What is Business Literacy™?
Business Literacy™ drives my coaching practice. Find out more at
http://www.positivepotentials.com/businessliteracy.htmFrom working with thousands of business owners and employees, here are my
three reasons small businesses fail:
1. Lack of planning, not funding. If clients have formal business plan, they don’t bring it out. Lack of or a fractured written marketing plan. With managers and multi-tiered businesses, buy-in is critical to run throughout the organization.
2. Don’t listen to advisory input; unilateral decision, stubborn leadership; want to do everything alone.
Entrepreneurs often don’t know when to hire expertise because won’t ask. The situation can be like the jokes about men asking for directions (TQ GPS!)
3. Focused on widgets rather seeing over the horizon then working back.
Once clients recognize Positive Potentials' mantra—they must move from DO to VIEW™. Too many managers are bogged down in the tasks rather than driving the process and focusing the vision.
What do you think?
Coach Cubas
Are You A Coach or Consultant?
What is the difference between a consultant and a coach?
Here is my simplistic explanation:
Consultant:Coach:
Fix it :
Explore perspectivesProvide solutions :
Encourage the client to consider optionsFocus on the problem :
Focus on the personDirective "Telling" :
Co-active, co-creative with the client.One of the first agreements my clients and I come to is how much interaction they want from me.
I "show up" for them no matter what.
I am not their parent so we define what accountability looks like and how they want to comply.
This attitude is helpful in goal-setting. We take the mystery out of it when the client realizes that goal setting identifies the tasks required to achieve their vision.
Goals are steps to achievement, not the achievement itself.
Please share with me your experiences in working with a coach.
Coach Cubas on the Candidates
‘Tis the season to talk to my TV. I continue to elbow my husband on the arm and say, “Did you hear that?” or, “What she really means is . . .!”
So, what can we learn from my phantom coaching sessions with the T.V.?
Words matter! Their sub-text matters more, and the invisible negative or positive charge matter most!
Verbal communications have a sub-text message, an underlying meaning. Language has connotations—plus and minus. Consider the words “mob, group and team.” On the surface, they connect as a collection of people. The difference is the intention of the people. Tone of voice matters; non-verbal cues and gestures matter, too.
So, what would I coach with each candidate to advance their messages?Hillary:
She is in push me/pull you situation. Balancing power in one's voice with expression can be a challenge.
Her physical stature influences her presentation especially against Barack's height.
Hillary has a tendency to scream her message. This may be an attempt to sound "bigger and stronger." It comes across as a screech (remember Howard Dean's moment?) When using a microphone, a speaker is most effective using the nuance of voice the amplified microphone allows. There is no need to yell into the mic.
Also, I would work with her on platform skills such as her constant movement across the stage. Her movement across the stage can be misconstrued. Yes, she wants to engage all sides of the stage. Yet, too much motion can indicate nervousness and is distracting especially for the cameraperson visually trying to follow her.
I’d coach Hillary in storytelling techniques: how to frame a statement for impact, how to use words to relate to her audience and gestures to support her message. Her current delivery is like a verbal annual report.
Barack:
His oratory prowess is unmatched in this election. He knows when to linger on a word, step on his own words, and pause for an applause while still speaking. Also, notice how he begins behind a podium and then emerges from behind it to relate to the audience. That approach works well.
The only think I see is how sometimes he slips into "preacher" mode and how his accent flows in. It varies.
My feedback is minimal. I’d advise him to address the camera more, and just be aware of his smirk that could be misconstrued by the minions against him.
His messages are powerful. He is inspirational and touching, he’s real, on purpose. He’s a storyteller.
John Edwards:
John could reframe the message in positive ways. People don’t want to hear what they already know—the U.S. is ailing, and we need a doctor along with universal healthcare! His issues are real—poverty, the forgotten poor, the lifelong workers given the shaft. Yet, I see his message like someone selling funerals or life insurance—we need these things but don’t want to or are too weak to stand up for ourselves anymore. It’s about broken spirits rather than policies. A bit of optimism would serve well with the well-intentioned stand.
John could infuse his messages with elements like: “Yes, it may be this way today, but we can transform it into a hopeful decade using our minds and souls rather than our wallets. Pulling in harness conserves energy and we’re headed in the same direction. We can share our resources while using less.”
His sincerity is evident; it's the sound bites that are droll. He appears frustrated and tired (who wouldn’t with the stress of the campaign trail and knowledge that his wife is ill.) I sense ambivalence about leaving his family, but he’s a man on a mission.
John McCain:
John has earned people’s respect with his service in the Navy. He’s proven under fire and is firm in his convictions. This experience painted the rest of his life that I’m sure he doesn’t take forgranted.
Personally, I’m not sure he’s an active listener, however. This is evidenced by how he talks over people. Sometimes he appears befuddled.
The use of the folksy, “My Friends,” appeals to older people. He could refresh his language to be inclusive using we rather than “you.” He may consider what under 40-somethings may want to hear from him. Fast Company is a good barometer for the fast-paced executives and aspiring leaders.
Mitt Romney:
He needs to be tickled before going in public. Loosen up, Mitt.
You won’t lose votes by being human rather than robotic. Practice empathy so you can demonstrate it. You obviously have feelings, but your corporate climate sucked the empathy out of you. This is a negotiation for hearts and minds, something people are so fond of discussing for other countries we’re fighting.
Finally, Mitt must make more human references rather than companies or institutional examples.
Mike Huckabee:
Mike is a calculated speaker for the most part. He’s highly effective because he connects on a human, emotional level. Note the words he uses and the dropped “g’s” to be folksy. His references are human and sound like quotes from Poor Richard’s Almanac.
Delivery isn’t his issue. Content is. He would benefit from a larger view of his message rather than a niched appeal to religious conservatives. Also, sweeping allusions like changing the Constitution to be more like the Bible can be viewed as hystrionic. He must be aware of how he alienates “others’ ” religious views.
He is comfortable in his now-slimmed skin; I would encourage Mike to invite others in. That would strengthen his message.
Ron Paul:
Ron's points are well researched and pertinent. It's the delivery that could improve. The tone of voice is the issue for me. I feel like he's wagging a finger in my face rather than giving me the information I need to make an informed decision. He appears confrontational and doesn't solicit any common ground. His fiery conviction is admirable. I would prescribe more bedside manner for this medico.
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Above all, these are brief observations akin to my proofreading menus. It’s an instant reaction based on my training. Observing others speak is a teaching tool.
Video taping as one practices is revealing. Run the video without the audio to objectively view how the gestures are coming across.
I hope these examples serve you as examples the next time you speak at a meeting or giving a presentation.
ESP, Entrepreneur Syndrome Practices™
As a business coach, I meet and train thousands of people a year, particularly company owners. Entrepreneurs are a unique set of clients. Michael Gerber nailed the experience in his
E-Myth books.One element breaks through as the lead issue for entrepreneurs to tackle—How to get out of the TASK. I call it ESP, Entrepreneur Syndrome Practices™.
Often, entrepreneurs don't realize what is happening to them. Physical symptoms may manifest as well.
Here are ESP symptoms:
1. Denial that help is required.
2. Do everything themselves will save them money.
3. Workaholism sets in, don't know when to stop, relationships suffer.
4. Stress related health issues—high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep and eating disorders
5. Fear of stopping to plan and think about the business because they may not be able to ramp up their energy again.
How many of these apply to your work style even if you don't own the company?
There are ways to work through each step.
Provide a value from 1-5, (5 being the most applicable value.)
Give yourself permission to take a break.
Assess the ones with high numbers, and take 10 minutes to jot three bullets
for each one related to taking a step forward, not even the end result. It's incremental so give yourself a break!
Set one day per week for a 15 minute meeting with yourself to review your items.
Review and evaluation how committed you are fulfilling the bullet points.
If you get stuck, please call me.
Your Coach—MC
Labels: entrepreneurs, processes, workplace
History Lesson
"Evil is allowed to happen when good people do nothing!"
What's up with all the intolerance and hate, Richard and Mel, for example? How about David Duke's attach on Wolf Blitzer (Dec. 13) in The Situation Room?
I heard a loud "thud" this past week reminiscent of Germany in the early '40's when Hitler took the temperature of the world's response to anti-semitism. The "no response" gave him permission to gallop to the finish line!
Iran is doing this with the Holocaust conference. They want to measure the resistance of the world community to their anti-semetic rants. I didn't hear the OUTRAGE!
Glen Beck made a comment nights ago (Dec. 11?) when he spoke with Rabbi Marvin Hier. He said he hears the ovens being turned on! How reassuring. This is a case of the lights are on and nobody's home or doing anything.
Actions speak louder than rhetoric. How
about a campaign to our congresspeople for starters to let them know we see a clear and present danger. They may not.
Next, it will be the sub-zero dress size, or the tatoo people, or animal lovers. Beware the sounds of intolerance, and worse, the silence of no resistance.
Love thy neighbor!
Michelle
www.positivepotentials.com
Special Comment about liars
We expect more from school children—to tell the truth.
This is a chilling and long-overdue commentary on delusional thinking no matter what political leanings one holds.
We're loosing our grip.
Can We Market with Dignity?
Can a marketing process co-exist with dignity?
It can when there is a clear company vision and a sense of service rather than pandering to the target audience.
I contend there is a fine line between clever, cheap and desperate.
So, the deal-breaker condition is setting boundaries.
Around what, you might ask?
Let’s peek back at the premise of the business for starters.
If we are a mega church promoting family values, what are
we doing accepting ads from questionable sources or gambling
establishments, for example?
“Anything goes” can be a dangerous approach to diluting your
message and more seriously marring your name and reputation.
It quickly turns into, "What were we thinking?"
Take the beer ads . . . please (old comedian’s joke.)
Do they inspire the audience to buy beer or are they a desperate attempt to entertain people with empty heads and encourage brainless behavior? Dignity has flown out while “dumbed down” has flown in. There are no boundaries here and that is a problem. What used to be edgy is now questionably legal in some cases. For example, a liquor company advertised very young people drinking in the commercials. They were called on it because the actors appeared to be under “21.”
What was the last “anything goes” episode in your company?
How often have you sat in a creative meeting or listened to a
client say they wanted to go in a precarious direction?
What’s your role at that moment?
What can be missing from these meetings is any link back to original business premise.
So, Step 1 might be, “Link back to your original business premise!”
Step 2—Speak “truth to power.” Yes, it is frightening at first, then it’s freeing,
because if you are chastised for expressing an opinion, brainstorming ideas
or supporting an idea, how much do you really want to work for the
“storm troopers” anyway. Go back to your office and put your exit strategy together.
Step 3—While controversy can be stirring and consciousness raised, be available
to handle the fall out if it goes off track. (Research how Jack In The Box Restaurants
or Johnson & Johnson weathered the storms of controversy and won.) The illusion
of control is alluring. Yet, it is in these crisis moments that control leaves the room.
You must be on solid ground and head in the direction of integrity and dignity.
Step 4—Who is an appropriate spokesperson for your message?
How does that person’s persona and real life match with your company?
Celebrity, notoriety, fame for its own sake is fleeting. You want your product
to be around beyond the next baseball season.
Besides, I’ve wondered what matter is it that a “star” buys a product unless
the viewer somehow believes the halo effect will shine on them and they will
magically look like Halle Berry when the makeup is on!
Really? Is our audience that shallow?
Or, is that how little we think of our audience? Where’s the dignity now?
Step 5—Be who you say you are. Your company policies and quality standards
are on the line every day. Money back guarantee? Then, don’t hassle people
when they want a refund. Exchange policy? Be clear what can replaced.
The same few company names land on the "best service" list each time.
Take a look at what they’re doing and do it!
I’d enjoy your feedback on how dignity is present or not in your work circumstances.
Comment here or drop me an email at mcubas@positivepotentials.com. Au revoir.
Your coach,
Michelle Cubas
Business Not Personal? Think again . . .
How long have you had the perspective that business isn't personal? Donald Trump drove home this point in many episodes of The Apprentice. I want to differ with Donald.
With the $billions$ being spent on marketing and wooing customers and prospects, how can the "personal" be overlooked?
What researchers may refer to as personal can border on voyeurism! I don't think that's what the customer had in mind.
Personal is easy. It has just gone out of style. Personal and "cool" don't mix well.
It's about building a connection, a bridge, a trust link back to you from the customer's mind share.
Too much is riding on the nit picking and chasing the research while a simple phone call or friendly note will do. Think about the last time you received a note of appreciation or someone enjoyed your article. How many times did you read it? Put it on the fridge, did you! We're hungry for authentic feedback that someone was influenced by being in the same "space" (not My Space!) as we were.
Go forward with the personal idea. Make it count. Smile at strangers and make them wonder what you're on. Be the person others like to gather 'round. You'll be surprised how much business evolves out of those emotions people try to avoid.
So, now we know business is person. The next step is to make it count for something. Let us connect on that point next time.
From me to you, your coach,
Michelle Cubas
Virtues of Plain English
Remember when you were in elementary school and you wanted to use "big" words?
There are still people functioning on that level in business and government.
As an enterprise coach, I see the barriers companies place in their own ways
by using puffed up language. My recommendation to all my clients, from
corporations to sole proprietors, is to speak in "“plain English."
The objective of communications is to create a channel for exchange. When we
speak in jargon, techno-speak, we put the listener at a disadvantage. In
fact, people within the same organization won't share the same training like
the CMO (chief marketing officer) may not have a research background, and
may come from the creative side. Consider your listener before peppering
the presentation with, what '’ve coined, "“See-I-Know-the-Game™" approach.
Just describe your services clearly so that anyone would understand. Of
course, you can list products you use to achieve outcomes. They would be
your "“buzz"” (such as SAS/SPSS) as long as you explain what they are. The
prospect may or may not understand the words and wouldn'’t want to appear
foolish to you by asking for definition.
TIP: Depending on the project, I encourage you to include a glossary of terms
based on what is used in the project. You will be respected and appreciated
for your thoughtfulness. Your credibility will jump up, too.
The attention you want is not winner of the spelling bee, but for the prospect to trust you.
Consider what can you do personally to put the prospect at ease?
What words can you convey that solicit empathy from the prospect?
What do prospects REALLY look for?
Prospects want to be secure in knowing that you will help them to achieve
results and make them look good.
Here's a point to practice: Use inclusive language like "we"
or "together."
From a sales and marketing perspective, when you engage a prospect, your
passion for your work will serve you best. Elevator speeches are contrived.
My recommendation is to select three high points you are passionate about
and develop three sentences to describe each one.
That way you're never at a loss for words!
I'd enjoy hearing about your experiences. Good luck.
Growing Business Is Not Always About Expansion
My coaching practice keeps me current with community business issues. One in particular is networking. It’s like a mania here in Scottsdale, Arizona. A person could attend events all day here and never run out of meetings to attend. (Weight gain is a networking hazard.) In fact, some attendees are like groupies. There are seminar “junkies” who travel around the city to these events. That’s terrific for the speakers.
So here's my challenging thought: how are these people using all the contacts they are making?
The power of networking is grounded in first impressions. Trust comes much later. It must be earned. However, many untrained, insensitive people confuse networking with sales.
I marvel at the in-your-face marketers who obtain a business card and use it like a meal ticket! Naughty, naughty. That gives everyone in marketing and sales a bad name. So, maybe it’s time for insight on networking vs. expansion.
What do I mean by that?
Networking is an opportunity for engagement, not sales. It is time to establish a connection with someone who may or may not be a useful “sales tool” for you. Coach Cubas recommends that when you are at a networking event, you don’t treat it like a political rally. The best result I look for is an invitation. Yes, someone actually asks me to call them, because they are intrigued by what I am about. That’s not ego fodder. That’s a connection based on curiosity; someone wants more.
Public speakers know that lesson well. That’s why back-of-the-room sales are part of a speaker’s experience. If successful, the attendees want to take the speaker home with them. They learned something, heard a sound, thought differently as a result of their attendance; now, they want to chew on it.
Remember, adult learners (in a setting for learning like a class) retain less than 30% of what they hear. That’s why CD’s, tapes, DVD’s, anything that is portable makes learning a pastime, not school anymore. It reminds them of how good they felt when they heard their morsel. It’s really not about the sales; it’s about the impact of the message. And, the participant wants more.
Successful networkers understand the power of curiosity. They make it about WIFU (What's In It 4 U) rather than WIFM (What's In It For Me). Here's a clue—Something about you promotes the idea that I’ll be better off knowing you. That’s what you want to promote, not your business. Powerful leaders understand this well.
When asked by many, “What do you do?”, I gleefully found out that the Dalai Lama and I shared the identical answer. We don’t do anything. I’m too busy being, not doing. That fascinates people.
Find something about yourself that is intriguing to know. This is not bragging. It’s a nugget to drop into a “cold conversation situation” like a networking meeting. Is it the tone of your voice, the way you hold eye contact, the way you extend your hand? Focus on something and make it artful. You will rejoice in the power of the magnetic forces, generated by curiosity, which will deliver interest to your door.
Expand your business? We’re all trying too hard. Play with this idea, and please send me your stories.
If you would like to be published in my upcoming book regarding this topic, please express that you are giving me permission to use your story, your name or initials, company, etc.
Get curious about life and you will awaken with wonder. Just think about all the people you are about attract! Good luck.
Your coach,
Michelle Cubas
