Think Outside The Box - A Key Question To Make It Happen

Think outside the box - how to do that? My experience tells me to look to others, ask the key question "what do you think?" and then use collective thinking to form a solution no one person would be capable of coming up with. The most important belief in thinking outside the box is that the product of focused thought and collaboration and communication of a knowledgeable group is the best way to arrive at new and unique solutions.


That belief starts with the understanding that each of us has our own set of experiences, beliefs, attitudes and values - and each is different. Sometimes very different. And those differences are where strength and competitive advantage can be found.


A story to illustrate the point:


In an aircraft component manufacturer, safety was a big issue. Lots of accidents, lots of lost days of work for valuable employees. The Safety Director was hauled up to monthly Safety meetings and given verbal beatings about the bad performance. He did all the safety things - posters, reports, supervisor training - but nothing changed.


And then the leadership of the organization changed - safety was just one of many performance problems.


The new leader saw safety improvement as a first priority. He also saw that outside the box thinking and behavior were needed. The first act of outside the box thinking was to recruit the collective genius of the experts already working in the company. Teams were established to deal with the safety issues that had caused the most injuries. The first question each team was asked was " What do you think is the cause of the problem, and what do you think can be done to fix it?" The teams were composed of the people that knew the most about the issues, the people most affected by the issues, and the people that could most effect change in the behaviors and conditions that caused the safety problem.


The Safety Director became the adminstrator and coordinator of the various team's efforts; the managers of the areas where accidents, unsafe conditions and unsafe behaviors existed or had occurred became accountable for the record of safety in their area; the periodic safety meetings were conducted by the leader of the organization.


No additional talent was added to make all this happen.


Within a year of this outside the box thinking and behavior, this business unit became the safest business in the corporation. I know that happened - I was the new VP of Administration that worked closely with the new President to make the changes that made safety performance a real success. That kind of outside the box thinking - new to what had been a very authoritarian business - was also introduced into quality issues, information systems changes, process improvement and a host of other areas.


In all these cases, the key question that started the process of improvement was " What do you think?" Behind that question was the belief that virtually all the issues in the organization could be solved - or improved - through the people in the organization. The result was an improvement in all areas of measurement - safety, productivity, on time shipments, reduction in scrap and rework, and increased profit. It wasn't easy - and a number of people simply weren't able or willing to change their own behavior and beliefs. They were replaced.


When it comes to outside the box thinking, this approach is outside the box for many organizations. But it works. And the challenges of making it work are minimal compared the the improvements in so many measures of success.


Here are some suggestions to make it happen:


Start with a problem that has high visibility


Assemble a knowledgeable team of experts - the people closest to the problem and to the potential solutions - the people who do the work


State the problem, and make it clear that all possibilities will be honored


Ask the question " What do you think?"


Create opportunity for communication and collaboration


Assure that filters to communication are removed - assure that communication flows in every direction - not just through one point of authority


Be patient - particularly in organizations where individual initiative has been squashed


Be ready to accept some findings and solutions that will be out of the ordinary


And then watch the energy and accomplishment grow.


Start today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot,com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Create Focus - Eliminate Self Inflicted Distractions

I was trying to focus on my 2008 goals; it's been tough going and my mind kept moving to all the other things I could/should be doing right now. And the idea for this blog came to me. A self inflicted distraction.

I have a lot of them.


My office is in my home - a source of advantage and challenge. Home offices make self inflicted distractions so much easier to acquire. As the year goes by, more and more shoulda's, woulda's and coulda's accumulate in my workspace. You know what I mean - the magazines that need to be read, the books purchased and waiting for attention, the projects that call for completion, the hobbies and interests that never seem to get the attention you'd like to give them. In my case, the fly rod in the corner, just aching to be tried out - the fly tying materials all ready for me to tie some flies.


You know, all the this's and that's that scream out for some attention. And shred our ability to focus on the important few things - and we did it to ourselves.


These distractions make it so easy to start one thing, and then, because it's not going particularly well, turn to one of the other things that ache for attention. The net effect of this scattergun of actions is that nothing gets done well - the operative word being "well." Multi - taskers may argue and say the more you heap on your plate the more you will get done. That doesn't work for me.


So, what to do about this all too common drain on our resources?


Here's my list of actions to take to reduce the number of self inflicted distractions:


First and foremost, you gotta have the most important three to five things in your whole world identified. If you don't, start with that.


Then survey your space - start with the mindset that anything in that workspace that keeps you from achieving your top three to five goals is your enemy - and needs to be destroyed - or at least covered up.


Keep your workspace your workspace. Compartmentalize. Keep work stuff in work areas. Keep non - work stuff somewhere else - far enough away that it requires an effort to get to it. ( I really need to move that fly rod and my fly tying desk to another room.)


Inventory the stuff that comes in to your workspace - the publications, the E Mail subscriptions, the catalogs, the course descriptions, the fyi's from well meaning associates, the stuff that accumulates under the "nice to do" label. Then throw it all out. Face it - if you have to put it aside for any extended period of time, you're not going to get to it. Except -- when you should be really focusing on the truly important few, and they're not going well - and it's so tempting to tell yourself it's time to take a break and read that article you've been meaning to get to for the last six months. Let's see, where is that magazine?


Limit the number of pictures, symbols, artifacts that have the potential to take your mind away from work - and put you back on that sailboat, or putting for an eagle, or winning the "B" group tennis tournamet at the club. Keep the few - and I mean few - things that serve as reminders and focus points about your purpose. Things that can bring your mind back to the reason for the work at hand - things that serve to remind you of why you need to focus on the important few.


Inventory your subscriptions - are they valuable in the present. at work and play, or are they substitutions for the things you want to do, but can't find the time or means to do. Ditch all except for one that can be seen as providing motivation for the reward you'll earn by focusing on the important few.


Hide the little stuff. If you're like me, I can spend an afternoon making sure everything is well organized - at least all the things I can see. I tend to do this when things aren't going well on the important things. Hide the little stuff - it's not that important anyway.


Create the belief that focus creates success - and treat the enemies of focus as - well - enemies. Create the conviction that an hour on focused work on the most important thing is more valuable and effective than a day committed to the completion of thin things. Become convinced of the power of your mind when you use it to really drill into something - it's the most valuable resource you have.


If you have a workspace with a view - terrific. Just set it up so that your line of sight when you are working is not toward the view. You know, see the pretty little bird in the bush - look at the awesome sunset - look at the beautiful clouds -----


Put your three to five top things in writing, and hang/post/frame/wallpaper them where they are constant reminders of what you really gotta spend your time on.


That's my list. Any more than this and I will have created some additional self inflicted distractions - or SID's. Take a look at and identify your own enemies of focus - the things you have done to yourself that keep the power of your focus from reaching its potential. And then act to take back your space.


Start today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess,blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Think Outside The Box - Develop Your Inner Voice

Thinking outside the box comes in lots of different sizes - from the smallest to the really big, sweeping, high leverage things. And while the really big, important changes that occur get the most attention, and are the most sought after, the sum total of all the little changes and habits of thought that happen every day are what lead to the really big stuff. And that's where our inner voices play such a big role in helping us think outside our boxes.



A story on myself that occurred in the last week - titled:

The Faucet and the Headlight

The Faucet: For some time, the kitchen faucet had been leaking, A pain in the butt. I replaced the whole unit about a year ago and here it was - once more - leaking and causing problems. The only solution was to go to Home Depot, get the repair kit, disassemble the faucet and correct the problem. That was on my to - do list for weeks - the faucet only leaked while in use so I kept a towel wrapped around it to absorb the leakage. Yesterday, my inner voice said " Andy, before going to Home Depot, take another look. Could it be something else?" I did - it was. The fitting for the flexible hose was leaking - a few turns with a pliers to tighten it - no more leak.

The Headlight: My wife's car was repaired after a front end collision. The right low beam headlight began to go out intermittently. I took it back to the repair shop - they said it was a loose connection, and fixed it. Not. So I checked the connection. I pushed the connector in as hard as I could into the headlight socket - and it worked - for a little while. The next step was to take it to the dealer to get it fixed - and probably replaced. I took another look. I had been pushing the connector into the socket as hard as I could. My inner voice said " Andy, how about pulling on the connector rather than pushing it in as hard as you can?" I did, I heard a little click - and the headlight now works fine.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

How often do we let a particular course of action become the only way to do something - even when outcomes are telling us it's not working? How often do we become so focused on a particular solution that we don't seek out the little adjustments that can make the difference between success and frustration? How often do we become convinced of the rightness of our ways and not seek help from outside our little self - made fortresses? If you're like me, that happens a lot. And most times it's OK, but thank goodness my inner voice called to me about The Faucet and the Headlight - my inner voice saved me time, money and energy.



Cultivating our inner voice - listening to it in the little things, creates a habit of thought that helps us use that skill in the big things as well. Being able to step back - define alternatives - take a different look - ask for and accept input from others - ask the "What If's" and the "Something Else's" - trust our inner voice - are the behaviors of successful people.



I'll bet you can think of your own Faucet and Headlight stories. If you're like me I smile and shake my head and use what I've learned from them to keep reminding me to stay open to possibilities - on all levels.



In addition, I'm feeling pretty good right now - no faucet leak and no trip to the repair shop. Life's just a little bit better - thanks, inner voice.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysucces.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Think Outside The Box - Take The Time To Look Up

Think outside the box. How do I do that? I suggest you take the time to look up

A personal story to illustrate my point:

On the Deerfield River, in western Massachusetts, fly fishing, and so intent on the cast, the drift, the possible take, that nothing else mattered. Nothing. And it wasn't going well. No strikes - a fouled leader, snagged in a tree. Damn! All the equipment and fishing bad spirits seemed to be aligned against me. What was I doing? Why was I here?

And then something made me look up. And I looked around. And what I saw was a glorious fall afternoon - high clouds in a blue sky, a river lined with mixed hardwood and pine forests, bright, clean, moving water that glittered with light from the reflection of the sun. The river partially in shadows.

And then something magical happened. Fly fisher's call it 'the hatch" - the time when insects that have lived underwater for a few months to a few years swim to the surface, and become winged insects.

First one at a time, and then by the hundreds, then by the thousands, these flies came off the water, glowed in the sun, and helicoptered into the trees, where they would metamorphose into the last stage of their life, and return to the water, and lay their eggs. Many didn't make it off the water - trout started eating them - and showing their location. The fly fisherman's dream.

And I took a deep breath, and just stood there - loving every minute of being in this special place at this special time.

I'd like to say my fishing fortunes changed - they didn't. But I fished on until it was too late to see, and the late fall temperature had dropped to the point where I could see my breath, and a mist was coming off the water. I loved that day - and I've had a lot of them since - and most of them have had nothing to do with fly fishing.

That day taught me a valuable lesson. I started to look up - not just when fly fishing, but at other times. Things I had seen as chores I found had value that I had not thought of before. Presentations I had been making to groups in the company I worked for took on a uniqueness that had been missing. Routine things I had to do became opportunities to think and process complex issues.

I was learning to look up and see the opportunity, the value, the utility of things I had seen as objects and obligations. It helped me get through some very tough times - it still does. It helped me think outside the box - although I have a hard time explaining exactly what that means. But we all know it when it happens.

We can all benefit by taking the time to look up. and see things in a different light. It doesn't have to take a lot of time - some of the best insights and value shifts can take place with lightning speed. And they don't have to be giant shifts. In fact, very little in our lives creates big shifts in values, attitudes, behaviors, skills. But those little shifts - taken by looking up and seeing what has always been there, are what can make our lives so much richer - in whatever way we define that term.

Try it - look at something you are doing right now - think of it in different terms. Perhaps it's value to others; it's contribution to your enterprise; it's value to your family and to yourself. If you're stuck in the thick of thin things - perthaps some of those thin things - things you have seen as having little importance to you - can be seen as something different - something with impact and value. You'll be richer for the exercise. You'll find your own Deerfield River - your own special place. Then make looking up a habit of thought - think outside your box.

Start today

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

How To Earn Respect

There's a secret to gaining respect - one that I had the good fortune to learn early in my career - and from a most improbable source. The secret to getting respect is to give respect.

Read on to see how that lesson was taught to me by a very special person.

Early in my career I was Branch Manager of a temporary help service. The largest part of our business was done in the Labor Division. The workforce was made up of day laborers - men who had fallen on the hardest of times. They were paid by the hour, and could receive a daily draw against wages earned. For most of them, working and getting the draw was the difference between having food and shelter or going hungry and sleeping in the Mission - or worse.

Every morning at 5:30 AM our office would open, and in would file the men looking for work.There were as many as a hundred who waited, drank free coffee, and hoped to be assigned and dispatched to a job. Many were assigned - some were not.

Early morning was a time when lots of bad things could happen - anger at not getting assigned - anger at perceived insults - anger at competitors for the same job - anger at life - and anger at being treated poorly by the full time staff. The result had been a number of fights, knifings, and one attempted shooting. Those problems resulted in a decline in business. I was sent there to correct the situation.

Our product was the labor that these men performed. It was definitely in our best interests to maintain a positive relationship with our own people. Unfortunately, many men left for jobs feeling angry, patronized and disrespected. Some never showed up at their assignments, others walked off the jobs, some forged their time tickets.

Observing the situation for a week I could understand why the men felt that way. They were patronized - they were treated as the bottom of the barrel - they were not given any reason to feel valued. And when one was publicly humiliated - and that happened too often - they all felt that humiliation. The only thing most of these men had left was a shred of self respect - or at least the need to feel respected. When that need for respect was abused, when it was not recognized, bad things happened.

The first step to change occurred when my boss gave me a sign to put up in the office- visible only to the full time staff. It said "There but for the grace of God, go I." A constant reminder of the thin line between good fortune and bad fortune.

And then we set up four rules that full time staff were required to follow:

1 - Every man who showed up for work, regardless of his condition or qualifications was to be addressed as "Mister" followed by his last name. First names could be used once the person was known. The use of any abusive name, description or nickname was prohibited

2 - Any discipline would be done confidentially, and without the use of abusive and demeaning terms

3- No assignments that were known to be unsafe would be accepted

4 - Assignments would be given on the basis of length of service, ability, past performance and availablility.

Those were the rules. Some full time staff had a problem with these simple rules - they were replaced.

Into this environment walked a man named Riley Bentley. Mr Bentley was an African American - like about half of our workforce. He was big, muscular and an intimidating looking and acting man. He had a silver earring long before they were popular, and he had a "keep away from me " manner. He was sober, he had no problem filling out the application, he looked you right in the eye. He was hired. From the first day, every job he was sent on resulted in excellent reports. He would come back every night, get his draw, and leave. No talk, no socializing - nobody messed with Mr Bentley.


He worked for us for about six months, then, like so many others, he stopped showing up. We had customers tell us if he came back they wanted to know - so they could get him back. Hard to imagine a man with his capabilities and no obvious vices not having a full time job.

After a three month absence, Mr Bentley walked back in. I was running the Labor Office - it was hard to get and keep full time staff who would obey the rules and treat the men properly, and when they left or were fired, I filled in. I was glad to see Mr Bentley and I told him so. He had lost some weight, but he was still the strongest, hardest working man we had. One night, Mr Bentley came back to the office just before 6 PM - closing time. He looked me right in the eye and said I could call him Riley. I said that he should call me Andy, and we shook hands on it. He walked with me to my car after I had closed up - I asked him if he needed a ride - he said no and kept walking. That became a regular thing. He would arrive at the office just before closing time after working hard all day - and then chat with me and then walk me to my car and head off into the night.

And then Riley was gone - and I hoped he had found a full time job - he deserved one.

A few months later Riley was back, thinner, but still as strong as ever. I noticed he perspired a lot, even though it was fall and cold and he did not wear a jacket. While he was gone we had gone through two new full time staff - and I was back to opening and closing the Labor Office. Riley resumed coming in every night and spending time leaning on the counter and looking out to the street while we talked and I took care of business. Part of the business was paying the men in cash. We kept a large sum of money in small bills for that purpose. We had a safe but it was so busy during the after work hours that the money was in the safe, but the safe was kept unlocked. Anyone could have come in and held me up. Riley could have turned me upside down and taken the money and there would have been no way for me to prevent it. I think Riley read my mind. One night he told me the reason he always stayed until I locked up and why he walked me to my car was to thank me for showing him respect - and his thanks was to provide me with his personal protection. I was ashamed for my concerns - and glad I had Riley - our office was in a very tough part of town.

Riley worked a few more weeks - he seemed to be in distress when he came in at night - perspiring heavily, shivering, but he persisted. He would not discuss his physical condition, and he would never accept a ride or any other kind of help.

And then he was gone. A few weeks later one of our regular men came in and told me Riley had been found in his room - in a chair - and he'd been dead about a week. I was stunned, and saddened, and sorry about the loss of my friend - because we were friends, in our own special way. Riley had given me his protection as his way of expressing his respect. I had given him respect because it just made sense - on a personal and business level, to recognize the humanity of our people. I was repaid a hundredfold for that by Riley.

Ever since that time, Riley Bentley is in my prayers - and he always will be.

Riley taught me the secret to gaining respect. The secret has stayed with me since that time. It's pretty simple. The secret is you get respect by giving respect. I will be forever grateful to Riley for that lesson.

There are other elements to gaining respect, such as keeping your word, making good on commitments, honoring what you promise. But aren't they all part of giving respect? I think so - giving respect is the cornerstone to getting respect.

In your own life, take the time to recognize people that you may have passed by. There's a saying " The true measure of a person is how they treat someone who can do them no good nor any harm." We all can profit from remembering that saying, and making it part of our daily self talk and behavior. And if you're really lucky, maybe you'll find a Riley Bentley in your life.

Start today.

Written by Andy Cox

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com, Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Eight Bad Assumptions We All Make, and How To Remedy Them

Assumptions have the potential to get you in trouble - big trouble. The assumptions that are the subject of this article are the ones we make based on our own behaviors, attitudes, and skills. We start by assuming that others think, act and have skills similar to our own. In fact, each of us is so unique that assumptions based on behaviors, attitudes and skills will result in being wrong at least 70% of the time.

An example:

A client had a manager who was highly intelligent, very energetic, demanding and always looking for new approaches to problems. Not a bad combination of attributes in a manager. He was also firmly convinced of the rightness of his ways. The business he was managing was in crisis - it needed firm direction. The problem was the frequency of new initiatives. He would direct his limited staff to new issues requiring action and resources on a weekly basis. The stretched thin, survival trained staff did all that they could to keep up -but they invariably fell behind. Lots of balls in the air - lots of activity - no additional resources. The manager assumed that since he had instructed his people on what to do that they were doing it - and they were afraid to tell him the truth.

He assumed his people would act the same as he did when his boss told him to do something. He would make his bosses request his first priority, and do whatever had to be done to get it done. He assumed his people would do the same when he made the same kind of demands.

That was a bad assumption.

He was very proud of all the things he was doing to turn this business around, and for the first few months, progress - measured by activity - was good. And then the cracks started to show. Shipments delayed, quality issues, turnover of critical people, earnings estimates missed. His response was to turn up the pressure to get the things done that he had assumed were either done or well on their way to completion. He was stunned to see that very little had really changed. His people were bogged down - too many balls in the air - too many things to focus on. He was fired.

So much of what had happened could have turned out differently, if he had assumed less, and verified more.


What follows are eight of the most common assumptions we all make in our work- every day. They have the potential to be fatal to our careers. The assumptions, a short narrative and a suggested remedy for each follow.

Assumption 1 - My boss and I are on the same page.


The newer the relationship, the better the chance that this assumption is wrong. Often very wrong.

Remedy - Ask your boss to write down the 3 to 5 most important things that you must do , and you do the same. Exchange your answers -being in agreement on 2 to 3 out of 5 is very good.


Assumption 2 -My people and I are on the same page.


Once again, the newer the relationship, the better the chance that this assumption is false - and really dangerous.


Remedy - Do the same thing with your people that you did with your boss - do the boss thing first.

Assumption 3 -I shouldn't have to ask.


Why not? Every one else has to. The very idea that other people should know what to do or how to act is so far from the truth that many, many relationships are destroyed by the assumption that someone should know enough to keep you from having to ask.


Remedy - Ask. If asking sticks in your throat - and it does for a lot of people, read the "Aladdin Factor" by Victor Hansen. Terrific book

Assumption 4 -People will do what I tell them to do.


Not necessarily. There are lots of reasons that they may do something other than what you anticipated. More pressing work, a misunderstanding about what is to be done, conflicting priorities, you name it, it exists.


Remedy - Create goals with the end in mind. Then communicate the goals, then hold regular updates - formally or informally, depending upon the culture of your organization.

Assumption 5 - People see things the same way I do.


Not true. Put a group of people in a room - show them the same picture. Watch the different interpretations, conclusions, ---. And yet they were all in the same room - given the same instructions - looked at the same thing. Amazing.


Remedy - Create goals that clearly state the result and the steps to take to reach it. Involve the people who will participate in meeting the goal in the development of the goals.

Assumption 6 -My managers have all the freedom they need to accomplish their goals.

Probably not. Reminds me of a highly experienced manager hired to run a Canadian acquisition of a US. His boss, the CEO, told everyone he had complete authority. Actually, he couldn't approve even a $10 expenditure without corporate accounting's approval. As soon as that became apparent, he lost a lot of influence with his people. The CEO said accounting had to be involved. His idea of involvement, the new manager's and the accounting department's take were very different. It never got resolved. The new manager resigned after 6 months .

Remedy - This is where the bureaucracy needs to be checked carefully. The boss assumes their people have the same approval and indirect reporting relationships and understandings as they do. Not. The boss needs to lead in developing effective, consistent working relationships up, down and sideways for their people.

Assumption 7 -People who speak with conviction are experts on the subject. Not necessarily.

Often the person speaking the loudest and with the most conviction is in fact drowning out the real expert who doesn't share the same behavior profile.

Remedy - Make sure all have the opportunity to voice their contribution. Be skeptical of all inputs until all the players are heard. Don't let anecdotal feedback overly influence the decision. How often have we all heard about the mysterious "they" that said something and it got play way out of proportion to its value and substance? Check any newspaper for examples of that dynamic.

Assumption 8 - People will see the same opportunity the same way I do.

No they won't. In fact, roughly 70% of the population will see consequences and problems before they see opportunities - if they see them at all. That leaves 30% that may see things the same way you do - not a high percentage. Both consequence and opportunity people are valuable, contributing people in every organization - value both inputs.


Remedy - Be sure to communicate what you see as the opportunity in terms of your people's interests. And be sure to listen to and value the issues and problems the pessimists will bring up - better to get them on the table than have them fester in the group without recognition or resolution.


Assumptions can be the biggest hurdle every manager and leader has to overcome in their career. Assumptions made about them, assumptions they make about others, all have low probability of being accurate. Start by checking your own thinking against the 8 assumptions stated in this article. Then act to replace them with goals and comunications that align effort with expectations. Start today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Leaders Know High Expectations Lead to High Performance

Leaders know high expectations lead to high performance. Leaders know that the more people believe in themselves, and their leaders believe in them, the more they will accomplish - at all levels.

We often think of leadership in terms of the Jack Welch's; the leaders of the military; the leaders of our government and institutions; the leaders of our industries. But leadership doesn't come in any particular wrapper - it shows up all over the place.

Let me share a story of real leadership:

A young girl, in second grade in a small town in Wisconsin was tested and classified as a below grade level student. That designation put her in an educational wasteland. Not much expected of her, not much effort spent on her development. Her parents discovered she had a vision problem - she had been accommodating it by memorizing everything. It caught up with her in second grade. Her parents fixed the vision problem. Her parents talked to the school, but they were firm in their decision to keep her in a below grade level class. The young girl had a hard time thinking of herself as being as good as other kids - after all, her school said she wasn't up to standard. And now she was the only kid in class with glasses.

After this young girl had completed fourth grade, her family moved to California. It was a good time to let this young girl catch her breath academically, and so she repeated fourth grade. No onus on it - she was in a completely different place.

And then the stars aligned and this young girl met the leader who would take her to a new place in her life.

Her fourth grade teacher was Mrs. Kruger. A former military nurse who had been in the South Pacific during WW II. No nonsense, firm, tough. On parents night she warned all parents to let her students be accountable for their actions. If a student forgot their lunch, don't bring it to school. They won't starve. Let the kids know they are responsible for their own actions. There were no below grade level kids in Mrs Kruger's world. The young girl did forget her lunch early in the year. She came home hungry, but she never forgot it again.

Mrs Kruger taught from high expectations. If an assignment was turned in that didn't meet her expectations for that student, they got to do it over, and over, and over - until she was satisfied that they had done their best work. The young girl was forced to redo her work often, and she didn't always like it. But the work she turned in after being forced to redo it was always better for the extra effort - and she saw that - and knew hard work resulted in accomplishment.

There was no horseplay in Mrs Kruger's class - no disrespect. She simply would not let it happen. Her class was a demanding, but safe place for her students to learn. She was energetic, critical, optimistic, and a wonderful teacher for this little girl. Her students respected and feared her - although she never threatened or used force of any kind. She just demanded her students do their best - even if they weren't convinced they could do better. And when they did, she recognized them with praise.

After a year with Mrs Kruger, this young lady had achieved a three grade level improvement in reading, writing and arithmetic. It wasn't easy - she worked really hard. But she knew she had performed - and what a change that made in her feelings about herself.

From that start - from that year with Mrs Kruger, this young woman went on to Honors Level classes in high school, to graduating from Boston College, and to getting her Masters in Special Education from Simmons College in Boston.

We're very proud of our daughter- and we're very thankful that she had the opportunity to spend a year of her young life learning from Mrs Kruger - a true leader.

There are so many qualities that a leader may possess - but the qualities of optimism; of demanding and expecting the best; of rewarding accomplishment; rank at the very top of the leadership list.

Take a look at how much you expect from yourself - and from others. If there is room for improvement, think of this story of Mrs Kruger, who made such a difference in our daughter's life - and then go out and make it happen.

Do it today. We all can be Mrs Kruger in our own way.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Leaders Use Goals To Know When More Becomes Less

Leaders use goals to know when more becomes less. Leaders know there is a place where further effort, energy, knowledge, people resources and money don't really add much additional value. In fact, more of anything after a certain point may be stealing from other requirements. Leaders know time, money and effort, by themselves, are really inefficient measures - results are what count. And knowing what results are needed avoids the "more is less" trap.


Leaders know "more" can keep you stuck in the same place long after you've achieved most of what's really needed. "More" creates a comfort zone based on activity that tells us there is more to be learned - more to be prepared - more to be added. Leaders know that that comfort zone is an illusion, and that goals create action - they keep us from fooling ourselves into believing activity is accomplishment.


A personal example of what I mean:


Whenever I need information - for a client, a prospect, an article - I really dig in and search all kinds of resources to become really prepared. My searches have the potential to lead me deeper and deeper into a subject - or wider and wider into alternative subjects or information. The opportunities for research are endless - and so tempting. That must have to do with my high Theoretical value. I really value information for its own sake. I feel like I'm really accomplishing things as I acquire more and more knowledge. More is better - or is it? Problem is - even the most expert of experts have to set research aside - and act - if they are to become better known, better appreciated and better compensated. And if the search for "more" gets in the way of acting, then "more" is definitely less. I protect myself from that trap through goals.


Another example from my vast archives of "more" not being better:


An exercise I do daily is a hand grip exercise. I started doing it about five months ago when I felt my grip needed strengthening. I use the kind of gripper that has a spring that is squeezed until the handles touch. At the beginning it was a real effort to reach 30 reps for each hand. My goal was to reach 60 reps for each hand. I'm now up to 90 reps for each hand, and I hold the 90th rep for 60 seconds. I know I can do more if I persist, but I don't. Why? I'm way beyond my goal and I think I've reached the point where more is not better - the additional time I could use on this one exercise can be better used on something else - like converting my 24 pack abs into a six pack. In this case I've decided more would be a poor use of my time and energy. Now for the abs.......


On a work level, how often are we persuaded that more is better? In some cases, more is definitely better - like in more quality sales calls. But in other cases, like gaining more information before acting, or spending more time on preparation, more may be less. And that's where goals come in. Goals that measure results, not effort, create a climate of action - action to reach a measurable goal. And then consciously assessing the value of exceeding the goal.


Leaders know the biggest enemy of "more is less" is perfection. Perfection may be a worthy striving, but many careers have gone down the tubes by letting perfect get in the way 0f good. When taking more time to prepare for that perfect presentation, when just one more test may yield the data to make a perfect product, when the acquisition of knowledge, or money, or expertise, keeps action to meet a goal from happening - more is less.


In Harry Beckwith's book - "How To Sell The Invisible," he says "Don't let perfect get in the way of good." When I'm tempted to take the time and effort to make very good become perfect, I stop. And if I'm convinced that what I have done is very good, I tell myself to stop seeking more, and I act to complete whatever it is I'm doing. And how do I figure out what is very good? Goals.


In creating goals, resist the temptation to create them based on the best of intentions. Base them on hard headed, clear requirements to meet the larger goals of the enterprise. Can they be an improvement on performance levels already attained? Of course. But know when to say "enough," and go on to other equally important goals. Defining "enough" is the secret leaders use to ensure "more" doesn't become less.


Take a look at your own goals, habits of thought, behaviors and attitudes. Identify where you can use "more is less" in defining your own actions and success. I suspect you will find, in your analysis, that there are areas - right now - today - where you can change so that perfect doesn't get in the way of good.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Focus On Creating Possibilities To Achieve Success

Focus on creating possibilities - it's the way to achieve personal success and organizational success.

That conclusion came to me the other day - a day I fooled myself into believing was highly productive. I had been busy - worked hard - got a lot done. But I didn't feel like I had really accomplished very much. I had organized, managed, read, prepared and drafted a whole lot of stuff - but something was missing.

Have you ever had that feeling? Worked your butt off and got so much done - great way to fool yourself into thinking what you did was really important. And yet you felt something was missing.

If you accept that interdependence is the highest and most effective form of working and accomplishment, then spending a whole day on independence just doesn't make it.

I read a book on cold calling by Stephan Schiffman called " Making It Happen Before Lunch." In it he says: " Dwell in possibility, there is always a door somewhere waiting to be opened." What a great thought!

That's when I put my finger on what was missing - I hadn't created any possibilities for myself. I had made things more organized, more accessible, more updated, more effective - but I couldn't count a single possibility created that day. Not one.

It occurred to me that I have lots of days like that. I'm highly organized and have a high Theoretical value and attitude. I know that about myself. They are good things, but they can be traps, as well. It's so easy to seek out more information - for its own sake. It's so easy to be sure everything is in its place. Not bad things - unless they take up the space that should be reserved for creating possibilities.

For me a possibility is that first step created by action that may result in being of service to a client - to helping them increase their success in selecting, retaining, developing and enhancing the performance of their people. It could be helping a manager become a leader. It could be helping a person or organization to plan and implement change. It's hard to create those possibilities while I'm organizing, reading, acquiring, preparing.

Focus on possibilities, in my case, requires overcoming or controlling my instincts and attitudes. It doesn't mean abandoning what I like - gaining knowledge and keeping things organized. It does mean creating a habit of thought of focusing on possibilities - honest to God possibilities. Finding those doors Schiffman talks about, then opening those doors and walking into a opportunity to be of service to people and companies.

We all have to create our own possibilities - for some it's second nature. For others - like me - it's definitely a learned process.

How to do it?

Start with optimism. It's so much easier to believe in possibilities as an optimist. That's a challenge for about 70% of the population - the 70% that have a habit of thought that thinks consequences rather than opportunities.

For all the pessimists, start every day with the thought that something good will happen today - if you make it happen. Keep telling yourself that.

Once convinced that there are doors waiting to open - whatever that means to you, then carve out the time and energy to find those doors

Create goals that keep you focused on possibilities. Make a promise to yourself that every day you will take an action - or actions - that will create possibilities. A phone call, create and post a blog, a website posting, a Letter to the Editor, a lunch with a long lost friend, a call to a complete stranger, asking a friend for help. But in every case - reach out!

Write down your accomplishments when you create a possibility - then see how many of those possibilities you created can be made into opportunities, then into relationships.

Build on your success. Be convinced that the more possibilities you create, the more doors are going to open - and think about how great it will be to step through into opportunities.

Don't ignore what you are drawn to - trying to be what you're not creates enormous stress. Make what you are drawn to do part of your possibility goals.

Realize that every day new possibilities can be created - they are there for the asking - what an exciting idea! Start today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acoxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/; Blog; http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

How Do You Know When You've Quit?

How do you know when you quit? Sounds like a pretty stupid question! You know you quit when you stepped off the track without finishing the race -when you stopped doing something that you wanted to complete - when you resigned from a job that you wanted. Any number of actions - or lack of actions - tell you that you quit.

Not that quitting is necessarily bad. A poor fit in a job, an opportunity to move ahead in a different organization, physical illness or injury - all can be good reasons for quitting.

But there is another type of quitting that isn't so good. Cormac McCarthy, in his new bestseller The Road, has a quote that describes what I'm talking about. "When your dreams are of a world that never was or never will be and you are happy again, you will have given up."

What does that mean? Here's my interpretation. Dreams are funny things. They can inspire us, they can create successes. They can be a beacon for moving forward. They can lead to goals, action and accomplishment

But they can also be the source of false hope. When you catch yourself dreaming about what could have been, what should have been, or what might be, and those dreams occupy your mind, and you feel good about them - but no real action is taken to make them happen, you are in the act of quitting - of giving up.

Examples would be the person who dreams of winning the Lottery as the means to financial salvation, while continuing to dig a deeper financial hole for themselves. Or the sales person dreaming about how great it will be when he has new clients, but isn't doing the hard work of cold calling. Or the writer who dreams of her great novel and how good it will feel, but doesn't do the writing. Or the student who dreams of being a doctor, but doesn't do the academic work to get into college.

Rudyard Kipling, in his poem, IF, says, "If you can dream, but not let dreams become your master." What a perfect description of where dreams belong in our lives.

But often dreams do become our masters. It happens when they substitute for accomplishment and action. It happens when they allow us to feel good about the past, the present or the future, without having to deal with reality. And so we feel happy. And we've quit. And we probably don't even know it!

It's a habit of thought - this act of dreaming. That's good. Habits of thought can be worked with - replaced with new habits. It's hard, but success lies in self discipline, and the application of our considerable resources. Dreams without action take away from our bank of resources - they divert resources to what never was and never will be. It's like making a withdrawal with no value - like destroying our personal resources.

Review your own habits of thought. Ask yourself three questions: Do your dreams focus on the future - do they build on what has already happened - do they inspire you to action? If you can answer yes to those questions, good for you. If you answered no, focus your mental energies on the dreams that can happen - the world of possibilities. You can save a little corner of your thoughts and dreams for the improbable, but get to the place where your dreams result in yes answers to those three questions. You will achieve more, and who knows, those improbable dreams of the future may become more probable.

Written by Andrew Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Goals, Opportunities for Success and Paying Our Dues

What are the paths that come together to provide opportunities for success? How will we know when they come together? Will we be ready to recognize opportunity and act to succeed? What can we do to prepare for those opportunities? What does paying our dues really mean?

Here's a big part of the answer:

"It has been written that so much of life is preparation, so much is routine, and so much is retrospect that the purest essence of anyone's genius contracts itself into a precious few hours."

That quote is from "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D Hornfischer. A book about the heroism of the small ships - destroyers and destroyer escorts - in the Battle of the Samar Sea in World War II. It's a true story of heroism, duty and honor. It's also a story of paying dues.


I hadn't thought about success in those terms, but so much of that quote speaks to success - in all parts of our lives. We all go through preparation, routine, and learning from our experiences and then, in a relatively small space of time, all that we are - our particular genius - comes together to contribute to our success. And, based on our willingness to seek out and accept opportunities, it happens again and again - and every time, the possibility of success is greater - based on the increase in our particular genius.



In sales, think of all the cold calls, all the presentations, all the demonstrations, all the lead chasing, and then, the opportunity to make a sale - and all the work done comes together to make that sale - or not. In either case, that event becomes preparation for the next opportunity, with a better chance of success - particular genius made good - made better. Dues paid.


In project teams, think of all the meetings, commitments, research, experiments, communications, proposals and presentations - and then the outcome that the particular genius of the team has created results in the successful completion of the project - and the seeds of particular genius increase for further success. Dues paid.


In people selection, think of all the recruiting approaches, process improvements, all the interviews, interview training and assessments, and then, the particular genius that results in the acquisition of the people needed to be successful. Dues paid.


In entertainment, think of a favorite singer or musical group - then think of all the rehearsal, all the one night gigs, all the travel, all the No's, that came before the hit song - the particular genius created by all those steps, and then success. Dues paid.



The story is told of Picasso sitting at an outdoor cafe' and being approached by a woman who asked him if he could draw a sketch of her. He did. It took five minutes. She asked how much she owed him. He told her $5000. Shocked, she protested it had only taken him five minutes. He corrected her - it had taken him 30 years to reach this place in his life as a painter. Dues paid.


How do we develop particular our genius - and pay the dues doing it?

We need to start with the end in mind - know where we want to go.

Get a dream, envision success, set goals, and then identify those things that will point us to our goals - in terms of preparation, learning from experience, taking care of the day to days - but always with the end in mind. Pointing our particular genius at what is important to us - and then focusing on that worthy goal. Doing that - keeping that focus - paying dues - creates success. Not doing that let's genius disperse over too many unimportant things - and causes it disappear in a flurry of busyness.

When our goals tell us that opportunity is in front of us- when our intuition has been honed by challenges and risks; by decisions made and their outcomes; by routine; by experience and preparation and by looking back as well as forward; then our particular genius puts us into action, and we succeed.

We succeed because we pay our dues to meet our goals - and in doing that we expand our particular genius.And paying them has nothing to do with how long we have lived, or how long we have been in a job, or how much seniority or time in grade we have. It has to do with focus on the important few, and placing proper value on the unimportant many.

Start today - check your own goals and how you use the routines, the preparation and opportunities in your own life. Check to see if what you do drives you toward the further development of your particular genius. Know that within you resides a genius unique to you. Bring it out - do it with goals, with preparation, and retrospect and routines - so that, when those opportunities occur, the outcome of your actions is success.

Written by Andrew Cox, President

4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

The Biggest Challenge To Change - The Status Quo

Creating change, accepting change, making change work, being rewarded by change - all are resisted by that condition called the Status Quo. And most of the time we don't even realize it.


A story to illustrate my point:


I was out hiking in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve - one of my usual routes - and thinking about the subject of change. As I came to the place on the trail where I always stop and drink some water, and prepare for the climb forward, it hit me that every thing about this hike was predictable - and that felt good. But, at the same time, I had my eye on a distant trail that looked pretty challenging - but every time I thought about taking it, I would rationalize my decision by telling myself I didn't know where it went, I needed to get back in an hour, I had lots of alternatives that I had already discovered, ..... My feet kept me on the same old trails - every time. In my defense, I do have five different trails that I take at different times - it's not as if I only have one.


But I know people that have been hiking and jogging for years, who wouldn't thnk of trying a different trail.


With a conscious effort, I turned my feet to the new trail, and away I went. The desert is a funny place - it looks so blank -but it isn't. Go around a bend and a new view presents itself. Go further and a narrow trail to the top of a mountain shows up. A particularly beautiful tree or cactus - a saguaro with a really distinctive shape - a coyote that crosses the trail - all reward the senses when seen for the first time.


My exercise in challenging my personal status quo had a great reward - a new trail to add to my alternatives - a fresh view of an old friend that is full of surprises. And I had overcome my resistance to change - if only a little.


The status quo is a subtle enemy - it presents itself in little ways. And it presents itself day after day - it always will. And when the challenge of change is imposed on us, all those little acts that have reinforced the comfort of doing the same things the same way can keep us from accepting and benefiting from change - we see it is an intrusion on our comfort zone.


How to overcome the effect of the Status Quo? I challenge you to examine just one way you do things - it doesn't matter what. Then do it a different way - just to see what happens. And every day after that, try to seek out change in your own life. The practice of looking for and trying new ways can be one of the most powerful personal skills you can have. Honor the status quo - routines are important in every life, but routines can also create an illusion of comfort, and it is an illusion.


Another story:


I just finished checking the status of articles I post on www.submityour articles.com. I check to see how many views and downloads have taken place since I posted them. I noticed a symbol on my summary page - what could that mean? Inspired by my new quest to try different things, I clicked on it. The result? I found a way to check statistics on all my articles more quickly. Wow - that's neat! A little triumph in my ongoing battle to challenge my personal Status Quo.


Try it yourself - do it today - it will enrich your life. Look for those little discoveries that can make life, careers, relationships that much more meaningful. It will prepare you for those inevitable changes that hit all of us - sometimes without warning - and make dealing with them an advantage, rather than a threat.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800, E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Ten Steps To Hiring The Right Person For The Right Job

Hiring the right person in the right job, whether through recruiting from outside, internal transfer, or internal promotion is, by far, the most difficult and rewarding challenge facing most organizations. It always will be. It is also the greatest opportunity to increase the effectiveness of any organization. Here are Ten Steps any organization should take to improve their batting average in this most critical part of their enterprise.

Step 1. Start with the end in mind. Start by answering the question " What would be the perfect match of candidate to job requirements?" Get specific - talk about the job, not the person. Determine the best possible skill, experience, industry knowledge, education and accomplishment combination that would make the best possible candidate. Ask the people with knowledge of the position - the stakeholders - to provide that information - in a structure where it can be captured. Don't let the applicant pool create the job requirements.

Step 2. Get to the heart of the matter: since success is most often created by the right mix of behaviors, attitudes and values, and personal skills, get the stakeholders to identify what mix of those three elements are needed for success in the job. This step becomes increasingly important at higher job levels. There may be a Job Description, but most of those documents simply aren't designed to capture that kind of information. And few are dynamic enough to reflect changes in content. This requires a structured approach to identifying those elements. It can be done - and done well. And if it is done well and becomes a part of the process used to select, it will increase success - a lot.

Step 3. Expand the pool of applicants: the Wall Street Journal ran a first page article on symphonies that had been plagued with a shortage of qualified musician candidates. One symphony started a " blind audition." The candidates played the audition music from behind a screen - the interviewers couldn't see them - but they could hear their music. Funny thing happened - lots more qualified candidates were identified. No more knockouts on gender, race, brand of instrument, hair style, school ties, appearance, fat, skinny, et al. Make sure your organization isn't knocking out people that can "play your music" at the beginning of the selection process.

Step 4. Train a team of stakeholders so they can effectively evaluate candidates in the interview phase of selection. Most organizations do no training in evaluation skills - big mistake. If you have had more than your share of mistakes in selection, continuing to do the things done in the past and expecting a different outcome doesn't make much sense. Provide the interviewers with full information on the position, and assign each interviewer specific areas of evaluation.

Step 5. In 99% of cases, no applicant will be a perfect fit. Define the "must have's," "good to have's," and "nice to have's" before the interview process. Don't let the interviewers rationalize those requirements based on the available applicant pool.

Step 6. Supplement interview evaluations, reference checks and other information with assessments to help define fit. If you currently use assessments, audit their effectiveness and the degree of trust and application they really have. There are great assessments and assessment processes available - the status quo is not a good reason to continue to use what was used in the past.

Step 7. Act quickly, decisively and with purpose in the selection cycle. Nothing impresses top candidates more than a process that communicates organization, purpose and decisiveness.

Step 8. Should the hiring manager say the candidate selected for employment is "the best we could find, " continue to look. That rationalization has caused more selection failures than any other.

Step 9. Select the person that the organization, based on objective measures and intuitive feelings, is convinced is the right person. Then help them succeed - but stay close - no people decision is ever 100% accurate. The best thing to do in a mistake situation is act on it as soon as it is evident that a mistake has been made. People in the organization will know within two weeks to three months if a mistake was made. Unfortunately, in many organizations, it takes a year or more for the "leadership" to acknowledge the mistake and act.

Step 10. Create a final feedback step in the selection process to evaluate what could have been done better or differently. Have successful hires participate in that evaluation.

Ten steps - sounds like a lot - it isn't. The organizations that use the Ten Steps in this process are much more successful in their selections than the ones that don't. If you can see ways to improve your own process by using all or some of these Ten Steps, then get rid of the status quo and change - today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup; Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/

Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved

Managing Goals - Sometimes You Gotta Trim The Tree

Managing goals and trimming trees. What? Let me tell you, I'm a goal junkie. I'm constantly setting goals for all kinds of things in my life. They are all SMART goals - they meet the criteria for good goals - I know how to do that. The only problem is my wants always exceed my gets. And that's a problem. How many of you have the same problem? Too many goals - too little time - too many unmet goals that have the ability to demotivate. You know what you want - you know how to get there - but the results simply do not meet the intentions.

A story about trimming trees:

I have a tree in the backyard. A Palo Verde tree - absolutely beautiful. Green trunk, delicate leaves, many, many branches and, like many desert trees, it's covered with hard, sharp thorns. Tough to trim without my becoming a pincushion - so it didn't get trimmed.

Up until last year it had lots of foliage - even in the driest months. Then something happened, and this year there are any number of small and large branches that are dead - dry as a bone. There is still some foliage, but not what it had been. The tree looks like it's dying. We increased the water, and some of the branches flourished, but many others didn't. I trimmed the outer branches, and removed a lot of the dead growth - but still no real progress.

Finally I consulted an arborist to see what to do. The arborist took one look at the tree and knew exactly what had to be done. He could see that the tree had grown without any trimming, and that every branch that popped out just grew. It had adequate water, and all those branches became major limbs of the tree - demanding nourishment. There must be 15 or twenty limbs that are creating this beautiful pattern of unrestrained growth. Only problem is that the tree's root structure can't support that much foliage - this is a desert tree, adapted to a low water environment. The result is going to be the death of the tree - unless hard decisions are made and the number of major tree limbs are reduced to no more than 5 to 7.

Since talking to the arborist, I've stood back and then circled that tree any number of times, and now I know which limbs to remove to get down to 5 to 7 major branches. Looking back, if it had been trimmed periodically it wouldn't need this kind of major surgery. Once the trimming is done, I will have a tree that won't look so good for a while, but that will flourish as it recovers from its foliage overload. The arborist told me if I hadn't sought out somebody with knowledge of the type of tree, its structure and needs as well as its growth habits, and then followed the advice given to reduce the burden on the tree root structure, within two to three years the tree would be dead, or blown over by one of the violent summer storms we get in Phoenix.

Now that major surgery is being done, I promise to trim it every six months, and not let this situation occur again.

What does this have to do with goals?

I sat down to review my goals for the first half of the year and wasn't too pleased with my accomplishments. Oh sure - I had gotten a lot done, but there were so many things I had included as either goals or as action items that my list of the things I completed looked pretty puny next to the list of things I wanted to get done. Then it occurred to me that my goals and that Palo Verde tree had a lot in common. And just like that tree, my goals had grown to the point where I could no longer sustain and meet them. I had gotten myself to the place where I had put too much on my plate at one time, and was busily trying to support too much with too little.

My goals had become so numerous that many were wilting on the tree - they were undernourished. And yet, I was working my butt off to support this wild growth, and not being successful. Luckily, I'm stepping back - like the arborist did for me - and taking a really hard look, and cutting back this thicket of goals to 3 to 5 major goals that I can support. I will be better for it - and more successful - and able to support more things in the future, but first I have to trim the tree - keep the 3 to 5 most important goals as the most important goals, and then work them - hard. Nourish the major branches - and in doing that, allow for stronger long term growth.

Take a look at your own tree of goals, along with your thicket of must do's and have to do's - and if you see too many branches for your resources, trim - and trim aggressively so you can focus on success in the main things.

Do it today - the beginning of the second half of the year is a great time to adjust, reengage, reevealuate, and come out of 2007 with success in the truly most important things.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www.coxconsultgroup.com

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Increase Success In Evaluating People

How do you increase your success in evaluating people? Education, technical skills, experience and industry knowledge can be defined and verified. But most people don't succeed or fail because of those elements of who they are. Most people succeed or fail based on how well their mix of values, attitudes, behaviors and personal skills fit the situation. And the higher one goes in an organization, the truer that becomes. How to get at that information when evaluating people for selection, promotion, team involvement and personal and organizational development?

Experts and successful leaders all share a little known fact about human behavior, and use it in evaluating people. They know that every one of us believes other people will act, react, understand and judge as we would - given the same circumstances. That is not a correct belief - but it is a belief.

Professionals use that information to gain insights into what people really believe, how they will behave, and what personal skills they value. Being able to do that is a secret to success in selection, relationships and leadership.

How do you do that?

Example: With a candidate, ask them to provide a situation where something was done - preferably work related. Then ask him/her the who, what, when, where and why questions about the situation and how it played out. Here's the secret: rather than ask them about their role, ask them about the roles, actions. motives, values of others involved in the situation. Be ready to gain insights and information about the candidate as he/she reflects on the attitudes, motives, behaviors and skills of others. The key is that we all tend to think that others act, judge, assume and possess many of the same skills as we do. By asking about a third person you do the following:

- People tend to be freer in providing their opinions, assumptions and judgments when it is directed at someone other than themselves.

- By speculating on the motives, judgment and behaviors of others, the candidates are telling a great deal about themselves. And if they won't speculate, they're still telling a lot about themselves.

A story to illustrate how this technique can be used:

A company undergoing substantial change in its behavior toward its employees, as a result of a crisis, was attempting to hire a Chief Operating Officer who would be critical to the success of the behavior change. One of the principal concerns of the new CEO was that the person hired would reflect the behaviors and beliefs that would be critical to the change. Old habits and values die hard, and the organization had a lot of very valuable, experienced people who had prospered in a very authoritarian, compliance, do what you're told to do, micro-managed culture. The culture envisioned by the CEO was very different. Open communication, trust, people as our biggest asset, less stove pipes, more cross functional teams, encourage innovation, high leverage,of talent were all part of his vision.

As the CEO interviewed each of the top candidates for the position, they all agreed with his vision. All were able to provide examples of how they had either built or maintained that kind of culture in their past jobs. All agreed the vision of culture the CEO had was the way to go. Personal chemistry was good with all the top candidates. Their references were excellent. How to pick this critical person to lead change?

The CEO decided one last round of in depth one on one interviews was in order. The focus of the interviews would be on better understanding the candidates own behaviors, attitudes and personal skills. And he would do that by engaging them in conversations about the behaviors, skills and attitudes of other key people the candidates had worked with.

Key questions he asked each candidate included:

Why do you think that person made that decision?
What do you think motivated them to make that decision?
What do you think that decision was based on?
What would you do if you had been in their shoes?
How do you think he/she should have handled it?
Were they successful in that situation? What made them successful?
What kept them from success?
How did the people affected by the situation handle it?
Who was to blame for the situation? Who got the credit/recognition?

The CEO was looking for attitudes, values, behaviors and acknowledgment of personal skills that he felt were critical to the culture change process. By having the candidates evaluate the behaviors, values, and personal skills of others he was able to better understand the candidates own unique mix of values, behaviors and skills. What came out of that last round of interviews helped him make what is always - after all the dust has settled - an intuitive decision. But an intuitive decision based on a much greater understanding than by simply evaluating candidate responses to questions about themselves.

Can this approach be applied at other levels in an organization? Of course.

If you are using assessments to evaluate people for selection, check to see if they provide you with these kinds of insights. If they don't - or if they are too complex to be applied in the real world, look for assessments that can help. They exist, I can assure you.

In addition to assessments, hiring managers and their support people can develop the expertise to make this approach a key part of their selection and development process. People have beliefs that come out in their perception of the behavior of others. A good example is the high control micro manager. There is a very good chance that a high control person has a value that places low trust on others, and that person assumes others feel the same way. Interviews can peel away the responses that the candidate feels are expected, and get at their beliefs - the belief they express through their opinion of others.

Another example is the person who uses blame in a response to a question about others - either to defend or to place fault. You can bet that person will be a blamer, regardless how they may portray their own behavior in an interview.

It's important to get the candidate to tell you about themselves, but it is equally valuable to get them to tell you about their evaluation of others - it tells you so much about them. Use this key to increase your success in dealing with people in all kinds of situations.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com, Website: http://www.coxconsultgroup.com/

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Leaders Set Goals To Define Priorities

Setting goals as the way to create priorities, whether in business or in personal life, is what leaders do to maintain direction and focus in their organizations and in their personal lives. Unfortunately, many managers take a tremendous amount of potential leverage out of their organizations by not prioritizing.

I had a boss whose standard answer to "What's the most important thing?" was "Everything's the most important thing." What a copout. We were in a crisis mode and there was a lot to get done, but what that "Everything is important" direction led to was a lot of counterproductive behavior - hunker down and keep the boss off your butt by being busy all the time - 24/7 - and ride it out. Do what you're told to do, and then ask "What's next?" After a year of that no leverage management style he was fired - but not until some very good people had left the organization.

Managers that take the "everything is Number 1" approach are often rewarded for being tough, no nonsense, aggressive problem solvers. The fact that many of the problems they solved were created by them seems to go unnoticed. Actually, instead of leadership, they use a brute force approach to getting things done. That often works in a crisis situation, but when everything becomes a crisis, those managers lose their effectiveness and their people become cynical about how they are treated. Brute force managers rarely have goals they share with people, and even more rarely do they have their people participate in any meaningful way in setting goals and priorities. To many of them, sharing information and open communication are threats to their control. Many of them are quite happy with a compliance level workforce - the "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it" people. There is no leverage in the Brute Force management style.

How do effective leaders create priorities that maximize their own effectiveness and the effectiveness of their organization?

They start with a clear understanding of what the three to five most important things are, both personally and professionally. This is tough - there are always many more issues vying for attention than there are resources available to address them. The leader makes the tough decisions - the Brute Force manager doesn't.

Then the leader enlists people in the areas of importance to help arrive at ways to succeed in meeting the most important requirements.

Then the leader creates and communicates and negotiates goals that support the most important three to five issues, or challenges, or opportunities.

The goals are used to create supporting goals, expectations and understandings of importance in the universe of people that can contribute to meeting the goal.

Then leaders act - and expect action from their people.


Leaders protect their own time, and the time of their people, so that maximum focus can be kept on the critical few, and not frittered away on the unimportant many.

And then leaders evaluate, change if change is necessary, and continue to use the process as the basis for action throughout their organization.

And they insist that this process be kept as simple as possible - minimum bureaucracy here. Don't wait for an enterprise wide software system to capture all the data and signups and goal statements. More good goal setting systems have drowned of their own administrative weight than for any other reason. Leaders fight that. Leaders know the critical intersection in goal setting and prioritizing is at the person to person level - not at the form completion and submission point.

And the resulting action they get is so different from the "Tell me what to do and I'll do it" people. Lots of leverage in a shared goal environment - on both a personal and work level.

Leaders know most people want to help, want to contribute, want to be involved in a worthy enterprise, want to be recognized for their contribution. Leaders also know most people work best and most effectively where they have structure and an understanding of what needs to be done. Once they have that, great things start to happen! They no longer have to say "Just tell me what to do and I'll do it" - they know the priorities and what is most important. They can use the freedom that knowledge provides to keep their eyes on the few big balls - and not be distracted by all the little balls that will always bounce around and take up all the time people will let them take up.

Leaders also know there are times when brute force may be the only appropriate tactic - a public safety health product recall, a natural disaster, a systems failure, a fire - all call for everybody pitching in to get things done - whatever that means. But leaders know the brute force tactic is the exception to the rule, and is only used when absolutely necessary. And their people know it - and rather than take it as just another in a long line of fire drills, they pitch in and know their efforts will be part of a worthy enterprise's efforts to succeed. The result is maximum leverage when needed.

If you work or live in an "Everything is important" situation, be careful of burning out. If you can take what leaders do and apply it to your work and your personal situation two things will happen - you'll have more time for the really important things, and your personal and professional success will increase - I guarantee it. And on those brute force days, or weeks, keep the leader's model of goals to priorities firmly in your sights - and get back to it as soon as possible. Start today.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph:602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Personal Importance - Your Success Depends On It

One thing I've noticed about all the successful people I've met - they all are convinced of the importance of what they do and of their own personal importance. I don't mean in an egotistical, arrogant way, but in a way best expressed as quiet confidence. And many of them didn't start that way - they had to develop the habits of thought that allowed them to believe in their own worthiness and ability. It's not easy, but it is critical to personal success.

I've also noticed how many people, by their own actions, communicate their feeling of unimportance. They do it in little ways - deferring to someone else when they had a perfect right to stand their ground; when they apologize or minimize their own contribution; when they don't speak up even though they have a lot to say; when they fail to express their successes.

When we were kids, I remember being told to "not talk unless talked to," that I was to "be seen and not heard," that talking about myself was boastful, that it was "better to keep my mouth shut and appear dumb, than to open it and remove all doubt." I'm sure many of you have your own list of negative messages that were part of your life.

When those message soak in and become beliefs - and they do - it's tough to not feel that others must be better or more able or more worthy.

Think about your own self talk. What does it tell you about yourself - does it help you feel more worthy and able, or does it keep repeating those messages of your earlier years?

You’d be surprised how many people - when they really think about this, say they still hear their own "be seen and not heard" messages.

The story is told of the three stone masons - all working on the same job. When asked what he was doing, the first said he was cutting and laying stone. The second said he was building a school, and the third one said he was helping build a place of learning for children, and he wanted it to be the best built school he could manage. I suspect you know who felt important in contributing to this place of learning, and who was just laying stone. Same skills, same assignment, same project, probably the same work effort, but what a personal difference. The third mason will visit that school, point with pride to the contributions he made, tell his own children about it, and keep it as a personal point of pride and ability for the rest of his years. Don't we all want that kind of feeling about our work, our passions, our families?

To get that feeling one thing is certain - no one else can do it for us. We can be stone mason #1 and work and collect our pay, or we can be stone mason #3, and collect our pay and so much more. But only we can do it for ourselves.

People that have a feeling of self worth and those who are challenged to gain a greater sense of their own worth, look at the inputs and communications they receive in a very different way from people who don't have a good feeling about their worth and ability. Why? Because we all look for the things that confirm what our mind already believes or wants to believe! So the person with a positive self worth will hear an affirmation, the person working on getting a better sense will hear a constructive comment, and the person with a poor self worth will find a criticism or suspicion that they are being manipulated, or a reason to dismiss the compliment as so much BS. Same comment, same situation, three very different effects.

If you want to improve your own sense of self worth, what can you do?

1 - Stop looking back - what happened up to this point got you to where you are. Dwelling on it to find root causes just eats up today - which is all there is.

2 - Become very aware of what you tell yourself .

3 - Suspend judgment and just take what happens or is communicated for what it is - and no more.

4 - Start replacing damaging self talk with positive affirmations. Start by constantly reminding yourself of what you do well.

5 - Work with your strengths - the ones you feel good about - and be convinced you have more than you know - because I guarantee you do.

6 - Understand that you are unique - no one else on this earth is just like you - don't assume others can do what you do well - because they can't.

7 - Avoid the circumstances and events and people that would drag you back into where you no longer want to be.

8 - Identify how you want to make a difference - and go for it.

9 - Associate with successful people - and be amazed to find out they have their own challenges - just like you.

10 - Read biographies of great people - people that have overcome adversity to succeed. You will be amazed how their stories can affect and motivate you.

11 - Help someone else succeed - nothing helps you feel better about yourself than helping another person.

As you implement these steps, you're going to feel a real growing sense of your own importance, and your ability to get things done - in every part of your life. And as you gain a sense of your own worthiness and ability, it becomes more difficult for others to negatively influence you, and as you gain that better feeling about yourself, you will see so many more possibilities than you ever felt existed.

Start today!

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www.coxconsultgroup.com

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Successful Leadership - Beware The Silver Bullets

We are all tempted to keep looking for that one person, that one application, that one solution, that one customer that will make all the bad things go away and breathe new life into whatever we've been stuck with. The Silver Bullet - the epiphany - the stroke of lightning that cures all ills. Billions of dollars are spent every year on hope - and Silver Bullets - with little if any positive effect.

A story:
I was meeting with the Executive Vice President of a large multi business company. They had a business unit in Florida with continuing labor problems. The unit was union free, but every two years there would be an organizing attempt by a major national union. Two years was up since the last attempt, and another organizing attempt was in the works. The company felt continuing to resist, although expensive and disruptive in the short term, was better than having a union and third party representation of their workers. The business unit was highly successful, hadn't had a layoff in years - in fact, they were in a hiring mode.
The EVP directly responsible for the unit was tempted to throw in the towel and agree to a union, but the CEO was dead set against it.
The EVP wanted to know how I could help turn this around, and avoid an organizing drive.
We went through the checklist of elements that are critical to remaining union free, starting with competitive wages and benefits, a system of due process to handle issues, an equitable system to recognize length of service and a well developed communication process. As we talked he became increasingly impatient, and finally said " We have all that. I'm looking for the one thing - the thing we don't have - that will make this organizing attempt go away. We've tried all kinds of programs and processes, and none have succeeded." I suggested the place to start would be in evaluating the effectiveness of what they were already doing, then go from there. It's possible to have lots of things - but possession and use are two very different things. He didn't like that - he was looking for a new approach - a Silver Bullet. I told him I didn't have any special formula to make his wish come true, and, frankly, I don't believe in the Silver Bullet approach to managing a workforce.

They had an organizing attempt - after an expensive and extensive campaign the company was successful in defeating the attempt, but their profits, quality, shipments and employee relations all suffered because of it.

Moral of the story - Silver Bullets are so rare they're not worth focusing on. Rather than spend time and energy looking for them, take that same time and energy and convert it into solutions that improve on what you already possess and do well.

Successful leaders know accomplishment is built on a solid foundation of good people, good products, good leadership and good practices. Successful leaders know the Program of the Month is a recipe for failure - as one fix after another gets introduced, supported, and then slowly fizzles away, to be replaced by another. All that happens is the people in the business become ever more cynical and resistant to change.

Successful leaders should put a sign on their doors - "No Silver Bullets Welcome." They know the fundamentals need to be in place, excellence needs to be promoted every day, high expectations established, communications constantly improved, performance rewarded and recognized. Out of that comes the strength to grow and prosper. A few things done well beats a constant stream of new initiatives. It's the constant, insistent emphasis on the basics that creates results, and effective change, and improvement. It's the effective execution and implementation of the critical few things done well.

Actually, all the Silver Bullet approach does is to create distractions - they cause you to take your eye off the ball.

Does that mean all the new ideas and programs and processes are without value? Of course not.

The Silver Bullet is most often created in its application. One organization's Silver Bullet is another organization's successful initiative. If the approach is a quick fix for an existing problem it probably won't work - and if it will distract from more substantial work being done, then it's a Silver Bullet.

9 Questions to ask to identify whether an initiative, program, process or change is right for your organization:

Does it build on what we do well?
How will this affect what we are already doing?
What has been our history - have they made a difference - or have they faded away - or have they become imbedded in the organization?
Will this become part of how we operate everyday, or will it have to be treated as an exception, and need regular maintenance and support ?
What do the people to be affected think needs to be done?
Can we measure the effect?
Do we have the resources to see this through to its conclusion?
Will this really affect positive change and results, or are we just staying ahead of accountability and hoping it works?
Is this a survival tactic or part of a growth and improvement strategy?

Every organization is different - every organzation will answer differently, based on their situation, but answering these questions will allow you to see a Silver Bullet for what it is, and act accordingly.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group LLC, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com; Website: www.coxconsultgroup.com

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved