Blog Archives

LESSONS LEARNED FROM DONALD TRUMP, LESSON-2

8/17/2015

By Deb Dietz
SMB Value Partners

In blog post, “Lessons Learned from Donald Trump, Lesson #1”,
we discussed the importance of business tempo and that organizations that do not move quickly, that are not agile, will get left behind in today’s competitive business environment. The next lesson we can learn from Trump is that we should discover and live our lives with purpose.

Consider Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”.

Trump also talks about Albert Einstein, who said “the mind that opens to a new idea never comes back to its original size”. Meaning we all have a purpose in life, and it’s our responsibility to do our best and live up to our potential. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? All we have to do is to tune into our talents and capabilities. But, how do we tune in? I’m sure you’re like most people flying through your day. Busy, busy, busy, with no time to think about the path you’re on. But, without quiet reflection, you’ll fly through the days and those days turn into weeks, months, years. Trump talks about the need to find that quiet time so that you can plan your own path, and find your own purpose.

In addition to finding that quiet time, Trump also talks about the need to be positive and he considers himself a positive person, from the inside out. He has big ideas and a big enough energy resource to act on those ideas. He talks about positivity as being contagious and those around him understand that being positive drives the energy level, which is how his organization gets things done. He says he sets a standard and everyone on his team follows suit.

We’ll discuss the notion of ‘setting the standard’ in “Lessons Learned from Donald Trump – Lesson #3”, but for now the take-away is that:

"In order for us all to get where we want to go we need a combination of vision, courage, and discipline".

If we all acknowledge our own value and remain positive from the inside out, perhaps we’ll get on the path that leads us in the right direction.

Are you finding the time to be still? Are you consciously planning your own path? How do you remain positive and optimistic? Do you find that remaining positive increases your energy level? Share your process and what works for you in the comments section below.

To read the first post in this series, and our other SMB Value Partners blog posts, go to SMB Value Partners.

We welcome your comments

An Approach to Better Project Results

8/17/2015

By Charles Dietz,
SMB Value Partners

As you think about how to staff and successfully execute your next important project, consider bringing in a fractional leader to head up your project. I’m not talking just someone with PM skills, but a lot more. Read further to learn a bit more and see if the role and advantages resonate as a viable solution.

Fractional Leadership is using an experienced, senior, outside resource(s) to supplement your existing leader and employee resources. With today’s lean organizations and the competitive pressure to deliver new and improved products and processes, many organizations find themselves unable to meet the business challenges of larger, cross-functional projects. In some business areas, the department leader is often a technical or hands-on resource, lacking the breadth and depth of management experience and expertise needed on your major project.

Many small to-mid-sized businesses (SMB) and associations / non-profits have found Fractional Leadership to be a viable solution to addressing their business challenges: bringing in an outside leader / expert for a critical / cross-functional project. The advantages include:

Services of a senior leader with broad industry and cross-discipline experience.
No “on-the-job” learning, as happens in many smaller organizations, with the ability to achieve planned results sooner, rather than later.
The fractional leader’s experience and successes gain respect from the organization’s senior management.
Clarity of focus on the project-at-hand, not entangled in day-to-day issues and silo boundaries.
No organizational bias on what the right answer would be. Able to challenge teams to constructively evaluate alternatives.
On projects where a solution supplier is actively participating, it is important that your project leader not be controlled by that vendor. The fractional leader is an independent voice with primary focus on collaborating with your business and delivering your business success.

There are a lot of “pain-points” that keep organizations from achieving full results from cross-functional projects. Often issues in areas like Information Technology, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Planning, and Finance (to name a few) can hinder or misdirect progress to a successful project. Using the Fractional Leadership solution gives your organization use of a resource that will identify and cut through issues to improve your success. You have the benefit of a senior leader that you may not need / afford as a full-time employee, as you only have to pay for the expertise and time associated with your top priority: your results-focused business project.

To learn more about Fractional Leadership for your key projects, please visit: SMB Value Partners
Reposted with updates from April 29th.

Your comments welcomed.

Lessons Learned from Donald Trump, Lesson-1

8/12/2015

Blog post written by Deb Dietz

You can’t open a newspaper or log onto your computer these days without reading something about Donald Trump, his views, his opinions or his politics. Regardless how you feel about him as a presidential candidate, you can’t ignore the fact that he is an extraordinarily successful businessman. He’s written many books which have been best sellers, extolling how he became a self-made man, but many of his business principles are simple and straight-forward; principles learned from such greats as Henry Ford, Napoleon, Confucius, Oscar Wilde, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and even concepts defined in Webster’s Dictionary. Let’s discuss one of Trump’s lessons, “Tempo”.

“Tempo: the rate of motion or activity” – Webster’s Dictionary.

In one of Trumps discussions about leadership, he talks about the job of a CEO. He said CEOs are business leaders and must act like generals leading an army of employees. But CEOs are also conductors, ensuring the tempo and the team all work well together to ensure a wonderful performance.

This notion of tempo is of critical importance in today’s business environment. Organizations that do not move quickly, that are not agile, will get left behind in today’s competitive landscape. As a leader in your business, would you define yourself and that of your team as “moving quickly”? In conductor-speak, that would signify that your tempo is set at an ‘allegro’ pace. Mr. Trump said his team takes their cues from him, so they work at the tempo that he himself sets. He calls it his inner metronome that keeps consistent time no matter what’s going on around him and his team adjusts to his tempo. It’s also referred to as “being in the zone”. We all know the feeling, when perhaps you’ve procrastinated about a project and a deadline is approaching and all of a sudden you get a spurt of energy, get in the zone, and get the project done. Something takes over and the work evolves.

If you find yourself and your team not working “in the zone”, perhaps you need an adjustment to your tempo-meter, or your speedometer. You can’t achieve your objectives if you’re moving at an anti-allegro pace. SMB Value Partners can support your efforts to meet your business objectives. We can fill in your orchestra with our resources and ensure your team is working at the right tempo!

Be sure to see our other SMB Value Partners blog posts at: http://smbvaluepartners.com/our-blog-postings.html