Everything about sales and business I learned from Willard.

By the time I was 22 years old, I knew that I was not the pink collar kind of girl. Faxing was not my forte, nor were switchboards and typing on electric typewriters. I had a hunch my future would not be in a cubicle, and that I was more of an open space kind of girl.

So I ventured into the world of sales. I began selling registered educational savings plans (RESPs), guided by the original salesman, my dad.  He took me out on sales calls and I watched him work his magic. It seemed to be so easy. In fact, I asked him if what we were selling was legal. Why wouldn't somebody want to put away money for their children's education in a fund?  It seemed like a no-brainer to me. It wasn't. My dad just made it look easy because he had the magic formula.

Now, if you know my dad Willard, he is not a slick guy who wears expensive suits and gold rings, but he is the guy everybody likes. Willard is good at people. He likes people, and people like him because he gets people. His sales career, which spanned life insurance, investments,office equipment and real estate was built on the following principles which he learned across the kitchen table and not in university:

• Care about what your clients care about. 
• Have a plan.
• Work the plan. 
• Communicate the plan.  

Willard used to say, "you can say whatever you want as long as you smile." When I began selling scholarships I smiled a lot, because it was painful. I got used to the sound of "no thanks, click."

Then one of Willard's lessons came home to me: "you have to figure out what problem they are trying to solve, and then you can help them solve it."

When I put myself in their shoes and cared about what they cared about the light went on. My clients' wanted to be able to put money aside for their children. They wanted their children to have a choice in life, and not be limited by lack of money. They wanted their children to have a better life than they had.

My job was to help them develop and implement a savings plan for their children, which I did for 8 years until I made a career decision to implement my own plan to earn a university degree.

With degrees in hand,I became a journalist, business writer and strategic planner, but the principles that I learned in the "Willard Larson School of Sales and Business" continue to be relevant.

I never stop marketing myself or my skills. I care about what my clients care about, and I help them to plan their way ahead. And I never stop smiling.

Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world - physics-math - 19 October 2011 - New Scientist

Revealed – the capitalist network that runs the world - physics-math - 19 October 2011 - New Scientist

I support you. Pay it forward.

I support you.

Last week, a young man committed suicide after being abused and bullied because he was not accepted.

Watch the video, and pay it forward.  Maybe we can save lives if we could change minds.  Challenge your mind, and change it.

Thanks

The Power of One-ness.

One . .  . 

is a number that leads to infinity.

is a lonely number, or so the song says.  

is a winning number.

One . . .  

can be an individual or a collective.

person makes a difference. 

person decides.  

person stands up for another. 

is powerful.  

I am fascinated with the power and the responsibility of one. I believe in the power and responsibility of one person's ability to impact a situation, a company, a family, a community, a world. I believe in the power and the responsibility of the collective of ones who decide to make a change, and then relentlessly forge ahead. I believe in the power and responsibility of one vision, so much so that I have dedicated my work to helping organization's of all sizes and types find that vision and express it so others can see it too.

One-ness is a vision for collective strength and success.  A vision to engage and inspire. To connect and create something together that could never be created in isolation. Some people call this "co-operation."

The credit union system for me is the best example of collective strength and vision, or one-ness that I have experienced in my work-time. Working with the credit union system, where the principles of working together for a common good, democratic decision making and autonomy (another word for freedom from ownership by government) created a standard that I have come to expect and hold myself and others too. Co-operatives are based on a set of principles and values that are unique and separate from other organizations that are not of the co-operative nature. Learn more about cooperatives . . .

I joined the Credit Union system as the Manager of Planning in 2002, making the move from a Federal government crown, where I was conducting competitive research. I had developed a matrix of financial institutions across Canada, including profitability, current strategies, and future strategies (sleeping giants). I pulled information from annual reports, shareholder speeches and the Canadian Banker's Association. At the time, financial institutions were adopting new technologies, changing the customer service model, implementing relationship management and spreading their impact through value chain integration.  (President's Choice was breaking new ground integrating banking with groceries).

When it came to the credit union system, however, it was a more difficult picture to put together.  Number one, there were literally hundreds of credit unions. Number two, there was no clear point of contact for "the system" that I was aware of at the time.

But looking at the numbers for the top credit unions in the country, in 1996, I could see this was a force to be reckoned with.  A classic sleeping giant. I wondered what made it successful. Why and how did the system continue to evolve and grow?

So when the opportunity came to work for the system, I was ecstatic and gladly made the leap to learn what it was that made this system tick. In doing so, however, I learned what makes me tick as well. 

On my first day of work, I remember mapping out the elements of strategy so that I could draw the picture back to the big idea. I wrote "one" on my white board. What if, I thought, the credit union system could be "one". It would dominate the banking industry. A classic outsider's view, I later learned.

The system is a  collective of one, that is committed to a commonly shared set of principles and values.  Each credit union is a credit union unto itself, governed by the principles of autonomy, democracy, and working together for the good of its community and members and the values of the pioneers who forged this land out of mud, rock and tenacity.

Each credit union represents a collective strength that stands firmly on a foundation of principles and values that are time honored and never discretionary.

Though it was foreign to me at first, I began to understand the passion that lives and breathes in the credit union system and why it continues to be successful. It had imprinted itself upon my psyche. My values and the system values had become one. I came to expect that honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others was and is a necessary part of work. I came to expect that working for purpose meant working for a greater good, something bigger than "me."

I came to appreciate the culture of co-operation, of democratic decision making, giving back and making a difference economically and socially.  These elements together create a finger print that is unique and competitively strong that can be possibly replicated, but never duplicated without the spirit and commitment to co-operative principles, as I was to later learn.

When not to turn the cheek.

A person in the work place lashes out at his or her employee or supplier. We have seen it and heard about it. There is no excuse for this behavior, and no plausible explanation that makes it OK.

It is plain and simple, good old fashioned, school yard style bullying in the work setting. We know who they are. We know it is not acceptable to act this way.

We knew that back in grade school, but still, we let it happen. We sat by and watched, relieved it was happening to them and not us.  We were complicit participants in the abuse unless we took a stand against the offending action.


Some statistics about bullying: 

Source: http://www.minkhollow.ca/bullying.html

Bullying is of a predatory nature, or even may be dispute-related in some cases, but as Namie (2003) was quick to point out, it should never be brushed off as a personality clash because:

• Targets endure bullying for almost two years before filing a complaint
• Targets have a seventy percent chance of losing their jobs
• Seventeen percent of targets have to transfer to other jobs
• Only thirteen percent of bullies are ever punished or terminated
• Seventy-one percent of bullies outrank their targets
• Bullying is three times more prevalent than sexual harassment
• Bullying is often invisible and occurs behind closed doors without witnesses
• Even when bullying is witnessed, team members usually side with the bully
• As many as ten percent of suicides may be related to workplace traumatization

Nationwide statistics on workplace bullying indicate (Brunner & Costello, 2003, and Namie, 2003):

• Eighty-one percent of bullies are in supervisory roles
• Fifty-eight percent of bullies are female (Namie)
• Eighty-four percent of bullied employees are female
• Twenty-one percent of all workers have been targeted by bullies

Reasons targets are bullied (Namie & Namie, 2000):

• Fifty-eight percent are targeted because they stand up to unfair treatment by the bully
• Fifty-six percent are mobbed because the bully envies the target's level of competence
• Forty-nine percent are targeted simply because they are nice people
• Forty-six percent are bullied because they are ethical
• Thirty-nine percent are bullied because it was just their turn

A model for achieving a healthy, harassment-free workplace: Canadian Human Rights Commission 

Reference: Canadian Human Rights Commission, "Anti-Harassment Policies for the Workplace:  An Employer's Guide", March 2006, www.chrc-ccdp.ca, Government of Canada  

http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/publications/anti_harassment_toc-eng.aspx

The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) defines harassment as "unwelcome behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses" the individual, unwanted sexual behavior, and abuse of authority." 

Ultimately, employers are responsible for acts of work - related harassment, according to the Canadian Human Rights Commission. 

"Harassment is against the law. Both the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Canada Labour Code protect employees from harassment related to work. Provincial human rights laws also prohibit harassment. And the Criminal Code protects people from physical or sexual assault."

The Commission states that "Employers are required by the Canada Labour Code to develop their own harrassment policies. In addition, the existence of appropriate harassment policies and procedures will be a factor considered by the Human Rights Commission in evaluating a company's liability in harassment complaints."  


To assist employers in meeting these requirements, the CHRC has established model policies for small, medium and large organizations.  Employers retain responsiblity for preparing appropriate policies, monitoring their effectiveness and updating them as required, ensuring all employees are aware of the policy and providing anti-harassment training.  

The following is an overview of the guidelines: 

Write an anti-harassment policy that is: 

• unequivocally supported by management 
• clear 
• fair
• known to everyone, at all levels in the organization; and 
• applied to everyone at all levels of the organization. 

Create the climate by:

• changing the workplace culture by getting the word out about the issue of harassment and involving employees in the preparation of the anti-harassment policy.
• writing a policy that clearly says management will not tolerate any harassing situations, and make sure it is enforced. 
• making a policy statement that the employer will not tolerate any harassing behavior and by helping employees to understand the laws around harassment. 
• involving employees in the creation of the policy so that: 
• people can be educated about what harassment is, why it is unacceptable, and what they can do about it;
• people may be less afraid to speak up if they find themselves in, or witnessing a harassing situation; 
• a strong, clear message is communicated that the employer supports the policy and will not tolerate harassment; 
• employees have a personal interest in the policy, making them more likelly to understand and suppport it; and 
• employees feel their contributions are valued, thereby increasing satisfaction in the workplace.
• showing that that you mean it, ensuring the policy applies to senior management as well as other employees. When situations arise, apply the policy fairly and according to the rules, not matter who is involved.

Set up the framework 

• Explaining what harassement is and giving examples 
• By giving clear directions for handling complaints
• By clarifying roles 

Maintain the gains 

• By educating current and propective employees 
• By training managers 
• By trainng anti-harassment counsellors, mediators and investigators 
• By monitoring and reviewing the policy 

Click on the following link to reference the policy guidelines and models. 


http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/publications/anti_harassment_toc-eng.aspx

Some other reading on the subject: 

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/reader/1570715343/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/pdf/discriminationprogram_en.pdf

There's the sweet spot in the universe

There I was, in a room, surrounded by great minds with an incredible desire to do good for others. To create something that will change people's lives by giving them the power of communication without words. "I found it," I thought, "this is the sweet spot in the universe."

The focus on the conversation was "how to move ahead", not why or why not. We were moving one step closer to a vision that began more than 25 years ago with one man who cared enough to care, and another who brought others into the caring. There was no other place I wanted to be.

I met this man of vision and inspiration at a SOHO conference last year that was featuring pictogram applications for health care providers. Wanting to understand the importance of the product, I asked the pictogram creator how this came to be.  He told me about his experience as a young speech pathologist trying to teach a young girl how to speak.  He realized that the spoken word was out of her reach, and sought ways for non-verbal people to communicate.

His life's work became immersed in understanding how visual graphics can help people communicate with their care givers, family and friends.

His legacy and his life is inspirational. When we say that one person can make a difference when he or she has a big enough heart, it is true. I have seen it, and it makes me want to be a better person. It makes me want to help.

Others joined the quest to give words to the unspoken, and now his dream to help the little girl has expanded from one to many. His caring has come to life beyond the measure of one man.

On that day, my perspective on life and work was altered, and every day since. He inspired me to use my time and talents to help find that sweet spot where people come together to help bring worthwhile ideas to life in an environment that is ready for sustained change.

So if you are looking for me, you will find me at the sweet spot in the universe.

In Business Planning, it's not size that matters, but how you use it.

Business planning is a competency that successful companies have acquired over time.  The question is:  how should the planning function be structured within the organization to optimize resources and achieve competency? We tend to think that size matters. I suggest it is not size, but how the function is utilized. 

I have led planning departments in silo driven organizations where department functions are hived off from one another and in a shared services organization. I prefer the shared services model because it is more efficient, engaging and builds organizational competency in planning. 

The silo model is more expensive to the organization, and may not necessarily result in the ultimate goal of building organizational competency for business planning. I would suggest that the days of large internal planning departments are less effective both financially and culturally. 

Consider the following.  

 A larger organization of 500 - 1000 employees, for example, often has a 6 person executive team, covering off the competencies needed to run the business: Finance, Communications, Human Resources, Technology, Operations and Marketing. Each of these executives is responsible to lead the organization to its strategic future.  From a resource perspective, their commitment to strategic planning should be about 80% of their time.  The other 20% of time should be dedicated to providing direction to their respective departments. 

In the Corporate environment where the governance structure consists of a shareholder or owner and board of directors, the business planning function often includes a strategic and operational business planning process, reporting cycle and development of business documents such as the business plan, quarterly reports, board reports, staff communications and strategies. The business planning function must also facilitate integration with enterprise risk, finance, communications and human resources performance management processes.  

In the silo business planning department model, the staff compliment may include a director - level at $100K plus, an analyst at $65K, a manager at $75K plus, and an administrator at $45K  for a grand total of almost $285K plus benefits.  

Here is a breakdown to time for a department that runs the corporate planning and reporting process:

• Administration:  8 weeks / year.   
• Document writing and review:  12 weeks/year. 
• Research and analysis of the environment: 3 weeks 
• Balanced Scorecard development: 3 weeks 
• Facilitation of executive, board planning:  4 weeks 
• Facilitation of management planning (assuming 6 departments):  6 weeks 
• Approval process:  3 weeks (assuming board and shareholder)
• Reporting coordination, writing and review:  4 weeks 

That's a grand total of 43 weeks / year.  The average available number of weeks for each employee is 32 weeks, allowing for weekends, statutory holidays, days off and vacations.  

The price tag of $285 K plus benefits does not utilize resources well, nor does it invite integration or shared learning. The resources are not utilized to their full capacity.  If the department is staffing 4 full time equivalents (FTEs), that means the company is paying for 128 weeks of time, 85 of which are not being used effectively.   

However,  in a shared services model, it is possible for one person with senior capabilities to lead the process with support. The Office of Strategic Management Model (OSM) by Kaplan and Norton provides the structure for this approach.  

In the OSM model, the role of the business planner is to direct and facilitate the process from the board, executive and management level, as well as to develop and implement the processes for implementation within other departments. 

The business planner will need access to administrative support to coordinate the process and book meetings, etc.(about 8 weeks / year), a person with communications expertise to help with the writing and document preparation and reporting, (about 12 weeks / year) and the borrowed time of a research or policy analyst if one exists elsewhere (about 4 weeks / year).  If the organization has a project management office, then a project manager's time of 4 weeks can be useful in assisting with the development of initiative plans that will later become projects.   

The business planner works hand in hand with the executive and the various managers to facilitate the development of integrated plans.  He or she must be adept at building relationships, interpreting information and working in an integrative manner across different teams, establishing a cooperative and collaborative approach.  

Given the role as director and facilitator of board, executive and management planning, the business planner requires an outsider's view. As an employee, the functionality can be marred by internal politics or power struggles which can cloud the process.  The business planner ultimately is responsible to the CEO, and therefore should not report to an individual member of the executive, but should work with all executives. 

Therefore, in my experience, while there are benefits to being an employee, there is greater value for the organization to hire an external resource on a 3 to 5 year contract to lead and integrate the process within.

 The organization can realize the same benefit for nominally less than $285K per year by using an external resource and opening the doors to an integrative shared services environment. 

The big pay off with an OSM / shared services model  is the creation of a strategy focused organization.  The company builds competence in business planning through engagement and making it part of their jobs.  That way, the organization is more successfully able to communicate the plan and integrate it into performance management processes at the employee level.  

Culture plays a big part in the success of the shared services / OSM model, where learning and cooperation are not only preferred, but expected.  From a leadership perspective, this type of organization is more effective and engaged, thereby increasing the opportunity for success. If the executive is indeed dedicating 80% of their time to strategic and collaborative leadership, then the shared success model has a greater chance of success.  

Once an organization can bring plan, people and processes together, profitability becomes more accessible.  The organization through this process of alignment becomes nimble and able to act on opportunity and weather storms.