Category Archives: Focus

Act intentionally, persist variously.

Focus, Sales Matters

Don’t go to the conference stupid!

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While it’s possible that a qualified sales prospect might be seated next to you at a conference session or visit your booth, relying solely on chance encounters isn’t a smart strategy. The odds are just too slim to make random interactions a primary reason for attending.

The true value of attending an industry conference multiplies when it’s approached as a well-planned, strategic platform. A team committed to making the most of the experience can leverage the event before, during, and after to maximize its impact.

To maximize the opportunity, proactively engage with targeted executives ahead of the event. Every interaction is a chance to establish a meaningful connection around a shared interest—the conference itself. Use these moments to gather insights, influence thinking, and further cultivate interest in your organization’s offerings.

Along these lines:

    • Identify Targeted Prospects: Before the conference, research who will attend from your targeted prospects and arrange one-on-one meetings. Review advance materials to see who will speak, chair, host, or plan the event. Ask the organizers for a list of registered attendees from both this and last year’s conferences. Reach out to the individuals who are of interest to you and schedule a meeting—whether it’s for coffee, a drink, dinner, or a social function. Don’t wait until the conference begins; schedules for high-demand attendees will fill up fast.
    • Engage Executives from Targeted Organizations: Identify executives from companies that would benefit from attending the conference and personally invite them. Offer to assist with their travel arrangements, share a cab, or even sit together on the plane or train. After the event, follow up to discuss key takeaways and insights.
    • Host a Reception: Plan a reception to feature new offerings, insights, or thought leadership. Invite both current clients and prospective clients to enjoy the content as well as cocktails or hors d’oeuvres. It’s a great way to deepen relationships and engage with potential clients in a more relaxed environment.
    • Use Interactive Databases: Many conferences have online platforms that function like social networks, allowing you to filter attendees by criteria such as industry, geography, or role. Use these tools to identify potential connections and reach out through direct mail or messaging.
    • Foster Online Engagement: Encourage your team and contacts to participate in an online conversation before, during, and after the event. Follow the event’s official hashtag and key accounts. Share insights, quotes from sessions, and feedback throughout the conference. This online activity can help build a broader connection and keep the conversation going long after the event ends.

In addition to generating qualified sales leads, a conference provides a valuable opportunity to:

    • Position Your Team as Industry Leaders: Develop and showcase individual team members by having them emcee the conference, host a session, give a presentation, moderate or sit on a panel, deliver a keynote address, or sign and distribute original publications. These roles help establish your team as thought leaders in the industry.
    • Assess Competitors and Industry Trends: Use the event to observe other industry players and how they position themselves in the market. This insight will help you understand your competitive landscape and identify opportunities to differentiate your organization.
    • Enhance Your Company’s Reputation: Ensure your organization is recognized as an influential industry player by prospects, clients, competitors, partners, and suppliers. Active participation at conferences builds your brand’s authority and credibility.
    • Identify Potential Talent: Conferences are also great venues to spot strong candidates for recruitment. Keep an eye out for top industry talent and consider how they might fit into key roles within your team.

Finally, use the conference as an opportunity to develop, test, refine, and implement a screening script for those who visit your booth or attend sessions and social functions. It’s inefficient to engage deeply with everyone you encounter, as only a small percentage will be qualified prospects worth pursuing further.

Instead, shift the odds in your favor by quickly identifying and screening out individuals who aren’t a good fit. Then, use the time you would have spent with them to focus on identifying key prospects. Once you’ve pinpointed those individuals, find ways to be where they will be and make yourself known to them.

Do & Review, Focus, Manage to Lead, People Matters

Contract & Govern: The Keys to Leadership Success

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A leader’s success hinges on two critical responsibilities:

  • Achieving clarity about what they want from each team member.
  • Effectively communicating their clarity.

Too often, leaders neglect to take the time to define their expectations, leading to confusion and misalignment within the team.

Stephen Covey’s principle of “Begin with the End in Mind” underscores the importance of knowing precisely what you want to achieve before taking action. In leadership, this means clearly articulating the goals and outcomes expected from each team member.

When leaders lack clarity, they cannot expect their team to deliver the desired results. This lack of clarity often stems from the mistaken belief that team members will intuitively understand what is required of them. However, without explicit guidance, team members may interpret goals differently, leading to inconsistency and inefficiency.

Clarity dramatically increases the likelihood of achieving desired outcomes. One might consider this principle in the context of prayer: when we are clear about what we ask for, it likely subliminally enhances our focus and aligns our actions with our intentions, potentially increasing the chances of achieving what we seek, with or without divine intervention. Similarly, in leadership, a leader who is clear and communicates that clarity empowers their team to work toward a shared vision, enhancing collaboration and performance.

Consequently, leaders must prioritize getting clear about their expectations and engaging in rich communication with every member of their team. By doing so, they lay the groundwork for a verbal contract that guides team members toward success, ultimately achieving the leader’s and the organization’s goals..

Contract

Once a leader is clear about what they want from a team member, they should initiate one-on-one conversations to communicate precisely what the team relies on them to achieve. During these discussions, the leader must ensure:

  • The assignment is clear and unambiguous.
  • They believe the person can accomplish the task.
  • They want the person to take on the task.

After explaining, the leader asks the team member to repeat back what they heard to confirm understanding.  Repeat this process until both parties are aligned. The leader must also verify that the team member genuinely wants to complete the task and believes in their ability to do so.

This mutual understanding forms a verbal contract, establishing the team member’s commitment to the task, which is then documented in their performance goals.

Two additional factors ensure success:

  • Resources: The leader provides necessary resources such as time, training, personnel, funding, accountability reviews, and advisors to support the team member.
  • Incentives: The leader motivates the team member by offering rewards like praise, performance bonuses, promotions, or celebratory events (e.g., dinner with the boss or a trip) upon successful completion.

The following graphic presents a way to visualize the steps outlined:

Supervisor-Team Member Contracting

Govern

The primary reason things go wrong is lack of management attention. A wise leader regularly checks in to ensure that front-line actions align with expectations. Make it clear that you are on your team member’s side and that your sole interest is their success. Offer tangible support to demonstrate your commitment, such as sharing your best thinking in the form of notes or drawings or providing key insights and ideas. Encourage your direct report to internalize your input and develop it further as if it were their own.

Effective governance involves regular, structured check-ins between leaders and their direct reports. Leaders should schedule consistent one-on-one meetings with each team member, ideally lasting around 90 minutes and occurring weekly or bi-weekly. Choose a time that is easy to keep, such as 7:30 a.m. every other Monday, and make it a priority to hold these meetings consistently. Reschedule only if necessary and commit to making up any missed sessions. While meetings may occasionally take less time than scheduled, any time saved is valuable.

These meetings should be focused and free from distractions or competing agendas. Avoid combining them with meals, though informal lunches together are beneficial for relationship-building.

During the Meeting:

Team Member’s Presentation:

  • Review Priorities and Progress: The team member presents their priorities and progress from the previous period, supported by metrics. The leader’s role is to ask questions like, “How is it going?” and “How do you know?”
  • Discuss Top Priorities: The team member outlines their top three to five priorities. Engage in a detailed discussion about these items, emphasizing what is happening and how it is progressing. The leader should actively demonstrate support and teamwork, offering resources, training, introductions, and other assistance as needed.
  • Agree on Next Steps: Collaboratively decide on the top items, next steps, and specific actions to be taken. The leader should also determine how they can assist in achieving these goals.

Leader’s Presentation:

  • Share Leader’s Priorities: In about 15 minutes, the leader shares their top three to five priorities. This transparency keeps the team member informed and involved in the bigger picture, helping them understand what the leader is doing for the team’s benefit.
  • Discuss and Solicit Input: Discuss the points raised until there is mutual clarity. Invite input and advice from the team member, valuing their perspective and insights.
  • Commit to Follow-Up: The leader commits to keeping the team member informed about any developments related to their discussion and what the leader is doing that may affect them.

By setting aside regular time for these focused conversations, leaders can maintain alignment, foster collaboration, and ensure everyone is working toward shared goals. This structured approach reinforces a sense of team unity and enhances overall performance.

The following graphic is a way to visualize the steps outlined above:

One-on-One Meetings between Manager and Team Member are key to governing for success.

Summary

Failing to both contract and govern effectively is a recipe for calamity. Without clear agreements and regular oversight, teams are likely to encounter misalignment, confusion, and inefficiency. Contracting ensures that expectations are explicit and mutually understood, establishing a strong foundation for success. Governing maintains focus and momentum by providing the guidance and support necessary to navigate challenges. Together, these practices empower leaders to create a cohesive and high-performing team. By prioritizing both contracting and governing, leaders can avoid pitfalls, foster collaboration, and drive their organization toward achieving its goals. Neglecting these essential practices leaves teams vulnerable to chaos and missed opportunities.

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Focus, Sales Matters

3 Tips and Four C’s to Raise a leader’s Communication game

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Leaders who practice conscious, courteous, courageous, culturally sensitive language arts rise to the top. It is human nature to follow those who lead by example, inspire us, and who appear confident and poised.

Such traits are no accident. The best leaders manage themselves to convey a dynamic energy, stage presence, and powerful communications. You only have a few seconds to make a first impression. What impression do you choose to make?

Think of it like this: you walk in confidently, looking pulled together, and then open your mouth to speak. Does what comes out match the visual cues received from looking at you? That is, do you sound as good as you look?

Your voice speaks volumes about your confidence level, your education, socioeconomic stature, and your roots. And your voice can be managed to help you be a more effective leader.

Continue reading 3 Tips and Four C’s to Raise a leader’s Communication game →

Executive Assessment, Focus, People Matters

How to Drive Elite C-Suite Performance

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In a traditional performance evaluation, someone is assigned to compile and review with each executive a summary of her/his strengths, contributions, growth, and opportunities for improvement. The traditional process has many weaknesses which are summarized in this article recently published by Flevy.com, such as:

  • Compiling a quality performance assessment is difficult; consequently it often gets put off to be done at the last minute but it also takes time to do a good job and time runs out.
  • Assessment content tends to be arbitrary based on ability, skills, and perspective of the reviewer and may not represent the best thinking or interests of the team.
  • Reviewers tend to avoid raising and dealing with tough matters that should be addressed aggressively because it is uncomfortable and they are not trained or motivated to do otherwise.

Continue reading How to Drive Elite C-Suite Performance →

Focus, Manage to Lead, People Matters

Empowering Leadership: Cultivating Accountability and Growth in Your Team

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I tell everyone who works with, or for, me that they are never to do something because I told them to do it. I do not want or expect anyone to do what I ask just because I told them to do it. Instead, I insist they do what they do because:

  • They understand what they are doing.
  • They know why it makes sense to do it.
  • They believe it is wise and right to do.
  • They want to do it.

The objective is to make them (as opposed to me!) accountable for what they do and to help them grow through the experience. Soon I will not have to ask them anymore because what I want done will be internalized and we can move on to the next stage of growth.

If I ever ask them to do something that they do not understand, agree with, or want to do then I beg them to tell me about it so that we can talk it through.

An approach that demands people to do something, but that does not take time to be sure those being told understand and agree with doing it, may seem more like what a CEO should do. It is not and this explains why:

  • When things do not go quite right it is too easy for the person to let themselves “off the hook” as they say, either out loud or to themselves, that: “I only did it because the boss told me to.”
  • It is a human tendency to do what you are told to do by persons in positions of authority. However, when you follow an order, you do not necessarily have to:
      1. Understand what is going on.
      2. Consider the goal and come up with alternative actions that move towards achieving it better, more efficiently, or faster.
      3. Decide on an action to take.

That is, following an order removes the obligation to know, think, or decide. You just do what you are told and assume, hope, or trust that someone smarter, or someone in a position of higher authority, has made a good decision.

The limit of this is that people do what you tell them to do and little or nothing else! A growing organization requires people to think for themselves, to generalize, and to apply broadly lessons learned.

  • The leader in a growing organization can be, and often is, the constraint to growth. Fortunately, this is an easy problem to fix: rather than telling subordinates what to do, the leader should spend the bulk of their time helping the next generation of leaders develop to the point where they operate independently; thereby freeing up the leader for strategic initiatives and other actions that only they can perform.

CEOs who thrive on the heady sense of power that comes from knowing that their staff will do their bidding are consistently out-performed by those who do just the opposite and expect employees to think and act for themselves in pursuit of company performance and personal development.

See Also

Management Time: Whose got the monkey?