Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com October 12, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 21 BIZ BOOKS Successful businesses focus on 'what's next', not past accolades "B etter and Faster — The Prov- en Path to Unstoppable Ideas" by Jeremy Gutsche (Crown Business, $25). Farmers tend to their fields and follow the rules of fertilization, crop rotation and gov- ernmental subsidy to produce a bountiful har- vest. Weather, which can change quickly and affect market conditions, can make or break them. When hit with unfa- vorable weather, the farmer accepts the circumstances, tightens the belt and hopes next year will be better. Similarly, most business- es tend to their "field" and fol- low the rules (i.e. procedures, policies and processes) that produced success. Changing consumer preferences, govern- mental regulation and market and economic conditions affect their continued success. When confronted with declining rev- enue and profit, they downsize, postpone investment, and hope to ride out their financial storm. When they're successful, they think they can't lose. Encyclopedia Britannica didn't see the future of the PC and lost its market to Microsoft's Encarta CD-ROM encyclopedia. Because Microsoft didn't offer Encarta on the Internet (odd for a company that dominated the web-browser market) Encarta lost its market to Wikipedia. Bill Gates wrote: "Success is a lousy teach- er. And it's an unreliable guide to the future." The hunter business differs 180 degrees from the farmer business. Instead of accepting the situation, hunters rely on "insatiability, curiosity and the willingness to destroy" to change outcomes. Guts - che cites Zara (zara.com), an international clothing dynamo, as an example. For Zara, it's all about fast fashion. Instead of taking months to design and produce its women's, men's and kid's lines, it takes 14 days from concept to store. While it doesn't offer all sizes and limits the choice of colors, Zara sees that as a plus, not a negative. Why? Low cost. Quick inven- tory turnover, no advertising and exclusiv- ity (i.e. what's there this week may be gone next week) allows the firm to keep operating margins high and prices low. Salespeople from its 2,000-plus stores talk with every customer. Their feedback drives analytics that determine next week's products. The bottom line: Hunters always think about "what's next." They make things happen. • • • "Learning to Succeed: Rethink- ing Corporate Education in a World of Unrelenting Change" by Jason Wingard (AMACOM, $29.95). Decades ago, management guru W. Edwards Deming wrote: "Long-term com- mitment to new learning and new philoso- phy is required of any management that seeks transformation." Given that training budgets are still among the first cuts when companies experience financial difficul- ties, it's apparent that many C-level execs don't believe that continuous learning cre- ates success. Wingard, the managing director and chief learning officer of Goldman Sachs, makes Deming's point again: "Well-planned and adminis- tered (education) programs will contribute to return on investment in nearly every sector of a company." His "Continuous Integration of Learning and Strat - egy" (CILS) model makes learning part of strategic planning. First, CILS identifies what needs to be learned to effectively execute the stra- tegic plan. Next, it uses 4Cs — communi- cation, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity — as tactics to develop a thought leadership and insight framework for man- agers and their subordinates. The "organization" weighs in on what it needs to succeed. Group input crystalizes and shares the information and experiences of "a tapestry of topics," including management and operations. Part of the process involves asking employees for input on how what they learned from the group can affect their roles. Overall, the group-think provides a framework for organizing learning around various topics. Once identified, information can be distributed formally and informally to those involved. Wingard points out that the CILS process involvement isn't just for large firms. Group meetings can be coffee-and-donuts discus- sions. Information can be provided to employees by dis- seminating information from trade publications and trade associations. Key takeaway: Corporate learning programs are critical to producing strategic results. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak RAIN MAKER How to be a master communicator: discern process from content By Ken Cook A fundamental predictor of success in leadership, sales or any aspect of busi- ness is the ability to communicate effec- tively. If you cannot communicate effectively, the ability to lead an organization, motivate a team, collaborate with a co-worker, or sell something to a customer is greatly diminished. In order to master communication skills, one needs to under- stand that it's not so much about what you say, it's about how you say it. Mastery is more a function of process, not content. Consider this sim- ple phrase: "I don't understand you." How one says the phrase impacts effective communication so much more than the content of the phrase. For example, it can be delivered angrily, sarcasti- cally, resignedly, empathetically or as a genuine inquiry. How the phrase is delivered directly impacts how the other person receives it. And that is the essence of effective com- munication — aligning intent with effect. If my intent in saying "I don't understand you," is to elicit further explanation, but I'm frus- trated and deliver the phrase in an impatient and sarcastic tone, I doubt I'll get much more information. The effect of my impatience and sarcasm will be the other person shutting down and reacting defensively. Think about a first-time sales call. There's little time to start to form a successful relation- ship. Most sales training emphasizes connect- ing with the other person as quickly as possible. From there, understand their needs, their situ- ation and what they are trying to accomplish. Understanding needs is a matter of asking questions: How do you … ? What's your process for … ? Are you able to … ? What keeps you up at night? The intent behind these questions is to understand the customer. Learn all you can in order to determine the likelihood of a good fit. If the salesperson is genuine and authentic (e.g., they care about the customer more than making the sale) then the customer may share the needed information. However, we all know when we are being sold to, and when we detect someone selling we naturally put up defenses. Part of the defense is to not offer information. At this moment, masterful communicators remain aware not only of the content of a con- versation, but also the process. If things aren't going well, the master is able to invoke another process that will help move things along. This discernment of the difference between process and content is the foundation of ensur- ing alignment of intent and effect. Shifting pro- cess gets things on track — even more effec- tive then adding new content. And when things are going well, the simple act of being aware of the process will make things even better. Process is the series of steps in an inter- action. It's the context of what's happening: who's offering ideas, who's responding, who's adding new ideas, who's rejecting, how the mood and tone are playing out, etc. A sampling of some process tools include: • Paraphrasing — to clarify mutual understanding; • Best current thinking — to invite fresh thinking; • Savvy questions — to connect and get to know someone; • Savvy listening — to make it easy for someone to talk about themselves; • Credit-acknowledge — to acknowledge someone's contribution to your thinking; • What's behind (questions or thinking)- to clarify intention in questions and ideas. In a first-time sales call you might use best current thinking to open a conversation. Your listening mode might be to absorb and learn as opposed to immediately listening to find solutions. As the customer shares informa- tion, paraphrasing and what's behind will help ensure alignment of intent and effect by bringing clarity to the discussion. Discerning process takes some practice, but it is well worth it. A whole new level of commu- nication insights opens up to you. Your ability to connect and build relationships strengthens. n Ken Cook is the co-founder of How to Who and co-author of How to WHO: Selling Per- sonified, a book and program on building business through relationships. Learn more at www.howtowho.com. Ken Cook

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