Why did that work when the hard-core strategy didn’t?  It’s obvious, isn’t it?  It is HARD to slash your daily calorie intake in half or start working out for an hour every day if you were sedentary before.  It can also do your body more harm than good, by creating shock and stress on your system.  Such radical changes rarely last long, because your body knows that abrupt and extreme changes are bad for you.  It’ll fight you every step of the way. When it comes to strategy, whether your strategy is to lose weight, increase revenue, cut costs, or expand product or service lines, the key is to work in stages.

Just as your body needs time to adjust to diet or activity changes, your company needs time to adjust to new procedures, new systems, and different ways of doing business.  If you want to cut costs, you may be tempted to institute a freeze on spending in certain areas.  But think about it– if you were spending $500 a month on office supplies and you suddenly tell your people the supply budget is zero, that will be a shock to the system, right?  Are your employees supposed to stop using paper and changing light bulbs?  Should they bring pens from home?  Radical changes create a shock to the system.  A better plan is to work with your employees, taking advantage of their ideas on how to cut costs and taking gradual steps.  You can’t eliminate paper altogether, but you can create incentives to reduce paper use and encourage people to look for ways to share information electronically instead of printing it out.  This is a simplistic example, but it doesn’t take much imagination to expand this idea to whatever area of your business needs a change.

Change works best when these three principles are followed:

1. Make small changes, and make them one at a time.  Give your employees time to understand and integrate each change before making another one.  This will maximize cooperation and minimize disruption of daily activities. Don’t underestimate the amount of productivity you will lose if your employees are talking to each other about radical changes (or scratching their heads over how to implement them) instead of doing their work.
2. Make sure there is a foundation under whatever change you are making.  Every change, even a small one, has consequences beyond the change itself.  If it didn’t, you probably wouldn’t bother making it.  Make sure you communicate clearly what you are changing, when, and why, and explain how you expect the change to be incorporated.  Think through the implications of the change. Will it create new expenses?  Affect policies or procedures? Require training for employees, and if so, which ones?  Will it affect customers or suppliers?  The more you can anticipate the effects ahead of time, the more smoothly the change process will go.
3. Invite your employees to participate in the change rather than coercing them.  Give your people the opportunity to influence the process and to recommend solutions to problems.  Do a “reality check” with them to make sure the change you are proposing is really going to make things better.  Ask them to help implement the change in a way that minimizes negative impact and maximizes positive impact.

Remember: change is a process, not an event.  If you make changes in stages, gently and thoughtfully, with the help of your people, you can achieve the business equivalent of “bikini body” without the business equivalent of fen-phen or sports injuries!

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

During this epic journey around the world, the travelers have occasion to visit a factory in the Himalayas, run by Baljeet’s uncle.  At this factory, they make rubber bands and rubber balls.  If you’ve seen more than one episode of this show, it will come as no surprise to you that there’s a song about this.  Let’s look at an excerpt of the lyrics:

Basically what we make here is rubber
We’re not looking to diversify
We don’t make knickknacks, we don’t make tshatshkes
Or really anything that’s gonna catch your eye
We don’t make pianos, we don’t make cream sodas
We don’t make the zippers for your parachute pants
We don’t make ice cube trays or ceiling fans…. we make rubber bands!

The business message is simple, but profound.  This is a business that knows what it does.  It has a clear vision, mission and focus.  The factory has numerous rooms for manufacturing, development and testing of the products (and a wicked impressive troupe of dancers, but that’s beside the point), and the rubber bands and balls they make are as good as they can make them.  They aren’t squandering corporate resources on looking for the next big thing.  They don’t get caught up in “flavor of the month” ideas or wild inventions.  They are in the business of making rubber band and rubber balls, and it’s working for them.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with innovation or broadening your market focus if it makes sense for your business.  What I am saying is that there is incredible power in knowing what business you are in, and devoting your resources to doing that as well as you possibly can.

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

Candace is the older sister of the title characters, and her only apparent purpose in life is to “bust her brothers.” She automatically dislikes anything they are doing, and wants their mother to punish them for it.

What does “Candace” look like in the workplace?

• She’s a bit over-fond of hierarchy and authority. She wants to be “in charge,” but lacks the maturity to be an effective leader.  In a management role, her style is parental and inflexible.  She won’t want to delegate work and will tend to mistrust and micromanage her direct reports.
• She is far more interested in what other people are or are not doing, than in getting her own work done.  She’s probably the source of most office gossip, and may have a number of enemies in the office.
• She may also be excitable — prone to overreaction or panic when things happen that she doesn’t expect.

Have you ever worked with someone who had any, or all, of these traits? At first blush, she may not look like an asset to the organization.  With a little guidance, however, she might just be a hidden treasure.

Here are some ways to work with “Candace” that play to her strengths:

• If you have a role in your organization for a “rules lawyer”, put her there.  A Candace makes a great safety or compliance officer because of her love of “the rules.”
• She’ll benefit from coaching that includes assessments. Pointing out her behavioral style is important — people with strongly parental or authoritarian leadership styles don’t always realize how they come across.  They also don’t always realize that those styles may not be effective for getting the results they want.
• Help her see the big picture, and as necessary, remind her that everyone in the organization is on the same side. By keeping the day to day activities in the context of longer-term goals, “Candace” will learn to look past the letter of the rules to see their intent — and perhaps feel less compelled to “bust” her colleagues for minor infractions.

I’d love to hear your ideas about how to bring out the star qualities in a Candace!

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

• Ferb and Perry are quiet, but extremely effective. Both characters have an average of one speaking line per episode (in Perry’s case, I use the term loosely). Ferb’s line is usually hysterically funny, wonderfully profound, or both. For each of them, actions speak louder than words. Every organization has at least one silent miracle worker. If yours doesn’t, getting one should be your highest priority.
• Ferb and Perry are essential, but often escape notice. Perry, of course, disappears within the first few minutes of the episode, to depart from his “ordinary household pet” role to his “egg-laying semi-aquatic mammal of action” role — the cunning Agent P. He then proceeds to save the Tri-State Area from evil Dr. Doofenschmirtz’s latest outlandish invention, and deftly return to his “ordinary household pet” role without anyone being the wiser. It is especially convenient for the boys that Agent P’s heroic act often has the side effect of cleaning up whatever they have constructed that day. Similarly, Ferb can be seen doing much of the engineering work, construction, and critical operation of whatever contraption Phineas has decided they’ll create today, but his quiet demeanor leaves him out of the spotlight most of the time. You can’t put a price on that kind of calm competence.
• Ferb and Perry are both content in their roles. And this may be the most important point for those of you who work with a Ferb or a Perry. There are people in your organization who love the spotlight and have the charisma and charm to be the “face” of your business. There are others who are more comfortable in the quiet, critical support roles. When you consider what might make one of those backstage miracle workers feel appreciated, think twice about calling tons of attention to them. They may feel that fifteen minutes of fame is fourteen and a half too many. Instead, thank them one on one, perhaps with a small gift, a card, or just a sincere handshake. They do need to know you are aware of what they are doing for the greater good of the Tri-State Area, but they don’t need you to take out a billboard. And if you’re not sure what kind of reward they would most appreciate, ask!

Note: This post originally appeared on my Blogger blog on February 16, 2011.

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

• Phineas is a doer. Within the first few minutes of each episode, Phineas delivers the same line: “Ferb, I know what we’re gonna do today!” Moments later, some spectacular project is underway. There is never any hesitation or “but what about….” He gets inspired and takes immediate and decisive action.
• Phineas has a great attitude. He is both very savvy and utterly guileless, seeing and bringing out the best in everyone around him. He always has a positive spin, an encouraging word, and boundless enthusiasm for his work.
• Phineas doesn’t worry about what other people think. His sister wants nothing more than to get him into trouble, and he wants nothing more than to help her have fun and be happy. There’s a wealth of wisdom about working with other people and how you think about competitors that could be gleaned from this relationship alone.
• Phineas is crystal clear on his goal. He wants to have the most fun possible during his summer vacation, and wants to share that fun with anyone who cares to join him. He’s willing to go to nearly any lengths to make it happen, and he is able to lead others effectively to co-create the desired outcome.

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

Now, not everybody stays on a diet for very long in January. In fact, I’d wager that by now, the people who went on the most aggressive, restrictive diets on January 2 have probably already thrown up their hands in despair and headed to Baskin-Robbins. (more on that later.)  But if you are going to go on a diet, January is the right time.  Why?

Well, have you ever noticed how everybody goes on a diet in January?  Lots of people do, and lots of people, especially people in the diet and exercise business, know it.  So the best deals on gym memberships, healthy foods, and weight loss programs tend to come around in January.  When you participate, you’re riding a wave of supportive messages with thousands of like-minded people. The world is supporting your strategy.

Consider, by contrast, what it would have been like to try dieting in November and December. You’re surrounded by marketing messages and bargains on sweets and rich, heavy food, overcommitted with errands and social obligations that make going to the gym a hassle at best, and everything around you is about abandoning all forms of discipline in service of seasonal merriment.  You’re really up against it, right?

Now, let’s think about this idea in a more general sense.  We know that with all the good things we talk about in professional development like self-discipline, goal-setting, affirmations, positive self-talk, and organizational skills we can do absolutely anything we set our minds to, and we can do it whenever we are truly ready.  And that is all true. I am not in any way condoning that someone who is ready to lose weight in November should put off the process until January.  What I am condoning is taking a look around you at the environmental factors that are making your chosen strategy easier or harder to achieve.

Diet-related stuff is not the only stuff with “seasonality.”  If you know you or your business needs to make a major purchase in the near future, a little research about when the item(s) you need tend to go on sale could save you a bundle.  By the same token, the product or service you are selling may have seasonality as well.  Are you maximizing the opportunities afforded by that?  And the product example is only one among many. What other environmental factors affect your business, positively or negatively?  How can you work with them instead of against them?  If you don’t know, how can you go about finding out?

In business and in life, there will be things you can’t control or change.  Knowing how to catch the wind, whichever way it’s blowing, and trimming your sails accordingly, will get you where you’re going faster and with less effort.

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

Either or both would make a great gift for the entrepreneur, small business owner or executive on your holiday shopping list!

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

1. Producing and managing involve different skill sets. A person who is brilliant at doing the work may not be brilliant at facilitating other people doing the work, which is what managers are supposed to do. A great producer with poor management skills will mistrust her subordinates and have trouble delegating responsibilities.  Her subordinates will quickly tire of her constant micromanaging and criticism of their work.

2. Star producers may not be interested in management. It’s going to be very hard for a producer to turn down a promotion, particularly if it involves perks like higher pay, better hours, or an office with a door. But a promotion from something he is really great at, to something he is not great at, may be a recipe for frustration and failure. A producer who loves producing will miss that direct involvement in the work, and will not feel like this move from expertise to cluelessness is much of a “promotion.”

3. Your best producers are a tremendous asset on the production line! Why would you pull someone who is brilliant at doing the work into a position where she’s not doing the work?

4. If management is the only “promotion” path, it may be time to change your attitude about your producers. Just recently, I found the best example of this I’ve ever read — Hollywood. At the risk of creating some confusion here, in Hollywood the “producers” are the actors.  They are the ones who do the major work; the ones without whom the “company” cannot exist. One could extend this example to all the cameramen, stage hands, etc. — but you get the idea. The artists and craftspeople of Hollywood are the front line of production in that industry.  Now suppose Hollywood did what other industries do, and “promoted” the best actors to paper-pushing office jobs at the studio.  The very idea seems absurd, right? And yet that’s exactly what happens in manufacturing and engineering companies all the time!

So what could you do instead, that would provide your producers with the salary increases, benefits and recognition they deserve, without taking them away from the realm where they do their best work? Give it some thought and please, share your ideas here!

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

In the world of continuous improvement, success strategies and the endless quest for achievement, we sometimes get a bit overzealous about “the next big thing.” We pursue some dream or goal, achieve it, and set the next one, just like all the success literature tells us we’re supposed to. Perhaps we even feel a sense of accomplishment when we cross a finish line. But happiness somehow continues to elude us.

“Success is a journey, not a destination” so says the great wisdom. And certainly that’s true as far as it goes.  Success, happiness, contentment, even accomplishment — these are not events. They’re not boxes to check off.  They are states of being; sensory experiences that we savor when we are lucky enough to notice them happening to us. And they tend to be temporary. The key, though, is to notice them happening.  Success may be a journey, but that doesn’t mean we have to be in constant motion to achieve it. An important part of success is being aware of it when it’s happening — stopping to drink in the feelings of joy and satisfaction.  After all (and this may sound familiar if you read the post on goals being overrated), “success” isn’t really the point.  Most people don’t want to make a pile of money or run a marathon or lose 25 pounds or win an award for the sake of doing those things. They want to do those things because of the way they believe they will feel when they have done them. It’d be a little silly, and a little sad, if they forgot to feel the feelings after accomplishing the goal.

Noticing how you feel doesn’t have to wait until you’ve crossed a finish line. Checking in with yourself is an important part of your success journey.  Just as you wouldn’t try to drive from New York to Los Angeles in one continuous stint, your success journey requires stopovers to rest, refuel, and check your map. My friend Chip has been working on an energy management tool he calls “1-2-20-45″ — and the “1″ is about breathing. At least once a day, and preferably more like once an hour, take one full minute to just breathe. Check in with your body and your mind. Are you making the best use of your energy right now? Do you need something to eat? Some water? A stretch? A break? What is distracting you from your current focus? How can you record that safely so you can set it aside? When you regularly take the time to notice how you feel, you give yourself the opportunity to make small, quick course corrections before you’ve gotten really derailed. And when you take time to pause and pay attention to where you are right now, you also allow yourself to simply be there, wherever that is, and know that it is enough to be on the right path even if you are not hurtling down it headlong every minute.

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.

If this looks familiar, it’s because much of the below was originally posted in my Google Blog in March of 2011.  I hope you’ll take a moment to read this entry even if you read that one, because I’ve learned some new things since then and made some notable edits.

What I’m increasingly discovering is that the old ways of setting and planning goals are getting harder to do and harder even to relate to, because the goals we’re setting now aren’t nearly as concrete as they used to be.  And even the concrete aspects of them tend to be a means to an end.  Think about it. When you set a goal like losing 20 pounds, managing your time better, finishing a project or quitting smoking, is that concrete goal really the point? And here’s an even more interesting question: how do you know when you’ve achieved your goal, really?

Let me start with the 20 pounds goal as an example, because it is nice and concrete. It’s one a lot of people can relate to, and several methods for doing it are fairly well understood (if hotly debated). So the WAY-SMART goal, written down, aligned with your values, yours personally, is specific (lose 20 pounds), measurable (on the scale), attainable (unless you only weigh 70 pounds to begin with), realistically high (20 is a lot, right?) and time-based (we’ll give it six months, so call the target date March 20, 2012* just for the sake of clarity). When you step on the scale on March 20 and it reads a number 20 pounds less than it did today, so what?

This article by Tracy originally appeared on Working Magic and is protected under applicable copyright laws.