The energy of hmmmmmmm

Why do something now? Why not wait till it's perfectly safe? Why not wait until everyone agrees? Why not wait till tomorrow or when you get back from vacation?

There is a reason to do something sooner rather than later:
The energy of hmmmmmmmmm

The energy of mulling over, delaying, avoiding--as you're tapping your lips and muttering hmmmmmmmm--is far greater, far more draining than we realize.

Just doing it, getting it over with, taking the plunge--whatever you want to call it, will take no more energy or time than pondering the move and doing nothing.

Why not do it now? Hmmmmmmmmmm

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

"You aint never seen a train wreck like this."

We have enough sensationalism in our life. We see it on tv or on the web: plane crashes, cars speeding out of control on highways, celebrity break-ups, etc.

We don't need any more sensationalism in the workplace, whether it be gossip or the reporting of train wrecks or disasters, because along with the reporting of those train wrecks comes another thing we get too much of: spin-doctoring.

What we need is more of us focused on making sure the train wreck is averted, that the disaster never happens in the first place, and that when there is a problem, we face it honestly, without trying to spin it to save face.

The really valuable people at companies take the initiative and ownership to do their best so that the sensational disasters never come close to happening. And if those disasters do happen, they face them openly, without spinning them, so that they can learn.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
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An Issue I Have

I was talking to a buddy of mine who is a coach of sorts. He told me that his observation of me is that I don't deal well with people that have no initiative or passion. He told me I was great with people that were enthusiastic, passion-filled and high-initiative. He said I'd do anything to help them. I think he's right.

The only answer I see is for me to focus on the people that have energy and initiative and give them the support and opportunities. Someone else will deal with the other folks.

Maybe that's how clients look at our companies?

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Award versus assign

How can some seemingly limited companies do so well in serving their clients while other huge, resource-rich companies fall flat?

It's because the client ultimately doesn't value the vast resources a company can bring them unless there is a person or a team that actually is excited, passionate and engaged in serving them. So, a small company with an "obsessed" team will be more fun and more valuable to that client. If they don't have resources in-house, they can always go outside to get them, especially with the technology we have today.

Maybe it all has to do in how we start off a relationship with a client. If we assign a responsibility to someone ("You're now on the such-and-such account"), we may have a competent person, but do they really care that much? It's a crap shoot - maybe yes, maybe no.

If we start by first learning who has passion for that client or their industry, and we award the individual that is qualified and filled with passion with serving that client, we have a far better chance of doing great things for the client.

I'd rather have a less experienced team than a more experienced team if the former had passion and enthusiasm for the client and their industry. And I think the client would agree.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond Marketing Communications
www.labov.com

Meet Don: Mr. Initiative

One of my favorite people is Don. Three years ago, I invested in a company that had numerous challenges. Don was recruited to come in and help us. And without him, I wouldn't have time to blog or do anything else; I'd be in over my head trying to deal with the stuff he does every day.

Don's a unique guy. His clients love him. To them, he's fun, easygoing, hard-working, humble - and he gets stuff done. To his employees, he's a great boss because, while he is demanding, he's also trusting. He loves to see his employees do well.

What I love about Don is that he has initiative. He's focused and as serious as a heart attack. He allows me to calm him down, to tell him everything is going to be OK. He's a pleasure to work with. I enjoy him as a friend and as an associate.

Our clients want us to be this way. We should be the ones that are more serious about their company's success then they are. We should be more exacting about our work than they are. A little bit of Don's approach can go a long way.


Barry LaBov
President, LaBov and Beyond Marketing Communications
www.labov.com

You can't teach height and you can't legislate initiative

An axiom in basketball is that, as a coach, "you can't teach height." Which means that having a tall player is a huge advantage - you can always teach a player how to shoot or dribble the ball better, but there's no substitute for being seven feet tall.

I think the same applies to business regarding initiative. No matter how hard you train a person on how to fill out a time sheet or how to dress or how to use a spread sheet, whether that employee has initiative or not is up to him or her. It's not something that's really taught.

I've been guilty of trying to instill initiative in people and failing. Just like trying to make someone seven feet tall, it's an exercise in futility.

I apologize to those who I've pushed, and I thank those I've had to calm down.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com