Mythos of Time & Space

I was talking to a friend the other day about the work model of an attorney. As we all know, attys log every minute of their day, chop it up, and bill it to their clients. Their success is totally dependent on the amount of billable hours they log. So the longer they work, the more money they or their firms will make. As a result, most attys are over-worked, and most clients are nickel and dimed.

It seems obvious that there must be a better model. Maybe attys could change their model to bill their clients for their work as a bulk service - say, we'll provide 3 months of legal services to you for $15,000; if your case extends beyond that time period, we'll reevaluate your contract, and if everything is satisfactory, extend it for another month, etc. This would give the client the benefit of feeling like they weren't getting nickel and dimed, it would ensure more accountability, not to mention the fact that attys would be able to potentially figure out ways to become more efficient. Being more efficient would mean if they finished their work for one case quickly, they could either start work on another case (meaning they're making more $) or even choose to go home (meaning they would be choosing when or if they wanted to work longer hours). Ultimately, they could drive their services to be more profitable and work better for their clients.

Maybe some firms out there are already doing something like this, but I know it would definitely push the boundaries of how most firms think. The biggest hurdle for firms would be that they couldn't imagine being as profitable in a model like this.

So what does this have to do with us as MMs? Well, we're actually dealing with a fairly similar issue in our own roles as managers. We assume that work has to get done in a certain way, and are operating within that assumption most of the time. Its hard to imagine work getting done and being successful any other way.

I've been reading Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It, and its really been stretching me to challenge a lot of the foundational understanding I have about what being productive can really look like. You've probably heard of the model discussed in this book - ROWE: Results Only Work Environment. Check out the book for the full story. But in the meantime, I will tell you that it will definitely challenge you to consider how to free yourself from the notions that time and space are constants that must be in place for work to get done (i.e. you have to work from 8-5 and that must take place at your office). In the book, they throw that out the window. From a ROWE standpoint, you may work from 3 am to 2pm or work three 15 hour days and take off the next two. But the focus is on results - nothing else.

It's definitely stretching me to accept the idea that ROWE can actually work, but its worth the internal fight my "business" mind is having with itself. If results are truly all that matters, its time we all considered the change.

Its Easy to Spot a Fake

I was chatting with a client the other day - following-up on some support items they were overdue to send my way so we could meet a project deadline. The minute I got on the call I could tell something was off. I wasn't being confrontational, I was just calling to check in. But the client was talking and talking, not getting to a point, and really confusing me. After several minutes of listening, I asked a couple of questions to try and clarify. They were still talking in circles and I was getting even more confused. Then the sea parted before me and I was able to figure out what was going on - they hadn't done their homework, didn't know the answers, had let it slip through the cracks, and didn't want to look stupid. So they were trying to fake their way through the conversation.

I got it, stopped asking questions, and just told them they could get back to me when they'd had a chance to meet with their team. My hope was to give them a graceful exit. They took it.

After the call, I thought about what happened for a bit. I was still confused why they were so worried about simply telling me that they needed some more time. Especially since they are the boss (the client) and I'm working for them. But then I stopped myself and realized that I've been known to do the same thing. If someone asks me a question I think I'm supposed to know the answer to, my first instinct is to panic and say something...anything, to not look stupid. But talking in circles isn't a much better alternative.

This one is easy to spot in other people, much harder to spot in myself (which is usually the case).

My challenge to all of us MMs - we need to watch ourselves carefully and make sure we're open when we let something slip and don't know the answer. It doesn't matter if we're talking to a co-worker, our boss, a customer, or a vendor. Odds are that if we call a spade a spade when we let something slip, other people we work with will be more accepting when we call them out for the same. Be a doer first, correct others later.

When I've arrived | Sharper Image

This year, Sharper Image declared bankruptcy. Why? Founder Richard Thalheimer said it this way:

"One of the biggest challenges that Sharper Image faced in the past 5 years was that the Apple store took over as the place to hang out in the mall. We [Sharper Image] were lulled into a period of complacency because of the success of the Ionic Breeze."
- Page 23 from the July 2008 Issue of Inc. Magazine.

The Sharper Image went from being a unique gadget store to a seller of massage chairs and the Ionic Breeze - an air purifier. Yet another example of what not to do when success comes. In this case, they got fat and happy on the success of a couple of products and lost their edge.

As we discussed in an earlier example from George Lucas: Big successes breed laziness. If you ride the success wave for too long, you'll soon find yourself (and possibly even your company) so out of shape that you're pretty far away from being able hit another home run. Or in this case, actually calling it quits and closing up shop.

Let Your Personality Show

Ever notice how easy it is to let something slide with someone that you really enjoy being around? If someone is really funny and makes you laugh, and then screws up, you'll be apt to look past it quicker. If someone is eccentric and oddly interesting, you're probably more likely to live and let live when they say something stupid that has the potential to offend.

You can see this played out with Doctors. Those doctors with a good bedside manner are said to be much less likely to be sued for malpractice.

I can think of a lot of instances where this is true in my own life. Sales guys that didn't do what they said they would, but who I genuinely like as people, so chose to continue to working with them. People I've worked with that could really step on your toes, but were such great folks I easily overlooked those faults. I even think of all the celebrities that people adore, even after they've been admitted for OD'ing, etc.

We tend to think of this backward in the business world. There's an unspoken rule that says you're not supposed to be yourself at your job. "Be professional" is the line what we're told, which translates into squelching your personality traits. The strange thing about this is that it is the reverse of what we should be doing.

Let your personality show. Be your quirky self. You'll find you're more likely to establish real connections with people. Real connections will result in not just faults being overlooked, but better, longer-lasting relationships with co-workers and customers. This means less turn-over and fewer clients walking away from working with you and your company.

Personality Matters...

As a MM, you're going to have a lot of exposure to communicating with clients & your fellow co-workers. Here's a simple important reminder - don't be a jackass.

This seems really obvious (and it is), but considering all the times I've dealt with someone not following this advice, I'd say its something we can't remind ourselves enough about.

Just the other day I was on a conf call with a 3rd party who really slaughtered this rule. He was almost 20 min late, barely apologized ("sorry for being a few min late!", was all we got), rushed me and my client, and ultimately didn't bring anything good to the conversation (which was supposed to be his lead to begin with).

So here's a few pointers to help me and you distinguish if we're being a jackass and need to course-correct:

• Arrogant: acting like we're important (instead of acting like our client or co-worker is important). This includes not paying attention to what someone is saying and trying to multi-task on a phone call (IM'ing, writing an email, etc. when on a call).
• Know-It-All: dumping a ton of info and facts on someone and not giving them the courtesy to take the time to carefully explain each part of your discussion points or presentation. We also need to give them time to respond and ask questions.
• Name Dropper: don't drop the big name of the last client or person you worked with. That's just artificially elevating yourself. Focus on the person you're talking to.
  
• Latest Accomplishment: don't tout your latest big accomplishment, especially to a client. Focus on solving the problems and meeting the needs of the current person you're talking to.
• Story One-Up'er: when someone is telling a story, listen, and don't be thinking about the awesome story rattling through your brain you can't wait to tell them when they get done. Let their story take the limelight and don't try and finish off with an even better story to steal their thunder. This one is harder to spot than you think.
• How Busy You Are: don't talk about how busy you are, unless directly asked because you've been hard to get a hold of. If you do admit you're busy, say it as more of an apology or letting them know its a problem you need to solve. Don't brag about it. You need to be communicating that you're interested in your client and co-worker at the moment.

There's a lot more I'm sure you could add to this list. Post your comments on other examples you've come across. It'll help us all to make sure we're not being an accidental jack-ass.

Objective Decisions

I was meeting with a client today, talking about a project I'm in the midst of working on with them. They were expressing some of the internal frustrations they are experiencing as two of their employees are disagreeing on how to approach the same portion of the project. Both opinions were totally valid, but both focused on competing priorities.

My advice to my client was advice that I am also taking to heart myself - what's ultimately best for the business? Not who is right, or what do we "like" more, or what sounds the best - but what will actually generate more leads and more revenue? What fits more within their niche? What aligns with their goals?

Be objective, both in your advice, your decisions, and help your clients to do the same. It will help make sure that a year from now when you look back on your decision (or when your client looks back on their decision), you'll appreciate that it was more than just an emotional reaction.

When I've arrived | Swell Season

This is a great story.

If you don't know the Swell Season, they're the unlikely band that formed after doing the movie Once together. Its great music, so check 'em out.

My wife and I went to a Swell Season concert here in Atlanta a few weeks back. It was a great performance, not just because of the music, but also due to all the stories the band shared. They had an ongoing dialog with the audience throughout the concert.

During a Pixies cover they played - Levitate - Glen Hansard (the lead) started telling one of these stories about and experience he had with the Pixies growing up. He was a huge fan, and talked about getting the chance to see them in a small Irish pub before they hit it big. A year later, after they had become a household name, he went to another Pixies concert that was held in a much larger venue. He was disappointed. It just wasn't the same.

But why have me just write about this story when you can listen yourself? Check out this very song and story I heard Glen tell at that concert that night by clicking here to download and listen to the mp3. If you want to skip straight to the story Glen told, go to 3:05 on the track.

My favorite part of this story Glen told is when he realizes that he's actually in the same position the Pixies were in when he found himself disappointed at their concert. He could see, happening right there before him, that his band had arrived at that same place of success. He also recognized that he needed to work that much harder to connect with his audience now that he was playing to such a large venue. A goal I'd say he accomplished.

The lesson here for us as MMs is to not forget to give our customers that personal one-on-one time and attention, even if we're busy or in demand. Just like Glen, we all want to feel connected, and our customers need to feel that connection with us and our companies in a very similar way. Don't play to the masses, play to individuals.

When I've arrived | The Established Co

Think about a company you've done business with that's been in business a good 20+ years. Like most, they probably got their start off a big hit they had with a service or product innovation.

The two examples I think of (which will be unnamed here) fit right in this space. Companies that saw their big jump from a couple hundred thousand dollar company to a million +, from 1 or 2 big innovations they developed and brought to market. In my examples, both companies even patented these innovations.

Present Day
Its now been some 10+ years since those companies had their initial big wave of success. In both cases, they are still around today, growing modestly, but not largely. The most interesting thing about both is that they show visible signs of a lack of forward progress since their first big successes. Their offices still show signs of the 80's, they haven't had a product or service innovation in years, and their customers are basically working with them as grandchildren recommendations from their successes of old.

As MMs, we can't allow this stagnation to take over. Its an easy, slow, hardly-noticeable process that acts like oil in an engine - don't change it at 3000 miles, and you'll be alright, but wait too long and your engine will eventually freeze-up.

Take your company into the shop for regular check-ups. Ask your customers what they think, ask your co-workers what pain points they've encountered, encourage your boss to allow for an open environment to facilitate ideas and change. It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it in revenue - for you, your co-workers, and the company you work for.

When I've arrived | Zoës Kitchen

Second in the series on When I've Arrived...

As Lucas proved in the first of this series, arriving at the top rarely produces the stellar, life-changing results you were hoping for. My next thoughts went to Zoës Kitchen, a small quick-serve restaurant in Birmingham, AL (my hometown).

Zoës is known for a chicken-focused, Greek style menu. They make their own house dressing (which is really good), as well as fresh squeezed limeade (also really good). Zoës started out with just a couple of small locations I knew of around Birmingham, both of which were the kind of place you went to for their great food, not so much for the atmosphere.

With their food being as good as it was, more and more people started talking about it, more locations sprung up, and they took it to the next level. They got a huge face-lift and developed a consistent brand that included a really well designed interior in all their locations. Then I started seeing Zoës in other cities around the SE and knew they were really seeing big growth. It was really cool to watch a small restaurant I frequented develop into a regional dive.

Things changed.

The more locations I went to, the less the food felt like the homestyle, authentic food I was accustomed to getting there. It lost flavor, it lost its family-owned feel, and over time, started loosing me as a frequent customer.

Don't let this happen to your customers.

There is a lesson here. Make sure the quality of your service or products doesn't start to slide as you succeed. Its a hard thing to realize when you're in the midst of it, but keep asking yourself the hard questions. Don't ever settle. Keep challenging everything you do.

The Idiot Test

I had a recent story come up that really got me to thinking about the Curse of Knowledge Chip and Dan Heath talk about in Made to Stick...

With gas prices on the rise, I decided to give up my 4 wheels and trade them in for 2. My first decision was: motorcycle or scooter? With my sales guy help, I landed on going for the scooter.

During the process of talking me through how the scooter worked, he told me that part of his process is to make sure he always shows customers how to start the scooter. Nonetheless, the first time they try to drive it on their own he usually ends up getting calls from his customers saying, "My scooter is broken! It won't start.". After he explained to me how the scooter started, I felt like I got down the basics and it was easy enough. No problem.

Two days later the scooter is delivered to my house, my sales rep is walking me through some logistics, and leaves me to it. So I'm alone with the scooter and ready to take my first ride around the neighborhood. Simple enough...right? I remembered him telling me that so many people forget to flip the power switch - so I make sure to flip it in the "on" position. I'm thinking, "man, all those other people are not too smart". Then I turn the key to start the ignition. The power comes on, but no ignition. The engine isn't making any sounds. Now I'm nervous..."is it just not working?" I keep turning the key, turning the key...still nothing. I call my sales rep, "Um, I think I may be one of those stupid people you talked about. I can't get the thing to start.".

The answer: I had forgotten that with scooters, you don't just turn the key to start the ignition. After you turn the key, you actually hit another button to start it. Its just a button! Easy enough...but still, I couldn't remember how to do it when it came to it.

Lesson here is that all of our customers are in this position at some point. Don't take for granted that they understand what a Database is, what Collateral means, that a quote doesn't include tax and shipping, that your meeting is set for EST. Be specific, don't assume, and over-explain all the details. Do this proactively so your customers don't have to feel like an idiot and fear looking like one by asking a question.