Life
Connecting the Dots Faster
When I started consulting, an experienced consultant told me, “The best Consultants are experts at becoming Experts.” I started my consulting career with that goal in mind. After a few years realized that “Good consults are people who can learn enough quickly to ask intelligent questions and then connect the dots faster.” This is a great skill for anyone, regardless of the industry or business.
It’s impossible to be an expert at everything. I believe having great depth in a few areas (true expertise) and breadth of knowledge in many areas (enhancing context and insight) is important. Both types of knowledge alone are valuable, but combined, they add a dimension that allows a person to be far more effective and potentially much more valuable because it leads to the ability to pick up on the dependencies and nuances that others miss.
Just think – How much more effective is a salesperson who understands technology and project management concepts when working to demonstrate fit and create a sense of urgency? Or, an Attorney who understands the complexity of service offerings and delivery – enhancing their ability to construct agreements that are highly protective yet not overly complex or onerous. Or a programmer who thinks beyond the requirements and looks for ways to improve or simplify the process. Extra knowledge helps with the big picture understanding, and that often leads to providing more value by “thinking outside the box.” Additional knowledge and skills almost always help us become more effective, regardless of what we may be doing.
Increased knowledge and a desire to do amazing things create opportunities to make a huge and immediate impact. Sometimes it is because you are asking the questions that others may be thinking but simply cannot articulate in a clear manner. It helps you see the gaps and holes that others miss. And most importantly, it helps you “connect the dots” before others do (often many months before something obvious to you becomes obvious to others). A large consultancy once used the phrase “seeing around corners” to make this concept tangible.
So, if you buy into the concept that knowledge is good, the next question is usually, “What is the best way to learn?” People learn in different ways, so there really is no one single best way to learn. Understanding how you learn best will help you learn faster.
I’m a fan of reading. A good book may reinforce ideas you already know, introduce you to a few concepts or ideas that seem like they could help (giving you something to test), and often present many ideas that you know or feel just won’t work. Just don’t become one of those people who changes their beliefs and approach with every book they read (or what I refer to as “The book of the month club manager.“)
I’m also a fan of hands-on learning. The experience of doing something the first time is important. Keeping detailed notes (what works, what doesn’t make sense, what you did to figure it out, workarounds, etc.) enhances the value of that experience. It’s amazing what you can learn when you “get your hands dirty.”
What about formal education? I’ve never been a fan of the person who wants to get a degree in order to get a promotion. There are certainly some professions where education is critical to success (often through legitimacy as much as anything else). My advice to people is to work towards a specific degree because it is important as a personal goal and because it could possibly help you get a different or better job in the future. I will never criticize anyone for learning, going to school, or getting another certification or degree.
I believe the best way to get ahead is to learn the position, innovate, optimize, and deliver incredible results. You won’t “knock it out of the park” every time, but those “base hits” will help you score and ultimately win.
This is not to say that formal education is bad; I don’t believe that at all. I was working on my MBA at the same time I was expanding my consulting business from the US to the UK. I had a concentration in International Business, so I could apply many things I was learning right away. This bit of serendipity both enhanced my learning experience and helped me make better decisions that had real implications for my business. The funny thing was that I was working on that degree to raise the bar for my children, so this was just a bonus for me.
There are also other great ways to learn – ways that only require an investment of your time. There are many good free online courses. If you are interested in learning something or need to know more about it, there is almost always a place to find free or low-cost training. These are great investments in yourself and your future, and may help you learn to connect those dots faster.
Below are links to a few good free learning websites. Do yourself a favor and check them out. And, if you know of others, leave a comment and recommend them to others. Enjoy!
OpenCulture (directory with content from multiple sources)
Open Education Database (directory with content from multiple sources
Diamonds or just Shiny Rocks?
During a very candid review years ago, my boss at the time (the CEO of the company) made a surprising comment to me. He said, “Good ideas can be like diamonds – drop them occasionally, and they have a lot of value. But sprinkle them everywhere you go, and they just become a bunch of shiny rocks.” This was not the type of feedback that I was expecting, but it turned out to be both insightful and very valuable.
For a long time, I have held the belief that there are four types of people at any company: 1) People who want to make things better; 2) People who are interested in improvement but only in a supporting role; 3) People who are mainly interested in themselves (they can do great things, but often at the expense of others); and 4) People that are just there and don’t care much about anything. This opinion is based on working and consulting at many companies over a few decades.
A recent Gallup Poll stated Worldwide only 13% of Employees are “engaged at work” (the rest are “not engaged” or “actively disengaged”). This is a sad reflection of employees and work environments if it is true. Since it is a worldwide survey, it may be highly skewed by region or industry and, therefore, not indicative of what is typical across the board. Those results were not completely aligned with my thinking but were interesting nonetheless.
So, back to the story…
Before working at this company, I had run my own business for nearly a decade and was a consultant for 15 years, working at large corporations and startups. I am used to taking the best practices learned from other companies and engagements and incorporating them into our business practices to improve and foster growth.
I take a systemic view of business and see the importance of optimizing all components of “the business machine” to work harmoniously. Improvements in one area ultimately positively impact other areas of the business. From my naive perspective, I was helping everyone by helping those who have easily solved problems.
I learned that while trying to be helpful, I was insensitive to the fact that my “friendly suggestions based on past success” stepped on other people’s toes, creating frustration for those I intended to help. Providing simple solutions to their problems reflected poorly on my peers.
Suggestions and examples that were intended to be helpful had the opposite effect. Even worse, it was probably just as frustrating to me to be ignored as it was to others to have me infringe on their aspect of the business. The resulting friction was very noticeable to my boss.
Those ideas (“diamonds”) may have been considered had I been an external consultant. But as part of the leadership team, I was coming across as someone just interested in themselves (leaving “shiny rocks” laying around for people to ignore or possibly trip over).
Perception is reality, and my attempts to help were hurting me. Luckily, I received this honest and helpful feedback early in this position and was able to turn those perceptions around.
What are the morals of this story?
First, people who are engaged have the greatest potential to make a difference. Part of being a business leader is making sure that you have the best possible team, and are creating an environment that challenges, motivates, and fosters growth and accountability.
Disengaged employees or people who are unwilling or unable to work with/collaborate with others may not be your best choices, regardless of their talent. They could actually be detrimental to the overall team dynamics.
Second, doing what you believe to be the right thing isn’t necessarily the best or right way to approach something. Being sensitive to the big picture and testing whether or not your input is being viewed as constructive was a big lesson learned for me. If you have good ideas but are ineffective, consider that your execution could be flawed. Self-awareness is very important.
Third, use your own examples as stories to help others understand potential solutions to problems non-threateningly. Let them connect to their own problems, helping them become more effective and allowing them to save face. It is not a competition. And, if someone else has good ideas, help support them through collaboration. In the end, it should be more about effectiveness, growth, and achievement of business goals than who gets the most credit.
While this seems like common sense now, my background and personal biases blinded me to that perspective.
My biggest lesson learned was about adaptation. There are many ways to be effective and make a difference. Focus on understanding the situation and its dynamics to employ the best techniques, which is ultimately critical to the team or organization’s success.
Things that make you go hmmm
This week I read a story about Astronomers finding a new, free-floating planet (PSO J318.5-22). What I loved about this story is that the planet defies the definition of a planet, as it does not orbit a star. It’s something that shouldn’t exist, or at least something that exists outside the current astronomical framework.
It’s funny how you grow up being taught what is right and how things should work. While knowledge and understanding are good, they can also be limiting. When you just know something should not work, it becomes easy to accept that and move on. It can be a real innovation killer.
Occasionally, something new, different, and sometimes even inconsequential comes around and makes a big difference. Think about Apple’s iTunes. It was created merely as a means to sell iPods. Critics said it would never work. But, it created a paradigm shift in how people consumed and purchased music and video content. Now it is one of the fastest growing businesses within Apple.
Or, think about Twitter. An idea for a microblogging service to send text messages to a group of friends. Now news is reported via tweets, and social media of all types use hashtags to create communities and generate buzz. Something that should have been almost nothing has become powerful and important.
People who know me or have worked for me have often heard this saying: “Don’t give me the 10 reasons why something won’t work; Instead, find the one or two ways that it might work, and let’s go from there.” This statement sets a simple yet very important expectation.
Most people spend a lot of time and effort finding ways to prove that things will or should fail. I find that very frustrating. But, get the right people with the right mindset, and you can do some pretty amazing things. And, like Post It® notes, you might create something really cool that was completely unexpected. But you will never know if you don’t even get started.
So, actively look for examples of products or services that broke the rules. Try to understand the genesis of those ideas. And, the next time you think that something is impossible, remember PSO J318.5-22
Acting like an Owner – Does it matter?
One of the biggest changes to my professional perspective on business came when I started my own consulting business. Prior to that, I had worked as an employee for midsize to large companies for ten years and then as one of the first hires at a start-up technology company. I felt that doing hands-on work, managing, selling, and helping establish a start-up (where I did not have an equity stake) provided everything needed to start my own business.
Well, guess what? I was only partially correct. I was prepared for the activities of running the business but really was not prepared for the responsibility of running a business. While this seems like it should be obvious, I’ve seen many business owners whose primary focus is on growth/upside activities and not the day-to-day. That type of optimism is important for entrepreneurs – without it, they would not bother putting so much at risk.
People tend to adopt a different perspective when making decisions once they realize that every action and decision can impact the money moving into and out of their own wallets.
Even in a large business, you can usually spot the people who have taken these risks and run their own business. I was responsible for a Global Business Unit with $60+ million in annual sales and ran it like a “business within a business.” Having P&L responsibilities meant the decisions I made mattered to my success and the success of my business unit.
It’s more than just striking out on your own as a contractor or sole proprietor. I’m talking about the people who have had employees, invested in capital equipment and went all-in. These are the people thinking about the big picture and the future.
What do these people do differently than those without this type of experience?
One of the biggest things is they view business as “good business” and “bad business.” Not all business is good business, and not all customers are good customers. There needs to be a fair commercial exchange where both sides receive value, mutual respect, and open communication. You know this works when your customers treat you like a true partner (a real trusted advisor) instead of just a vendor, or at least do not try to take advantage of you (and vice-versa).
A business is in business to make money, so if your work is not profitable, you should not do it. And, if you are not delivering value to an organization, it is very likely that you would be better off spending your time elsewhere – building your reputation and reference base within an organization that was a better fit. While that may not be true for all business endeavors (think how long it took Amazon to become profitable and where they are now), it generally is true for employees at all levels.
“Bad” salespeople (who may very well regularly exceed their quotas) only care about the sale and their commission – not the fit, the customer’s satisfaction, or the effort required to support that customer. Selling products and services people don’t need, charging too little or too much, and making promises they know will not be met are typical signs of a person who does not think like an owner. Their focus is on the short-term and not on growing accounts. As an aside, their compensation plans generally only reward net new business and first-time sales, not ongoing customer satisfaction, so these actions may not be completely their fault.
How you view and treat employees is another big difference. Unfortunately, even business owners do not always get this right. I believe that employees are either viewed as Assets (to be managed for growth and long-term value) or Commodities (to be used up and replaced as needed – usually treated as fungible, as if they are easily replaceable). Your business is usually only as good as your employees, so treating them well and with respect creates loyalty and results in higher customer satisfaction.
Successful business owners usually look for the best person out there, not just the most affordable person who is “good enough” to do the job. On the flip side, you quickly need to weed out the people who are not a good fit. Making good decisions quickly and decisively is often a hallmark of a successful business owner. The saying about hiring slowly and firing quickly makes even more sense when you are running a lean operation that requires every person to contribute to the success of the company.
Successful business owners are generally more innovative. They are willing to experiment and take risks. They reward that behavior. They understand the need to find a niche where they can win and provide goods and/or services tailored to those specific needs.
Sometimes, this means specialization and customization, and sometimes, it means personalized attention and better support. Regardless of what is different, these people observe the small details, understand their target market, and are good at defining a message articulating those differences. These are the people who seem to be able to see around corners and anticipate both problems and opportunities. They do this out of necessity.
Former business owners are usually more conscientious about money, taking a “my money” perspective on sales and expenses. Every dollar in the business provides safety and opportunity for growth. These usually are not the people who routinely spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on business meals or who take unnecessary or questionable trips to nice places. Money saved on unnecessary expenses can be invested in new products, features, or marketing for the benefit of an organization.
While these are common traits of successful business owners, you can develop them even if you have never owned a business.
When selling, are you focused on delivering value, developing a positive reputation within that organization and with your customers, and profiting from long-term relationships? When delivering services, is your focus on delivering what has been contracted – and doing so on time and within budget? Are your projects used as examples of how things should be done within other organizations? Are you spending money on the right things – not wasteful or extravagant things?
These are things employees at all levels can do. They will make a difference and help you stand out. That opens the door to career growth and change. And it may get you thinking about starting the business you have always dreamed of. Awareness and understanding are the first steps towards change and improvement.
There’s a story in there – I just know it…
I was reading an article from Nancy Duarte about Strengthening Culture with Storytelling, and it made me think about how important a skill storytelling can be in business and how it can be far more effective than just presenting facts and data. These are just a few examples. You probably have many of your own.
One of the best salespeople I’ve ever known wasn’t a salesperson at all. It is Jon Vice, former CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Jon is very personable and has the ability to make each person feel like they are the most important person in the room (quite a skill in itself). Jon would talk to a room of people and tell a story. Mid-story, you were hooked. You completely bought what he was selling, often without knowing what the “ask” was. It was an amazing thing to experience.
Years ago, when my company was funding medical research projects, my oldest daughter (then only four years old) and I watched a presentation on the mid-term findings of one of the projects. The MD/Ph.D. giving the presentation was impressive, but what he showed was slide after slide of data. After 10-15 minutes, my daughter held her Curious George stuffed animal up in front of her (where the shadow would be seen on the screen) and proclaimed, “Boring!”
Six months later, that same person gave his wrap-up presentation. It was short and told an interesting story that explained why these findings were important, laying the groundwork for a follow-on project. A few years later he commented that his initial presentation became a valuable lesson. That was when he realized the story the data told was far more compelling than just the data itself.
A few years ago, the company I work for introduced a high-performance analytics database. We touted that our product was 100 times faster than other products, which happened to be a similar message used by a handful of competitors. In my region, we created a “Why Fast Matters” webinar series and told the stories of our early Proof of Value efforts. This helped my team make the first few sales of this new product and change the approach the rest of the company used to position this product. People understood our value proposition because these success stories made the facts tangible.
I tell my teams to weave the thread of our value proposition into the fabric of a prospect’s story. This makes us part of the story and makes this new story their own (as opposed to our story). This simple approach has been very effective.
What if you not selling anything? Your data tells a story – even more so with big data. Whether you are analyzing data from a single source (such as audit or log data) or correlating data from multiple sources, the data has a story to tell. Whether patterns, trends, or correlated events – the story is there. And once you find it, there is so much you can do to build it out.
Whether you are selling, managing, teaching, coaching, analyzing, or just hanging out with friends or colleagues, being able to entertain with a story is a valuable skill. It is also a great way to make many things more interesting and memorable in business. So, give it a try.
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Where Ideas, Experiences, and Lessons Learned Intersect 