Q: Are we really in hard times?
A: Today it appears that we have been delivered harder times than we have experienced in the past. And as with anything else in life, uncertainty exacerbates the situation at hand. However it is times like this that makes me want to remind my friends and colleagues of that which we already know, mainly because these thoughts are so simple and fundamental;
1. Things are never as bad as they or the media makes them seem.
a. The economists that we listen to (and remain reassuringly consistent regardless of the news) tell us that the markets will begin to improve in February and that the stocks don't fall unless people buy. And people buy because they are convinced that stock prices will increase.
b. The media has always been the messenger of perceived doom and gloom from those who call themselves “experts” in these matters. Only if we allow ourselves to be lead into this black hole do their predictions come true.
c. We Americans are a resilient bunch and have demonstrated time and time again that we know how to overcome adversity and bring our lives back to normal. And I subscribe to you today that now is one of those times.
2. What you do in difficult times will result in greater rewards than what you do during the good times.
a. Difficult times make or break businesses, careers - and families. Make your own success by not getting distracted by the times and focusing on what is important, what you have to do. You'll benefit from being clear headed and conveying stability in these times, and it will benefit those around you as well.
b. From within your own circles of friends and/or influence demonstrate your leadership.
3. The best times quite often follow the worst times.
a. There can't be good times without bad times. Almost 3,000 years ago Solomon recognized that there is "a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away."
b. And although these are hard and uncertain times, we need not mourn.
c. We need not stick our heads in the sand.
d. We must as individuals and as a group be the “good times” leaders of the world.
A friend of mine told me recently, don’t be a lightning rod, but be the lighting that ignites the rod! I still firmly believe that in these economic times, we must be the leaders we claim to be during the good times. When the so called recovery comes, you will be so far ahead of your competition, it won’t even be funny. Put your “A” game face on, get into the trenches and make your markets, take no prisoners and grow yourself and your business!
As always, I wish you a tremendous week, filled with good spirits, good business, family and great health.
Nationally recognized Retained Executive Search and Employee Retention Specialist.
12/14/08
12/7/08
Rapid Response of Manager
Q: I have noticed a big difference among managers. It is not so much the varied technical skills or level of confidence but different senses of how quickly to move on a project. Any comments on this subject?
A: This sense of urgency you mention does make a difference in how effective you can be as a manager or sales professional. Certainly, a manager who presses ahead and gets the job done quickly will be viewed favorably by his/her constituents, other managers and the client. The sooner a solution is presented and implemented, the sooner a company can improve its effectiveness in the area in which demands the most attention. A manager who is a true leader bringing a sense of urgency will move faster through diagnosis, solution and implementation and encourage the staff to do the same.
However, remember that speed is not everything. Don't move so fast into a solution that the team is left behind. Many of us have solved the problem (or at least so we thought) on the first day and were anxious to implement the solution. But, unless a team wants and commits to a “buy-in” of a turnkey solution instead of mere advice on how they can address the issue, you do more harm than good by rushing.
Once you have the lay of the land in an engagement, discuss with your team and/or client what functions, processes and people are likely to be the "rate limiting step" of your implementation process. It might be information management, or staff scheduling, or approvals. Agree with your team(s) which ones are worth waiting for and which ones hinder rapid results. With this mutual understanding, and recognizing that some elements of your operation may not be able to move as fast as everyone wants, you can press ahead as fast as you have explicitly agreed with your team.
Changes in a client's market or overall economic conditions do present a challenge for management and sales teams. However, if you are in a position to see how your client or market is changing, it is also a great opportunity to increase the value you can provide.
Almost every change in an organization means a change on the organization chart. Positions are added or removed. Reporting relationship are typically altered. Overall structure may be leveled or new layers added. Each of these changes presents an opportunity to provide some services to smooth the transition. Ostensibly, these changes were thought out and intentional. However, sometimes they are made with some, but not enough, forethought.
Once you feel you have a solid grasp of the emerging situation, develop some recommendations of how your plan(s) might help the transition. Thinking at the highest level will help you better understand your needs and the needs of your team and clients and will likely let them see you in a more strategic light.
Have a safe and prosperous week. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
George Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources, Inc.
Grinnell, Iowa
A: This sense of urgency you mention does make a difference in how effective you can be as a manager or sales professional. Certainly, a manager who presses ahead and gets the job done quickly will be viewed favorably by his/her constituents, other managers and the client. The sooner a solution is presented and implemented, the sooner a company can improve its effectiveness in the area in which demands the most attention. A manager who is a true leader bringing a sense of urgency will move faster through diagnosis, solution and implementation and encourage the staff to do the same.
However, remember that speed is not everything. Don't move so fast into a solution that the team is left behind. Many of us have solved the problem (or at least so we thought) on the first day and were anxious to implement the solution. But, unless a team wants and commits to a “buy-in” of a turnkey solution instead of mere advice on how they can address the issue, you do more harm than good by rushing.
Once you have the lay of the land in an engagement, discuss with your team and/or client what functions, processes and people are likely to be the "rate limiting step" of your implementation process. It might be information management, or staff scheduling, or approvals. Agree with your team(s) which ones are worth waiting for and which ones hinder rapid results. With this mutual understanding, and recognizing that some elements of your operation may not be able to move as fast as everyone wants, you can press ahead as fast as you have explicitly agreed with your team.
Changes in a client's market or overall economic conditions do present a challenge for management and sales teams. However, if you are in a position to see how your client or market is changing, it is also a great opportunity to increase the value you can provide.
Almost every change in an organization means a change on the organization chart. Positions are added or removed. Reporting relationship are typically altered. Overall structure may be leveled or new layers added. Each of these changes presents an opportunity to provide some services to smooth the transition. Ostensibly, these changes were thought out and intentional. However, sometimes they are made with some, but not enough, forethought.
Once you feel you have a solid grasp of the emerging situation, develop some recommendations of how your plan(s) might help the transition. Thinking at the highest level will help you better understand your needs and the needs of your team and clients and will likely let them see you in a more strategic light.
Have a safe and prosperous week. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.
George Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources, Inc.
Grinnell, Iowa
11/1/08
Are You Going to Lead Us Out of this Crisis?
Q. Are you going to be a leader in this crisis or a hopeful tag-a-long follower?
A. Two weeks ago I wrote a short newsletter entitled “Is the Sky Really Falling?” I received over 100 comments about the article, most all were positive. So I’d like to give you my humble (or not so humble depending on how you look at it,) opinion about the recovery process.
All week I have been hearing about layoffs, cut backs and temporary and in some cases permanent closings of plants and service operations. Okay so now the reality seems to be setting in that for the last 24 months or so you haven’t prepared for any serious down turn in your business and now that problem looms large over your operation. You can’t go back but you can go forward, beginning today, right now, no more excuses, and the time has come to act aggressively. No more sitting back and waiting…..become a leader….make it happen….show the world what you are truly made of!
I believe you have two choices:
1. Sit back and take a wait and see posture and hope that SOMEBODY begins the turnaround sooner rather than later. And if you are lucky, it will be sooner and you won’t go out of business before it happens. However in this scenario I ask you, WHO IS “SOMEBODY?” Does somebody have a name? Is it our government? Our lawmakers? The big players in the business world? WHO?
2. Or in the second choice, YOU can be the market maker. This is the time when you should be advertising, you should be pushing your sales departments to get 10 times as aggressive, offer deals you never thought possible to stimulate sales, make purchases that improve your operation. Are you bullish on YOU? Are you bullish on YOUR TEAM? Are you confident that YOU can be a leader in your industry from a small role to a large role? If you answers are NO, then you should revert back to item 1 above and maybe even consider updating your resume.
There are over 700 people that I send this newsletter to weekly. And each and every one of you is capable of leading your company out of this so called mess we are in. The election is 2 days away…..no matter what the results, ask yourselves…..NOW WHAT? What excuses am I going to use now? Am I going to be in category 1 or 2 above?
You really can’t use gas as an excuse as the price of gas in falling rapidly. Thursday night I paid $1.97 a gallon and that’s a far cry from the $4.10+ we all had to endure. I think of all of the negative comments around the world about how high gas prices were going to be our doom and how America was going to be crippled. Guess what folks we survived and continue to survive. We as individuals acted and reacted and we prevailed, which is the way it is suppose to be.
SOMEBODY is making changes or the gas wouldn’t be coming down. The truckers we speak to are “quietly” busier than ever so that certainly indicates that SOMEBODY has done something different. If the truckers would have thrown in the towel when diesel got so high, where would be today without trucking? It happened because SOMEBODY made a plan and became the leader and changed the process to work for them, their companies and their industry.
Again I ask, what is SOMEBODY’s name? Just think if each of you follows my suggestion, there will be 700+ new plans of attacks beginning now. Next week may I substitute the word SOMEBODY for your name?
Two months left in 2008 and I wish you tremendous success in the race to the finish line. Have a tremendous week.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso
Gman Business Resources, Inc.
A. Two weeks ago I wrote a short newsletter entitled “Is the Sky Really Falling?” I received over 100 comments about the article, most all were positive. So I’d like to give you my humble (or not so humble depending on how you look at it,) opinion about the recovery process.
All week I have been hearing about layoffs, cut backs and temporary and in some cases permanent closings of plants and service operations. Okay so now the reality seems to be setting in that for the last 24 months or so you haven’t prepared for any serious down turn in your business and now that problem looms large over your operation. You can’t go back but you can go forward, beginning today, right now, no more excuses, and the time has come to act aggressively. No more sitting back and waiting…..become a leader….make it happen….show the world what you are truly made of!
I believe you have two choices:
1. Sit back and take a wait and see posture and hope that SOMEBODY begins the turnaround sooner rather than later. And if you are lucky, it will be sooner and you won’t go out of business before it happens. However in this scenario I ask you, WHO IS “SOMEBODY?” Does somebody have a name? Is it our government? Our lawmakers? The big players in the business world? WHO?
2. Or in the second choice, YOU can be the market maker. This is the time when you should be advertising, you should be pushing your sales departments to get 10 times as aggressive, offer deals you never thought possible to stimulate sales, make purchases that improve your operation. Are you bullish on YOU? Are you bullish on YOUR TEAM? Are you confident that YOU can be a leader in your industry from a small role to a large role? If you answers are NO, then you should revert back to item 1 above and maybe even consider updating your resume.
There are over 700 people that I send this newsletter to weekly. And each and every one of you is capable of leading your company out of this so called mess we are in. The election is 2 days away…..no matter what the results, ask yourselves…..NOW WHAT? What excuses am I going to use now? Am I going to be in category 1 or 2 above?
You really can’t use gas as an excuse as the price of gas in falling rapidly. Thursday night I paid $1.97 a gallon and that’s a far cry from the $4.10+ we all had to endure. I think of all of the negative comments around the world about how high gas prices were going to be our doom and how America was going to be crippled. Guess what folks we survived and continue to survive. We as individuals acted and reacted and we prevailed, which is the way it is suppose to be.
SOMEBODY is making changes or the gas wouldn’t be coming down. The truckers we speak to are “quietly” busier than ever so that certainly indicates that SOMEBODY has done something different. If the truckers would have thrown in the towel when diesel got so high, where would be today without trucking? It happened because SOMEBODY made a plan and became the leader and changed the process to work for them, their companies and their industry.
Again I ask, what is SOMEBODY’s name? Just think if each of you follows my suggestion, there will be 700+ new plans of attacks beginning now. Next week may I substitute the word SOMEBODY for your name?
Two months left in 2008 and I wish you tremendous success in the race to the finish line. Have a tremendous week.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso
Gman Business Resources, Inc.
10/25/08
Is The Sky Really Falling?
October 19,2008
Q: Is the sky really falling?
A: If you listen to the all of the “expert” newscasters, the answer is yes. These folks seem to be able to tell us of the doom and gloom all over the world. And they ride those stories into the ground and over just about any other news item. I’ve even considered not voting in the general election because these so called analytical geniuses who apparently were given an over abundance of brains and psychic abilities have already told me who is going to be our next President.
There is no doubt that Wall Street is demonstrating such a wild ride that even the most formidable roller coaster is jealous. But why should you watch just those indicators? Personally I believe another opportunity of a lifetime is right before our very eyes.
Take a serious look at the “big boys” for a serious predictor; T. Boone Pickens, Warren Buffet and yes even Donald Trump. Have you heard even one story of these players sticking their heads in the sand or putting their proverbial tails between their legs and riding into the sunset?
In fact they and many other big players have become super aggressive. Buffet was quoted in the New York Times early this week stating, “…Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful.” Now doesn’t that speak volumes? And please don’t tell me he has the money and can afford it. That’s bunk. The only difference between big players and small players is the number of zeros at the end. The risk factors are the same or great for them.
The sky is only going to fall in on your world if you let it. This situation exemplifies many of my previous newsletters. It is imperative that you keep the sales hopper filled at ALL times. When times are good it’s when the sales teams need to work with more definition and continued diligence. When they are successfully selling services and products their demeanor is in the win/win mode. Business people want to do business with winners. If you have set back on your laurels, get off your butts and give positive direction to your team. Be a leader…..put your growth face on and make it happen!
One final example; we Americans didn’t take the high dollar gas prices lying down. We got smart and slowed down and drove less. Surpluses were up and prices are really coming down. In fact here in the Midwest it’s below $2.50 a gallon. We showed the oil companies, the government and any other entities that had their hands in the gas process that we just were NOT going to take it. So why should we take this bump in the road of our business lives? We shouldn’t….end of story…..we shouldn’t! No guilt here but the choice is yours….your business (growth) burden lies directly on your shoulders.
Don’t fall prey to the news media and all the pundits. Step up to the plate, get aggressive and remake your market. Reinvent yourself or your company, but don’t run and hide and hope somebody else “fixes” it.
Hopefully, you will go out this week and truly make a difference. Best wishes and good health.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
Q: Is the sky really falling?
A: If you listen to the all of the “expert” newscasters, the answer is yes. These folks seem to be able to tell us of the doom and gloom all over the world. And they ride those stories into the ground and over just about any other news item. I’ve even considered not voting in the general election because these so called analytical geniuses who apparently were given an over abundance of brains and psychic abilities have already told me who is going to be our next President.
There is no doubt that Wall Street is demonstrating such a wild ride that even the most formidable roller coaster is jealous. But why should you watch just those indicators? Personally I believe another opportunity of a lifetime is right before our very eyes.
Take a serious look at the “big boys” for a serious predictor; T. Boone Pickens, Warren Buffet and yes even Donald Trump. Have you heard even one story of these players sticking their heads in the sand or putting their proverbial tails between their legs and riding into the sunset?
In fact they and many other big players have become super aggressive. Buffet was quoted in the New York Times early this week stating, “…Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful.” Now doesn’t that speak volumes? And please don’t tell me he has the money and can afford it. That’s bunk. The only difference between big players and small players is the number of zeros at the end. The risk factors are the same or great for them.
The sky is only going to fall in on your world if you let it. This situation exemplifies many of my previous newsletters. It is imperative that you keep the sales hopper filled at ALL times. When times are good it’s when the sales teams need to work with more definition and continued diligence. When they are successfully selling services and products their demeanor is in the win/win mode. Business people want to do business with winners. If you have set back on your laurels, get off your butts and give positive direction to your team. Be a leader…..put your growth face on and make it happen!
One final example; we Americans didn’t take the high dollar gas prices lying down. We got smart and slowed down and drove less. Surpluses were up and prices are really coming down. In fact here in the Midwest it’s below $2.50 a gallon. We showed the oil companies, the government and any other entities that had their hands in the gas process that we just were NOT going to take it. So why should we take this bump in the road of our business lives? We shouldn’t….end of story…..we shouldn’t! No guilt here but the choice is yours….your business (growth) burden lies directly on your shoulders.
Don’t fall prey to the news media and all the pundits. Step up to the plate, get aggressive and remake your market. Reinvent yourself or your company, but don’t run and hide and hope somebody else “fixes” it.
Hopefully, you will go out this week and truly make a difference. Best wishes and good health.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
10/12/08
Stay Focused
October 12, 2008
Q: When is comes to sales or the business world in general, what's the
secret to finding the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow"?
A: I wished I was smart enough to have all the perfect answers for this question. As you might guess, there is no satisfying and complete answer to this question. One suggestion might be to closely observe the key characteristics of two types: those who smoothly surf the "ocean" towards success and those who get knocked over by every wave. What might you see?
I believe the most successful professionals are those who know how to:
• See and seize every opportunity
• Save and invest wisely
• Create value for others and translate it into value for them.
• Protect their good ideas and effectively market them.
• Leverage their work and repackage it into books, seminars, speaking, etc.
• Leverage the skills of others in order to get something accomplished.
• Put their clients first and keep a close tab on their customer's needs at all times.
• Effectively promote themselves and become more sought after.
• Be more effective and proficient than most others in their field.
• Simply want it more.
How many of these things are being done by the successful sales and/or management people you have chosen to observe?
There are many things that you can do in your career to help point you in the direction of the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." One thing is fairly certain: you are in the driver's seat. Make a list of goals, actions, and directions today and stop burning or wasting daylight. The time to act is now no matter what your career or job entails.
As always, please accept my wish for a great and healthy week. Your questions or comments are truly welcome.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso
Q: When is comes to sales or the business world in general, what's the
secret to finding the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow"?
A: I wished I was smart enough to have all the perfect answers for this question. As you might guess, there is no satisfying and complete answer to this question. One suggestion might be to closely observe the key characteristics of two types: those who smoothly surf the "ocean" towards success and those who get knocked over by every wave. What might you see?
I believe the most successful professionals are those who know how to:
• See and seize every opportunity
• Save and invest wisely
• Create value for others and translate it into value for them.
• Protect their good ideas and effectively market them.
• Leverage their work and repackage it into books, seminars, speaking, etc.
• Leverage the skills of others in order to get something accomplished.
• Put their clients first and keep a close tab on their customer's needs at all times.
• Effectively promote themselves and become more sought after.
• Be more effective and proficient than most others in their field.
• Simply want it more.
How many of these things are being done by the successful sales and/or management people you have chosen to observe?
There are many things that you can do in your career to help point you in the direction of the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." One thing is fairly certain: you are in the driver's seat. Make a list of goals, actions, and directions today and stop burning or wasting daylight. The time to act is now no matter what your career or job entails.
As always, please accept my wish for a great and healthy week. Your questions or comments are truly welcome.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso
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