The Corporate Confidante

Suzy Welch – 10-10-10

2011-07-07T16:11:51-04:00

Suzy Welch, best-selling author, television commentator, and noted business journalist, spoke during the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. In April 2009, Suzy published 10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea (Scribner), which was a New York Times best-seller and has been published in 32 languages.

During Suzy's presentation, she declared that we are all works in progress. “I am not the girl I used to be,” she states, “but I am not yet the woman I will become.” Who we were, who we are, and who we will become all come down to the choices we make when they arise.

There are two deadly “G” words of decision-making: Gut and Guilt. Neither is smart to base a decision off of. Rather, we need to think about the consequences of each choice using what Suzy refers to in her book as 10-10-10. Ask yourself, how this will affect me…

10 minutes from now?
10 months from now?
10 years from now?

This process works because it puts decision-making next to your values. To connect your decisions to your values, ask yourself the three questions below. When you determine the answers to these questions, you’ll discover what you’re true values are which you can then apply to your decision-making process.

At your 70^th birthday party what would make you cry with regret?
What do you want people to say about you when you’re not in the room? (your character)
What did you love about your upbringing, and what did you hate?

Suzy left us with these thoughts... The choices we make are what make up our fingerprint. They mold the legacy we leave behind. What legacy do you want to leave? When you connect these questions to your decision-making, your life becomes authentic. Authentic lives bring about joy. Suzy’s 10-10-10 can be used with decisions you make at work, at home, and with family. It’s a powerful punch by taking time to think how your decision will affect you 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years from now. Much like what Dave Ramsey said at the end of his presentation—“What are you doing with your dash?” What legacy are we leaving behind for the next generation?

Lessons from Texas Longhorn Legend Mack Brown

2011-06-21T10:37:11-04:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

Mack Brown, Head Coach of the Texas Longhorns and 2009 Big 12 Coach of the Year, shared a few things on his approach to recruiting, coaching, winning and recovering. These are all topics we can find common ground in. While I'm not a diehard football fan of any specific team I do have an infinity towards those amazing stories you learn about with well known coaches like Mack Brown. Take a look at what he shared.

Recruiting: When looking at recruits, the Longhorn coaching staff only recruits who they refer to as the “Five Play Guy.” “We only look at their first five plays on their highlight video,” Mack says. “If they aren’t good enough in those first five plays, they won’t be good enough in the others.” Beyond the players’ skills, Mack also looks for great players who have character, have strong family values, are leaders, and come from a winning team because “winners want to win.”

Coaching: The purpose of coaching has two parts. First, it’s a factor for success. The team has to win or it can’t continue to do what it does. In business, you have to win to pay the bills. But beyond being a financial necessity, Mack wants his players to have a good experience. He genuinely desires a better life for them as a result of working with the team.

Winning: After winning the National Championship in 2005, Mack shared with his players a powerful and inspirational life challenge. He said, “Don’t let this be the most important thing in life. Use it. Be better in life. Take this experience. Use it. Give back.” 40-year-olds, he told them, shouldn’t be talking about what they did at 19. Keep growing. Keep having an impact.

Recovering: After earning the National Championship title in 2005 and setting the record in 2009 for the most consecutive seasons with ten or more wins (with 9 seasons), the Longhorns took a hit and ended the 2010 season with a record of 5-7. The last time they had a record of less than nine wins in a season was in 1997—the year before Mack Brown began coaching the team. His response? “You have to reinvent yourself each year. We didn’t create an ‘edge’ again. We lost who we were.” Quit griping or quit, he says. You need to take responsibility for what you did during your bad year and make changes to get going again. “This year we wouldn’t have worked as hard without getting kicked in the face. We took responsibility for our down year.”

Mack's leadership is both inspiring and impactful. Two of his statements in which most of us can relate, really hit home. "We lost who we were," and, “This year we wouldn’t have worked as hard without getting kicked in the face. We took responsibility for our down year.” Often, we learn the most when experiencing our toughest challenges. Though the current economy—or the new normal—makes us feel like we have been "kicked in the face," it has forced us to take responsibility and change our behaviors. And asking ourselves, “Did we lose who we were during the process?” is very powerful and necessary. That said, would you be willing to share what changes have you made in your work environments as we embrace the new normal? We'd love to hear your aha moments!

Leadership - A Privilege

2011-06-03T15:32:38-04:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

For those who have experienced listening to the Dave Ramsey Show or seeing him in action, it should be no surprise when I say Dave was entertaining during his presentation at the Chick-fil-A LeaderCast.

Dave Ramsey, personal money-management expert, national radio personality, and best-selling author of The Total Money Makeover, was yet another fantastic speaker during the Chick-fil-A Leadercast. He spoke about small business leadership, saying, “Small business is the backbone of our economy.” Dave went on to say leadership is service, and it's a privilege to be in leadership. He has a new book coming out in the fall called EntreLeadership. His video clip gives an intriguing introduction to the book.

Below are his main points from his presentation on "5 key things that have caused us to be able to win."

People matter
1. We believe in our DNA
2. Customers matter, team matter
3. Lack of loyalty to the team means lack of production
4. Does your team know you love them?
Incredible team matters
1. Be intentional
2. Start the hiring process by praying first
3. Zero tolerance for gossip; negatives add up
4. Slow and steady prospers
Financial principles matter
1. Debt magnifies your mistakes
2. Be generous to teams, customers (how team reacts)
Higher calling matters
1. When you play for something bigger than you
2. Sense of calling
3. Have work that matters
4. Legacy: What’s your calling? (Understand your individual and team “Why?”)

Dave finished his presentation with a challenge: When we die, our headstones say the year that we were born, a dash, and the year we died. (Birth – Death) Look at the dash. Did it matter? What are you going to do with your dash?

What a powerful way to close such a compelling presentation!

For questions, comments, or more information about Dave’s presentation, feel free to contact me.

Rewind, Reflect and Refresh…

2011-05-20T17:31:52-04:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

One of my guilty pleasures in life is stealing moments with folks who are full of wisdom so I can learn more, which feeds my love for learning!

Between recently attending a Business Women’s Forum, attending the Chick-fil-A Leadercast 2011 “Voices of Change,” and just graduating from Leadership Harrisburg Area, leadership has been on the brain lately!

As a whole, I think we are naturally fascinated with great leadership. There are literally thousands of books on this topic alone. That said, I wanted to share a few nuggets of information I picked up from the Chick-fil-A Leadercast that I thought were worth sharing. There were a number of noteworthy speakers during this conference that I will cover over the course of my next few posts, but for now, let’s start with John Maxwell.

John Maxwell - “Leadership is influence.”

John Maxwell, author of several leadership books such as The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Developing the Leader Within You, was the first to speak in this series. He strongly believes that “leadership is influence.” Below are his main points from his presentation on The Five Levels of Influence.

“Leaders become great not because of their power but because of their ability to empower others.” –John Maxwell

1. Position (keyword: title)

At this level, you are in a leadership position because of your title, but a title alone doesn’t make you a true leader. This is the level where you get the least of people’s energy and mind.

2. Permission (keyword: relationship)

At the permission level, people follow because they want to. You’ve connected and built relationships which are the foundation of leadership. You must listen well, observe, and have a learning attitude of servanthood. Leaders love to serve.

3. Production (keyword: results)

Here, you help the bottom line of the company by producing by example. People do what they see. Who you are as a leader is who you will attract. This is the level where problem-solving takes place. Problems are solved with momentum. Momentum takes care of 80% of problems. No momentum means no solutions.

4. People Development

Commit to develop people by recruiting, positioning, and equipping well. Positioning is putting your people in a place where they can reach their potential.

5. Pinnacle (keyword: respect)

Very few people reach this level. People follow you because of who you are. It’s a long journey and always a learning process.

John Maxwell challenged the 85,000 individuals watching live and via simulcast to do the following: Take the people you lead, make a list, and determine at what level you are with each of person. You will not be on the same level with every person you lead. With everything you communicate, each person will see the information presented before them based on their specific level of the 5 level grid so it’s very important to know exactly where each individual is on that grid.

Ask this, Not that!

2011-03-24T15:20:54-04:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

A little flamboyant British humor goes a long way! I'm sure most of us, in our lifetime, can recall an interview experience where you left the interview thinking, "WHAT just happened?!?! "

Nowadays, asking an inappropriate question (even unknowingly) could cause major issues for you and your organization. Yes, amazingly it happens. And, it happens to the best of us. Though our intentions may be innocent, you could find yourself in a costly lawsuit. Here's a post that talks more about this.

So, what now? We still need to interview in order to find the best suitable candidate for your organization. We can't simply do away with the interview process. On the other hand, you also can't ask an attorney to be a part of every interview or surely you'd go broke! Being aware of some interview guidelines is helpful. In the age of too much information and not enough time to read it all, here's a little chart you may find helpful. Click here for the "Ask This, Not That" checklist.

The Beauty of Simplicity

2011-02-22T16:37:16-05:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

Recently, I read a post, Secrets to Positive Feedback that is so spot on you just want to burst! What the author said is simple but so true—a bit of positive feedback goes a long way.

Research conducted by The Gallup Organization strongly supports the notion that engaged employees are much more productive. I readily admit that it does seem the term "Employee Engagement" is overused these days, but the importance of it is vital. Gallup explains it best with the help of The Gallup Path shown here:

1. Hire for talent

2. Foster an environment to create engaged employees by identifying and nurturing employee’s strengths

3. Develop great managers that lead the well equipped employees

4. Result in employee engagement

As followers of The Gallup Path, we experience the fruits of our labor. The best part is you can too. A key ingredient for employee engagement is having leadership which sees the beauty of the simplicity in creating a culture that follows Gallup's model and executes a plan to create a culture of engaged employees. The ROI is simply amazing! Investing time in your employees creates a win-win and all involved reap the rewards. What are you doing to create a culture rich with engaged employees?

Hang on to your hats….

2011-02-10T12:34:14-05:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

On the heels of economic reports and encouragement from President Obama, word on the street, hiring is on the rise! Even better, the really good news is that hiring in manufacturing is also on the increase and the U.S. has retained its status as the most productive country in the world as measured by products produced/labor hour. While this is good news, my first thought, could this also translate to employee fall-off?

One of my all time favorite business books is First, Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. There are many great aspects to this book but one aspect that rings true is “People don’t leave bad companies, they leave bad managers.” In my humble opinion, as managers, we need to look in the mirror and see the truth in that statement. It is our duty to treat each other with respect, dignity, honesty, and most of all appreciation. As a standard, we should be providing our employees with reasons to invest their talents with our organization: the mission, products, services, social responsibility, and their fellow employees.

What are you doing to retain your talent?

Here are options a few companies are considering…

~ Restoring benefits, 401k match and pay – Finally, giving some back to employees

~ Creating a meaningful and flexible working environment – Keeping your keepers

~ Providing “customized” training – Customized Solutions

~ Allowing room for more autonomy- Giving employees the feeling of choice…

Your employees that remain with you may soon have more job opportunities available to them that they didn’t have before. The cost of recruiting, hiring and on-boarding new talent is immense. What are you doing to retain your best talent within your organization?

Importance of time

2011-01-10T10:00:13-05:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

About this time each year, we make predictions of what the year will bring and some go as far to make changes because it’s a new year. Changing behaviors presents its own set of challenges, but if we learn to replace our current behaviors with something different, there tends to be more hope for change.

Spending time with those that matter most is often on one’s Top 10 List for the New Year. Funny thing is, when time is given to us are we using the best of our time and doing what is important? When you survey the top business books, time management typically is discussed. Time can also be the way you show a person you care by simply spending time with them.

This sounds great, but how do you strike a balance?

Through my career journey, I’ve met some fantastically wise people along the way. One shared a little nugget of knowledge that stuck with me. You may like it as well. Our firm actually uses these three questions as part of our performance evaluations.

Managers ask the following questions:

What can I do more? (green light)
Less? (yellow light)
Don’t change? (red light)

Sounds simple doesn’t it? It works. This is a great way to strike a good conversation and receive some honest feedback.

Being intentional with your time is worth examining. The more time you invest in your marriage, children, family, friends and employees, the more you will see a notable difference.

Happy New Year!

Mentors and moments of clarity…

2010-12-03T10:53:08-05:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

Fall recruiting is a welcomed part of my "busy season". Over the last couple of months, I've been traveling from campus to campus meeting this year’s crop of "new talent". Between collegiate recruiting and interviewing it's been a bit busy. During busy times like this, clarity can feel like a luxury.

As I interviewed, I noticed a trend during this recruiting season- now more than ever, students were attracted to our firm because of our mentoring program. They put significant value in having a mentoring program and a company committed to their professional growth and success.

In a recent meeting with one of my mentors, I experienced a moment of clarity and it felt good. As a result of my meeting, a "moment of clarity" caused me to go back to my drawing board and began working on a "new look" and "feel" to the Corporate Confidante website. It was like putting on a pair of glasses with an updated prescription. I can see things more clearly.

Clarity is powerful. Mentors truly help you see things in a clearer light. Regardless of your role or the longevity in your chosen career, mentors can play an important part in our professional and personal lives. Having an individual (s) dedicated to listening to you, guiding you through important steps and acting as a sounding board helps employees at all levels plan next steps in their career, and ultimately promotes increased engagement.

I'm curious, what do you do for your employees when it comes to a mentoring program or career coaching?

Back to basics...Power of Communication

2010-09-22T14:41:46-04:00

By: Katie Nix, Corporate Confidante

“What we’ve got here, is failure to communicate.”

Can you relate? How many times do you find yourself quoting Cool Hand Luke or thinking about something along these lines?

One of the biggest points of contention between employees and employers is the failure to communicate. It seems to be universal, but why does it happen?

If you surveyed folks across the globe and asked why, you’d receive many different responses. I believe, due to the way we are wired as human beings, we inherently want to communicate with each other and have an innate desire to be heard. However, it doesn't mean we are good at it! In school, we are taught Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, but not as much time is spent on active listening skills or ways of clearly articulating your ideas and feelings. Both listening and clear communication are skills we must continue to refine throughout our lives.

Basics for effective communication:

*Be more of a proactive communicator than reactive

*Know your audience, take the time understand the vantage point of the person you are speaking to

*Spend more time listening than talking

*Check back to see how things are going

Some careers "force" us to fine tune these skills more than others. If we take the time to ask for the facts and then listen, I think we are on our way to more effective communication.

Has your organization spent time focusing on workplace communication? If so, what was successful for your organization ? Share below in the comments section or contact me here knix@macpas.com.