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How much do you trust those you do business with?
I’ve talked a lot about delivering to expectations, but this is something different. This is about trust and integrity.
The fact is that society only functions well when people are able to trust each other. Not only on a transactional level, but also at the personal relationship level. Let me give you an example.
I’ve been taking some training recently on a tool which helps distinguish the different types of thinking and action we all have. There are a lot of different assessment models out there in the coaching world, and this one uses a model of five archetypes.
In our discussion today, I was pondering how these different innate preferences tend to exacerbate conflicts and misunderstandings.
It seems that we all want others to think like we do! It’s logical, right?
Read the rest of this entry »We usually talk about selling products to customers. We deliver something of value, they give us money in return, and everyone’s happy.
But it’s not ever that simple, because we’re human. The exchange of value is actually pretty complicated, and doesn’t happen all at once.
That’s why I’ve been using the phrase “being of service.” Because it hints at the deeper human connection which is taking place.
Read the rest of this entry »Why is it that apologizing is one of the hardest things to do? Because it injures your pride.
I had this lesson smack me in the face a couple of times recently. It can be so difficult to admit I made a mistake, take responsibility, and apologize to those on the receiving end.
Maybe you’re human, too, and run into this at times. With your family, employees, or community.
We have this tendency to make things too complex in business. I spent many years of my career doing just that – trying to cover all the cases and contingencies.
But at its core, business is very simple. You sell something that people value, and they give you money because you’re solving a problem or serving a need. And you do it efficiently enough so the business can continue.
But “the devil is in the details”, right? Absolutely.
Read the rest of this entry »When we want employees to learn something, we send them to a class.
It’s not the worst thing to do, but that’s not the way adults learn new things. It’s a paradigm that’s copied from the system we developed in the 1800s to teach millions of children to become factory workers.
Do YOU have your best growth by sitting in a class? Probably not.
Read the rest of this entry »This has been a heady time for Small Fish. And I appreciate the honor, really.
But if the major incentive to recognize people is merely to make them feel good, there’s not going to be much lasting impact. We’ve seen that with round-robin “employee of the month” programs where folks get a reward for … something?
We need to have recognition that’s more focused than that.
Read the rest of this entry »Curiosity is one of the main tools for being a coach. At least for me.
When I have nothing to learn, I’m really acting in the role of an advisor or consultant. As soon as I understand the client’s situation, I can have an opinion about how to move forward.
That’s not a good thing, because what I’m really saying is how I would move forward if I was in that situation. Which may be absolutely the wrong thing for my client!
The solution?
Read the rest of this entry »You see the signs over town of companies desperate for new employees. But this isn’t because there are no good workers.
But you might want to notice which businesses are doing just fine with their workforces. They’re retaining great people and attracting new ones at a comfortable rate. You just don’t hear about them because they’re getting back to delivering great value for customers.
What’s the difference?
The answer comes through thinking about employees like you think about individual customers. You often ask questions like:
Read the rest of this entry »The other day I was having a conversation with some of my coach friends, and the concept came up about having a “disputable goal.” I confess that I’d never heard the phrase before, so of course I found it fascinating.
The idea is that when you have a goal, it should be possible to disagree with it. But why is this useful?
Imagine that you’re building an organization, and you really care that the people get along with each other well. So your goal is to “handle conflicts professionally.” Sounds good, right? Who could possibly think this is a bad thing?
Read the rest of this entry »
The Values-Based Business 