Most meetings suck. But they don’t have to.

As much as I’m sure you would like to, you can’t run a business without meetings.

Let me agree with you upfront, most meeting suck. In fact, so many meetings suck that my friend Cameron Herold has written a book about it. And a quick search on Amazon shows that he’s not the only one. Bad meetings are rampant in most organizations.

Despite sucking, however, we need them.

Meetings provide a critical time and place to discuss issues, debate options, and make decisions in real time. And meeting face-to-face allows for broad-spectrum communication that collaboration tools and online documents just can’t match.

But while we can’t, and shouldn’t, try to get rid of all meetings, we can zero in on the meetings we really do need and work to make them as good as we possibly can.

I run many types of meetings for my clients. Strategy meetings, planning meetings, retrospective meetings, and progress review meetings are just a few of the examples

And while they are all different and have different goals, they all still have common elements that make them good meetings.

Here is an article I wrote for Inc.com on the five things that I make sure all of my meetings have. If you’re finding yourself in a lot of sucky meetings, try a few of these.

Why Most Meetings Suck—and 5 Things You Can Do to Make Sure Yours Don't

And here are some other articles I’ve written about meetings…

Is Your Culture Suffering From Death by Meeting? Try This 1 Simple Change

Bad Meetings Suck, But These 5 Types of Good Meetings Can Save Your Company

Still struggling?

Set up a call with me to discuss your meeting woes and I’ll see what I can do to help. I have yet to see a meeting I can’t improve somehow.

Bruce “Facilitator” Eckfeldt
bruce@eckfeldt.com

P.S. As Lou Holtz once famously said, “In this world, you're either growing or you're dying so get in motion and grow.” Whenever you’re ready... here are three ways I can help you grow your business faster, and with less drama:

1. Take the Growth Readiness Assessment
Download the 24 questions, send me the results, and set up a free one-on-one call to review the results and identify where you can accelerate your growth with the right focus. - CLICK HERE

2. Check out my Leadership Team Intensive
Every team can get into a rut—leadership teams are no exception. My half-day intensive helps the top team take a step back and see what’s working, what’s not, where they can develop new, better habits, and where they can break old ones that aren’t working. It’s like a B12 booster for your entire company. - CLICK HERE

3. Let me facilitate your next annual or quarterly planning meeting
Want to kick your planning sessions up a notch? Have me come in and we’ll work together on your annual or quarterly plan. Set goals that will really drive strategy, and create an action plan that will make sure everyone has clear accountability for results. - CLICK HERE

Want to improve both your culture and your performance? Stop looking for problems and look for this instead

While it's completely natural to look for problems, it's not always the best approach if you want to improve your work environment and results.

Just about all of the leaders I work with are chronic problem solvers. They love to search for things that are broken, need improvement, and present risks, and then they love to try and fix them. Much of the time this does, in fact, deliver value to the organization. But not always. Like many tools, if overused, being overly-focused on problem hunting has some liability.

First, people who are overly-focused on finding problems are also typically tinkers. They like to go in and make changes to try to get improvements. However, they often make changes that have broader impacts that end up creating more problems than they solve. At best it's net neutral, but it often makes things worse.

Second, if you look hard enough at any situation, you'll always find lots of problems. Problems are never ending. And if you focus all of your time and energy on pointing out problems, you'll create a tough culture for your colleagues. Nobody wants to be surrounded by people who are pointing out everything that is wrong or not good enough.

So, how do you avoid creating a culture where people are creating more problems than they are solving and bringing everyone down in the process?

When working with teams and companies, I suggest they strike a healthy balance between focusing on things that are working as well as things that are not working. My rule is at least half the time should be spent identifying and acknowledging those things that are going well and talking about how they keep them going well.

Here are a few things you can do to increase the amount of time and focus you spend on the things that are going well.

1. Start every meeting with wins.

I start every meeting by having each person mention one win they had recently. The goal here is to find and focus on things that are going well for people. It sets a positive tone for the meeting. It also lets other people know what was successful, and it can inspire people with new ideas and models for solving other problems.

2. Do a Root Success Analysis.

Many people do Root Cause Analysis when they are dealing with a problem. The goal here is to dig underneath the problem to find the source problem and fix it so that it never happens again.

Root Success Analysis is similar but the opposite. Here we want to identify something that is working well and then ask the all important question of "Why?" Ideally we should ask the question four to five times until we get at the root source of the success. Then we want to make sure we keep doing it and find other ways of repeating that success.

3. Define your core capabilities.

Francis Frei, Harvard Business School professor and co-author of the book Uncommon Service, says the key to strategy is defining what you are willing to "suck" at in your business. The idea is that in order to compete, you need to select one or two attributes that you are going to be the absolute best at in your market. These are your core capabilities. However, since resources are limited, you need to be willing to suck at everything else.

Knowing your core capabilities becomes a very powerful tool when it comes to problems solving. Knowing them means that not all problems, are in fact problems you care about. You only care about the ones that directly impact your core capabilities because they impact your strategy.

4. Create a "keep" list.

In any meeting or review, it's easy to create a list of things you want to change and fix. Do this, but also create a list of things you need to "keep" as well. Too often, when you go into fix one thing you end up breaking something that's working well. Creating a "keep" list draws your attention to the things that are creating value and reduces the chance that you accidently make that changes something for the worse.

By bringing attention to the successful parts of the business, you are doing two things. First, you are decreasing the likelihood that someone will accidentally make a change to something that's working well. Second, you are creating a culture of positivity and optimism. Both of these initiatives will have significant impacts on your overall success.

This article was originally published on Inc.com: https://www.inc.com/bruce-eckfeldt/most-business-leaders-spend-too-much-time-looking-for-problems-heres-what-to-look-for-instead.html

Celebrating America's core values this 4th - Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

I'm sure most of you in the United States have burgers (or some plant-based protein substitute) on the grill and have hydrated with a beer or two by now, so I'll make this quick...

For me, the 4th of July about a celebration of the grand experiment designed by our founding fathers. The United States of America was a radical idea. And one that came with great uncertainty and cost. The signers of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution took great personal risk and sacrificed much.

How did they do this? And why did they bother? Why not just copy what had been done before?

What drove all of them was their unstoppable conviction of a core set of values.Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These values underpinned every decision they made about how to create a new country and how a better government could work.

Their focus on these values allowed them to created alignment, rise above disagreement, make the tough decisions, and find confidence to make great sacrifices.

So, here is my question for you on this July 4th...

What are your organization's core values?

What is so important to your business that you would be willing to fire an employee, or say no to new client, or incur a great expenses? Core values don't come cheap. You need to pay for them if you're going to truly live them.

However, done right, they can be extremely powerful. They create focus and resolve that allow you to take on the big challenges, implement the risky changes, and make the hard decisions.

But you can't that if you don't know what your values are.

So here's my little gift to you...

For the rest of this month I'm making my Discover Your Core Values online program totally FREE.

The course walks you through my process for discovering the values deep inside you and your organization that drive your decision making and priorities. Over a dozen videos and a workbook to walk you through, step-by-step, the process of exploring your values and finding examples of where they have come up in your life and your business.

I've used this with dozens of clients (both businesses and individuals) and it's always a eye-opening processes. In fact, I do go through the process every two to three years myself and learn something new each time.

If you've never thought about your organization's core values, this is a great opportunity to learn about what makes you and your business tick and how you can make better decisions and create more alignment.

To get the FREE program, just click on the link below:

http://www.eckfeldt.com/corevalues

As a little bonus, I'm happy to jump on a call for 30-min to help you at any point. Just email me and we'll schedule a time.

Have a happy and safe 4th!

Bruce
bruce@eckfeldt.com

P.S. What to grow your organization faster, and with less drama? Whenever you’re ready... here are three ways I can help you grow your business faster, and with less drama:

1. Take the Growth Readiness Assessment
Download the 24 questions, send me the results, and set up a free one-on-one call to review the results and identify where you can accelerate your growth with the right focus. - CLICK HERE

2. Check out my Leadership Team Intensive
Every team can get into a rut—leadership teams are no exception. My half-day intensive helps the top team take a step back and see what’s working, what’s not, where they can develop new, better habits, and where they can break old ones that aren’t working. It’s like a B12 booster for your entire company. -CLICK HERE

3. Let me facilitate your next annual or quarterly planning meeting
Want to kick your planning sessions up a notch? Have me come in and we’ll work together on your annual or quarterly plan. Set goals that will really drive strategy, and create an action plan that will make sure everyone has clear accountability for results. - CLICK HERE

Don’t let your air travel get in the way of your productivity, use these 5 tips

Even if you only take a few flights a year, here are five tips to help you get more done.

In my hay day as a road warrior consultant, I would spend a lot of time in the air. It wasn't uncommon for me to have two flights in a week, traveling nationally and internationally to see clients. Making the most of my time in the air was critical to maintaining in my productivity.

Today, as a business coach working with leadership teams on growth and development strategy, while I don't travel nearly as much, I still use the following techniques to get work done on each and every flight.

1. Plan your work.

Like any productivity system, planning is key. Make a list of the most important things you need to do. Then, mark those which you can do on the plane. Prioritize these and set goals for the flight. I like to give myself a list of 15-30 minute tasks to work on while I travel. I know other people who prefer to work on one bigger task for the entire ride. Experiment to find out what works best for you.

2. Have a back up plan.

I always have contingency plans for common challenges. I make sure I download all of the files I need for my key tasks so I don't need the internet. I also keep in mind that I can do work on my phone if I can't comfortably use my laptop. (In fact, I'm in the air right now, writing this article on my phone.) Don't let challenges such as no internet or uncomfortable conditions be an excuse; have a plan and a backup strategy and push through.

3. Use the right technology.

I travel with a small laptop, an iPad, and a phone with me at my seat. I also carry an external battery and multi-connector cable which can charge all of these devices. I carry wireless earbuds and corded earbuds in case the former go dead. (I know some people love over-the-ear noise-cancelling headphones, but I find them too bulky and not super effective.) Create a tech setup that works well for you and keep it up to date.

I put all of these items in a separate pocket of my carry on bag so that I can quickly grab everything I need at my seat and put my bag overhead. This ensures that I'm not "that guy" who's holding up everyone trying to board the plane. It ensures that I don't forget anything for my seat in case I can't get out of my seat during the flight.

4. Get started quickly and find your flow.

As soon as I sit down, I start working. I review the to do list on my phone and choose the first task I can begin with before we take off (and one that doesn't require my computer). Make it super easy for you to start working because once you start, it's easier to keep going. If you don't have a system to help you start quickly, you're more likely to throw in the towel and start watching a movie instead.

I also immediately put in my earbuds and start playing some good productivity music. I have a pre-set series of playlists so that I don't have to spend time choosing songs. Each playlist has a different mood and keeps me focused. For me, I choose songs without words and nothing too jarring. Play around with different styles and combinations, and select a few for different moods and keep them handy on your device.

5. Eat and drink to stay focused.

My first and number one rule is no alcohol. The only time I drink is on a longer flight, in the evening, and after I've done a lot of good work. Only then will I relax and watch a movie or read while enjoying an adult beverage. Drinking not only makes it harder to stay focused, it dehydrates you. Instead, I drink lots of water and maybe a black coffee while I work.

For food, I always make sure I have a few protein bars and snacks for the flight. Generally, I find airline food not very appealing and often heavy on carbs which kills my focus for flights. Nuts, jerky, or even a sandwich grabbed from the terminal are better options. Again, always have a plan.

While I try to avoid airline travel whenever I can, it's still required to reach my clients and attended conferences and speaking events. Making the most of my time in the air is the best way I stay productive and focused. Even if you only fly a few times a year, the strategies above can help make the most of the flights and help them go by quickly.

This article was originally published on Inc.com: https://www.inc.com/bruce-eckfeldt/5-ways-to-have-most-productive-flight.html

Have you been accused of micromanaging?

It’s a common situation. One I run into a lot.

An expert technologist, a renowned scientist, or a guru marketer decides to leave their high-paying consulting job to start their own business and build a company of a few dozen people.

Then, things start to breakdown: they become overwhelmed with managing delivery. They are constantly putting out fires and saving projects.  They get frustrated with the business and begin to burn out.

These desperate CEOs try to hire managers and people to take over various parts of the business, but nobody seems good enough or cares deeply enough about quality or deadlines. So they step back in to fix it.

This works for a time, but they are right back into the situation they wanted to get out of.

Eventually, they come to their coupe de grace: someone tells them that they are no fun to work for...because they are a micromanager.

What!?!? A micromanager? “I’m just trying to make sure we delivery properly and keep the customer happy,” they say.

At this point, they tend to get even more defensive, “Well, I wouldn’t have to be a micromanager if we had people who knew how to deliver.”

Often times, this is when I get the call. Frustrated with the lack of growth and drama, they call me in to fix the people on the team or replace the current people with “better” ones.

During these meetings is when I usually have to tell the CEO the bad news.

I explain that we can hire all new staff and coach them for hours a week, but it won’t solve the root problem. I tell him or her that we can only begin to make progress when he changes his  approach to being the leader of the business. The results appear when he stops acting like a micromanager and starts acting like a CEO.

It’s not an easy conversation to have, but it’s critical that these CEOs make the transition. If they don’t, their businesses will never scale and they will remain stuck.

So how do you stop being a micromanager?

The big switch is shifting your focus from managing delivery to building a team who can manage delivery. The difference is subtle, but it changes a lot of things.

In that process, you need to stop focusing on how things get done, and get good at clarifying outcomes, standards, and measures of success.

I like to use a football analogy: show them the end zone and the sidelines; explain the rules of the game, and tell them they have four downs before you take back the ball. Let them decide if they are going to run or pass or try a quarterback sneak.

Then, you coach. Review their performance, give them feedback, and put them back in the game. Resist the urge to jump in and grab the ball.

Recently, I wrote an article for Inc.com on this. It’s been one of my most viewed articles to date. Here is the link.

https://www.inc.com/bruce-eckfeldt/3-signs-that-youre-a-micromanager-what-you-can-do-to-about-it.html

Curious to know if you’re ready to grow your leadership team?

I have an assessment that might help you answer this question. Download it and have your team answer the questions and then we can jump on the phone for 30 mins to review the results.

http://www.eckfeldt.com/leadership-download

Once you have the results, send them to me at bruce@eckfeldt.com and then click here to book a time in my calendar.

Bruce “Macromanager” Eckfeldt
bruce@eckfeldt.com

P.S. As Lou Holtz once famously said, “In this world, you're either growing or you're dying so get in motion and grow.” Whenever you’re ready... here are three ways I can help you grow your business faster, and with less drama:

1. Take the Growth Readiness Assessment

Download the 24 questions, send me the results, and set up a free one-on-one call to review the results and identify where you can accelerate your growth with the right focus. - CLICK HERE

2. Check out my Leadership Team Intensive

Every team can get into a rut—leadership teams are no exception. My half-day intensive helps the top team take a step back and see what’s working, what’s not, where they can develop new, better habits, and where they can break old ones that aren’t working. It’s like a B12 booster for your entire company. - CLICK HERE

3. Let me facilitate your next annual or quarterly planning meeting

Want to kick your planning sessions up a notch? Have me come in and we’ll work together on your annual or quarterly plan. Set goals that will really drive strategy, and create an action plan that will make sure everyone has clear accountability for results. - CLICK HERE

Good strategy requires good situational awareness. Here’s how to improve yours.

Consider this: you would never make a move in chess without looking at where your opponents pieces are on the board. And before you make any move, you typically think through how the other side will likely respond and what you would do in reply to that.

Good chess players think ahead 2-3 moves. Great chess players think through 5-6, and Grand Masters think through 15-20. (If you can do the combinatorial math, email me.)

But that’s not all…

According to research reported in Nature, the reason Grand Masters are so much better than regular tournament players is that they are much better at thinking through their opportents possible moves and avoiding traps.

It’s the same in business. If you don’t think through what is happening in your market and how people will respond to your moves, you risk leaving yourself exposed and poorly positioned.

Yet far too often, I see leadership teams develop elaborate business strategies without looking at what’s happening outside their company.

On the one hand, I can understand why people do this:. it’s easier to see what’s happening inside the company and much more difficult to see what’s happening outside it.

But on the other hand, that’s using the same logic as the drunk who drops his key by his car in the middle of the block at night and looks for his keys at the corner where the streetlight is shining and helping him to see.

I think many companies don’t look at the external factors because they don’t know what to look for; they don’t know where to start.

When I plan a strategy session, I use a standard list. I might add a few things based on the specifics of the business, but I have a go to base set.

I wrote an article for Inc.com on these factors recently. Here’s the link…

https://www.inc.com/bruce-eckfeldt/12-external-factors-you-need-to-create-an-effective-business-strategy.html

For each of these, I want the team to think about potential changes, trends, and risks that could have an impact on the future success of the business. Good or bad.

If you’re planning a strategy session, use this list to prompt your team’s thinking and the discussion.

And if you need help on how to plan and structure your session, I’d love to help. Just email me or schedule a call and we can discuss your goals, the format, and how to best run the session.

Here the link to my standard two-day strategy session agenda. Feel free to use it.

Do you really want to get serious about your strategy session? Let’s talk about how I can help you design and facilitate your strategy work so that during the meeting you can focus on being in the meeting rather than running the meeting.

It’s your move...

Bruce “Grand Master” Eckfeldt
bruce@eckfeldt.com

P.S. As Lou Holtz famously once said, “In this world, you're either growing or you're dying so get in motion and grow.” Whenever you’re ready... here are 4 ways I can help you grow your business faster, and with less drama:

1. Take the Growth Readiness Assessment

Download the 24 questions, send me the results, and set up a free one-on-one call to review the results and identify where you can accelerate your growth with the right focus. - CLICK HERE

2. Come to my one-day Planning Intensives

About once a month, I hold a one-day intensive for Founders/CEOs to help them find the current bottleneck in their business and develop a 90-day plan for breaking through it. The in-person intensives are held in Manhattan, but we’re scheduling virtual programs, too. - CLICK HERE

3. Check out my Leadership Team Intensive

Every team can get into a rut—leadership teams are no exception. My half-day intensive helps the top team take a step back and see what’s working, what’s not, where they can develop new, better habits, and where they can break old ones that aren’t working. It’s like a B12 booster for your entire company. - CLICK HERE

4. Let me facilitate your next annual or quarterly planning meeting

Want to kick your planning sessions up a notch? Have me come in and we’ll work together on your annual or quarterly plan. Set goals that will really drive strategy, and create an action plan that will make sure everyone has clear accountability for results. - CLICK HERE

 

We’re always looking for new ideas, insights, and opportunities for improvement. Retrospectives are the best place to find them.

In 1981, a group called Narcotics Anonymous was trying to convince its members that expecting to stop using drugs on their own while simultaneously continuing to use narcotic drugs was folly.

They published a guide book for addicts who were trying to overcome their disease. In it, they published the quote:

“Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.”

How true. Yet, how regularly I run into situations where people have seemingly never come across this quote or logic.

So many of the the companies and leadership teams I work with find themselves in the same patterns, the same ruts, and the same undesirable outcomes as they found themselves in previously. Yet, they don’t seem to do or change anything about it.

From the outside, it’s like watching Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

From the inside, however, it’s like being in a bad dream where you know something is amiss, but you just can’t do anything about it.

The challenge in these situations is remembering that the cycle is created by the system, not the individuals. The system is what allows the pattern to continue.

In order to break out of this pattern, you need to create a broader level of awareness of the forces at play and see the situation from a higher vantage point. Only then can you begin to see the situation for what it is and take actions that will really create change.

People look everywhere to learn. They read books, they talk to friends, they watch videos, they take classes. But if you want to learn how to change your future results, there is one place to look which is superior to all of these other options.

The best place to look is your recent past. And the best way to do this is through something called a retrospective.

It’s known by many names. Some people call them post mortems. The military calls them After Action Reviews (AARs). If you’re big into Lean or Japanese management culture, you might call them Kaizen meetings.

They are all basically the same. And they all follow the basic same format.

1. Collect data
2. Develop insights
3. Brainstorm possible actions
4. Make decisions and commit

I recently made a video outlining these steps. I discuss the ways I use retrospectives with clients. (See above.)

It’s only by looking at the recent past and seeing the patterns we’re in that allows us to see how the system is working. Once we have that information, we can see what adjustments are required to change that system.

I also wrote an article for Inc.com on this topic. You can check that out here:

The Secret To Turning Your Mistakes Into Opportunities In 6 Simple Steps

Want to learn how you can use a retrospective to improve your company? Start with the video and the article. Then check out these two books.

Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews by Norman Kerth. This is the bible. Check out his Prime Directive, which I use at the beginning of each and every retrospective that I run today.

Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great by Esther Derby and Diana Larsen. Great book by two amazing women in the technology field. Full of ideas and techniques for running retrospectives for any type of team.

Need more help?

Check out my webpage on retrospectives and learn how I work with teams to create powerful retrospective meetings that inspire change.

http://www.eckfeldt.com/retrospectives

Still need more help?

Let’s jump on the phone for 30 minutes. I’ll help you develop your agenda and choose the best approach for you and your situation. Click here to book a time in my calendar.

Cheers,
Bruce
bruce@eckfeldt.com

P.S. As Lou Holtz once famously said, “In this world, you're either growing or you're dying so get in motion and grow.” Whenever you’re ready... here are 4 ways I can help you grow your business faster, and with less drama:

1. Take the Growth Readiness Assessment

Download the 24 questions, send me the results, and set up a free one-on-one call to review the results and identify where you can accelerate your growth with the right focus. - CLICK HERE

2. Come to my one-day Planning Intensives

About once a month, I hold a one-day intensive for Founders/CEOs to help them find the current bottleneck in their business and develop a 90-day plan for breaking through it. The in-person intensives are held in Manhattan, but we’re scheduling virtual programs, too. - CLICK HERE

3. Check out my Leadership Team Intensive

Every team can get into a rut—leadership teams are no exception. My half-day intensive helps the top team take a step back and see what’s working, what’s not, where they can develop new, better habits, and where they can break old ones that aren’t working. It’s like a B12 booster for your entire company. - CLICK HERE

4. Let me facilitate your next annual or quarterly planning meeting

Want to kick your planning sessions up a notch? Have me come in and we’ll work together on your annual or quarterly plan. Set goals that will really drive strategy, and create an action plan that will make sure everyone has clear accountability for results. - CLICK HERE

 

We’re always looking for new ideas, insights, and opportunities for improvement. Retrospectives are the best place to find them.

In 1981, a group called Narcotics Anonymous was trying to convince its members that expecting to stop using drugs on their own while simultaneously continuing to use narcotic drugs was folly.

They published a guide book for addicts who were trying to overcome their disease. In it, they published the quote:

“Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.”

How true. Yet, how regularly I run into situations where people have seemingly never come across this quote or logic.

So many of the the companies and leadership teams I work with find themselves in the same patterns, the same ruts, and the same undesirable outcomes as they found themselves in previously. Yet, they don’t seem to do or change anything about it.

From the outside, it’s like watching Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

From the inside, however, it’s like being in a bad dream where you know something is amiss, but you just can’t do anything about it.

The challenge in these situations is remembering that the cycle is created by the system, not the individuals. The system is what allows the pattern to continue.

In order to break out of this pattern, you need to create a broader level of awareness of the forces at play and see the situation from a higher vantage point. Only then can you begin to see the situation for what it is and take actions that will really create change.

People look everywhere to learn. They read books, they talk to friends, they watch videos, they take classes. But if you want to learn how to change your future results, there is one place to look which is superior to all of these other options.

The best place to look is your recent past. And the best way to do this is through something called a retrospective.

It’s known by many names. Some people call them post mortems. The military calls them After Action Reviews (AARs). If you’re big into Lean or Japanese management culture, you might call them Kaizen meetings.

They are all basically the same. And they all follow the basic same format.

1. Collect data

2. Develop insights

3. Brainstorm possible actions

4. Make decisions and commit

I recently made a video outlining these steps. I discuss the ways I use retrospectives with clients. To check it out, click here.

It’s only by looking at the recent past and seeing the patterns we’re in that allows us to see how the system is working. Once we have that information, we can see what adjustments are required to change that system.

This article was originally published on Inc.com: https://www.inc.com/bruce-eckfeldt/6-simple-steps-that-toyota-navy-seals-both-use-to-continuously-get-better.html

You can’t manage what you don’t measure...

Last week, I was at an advisory board meeting for one of my new clients. This client has two different divisions with two separate operating managers and it was the first time both managers were presenting together.

The first manager went and listed out several dozen monthly numbers for sales and expenses. She had nice graphs showing lines going up and to the right. Many of them had rolling averages and YTD comparisons that made everything look very successful.

The second manager went and presented a completely different set of numbers with different charts and different comparisons. Some of which looked better, others of which looked worse.

The advisory board began asking some questions, but it quickly became apparent that nobody could make sense of the situation or really understand what was happening in either division.

The two sets of information were from the exact same company, using the same business model, just selling to two different markets. They were using very different numbers and metrics to measure the business, which was making it impossible to comprehend the situation.

Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. It’s easy to print out reports for accounting systems and make pretty charts and graphs that look like things are going swimmingly.

When we started to dig into the numbers, we saw some key information about what was actually happening in each division. We found important differences in their operations and performance.

The fact remains: you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

In this case, the “what” was undefined. And by defining a handful of important measures that drive your business— inventory turn, gross profit margin, cost of sales, and warehouse labor to name a few—you can keep an eye on the metrics that matter most to your success.

Recently, I wrote an article for Inc.com about several key metrics that any business can use to create insight on performance.

While every business will have several unique metrics based on their model and strategy, these are five that can be used in just about every situation.

Here is the article…

Struggling to Make Sense of Your Company's Financial Data? Here Are 5 Key Financial Metrics You Need to Know

Don’t have a good set of metrics for your business?

Start with the five in the article, then ask yourself: what is key to our success? Create a list and select the top 8-12 to look at daily. Adjust them as you see new insights and as your strategy develops.

Need help? Send me your list and we’ll jump on the phone for 30 minutes. I’ll help you select the best ones for you situation. Click here to book a time in my calendar.

Bruce
bruce@eckfeldt.com
Cell: 917-385-7330

P.S. As Lou Holtz famously once said, “In this world, you're either growing or you're dying so get in motion and grow.” Whenever you’re ready... here are 4 ways I can help you grow your business faster, and with less drama:

1. Take the Growth Readiness Assessment
Download the 24 questions, send me the results, and set up a free one-on-one call to review the results and identify where you can accelerate your growth with the right focus. - CLICK HERE

2. Come to my one-day Planning Intensives
About once a month, I hold a one-day intensive for Founders/CEOs to help them find the current bottleneck in their business and develop a 90-day plan for breaking through it. The in-person intensives are held in Manhattan, but we’re scheduling virtual programs, too. - CLICK HERE

3. Try my Leadership Team Intensive
Every team can get into a rut—leadership teams are no exception. My half-day intensive helps the top team take a step back and see what’s working, what’s not, where they can develop new, better habits, and where they can break old ones that aren’t working. It’s like a B12 booster for your entire company. - CLICK HERE

4. Let me facilitate your next annual or quarterly planning meeting
Want to kick your planning sessions up a notch? Have me come in and we’ll work together on your annual or quarterly plan. Set goals that will really drive strategy, and create an action plan that will make sure everyone has clear accountability for results. - CLICK HERE

4 traps that get managers into trouble (and how to avoid them)

As a business and executive coach, the one I see my clients struggle the most with is people management. It requires you to develop a diverse set of tools for dealing with different situations, and successful leaders know that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to this job.

Read more

https://www.inc.com/bruce-eckfeldt/4-traps-that-get-managers-into-trouble-and-how-to-avoid-them.html

3 common problems and 1 simple trick to fix your daily huddle

One of the keys to any successful team is developing the right meeting rhythms. For leadership teams looking to scale the business, this rhythm is even more critical. Meeting too frequently will leave people frustrated and disengaged, but meeting to infrequently will result in a lack of alignment and coordination. Getting the timing and agendas right will create the momentum you need to accelerate your growth and improve your performance....

Read more

https://www.inc.com/bruce-eckfeldt/having-trouble-finishing-your-daily-huddle-on-time-try-this-1-simple-trick.html

6 lessons from extreme sports to increase your concentration

Flow states allow you to engage your senses and create intense focus. Know how to enter flow and multiply your productivity on critical tasks.

I've done my share of extreme activities and sports: hiking Kilimanjaro, diving the Coral Sea off Australia, skiing a 55 km ski marathon in Wisconsin, running several marathons, and an Ironman triathlon are all on my resume. Each of these experiences taught me different lessons in life--how to plan, how to train, how to recover, how to overcome challenges, how to stay present, and how to push through--which have served me well.

However, one lesson has given me great advantages throughout my business career as an entrepreneur, CEO, and leadership coach. It has allowed me to tap into my best talents and capabilities and create value and progress with ease and comfort. The lesson I learned is the power of finding and staying in my flow state.

Your flow state--or as some call it, the zone in sports--allows you to push past physical and mental boundaries that would otherwise be impossible to cross in a normal state of mind.

When running the last five miles of an ironman while your legs are cramping so badly that you can see the muscles knotting in your legs between each step, or diving a 3,000-foot shelf, at night and in the dark, while someone accidentally kicks off your mask leaving you temporarily blind, getting into and staying in your flow state is not just helpful, it can be lifesaving.

But finding your flow state doesn't need to be death-defying. You can find this same flow state at work. When you do, it allows you to hyper focus on the tasks at hand and bring to bear all of your talents and skills to do amazing work.

Everyone has a different flow state. Getting into yours might take a little experimentation, so here are some variables you can play with to discover how you can find, and stay in, your zone.

1. Create a conducive environment.

Your surroundings will have a large impact on your ability to get into and stay in your flow. This doesn't mean a sensory deprivation tank. One of my best flow environments is a busy coffee shop. And I know executives who love long-haul flights for finding their zone. It just needs to be a place where you're not interrupted or distracted. Experiment with background noise/music, temperature, lighting, seating, work surface, etc.

2. Choose the right time.

Everyone has a natural energy cycle during the day that effects focus. I'm a morning person, but other people I know are night owls. Some people have weekly cycles as well. Mondays are bad for me while other people loathe Friday afternoons. Track your energy level over the day for a week and see when you're most dialed in.

3. Establish a pre-routine

Getting into your flow is a process and the right pre-routine can set you up for success. Working out and eating a light and healthy meal is key for me. For others, it might be meditation or journaling. Think about what gets you ready to focus and create a ritual that clues your mind into preparing to focus.

4. De-clutter your mind.

Clearing the thoughts bouncing around in your head is key. Take a minute and right down all of the things in your head: ideas, tasks, reminders, etc. Put them on a list and promise yourself you'll get back to them after you finish your work at hand.

5. Set a time box.

It's good to create a little positive time pressure. Knowing you have a limited amount of time will not only create some urgency, but also let your mind know when you'll get back to other tasks. Generally, I try to do 90-180 minutes. It can also be helpful to work in time chunks such as pomodoros--25 minutes on, 5 minutes off--to create a rhythm.

6. Don't wait, just start.

Getting into a flow isn't like falling asleep; you don't wait for it to happen. You need to push start it to create the momentum. For tasks like writing, pushing through the first paragraph gets me going, then I'm in the zone and the momentum carries me forward. Don't just sit there. Start doing it and flow will come.

Finding your flow in your day-to-day work isn't like the adrenaline rush of dropping into a chute on a double diamond. However, done well and with careful intention your zone can be used to consistently create great periods of extremely high productivity to help you go farther, faster.

This article was originally published on Inc.com: http://on.inc.com/2Dcr2M2

Save 15 hours a week by delegating these 6 small tasks – and why it will help grow your business

43 min 24 sec video

Worldwide101 recently joined up with five-time Inc. 5000 list Founder and columnist for Inc., Forbes, and Business Insider, Bruce Eckfeldt of Eckfeldt & Associates, to chat about the 6 tasks every business owner should start delegating right now in order to save 15 hours per week, and how to truly delegate them most effectively.

Want to improve your leadership? Become an agile leader using these 7 approaches

Great executives know how to adapt their style to the people and the situation. Here are 7 approaches that will expand your leadership toolkit.

When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The same is true for leadership. If you're great at driving your team by calling the shots, then you'll seek out situations--and even create ones--where making tough calls quickly is critical. However, like any highly developed skill, overusing one kind of leadership mode quickly becomes a liability.

The fact is that business throws us all sorts of challenges, and we need different approaches. As your business and your team grows, you'll need to develop a more robust and multifaceted set of leadership skills. Here are seven modalities that successful leaders use in the different situations where they are most effective.

1. Directive

For driven entrepreneurs, this is the most natural and the easiest approach to use. In this mode, you're giving direction and expecting action. It doesn't mean that you're barking orders to underlinings. Rather, the message you're sending out is clearly focused on what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and by when it needs to be done. This approach is critical when time is limited, indecision comes at a high cost, and weighing the options is a luxury that you just can't afford. However, this is often an overused approach and can become a crutch for those who become overly reliant on it.

2. Supportive

Here you're letting others take the lead and serving as a supporting force who's providing resources, information, and authority to your team members. Servant leaders lean heavily on this approach to support their teams and allow them do what they feel is best. My word of caution here is to make sure you're supporting a team who has a clear direction and is highly motivated rather than falling back on this mode because you're just not sure what to do.

3. Inquisitive

Your role here is to ask questions that get the team members thinking in new or different ways. In this mode you're helping them to consider new options or criteria. By asking the right questions you can allow them to see an opportunity they haven't considered or a big risk they may need to avoid. However, don't use this as a cover for the directive mode. If you really want the team to turn right, just say so. Don't try to lead them down the garden path.

4. Encouraging

Sometimes a team has the right information, great organization, and a plan that will win, but they lack the mental willpower and confidence to take the summit. In this case, give your team words of encouragement, remind them of past successes, and keep them focused on pressing forward. This can be very hard if you're a driving leader who gets frustrated, so be careful of grabbing the wheel too quickly.

5. Empowering

Here you're expanding the team's authority and purview. This could be giving team members greater ability to make decisions or the ability to execute without getting prior approvals. When a team has proven their ability to make effective decisions and you've found that reducing bureaucracy and paperwork will increase implementation speed and motivation, this a powerful approach. Be careful however, a team who has been given greater control can be very reluctant to give it back.

6. Reflective

This can feel similar to the inquisitive mode but it includes one subtle difference: the focus here is look at past events, actions, and results to spur the team to self reflect and to generate new awareness. From this awareness comes insight and creates different--hopefully better--options and approaches. This mode is a powerful leadership mode, but it's also the most difficult because it requires you to put aside your views and motivations and let the team discover its own path forward.

7. Visionary

While somewhat cliché, the visionary mode is a very important. For some people, this approach comes naturally and for some it takes focused effort. When you're the visionary, your job is to paint a vivid and detailed picture of the future desired state. Think of Kennedy and his We Choose To Go To The Moon speech. Use this approach sparingly; its power comes in its infrequent and strategic use.

To be a great leader learn to leverage your natural skills and develop your weaknesses. But most importantly, learn which approach is best in which situation and avoid overusing one just because you're good at it.

This article was originally published on Inc.com: http://on.inc.com/2nhKF05

2 questions you must answer before designing your sales compensation plan

There's more than one way to pay sales people. Here are the two key questions you need to answer before you decide which model to choose.

If you ask ten CEOs how they compensate their sales people, you'll probably get eleven different answers. Everyone has a different plan and has changed it more than once. As a business and executive coach, it's a question I get all of the time. And it's not an easy one to answer.

There are two basic questions you need to address before deciding on a compensation plan for your salespeople.

First, you need to know what you can afford.

Start by figuring out the total value of a new sale and then back out your costs. Total value is the total lifetime revenue of a new account, less delivery costs and the related portion of overhead. I typically look at 6-24 months for most industries.

Secondly, you need to look at your sales process and decide who manages which risks.

I do this by determining the uncertainties in the sale and who is in the best position to impact these. For example, if pricing is variable and something the salesperson will decide, I want to design a compensation plan that make their compensation dependent on profit not revenue so they negotiate the highest price.

Once you have your budget and know the variables, you can look at any of these six strategies to create your compensation plan:

1. Fixed base salary

I've seen more than one company take this approach. Here there is a clear set of expectations and measures of success, but there is no variable compensation, just a base salary.

I find this works well when the sales team is tightly coupled and involved in delivery and overall company performance. It's also a cultural decision for your company. If you're a very collaborative culture, you might want to consider this type of model.

2. Commission on closed sales

The opposite of a fixed-base salary is an "you eat what you kill" approach. Here, compensation is totally dependent what you sell and you make a fixed, or possible graduated, percentage of the sale price. This works well in highly competitive environments where the sale is transactional in nature and the product is a commodity.

This typically does not work well when there is a lot of consulting, configuration, or customer services involved in the sale. Often salespeople on these types of plans will promise the world and leave the rest of the work up to the delivery team. Not a good formula.

3. Commission on lifetime value

This is a slight twist on the previous option. Instead of basing the commission on just the first transaction, the commission is paid out over time based on repeat sales by the same customer.

This works best when the true customer value is based on an ongoing relationship. This model will create incentive for sales people to close deals that will build a relationship, not just on the first transaction.

4. Commission on gross profit

This model pays a commission, but only on the gross profit and not on the total sale price. Use this model when your salesperson is involved in configuring the solution or the choice of customer has a strong impact on cost of delivery and service. The salesperson is compensated for choosing a good customer and selling them the right product or service that can be profitably delivered on.

5. Performance bonus

In this model, a salesperson has incentive to work more and harder for certain types and amounts of business based on specific sales targets and metrics. This could be anything from sales of a specific size, location, business type or target accounts.

I've seen this work well when a company has certain strategic goals and these goals do not easily tie back to revenue or profit calculations. I've seen companies, using this style of compensation, cap bonuses to diversify risk and clientele or to gain market share in emerging sectors.

6. Team bonus

This approach can use any of the above models, but the compensation is calculated based on aggregate team numbers, or overall company performance, rather than individual performance.

This works well when the company culture is much more collaborative and people work together to sell and close deals. It's also a good choice when there are different roles and services required for the sales process, such as technical engineers who help design and configure solutions for the potential client.

Often times companies start with one approach and evolve to others as they figure out what works best for them, their markets, and their people. In the end, the best approach is the one that delivers profitable clients, creates a happy sales team, and aligns with your company's core values.

This article was originally published on Inc.com: http://on.inc.com/2DhQO2q

Yes, remote teams can be high performing. Here's how to make them work

Having been a team coach the last decade, I've seen many of these distributed teams struggle, but I've also witnessed many of these teams excel, too. The best ones do not achieve this success by overcoming their challenges, rather, they turn their challenges into advantages. If you're on a distributed team or your company is building a distributed team, here are a few key considerations to keep in mind.

7 leadership styles allow great executives to tackle any situation

When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail. The same is true for leadership. If you're great at driving your team by calling the shots, then you'll seek out situations--and even create ones--where making tough calls quickly is critical. However, like any highly developed skill, overusing one kind of leadership mode quickly becomes a liability.

Yes, remote teams can be high performing. Here's how to make them work

Teams that don't sit side-by-side every day have challenges, but they also have some advantages. Here are 5 ways to thrive as a distributed team.

Over the last two decades, I've seen outsourced development come and go. During the late 1990's and early 2000's, many companies looked to outsourcing technical services to drive down costs by finding highly-skilled talent at a fraction of the cost. As it turns out, people dramatically underestimated the complexities of managing distributed teams at that point in time, and these complexities led to inefficiencies, quality issues, and schedule delays.

Over the last decade, however, distributed teams have seen a resurgence. Not in hopes of financial savings, but rather to access unique and hard-to-find talent such as technology, design, and data analytics.

Having been a team coach during much of that time period, I've seen many of these distributed teams struggle, but I've also witnessed many of these teams excel, too. The best ones do not achieve this success by overcoming their challenges, rather, they turn their challenges into advantages. If you're on a distributed team or your company is building a distributed team, here are a few key considerations to keep in mind.

1. Create multi-channel meeting environments

Technology has evolved in so many ways. One of the most useful advances has been in the development of collaborative documents and video streams. I encourage my distributed teams to have two screens on during our meetings. One with the video feed and one for a collaborative document. Sharing a screen for these two functions limits interaction. Instead, fire up an online document and let everyone type at the same time while still being able to look everyone in the eye.

2. Formalize informal conversation

One of the biggest things distributed teams miss is the water cooler banter and chit-chat before a meeting starts. For my distributed teams, this is built into the meeting agenda. We spend 5-10 minutes at the start of each meeting with a conversational opener that has nothing to do with the meeting topic. Pick a question that gets people talking and learning about each other before you switch into work mode.

3. Leverage "always-on" technology

Technology and connections are so ubiquitous now that I suggest teams ditch the scheduled video call and move to always-on devices. Having a tablet next to you with a continuous video stream takes some getting used to. However, it's great (and worth it!) when you want to have a short conversation to ask a question. I've seen people spin their wheels for hours because they didn't pick up the phone to ask a simple question.

4. DJ rather than facilitate

Facilitation skills are key for distributed teams. I make sure everyone is trained as a facilitator. But I like to take it one step further. I suggest to whoever is running the meeting that he or she DJ the experience. This usually involves music and rituals at the start and stop of the meeting; this could even include cheers, chants, and call-and-repeats that create energy and focus. I've been in more than one meeting that has had a dance party at some point.

5. Master asynchrony thinking

The most advanced distributed teams I've worked with have mastered asynchronous thinking. Whereas co-located teams thrive on gathering in a meeting room to hash out ideas in heated, often quick-paced debate, well-distributed teams evolve ideas and build concepts over time using different communication channels. To use the Daniel Kahneman term, distributed teams are better at slow thinking, which is a much better mode to be in for finding solutions to complicated, multifaceted problems.

While co-located teams have many advantages, the fact is they are not always possible. Distributed teams are here to stay and will most likely become even more popular has technology continues to develop. And while it's no secret that distributed teams create some unique challenges, following these suggestions can help turn them from a liability into an asset.

This article was originally published on Inc.com: http://on.inc.com/2CVODBm

Looking for advice? That might not be the best option, try this instead

While giving advice might feel good, stepping back and sharing experiences can often be more helpful.

Business owners are often looking for advice on strategies, tactics, and key decisions. However, while offering straight up advice might seem like an obvious solution, in the big picture, advice-giving is not the best approach.

Groups like the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) have discovered the downsides to advice giving and have actually worked it into their values and ground rules. They follow gestalt protocol which prohibits members from giving each other advice. Instead, gestalt protocol encourages experience-sharing to help each other with personal and business challenges.

While withholding advice might seem counterintuitive when people are asking for it, there are several reasons why it's a bad idea and why experience sharing is more powerful in the long run.

1. You'll never know all of the details.

To give advice is to make conclusions about the data presented and to give a suggested course of action. The problem is that you can never really know all of the details. There are subtleties, backgrounds, and nuances that would take days to dig into. Which means that any conclusion you draw on someone else's situation will be missing some amount of information. It takes too much time to be able to gather everything you need in order to make a solid recommendation.

2. You assume your goals, values, and priorities.

Assuming you have all of the details, every decision also assumes a set of personal goals, values, and priorities. And even if you know the other person well, your values and priorities are ultimately different, so you'll bias your suggestions based on your own answers to these questions, not theirs.

You may value winning more than relationships or you might care more about experiences than money. These philosophies turn into choices and they have a considerable impact on the path you take.

3. You give them an out.

When you give someone advice on a decision or path and she takes it, she tends to own it if it goes well, but she will also tend to blame you when it doesn't. By taking your advice, he or she can make you at least partially responsible for the outcome. If your goal is to truly help the other person, this advice can get in the way.

4. You deny them the chance to learn and grow.

Often our greatest learnings come in the crucible of our hardest and most important decisions. In these moments we are forced to define our goals, articulate our values, and determine our priorities. When we rely on external advice we skirt the hard work and just go with what's presented as a short cut.

When you resist giving advice and share experience instead, you create new opportunities for others to learn and grow.

5. You give them new information.

Discussing past experiences focuses on sharing valuable information. It could be options you created, resources you developed, or relationships you leveraged. Often the best experiences are the ones that didn't work out so well. Explaining what led to a bad outcome can highlight something that the other person is missing.

6. You give them new perspectives.

Sometimes you don't need to add anything to the situation to be helpful; you just need to give it a different spin. We can often feel stuck because we assume things are a certain way or we have to approach from a specific angle.

Some of the best experience shares that I've been a part of have done nothing more than re-frame a situation in a more positive or neutral light. This can make all of the difference to someone who is feeling stuck.

7. You help create new options.

Choosing a path can be tough if you only see a limited set of options. Experience shares can open up ways of moving forward that you hadn't seen previously. Sometimes it is as simple as making simple tweaks to current ideas based on new perspectives. 

8. You allow others to build on your sharing.

If you're sharing experiences as a group, you create opportunities for others to build on your experience share by sharing their own, similar situations. Advice tends to incite debate and argument; experience fosters reflection and ideas.

9. You allow others to learn at the same time.

Many times I've been in situations where people are sharing to help one person with their challenge and they end up helping each other, sometimes in completely unforeseen ways. Hearing someone talk about a time when they grappled with a problem and discovered a solution allows everyone to learn from that lesson. If the person had just given advice, the rest of us would miss out on that opportunity.

It's easy to fall into the advice-giving trap. We love to help people and we want to fix problems. However, taking a step back and thinking about what experiences lead you to want to give that advice creates a moment of deeper reflection which can enlighten you, the person you want to help, and everyone listening in.

This article was originally published on Inc.com: http://on.inc.com/2CG1NmW

Developing your strategic plan & setting OKRs - webinar with Bruce Eckfeldt and Zorian Rotenberg

Strategy must connect to execution. View these “Expert Series” webinars to learn how to develop your strategy and enable great execution with OKR goals (what Gazelles methodology calls Annual Initiatives and Quarterly Priorities) and connect it to every individual’s performance via Continuous Performance Management and ongoing progress check-ins.