Seeking Perfection

I consider Seattle, WA one of my favorite cities and have visited nearly a dozen times over the years.  I recently visited a close friend who lives in Seattle and was able to experience new adventures and visit establishments that I have never been to before.  One of my standout experiences was visiting the Zig Zag Cafe.

A little history on the Zig Zag Cafe before I share my experience.  The Zig Zag is regarded as having the best bartenders in the Seattle area.  Becoming a head bartender is really an apprenticeship that comes to age with mentoring and patience - not rushed and no shortcuts.  In fact, rumor has it that the #2 bartender in Seattle who worked at a competing bar and was revered by local cocktail connoisseurs, quit to join the team at Zig Zag.  He did not pour a cocktail the first year he worked there.  If you are familiar with Zig Zag you likely recognize the name Murray.  Murray has earned the recognition as one of America's Top 10 Bartenders.  Unfortunately I was not able to meet Murray or observe his craft.  Instead, Eric was bar tending the evening I visited.  Eric is one of Murray's apprentices and like any Jedi in training, eventually the Jedi becomes a master.

From the moment we entered the cafe, Eric became aware of our presence while he was preparing someones drink.  A quick look up to acknowledge me and my friend.  As the host escorted us to the bar my friend mentioned to me that it had been over a year since he had stopped into the Zig Zag.  The moment we sat down Eric had placed a glass of ice water with napkin in front of each of us and said, "Good evening gentlemen.  It's been a while since we've seen you Mr. Gates [referring to my friend]."  Eric and my friend exchanged pleasantries and I was introduced.  Eric asked, "What would you like this evening?"  My friend replied, "I'll have the usual." - testing Eric's memory.  Eric did not miss a beat and confirmed, "Ketel One straight up."  While this impressive display of memory was playing out, the wait staff were coming up to the bar from three different locations and placing orders with Eric for the dozens of tables they were serving.  The coming and going of the wait staff was like watching bees arrive at their hive, make a deposit, then depart to search for more pollen.  Eric was also calmly looking to his left and right to ensure the patrons sitting at the bar were satisfied.

As we sat enjoying our martini's and took in the ambiance, Eric prepared dozens and dozens of drinks with a precision I have never witnessed before.  Every, literally every, drink prepared was tested at least once before leaving the bar.  Eric would use a cocktail straw and his finger tip to cap the end of the straw (this traps the liquid in the straw), remove it from the cocktail and drink the contents of the straw.  He would then approve the drink and pass it to the waiter for delivery or he would make an adjustment to the drink so it tasted perfect.  Most of the time the adjustment was a drop, or two, of one of the ingredients that was required to make the perfect balance.  After each adjustment he would place a new cocktail straw into the drink and test it again.  On rare occasion (of the 100+ drinks I watched him make he did this once) he would pour the drink out and start over.  Again, as Eric's attention to the smallest detail would appear all consuming he still would engage with the patrons.  Looking up at us, "Mr. Gates, I don't think any one's order Louis since you last visited."  At this moment someone from behind the bar needed Eric's attention and pulled him away for a brief conversation.  When Eric returned my buddy said, "My friend's visiting from out of town so let's have two."  Eric grabbed two cognac snifters and began preparing our glasses that would contain the cognac.  First he filled two tumbler glasses with hot water and then set the snifters of cognac on their side on top of the tumbler so the Louis would warm up.  As he was doing this my friend asked Eric if they have any Port Ellen and in a blink Eric had grabbed a bottle (8th Release) from the shelf and placed it in front of us while continuing to prepare our drinks.  Eric asked if I had tried the Port Ellen and I answered no to which he poured me a complimentary taste of the $400 bottle of scotch.  As I enjoyed the Port Ellen I watched Eric complete the heating ritual and present our glasses of cognac.

What inspired me the most about Eric was watching someone who is dedicated to their craft and seeks perfection.  His awareness, memory, precision, attention to detail, multitasking, focus and passion were astonishing to watch.  It truly was like watching a professional athlete do their thing.

Customer Relationships

Have you ever struggled with the issue of professional contact with customers from a previous job?  If you have, you are not alone.  Over the past 16 years of my career, I have worked directly with a customer base or managed others who have a customer base.  I have witnessed employees voluntarily and involuntarily resign and then struggle with how to professionally stay in touch with their customer base.  This becomes a challenge if your prior employer views your interest of wanting to stay in touch with old clients as an attempt to solicit them to follow you to the new company, often a competitor, that you are working for.

The divided view on this topic can be generalized as such:
Company's Position: The customers belong to the company.  The reason an individual was able to have a successful business partnership with their customers was due to resources provided by the company and the delivery of any services or products was the result of the company - not an individual.  i.e. the company's brand in the market place has value and the company's business tools (brochures, business cards, website, etc...) aided in capturing the customer's business.  If the individual employee resigns - the company will replace them and service continues uninterrupted.
Employee's Position: The customers have a relationship with the individual employee and that is a result of personality, commitment, and ability to gain the customer's trust.  If the customer chooses to stay in touch or follow the employee to another business - that is the customer's choice.  Some employees feel it is appropriate to directly contact their customer's and inform them of where they will be going to work.

Often there are non-solicit agreements between employees and employers that spell out the "do's" and "dont's" of interacting with previous customers over a specific period of time (typically 12 months).

My recommendation is to be ethical and adhere to any contract you agreed to.  At all costs do not burn a bridge, even if you completely disagree with the former employer.  At the same time, I recognize business contacts (former customers) are a crucial component to success and starting over can be time consuming.  I recommend using a business social media tool to establish a neutral connection that gives you access to your contacts without having to solicit them.  For example;

• Plaxo
• ZoomInfo
• LinkedIn

I suggest choosing one.  I have accounts with all three and although there are differences, basically they are all the same.  I find I use LinkedIn the most.  In my opinion this is a neutral meeting point for people that want to network.  Although your relationship may have initiated through a previous employer, you have something new to offer an old customer.

Signature Strengths

One of my favorite books is Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald Clifton. I agree with the authors' theme of focusing on your strengths and managing your weaknesses.  I was impressed with their online "Strengths Finder" test and found it quite accurate in identifying "Signature Themes".

My top five themes are:
1) Strategic
2) Competition
3) Individualization
4) Command
5) Focus

One of the most significant self-realizations in my life occurred to me after I began paying attention to my signature themes. I noticed when I executed my signature themes in various daily situations. After a while, I began to notice more. When I experienced a deep feeling of satisfaction about my work or in giving advice to a friend, I realized that I was exhibiting one or more of my signature themes.  To use a sports analogy, it felt like catching a long pass or throwing a hard strike; doing what you intended to do and being appreciated for it.

As my self awareness grew, I recognized that my most successful moments and my most successful roles within a company were a direct result of utilizing more than one of my signature themes on a regular basis. The combination of being in the right role, with appropriately matched responsibilities, plus being surrounded by an environment that provided challenging opportunities was ideal for me.

The purpose of this post is to encourage people to identify what they are good at and look for opportunities to execute their talents on a regular basis. If you have hit a dead end in your current job, perhaps you should talk to your manager about taking on a new role, a role that matches your strengths to the opportunity.

Bob Young

I had the opportunity to hear Bob Young speak this morning. Bob is the former CEO of Red Hat and the current CEO of LuLu. He did a great job of mixing in his successful business experiences with a sense of humility and humor.

Bob's advice to everyone was simply stated as A - B - C.

Alignment - pick one thing and be good at it. He used the metaphor from the movie City Slickers to elaborate his point. In the movie when Mitch asked Curly what the meaning of life was and Curly said its "one" thing. Curly died before he could tell Mitch what it was but later on Mitch realizes it does not matter what the "one" thing is as long as it is your "one" thing.
Better - Be a little better each day - the compound interest concept. Every day teach yourself a little more about your industry and as time passes you will become competent or intermediate and eventually expert.
Customer - All about the customer - make them successful. If your focus is to make your customer successful they will stick with you. Be careful because the customer is not always right. When they are wrong our job is to help them realize the difference between "Needs vs Wants". Help them achieve their "Needs" and you will have a business partnership for life. If you get caught up in focusing on their "Wants", you fail more than succeed and may eventually be viewed as ineffective.

S.T.A.R.

I learned of behavior based interviewing about 10 years ago. The goal of this type of interview is to learn how the candidate behaves in situations that they are likely to encounter in a professional environment. Most questions begin with "tell me about a situation you were in when..." The interviewer is not looking for a "best answer" but rather trying to understand what the interviewee learned from the situation - even if the experience was not positive/successful.

A successful strategy to structure your reply to these types of questions is using the S.T.A.R. approach. Your answer should be focused on the the Situation you were in, what your Task/s were, the course of Action you took and the Result. Again, even if the result was not ideal you can explain how you learned from it.

Practicing the S.T.A.R approach with someone before you go to an interview is extremely beneficial. Just like the interviewer is not looking for a specific answer, you should not be trying to come up with a specific response. The purpose of practicing is to help you to discover "your" answer so it flows naturally from you during the interview.

Connecting via LinkedIn

I have been using LinkedIn for a number of years as a tool to stay in touch with people. In the past few years I have been using it for business development. In my experience people do not always reply to an invitation to connect - I have found a way to change this. I recently started sending a thank you note to people I meet via a LinkedIn invitation. I write a personal note thanking them for meeting with me and at the end I include “If you use LinkedIn, I would like to connect with you”. I have seen my acceptance percentage increase as well as the time it takes someone to accept.

Winning Managers

When an assistant coach or head coach resigns from a sports team to move elsewhere, it is viewed as a good move for the coach. Most of the commentary is how the move was strategic, i.e. the person moving will have greater control of the new organization they go to or the assistant will gain new experience that will ultimately move them closer to a head coach opportunity.

In my professional experience I have seen the same thing happen with Winning Managers. Think of Winning Managers as people who have succeeded within their role, i.e. reached their profitability goals, controlled team attrition, grew gross revenues with client accounts, etc.

I have noticed most Winning Managers want to be promoted to a Vice President role or Senior Executive - just as an assistant coach works toward a head coach position.

Like you, I have personally experienced career situations where I could not advance. The reasons vary for everyone and are typically one of the following: the position you are aiming for is held by someone who will not be leaving soon, your current boss is not capable or willing to help you grow to the next level, the opportunity is there but the company culture or their product/service is not what you are passionate about or the company you are with does not have a career path in place.

So what's my point? If you are a Winning Manager do not feel like you have to work with one company for the majority of your career in order to advance. Be careful of too many job changes on your resume but as long as you are taking on more responsibility, increasing your salary, and working for companies with recognized brands, you will get to where you want to be. So if you can not make it to the next level where you are at, it may be time to resign.

Thank You Notes

I have a long-standing personal rule about sending hand-written thank you notes to any prospects that agree to meet with me. I recently expanded my thank you note rule to include the speakers of any business events I attend. When the event concludes I make my way to the speaker and introduce myself and engage in conversation. I will also ask for their business card before leaving. I generally send out my thank you cards within a week of meeting someone.

I believe it is simply good manners to thank someone. However, it also can help you if you intend on following up with that person to pursue a business partnership. Your thank you card may help you stand out in that person’s mind and thereby they’ll be inclined to meet you again.

Executive Summary by Whom?

If you are a job seeker and you work with a recruiter, odds are your resume will include an executive summary. The executive summary will either be in the body of an email, which is sent to the hiring authority, or it may be added to the top of the resume. The purpose of the executive summary is to capture attention and draw the reader into the resume with interest. Typically recruiters write the executive summary after speaking with the job seeker. My recommendation is to have the job seeker write it. The job seeker knows their own experience better than anyone. This will save the recruiter some time and it will likely yield a stronger executive summary since the job seekers know themselves better than anyone. I also recommend the recruiter review and make any necessary edits.

Gratitude

I had a meeting today with the owner of a business based in Raleigh, NC. During our conversation I shared with him that I have a blog. He asked me why I created the blog. I told him that I wanted to share with others what I have learned from those kind enough to mentor me throughout my career. I also shared with him that when I find myself passing along advice to a friend or colleague I'll try capture my thoughts and post it on my blog. Here is the link to my first blog which explains why I was inspired to create this.

As I found myself reflecting on this conversation throughout the rest of my day, it dawned on me that I have not thanked those who have helped me along the way in my blog. The purpose of this post is to do just that. I am grateful for the patience and mentoring I received from the following former colleagues - some of whom have become friends of mine.

David Wagner

Kathy Norton

Jim Simon

Virginia Meyer

Mike Noblett

Patrick Walker

Mark Novotny

I believe my career has greatly benefited from knowing each of these individuals. And as Virginia would say, thank you for being you.

Moving On

In Fortune magazine's February 2008 issue there is a "100 Best Companies To Work For" article. There is also a nice article titled "How to Get Hired by a 'Best' Company". This article reminds me of many I have read over the years regarding tips on how to better your chances of getting hired or even improving your resume. Although I generally find these articles helpful, they can be overwhelming to the person who has not gone through the process of leaving their employer and searching out a new employer. For those people I suggest breaking down the process into segments.

First, have you decided to leave your current employer or can you salvage your situation? A good blog on this topic can be found at Resigning.

Once you have decided to move on you should update your resume and have someone (career manager/mentor) who will give you honest feedback look it over and offer criticism. Ideally, partner with a recruiter to assist you with this.

Next, identify the top 20 companies you would like to work for and then ask your network if they know any hiring managers at those companies. Direct contact with a hiring manager is important to increase your odds of a face to face interview.

Now the real work begins. Start applying through your contacts and the old fashion way if you don't have contacts at your targeted companies. Many of the people I know apply through a company's website and then wait. I often hear that they applied months ago and never heard back. This does not surprise me. There are many reasons why this process is delayed and inefficient but that is another blog for another day. Take the time to go into the company (if it is local) and drop off a printed copy of your resume and cover letter in a nice binder. Be sure to ask who the human resources manager is so you can follow up later with a direct phone call. Also, inquire if there are any interviewing sessions scheduled in the upcoming weeks.

After you have applied to all the companies on your list, set a schedule to follow up with each one. I recommend calling or emailing your contacts every three days until you have set an interview or learned that the company is not hiring. As you manage your follow up communication continue to look for additional companies to apply to. Don't assume you will find a new job among the initial companies you listed. Try adding two new companies each week. Remember, if you feel like you are not making progress don't despair - ask your career manager/mentor to troubleshoot with you.

NotchUp

Earlier this week I received an invitation to join NotchUp. Regarding membership, it is similar to GrandCentral where in order to join you must be invited or sign up on a waiting list and wait for an invitation. I completed my profile which makes me eligible to be paid to interview with companies that use NotchUp. Even though their website states companies like Google, Yahoo, Piczo and others are using it, I am not convinced this will catch on. I am still a fan of partnering with a recruiter. It is an interesting concept and if you are interested in learning how it works, there is an FAQ on their website. If you want to join send me an email and I will invite you.

The Toolbox

In business everyone has techniques and skills they use to accomplish what is expected of them. The situation you are in will determine the technique you choose from your internal toolbox of skills.

In my professional career my role has consistently been in a leadership capacity. As a result, I have been in many situations where I have had to defend my business reasoning against opposing views. I would often express myself with firmness and confidence. In fact, I would often become aggressive and raise my voice to make my point. Several years ago I was in a strategic meeting with a few co-workers of mine including my boss and a Senior Director who had flown in from the corporate office. The nature of the meeting was to present my analysis of an account I was managing, point out the challenges at that time and provide my recommendation. At the conclusion of my presentation the Senior Director dismissed my summary and began to intimate the challenges at hand were a result of my mishandling of the account and that he was in town to "fix it". This was not accurate and so I interrupted to set the record straight. I was very stern, raised my voice to show I was taking command of the situation and laid into him holding nothing back. At the conclusion of my point, the Senior Director had to excuse himself from the meeting.

About three months later I was in a different situation and was challenged by a manager on a decision I had made. In defending my decision, I used a technique similar to that of my face-off with the Senior Director. My boss called me and said he had heard how I had reacted and wanted to talk about it. He said to me, "To a man who's good with a hammer, everything looks like a nail." He continued to share with me that I was very good with my hammer but needed more tools in my toolbox. This statement made me realize I needed to focus on developing my communication skills.

Although I believe there is a time and place for using a "hammer", having a diverse toolbox makes you a stronger leader. Some additional tools I have focused on developing are:
1) Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
2) When I sense I am becoming defensive - take a short break.
3) Ask lots of questions - you will uncover important information and learn what motivates others.
4) Pay attention to how other people communicate.

Technology

I recently changed carriers for my mobile service. I left Sprint after six years for AT&T and so far I am very happy. My final year with Sprint was less than excellent and I will be posting a blog later that delves into my unpleasant experiences. Some other technology tools I have been using that I recommend are Jott, Grand Central and Google Mobile.

Jott converts voicemail messages into text messages or email. You call a single number from your mobile phone and through voice recognition software you choose someone from your contacts and speak your message out loud. Jott then converts your message and sends it. You can also Jott appointments that will post to your Google Calendar.

Grand Central provides you a phone number where you can point all other phone numbers you have to the Grand Central number. The benefit is you can have just one phone number to give out to people versus providing your work, home and mobile numbers. How it works is once you have set up your account and someone calls your Grand Central number, all of your other phones will ring simultaneously. That way you can be reached regardless of where you are. Once you answer you will be provided the option to screen the call, send it to voicemail or take it live. If someone leaves you a voicemail you will be notified via email that you have a message waiting for you.

Google Mobile has several features of interest. The two I am using are Maps and Sync. Google Maps is just like their online version. Google Sync enables my BlackBerry phone to synchronize with my Google Calendar.

Pros & Cons / Right & Wrong

Throughout my career I have seen my fair share of situations that turned from solving a problem into finding who's to blame for the problem. Somewhat related to this is the paralysis through analysis syndrome - spending too much time determining every conceivable pro & con before taking action. Conducting a post mortem is a valuable process in business - especially if you have not identified the root of a reoccurring problem. However, in business you need to continue moving forward. Solve the problem and move on. Each distraction that prevents you from taking the next step toward your business goals is ultimately wasted effort. In essence, you are allowing your competition to advance while you remain stagnant and if this is habitual for your company it becomes a demotivator for your team.

Leadership Part 3: Developing Problem Solvers

A great habit to cultivate among your employees is to think like a problem solver. The ability to solve problems or a disposition toward working toward solutions versus giving up is one of the best characteristics someone can have in business and life. To inspire this mind set among your team, simply require your employees to present two solutions to every problem or concern they bring to you. Over time you will see fewer and fewer problems being brought to your attention because they will be solved without your direct involvement. This skill is portable into other areas of business that will benefit both the employee and your company. When faced with difficult business challenges your employees will have the confidence to meet them head on. Last, you may not always be available and having fostered an environment that empowers employees to problem solve takes the pressure off of you.

Leadership Part 2: The Outside Expert

I remember learning early in my management career that familiarity diminishes credibility. What this means is the longer you lead a group of people the more they get used to hearing your vision and begin to take it for granted or even disassociate with it. How do you ignite the spark in your team when you encounter this? There are two simple answers. One, send your team to a conference in which the theme echos your vision. Two, bring someone in from outside your organization to present to your team.

Option One
Anytime someone attends a conference they are bound to hear a message or concept being delivered by a speaker they have not listened to before. Although the message or concept is likely not a new one (compliments your company's vision or core values), this will typically motivate them and provide that surge of excitement that was seemingly missing.

Option Two

Evaluate your network of contacts and focus on people who share a similar business outlook or that are in the same industry as you are. You can also find someone in a completely different industry that has a similar philosophy on customer service, account management, etc... If you don't have anyone in your network its time to start making new contacts. For example, if your company and team place a high value on customer service then make a list of the 10 best places you have received customer service. Include retail, restaurants, salons, personal trainers - anywhere you feel the service is excellent. Next, call and request a manager or senior staff member from one of these organizations visit your next team meeting and talk about their business and their perspective on customer care. If there is a specific area that you want highlighted, or draw a parallel to, let the presenter know ahead of time so they can incorporate it into their message. I have successfully done this when I brought in authors, insurance representatives, personal shoppers and restaurant managers to name a few.

It may not hit your team right away that the message they just heard from an "Outside Expert" is the same thing you have been telling them all along - but does that really matter? The goal is to get everyone motivated and excited again.

Nurturing Tips

1) When you come across an article that pertains to your customers business, seize the moment and send it to them. This lets your customer know you are thinking about them and engaged in their company.

2) When you are prospecting or networking and you encounter someone who could provide value to one of your customers, introduce them. Ideally the introduction you are making provides a potentially new customer for your client. Be careful you are not introducing a competitor to your service or product.

The Value of a Customer

As I was writing my last blog about increasing sales revenue, I thought about how important it is to maintain a healthy relationship with your existing customers. Again, existing customers are the lifeblood of your company's revenue. I know from personal experience as well as from reading various business books that the costs of a new account are significantly higher than the costs associated with fostering an existing account. This reinforces the importance of nurturing your existing accounts and doing everything possible to preserve them.

Think of the value from:
1) Being able to reference a healthy account when you are prospecting.
2) Knowing you have a steady flow of business.
3) Having an exclusive relationship and the credibility it provides you.
4) Receiving word of mouth referrals and public relations.

As a good friend once put it to me, the value of a customer is paramount.

Increasing Sales Revenue

There are four ways to increase revenue through sales.

1) Increase the price of your products or services to your existing customer base
2) Introduce new services or products to your existing customer base
3) Develop new buying relationships within your existing customer base
4) Increase your customer base by adding new customers

In my experience the first three listed above are easier and quicker to achieve versus building new business. I believe there is a correlation between working within your existing customer base and the adage, 80% of your revenue comes from 20% of your customers.