business as i see it

this really is consulting 101 stuff here, but it’s also important to point out since it’s the new year and people are undoubtedly going to make resolutions that they end up giving up on in the end.  listen up, because this is important…

when you set goals, you want to make them SMART:

• specific
• measurable
• attainable
• relevant
• time-bound*

example of a really bad goal: “lose weight this year.” first of all, losing weight is a stupid goal to begin with.  most people don’t realize that muscle weighs more than fat does, and working out might cause you to actually gain weight.  you should be looking for a better resolution.

example of a really good goal: “run in four 5k events for charity this year.” it’s specific, not just a random notion of weight loss.  it’s measurable because you can mark off events as the days pass through the year;  make it one run each quarter.  it’s certainly attainable.  asking yourself to run 4 marathons might not be, but a 5k is much more manageable and takes less time to train to.  it’s not an ‘always on’ kind of goal and allows yourself some wiggle room.  it’s relevant because your overall mission is to be healthier.  your soul will feel better too because you’re doing it all for charity.  and that asterisk i placed above is the most important for making goals… although i don’t necessarily see it in the same way as the textbooks do.  instead of time-bound i say to make that T in SMART stand for ‘tell everybody you know’.  telling other people puts that goal up-front and center.  you can’t hide from it because you just might have someone say to you in june, “hey, i thought you were running those 5k things.  what happened to that?”

so when it comes down to business, are you making SMART goals for your organization?  for yourself?  for your career?

it’s a new year, and there are no excuses.  come up with smart goals, write them down, and make sure you’re taking steps towards getting them every day.  start with something specific, measure your progress, make sure it’s feasible, ensure that it’s in keeping with your overall mission, and tell everybody about it.  you haven’t failed in the past because you weren’t good enough; it’s because you weren’t reaching for the right goals.

image by csitscenter, flickr collection

i was in a meeting recently with a senior associate in my firm, and spent the vast amount of the 4 hours we had together furiously taking notes.  unfortunately i couldn’t write as fast as he was talking, so i ended up not capturing all of the information that was there for the taking.  for the most part, the vast majority of the time was spent discussing our earned value management capabilities at booz allen.  we did talk some about business in general and building capabilities that can grow and expand, and it was from this discussion that my largest, boldest, “even used a highlighter on it” note came from.  he said something to me that made a lot of sense:

always plan on success.

it’s a great quote.  you may mistakingly take it as an inspirational message, but that’s not at all what he intended.  it was actually meant to scare us, and remind us that we need to be prepared to succeed.  to be successful in business, it’s not enough to have a good idea.  even having passion and being a hard worker isn’t enough.  when you’re trying to stand up or start up something brand new, you have to have certain things in place to handle the change in environment.  nothing can kill a good idea quite like being unprepared to succeed.  if you aren’t ready to expand with the business, you’ll undoubtedly experience growing pains – much like wearing a shoe that’s two sizes too small.

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you want my business, right?  you want me to choose you over your competitors, yeah?

let me give you a hint: ordinary is not unordinary.

as i’m currently in the new car market, i’m taking a look at just about every car maker under the sun right now (except dodge/chrysler/jeep).  this new car has to be the car i keep for a good while because i plan on saving up for a house or condo; i just want to upgrade my car while my trade-in is still a good value.  the one thing i’ve seen — from everyone! — has been really incredible: auto makers and dealers trying to sell me on things that are truly pedestrian…

AM/FM radio?  ordinary.
CD player?  ordinary.
power windows?  ordinary.
floor mats?  ordinary.
rear window defogger?  ordinary.
air conditioning?  ordinary.
cup holders?!  ordinary!

if you’re selling cars, boats, motorcycle sidecars, televisions, mobile phones.. yourself to a potential employer (or your organization to a potential employee!) .. whatever it is if you expect to sell, you have to remove the ordinary from your sales pitch.  you won’t earn new business by selling what everyone else has.  you need to differentiate yourself.  you need to identify where your product, services, or skills are different from the next closest competitor.  first, identify those areas, then sell that.

if you’re looking for a job, to hire a new employee, or to sell more cars, you have to make yourself special.

ordinary is not unordinary.

image from itamaryu, flickr artist

sure is sounds redundant, but that doesn’t make it any less true.  the key to success is success.  think about it: someone creates a small business and that business takes off.  small business owner turns into a big time executive of a big time corporation.  big time executive writes books about being successful and sells millions.  millionaire starts to spin off products or services with their name on it, making billions. sounds like the path that many people have taken to super-stardom in life.  people like oprah, donald trump, richard branson, bill gates — they’ve all followed a similar path.  the interesting thing about success is that it breeds more success.  when coaching hockey at penn state, i used to tell my guys that “winning sires winning.”  there’s nothing like the confidence  you gain from winning to give you the confidence to win another one.  people see your favorable outcomes and begin to gravitate towards you. Read the rest of this entry »