Who motivates the motivator?
Leadership is like that. Who does the leader follow to evolve into the optimum model to follow?

Leadership must be renewed from within. It is like a muscle that must be worked to develop.

Consider playing a sport like tennis. A coach once encouraged me to experience playing against an opponent at least two “rungs” up from my level to improve my game. Easier said than done, I say! A special person, especially a company leader, has to possess several traits to combat ego issues. See if you agree with me:

Conscious competence—Great leaders select experts smarter and more informed than they are. They are committed to personal growth and lifelong learning. They are confident in their own skin that they are knowledgeable, yet they cannot know everything! They are self-referred and comfortable to know they have assembled the best team. This ability relates to control and trust issues, which is founded on insecurity.

Empathy—They need to understand and care about the people in their sphere is important to them.

Self awareness—This multidimensional leader is aware of short-comings as well as strengths. This trait is essential to emotional intelligence and assessing one’s position in the universe.

Courage to fail—It takes courage to risk one’s security and comfort to achieve an outcome. This is the discussion around “out-of-the-box” thinking and actions. Another perspective is to shift into curiosity mode and find out how parts fit together. This perspective allows space to explore and test different approaches. It is a way of eliminating obstacles by crossing them off the list of what has been tried.

Know it all—This omniscient leader has a blind spot that shines on the ego. It is a false premise to think one person holds all the answers, and that to ask for input or feedback somehow diminishes one’s credibility or stature and makes one weak. The hubris of this perspective is the undoing of many leaders and they don’t see it coming. Plus, adversaries see an opportunity in this warped thinking to feed misinformation or counterpoint with something the person does not know!

Humility—Robert Schuller said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking more of other people.” The ability to be humble opens a perspective of wide expanse. There are possibilities in humility and an openness to learn in service to others. Whether leading a large corporation, religious organization, or teaching a class, humility tracks back to being receptive to new ideas and a desire to know more.

The Model—One must be able to follow before becoming a great leader. The great leader uses all of the above traits to inspire confidence and emotion into people who perceive how their lives will be enhanced by connecting with this leader.

I would enjoy hearing your input, so please send your concepts of leadership directly to me. MC

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by Coachcubas

Action plan, business coaching, communication, entrepreneurs, Marketing, Strategic Planning, Strategy

Marketing Budgets 101—An Easy Introduction

September 2, 2010

Congratulations. You stopped long enough to read this and get out of the task mindset.

Often, clients ask me how to budget for marketing. As we are in unchartered territory, the usual “left-overs” approach to marketing will sink a business today. At the core, it is not about the money. It is not about competition. It is about how you make your case to assure your prospect of a smart buying decision. They must feel secure that you will deliver on your promise. The prospect wants to feel good about a relationship with your company. Provide that link with your marketing message.

Amazingly, when companies are concerned about making payroll or staying afloat, the first place they cut is sales personnel. Think about it: how does that make sense when these “boots on the ground” or the voices on the phone or at the networking meeting are the circulatory system of your company. My personal favorite is how marketing money is slashed because it is a non-revenue producing department.—Try running a company without it.

The other mystery is how many small business owners do not understand marketing beyond a phone book ad. Advertising is a tool of marketing.

Here are a couple of tips as you review and revise your marketing plans. (Yes, I trust that you have one!)
1. Have a written marketing plan.
2. Define your primary, secondary and ancillary target audiences.

Assign a percentage of budget to each category.
Include research to map the psychographics of your audience:

Where do they shop?
What are similar values they hold and relate to your company values?
What causes are important to them?
What do they read?
What percentage of time are they online, reading print and want to be contacted?
Answers provide a place to start about placement of your marketing messages.

These are sampling questions for your website to conduct an online poll, survey after you have established and earned the trust of your visitor.

3.   15% designated to search engine optimization (SEO) functions. For example, if you have $500 for online marketing, $75 would go for SEO.
4.   Calculate your annual sales and take 5-7% as your marketing budget. Of course, if you are launching new products or services, you may want to assign a separate budget for those items.
5.   Who can best implement and manage your marketing? If you are doing everything, you are doing nothing well. This book will change how you view running your business, The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber. You can easily order a copy by clicking on the Amazon box.

If nothing else, a simple outline encompassing the issues above will help you to run your business, stand above and look down (meta view) and begin to see how all the moving parts work together. If nothing else, consider ways to apply the suggestions. -MC

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by Coachcubas

Behavior, career, change, communication, executive, fulfillment, planning, Value, Visionary, Wisdom, Workplace

Will Female Majority In the Workplace Force Changes?

June 26, 2010

The title of this article, , prompted this post. I think it is deceiving. More accurately, it may mark the end of male domination in the workplace and be the final step toward pay parity.

I am not a “basher” on any topic, especially the “battle of the sexes.” What I took from this commentary was the opportunity to progress. Jeannie (Genie) is not going back into the bottle

Here are ways I see from my experience and practice that can influence the work arena:

Just like women perceive colors differently, they can lead differently, too. Feedback and active listening are key success factors and leave a “quarterback” mentality in the dust. Leading a team rather than being the lone star is highly effective.
Women work differently than men. The female perspective is different. More cooperation and less competition is welcome in this strange economy.
We may see a return to a committed work ethic because historically women would do tasks and take on projects that men would not touch. Generational attitudes affect this, too.
The rigid vertical organizational “chart” will change as women gain in leadership positions. We will likely see more circular and matrix linked organizations working together. This thinking began in the late 1980’s under the “innovation umbrella” a la and quality circles. Women enjoy collaboration so we may see a surge in this activity.
Recruiting attitudes and energy will change. Women now have a stronger voice and will ask for conditions that serve them beyond on-site nurseries.
We are moving into an age of diplomacy like never before. Remember, it was attention and support to the League of Nations at a time the U.S. was turning toward isolationism. Her efforts helped move the League of Nations into the United Nations.
As the world population is more than 50% female, we are finally employing the full force of half our resources into play. Imagine splitting yourself in half and attempting to be fully functional.

What are your current and past experiences?

Do you see any changes in your own lives?

Please comment. -MC

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by Coachcubas

Who motivates the motivator?

Marketing Budgets 101—An Easy Introduction

Will Female Majority In the Workplace Force Changes?

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