are you poaching?

When was the last time you went porching?

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The homes in the neighborhood had lovely front porches where people in the neighborhood would gather and talk. It brought the neighbors together and created a community. The woman sharing the stories talked about how much she enjoyed porching with her neighbors.

It got me thinking about my own neighborhood. The homes are designed with no front porches. The most prominent feature is the garage—a convenient feature for quickly opening the door, pulling in and closing it. But, the design doesn’t facilitate communicating with neighbors.

The same thing can be seen in businesses. Some are designed to facilitate communicating with co-workers. Others are designed to keep people apart. For businesses to be healthy, there have to be built in mechanisms that are designed to get people talking.

How is your business designed? Should you have more porching in yours?

did you take out the good stuff

You took out the good stuff

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My dog loves bully sticks. Just mention the word and she runs to where they are kept. Recently, the type I normally buy was out of stock. So, I purchased another brand. But it wasn’t the same. They somehow reduced the odor, but took out whatever makes them taste good.

You’ve probably heard the same sort of thing in business. We’ve made some changes and you’re going to love it. But, the people making the changes don’t really know what it is you actually love. And that’s the part that gets removed.

It’s a good reminder to really understand the parts people love about your business and make sure you don’t change those things. How do you make sure you don’t take out the good stuff?

are you a trendsetter?

Are you a trendsetter or a follower?

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July used to be a wasteland for the retail industry. That was until Amazon introduced Prime Day. And other retailers took notice and followed by introducing competing offers.

This year Amazon set records during its two Prime Days in July. The expectation was sales would be in the range of $5-6 billion dollars.

Pretty astonishing.

But that’s the power of being a top performer in your industry. Top performers create things that didn’t exist before. And people are excited about it.

They change expectations and set new ones.

What can you do to set trends in your industry? To change the game? And set new expectations?

talent gap

Do vacation schedules highlight gaps in your talent?

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Every now and then the instructor of my favorite class at the gym takes a day off. She is so reliable and is always there, that we hardly ever think about her not being there. And while we all recognize the need and importance for vacation, it throws everyone off because there aren’t subs anywhere near as good as she is. So, people scramble to rejigger their workout schedule for the week.

While clearly a first world problem, figuring out how to get the best workout when your regular instructor is out highlights a dilemma most businesses face. Do you have a strong bench to replace those that are out temporarily or leave permanently?

It is usually the things like vacations that highlight talent gaps. When was the last time you looked at yours?

Are your most important points above the fold?

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The Wall Street Journal is my favorite newspaper layout. The most important information is above the fold. And there’s a preview of major stories along the left margin. You can’t miss the key points. They are all on the front page. If you want to get into other topics, those are available by flipping the page. But they don’t distract you if you just want the key points.

This approach is a great way for leaders to think about messaging. What is the single most important point you want people to walk away with? Put it front and center. Then give a few other points. And if people want more, tell them where they can go looking for it. But don’t distract from the key point. It should be what people walk away with. Are you making your main point above the fold?

expect the unexpected

Expect the Unexpected

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Just about every day, I see people walking, skateboarding or riding bikes on the freeway. Sometimes they have dogs, sometimes there are a few people together, other times they are by themselves. The freeway is designed for cars and trucks, not people. It used to be unexpected for them to be there. Not anymore.

That’s the thing about the unexpected. At some point the unexpected happens. Then it happens regularly. Then you expect it.

What if you thought about what is unexpected in your business—the good things and the bad things. If they start to happen, what would it be like? And what would you do differently?

Are you limited by boundaries?

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Every neighborhood has its own characters. Sometimes they are people. Sometimes they are critters.

My neighborhood has bunnies. And although each yard is fenced, the bunnies have ways to get around the fences. Sometimes they go under. Sometimes they go through gaps.

They don’t let the boundaries stop them from where they want to go.

Unlike bunnies, people often let boundaries stop them.

It could be real. Or it could be perceived.

In business, those that are most successful find a way to get around the boundary. They see the gaps, not the fence.

And that is what lets them succeed.

are you measuring the right things

Are your metrics the right ones?

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The departure to Boston was delayed by a bad weather system passing through the Boston area. Not much the airline can do about it. The FAA made the call. After some time, we boarded the plane, the door shut and the jet bridge was pulled back. We were on the way!  Or so I thought.

The captain came on and said we hadn’t been cleared for take-off, but he was going to taxi out a bit, hoping an earlier departure would come through. And that’s when I looked at the flight tracking to see the departure time was recorded when the door shut and the jet bridge pulled back.

For the airline, that was the part they could control. But as a customer, I don’t care who is controlling the issue. Late is late.

That’s the thing about metrics. It is easy to have metrics that show you are doing well. But if your metrics aren’t showing the whole picture, you are just fooling yourself! Have you checked in on your metrics lately? Are they accurately showing what is going on in your business? If not, it is time to rethink what you are measuring.

caught in the act

Caught in the Act!

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Heading out of town is always an adventure. My rescue dog doesn’t like going to the doggy hotel, so packing has to be at the last minute. She was outside enjoying the morning so I went to grab the baggies to pack up her food. I turned around and she was standing there glaring at me. How she figured out what I was doing, I’ll never know. But somehow she did. And I was caught in the act!

That’s the thing about trying to pull something over on others. They always seem to know. And in business, it never works. People always figure it out. You’re best off being up front about what is going on. It will build trust with your people.

the passing lane

The Passing Lane

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It was an interesting thing to see. On the drive up the mountain, most of the way, the road was one lane each way. Eventually the pack catches up with a car that was going slower than the rest, slowing the entire group down. And periodically, a passing lane would appear.

As the first car moved to the right, it would speed up. The rest of the pack would have to floor it to pass. The speed would increase 15-20 mph to get past the car in front. It happened every time. And as soon as the lane went back to one, the speed would drop back to where it was before the passing lane.

It finally hit me. People are competitive. They don’t want to get passed up. So every time the challenge of the passing lane came around, it pushed everyone to move faster.

 

It was a good reminder that we all need competition to move faster. Do you have a passing lane in your business designed to get everyone to move faster?