and ask yourself:

  • What are my gifts? How did they serve me this year? How will they serve me next year?
  • What am I striving for that I could instead delegate to someone else?
  • What can I accept simply not doing?

Once we know and understand our strengths, and focus on them, we not only become more effective, we become more satisfied, and ultimately become better leaders.

Elisa K. Spain

P.S. This is the last post for 2014. Happy Holidays to all!  See you in the New Year.

What Happens When Steady-Growth Companies Stomp On The Gas Pedal?

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Opt 3 Sept 14

When steady-growth companies decide to stomp on the gas pedal, especially with new leaders, it is convenient to assume the “old timers” are just fine and will take care of themselves while all else goes to growth. Be wary of unintended consequences…

When a company is young – it is all about growth – and everyone is in the same place. It is all about hunting (in the hunter/farmer view of sales). When a company is in steady growth, there is a mix of hunters & farmers, with an emphasis on farmers.

 

Then when there is a shift to fast growth, frequently with a new leader and/or new ownership with a new approach to governance, the focus shifts back to hunting, as with a start-up.

 

Except, it isn’t a start-up. There still are these established relationships between account managers and their clients. The needs of the tenured account managers and their tenured clients are different from the hunters bringing on new clients. Similarly, long tenured employees in operations, and other support areas, are particularly impacted by the refocus on growth.

 

It is convenient for leaders to assume the “old timers” are just fine and will adapt, while all else goes to growth. Not true. We all want to feel valued and important.

 

So the question for the leadership of any established company on a fast growth path is, “How do you engage, (i.e. win the hearts, not just signatures on legal documents) of high performers and key clients?”

 

And the question for a board of directors is, “What responsibility do you have to steward the growth strategy in a manner that does not result in unintended consequences to the culture?”
Hold The Advice…

Hold The Advice…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Opt 1 May 18 Blog

When we discover something new, or see someone we know in pain, or struggling with a problem, we want to help, to solve the problem. And off we go, giving advice. And, more often than not, that advice is received with resistance. “How can that be?”, we ask, “I genuinely wanted to help, and I am sensing my advice is not being well received”.

Here are some examples I have experienced lately, perhaps you can name one or two of your own:

  • I was watching my partner try and figure out how to do something on his Ipad. He didn’t ask for help, but there I was offering a “better way”; just wanting to save him time I said…
  • A friend found a new exercise program for his back, and instead of simply sharing his happiness with the results, he was working really hard to convince me to agree to try it (even though I reminded him I have one I use).
  • A colleague and I were discussing best practices, sharing ideas and then, without asking, I received a series of emails offering advice.

Offering unsolicited advice is the opposite of asking the better question. So, next time you are tempted to give advice, don’t. Wait until you are asked. And if you must say something, consider asking a question.

 

Elisa K. Spain

Culture Doesn't Change, But It Can Bend

Culture Doesn't Change, But It Can Bend

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Opt 1 2014-04-20 Blog

 

It is often said that culture change is the most challenging change one can attempt in an organization. In fact, Edgar Papke, Vistage Speaker and author of True Alignment, says that culture can only change when you change the majority of the people at the same time.

Hmm, does that mean if we aren’t willing to fire 1/2 of our team, we may as well not bother?

I say no. While I agree with Edgar that complete change will only happen with a complete change in players, culture does bend.

It’s hard; it takes a long time and can sometimes (often) be frustrating. Yet, the results can be worth it. Here is an eight step process (synthesized from John Kotter’s landmark book, Leading Change) that can serve as a template toward bending the culture.

  1. Create a Sense of Urgency
  2. Pull Together a Guiding Team – choose a powerful group with leadership skills, credibility, authority and a sense of urgency
  3. Develop a Simply Stated Vision for Change – paint the picture of how the future will be different
  4. Communicate – create a surprising, compelling and visual experience – strive to change feeling, rather than thinking
  5. Empower Others to Act – remove barriers, including people that are barriers
  6. Produce Short Term Wins – find them and celebrate them
  7. Don’t Let Up – press harder and faster after first successes
  8. Institutionalize the New Approaches/Behaviors – continually reinforce

Elisa K. Spain

 

 

 

 

Ask, The Answer May Surprise You

Ask, The Answer May Surprise You

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Opt 2 2014-04-13Sometimes, in our zeal to anticipate our customers’ needs, we forget to ask what they prefer.

The notion of anticipating customer needs has been around for some time. And… certainly it makes sense when it comes to product development. Steve Jobs was famous for anticipating customer needs; knowing that we often don’t know what we are going to want next, best to give it to us and let us try it out. While it isn’t easy to anticipate customer product preferences, when we do it successfully, awesome innovations enter our society.

I wonder though, if we have taken this notion of anticipating needs beyond where it was intended, i.e. toward anticipating (guessing) preferences. I keep learning that when I guess at what someone wants, I am often wrong. Here are some small examples:

  • I believe the customer I meet with regularly wants to meet in the morning, so I keep scheduling morning meetings. It turns out, she would prefer afternoons and thinks I am only available in the mornings.
  • I believe a customer has referred someone to me because they expect me to include them in my vendor search. But instead, he is indifferent, and just providing a referral in case I need one.
  • Because my service provider is organized and intentional, I assume she is inflexible and unwilling to adapt to my scheduling preferences.

In short,  ask for what you want and ask them what they want; the answer may surprise you.

 

Elisa K. Spain