How Strong Is YOUR Creative Process?

A great deal can be accomplished if you are defined and methodical in your approach to dealing effectively with people.  But a great deal more can be achieved if you add creativity into the mix.

 Several years ago I was consulting for a regional sales organization and as part of the process I would ride with each sales person for one or more days.  This of course gave me tremendous insight into the company, their process and methodologies and gave me numerous clues how to help them individually as well as a company as a whole.

 While riding with Tony, one of their top salesmen, we passed a warehouse that was over 1,000,000 square feet.  Tony pointed at the facility and said, “I know this company buys from my competitor who has a national footprint, but I wished there was a way I could get a shot at their business.”

That evening I had Tony put himself in the Presidents shoes and requested he write down 10 questions he would ask a potential new vendor.  It took some thinking but the task was achieved. 

 Then I helped him draft a letter to the President, stating only who he was, who he represented and then said, “I have put myself in YOUR shoes Mr. President and have defined 10 critical questions I would ask me, a potential new vendor, who could be a benefit to our organization.  I plan to call you on Friday to set up a 15 minute appointment to share with you those questions.”

 He made the call, got the appointment and when he sat down several days later, the President said to him, “so you thought of 10 questions, eh?  Well so did I.  What do you say we exchange papers to see just how close we are?”  They did and amazingly 8 out of the 10 were almost identical to each other. 

 Tony got the account, small at first but grew into a tremendous and profitable customer.  How did he do that?  He put himself in the prospects shoes.  Thought like him and methodically designed a plan, executed the plan and closed the sale.  He demonstrated he cared, was capable and had a can do attitude filled with creativity.

 Why this wouldn’t work when managing people or projects or active customers?  People are impressed and take notice of creativity, especially if it demonstrates that you care.  Creativity is part of you demonstrating your desire to serve and make any given situation a win/win and not your way or the highway.

 You should think of solving a problem for a prospect, your employees or a project instead of just trying to get your point across or only sell your products.  When your creativity aura shines because you care and that you are truly concerned, all will take notice.

 This is the second week of the month of July.  Have you reached your sales and management goals to date?  Go out and make this a tremendous week for you and all around you.

 Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC - CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

What’s wrong with hiring managers?

June 16, 2013

QUESTION FROM A READER:  What’s wrong with hiring managers?  I am an executive recruiter for a major recruiting firm based in the Midwest.  And it is my humble opinion, that of late, hiring managers have lost their moral core.  They play with candidates emotions, they use me to bring qualified candidates to the table then quietly search for “knock offs” of my candidate so they won’t have to pay my agreed upon fee.  Besides the recruiters in my office, are we the only ones experiencing this?
(Marissa L., Professional Recruiter, Omaha, NE)

ANSWER:  The answer is not only no, but HELL NO!!!  As most of you know Client Growth Consultants is an executive search firm, so believe me when I tell you that I do have firsthand current knowledge of this subject. 

I have well over 200 recruiter “friends” across the U.S. with whom I stay in touch in one form or another. And they are all talking about this subject.  And maybe you are correct in your assessment that their moral cores have been damaged and overcome with greed.
So from two standpoints, please allow me to make these comments:

1.    IF YOU ARE A RECRUITER:  You must get your client committed to your services.  It’s okay to ask if you are going to be competing with them in the search.  It’s okay to ask who else is involved in the search.  Its okay for you to set the mutually agreed upon ground rules. And I firmly believe it is critically important for your client to understand that this is how YOU make an honest living. 

a.    The work we do is very labor intense and many times we go through 10 x 10 candidates to find them 2 or 3 qualified. 

b.    Be a professional and get all of this out front and verbally spoken. 

c.    And if your client “burns” you, then wash them from your client list forever unless you just like working for free.

2.    IF YOU ARE A HIRING MANAGER; Please understand that treating a recruiter like Marisa as described above, is poor business, unethical and morally wrong.

a.     How would you feel if your professional employees were treated in this manner?

b.     Be honest and upfront.  If you plan to be involved in the search then make it known. 

c.    If the recruiter continues then it’s a risk he/she takes. 

d.    And don’t lie to candidates.  If you don’t think it’s a match, tell them.  Candidates are capable of hearing the good news and the bad.  And if you’re not honest it gives false hope. 

e.    Treat candidates exactly the way you’d like to be treated if it was YOU seeking employment. 

f.     The old saying that what goes around, comes around is more true in today’s market than ever.

 No doubt this newsletter will come across one sided and those most guilty we become those most offended.  Not really sorry, it’s just one of those honesty issues that needs to be addressed.  Never let it be said that I sugar coat the truth.  Your comments are always welcome and I would happy to give hiring managers equal time next week.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants.com

 

: ARE YOU A CONTROL FREAK?

 Time to face facts; you won’t be good at everything!  In fact, at some things you will be downright terrible.  However the bottom line is……”that’s okay.”

When I got out of the military, (well over 45+ years ago) I managed a fast food restaurant in Rochester, NY and it was staffed with mostly high school boys.  When they acted in a manner that I didn’t like, I had a certain pose and standard verbiage ready and waiting.  I used to put my hand on my hip and state in a loud voice for all to hear, “SCREW IT, YOU’RE FIRED!”  (And you thought Donald Trump coined that phrase.)

The difficulty was that every time I did this, I ended up working that person’s shift.  And one day I realized I was the one working 18 hour days because that decent employee was no longer there and probably not deserving of being terminated.  In one of my many long and on my feet 18 hour days I did a self inventory trying to find answers to my control freak attitude.

Why did I do that?  One word described it nicely.  FEAR!

Fear of losing control, fear of trusting others, fear of failure, fear that I wasn’t doing well enough and fear that I wouldn’t make a difference.  Needless to say, these ill-fated inner feelings didn’t last long and I learned quickly from my mistakes.

A long time business associate and dear friend, who recently passed away, said to me a few years back, “I wished someone would have told me all this before I accepted the reins as the CEO.  In looking back, I was truly a star performer, but I burned myself out in the process.  And what’s worse is that I burned out or burned off many good people in the run for excellence.”  For my friend his time was up.  But for you, there is still time to right the wrongs, fix the broken, and grow you and the people around you.

So I suggest to you today, take an HONEST INVENTORY of YOU;

Are you a leader or a follower?
Are you conservative or downright cheap?
Are you a team player or just on the team?
Are you a sales professional or a bean counter?
Are you a marketer of ideas or developer of concepts?
Do you make a difference or happy to just get through the day?
Do you give people their just acclimates or are you a glory hound?
Do you relate to others because you care or what they can do for you?
Do you help the people around you grow or do you walk on people to help you grow?
Are you a “know it all one stop decision maker” or do you take the advice of people around you?

As you can see the list could go on and on.  Where do you fall short?  How can you fill in those gaps?  Put your thoughts in writing as they will become more meaningful to you and then act on them.  Fix you and you’ll help fix the scene around you.   Nobody and I do mean NOBODY is capable of being all perfect to all people.  With that said please remember that the “smart” ones empower, get acceptance and accountability and give all the glory to those around them.

May the sun shine brightly on you this week.  If the staff at Client Growth Consultants can be of assistance to you, please call or write and we will respond immediately!

Regards,

George F. Mancuso
George F. Mancuso, CPC 

Time Waster's

Q:  About 2 years ago you sent us a newsletter about Time Wasting.  Although I have shared that with my staff over the last “many” months, I have somehow been able to locate the piece in my computer.  Would you kind enough to run it again for the edification of all?  (Rebecca D. EVP, Business Consulting)

A:  My pleasure:

Time management is one of the greatest challenges of any business professional.  With that in mind, I offer you the following;

 

1.        Time Waster:  Personal Issues brought to work.

a.       Solution:  Leave your baggage outside the door of your office.  When you are at work, you need to focus on work.

2.       Time Waster:  Discussing every HIGH and LOW with the ENTIRE office.

a.       Solution:  Don’t cost your co-workers and the company time and money that will be taken away when they stop to listen.  Learn to keep things to yourself.

3.       Time Waster:  Arriving at work with a NEGATIVE ATTITUDE.

a.       Solution:  You have to arrive at work expecting to WIN and SUCCEED.  You don’t want to be responsible for sucking the oxygen out or your office.  Remember, if you think you can succeed or you think you can’t – You’re Right!

4.       Time Waster: Asking Endless Questions.

a.       Solution:  Write down your questions and ask your manager at 11:30 AM or 4:30 PM.  During prime time, stay focused on your work.

5.       Time Waster:  Arriving at work with no plan.

a.       Solution:  You should always arrive at work planning to accomplish all of your “A” priority goals of the day.  Without a defined plan you have chaos. 

6.       Time Waster:  Deserving more, settling for less and blaming others.

a.       Solution:  Always focus on what YOU could have done differently.  If you are affected by the actions of someone else, realize that you have 100% control over how you react and you can choose NOT to react at all!

If I can be of assistance to you or your management team with regards to hiring, growth consulting and/or training, please call or write and I will respond immediately!

Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO

Are There Really Too Many Jobs and Too Few People?

I am constantly asked about employee retention and recruiting the “best” people, thus, the subject for this week’s newsletter.  I certainly hope you enjoy this, find it interesting & educational and share with your management staff.  (This Newsletter Is A Repeat By Request)

THERE IS AN IMPENDING CRISIS IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.  TOO MANY JOBS, TOO FEW PEOPLE!  The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasted a shortage of 10,300,000 workers by 2010!  And this shortage is simply raw numbers; it doesn’t fully address the growing skills gap.  The numbers also don’t take into account the changing attitudes in the workforce.  Well guess what????  The Shortage Continues in 2013.

Because so few corporate leaders are fully cognizant of their predicament, executives who DO prepare for the new operating environment will lead their organizations to a bright future; those who ignore the threat, risk dangerous vulnerability.  With these thoughts in mind, I have six suggestions for owners and managers with regards to employee retention and staffing.

Suggestion # One:  IF YOU PAY PEANUTS, YOU GET SQUIRRELS!  The old expression that “you get what you pay for” is never truer when it comes to employees.  To get above average talent, service and productivity, you must consider pay grades that are above the average for competitors in your marketplace.  It is ludicrous to think you can get a world-class staff by paying below average wages.

Suggestion # Two:  PEOPLE JOIN A COMPANY BUT THEY LEAVE A BOSS!  When I ask members of a management team why they have heavy turnover, the answers are usually the same: no recognition, no promotional opportunities, no training, work not appreciated, lousy benefits, too much stress, overwork and of course the most popular, a better opportunity for more money.  What amazes me is all of these excuses are fixable by management, but they go into a non-response mode with a complacent, “oh well.”
But in reality the number one reason IS LOUSY MANAGEMENT OR SUPERVISION!  If the basic supervisor-employee relationship is not good, employees leave with dispatch.  And what is really sad is that this problem is fixable.

Suggestion # Three:  LOUSY COMPANIES CONDONE LOUSY MANGERS AND GREAT COMPANIES FIX LOUSY MANAGERS!  Executives and owners often confide in me, “George, it isn’t easy”.  Just because so and so is a lousy manager, he/she means no harm.  OR He/she has been with me for so many years and is a good person.  OR my all time favorite, he/she is my wife’s brother/sister.

Loyalty is one thing but if you have a supervisor or manager that continually drives away good talented people, you have ONLY two choices:  Fix him/her by getting them into a training and/or self development program or GET THAT PERSON OUT OF MANAGEMENT!

Suggestion # Four:  SOME PEOPLE JUST SHOULD NOT BE WORKING FOR THIS COMPANY!  Have you ever thought of someone in your organization that you would gladly fill out an employment application for them for ANOTHER company and then offer to drive them to the interview?  Whenever I am asked, “what is the fastest way to turn around low morale” my first and immediate response is to get rid of the “turkeys” in the organization.  Your company should be staffed with EAGLES not turkeys.

Suggestion # Five:  RETENTION IS A LEADERSHIP PROBLEM, NOT A HUMAN RESOURCE PROBLEM!  Leadership, whether strong or weak, ultimately determines the overall retention rate of your company.  Retaining GREAT employees is far too important to completely delegate to mid-level managers or human resource managers.  Retention must be front and center within every strategic initiative, expansion plan or turnaround situation that you face.  Remember, leaders are not necessarily good managers and managers are not necessarily good leaders.  It doesn’t have to be that way, but most times it is.

Suggestion # Six:  HIRE A GREAT OUTSIDE GROWTH CONSULTANT TO HELP YOU!  If you do not have internal staff with a learning and training curriculum, spend the money and hire an outside, highly qualified (one who has been there and done that) consultant to help you design a plan, train all trainable employees and get over your high employee turnover.  It will be the best money you ever spent.  Third party influence many times works much better than hearing from a peer or upper management person.  Employees WANT to learn, they WANT to grow and will reward you when given the opportunity to do.  Lack of retention cost corporations millions of dollars on a DAILY BASIS!  You don’t have to fall into that category.

Remember, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SOAR WITH THE EAGLES WHEN YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY SO MANY TURKEYS!

I hope your week is filled with health, happiness and achievement of your personal and business goals.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso

George F. Mancuso, CPC