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February 2023
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YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR9/30/2019 Price is a representation of value.
For a lot of people, price is a cost. Yet, they do not see the real value of the product/service. The heater in winter has real value. It has health, safety, and well-being (not to mention survival) benefits that you can enjoy for the duration of the product's life. It has to be of excellent quality, reliability, and guaranteed safety. It has to satisfy the customer's basic needs and more. For a lesser price, these satisfiers might be compromised, or you end of paying for more or suffer from the lack of its benefits. This equation, sadly, is lacking in most of the buying public. A Benz or a Bentley customer is not coming to the store for the price. It is coming because of the perceived strong value of the product. They want what it represents so as the new model of Apple smartphone or MacBook. Zero investment is zero accountability. Cheap investment is cheap accountability. Price filters off shysters, jokers, and pretenders. For small businesses, it can safeguard your time from pandering to those who want more for less. Make no mistake and stop blaming false marketing for what you end up with. You get what you pay for. Price is a representation of value. For a lot of people, price is a cost. Yet, they do not see the real value of the product/service. The heater in winter has real value. It has health, safety, and well-being (not to mention survival) benefits that you can enjoy for the duration of the product's life. It has to be of excellent quality, reliability, and guaranteed safety. It has to satisfy the customer's basic needs and more. For a lesser price, these satisfiers might be compromised, or you end of paying for more or suffer from the lack of its benefits. This equation, sadly, is lacking in most of the buying public. A Benz or a Bentley customer is not coming to the store for the price. It is coming because of the perceived strong value of the product. They want what it represents so as the new model of Apple smartphone or MacBook. Zero investment is zero accountability. Cheap investment is cheap accountability. Price filters off shysters, jokers, and pretenders. For small businesses, it can safeguard your time from pandering to those who want more for less. Make no mistake and stop blaming false marketing for what you end up with. You get what you pay for.
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WALK AWAY WHEN YOU MUST!9/25/2019 "Promise me, son, not to do the things I've done.
Walk away from troubles if you can. It won't mean your weak if you turn the other cheek. I hope you're old enough to understand. Son, you don't have to fight to be a man." Sounds familiar? Kenny Rogers 's story-telling through songs is impeccable. Gets me down the memory lane every time I hear this song. This article has nothing to do with silly fights and adolescent baptism of fire. This is about turning the other way when presented with situations that not only put you in a disadvantaged position but also jeopardizes your future ability to exercise your leadership and overcome challenges. Whether you own a business, manage a million-dollar project, or run a team in your department, there are times when you are confronted with an ethical situation or a gray issue. When in doubt, it is time to reflect on the following: Am I acting in good faith, being firm about my intentions, objectives, and desires on this specific situation? Is the other party acting in good faith? Are they acting and behaving consistently with their intentions and objectives on the issue? Are they pushing too hard, delaying, or withholding important information? Am I presented with a situation that is unscrupulous, way out of the normal bounds of ethics or appropriate behavior? Is the deal too good to be true or laced with conditions that will undermine my sense of control and options? If you have answered no or maybe to the last two questions, walk away from any situation that will unnecessarily create entanglements, compromises, and deals that are not in your best interests to pursue. Find an adviser who can sort things out for you and better yet delay the decision until you have some clarity around the issues that you want to resolve. "Walk away from troubles, son..."
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POWERFUL EXECUTIVE PRESENCE9/23/2019 Last week, I experimented in a situation using my negotiation and persuasion skills. It was a classic-high demand, low supply equation. I broached the idea a couple of months ago, accepted what is being offered, and asked for the increase. It was granted right there and then. No details needed.
Apparently, when I asked, either I get a "no" or a "yes," but I always ask because, you will never know unless you try. I had fun asking for things that can surely get me a no, but it's the thrill of asking that exhilarates me. One lesson in enhancing your executive presence is to always ask the right question and be prepared to get what you want! You are leaving monies on the table by not acting in the moment, acting for your (organization) best interests, and being good at it. Increase your self esteem, increase your value to society, and increase your personal effectiveness.
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WHAT IS YOUR LEGACY?9/19/2019 What is legacy and how do you leave a good, lasting legacy to your family, communities, workplaces, industry, and country?
Legacy for me is what you do right now- an accumulation of life long work, passions, happy memories, and great contributions. It is not about what you leave behind so that families and friends can remember you well but it is about who you are and what you do that gets the biggest impression on people. It is not the attempt at " leaving" but the attempt at "contributing" right now, when it matters the most. Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the best women leaders of Alberta, Lyn Radford, the Chair of the 2019 Canada Winter Games which the City of Red Deer proudly hosted. Talking about the successes and accomplishments of this community effort, Lyn noted that there were significant legacies of the Games. First was the physical infrastructure that the City of Red Deer now owned as a result of the Games. Second was the legacy in volunteerism which was observed that the next generation stepped in and provided a strong leadership. And third but not the least, the historic moment for Red Deerians through collaboration with countless individuals and organizations to make it a community endeavor. Truly, when people and communities come together, insurmountable problems can have enduring solutions. It was a memorable moment for Central Albertans and for the next generation to enjoy its legacies. Lasting legacies are what we do on a daily basis. That is what our families and friends will remember about us by. Learn to be the best example of the virtues and values you want to live with and do not refrain from doing your best to serve others in need.
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MISSION IS NOT ENOUGH9/16/2019 Mission-based organizations should think twice about creating more mission work without the full support and wisdom from a business sustainability standpoint.
Most of the time, they wrestle with the fact that since they have the work of helping, they should be able to marshal resources, support, and other important resources to fully realize their objectives. This is never automatic. It takes a lot of courage and guts to realize that mission is not enough and will not be sufficient to carry the organization through its many stages of development. If there is no evolution in management and business understanding, the mission becomes unproductive-"hence, give me because I give this back" will later on become subject to more critical and demanding requirements from society. This is painful to see as many organizations languish in near obsolescence without realizing their fullest potential. There is only one way- to review their business model and ask the most important question: if this is not working for us, can we be flexible in getting to our objectives through an alternative model of doing and being? Let's approach this with an open mind and an open heart.
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THE FUTURE OF UN-WORK9/13/2019 If you look at the best people in every industry, job, or occupation anywhere in the world, you will notice that there is one thing that they do consistently, incessantly, and effectively. They engineer their evolution.
To pick at and blame the circumstances, the weather, your spouse, the economy, the competition, the politicians, the robots, and the social media for all the bad things that are happening in your business, career, and life is like saying, "Poor me, I have no control and maybe just curl up at home and stay safe!" We can all do more than that! The best competent people I know have used their assets to become the epitome of their best bankable selves, especially in the future. The future of work is about the unique offering, abilities, and massive differentiation. To stand out in the sea of gig workers, part-time hobbyists, and Alexas, it is not just incumbent upon the professionals to be the best but also be the top 2% of the pyramid. Standardization, conformity, and harmonization are a thing of the past. The new worker is an agile maven with multiple skills and competencies that can run around robots and machines out of their batteries. This new worker has high-touch qualities that eliminate the isolation in the customer experience and puts back the human intelligence missing in many transactions. Work will no longer be a division between your social time, family time, and paying activities. These activities will become wrapped around within the lifestyle and talents of the individual. The remote will dominate the marketplace, and new products and services will serve this new arrangement which represents every other individual outside the cubicle norm. The most evolved will win big in this new wide world of work.
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THE EXTREME CASE OF PROFIT OVER HUMANITY9/10/2019 Purdue Pharma in the US is being sued left and right for its contribution to the massive opioid crisis in America. The lawsuits cited that the company denied that its product Oxycontin has addictive effects, lied about it, knew all along that users are using it the wrong way, etc.
The opioid crisis has drained billions of dollars of taxpayers' monies on life-saving care, prevention, and management. Hundreds died and thousands of lives were affected. Here in Canada, it had the same effect. The legacies will continue for a number of years until this is really over. Last week, it is reported that Johnson and Johnson is also being held accountable for the situation. There might be many more companies complicit with this set-up Time and time again, these things do not happen by accident or some sort of a fluke from the universe. This is not just the case of profit over people, this is greed, immorality, and depravation. Where are the watchdogs when you need them?
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FARMING LESSONS FOR MANAGEMENT 29/5/2019 It's harvest season once again. Farmers are busy getting their crops off before the weather turns different again. My farmer-husband explained that there are two kinds of harvesting: one is the use of silage and the other one with the combine.
Silage happens in the stage where you cut the crop before it ripens. It is primarily for cow feed use. While a combine harvest waits until the crops mature and ready for the reap. You are typically harvesting seeds and therefore it is a must that the seeds are mature enough to be taken off. Such is this thing called readiness for desired career goals. We think we are ready but we definitely are not. In a 360 evaluation, your manager, boss, colleagues and peers will give you a more accurate assessment of your competencies, personalities, and growth needs to move up to the desired career level. This is an objective method to arrive at this question. But there are many circumstances that you don't have to have it all. You are ready and whole as a professional and do not have to be screened, auditioned, and tested. There is value being with you and involving you in a fruitful initiative. There is no reason why you feel intimidated and afraid to step out and become more valuable to your organization, community, and peers. Unless it is all about self-esteem and this bad concept called 'sacrifice' that does not serve any one any good purpose. The last time I check, the proverbial saying still rings true, "fortune favors the bold."
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THE SO-WHAT? TEST9/3/2019 Executives trying to make a difference in their roles, making an important decision, or improving their organization should always ask: So what?
Data is easily generated these days. Sometimes, it takes the place of Strategy, instead of using judgements to create a singularity of purpose. When this happens, data will fail in pointing you to the right direction. Humans interpret data, not the other way around. Creating a calm above the data noise is very important. Asking so-what questions eliminates the overdependence on data and trends, focuses the attention on the long-term objectives, and frees up the mind to think beyond the here-and-now, short-term gains. Do you ask a lot of so-what questions, lately? |
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