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Consider the Culture Before You Enlist

It is a given that, whatever your job, you’re going to spend a massive amount of your life and devote a large part of your energies toward that endeavor. So, with that in mind the question is, why do we allow ourselves to join organizations that make us miserable?

A Hollister poll of 1000 people, employed and unemployed, in Massachusetts last summer asked them what factors contributed the most to their job satisfaction; the number one response was Organizational Culture.

It would seem that Organizational Culture is something we’d be able to get a glimpse at during interviews, interactions with the website and with all the social networks at our disposal, by talking to the current & past employees of the organization.

Meanwhile the same survey uncovered that only 40% of the respondents were happy with their current job.

It is our fault. You can point to the organization for having a destructive culture but you chose to join that culture.

The question is why aren’t we doing our homework to uncover what it’s like to work at the organization on the front end? Why aren’t we finding out more about an organization’s culture before we enlist within their ranks? Why are we willing to jump into an organization’s challenges simply because they are offering us a paycheck?

Job seekers owe it to themselves and their future employer to find out as much as possible about the culture of an organization before signing on.

Next time you’re looking into a job, talk to the employees on Facebook, or Linkedin. Talk to current employees, past employees, and vendors of the organization. When HR asks you for a list of references it is your duty to ask them for the same.

Before you commit your life to an organization ask, “Based on what I’ve uncovered am I going to be happy working in an atmosphere like this?” If the answer is yes, go for it. If you’re unsure, keep digging.

Do your homework first, your happiness depends on it.

Transparency - Three Bullets to Clear the Way

Tom and I were talking the other day and the term transparency came up. I asked, "What does that mean, exactly?"

(I find it a lot easier to just come out and admit my ignorance these days. It saves a lot of time and it's so much easier than pretending I know.)

Anyway, after some discussion and searching on the Internet we settled upon a three bullet "definition" that satisfied us. Ready? Here goes.

• Clarity,
  
• Candor and
  
• Communication.

I have to admit that whenever I've heard the term used before in conversation I tended to think in financial terms. Whenever somebody was speaking of transparency I heard, "Tell me where the money really is." or "How many of us are going to be laid off because of this brilliant new strategy or vision or plan?"

Now, as a result of Tom's and my little tete-a-tete I feel quite comfortable bandying the word around now, because I actually think I know what we're talking about.

Well, I'm sure you're thinking, "Isn't that nice, Gayle? I, too, feel more comfortable knowing you think you know what you're talking about. And the bullets Clarity, Candor and Communication will come in handy when I write my next PowerPoint. But, why should I care? It's just more corporate jargon."

(I love writing blogs. I get to handle both sides of the conversation.)

This is where I jump in with, "That's the beauty of Tom's and my three bullets."

Leaders want people to follow them. With today's multi-generational workforce transparency sets the right tone to secure buy-in and commitment from all of these diverse would-be followers.

BANG - Clarity, the first bullet.

Napoleon Hill wrote in the classic, Think and Grow Rich, that everything is created twice. First, in the mind and then in the world. Leaders need to be clear in their own mind what it is they want their team to accomplish. If you aren't clear about the goal and how you're going to judge success, how can you expect others to achieve your vision?

BANG - Candor, the second bullet.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins relates the story of Admiral Stockdale and his survival as a POW during the Vietnam War. According to Admiral Stockdale the number one indicator of which prisoners were likely to survive and which were less likely was directly related to their ability to accept the brutal facts. Managing expectations plays a large role in maintaining morale.

It's also a matter of trust. Leaders want their people to trust them. It's a two-way street. Leaders need to trust their people enough to tell them just where they stand. This relates to finances as I mentioned earlier, but also to goals, available resources, timelines, and obstacles in the way.

BANG - Communication, the third bullet.

Most of us think of delivering information when we hear the word communication. I know I do. But, the great thing about communication is that it ,too, is a two-way street. In the most transparent of organizations communication is a dialogue. A conversation where leaders talk and listen. They listen to their employees. They listen to their customers. But of even greater importance, they watch their employees and customers. They watch not to catch them doing something wrong.

(Most of the in-store surveillance cameras in American retail stores are focused on the employees to thwart "shrinkage". Corporate jargon for employee theft. Did I mention about trust being a two-way street earlier?)

No, leaders need to watch their employees and customers to understand how they experience working with them. How they experience doing business with them. How they feel having a relationship with them. And when you sense they're happy or unhappy work to understand why. Then take the appropriate action to leverage the good and correct the less than great.

My Dad used to tell me that I had two eyes, two ears and one mouth and that I should use them proportionately. That mindset drives one of our brand attributes here at Catch Your Limit - We seek first to understand before we seek to be understood.

Yeah, I know we stole it from Stephen Covey, but that's what great people do, they steal from other great people. Just in case you haven't noticed the "Not Invented Here" syndrome does NOT flourish here on the other side of Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda.

BANG, BANG, BANG.

Clarity - Have a clear picture of what you want and how you'll know when you get it.

Candor - Be straight with your people. They can handle the truth.

Communication - Look and listen before you speak.

I'm not going to pretend being transparent will solve all of your problems. Only that if you take aim and practice the three bullet points Tom and I discerned you'll have fewer problems because your team will be working with you instead of at cross purposes.

BTW, if you'd like to add to this definition or contest Tom's and my three bullets, please don't hesitate to give us feedback. We're listening.

One last thing, we're looking forward to seeing you Catch Your Limit.

Blogs are just the Tip of the Iceberg

Blogs are really something to savor.

I can't tell you how energized I feel after feeding on a great one. My temptation is to shout, "eat your heart out newspaper people."

Instead of pontificating over why you hold the key to the holy grail of communication or editorializing that the rest of the world has gone mad by not paying homage to you (not buying your papers, advertising in them, supporting your advertisers, not doing what you say do in your opinion columns or keeping the bucks flowing for your owners, top brass and employees) you should be watching and learning from a world that is leaving you in the digital dust (yes, I know you're going digital and we should laud and applaud you, but where is the Jack be nimble, Jack be quick part? Young generations who think newspapers were used for dinosaurs to pee on, are eating your lunch).

Stop: I also know I made one big ass sentence on purpose, newspaper people.

Newspaper people everywhere ... start by reading the blogs of your former readers, the few that you have left and the ones you don't have and never will, as well as the ones written by some of your hipper, innovative employees.

Yep, really read them instead of just knee-jerk discounting them because they are not written by your hand (or fingers on your keyboard).

Get past your shallow notions that only journalist can communicate. This is a "we the people" kind of place we live in and it's our thoughts and the freedom to have and express our thoughts that is the power source of our nation.

So, quit wallowing in your self pity.

Quit wasting your space with woe-is-me articles.

Quit chopping down trees to make your opinions appear in big type that takes on the look and feel of the gospel.

Quit discounting our blogs because they're not yours.

Get past the typos, misspellings, grammatical errors, wrong words or syntax choices and get to the meaning.

It's all about people having the freedom and the place to say how they feel, what they stand for and a place to try and figure out what's up. It is a messy, sloppy wonderful place where good and bad, right and wrong, wonderful and not so wonderful, happy and sad come together in what can only be described a delicious communication stew served up 24.7.365.

And, we all have a chance to not only taste it, but make it. Newspaper people, you probably think that too many cooks spoil the broth. Come on ... the same people that are cooking up a wonder are the same people that cooked up this country to begin with.

There have been days when the taste hasn't been to our liking, but somehow, some way, together, we have continued to try to cook up something better and better.

FACT: most of have done it without the benefit of journalism degrees.

So, in order to justify the title of my blog, blogs are just the tip of the iceberg. They make you think. They teach. They stir the creative juices. And, they are teaching us all how to communicate better.

Stop: I have spent a career as a creative guy and a verbal communicator. Thanks to spell check, I am now a guy who is not afraid to show my hand with the written word. And, my spelling, whether this blog show it or not, is getting better.

Blogs entice us to come into the kitchen and add our spice to the mix. And ... they don't take down trees or ink up the environment to do what they do.

So get with the program, newspaper people. Take your talent and get off the high horse. Roll up your sleeves and dig in.

It's mighty messy, but it's also mighty tasty. You just can't get enough of this crazy stuff.

Technology is Still Exciting – Even in 2009

My grandmother, who is a young and hip 71 years old joined Facebook last week. Now that, my friends, is exciting.

I've been a Facebook member for about a year and a half, but only in the last three or four months have I really embraced it. I find Facebook fun, easy and a really great way to keep in touch ... and know what my friends and colleagues are up to on a daily, hourly and oftentimes minute-by-minute basis. Let's all just admit right now how nosy we actually are! I will!

And finding people is a snap! Just think back long and hard to your best friend in third grade, and type in his or her name in the Facebook search engine. My non mathematical calculations with no backup whatsoever tell me that you have a one in two chance of having that person's name, photo and a way to reach them pop up. Well, that's at least been my experience.

However, I have an atypical memory and remember people, places, things and events that have long since left most people's minds. My friends unofficially consider me the historian of all things irrelevant until necessary. They know I will know how to get in touch with just about anybody, that I'll remember who so and so had a crush on in 9th grade and probably what song we all danced to together at the prom. So thinking of my best friend in third grade that I haven't talked to since ... third grade ... really wasn't that hard for me. And yes, I really did find her on Facebook.

And now amongst all of Facebook contacts, is my awesome grandmother, Willi. You can call her Gram – everybody else does!

I had to give Gram rule number one before she even signed up: do not ever, ever, ever write anything that you, nor I, nor anybody in our family would prefer that the entire Facebook community not know. A simple, but important rule that at times slips all of our minds!

Gram and I have actually both come a long way since 1996 when our extremely mysterious, frustrating yet oddly liberating personal computer arrived at 1807 Doomar Drive. We were in awe of the staticy, beepy and strange sound it made as it dialed up at 33.6 ks. Wow, super fast, we thought!

All of a sudden, we were connected to a whole new world of Web sites and e-mail addresses. And the annoyances that come along with any type of technology - like getting kicked offline like a gazillion times! Gram admits that she didn't even know where the on/off button was, and I barely did. We muddled through it together, and when we each learned something new, we'd write sticky notes to each other and share information.

Soon we had both found e-mail pen pals, and eventually the rest of the world caught on, and we were communicating with our friends and family instantaneously and surfing the Web with ease.

However, it seems like all that the Web has to offer has been in a holding pattern since the late 1990s. E-mail and Web surfing were about it. Now, with social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace, the Web has meaning and purpose again! Now people can find just about anybody, share photos, share articles, write blogs and even network!

Technology sure is something. I am a Generation Xer who had the first Beta player (oh gosh, so many people won't even know what that is) on my street to now having a very powerful handheld computer, but I'm still in awe of how technology has evolved in the last 15 years.

Who knew that one day we could check our e-mails on a teeny little touch screen, and send photos and videos through wireless connections? I still have no idea how it works, but it is way cool!

It reminds me of how I felt in 1985 watching the "Back to the Future" series of movies where people were speaking through video phones and living in a futuristic city with flying DeLorean cars and hoverboards.

Funnily, Gram and I saw those movies in the theater a long time before purchasing the personal computer that started our bi-generational technology journey. Back then, we wondered if all the things portrayed in the movie would really come true. Obviously, we know the answer to that. Well, I’m still holding out for the hoverboards.

Who knows what will happen next? I can only imagine how exciting the future of technology will be for you, me and my Gram. Maybe as exciting as it was for us almost 25 years ago, when at the end of "Back to the Future" Doc Brown says, "Where we're going …. We don't need roads."

A Fish Out of Water Gets Thrown Back in

Scott showed me two articles the other day written by Aaron walker, a well-known speaker and professor, and Leslie Jensen-Inman, a professor at UT, explaining why web education is behind the curve. Leslie notes “Right now, web education is out of date and fragmented. There are good people working hard to change this, but because of the structure of higher education, it will take time.”

As a graduate student studying digital marketing, I initially found this idea discouraging. Not just because of the time, energy, and money graduate school takes, but the fact that when I begin applying for a job my skills will already be out-dated. When applying for the program they forgot to mention that “everything in the curriculum will be useless by the time you graduate, so good luck getting a job!”

I pondered the argument all day and actually sent the articles to one of the college’s administrators who I know was hired to improve the programs curriculum. She may or may not have read them, but I felt that she would appreciate the gesture coming from a student. I couldn’t help but wonder why I felt like the only person in the program who was concerned with this issue. And then the answer came…

Dr. Adams is basically the only teacher that teaches web education courses in my program. In class on Thursday, Dr. Adams began class by showing us a video that some famous web designer produced. After the 5 minute video ended, there wasn’t a jaw intact in the entire classroom. We were completely astounded by this mans work of art and immediately realized how little we know.

The awed silence ended when Dr. Adams spoke up “after leaving this class you will know how to use these programs and the basic web-design need- to- knows. To some people web-design is their life. Don’t be discouraged after we get the basics down, you can become as good as you want.”

Intimidation and discouragement when faced with a new endeavor is the best way to ensure failure. This is my first attempt to learn about the intricacies of the web, so I initially took the articles a bit too personal. Let’s face it: I’m probably not going to be a web-site developer right after I graduate; and just because I’m graduating in less than a year doesn’t mean I have to stop being a student.

Striking the right chord with the right audience

When I was in high school, (and now, whenever I have the time to enjoy it), my life was music. On any given day, I'd spend at least 3 hours playing my guitar, not to mention the time I spent on the drums and piano. My junior year I joined a band called So Long daVinci, and got my first opportunity to play on stage. I remember the venue; an abandoned mini golf office, which had been turned into a derelict coffee house, with more emo teenagers than you could (and probably should) shake a stick at.

The room was full, the crowd was energetic, and we played a great show. I was overwhelmed with a sense of self-satisfaction... The crowd seemed to love me, and I loved the crowd. On the ride home after the show, the bassist called me and said that we'd made over $200 as a band, and that we'd been invited back to play the next week for an encore show.

We leaped into action. The other guitarists and I started working on a new song. Our vocalist Loren began practicing a back-flip he was going to do into the crowd during our last song. Our bassist started setting up the band's Myspace, and spread the word about our next show.

When the big night finally came, the six of us were so excited we could hardly think straight. We pulled our trailer into the venue and stepped out to about 15 people, unenthusiastically sipping their coffees and staring bemused at their feet. We were flabbergasted at the poor turnout, but decided that we'd at least knock these 15 people off their feet.

We flailed around energetically the whole show, the bassist jumped off his cabinet, and to top it all off, we finished with our last song, and our vocalist did his backflip off the stage.

You could have heard crickets. We broke down our equipment and, shamed, left the stage. What had we done wrong? We'd played the same show we had played the week before, invited all of our friends, and even added some energy and new material; why wasn't the crowd chanting our names anymore?

Reading the news, there are a lot of businesses today that are asking that same question. They're putting their products on the same stage they've been putting them on for years, but to a dwindling, unenthusiastic audience. Across the board, management's knee-jerk reaction has been to actively react; the new song, the flashy new stage presence, and the (admittedly awesome) backflip were all good things... But that wasn't why the crowd came to the show in the first place.

What does your business do best? Who is it reaching? Is what you're offering your audience today the same benefit they came to you for in the first place? These are all questions that face businessmen and musicians alike. There are a few things I took from this experience that helped me progress not only as a musician, but as a marketer as well.

1) You don't put on the same show for 15 people that you do for 15,000 people
Playing for thousands of people at a music festival is great, but even the best bands find themselves playing dive bars from time to time. Fear not! Look at this as an opportunity to form more personal relationships. Audiences (and clients) love to feel like you're playing their favorite song just for them. When the audience is less than stellar, (an understatement for our current economy), take time to form personal relationships with clients. When the economy turns around, your client won't forget it.

2) Communicate with your audience
Ask your audience specific questions. What did you love most about this experience? What did you like the least? Would you come to another show? If not, what would you like to see changed?

3) Resist the urge to over-correct your problems
It's important to remember that no matter how empty your venue is, chances are that your competitors are playing the same venues, and facing the same problems. If you completely uproot your core values when times get hard, there's a chance you're throwing away the very attributes that made you a hit to begin with. To quote senator Al Franken, "Don't change pants mid-shit."

So if you're playing to a tough crowd, keep your chin up. Just like in every marketing environment, there's an opportunity to get an edge, you've just got to keep your ears open, and your amplifier cranked.

(((This week's listening recommendation: "Coney Island" by Good Old War.)))

A City of Circuits With No Electricity: Lessons Learned From Circuit City

There once was a man who owned a house. It wasn’t a marvelous house or an ugly house, just an ordinary house with shutters, windows, and 2x4 beams. The man who owned this house loved it enough to want to protect its existence from the harsh world outside. So, the man began changing the house in order to preserve it. He took down the shutters and replaced the windows with bricks. Inside the house, he threw away games and fire hazards (TV, movies, and computers).

One day the man comes to visit his house to find nothing but an empty lot and the few bricks that cased what used to be a window. The man was so concerned with what could harm his house from the outside that he never expected the termites that brought his house down from the inside. The problem was that this man was concerned about a house, instead of a home. Houses are what the outside world sees, but a home is what the people on the inside see.

Circuit City was my house for nearly two years. In my short time as their employee, I was managed by four different store managers (not including the short stint when there was no store manager at all), four different operations managers, three different sales managers, two different district managers, and experienced one company wide restructuring. From my experience with company culture and leadership, albeit not a very exemplary experience, I have noticed one major fault- there was no home, just a house.

The saddest part is that there were attempts at creating a culture of enthusiasm within Circuit City; these were just executed half heartedly. From time to time, there would be associate rewards programs that amounted to nothing. Most employees didn’t even participate or attempt to collect their rewards.

It wasn't long before I noticed a drastic change in morale. Some associates, who were around long enough, would talk about the glory days when Circuit City used to mean something to them. I wasn’t around then, but I recognized the passion and nostalgia in their voices. When Circuit City became afraid of nature (economy and other external threats) it began protecting its house and neglecting its home.
Their first mistake was that they fired most of their experienced employees who had faith in the brand and ownership of its success and replaced them with anyone who would do the work for the going wage.

Then when that wasn’t cost effective, the next wave of cuts came. The starting wage for sales associates went from $8.50 to minimum wage. This cut came with a price. These were SALES associates, the people who were expected to convince a customer to not only purchase a television, but to also spend 25% of the cost of the TV on a service warranty (which covers only slightly more for slightly longer than the standard manufacturer’s warranty), in-home installation, delivery, $100 + AV cables, surround sound, and a $125 + surge protector, and now they had little incentive to do so. As a sales associate I took these responsibilities as part of my job, but others, quite expectedly, took no accountability in adding to the sale because it did not affect their wage. What was their incentive?In my department, I would try to sell as much as possible, but not because of a feeling of ownership in the company.

For me it was just a game. Selling was an opportunity to show how well I could do. And for a while people played along, but as soon as the game was over they would resort back to meandering between aisles dodging customers.

Incentives don’t have to be monetary. As an associate I understood my role and was more than happy to complete it. I also understood the sentiments of other associates. I remember a few of the managers and I talked after a monthly meeting. The meeting was about sales numbers, what associates could do to improve, and welcoming the new department supervisor. The meeting was tense because the supervisor, without considering its implications, pinned the slumping sales figures on associates’ lack of accountability. While he was almost right, he alienated the few employees who exemplified what it meant to be a good associate and demonstrated the leadership problems within Circuit City. From the top to the bottom, no one felt accountable.

There is a big difference between being held accountable and feeling accountable; nobody felt it. The district managers thought the store managers were slackers, the store managers blamed the sales managers, the sales managers blamed the supervisors, and the supervisor blamed the associates. This trail of blame created the perfect storm, which came together in one tense moment after the meeting. We talked about accountability. The sales manager reiterated the supervisors’ accusation and showed disdain for the employees saying that “their pay checks are their incentives” and that they shouldn’t expect more. This quote demonstrates the very heart of poor leadership. To follow a leader you need more than money, lust, or fear. Leadership requires the ability to empathize with, support, and guide those you expect to follow.

If I’ve learned anything from my experience at Circuit City, it’s to protect the home, then the house. If Circuit City would have checked for the termites eating their home, maybe there would be more than empty lots and bricks left. Instead of holding meetings telling managers to reprimand employees who weren’t carrying clipboards, they should have:

1. Taught that accountability shouldn't practice the trickledown methods of Reaganomics
2. Encouraged a company culture where employees felt like contributors not employees (simply calling them associates instead of employees isn’t enough)

Reverse Mentoring

As a Gen Y, I find the concept of reverse mentoring a fascinating one. It’s a win-win situation, and it’s really quite simple.

All the stereotypes about us aren’t true, but some are. Getting Gen Y to buy into a company may be difficult; we’re individualistic. However, a great way to do so is by making us feel like a crucial aspect of a big thing, making us feel important.

We want to start at the top… and since that’s not very reasonable we like to help out on proposals and pitches (the cool stuff)…you know, things that break up the usual day to day work. Sound scary? This is where reverse mentoring is the answer. In reverse mentoring, the entry level Gen Y is the mentor and the senior level employee is the mentee. This is usually done over technology. It’s as simple as bringing them together and letting the Gen Y show how Adobe Illustrator can work wonders in a proposal or handout.

My experience with boomers and reverse mentorship is affected in a positive way by the Gen Y stereotypes. They love to come across a bright, young and polite Gen Y that is willing to help. It’s like going to Wal-Mart and receiving amazing customer service...it’s unexpected, refreshing and welcome.

The obvious benefits include the exchange of knowledge and the advantages of collaboration, but I think the most important benefits of reverse mentoring lie in the bonds that are made across generations and the increased potential for retention of the much talked about Generation Y.

Steal Some Leadership: Barack Obama's Address

Are you a leader who is facing a change that your organization may not be ready for? Perhaps your organization is not doing so well financially? Need some quick and free leadership advice on how to communicate the state of organization?

There is an old quote some attribute to Picasso, "Bad artists copy. Great artists steal." I think the same thing goes for leaders, Bad Leaders Copy. Great Leaders Steal. So with that borrow from Barack Obama's address. It's all there, 18 minutes of it. Take it, change it and make it yours.

One of the most applicable segments for any organization is when he says,

"Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths."

This applies to changing industry. It is all about focus and going back to our values.

To steal the rest of his address go here

Tough Times Will Lead To Better Talent

"I just want you to know I'm going to be a star. A big, bright shining star. That's what I want. That's what I'm going to be." - Boogie Nights, 1997.

Organizations are laying off their employees, jobs are nowhere to be found, and internship programs are evaporating all together.

As a student, and soon to be graduate - times like these can be scary. But I've also noticed something I think is quite interesting.

It's times like these that we see the rise of shining stars.

And it's times like these that present a major opportunity for organizations.

Students are becoming increasingly competitive. Since internships and jobs are becoming more scarce, we know it's time to step it up.

I see Freshmen trying to land an internship the summer before their Sophomore year, I see Seniors on their third and fourth internship! At Florida State, the Advertising Club has seen an exponential growth in membership over the past year. They want to get involved. Every time I announce a new competition or project I have a slew of students willing to devote as much time as it may take and then some.

It shows our thinking is right on - we know it's experience that counts.

How does this present an opportunity to organizations? Because the best of the best will rise to the top. I have no doubt that some of the best talent in years will show up at your doors... and you can't pass them up.

After all, human capital is the safest bet for your money in a time where few investments appear to be a safe bet.

Leadership, Gen Y and The Power of Hands

This morning I spoke to a joint group from the current class of Leadership Tallahassee and Youth Leadership Tallahassee. The topic was Gen Y's at Work and I covered how to make the most of the generational differences that exist today. It was the first time LT and YTL were combined in any joint sessions so it was thoughtful that the program director, Julie Lovelace started the session off with my topic. For me, it was the first time I had the opportunity to speak to group that was 50% gen y.

It was a great experience since it was all about Gen Y, me and all the Gen Y's in the audience were plenty happy to hear and talk about ourselves. The other nice component was having such a large number of Gen Y's that I could ask "How many of you had input on your parents vacations or car and/or house purchase?" Seeing all the hands go up really helped reinforce the point I was trying to make, "this generation is different."

It is amazing how simply being able to have a large number of Gen Y's in the audience changed the dynamics. It was like having living breathing research right there with me. Now that's an idea, maybe I'll take them everywhere I speak.

Anyhow I think it's a great idea to combine these types of leadership programs and work together. And if you're a gen y that is what you sort of expect anyways, to be working with REAL leaders.

In the blink of an eye

I'm about to finish reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I bought the book right after it was published, but postponed reading it because of some negative comments I heard. I read so much and feel like I have so much more that I need to read that those derogatory comments dissuaded me from picking up the book until recently.

I can understand how the book might turn some people off. The whole concept of "thin-slicing" and the assertion that people make lots of decisions in the blink of an eye would make a lot of people uncomfortable.

In a conversation with an engineer the other day, he spoke of a lesson he learned as a young Second Lieutenant in Vietnam. His grisseled "old" Gunnery Sergeant asked him what he would do if surrounded by the enemy. He responded that he'd assess the enemy's position, look for a weakness and then attack at that point. The Sergeant responded "No". You attack whatever is in front of you to break out of being surrounded. Because every moment that you wait, the enemy tightens the circle and reduces your options.

There are times for analysis and there are times for action.

The time for analysis is before "battle". Once the action commences it's time for quick decisive action based upon knowledge accumulated before hand.

I bring this up, because I believe it's important to be clear on the criteria you use to make decisions before you're in a crisis.

John Wooden , the great UCLA basketball coach, used to say, "Be quick, but don't hurry."

That seems like an appropriate corellary to this conversation.

If you know what's important you can act decisively when necessary.

I used to teach high school students in Sunday School. I'd ask them to think about their values and what was important to them. Because it was going to be too late to think when they were in the back seat of a car and someone was making them an offer that in a less stressful situation they might reject.

I wish some of our corporate leaders had sat down and taken the time to think about what mattered to them, before they made some of the decisions they've made.

So, let me encourage folks to take a little time to think about what's important to you, to your family, to your business (job), to your community, to your country. That's a lot of thinking, isn't it? :^) Think about the criteria you use for making decisions. What's important to you?

So, when the time comes and it's critical that you make those blink of an eye decisions; you're making sound decisions based upon the foundation of what you truly value.

Being a Leader Might be Easier than You Think

I have never really considered myself to be a leader. But I've never considered myself a follower either. I guess I'm just me.

One example I can share is my choice of fashion in middle school and high school. I've always been a fashionista – I should've had a onesie that said "No bellbottoms for this baby!" Ask my Mom! Oh the battles we've had over clothes! Late 1970s clothes were just not my style.

I've always known what I've wanted to wear, and for what occasion. In the 1980s and early 1990s, I can remember pouring over Seventeen and Young Miss magazines, and taking note of all the latest fashions. As we all know, those magazines were highlighting clothes that basically nobody wore but the models in the magazines themselves – or well ... me.

Most girls in sixth grade wore jeans, t-shirts and Keds to school. Not Mandy – every day I dressed as if I'd be sashaying down a catwalk – instead of walking the dingy halls of junior high. I had to wear the latest Guess jeans, and of course had to have a Swatch watch and high-top Reebok sneakers with velcro and shoelaces. And that was dress-down day.

I mostly wore suits or dresses, and one time I even copied Brenda from “Beverly Hills 90210” and wore a tie and a men's shirt to school. And I can't forget about the time when I tried to bring back mod 1960s fashion by wearing Pucci-inspired pants. Then there was the time when I thought jeans with chaps were way cool. Or how about babydoll dresses over leggings with Sam & Libby ballet flats?

While all of these clothing choices might sound really bizarre, looking back, I realize that I was unknowingly taking risks and showing people that I wasn't afraid to be myself. I seriously doubt my daily "fashion show" made much of an impact on others, but I did get compliments on my outfits. There was the occasional mean comment, but those were mostly from boys who didn't know a sock from a bowtie.

After all that, here I am. I definitely still love clothing, shoes, jewelry and purses. But that obsession isn't as pressing as it once was. I definitely believe that one should dress to impress. However, looking put together (even if your outfit is from Target) and having a great personality has a lot more to do with your success than sporting the latest Coach bag or Jimmy Choo shoes.

In my career starting at the Florida Dental Association when I was still in college, and now as I celebrate my five-year anniversary at the Florida League of Cities, I feel as if I've been given opportunities to be a leader, and for that I am so appreciative. Maybe I don't have the word "leader" stamped on my forehead, but there have been people who have seen my potential and let me run with it. Sometimes I've done a fabulous job, and sometimes I haven't. That's just part of the ebb and flow of finding your way.

Whether in a leadership role or not, my motto is to be proactive. Once you set something aside, more than likely, you will forget about it, or lose that spark that you had while you were discussing the project. Another thing – be enthusiastic and excited about what you're involved in – even if you really aren't. You might find that you weren't interested in something before but later realize how much you really love the project down the road. Opportunities usually don’t knock on your door twice!

And something I promise you shouldn't forget: don't ever, ever forget to smile. Don't look like a smiling fool, but a genuine smile shows people that they matter to you and that you really care about what you're doing. Back in my early days at the League, one of my co-workers whom I didn't even know knew my name, told me that my smile is "infectious" and that it inspired him. Talk about a major compliment!

You just never know how your actions and attitude affects others, and you never, ever know who is watching. Believe me, I have been put in my place and have certainly made mistakes. But I am really grateful for people who look out for me and lovingly correct me. And I'm also thankful for the mistakes I've made. For one, I'll hopefully never make them again and secondly, mistakes are the universe's way of giving you a good reality and ego check.

I just try to do what feels natural: dress in a way that is a combination of professional yet stylish; be friendly and treat everybody with respect; take on every project as if it is the best project I've ever heard of (even if it isn't) and yes, always, always, always smile (even if you’re having the worst day of your life). Sometimes all these things work well for me, and sometimes I fall flat on my face. It's just part of life. But everything I do, no matter what the outcome, I take it as a learning experience and keep moving forward.

Through all these experiences – from the fashion faux paus to the amazing successes, here's what I've learned: being myself in every sitution is the best strategy I can think of, and one that I've been using for a lot longer than I realized.

Leadership Training from Benjamin Button

I went to see a great movie last week with Tom and Melissa, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

The movie was both sad and inspirational in several ways. One of the funniest parts of the movie is an old man who lives in the home where Benjamin is raised who repeats the phrase "Have I ever told you I've been struck by lightning seven times?" He's old and each time he recalls this the movie reveals the strike in a quick flashback of him being struck in a different way. At first glance it's funny but I think one of the messages underneath the humor is don't be surprised by the unexpected. Learn to accept it, deal with it and move on or even better, laugh at it as the movie asks us to do.

A couple other quotes really say a lot in terms of leadership and business:

“We are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss”

“Life can only be understood looking backward. It must be lived forward.”

"We were meant to lose people. How else would we know how important they are?"

And the very best quote that I hope to remember everyday, one that has more application to leadership and change than anything I've read in a very long time is near the end of the movie. When Benjamin is looking back on his life he says:

For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit... start whenever you want... you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
-Benjamin Button

Knowledge Socialist: Build Your Brain with Brandbuilder

Okay so it has been plenty more than a week since the last Knowledge Socialist segment. But I'm giving myself a break because, well, I think I deserve one. So let's just change this commitment to helping you find useful, inspirational content on a whenever-I'm-up-for-it basis. And if you have any suggestions for great sources for Knowledge Socialist please share it with me at jeff@catchyourlimit.com

Now I'd like to direct your attention to a great blog by Olivier Blanchard, The Brandbuilder Blog.
I stumbled upon Olivier's blog a couple months back by way of fellow Tallahassean. Michael Calienes of Transplant (it just goes to show you how twitter is connecting people but that is another blog for another day).

The greatness of Olivier's blog is he understands that building a brand doesn't happen in the marketing department and so his blog addresses internal communications, hr, culture, leadership and everything else that is always left behind when you talk to agencies about branding. Further, the man understands the effectiveness of great visuals and he uses them with great effectiveness in his posts.

One of my personal favorites is his commentary on talent vs. experience especially the line "I don’t want to imply that experience isn’t important, but at best, experience is a facilitator, while talent is a catalyst."

I'm not sure what they are putting in the water in Greenville, SC but between Olivier and my good friends at Brains on Fire it seems that it's becoming the new creative capital of the south. It always amazes me the unexpected genius you can find in small towns.

So check him out at http://thebrandbuilder.wordpress.com/ and let me know if you agree.