Stay Hungry

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs

I believe we all come to a point in our lives when we ask ourselves if we truly believe in the work we are doing. At first, it’s a thrill to settle into work, the routine, the challenges of setting and meeting targets and the relief of a regular paycheck. Over time, things change. You change. And, for some of us, passion fades and a stale routine takes hold.

Make sure you aren’t settling. 

Stay hungry.

Make sure you are giving yourself room to stretch and grow -- and, you don’t have to do this at work. Make sure you are growing in some aspect of your life. Keep stretching and trying new things. For many of us, the first thing we tend to let go of is creativity. Yet, creativity is the source of so much stretch -- not stress. It is a source of deeper meaning in our lives. 

A recent article in the New York Times cited creativity, (especially tapping long-lost creativity in midlife) as a key to opening new doors of possibility.  “Some experts chalk up the goings-on to the do-it-yourself maker movement […] as an outlet to combat anxiety and depression. Still more people want to bolster a flagging career or reinvent themselves.”
The article continues to say: "Fear of failure is big if you’re an expert in your field,' Mr. Burnett said. "They question, 'Why am I going to do something new that I’m terrible at?’ There is the psyche that says, ‘Don’t do that.’” What people want, Mr. Burnett said, is permission.

                                Give yourself permission. Permission is passion.

The Building Blocks of a Successful Project and a Successful Team

Most people can agree on what a project should look like when completed, yet there seems to be a big gap when it comes to understanding how to get there.  The ABC  Building Block model will help to develop a successful project, program, department or presentation. When I shared the title of this model to my highly educated, tech savvy colleagues, I watched a smirk unfold on their faces. Some started to shut down. Trust me. This approach is going to help you to be successful. It’s a simple plan of execution to achieve a complex mission.

“How can this help me,” you ask, “with my complicated numbers, measurements I need to compile to complete this project?”

Sometimes, it’s the simple secondary tools that are needed to chart through the complexity of algorithms, graphs, and excel sheets. 

Get out your note pad, pens or pencils, and let’s start with the first block.

Block A: The mission and purpose of this project

What is the purpose? What are the goals that must be met to complete the project?

• Developing the mission is the most important block because it is the foundation. The right foundation is the difference between building your plan on solid rock or sand.
• Step away from electronic scheduling and calendars for a moment and be realistic about the amount of ‘real time’ it will take to get the project done. 
• This block is the most challenging, as it needs great leadership. Leadership must be willing to help everyone get through the “tough times” of the project, keep the team focused, and reward the team as the project hits milestones of completion. 
• This block is the most challenging, as it needs great leadership. Leadership must be willing to help everyone get through the “tough times” of the project, keep the team focused, and reward the team as the project hits milestones of completion. 
• A formal collaborative working team must meet on a regular basis to review and discuss progress and/or challenges to develop next steps forward. 
• Prioritize a realistic plan–that includes deadlines, man-hours and budget. Build a map for what needs to get done with targeted goals for completion. 
• Always, while communicating with the client on the progress of the project, make sure to secure their approval for the direction forward.
• Does the completion meet the original mission? 
• What did you learn that you could improve upon when developing your “Block B” map?

Block B: The map of your plan 

Block B is often over-looked. The successful implementation of the project requires synced calendars, assignment sheets, deadline dates and most importantly a strategic communications plan.  How will you communicate progress, internally and externally, to your client?

• This block is the most challenging, as it needs great leadership. Leadership must be willing to help everyone get through the “tough times” of the project, keep the team focused, and reward the team as the project hits milestones of completion. 
• A formal collaborative working team must meet on a regular basis to review and discuss progress and/or challenges to develop next steps forward. 
• Prioritize a realistic plan–that includes deadlines, man-hours and budget. Build a map for what needs to get done with targeted goals for completion. 
• Always, while communicating with the client on the progress of the project, make sure to secure their approval for the direction forward.

Block C: The completion of the project

Project completed! Congratulations! But don’t pack up and walk on to the next thing. Take some time to review. 

• Does the completion meet the original mission? 
• What did you learn that you could improve upon when developing your “Block B” map?

Simply Said: ABC Blocks will build a successful project if you take the time to plan it from the start and lead the team through completion by having a commitment from all to uphold the accountability markers as agreed upon from Block A—the development of the mission.

By developing a Building Block Model for your project, you:

• 1. Develop a more collaborative team with open and honest communications in place. 
• 2. Develop a trusted working relationship with your client by maintaining an open and on-going communications plan. 
• 3. Eliminate a chaotic atmosphere and form a more productive team environment of trusted communication.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

Thank you to all the dads who make us so proud. 

My hero, my helper, my friend, 

May all the special men in our lives enjoy this special day.

We honor you! 

Do it right and make it good.

On my recent travels outside the country, I had the opportunity to meet with leaders and business owners from several different industries to gain their perspectives on what it takes to grow and maintain a company through the complexities and demands of the global  technological shift.

Our conversations arrived at a common question: how do you maintain the foundation of a sound culture you have built within the company in the face of shifts in productivity, human ingenuity and competitive costs of cheaper, better, faster? We talked about the demands of regulations, overhead costs, expectations of clients—of the value proposition of service and product and how to be competitive in a way that a click of a button can not provide.

I listened as these business owners from several major industries described how they transcended a low-cost market, by changing the quality of services and goods to meet a wider audience. All the while I kept asking myself, "Is the cheaper concept, better? Does a cheaper product or service provide the longevity needed to grow in an ever-changing, disruptive environment?" I believe we should provide a valuable service or product at a competitive price, yet does that mean we should turn away from our core values of doing what is right and challenging ourselves to strive for excellence.

When you do what you believe you stop counting the hours of labor and embrace the journey.

All of these individuals built their companies by believing in themselves. They took a risk and had a vision.  And, over the course of decades of success, a theme emerged for them all, and it's really quite a simple mantra that we can all practice:

                                                               "Do it right and make it good."

What is leadership?

A leadership position is, for many, a professional goal. You’ve pursued your passion, kept up with advancing technical skills, the next step is to rise within your field in a way that allows you to guide a dedicated team to do the same. At Forte Designs, our philosophy is to develop a foundation of four pillars: trust, integrity, purpose and critical thinking.  These four pillars help to grow the human capital of a company.  Leadership is about expanding your field of vision. You'll want to see the details, but you've also got to see the mid-field, and beyond.

As Michael Malone of the Wall Street Journal writes, your “secondary skills” are significant in that they allow you to shift your focus from your own individual productivity to being a buoyant supporter of a team. These are your “people skills” and they make you a most effective leader. Writes Malone:

“Shifting focus from personal productivity to supporting subordinates is a major part of the transition to management. Similarly, good managers must turn their attention away from the measurable metrics of the present toward a vision for the unpredictable future. For an employee looking to grow into a leadership role, these changes in perspective are as important as learning to communicate.” (Michael Malone, “The Secret to Midcareer Success,” Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2018)

It is so important that both technical and interpersonal skills are in full play, especially when individuals within a company move into managerial positions and higher.  One must be thinking about succession all the time across all departments. 

We believe that those who chose to grow in their area of expertise, perspective and outlook must constantly enhance their secondary skills and empower others to be "WE" leaders. Fostering the future of individuals on a team translates into the longevity of a company. 

Pick Up the Phone and Call

In recent posts, I’ve talked about ways to build collaboration, identify expectations for meetings, how to allow for time in your daily calendars to think, and how to discuss challenges and develop solutions human to human. If you are one of my regular readers, you’re developing a good kit of practical business tools and tips to help you grow your business attributes as a leader with the foundation to build a successful team.   

One of your most valuable tools is communication. I find it ironic that one of the reasons people live by their cellphones is to be available anywhere, at anytime to take a call and yet, people tend to do anything possible to avoid picking up the phone.

One of the most important business tips I can give is to “pick up the phone” and call the person or client. 

The trouble with this fast-paced, technology-revolutionized modern world we live in is that we are all trying to find ways to be more efficient and save time, but we are all inundated with communication.  I’d like to suggest that instead of sending so many emails and texts, practice making a phone call (or meeting someone in person).

More and more studies in business reports and journals show that the key to being more efficient in your day-to-day operations is to pick up the phone and call.  With so much electronic noise, no one is taking the time necessary to read through a chain of emails and synthesize what is really being discussed. 

When trying to schedule a meeting, people will spend hours going back and forth to secure a date and time. Why not just pick up the phone to call the person, compare calendars and schedule a time to meet—which generally takes around five minutes?  With that, you have an opportunity to interact in conversation with the person and ask them about their day. (Remember how great that feels, fellow human?)

I listened to an interview recently with a notable doctor of psychology who has spent the last decade researching the rapid growth of depression and anxiety in our culture.  He found that, as humans, our number one necessity is the need for interaction with others. He asked this question:  If you had a problem, how many people in your immediate circle of business colleagues or friends could you talk to? Several years ago, the majority of subjects could easily list three to four people. Today, the overwhelming response was zero among the people in the study!

In a recent team meeting, we were discussing the workflow of a project—schedules and deadlines with the various departments involved—in order to achieve successful completion and implementation.  I asked if all the department leaders and team members had been contacted, via a one-on-one meeting or phone call regarding the final schedule. Immediately, the response I heard was, “Yes, they were included on the email chain, so they should have read the plan.”

I then asked the lead of this project if they had actually contacted the other department leaders to verify that they had read the email and were prepared to implement the schedule for the project.  Silence took over the room, followed by a quiet “No.” No one had had a direct person-to-person meet or talk with leaders from the other departments or their team members!

I suggested that we pick up the phone and call the other department leaders on the spot. Some were able to take our call during our meeting.  We learned that they had looked at the email but were waiting to hear form the leader of another group to discuss the next steps forward to better prepare their schedules to meet the deadlines. 

What a great lesson for everyone. Issue solved. No unnecessary delays or miscommunication.  Direct person-to-person communication can actually save time, improve communications and allow everyone to take ownership of a SUCCESSFUL project.   

Sharing in conversation and truly listening builds a trusted and time-effective, collaborative environment for both one’s internal and external clients. 

·      Pick up the phone and call.

·      Leave a message if they are not there.

·      Make sure your message is specific about why you are calling.

·      Have a purpose for the call and be mindful of their time and schedules.

·      Be genuine in your conversation—talk about other topics beside a work item or deadline.

Take the time to pick up the phone. Too much gets lost in email translations.