For lunch today, I had vanilla yogurt mixed with granola (very embarrassing for an Okie). The granola was triple berry crunch by Bear Naked. Actually, it was good…not as good as Five Guys, but good and I am feeling very virtuous for eating healthy.
I stumbled across the Bear Naked story in Seth Godin’s book, Tribes. Intrigued by the name, I googled for info and wow…what a story! Bear Naked was started in 2002 by Kelly Flatley and Brendan Synnott. Kelly was the granola expert; Brendan the market guru and visionary. Investing their life savings of $7000, they started in Kelly’s parents’ kitchen making 100 pounds of granola per day which they sold at sidewalk sales and small local health food outlets. By the end of year one, they had about 25 customers, all in Connecticut. Only three years later, Bear Naked was on the shelves in 10,000 stores nationwide and had the #1 and #2 granola products in the U.S. In 2007, they sold the company to Kashi (a Kellogg Company) for $60+ million. Not bad for a $7000 initial investment.
There is much more to their story than I can include in this post. Go to bearnaked.com/ourstory for all the details. Some things that really caught my eye are:
◊ Bear Naked—what a great name—an essential for a start-up; Kelly would spark interest in the product by asking customers, “Do you want to get bear naked?”
◊ Passion for their product—they were all-in with their time and money
◊ An uncompromising commitment to quality
◊ Knowing when it was too soon to let go (they said “no” to venture capital money) and knowing when it was time to let go (they said “yes” to Kellogg)
One of the highlights of their story is their breakthrough into Stew Leonard’s chain of Connecticut grocery stores. After the buyer wouldn’t even return their phone calls (for months), they decided to surprise him with an early morning Bear Naked breakfast. They showed up at the corporate office with a presentation of granola, fresh fruit and Stew Leonard’s yogurt on china (borrowed from Kelly’s mom), only to find out that the buyer was on vacation. However, as they were leaving, Stew Leonard, Jr., walked in and they quickly redirected their attention to him with, “We brought you breakfast.” He was intrigued by their audacity and two hours later they walked out with an order for fifty cases of granola. The rest of the story…so to speak…is history.
Take a few minutes to read their story on the Bear Naked website, then let me know what you learned…what jumped out at you and will help you in your business—large or small.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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According to the Gallup organization only about 30% of employees in a typical American workplace are actively engaged in their job. The rest—70%—are benchwarmers taking up space, doing only what they are told to do, and waiting for payday and Friday (my words, not Gallup’s).
Interestingly, the percentages don’t change much because of age, education, gender or even income. People making more than $90,000 per year are no more engaged than people making less than $36,000 per year. Imagine that. Gallup has proved once again that pay is not a long-term motivator for most people.
Is there something leaders can do to raise the engagement level? Yes. Employees will engage with their jobs when leaders engage with their employees. It’s that simple.
So if you are the leader, it’s up to you. Try this: sit down with one of your unengaged employees, ask how you can help him, listen (really listen), ask questions, act like you owe her as much as she owes you. Do it with somebody else tomorrow…and the day after…and the day after…. Is it worth the effort? Yes! Imagine your competitive advantage and improved productivity if you can increase your engagement level to 40% or even 50%. Why don’t you get started today?
[I became aware of the Gallup report at Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership Blog, a daily read for me.]
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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I have just finished reading Valley Forge by Newt Gingrich & William R. Forstchen. Approximately 2500-3000 American soldiers died from exposure, disease and starvation during the winter of 1777-78. Yet, in June of 1778, they came out of that winter and held their own against a well-trained, well-fed and well-equipped British army at Monmouth Court House (NJ). It was at Monmouth that the Continental army learned that they could win on the battlefield and could in the end win their independence.
The British expected the Continental army to fold after their devastating winter at Valley Forge. Instead, the army came out stronger and eager to fight. Why? Leadership. Excerpts from the book:
About General Marquis de Lafayette:
“…he sought no rank whatsoever and would fight as a private volunteer.”
“While other generals were quick to find dry, warm quarters, Lafayette could often be found out on the picket line in the very eye of a driving storm….”
About Baron Friedrich von Steuben:
“You do not win allies by berating them and showing them their shortcomings. You win them by offering your hand.”
“…a good officer will find that a private sees far more than an officer at times.”
About George Washington:
“He had long drilled himself…to not think of himself….”
“One ill-chosen response, one flash of temper, of self-serving behavior or blame-casting, one day of failed leadership could shatter the fragile core that held this army together.”
These excerpts speak for themselves. Lafayette, Steuben and Washington. Don’t you wish we had leaders like this in Washington…in corporations…in churches?
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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Warren Bennis, the “dean of leadership gurus” (Forbes, 1996), said this about leadership:
“The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born—that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That’s nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.”
How are leaders “made”? By learning…
“an identifiable set of skills and practices that are available to all of us….”
(The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner)
The whole purpose of Hard Lessons is to “make” you a better leader by equipping you with simple, effective, practical leadership tools that work in the real world—tools you can begin to use immediately, the very next day—with no therapy required.
The Hard Lessons workshop on Monday, October 24, is sponsored by and a fund-raiser for Williamson Christian College (meaning no fee for me). The cost is $175ea; $150ea for groups of three or more. You will receive donation credit for all but $25.
Workshop Agenda
Leadership Under A Magnifying Glass
If it was easy, anybody could do it.
Avoiding Change Wreck
Is change hard, or do we make it hard?
Raising Your Leadership FICO Score
Credibility—you can’t lead without it.
Creating Greener Pastures
Make sure your most talented employees want to stay.
Leadership Flea Market
The hardest person to lead is…
Plus…
Eight Lessons I Learned The Hard Way
Is it worth the time and money? Check out the feedback from previous workshops at www.hard-lessons.com.
Sign up today at www.williamsoncc.edu. Click Stakeholder Path, then Donate Now, enter the information requested and put attendee names in the Comments block.
This will be a great day for a great cause. I look forward to seeing you.
[Please forward this to anyone you know who might be interested.]
Dottie and I have just returned from 11 days of relaxation on the Northern California coast. We were entertained by seals, sea lions, whales, waves, fog, sunshine and wind music—through the trees and in the car. While driving south on CA 101 toward San Francisco, we were distracted from enjoying the redwoods on the Avenue Of The Giants by an irritating and intermittent whistling sound produced by a small air leak somewhere in the car.
Since I have a degree in Aerospace Engineering, it occurred to me that I should explain to Dottie why the wind music comes and goes, so I launched into a brilliant explanation of wind speed and direction, car speed and direction, and so on. She dutifully listened. I smugly concluded with “I learned that in college.” Unimpressed, Dottie smugly countered with “I learned that blowing on coke bottles when I was eight years old.” (Please don’t laugh more than five minutes.)
There are a lot of things we make more complicated than they need to be. Leadership is one of them. In simple terms, a leader is someone who knows where he (or she) is going, knows the way, has influenced others to willingly follow, and is out front slaying the dragons, removing obstacles, picking up followers when they stumble or fall behind, and doing it all the way to the finish line. Leading is not about position (CEO, senior pastor, owner or whatever). It is not about power, and it doesn’t depend on education. (Even an MBA from Harvard doesn’t make someone a leader.) It is not about being charismatic or a great communicator. I love this quote from The Leadership Challenge (Kouzes and Posner):
Leadership is an identifiable set of skills and practices that are available to all of us, not just a few charismatic men and women. The “great person”…theory of leadership is just plain wrong.”
If you are struggling in leadership, maybe you have made it too complicated. Quit worrying about your DISC score, personality, position, title, rights, etc., and start doing what effective leaders do. Not sure what they do? A Hard Lessons workshop will help you get started. Contact me (dickwells@hard-lessons.com) for information about the October 24 workshop benefiting Williamson Christian College.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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In 1950, an eighteen-year-old Mickey Mantle played shortstop for the Joplin Miners. In 137 games, he made 55 errors, one every 2½ games. How bad is that? So far in 2011, the best shortstop in the major leagues has made one error every 23 games and the worst shortstop, one error every 5 games. Mickey Mantle was twice as bad as the worst shortstop playing major league baseball today. It is probably safe to say that he was the worst shortstop to ever play baseball. However, he was one of the best hitters to ever play baseball. In the same year that he made 55 errors, he hit .383, including 26 homeruns. One year later, in 1951, he began his eighteen-year Hall Of Fame career with the Yankees which included a Gold Glove for fielding in 1962. From the worst shortstop to a Gold Glove? Yes, but it wasn’t at shortstop, it was center field.
Casey Stengel is the one who moved him. Watching Mantle throw balls out of the first basemen’s reach, Stengel came charging out of the dugout, yelling, “I’m gonna teach him how to play center field…and I don’t want to see him at shortstop again” (from The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle by Jane Leavy).
In First, Break All The Rules, Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman say that great managers—baseball and otherwise—“Focus on…strengths and manage around weaknesses….” They “…don’t try to fix the weaknesses.” Stengel knew that trying to fix Mantle’s weaknesses at shortstop would yield a mediocre shortstop at best. However, by utilizing his great speed in center field, he could be something special. He was following the Good To Great principle of getting the “right people in the right seat.” Mantle was clearly a “right people” and center field was clearly the “right seat” for him.
The leadership lessons from this are:
◊ Superstars can’t play every position. Do you think Peyton Manning would be a Hall Of Fame wide receiver?
◊ Don’t exhaust yourself trying to shore up weaknesses—your own or anyone else’s.
◊ If your talented players aren’t performing, maybe they are out of position. Move them before you give up on them.
Casey Stengel was a good player; he was a great Hall Of Fame manager. Why? He knew how to manage great talent. That is what will make you a great manager too.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of vision, finishing the post with: “It wasn’t a Saturn rocket that launched Apollo 11, it was a vision.” President John Kennedy cast the vision on May 25, 1961. It was fulfilled eight years and fifty-six days (July 20, 1969) later when the Apollo 11 Lunar Module landed on the moon, announced by Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s historic statement, “The Eagle has landed.” Though President Kennedy deserves immense credit for casting the vision, the real story is what happened during the eight years and fifty-six days.
The cost of Neil Armstrong’s “ …one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind” was $24B and three lives—the entire crew of Apollo 1 was killed in a cabin fire during a 1967 pre-launch test. More than 400,000 people from 20,000 companies and universities were involved in the project. There were thousands of tests, changes and retests in the systems and flight vehicles. There were the six Mercury and twelve Gemini/Titan launches, plus six unmanned Apollo launches and four manned non-lunar Apollo launches, all before Apollo 11. It is truly said that every good idea is a lot of hard work for someone.
There are a lot more visions unfulfilled than fulfilled. Why? Poor execution. In their best selling 2002 book, Execution, Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan made it painfully clear:
“…unless you translate big thoughts into concrete steps for action, they’re pointless.”
They go on to say:
“Many people regard execution as detail work that’s beneath the dignity of a…leader.That’s wrong.
To the contrary, it’s the leader’s most important job.”
The leader’s most important job? Yes, and Warren Bennis agrees:
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
I love these quotes because as a non-visionary, I admit I’m more than a bit biased toward action. Without action, the “next big thing” soon becomes the “last abandoned thing.” So don’t fall into the trap of believing that just because you may be great at casting vision, you are a great leader. Great leaders may or may not be good at casting vision. However, they will always be great at getting things done. Leaders are remembered for great accomplishment, not great dreams.
If your organization is foundering and you’ve cast vision until your vocal cords are worn out, it’s time to for you to focus on execution—“…the leader’s most important job.”
By the way, Execution should be on your required reading list if you are leader, think you are a leader, or want to be a leader.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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It is not unusual when a new leader arrives to sequester him in a conference room with the key senior staff and bombard him with hours of PowerPoint presentations to make sure he has a clear picture of the situation. If the situation is good, the focus is on who gets the credit (the CEO or senior pastor). If the situation is bad, the focus can be on who (China or the worship leader) or what (the economy) should be blamed. The entire view of things is from the perspective of and through the filters of the senior staff who, by the way, have the most to gain and the most to lose.
That was the plan in the mid-90’s when I arrived as the new leader of a small west coast aerospace machining company. Our owners wanted to merge it with our Nashville operation because it was losing money and customers. Machined parts for a Boeing 777 (or any other Boeing or Airbus airplane) are manufactured to tolerances within a few hundredths of an inch in high-tech, clean, organized and efficient facilities. At least they are supposed to be. After handshakes and a cup of coffee, the executive team was ready with the PowerPoint. However, I scuttled that plan with “let’s take a walk first.” After more than thirty years in the aerospace business, I knew I could learn a lot just by walking around.
We exited the conference room, put on safety glasses, then stepped outside. It looked more like the Sanford and Son junkyard (a 1970’s hit TV comedy starring Redd Foxx; check it out on tvland.com) than an aerospace facility. The first thing I saw was a couple of acres of rusting truck doors, old machines, barrels of who knows what, obsolete tools and piles of scrapped parts. Inside the buildings, the aisles were so cluttered with half-finished parts that it was hard to walk from one machine to the next. The paperwork for each job was scattered and oil stained. I fully expected Redd Foxx to rush up at any minute and fake a heart attack (his tactic on the TV show when things were going bad). Because I saw it with my own eyes, I knew it was going to take a total change in management and months of hard work to fix it. I learned more in a thirty minute walk-around than I would have in eight hours of presentations.
As a leader, you need unfiltered information and clear perspective. You won’t always get it in a PowerPoint presentation. Get out of your office and take a walk with your eyes open and your ears unplugged. A little dirt on your shirt won’t hurt you.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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Women in heavy-industry factories are common today. They do all the things men do on assembly lines, in machine shops, quality labs and stock rooms. But it hasn’t always been true. It started during WWII when the men were off fighting and workers were needed to produce airplanes, tanks, rifles, jeeps and so on. The women stepped up and were immortalized in a hit song, Rosie The Riveter:
All the day long, whether rain or shine,
She’s part of the assembly line.
She’s making history, working for victory,
Rosie the Riveter
It’s not an exaggeration to say that without Rosie, the war would have dragged on for years or have been lost. The women had no experience, but they were motivated to get the job done and they did.
I had my own Rosie The Riveter experience in the late 80’s. While serving as VP of Finance for a mid-size aerospace company, we were confronted with a crippling thirteen-week strike. At least it could have been crippling, but it wasn’t. Why? Because accountants, secretaries, engineers, buyers, vice-presidents and even the lawyers all went to the factory floor to keep production going. They even let me work out there. Since no one wanted me to have anything in my hands that moved or made noise, I was a wing wiper, meaning I took a rag, squirted Trike (trichloroethylene) on it, and cleaned excess adhesive, oil, sweat, dirt and grime off of aluminum surfaces before they went to the paint shop. For thirteen weeks, this motley crew—most with no experience—kept the production lines moving and our customers satisfied. It was an experience all of us remember proudly, made possible by four “…tions” that all leaders should burn into their leadership DNA.
#1 Motivation Our president, John Kleban, was our CMO (Chief Motivation Officer) prior to and during the strike. He made it clear that our future was at stake and that by working together, we could do it. We believed him.
#2 Preparation Prior to the strike, every employee who would work in the shop was trained for a specific assignment. On day one, we were ready to go.
#3 Execution Have a plan. Work the plan. Track the plan. Change the plan. The more inexperienced the team, the more important is the plan.
#4 Appreciation Kleban, along with most of the executive team, was in the shop every day, listening to, thanking and encouraging the team. We pushed water carts to all areas of the factory and served lunch.
Is your organization on a hard road that is beginning to look hopeless and impossible? Before you give up, ask your team which of the four “…tions” is lacking, then be a strong Kleban-type leader, do something about it!
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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The Nepalese government is organizing an expedition to place a GPS device on the top of Mount Everest to resolve the “raging” international debate on the exact height of the mountain. Oh, you didn’t know there was a raging debate? Here are the current “estimates” of the height of Mount Everest:
► Nepal 29,028 feet
► China 29,017 feet
► U.S. Nat’l Geographic Society 29,035 feet
Now, all these measurements are the height above sea level. However, a lot depends on where and when you measure sea level. The U.S. uses the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, as the baseline. The U.K. uses a location in southwest England. Actually, due to tides, rotation, gravity, ice pack melt, etc., sea level is ever changing, though there is something called a geoid which is supposed to account for all of these. Further, the Himalayas are actually rising every year, so whatever is accurate today will not be a year from now.
What is at stake in all this? Nothing. Mount Everest is about 750 feet higher than the second highest mountain, so its reign is not threatened whatever the outcome of new measurements or estimates. This is a clear “much ado about nothing,” a trivial pursuit that will absorb time, energy, and money with no meaningful outcome. I sure hope the Government of Nepal is not paying for this with deficit spending as the good ol’ …. (oops, no politics on this blog).
I don’t want to be too hard on the Nepalese government. Most organizations have a few trivial pursuits that use up human and capital resources with little meaningful impact on the health or future of the organization. Doing with excellence what doesn’t need to be done at all is common in businesses, churches, non-profits, and so on. If you are a leader trying to focus your organization on what is important, getting rid of trivial pursuits is a good way to start. There are a lot of ways to go about this, but my favorite is simply asking, “What bad will happen if we don’t do this any more?” I wonder if someone in Nepal is going to ask that question?
[The catalyst for this post was a WSJ article by Carl Bialik, July 30-31, 2011.)
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
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