Problems look smaller the rearview mirror

I suspect many people are similar:  When initially confronting a problem they perceive it to be much larger than it may truly be.

If it is your own problem, the sooner you can put it in perspective and supply the amount of concern it truly deserves, the more effective you will be overall.

I have written a time or two mentioning the difficult times we faced in the mid 1980's.  At one point we were being pressured by our bank over a minor item.  I knew that in spite of their tone, it was not a serious issue and was something we could (should) take in stride.  It was better to remain as calm as possible and do more positive things.  Two of our key staff members were upset with me because I was not sufficiently "panic stricken" --- in their view.   A couple of weeks later, the crisis had resolved itself.  Note: during this time there were more than enough major problems with which we had to deal.

I hasten to add that there have been other times when a problem loomed large, only to later indeed look smaller after it had passed.

Later, everyone could look back and see that it was not nearly as large a problem as it had seemed to some at the time.  Time and time again, be it business, family, personal or "whatever" this is the case.  There are exceptions of course.

Problems are (almost) always smaller in the rear view mirror!!

But if a customer calls with a problem, you'd better treat it with just as much concern as he feels or you'll be considered insensitive, non-caring, or worse!

Sometimes you have to say "This is how it is"

Then your  job is still to get people to buy into it.  If you have a vision and feel strongly about it, democracy and group decision making are probably not the way to go.  Take your vision and run with it without wasting a lot of time in a process which dilutes your vision and renders something "less good."

Just tell your team that you have thought about it, developed and weighed alternatives to come up with the plan and here it is.  You have to be sure they understand that if you have overlooked something or made a serious error they can speak up .... and that you want them to speak out forcefully.  [See my post "Don't surround yourself with people who demand too little of you"]  You may (should) choose to leave details of varying degrees to be "fleshed out" before final implementation.

Sound too autocratic?  That's why you make the big bucks.  Look at a football coach; he is in charge of the game plan.  Some rely more heavily than others on their offensive and defensive coordinators to develop their plans, but you can bet the head coach puts together the basic plan.

Note: At other times group input to a decision, plan, procedure, or design is to be encouraged and has great value, but sometimes you have to say "this is it" without input.  At other times, if there is not a concensus, or the process is taking too long, it is again your job to say "THIS IS IT!"

A long and potentially boring example follows.  You may want to quit here. 

At least 15 years ago, it was apparent that we needed a new accounting software system.  We were still using a "DOS based" system (information for those who have a computer history going back before about 1990, when Windows 3 was released).  I believed strongly that we should adopt a Microsoft Access based system that could be migrated to a SQL based system.  Others believed we should buy a packaged system which, in my view, would have us caught in the clutches of the vendor we chose forever.  An Access based system would be more "open" and easily customizable.  I left no choice.  We went with Access, going "live" on July 1, 2000.  Now we have 12 years of data accumulated that anyone in the organization can probe to find answers to their questions.  And some do.  Though most in the organization choose not to create necessary queries and reports, the data is there and quite easily accessible.  Just this week I created a detailed 12 year sales history for a particular product line so we can implement a new marketing strategy for that product.  A couple others on the management team have done similar projects.

The Coach's Message

A guest post by my friend Dana Benning. 

Last night, I took my son to the local high school varsity football game.  My son is in the community youth tackle football program and was to be honored with the group during the game.  Before the game, youth players and coaches were invited to meet at the high school to receive a message from the varsity coach - Mark Hubbard.  I thought that it would probably be a "thanks for playing" speech with a "see you in high school" theme.

I was pleasantly surprised at the message that this young coach gave our players.  The local high school has a talented, but relatively young team.  They have lost more games than the community would like due to a newer offense and the turnovers that a new system can tend to generate.  There has been negative talk in the community as is the case in most communities where pride sometimes clouds reasonable expectations.

Coach Hubbard began speaking about how proud he is of his players and stressed that his varsity team is composed of good kids.  He admitted that the results are not what they wanted, but knows that the hearts and determination of his team is solid.  You could really feel the compassion that he has for his players.  He then told the kids his message for his players this week.  In life, there will always be times when things don't always go your way.  Whether it be a game, school, relationships, etc.  The key is how you handle it.  Coach Hubbard asked his players "Do you want to be like a ball or an egg?"  You see, an egg when dropped will shatter, but a dropped ball bounces back.  He stressed to these kids to not live life like an egg.  His delivery was passionate and I believe that it meant something to the team.  He went on to tell the young players to appreciate their opportunities and stressed the importance of showing appreciation to those who give time and talents to your benefit.  He finished by telling this impressionable young group to value what they have and to never forget to say the words " I love you" to those who mean the most to you.  Not a "Rah Rah" speech, but a moment to plant a seed in the hearts and minds of our next generation.

The local high school varsity team went out and won their game.  I can tell you that I don't know a single player on that team, but I was both proud of their performance and happy for them.  What I left with most is the knowledge that though the overall wins and losses are what the they will carry in the record books, the character built in their hearts and minds is what will carry them the rest of their lives.  I would be proud to have my son play for this coach someday.




Editor's Note:  As always, if you like this, please pass it on.  If not, go to the richway.com site and send an email via the contact form asking to be removed from the email reminder for rich's blog.  if you want to be on the email reminder list, follow the same procedure. 



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Don't Surround Yourself With People Who Demand Too Little of You

I adopted this paraphrase of a Kenny Rogers song lyric a long time ago.  Not being a country music fan, I did not hear the song often, but it reached number 44 in the Billboard "Hot 100" in 1977, so it was far from never heard.  The song is "Sweet Music Man" and the actual phrase is "And you surround yourself with people who demand so little of you"

Anyway, the point is to have good people around you because they push you to be your best and that makes the whole organization stronger.  Be sure that your team members know that you want them to push you.  You need people to challenge you when they disagree with you and to challenge you to do even better.  In return, you need to challenge them to be constantly striving to do better and to be sure that they know you appreciate blunt, but honest, input.

You need bright people who are not "afraid" of you.  Mere "yes men" or women are not what you are looking for.  Nor do you want simple contrarians.  You need a team that works together and that expects (demands) good leadership.

Two of the most valuable staff members that I have ever had were not hesitant to speak up and "call" me if they thought I was wrong.  I relied on them for honest and frank opinions, given immediately.  I, in turn, thought things out better and more clearly before presenting them to these people because I knew they would have logical and well thought out responses.  (Both were bright and able to think through the issue quickly.)  Their tenure at Richway overlapped by only a year or two, but between them they covered a 25 year period.  My heartfelt thanks to both of them!



Links Below


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7HhjQWgag8

http://www.musictory.com/music/Kenny+Rogers/Sweet+Music+Man


http://www.lyricsmania.com/sweet_music_man_lyrics_kenny_rogers.html

The Fiscal Cliff & Financial Armageddon

“Fiscal cliff” is a term sometimes used to describe the conundrum that the U.S. government will face at the end of 2012.


Basically we can have tax increases and spending cuts  or we can have smaller tax increases and fewer spending cuts and just borrow more to make up the difference, thus going even deeper into debt than we are now.  (Some call the first choice the fiscal cliff, while others say the either/or nature is the fiscal cliff.)

Or we can forge some type of compromise to keep from going over the edge of the cliff. 

The first choice increases the possibility of a recession because it will depress economic growth.  The second choice increases the likelihood of a financial crisis similar to that being experienced by some European countries, most notably Greece.  (Though others are not far behind.)


Armageddon, according to the Bible is the site of an epic battle as the end of the world approaches.  It is now often used to refer to any end of the world or end of an era event.  The 1998 movie of the same name starts with this theme.

Thus, I use the term Financial Armageddon to denote the end of the United States financial system as we know it today.  A growing number of economists are writing that we cannot sustain our economy (and perhaps our whole country) with the ever growing public debt.  Someone needs to be paid interest and someone needs to be repaid for the billions and billions (read that as trillions) of dollars we are spending as a country.

When this will catch up is open for debate, but catch up it will.  Greece, Spain and other countries are in the midst of their financial Armageddon right now.  It is not an abstract concept!! It is important that we elect those who understand the importance of not continuing to increase our public debt.

 But. and here is the kicker, because our public debt is already so great, even the first choice (which can lead to recession) could ultimately also plunge us into a Greek style financial crisis.

              Click here   for a story from the New York Times about hunger in Spain.  They are fast approaching their Financial Armageddon.  You'll find the paragraph below part way into the story:

As Spain tries desperately to meet its budget targets, it has been forced to embark on the same path as Greece, introducing one austerity measure after another, cutting jobs, salaries, pensions and benefits, even as the economy continues to shrink.

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The importance of Passion for what you do

Whatever you choose to do, if you want to do it really well, you need to have a passion about it.  The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines passion (of the sort I am talking about here) as "intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction."  The urbandictionary.com says "Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it."

We see the passion required for success in many places.  High performance level athletes come to mind, but a high level of success in any endeavor requires a high level of passion in almost all cases.  Star performers, be they athletes, musicians, dancers, actors, and many others practice --- a lot.  They are passionate about their craft and practice is just one way of exhibiting it.  I know an auctioneer who has won many contests at the national level, who practices his "chant" while driving.  Yet he has been auction selling for so long, you might think practice is not needed.

Click Here to see Merv Hilpipre
as he wins the 2004 International Auctioneer Championship 

[Another of Merv's passions is sled dog racing.  He is well known at the national level, which means all the way to Alaska.  It speaks of the man and his dogs!]

You will often incur roadblocks and slowdowns that are most easily overcome if you feel strongly about achieving your goals. Without passion, you are not likely to choose to do the "heavy lifting" required to achieve high success levels and you may not even see all the little things that need to be done.

Without passion, you can be good  --- but if you want to be great, you have to be passionate.  You will find that you put in the extra energy required without really thinking that it is extra.      Caution:   Just being passionate by itself does not guarantee success!

Whether you are a performer, a manager, a teacher, or a computer programmer, passion is a necessary component for success. 



Talk about Passion!!!  Here is Sam Swinton, Richway rubber molding team leader at the end of a fall from a "saddle bronc" ride during a rodeo on September 7th.  As you can see, his head appears to be buried in the dirt.  His legs are going back toward the horse and his chaps are straight up.

He is a bright and articulate guy and cannot wait to get back and ride this weekend --- after two weeks off.  If you want to follow the rodeo, follow Sam's new blog coming soon.  
 

Here is Sam's definition of Passion- "Have the fervor and desire to pursue what you love, and the willingness to pay the price."  Looks like he is paying the price above. 

Rod Stewart "singing" Passion --- Click Here

I have never been a big fan of Rod Stewart, though obviously many are.  To me, his singing is a cross between yelling and singing.



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No vacation in 22 years

Two or three years ago an entrepreneur proudly told me that he hadn't taken a vacation in 22 years.  I guess that was supposed to impress me, but it certainly did not.  Entrepreneurs almost to a person put in long hours.  Sixty hours a week or more was the norm for me for a long time.

I always tried to get in some family vacation time every summer.  At the least, it was usually a week at a Minnesota lake fishing, swimming, relaxing, etc.  We tried also to do a family trip every two or three years.  We visited both coasts and points in between.  Later we started doing a run to Cocoa Beach every year or two.

For my family, it meant that I was largely "theirs" during these times.  For me, it was a chance to really back away and recharge my batteries.

We did not have cell phones, let alone smart phones, in those days.  We did not have email.  People accepted that others could not be reached at just any time.  Communication expectations were much lower, so it was easier to "escape" than now.

One of my most unique inventions came during a week in Minnesota when I sat in a chair near the lake early every morning.  From the combination of trees, birds, water, and surrounding sounds of nature the solution to a vexing problem suddenly occurred.

The central core:  your family needs you and you need some time for yourself.  Take some time off Mr. or Ms. Entrepreneur.  Your business will probably benefit too.  The rest of your team, whether it is one person or 40 people will find that they can function without you there all the time.



Check out the new link I added to The Friday Follies by Robert McCusker      "It wouldn't be Friday without The Follies"   ----- Look to the far right on this page.