The Reality of Open Book Management
Mar 24, 2016

Truthfully, this is just one reality .. but a good one at that 🙂

Norm Jefferies of Computer Merchants has been running his company for over 20 yrs and I think it's fair to say, he's doing a damn fine job at it.

Norm and his team adopted the philosophy of Open  Book Management (OBM) at an early stage and it has become a key part of their culture.

In this interview, Norm shares how they implemented OBM and what the benefits and challenges have been of sharing the numbers within the team. We dive into the specific of day-to-day tactics, how OBM affects performance and how they make it a living and effective tool to align the team.

If you are thinking of implementing Open Book Management or are on the other side and think it's crazy, either way you'll get some direct benefit of learning from Norm's experience.

Enjoy!

 

Links from the interview:

Computer Merchants website - http://www.computermerchants.com.au/

Norm on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/normjefferies

The Great Game of Business - http://greatgame.com/

Ownership thinking - http://www.ownershipthinking.com/

What’s Your Daily Number?
Mar 14, 2016

What if you had a friend who was trying to lose weight, but they never stepped on a scale and didn't know their weight when they started? I'm sure, being a good friend you would suggest they find our their true weight, so they could track their changes and get a sense for if they were heading towards their goal.

Now take that same principle but apply it to your business. Whether it be sales, marketing ROI, or employee turnover, knowing where you stand is a huge part of success, and knowing if you are (or will) meet your goals. Having those metrics in hand will also help you determine the time it will or has taken you to reach your goal and provide a critical baseline for further attempts to improve your numbers.

The truth is this - if you don't keep track of your numbers, you will always think your track record is better than it actually is, because our brains can sometimes confuse intention with action. Numbers don't lie. Creating a hard goal will allow you to be objective in its achievement and is easy to measure. This number should be shared in your daily, yes daily, meeting with staff so everyone knows where you stand. Why daily? Well, if you measure the important goals quarterly, or even annually, you deprive yourself of critical moments to adjust your course which could mean the difference of a goal exceeded and one which has fallen short.

3 Critical Things You Need your Team’s Input on
Mar 10, 2016

When doing strategic planning, it is essential to gain some insights from your team members on their perceptions of the business, where it's going, and why things are the way they are. Remember when it comes to your employees, every action they make is a direct result of their perception of the business and their understanding of why it is being done. The important part is to marry their expectations with yours, so that the team can function as a cohesive unit for the purpose of growing your business. With that said, there are three key questions you needs to ask of your employees before the strategic planning process begins (and is something to keep a gauge on at least once a year):

1. What should we START doing?

2. What should we STOP doing?

3. What should we KEEP doing?

With the answers to those key questions, you will be able to spot trends and patterns of thinking in your employees which will guide your planning discussions.

Good luck, and have fun.

All Performance is Driven by the Quality of Our Thinking – Interview with Damian McConnell
Jan 22, 2016

To download this interview right click here (and choose 'Save As')

Damian McConnell has been involved in Personal & Professional Development for the past 16yrs and now brings his message to the business world working with individuals and teams to elevate and improve how they think.

We dive into Goal Setting and how to go about it so that your goals are realized vs just being dreams. Damian has a unique view on this and some powerful ways to go about it.

You may have heard before that your goals need to be 'realistic' and 'achievable'. Damian likes to scrap this approach and his philosophy around this is worth exploring. You might be surprised.

Enjoy the conversation.

Notes: here are some links that were mentioned in this interview

Damian's website - http://www.mindstoretraining.com.au/

Napoleon Hill - http://www.naphill.org/

Gestalt - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestalt_psychology

90-day planning document

Leading Remote Teams
Nov 25, 2015

To download the Mp3 audio, click here (right click and choose 'save link as')

 

Sales veteran Matt LeBeau leads a team of successful salespeople and sales managers spanning from coast to coast across Canada. His company is LeBeau Excel. Like many new companies today, his team is mostly remote and virtual. So how has he managed the grow a successful business with these geographical constraints?

In this interview Matt shares his story, his tips and tricks (and ongoing challenges) in leading a team remotely. We dive into the technology, systems around hiring, collaboration, planning and accountability.

If you have people working remotely, you'll love what Matt has to share. Enjoy.

Note: in the interview Matt references a reporting system he is using. That system is Tableau.com. I can also recommend a similar tool called Klipfolio

You can find out more about Matt and his company here:

LeBeau Excel

Matt LeBeau - Twitter - LinkedIn