Coach Advisors

LESS IS MORE

By ActionCOACH Corporate

K.I.S.S. - Keep It Simple Son

We’ve all heard of the KISS principle and we’re all generally in favor of simplifying as much as possible. We understand the “Less is More” concept.

And we know we only have 2 hands and so much time everyday. So, what really happens when we are suddenly confronted with a “complicated” situation?

When it comes to making tough decisions or decisions we are not sure of , we say “that’s a hard decision”, or “we’ve got a tough choice to make”. All too often that is followed by – nothing - because we don’t know how to make a decision and we give in or give up.

So, why don’t we know how to make a choice we can live with? It seems complicated only because we’re not sure what we ultimately WANT. If we always start with the end in mind, with knowing what we want next week, next month, next year, for our life and for our family, we’ll find that every decision is much easier to make.

Once you know THE WHY – the Why becomes the compass for EVERY decision you need to make. Every decision gets much simpler. You may even find you no longer have any of those “tough decisions”. Now we can K.I.S.S. those problems goodbye.

How simple is it?

This simple:

Step 1 – make a decision based on your WHY

Step 2 – do it

Step 3 – repeat steps 1 & 2

JURY AWARDS EMPLOYEE 3.5 MILLION JUDGMENT FOR HARASSMENT

This 3rd of february 2009, Hewlett Packard Caribe was hit  with a  $ 3.5 million judgment in a sexual hostile environment and harassment civil suit  filed by a female employee. There were alleged breach of federal and Puerto Rico laws.

STOP TRYING TO BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYBODY

As small businesses owners find it increasingly difficult to compete in a crowded marketplace, they try to market to everyone.  Unfortunately you cannot be all things to every customer. If you are that kind of business there is another way. It’s about focusing on your uniqueness. By differentiating yourself from the competition, you are creating valuable space in a very crowded marketplace. More importantly, you may begin to stop competing based on price.

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There is a physician I used to visit. He practices sports medicine.  He did not accept medical plans,  credit cards or ATMs.    Thousands of dollars in cash flowed weekly through that prosperous medical practice.  By differentiating   himself from other doctors, he could charge higher fees, demand cash and avoid slow paying discounted medical plans.

Competing on price is the worst thing you can do.  Avoid it like the plague. When you lure customers based on discounts, you are cornering your business into tight profits. Your customers will begin demanding low price and that is what you will be known for. To give you an idea, if your product has a profit margin of 30% and you give a 10% discount, you’re losing one-third of the available profit. Lowering your profit margins means you have to sell more and work harder for the same net income.  That does not make sense, if you are in business to make money, you should be doing it with the least amount of effort possible. After all it’s never about the money.

It’s time for you to start selling by following a more focused approach; one that will yield the customers you want based on your uniqueness. It’s about finding your niche. This requires two steps. First examine both your business and the competition.  Follow by identifying your ideal client.    Then you can begin to market your business and give them what they want.

Some businesses talk about image development.  I had a client that was approached by ad agency suggesting that he spend thousands of advertising dollars developing the business’s image.  This included a radio and print campaign and sponsorships on mayor events. The theory was that by letting the world know that he existed, many would come knocking his door. Marketing without knowledge of who wants your products – is like following Alice in Wonderland. 

Your marketing dollars must be an investment not an expense. Unless you are a large enterprise, spending money to enhance your image in the community is probably the biggest waste of advertising dollars. The simple uncomplicated strategy is to lead a focused marketing message to your prospects that you are a specialist in what your targeted clients want.

CONFRONTING BAD WORKER ATTITUDE WITH RESULTS AND WITHOUT STRESS

If you are a boss that relies on disciplinary memos to improve employees’ attitudes or performance you should know by now, it rarely works.  Written warnings are often perceived by workers as the untold beginning of their discharge process. It’s not surprising that they are counter-productive.  On the surface, the employee may appear as if he will correct the situation.  Wrong.  He is just playing the same game you are.

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If disciplinary memos are ineffective to improve performance, why do you and other employers keep using them? It’s simply the fall back position after repeatedly avoiding to deal with the issue.  Rather than immediately confronting the employee with the unwanted behavior, you  avoid  and evade  taking action.

You dislike confronting bad behavior or performance for two reasons. First, it is generally an uncomfortable thing to do.  Secondly, hardly anyone is properly trained to do so.  

The longer you wait to resolve the situation, the further complicated it gets. What usually happens is that unwanted conduct will progressively worsen until it bothers you so much that you decide it’s time for the employee to go.

Fearing legal issues, you begin crafting memos to reprimand the employee on every possible violation. You go from no confrontation to mayor confrontation.  At this point the corrective nature of the memo is probably a farce.  You simply want to document every possible deficiency until the file is thick enough to boot the guy.

What if instead you corrected the situation long before you began thinking about memos or legal issues? Instead of waiting until that point of no return, you decided to confront unwanted behavior.  Think of all the hassle and money you could have saved.  

Nothing is stopping you except your will and skill.  Perhaps you may have wanted to take earlier action but were afraid to do so for fear of escalating the situation or getting involved in a shouting match. Not anymore, here are some solutions.

Decide what to confront.  What is really important here? There may be several things to confront. Decide on the bigger issue.  Do you want the employee to improve or is it about teaching her a lesson.  Do you want to prove you are right or reach a mutually beneficial solution?

Show that you truly care and respect the employee. We all need to feel respected at all times. It’s human nature.  Be firm but always respectful.  Confronting the person in private in a normal tone and never ever get personal. One thing is to be late.  Another is to be called lazy.  Don’t fall on this trap. It’s the easiest way to divert an issue.  If you disrespect someone be the first to admit it. Apologize; make sure the person gets the apology and quickly return to the issue at hand.

Make sure the worker gets  that you care, and have the best interest at heart.  He/she will be more receptive to whatever you have to say.  Look for mutually beneficial points of view rather than ‘you versus me’ issues.

Stick to the facts.  Don’t let your own filters, personal issues and stories get in the way of the truth.  Too often we pre-judge and point out character flaws based on our prejudice and misconceptions.  Learn how to distinguish between the facts and your story.  

Give the benefit of the Doubt. Before reaching conclusions ask the other person for her side of the story.  How can you help the person overcome his/her issues? Explore what are the possible barriers. Is the employees lacking of skills or motivation?

Obtain a new commitment.  Once the issue is handled, ask for a new commitment.  Clarify expectations and provide a framework for follow up and accountability.

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