The Advisor’s Corner

If You Liked “Lean In,” This is a Must-Read

May 7, 2018/in Ideas to help you build a solid team/by Tom Doescher

If you’ve been reading my blogs for a while, you know I have recommended Lean In — and I still do. I thought the author, Sheryl Sandberg, was very transparent about being a woman executive, and she offered some great tips.

That being said, I would also highly recommend reading The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance — What Women Should Know, by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman. It reminded me of a Daniel Pink book, filled with references to substantial research from many sources. If I were to attempt to summarize the main topic, it would be that there’s a difference in perceived confidence between men and women. If you’re a business leader, man or woman, this is a must-read.

As I’ve already mentioned, the book is rich in objective research. In addition, the authors have interviewed successful women executives and they weave their own stories into the book, too. To whet your appetite, I’ll offer some of my favorite takeaways/quotes:

We see it everywhere: Bright women with ideas to contribute who don’t raise their hands in meetings.
Yes, there is evidence that confidence is more important than ability when it comes to getting ahead.
In studies with business school students, men initiate salary negotiations four times as often as women.
Confidence is the stuff that turns thoughts into action.
Confidence is life’s enabler — professionally, intellectually, athletically, socially, and even amorously.
So is confidence encoded in our genes? Yes — at least in part.
It’s the effect of nurture on nature that really matters and makes us who we are.
There’s a direct link between playing sports in high school and earning a higher salary later in life.
When a man walks into a room, he’s assumed to be competent until he proves otherwise. For women, it’s the other way around.
Women are judged more harshly at work and in life on their physical appearance than men.
An unhelpful habit most women have is overthinking.
Of all the warped things women do to themselves to undermine their confidence, the pursuit of perfection is the most crippling.
Confidence comes from stepping out of your comfort zone and working toward goals that come from your own values and needs — goals that aren’t determined by society.
Nothing builds confidence like taking action, especially when the action involves risk and failure.

This book is based on extensive research, and I believe it offers some very practical advice.

p.s. Here’s a closing idea for those of you who are dads with daughters. I have a friend who read the book with his 20-something daughter and had a discussion after each chapter. What a special gift — for both of them!

New Scientific Discoveries About Talent

April 23, 2018/in Nuggets and Encouragement Regarding Strategy and Focus/by Tom Doescher

I have commented on the importance of “deliberate practice” in other posts, including on July 21, 2014. Many of us want to say, “Well, I could never do that because I’m not as talented as he or she is.” According to a number of authors and studies, however, that’s just not true. The fact is that with a reasonable amount of talent, you can become outstanding — but understand that it will take a lot of hard work and practice (unfortunately, there’s no supplement you can take).

On the front cover of The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle, there’s a quote from In Search of Excellence author Tom Peters: “I am willing to guarantee that you will not read a more important and useful book in this or any other year.” Wow, what an endorsement!

In his book, Coyle focuses on what are termed “talent hotbeds.” Talent hotbeds are tiny places that produce disproportionate, “Everest-size amounts” of talent — examples include Brazilian footballers or Korean women golfers — and the book provides a wide variety of impressive examples. The key theme of the book is these talent hotbeds aren’t random occurrences, but are places that share the same skill acquisition and success. Each hotbed has certain characteristics and patterns of targeted, deep practice that builds skill, and the result is accelerated learning.

What was fascinating to me were recent studies of the brain that support the premise that practice — as Coyle calls it, “deep practice”— makes Tom a better (insert whatever you want to be better at). Coyle uses a lot of medical terms, including “myelin,” to make his case, and his conclusions are supported by the work of other scientists.

I believe the most important takeaway is this: If you want to get better at something, find others who are perceived as the best, learn from them, and then practice, practice, practice.

Are Your Clients/Customers Raving Fans?

April 9, 2018/in Extraordinary Customer/Client Service/by Tom Doescher

I am a fanatic about client/customer service, and I’ve written on the subject many times. Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles, in their book Raving Fans! A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service, have provided a new label that I love: RAVING FANS. Like a few other business authors, they’ve styled the book as a novel, in order to make their point.

Blanchard — well known for his book, The One Minute Manager — and his co-author suggest defining what Raving Fans means to your business by determining your response to two statements. These declarations are simple but profound.

Declaration #1: Decide What You Want

This may sound trite, but business owners often struggle in trying to describe what they want in a few simple words. The authors provide some practical stories which will help you craft your company’s declaration.

(Note: This is the do-not-say-you-can-do-everything-for-everyone concept.)

Declaration #2: Discover What the Client/Customer Wants

Again, the authors offer some excellent examples to help you complete your declaration.

As I was reading Raving Fans, I thought of a famous 1993 article written by Harvard professor David Maister: Quality Work Doesn’t Mean Quality Service. In my experience, this is a very common problem. I would summarize it by saying, “Don’t assume you know what your client/customer wants.” Here’s a great story to make the point:

One of my clients went on a sales call with a new business development associate. They met with the business owner, who described what he was looking for and provided his budget. The associate developed a solution for the client that was within the budget he had been provided. When the associate met with his boss (my client) to share his proposal, the boss said, “That’s not what the client wants,” and he proceeded to describe what he believed the client really wanted. The associate replied, “That’s double the budget!” My client suggested to the associate that he present both solutions to the prospective client — and, you guessed it, the business owner selected the higher-priced solution. My client, who’s been in business for more than 30 years, really listens to his clients.

Do you know what you want and what your client/customer wants?

If You Liked “Lean In,” This is a Must-Read

New Scientific Discoveries About Talent

Are Your Clients/Customers Raving Fans?

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