Leadership Solutions

Leadership: Best Question

This could be the best question that you'll ask.

So, you save it for last.

The question is: "What else?"

For example, before ending a job interview, you could ask the candidate, "Is there anything that you wanted to tell me, but didn't get a chance to say?"

For example, before leaving an appointment, you could ask the client, "Is there anything else I need to know before starting this project?"

For example, at the end of a project, you could ask, "What else could we have done to make this more successful?"

In general, ask good closing questions to make sure that you gain everything possible from the conversation.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: International Fame

It's easier than you think.

Now, you can achieve international fame with a single phone call.

How?

There's a fellow in California who's posting details of cell phone calls on the web. We know this because he wrote a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times.

Of course, you have to cooperate.

You must be talking on your cell phone in a public place when he is present. And you must reveal details such as your name and phone number. (It's amazing how many people do this.)

After that, the rest is easy.

For example, one woman who complained about a bothersome itch has been getting calls from all over the world, offering suggestions and inquiring about her progress.

Better: Make cell phone calls in private. Unless you want international fame.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Another Hoax Revealed

We've been misled.

Life is NOT a matter of achieving success.

No, it's not.

It's a process of collecting failures.

Because failures are the pathways to success.

For example:

You have to write a of bad poetry to write one good poem.

You have to suffer through a lot of rejections to gain one acceptance.

You have to fall down a lot of times to learn how to walk.

And so on . . . .

Realize that failure is good because it teaches.

And every success is merely a preview of greater rewards that wait ahead after more failure.

In fact, too much success has proven to be toxic. Consider young stars who have been destroyed by easy success.

So all together now, stand up and shout: "I love failure!"

Now go out there and fail your way to success.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Customer Choice

Consider this: you're calling companies to make a purchase. And you receive the following responses:

Company 1: A recorded message greets you with,

"Thank you for calling ZZZ. Please select from one of the following eight options. This call may be monitored for training purposes."

Company 2: A human being greets you with,

"Welcome to ZZZ. My name is Pat. How may I help you?"

Which company would you buy from?

Most people would buy from the person instead of from the machine.

The point: Use people for human activities. Save the machines for mechanical tasks.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: How to Save a Presentation

Suppose you find yourself in the situation described in yesterday's blog - that is, a meeting planner has set you up for failure.

What do you do?

1) Prevent it.

(I'm assuming that you're reading this blog before you leave for the presentation, rather than while you're standing on the platform listening to your introduction.)

Always ask questions to determine the plan for the meeting, such as:

What happens before and after my presentation?

What is the schedule for your program?

What was your last meeting like?

The client's answers will tell you what to expect.

Then, make suggestions about what you want and need. In extreme cases, you might even decline to speak because you know from the start that the venue will hinder your effectiveness.

2) Minimize it.

Now you're at the event, and they surprise you. This happens either because of some unforeseen problem or because of some communication failure.

In this case, suggest alternatives. For example, you can recommend shortening your presentation to allow people to finish eating. Or, you can ask them to choose the points that they want made in your presentation.

3) Hide it.

In all cases, your job as the speaker is to add value to the event. That means you will do everything possible to accommodate your host (or client). And you will do this seamlessly, without fanfare, complaints, or announcements.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: How to Ruin a Presentation

Most people know how to ruin a presentation for themselves.

Now, here are two ways to ruin one for someone else.

1) Introduce the speaker while people are eating.

That puts the speaker in the awkward position of being ignored. Instead of talking to people, the speaker has to talk to heads while people look at the food on their plates, pass rolls to each other, and eat.

It reduces the speaker to being a background activity, like elevator music. In addition, the speaker must compete with the sounds of eating and (worse) servers attending to tables.

I guarantee that this will cripple the speaker's ability to connect with the audience and deliver a memorable message.

Better: Plan the program so that the presentation begins after people finish eating.

2) Change plans at the last minute.

For example, ask the speaker to shorten (or lengthen) the presentation just before the introduction.

Professional speakers prepare and rehearse a presentation that is designed to accomplish a result within a specific time window.

Changing plans at the last moment forces the speaker to revise and edit the presentation while delivering it. And yes, good speakers can do this (I consider this a mark of being a professional), but the result will always be less than 100%. The audience receives less information, less structure, less energy.

Better: Plan a realistic program and then follow it.

By the way, I have a wonderful workshop that shows people how to impress others by delivering effective presentations. Call to schedule one in your company.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Customer Disservice

She told the sales clerk, "I want to exchange this."

The clerk replied, "I'll need to get a manager's approval."

So she slams the product on the counter and growls: "I said I want to exchange this."

Okay, what's happening here:

1) Front line clerks do not have the authority to make certain decisions. Managers do.

2. Her anger caused stress for a young clerk who was simply following instructions.

3. The manager's authorization was cold and mechanical.

Now, what's really going on?

1) She would have gotten what she wanted by being pleasant.

2. In extreme cases, acting rude will push store managers into doing the minimum allowed by company rules. Result: Rude people get less.

3. Courtesy helps people open their thinking and their willingness to help. That is, a manager may know about options that either resolve or minimize problems. Result: courteous people get more.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Finding Courage

Massive, huge, storybook courage is (quite frankly) impossible. No one can achieve it.

But real courage is easy.

The key is to take courage in small bites.

Here's how.

1) Be realistic.

Let's begin by acknowledging that the opposite of courage is fear. We fear loss, we fear rejection, we fear failure.

And then let's recognize that at the beginning you already have these. That is, if you are afraid of completing a task, you already have nothing. If you are afraid of asking for something, you already have rejection. If you are afraid of working on things that matter, you already have failure.

And so, any action that you take can only move you away from the loss, rejection, and failure that you now have.

2) Start small.

In fact, start very small.

One approach is to make a list of everything that you could do. Yes, this means answering the last two questions in the annual report: a) what are your goals and b) what actions can you take to accomplish them.

Then pick the smallest, safest, easiest step. And do it. If this seems impossible, then divide that step into even smaller steps.

The key point is to begin some type of movement toward the result that you want. Reinforce this by scheduling when you will take action. For example, "I will make a list today. I will select one action tomorrow. I will complete that action before this weekend."

I realize that you (the readers) are different. Some will begin with a large step and then run toward your goal. Others may have to fool themselves into finding a pen to make a list.

Whatever your situation, the key is movement. Because only movement can take you to what you want.

By the way, I realize that this may sound easy. It's not. I struggle with the same challenges that you do. And I've found this approach to be very helpful.

I wish you the best as you create a magnificent year.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Simple Courage

Most people think of courage as something special, the kind of inner force that drives epic achievements in movies.

Actually, there is a more important courage that challenges all of us every day of our lives.

It's the courage to do what we know needs to be done.

Over the past twelve blogs I posted questions that serve as an outline for a annual report on your life.

Answering these questions take courage.

It takes courage to confront what really happened over the past year.

And it takes courage to make plans for the future.

If you have worked though this, I congratulate you.

I realize that some people will do nothing.

Then they'll spend the year inventing excuses to explain why they don't have what they want. They might even invent obstacles that prevent attending to what is important.

For example, they are always too busy. They have to watch TV, or go on an errand, or fix something.

So, here we are, at the beginning of a new year. And the challenge to you to is this: will you have the courage to use your time well?

Tomorrow I'll offer some suggestions on how to do this.

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website

Leadership: Annual Report, Question #12

This is the 12th in a 12-part series of questions to help you prepare an annual report on your life for the past year.

The first question appeared on December 20.

Question #12: What actions will you take to accomplish each goal?

Much success,

Steve Kaye
714-528-1300
blog
Website