scottedinger

September: Inspiring with Emotion

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 19:50:05 GMT

September 2025 

Featured Video: Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions?

Most executives say they want their sales organization to be consultative, focus on value, and sell solutions. But too many sales teams are still overly focused on pitching and communicating value instead of creating value .

Here is the punchline – the problem is more about how executives lead and deploy the sales function, and less to do with the skills of your sales team.

A so-called “solution” is not really a solution until it solves something for a customer. It requires the salesperson to make a direct connection from the solution you are offering (your products, services, and support) to the outcomes that customer wants to achieve (the objectives to be accomplished, problems to be solved, or needs to be addressed). Until this understanding is reached with a customer, your solutions aren’t yet solutions. A solution is cocreated by the seller and customer in a mutual agreement about the business outcomes to be achieved. But most sales organizations struggle to do this consistently for a variety of reasons.

See how you can help your sales team connect your solutions to solve customer needs in my article: Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions?

Individual Leadership: Inspiring with Emotion

This month, Harvard Business Review published a special issue, How to Really Motivate People, that includes my article, “Motivating People Starts with Building Emotional Connections.”

As the old maxim says “Logic makes us think. But emotion makes us act.” Very few decisions or actions are based on data or facts alone. The article above highlights how leaders can use emotion to unlock commitment and performance—not through oversharing or excessive displays of feeling, but by engaging employees as people.

Here are some of the ways you can use emotion can elevate performance:

Enthusiasm and energy that spark momentum
Clarity of vision and strategy that inspires confidence
Anger or dissatisfaction that signals urgency and commitment to improve
Coaching and developing talent that demonstrates investment in people
Integrity and principles that create trust and credibility
Drive for results that establishes focus and discipline

Harnessed properly, th ese emotions multiply a leader’s impact. They’re what enable leaders to bring out the best in their teams. If you want to inspire and motivate people to achieve high performance, emotions are indispensable.

NEW on the Website: Newsletter Archive

I’ve been writing this newsletter for a dozen years and haven’t missed a single edition yet. That includes the COVID timeframe of March 2020-March 2022 when I shifted to a weekly format to stay in closer touch during those very uncertain times. Now, I’m pleased to share that almost all of my newsletters are now available on my website in a new newsletter archive: https://www.scottedinger.com/newsletter-archive I decided that collecting all the newsletters back to 2016 in the archive was plenty. Of course, if you really want to access some of the earlier editions, please let me know ��. They’re organized chronologically and listed by the title of the main article with most editions containing 3-5 pieces. Enjoy!

You can access the archive here: https://www.scottedinger.com/newsletter-archive

LinkedIn Live

How do leaders inspire and motivate others to high performance? The best leaders use a combination of strategies to bring out the best in individuals, teams, and the entire organization. Join me to learn how you can become more inspiring by making subtle shifts in the way you engage and effectively using emotion to connect with your people.

If you liked my Harvard Business Review article on this topic above, you’ll find great value in this session. Please join me on Tuesday September 16 ^th at 10am ET for this interactive session.

"6 Ways to Inspire Your Team"

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August: When Sales Follows Strategy, Big Wins Follow

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 19:49:52 GMT

August 2025

Featured Video: Growth is THE leadership issue.

Leadership is about results. It’s true in almost any organization but especially true for any commercial enterprise. You want to create positive, intentional change for the organization you are leading. After all, leaders who maintain the status quo aren’t considered “great.”

For most companies, growth is the result that matters. There are a lot of ways to measure growth – from revenue to net income, market share, number of products per customer, number of subscribers, and even measures of customer loyalty. But whatever you choose to focus on, growth of some kind is always the objective.

If you are leading an organization that relies on a sales organization to connect with customers to drive any part of that growth, then growth and sales are inextricably linked. And one of the big challenges in growth is that executives are frequently disconnected from the sales function.

This video is part of my new series, Lessons from The Growth Leader . Every month for the next year, this newsletter will feature a short video highlighting one of the big ideas from the book. If you don’t want to wait or y ou’d like to binge watch ☺ the entire series, the videos are available on YouTube.

Organizational Leadership: When Sales Follows Strategy, Big Wins Follow

There are few things more prized by companies than winning a big new contract. But winning just any business isn’t necessarily something to celebrate. It’s winning the right kind of business that fuels profitable, strategic growth.

Last week, Samsung announced a $16.5B win to manufacture chips for Tesla. It beat out Intel, which is a much stronger brand in chip manufacturing. This moment is more than a sales victory for Samsung. It’s strategy in action. In The Growth Leader , I stress that executives who want to drive profitable revenue must focus on aligning leadership, strategy, and sales. That requires three things:

Leverage your power play. Samsung put its advanced fabrication capabilities on display, positioning itself as a credible alternative to TSMC (the dominant player in that industry) in leading-edge chipmaking.

Pursue the right customers. Tesla is a marquee brand whose needs match Samsung’s strengths, making the win both high-profile and strategically relevant. It was worth the heavy investment on Samsung’s part to go all in for this significant business.

Create value with insight and expertise. According to the Financial Times , the win was fueled by a collaborative approach that offered unanticipated operational insights, speed, and shared R&D in advanced 2 nm technology. Add to the mix a dedicated Texas facility for the project where the two teams (including Elon Musk) will work together to increase efficiency and yields, and this deal has as much to do with how it was sold, as what was sold.

This kind of strategy alignmen t with sales is how growth leaders build momentum and drive remarkable results.

The Growth Leader is now available in edible form!

That’s the Five Flag Start strategy framework from The Growth Leader … on a cookie!

I’ve been working with First Horizon to develop their strategy and align leaders across the company, using this framework to guide the process. It’s great to work with leaders so committed to driving high performance.

As a consultant, you know you’ve reached a high-water mark when your work ends up on a cookie. Mugs and mousepads are nice, but cookies are reserved for top-shelf ideas.

Tastes good, too.

LinkedIn Live

In too many organizations, innovation is reserved for a handful of individuals or functions responsible for the next breakthrough. A more productive approach to leading innovation is to establish an environment where innovation is encouraged and supported throughout the organization. This fuels a culture where creativity, out of the box thinking, and innovation are a part of the fabric of a team or organization.

Join me as we discuss how leaders create a culture where innovation thrives.

"Leading for Innovation"

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July: Improving or Inspecting Performance

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 19:49:37 GMT

July 2025

Featured Video: Sales is Strategy in Action

Does your organization sell what you want, to whom you want, the way you want? Or do you have too many instances of selling whatever you can, to whomever you can, however you can? Too many companies fall into the trap of the latter, wasting time and resources. This isn't just a sales issue—it's a leadership issue. If you rely on a sales team to interact with prospects and customers to drive at least a portion of your revenue and profit, then leaders must consider that sales is strategy in action. Every sales call reflects the success or failure of your strategy, impacting your results in the market countless times each day.

This video is part of my new video series, Lessons from The Growth Leader. Every month for the next year, this newsletter will feature a video highlighting one of the big ideas from the book. If you don’t want to wait or just want to binge watch ☺ the entire series is available on YouTube.

And if you like this video, my recent HBR article on this topic may be of use to you: Winning the Right Customers Isn’t Just a Sales Issue.

Individual Leadership: Improving or Inspecting Performance

How much of your time is spent inspecting performance, reviewing reports, updates, and data about what has already happened? Now contrast that with the time you spend helping people improve, providing clear direction, and elevating performance. If you’re honest, the percentage of time spent in inspection mode may be uncomfortably high. While staying informed is part of any leadership role, it’s not where your impact peaks. Leadership is about improving performance, driving results, and developing talent. In every meeting, ask yourself: am I inspecting or improving? The difference may be subtle in the moment but profound over time. Shifting even a small portion of your attention from consuming information to developing your team can have a significant impact on your results and how people experience your leadership.

Organization Leadership: Does Your Team Understand Your Strategy?

I continue to see a lack of alignment with strategy as one of the most the critical issues leaders must address.

Axios reports a mere 27% of leaders believe their teams are entirely aligned with the organization’s business goals. Only 9% of employees agree.

Part of the challenge is that addressing this issue is not a single “to do item” or meeting or program. Done properly, it requires two broad efforts:

1. Impart a deep understanding of your company’s strategy, priorities, and goals, starting with senior leaders, then extend this knowledge throughout the organization. Don’t underestimate the challenge of getting even 25 leaders to share the same understanding of your strategy.

2. Facilitate frequent conversations among leaders and teams about how their everyday focus, efforts, and actions are contributing to the success or failure of the strategy. A willingness to be candid about what is not working is required for these conversations to be meaningful.

Strategy alignment requires a sustained effort and structured conversations throughout the organization, including honestly answering questions about what you need to do more or better. And what you need to stop doing.

LinkedIn Live

I’ve extended my break from LinkedIn Live for the rest of July, and I’ll be back in August with a new lineup for the Fall season! Meanwhile, please send along any topics you’d like me to cover in the second half of the year.

In the meantime, this recorded LinkedIn Live event about my HBR article Winning the Right Customers Isn’t Just a Sales Issue , was my most popular of the first half of 2025. So, if you need a bit of inspiration to get you through the dog days of summer, watch or listen to this one.

Watch this short video to see how I work and the impact it creates.

6.12.25: June Newsletter

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 19:49:09 GMT

June 2025

New Video Series

I’m excited to share my new video series, Lessons from The Growth Leader. Every month for the next year, this newsletter will feature a video highlighting one of the big ideas from the book. If you just can’t wait, the entire series is available on YouTube here .

Featured Video: The Five Flag Start

The Five Flag Start is a strategy framework I created for The Growth Leader . It combines common elements present in nearly all strategy models with some unique ideas for leaders to drive growth. In particular, it focuses on the importance of placing the sales experience, a key part of the customer experience, at the center of your strategy. The framework also includes a critical step that most strategy models lack: creating a bridge from strategy to execution, which is typically an afterthought.

There are many definitions of strategy. One of my mentors, Neil Rackham used to say, “if words could sue for defamation, strategy would be making its lawyers rich.” It’s used in so many ways that sometimes it’s hard to know what it really means.

I think about strategy as a framework that guides the decisions, choices, and actions that determine an organization’s focus—and how organizations compete to win and grow. I hope the Five Flag Start can help you think more clearly about the critical questions you need to answer in your business to drive success.

Perspective: Vacation Season Is Here – Are You Ready?

I’ve jokingly said that if I were to go to market as a leadership vacation consultant, I’d quickly starve. There’s not much of a market for advice on how to take vacation time. But in the course of my work with executives, the topic of how to handle a vacation – being present and enjoying time off, while juggling the ever-present demands of work - comes up frequently. So much so, that I’ve written a couple of articles for Harvard Business Review on the topic, and I was interviewed for a third.

I’ve made every vacation mistake I’ve written about. And I have enjoyed my time off significantly more by applying the advice shared in the articles below. I hope these ideas will make a positive difference for your summer travel:

If you’re in a rush and leaving on vacation soon, here’s a summary of pragmatic ideas you can apply right now:

1. Focus on completing high-impact work before vacation rather than trying to clear your entire to-do list or reach inbox zero. Don’t go in exhausted.

2. Let key stakeholders know in advance when you’ll be away and who to contact in your absence.

3. Decide in advance how and when you’ll check in—if at all—and communicate that plan clearly. Determine before you leave what a genuine emergency (something that only you could address) looks like.

4. Block time on your calendar for reentry after your return so you’re not immediately overwhelmed. Don’t punish yourself for the time off.

5. Ask a trusted colleague to send you a brief summary of key developments while you were away.

6. Use your time off to model trust, delegation, empowerment, and boundary-setting for your team.

7. Remember that stepping away helps you return with sharper thinking and stronger leadership presence.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

8. Give yourself permission to unplug and be present—vacation is for restoration, not remote work in disguise.

Recent Podcast Appearance

��️ I had the chance to join The Selling Well podcast with Mark Cox to talk about some of the big ideas in The Growth Leader .

We covered how executives must focus on growth as a leadership issue—not just a sales issue, how strong leaders align strategy and sales, and why the sales experience is the first mile of the customer experience.

If those topics resonate, I think you’ll enjoy the conversation.

�� Listen here: Becoming a Growth Leader

LinkedIn Live

I’ll be taking a short break from LinkedIn Live for the rest of June, and I’ll be back in July. Meanwhile, please send along any topics you’d like me to cover – vacations can be a great time to think more clearly about big ideas, as you escape from the weeds of day-to-day urgency.

Watch this short video to see how I work and the impact it creates.

5.15.25: Winning the Right Customers Isn’t Just a Sales Issue

Sat, 03 May 2025 19:58:49 GMT

May 2025

New Article for Harvard Business Review

Organization Leadership: Winning the Right Customers Isn't Just a Sales Issue

Does your organization sell what you want, to whom you want, the way you want? Or do you have too many instances of selling whatever you can, to whomever you can, however you can? If your strategy is built on winning in specific target markets with solutions you’ve invested in to drive high-margin growth, the latter approach undermines that focus.

It’s easy to point to the skills (or lack thereof) of your sales team as the cause of the problem. There are always opportunities for sellers to improve the way they interact with customers and prospects. But not winning enough of the right customers, selling what you’ve prioritized and invested most in, at the prices you need, is a leadership and strategy issue. Not only a sales issue.

To learn how leaders can align their sales teams with strategy, read my latest article for Harvard Business Review . Winning the Right Customers Isn’t Just a Sales Issue

Case Study: Leading Growth by Leveraging the Sales Experience

I was the Keynote Speaker for the Restoration Industry Association Annual Conference a few weeks ago.

One of the case studies I profiled was that of Tomas Mejia and Sonia Gonzalez, PuroClean franchise owners with 10 franchise units across the country from California to North Carolina. They’ve earned "Franchise of the Year" awards twice (in 2022 and 2023). And they used the ideas in The Growth Leader to increase their closing rates by 31%. That’s not just winning a few more jobs. That is a meaningful difference in the way customers choose them.

Tomas told me that what really struck him was the idea of using the sales experience itself to stand out in a crowded market. He and Sonia were feeling the impact of industry trends—more competition, more customers getting multiple estimates, and closing rates starting to slip. But instead of just lowering prices or pushing harder, they rethought the entire sales experience they were delivering for the homeowner.

They focused on education, professionalism, and creating value for customers, by helping homeowners navigate the insurance process, clarifying confusing estimates, flagging hidden risks in jobs and identifying the unintended consequences of decisions. Tomas and Sonia weren’t trying to close —they were working to provide value. The goal was to educate property owners so the customer could make an informed decision, helping PuroClean set themselves apart as the most professional and expert service provider in the industry.

Closing rates increased from percentages in the the low 40s to the high 60s. A 31% increase in closing businesses. That shift h as become their differentiator.

LinkedIn Live

The success or failure of your strategy is reflected in every sales call. Learn what leaders must do to drive their go-to-market strategy so that your sales organization can execute it in every interaction with prospects and customers.

Join me to dive into the key ideas from my latest Harvard Business Review article:

“Winning the Right Customers Isn’t Just a Sales Issue”

I’ll highlight the ways executives can translate strategy in to action, win more than your fair share of the right customers, and lead your business to growth.

�� Tuesday, May 20th

�� 10:00 AM ET

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Watch this short video to see how I work and the impact it creates.

4.10.25: Compensation is a poor substitute for leadership and strategy

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 19:48:44 GMT

April 2025 

New Article for Harvard Business Review

Organization Leadership: 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Incentives for Sales Teams

When discussing sales performance, it’s almost Pavlovian for executives to bring up compensation as the main driver of success. This is not surprising, given that in most B2B companies, compensation represents the largest line item in the sales budget.

Financial rewards can drive attention, focus, and even effort, but more money doesn’t make people better at earning your client’s business. Effective sales leadership is the key to improving the performance of your salespeople, creating greater value in the market and winning more business.

The three common mistakes are:

1. Creating complex compensation plans to reward internal metrics

2. Using SPIFFs to drive individual product sales

3. Depending on discounts to win business

If you want to learn more about this topic and get ideas on what to do instead, read the article I co-wrote with sales strategist Lisa Earle McLeod for Harvard Business Review . 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Incentives for Sales Teams .

Individual Leadership: Don't Forget Your Front Lines

As Maggie Wideorotter, currently the Chair of the Board at DocuSign says, “The front line is your bottom line.” Executives must make sure they stay in touch with the realities of the business. And it’s the front lines – where people are building your products, delivering your services, and likely spending more time with your

customers than anyone else – where your strategy comes to life.

Here are three ways you can maintain a strong connection with your front-line

teams.

Informal group conversations. Consider hosting an occasional coffee or simple luncheon with a handful of employees.
Recognize an individual effort. Ask the employee who is being recognized what else you ought to know or what action you might take to ensure this kind of outstanding performance occurs more frequently.
Talk with customers. Learn from businesses that chose competitive alternatives to working with you and customers who are dissatisfied, as well as those who are satisfied.

Just remember – it is always hard for leaders t o extract direct and candid feedback, and the higher up in the org chart you sit, the more difficult it is. You’ll need to give people permission to share their thoughts and perspectives without consequences.

For Fun

I posted this on LinkedIn when we returned from our Spring Break, and I’m sharing it here as well.

During a Spring Break trip last week with my family, we stopped by the airport

bookstore. It was wonderful to see Harvard Business Review's 10 Must Reads on High Performance that includes the article I co-authored with Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman, Making Yourself Indispensable .

For a split second my d aughters looked at me with pride. Then they said, “Can we go now, we’re hungry?!” ��

LinkedIn Live

Compensation is a poor substitute for leadership and strategy when it comes to driving high performance – learn what to do instead.

Join me and my co-author, Lisa Earle McLeod , for a special edition of LinkedIn Live as we dive into the key ideas from our latest Harvard Business Review article:

“3 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Incentives for Sales Teams.”

We’ll break down the most common incentive pitfalls we’ve seen in our research and work with clients —and share smarter, more effective approaches you can use instead.

�� Tuesday, April 15

�� 10:00 AM ET

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Watch this short video to see how I work and the impact it creates.

3.10.25: Leadership Makes Strategy Real

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:46:44 GMT

March 2025

Individual Leadership: Listening Again

Despite decades of leadership development in active listening, I still hear complaints about leaders needing to listen better. From my experience, most leaders are at least decent listeners. But the litmus test for being an effective listener is not the ability to collect data or extract the facts. It’s the degree to which people feel heard.

If you need to create greater alignment on your team, resolve conflicts, or deal with thorny issues, you must move beyond just listening for comprehension. This requires a shift in your approach: from transactional listening (gathering information) to collaborative or trust-based listening (mutual understanding and engagement).

It can be a challenge to listen this way. Time pressures, task focus, judgements, defensiveness, a desire to be right, and other factors can get in the way. So, the next time you are working to resolve a difficult situation, get a team unstuck, or address a persistent problem, ask yourself, “How will I make them feel heard?”

Organizational Leadership: Leadership Makes Strategy Real

Tremendous effort goes into formulating an organization’s strategy and crafting execution plans. But the wind in the sails of any corporate strategy is the behaviors, actions, and decisions of the most senior executives. If you want to focus your leadership on driving your strategy through the organization, here some approaches to consider:

1. Align every meeting to the strategy. Start each meeting by defining how the topics support a specific part of your strategy. If any items on the agenda do not connect with the strategy, consider whether they deserve executive attention.

2. Ruthlessly cut or minimize non-strategic work. If a project doesn’t directly influence your ability to execute your strategy, consider cutting, pausing, or scaling it back.

4. Assign “strategy champions” for major initiatives. Make sure each of the leaders on your team has accountability for the success of your most important projects.

5. Publicly celebrate strategy wins. Every week highlight where your strategy resulted in a market win. People learn from seeing what works.

6. Do a weekly strategy audit for your calendar. Review what percentage of your time is spent on supporting the execution of the strategy. The calendar doesn’t lie.

7. Contact one prospect or customer each day. Learn where the strategy is working or not. When Bob Dutkowsky was the CEO at TD/Synnex, he started every day by calling a customer. The company grew from $20B to $37B during his tenure. Start with a couple of calls each week if you are at zero now.

Perspective: Good In the World

Last week, the daughter of a friend (and client) reached out about a philanthropic leadership program at her high school. Her personal connection to the charity was moving to me. I asked her to write a short paragraph for the newsletter so I could do something, however small, to share her message. Here it is:

My name is Francesca Lauterbach, and I am a Student Visionary for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I’m trying to raise $5,000 by April 5th to fund the research of blood cancers. I am fundraising in honor and in memory of my grandparents, who both passed away from blood cancer. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) is at the forefront of the fight to cure cancer and is the largest nonprofit funder of cutting-edge research to advance cures. Its mission is to cure blood cancer and improve the quality of life of all patients. Please help me in my fight to cure cancer!

In her email to me she called her grandparents Nonna and Opa, so what’s not to love about that.

If you’d like to donate any amount, you can do it on her personal fundraising page: events.lls.org/gba/svoygg25/FLauterbach

LinkedIn Live

Even a strong corporate strategy will fall flat if leaders aren’t intentional about how they communicate and drive it through the organization. Join me for LinkedIn Live on March 25 ^th at 10am ET to discuss how leaders can use strategy to drive the right conversations, actions, and decisions through every level of the organization.

2.13.25: New Video Reel and How You Can Build Credibility

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 22:30:23 GMT

February 2025

New Video Reel:

Drum roll, please! I’m very excited to share this new video reel showcasing my work. It’s the first time I’ve invested in creating high quality video featuring my material, and I’m interested in what you think of it. Please watch and let me know.

In upcoming newsletters, I’ll be sharing more new videos, including a series on topics from The Growth Leader and more. I’m not quite ready to venture on to TikTok, but all my new video content will be on my website and YouTube soon.

Individual Leadership: Credibility and Trust

Here is some interesting research for understanding the state of the world and its future: the 25 ^th Edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer , an annual report on the ultimate currency in the relationship that all institutions build with their stakeholders. (Thank you to Marc Ross of Caracal (link) for sharing this with me.) There are many insights in this report, but one stood out as vital for all leaders, regardless of organization or role.

Leadership credibility collapse : Trust in leaders has hit historic lows. 69% believe government leaders purposely mislead people (up 11 percentage points since 2021), alongside similar distrust of business leaders (68%) and journalists (70%). This represents an all-time high in leadership skepticism.

Bottom line: If you're a leader, you aren’t trusted. So, what should leaders do? Here are three ways you can focus on credibility and fortifying trusting relationships:

1. Demonstrate competence and solid decision making. Share your rationale for decisions and help people understand the “why” behind the “what.”

2. Invest in relationships. You already know this is the key to driving results through people. Be curious, respectful, and create a sense of mutual trust that grows naturally over time.

3. Acknowledge and take responsibility for mistakes. Own your missteps openly, demonstrating accountability and integrity. It’s the key to being role model.

To learn more about building your credibility, the seminal work on this topic is Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It , by James S. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner.

Organization Leadership: The Strategy and Sales Connection

Too many leaders miss the connection between strategy and sales. If you rely on a sales organization to connect with customers and produce revenue and profit, then strategy and sales are inextricably linked. That means your sales organization is responsible for the execution of your strategy in the market with customers every day. As I wrote in The Growth Leader, this can be either a massive accumulation of wins, or death by 1000 cuts.

Here is the question to ask if you are an executive:

Is your organization selling what you want, to who you want, in the way you want? Or are you selling whatever you can, to whomever you can, however you can?

You can probably think of examples of both scenarios happening in your organization. But if the latter is generating more than 15% or 20% of your revenue, you have a problem. Because your strategy is not doing enough to influence the decisions, choices, actions, and behaviors of your Sales Organization.

This connection and alignment of strategy with sales has to start in the C-suite.

If you want more on this, check out my HBR article How to Get Your Salespeople to Execute Your Strategy .

LinkedIn Live

The Strategy and Sales Connection

As the previous article suggests, this is an area that deserves greater focus from executives. But the C-suite can’t get in the weeds and play the role of sales manager. It’s all about aligning strategy, leadership and sales. In this LinkedIn Live, we explore how executives can provide the leadership that the sales organization needs to execute your strategy in the market every day.

Join me on Feb at 10:00am ET to discuss how leaders can create growth by driving strategy through the sales organization.

1.16.25: Communicate with Greater Power In 2025

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 22:30:35 GMT

January 2025

Individual Leadership: Communicate with Greater Power In 2025

Every leader can stand to improve their communication abilities. Even those who are effective communicators. For most, it will make a significant impact on your ability to get results.

Here are four big ideas for you to work with in the year ahead.

Think more. Get clear about the message you need to convey. How can you say it with crispness and precision? It takes an investment of time and focus to do this well.

2. Say less. Communicating powerfully isn’t about volume; it’s about an economy of words. Make your point, then check with others for understanding or acceptance.

3. Add flavor. Get more creative with your metaphors and examples. Use some provocative language to drive a point.

4. Dialogue, not monologue. Few people will be influenced by just what you say. Invite others into the conversation about issues, strategies, and challenges.

Using even one of these four approaches consistently will make a significant difference in your ability to communicate powerfully. Combine them for an even greater impact.

And if you want more on how to combine leadership strengths for Improved performance, read my HBR article on this topic, The Leadership Resolutions That Work Best .

Organizational Leadership: Cascading Your Strategy

For your strategy to succeed, everyone in your organization must understand it—and their role in making it happen. That’s the essence of organizational alignment. But simply sharing the strategy, no matter how widely or frequently, isn’t enough. As an executive, you must establish both the structure and the opportunities at every level of the organization for teams to actively engage in understanding the strategy and planning how to execute it.

Give your leaders at all levels the chance to:

1. Understand the rationale behind the strategy, how the business will change, and the results you expect.

2. Discuss the actions each team and individual will need to take to support the strategy.

3. Identify the challenges each team and individual will need to address to ensure successful execution.

I often share with clients that alignment is about the conversation, not the presentation. Put your focus on creating the forums for the right conversations throughout your organization and watch your strategy take hold.

Perspective: On New Years Resolutions

I’ve always appreciated the tabula rasa feeling of January—the sense of a fresh start to the year. As Rainer Maria Rilke beautifully wrote, “And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been.”

New Year’s resolutions often capture this optimism, reflecting our hope for a year that’s better or somehow different from the one we left behind just days ago. Over the years, I’ve experimented with various approaches to these resolutions: dividing them into categories like health, career, and family; crafting stop-doing, start-doing, and keep-doing lists; choosing an annual theme; or even centering on an inspiring question for the year ahead.

I’m not against resolutions or goals—in fact, I’ll likely set some myself. But this year, I’m also allowing myself a moment to pause and reflect. To think about the year that’s passed: what worked, what didn’t, and what I’d like to improve, simplify, or experience differently.

The year often begins at full speed for so many of us. Before diving headfirst into what’s next, take a moment to look back. Reflect on the past twelve months. There’s power in understanding where you’ve been before charting where you’re going.

LinkedIn Live: 5 Traits That Predict Leadership Success

To start 2025 off right, I’ll have a guest for the first LinkedIn Live of the new season. Elizabeth Lotardo, author of the new book Leading Yourself will join me to talk about 5 Traits That Predict Leadership Success. How do you identify the talent most likely to deliver as future leaders? Where should you focus your development and coaching efforts? And where should you be cultivating your own abilities?

All this and more on January 21 ^st at 10am EST. More information here. See you there!

12.12.24 Holiday Edition

Tue, 03 Dec 2024 22:33:15 GMT

December 2024

Closing Out The Year

December is so different from any other month of the year. This month’s newsletter ought to be different as well.

In December, we are simultaneously sprinting to complete what we must to ensure to make the year successful - or at the very least, less of a disappointment. Planning, organizing, and budgeting for the next year. And celebrating a holiday or two or three (in my home we celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years Eve.) with parties, shopping, extra meetups with friends and colleagues, and time off with family. Yes, December is different. It is wonderful in many ways. It can also be exhausting. So, here are some thoughts for you to get the most out of the holiday season.

Put extra thought into this question: “What can wait?” Maybe the thing you are working on really does have a Dec. deadline. If there is a tax or filing implication it certainly may. But if you think it needs to be done by December 31 ^st , what is the impact of considering a deadline of Jan. 15 ^th or even Jan 30 ^th for that matter? I offer this because many of you reading this are in the position of establishing deadlines – especially for yourselves.

Consider extra thought on this question too: “Who can wait?” We all have dear friends and colleagues we’d like to do something to celebrate the holidays with. But couldn’t you just as easily meet for that celebratory cocktail or dinner in January or even February when life is back to its usual hectic instead of the pile-everything-possible-in-to-one-month-pace of December.

Don’t forget yourself. I’m not talking about gifts, though if you want to buy for yourself go for it. Who knows better than you what you want? I’m referring to giving yourself what you need so you don’t wear down or find yourself returning to work in January burnt out from the holidays. Rest, exercise, time alone, whatever it is that keeps you from getting “grinch-like.” This is as important as anything else you will do.

Enjoy the festivities. Just keep in mind that you can have too much of a good thing. A good friend of mine has cocktail napkins printed with a question that always makes me laugh. “Who is this moderation that everyone is telling me to drink with?” From food, to alcohol, to sweets, the holidays provide amazing gustatory treats. Mix in a water. Have a piece of fruit. Enjoy.

Take the pressure off gifts. Those you give as well as those you receive. It can be stressful to find the right gifts for people you care about. Do your best to be thoughtful but don’t obsess. You do not have to give the perfect gift. And outside of young children, the perfect gift is rare. On receiving gifts, be appreciative and grateful for anything you receive. If you receive this newsletter, there is no reasonable gift that you can’t buy for yourself. For both instances, remember that mantra “It’s the thought that counts.”

Take a moment to help someone else. From time intensive volunteering to providing a caring heart and shoulder to cry on, there are a lot of ways you can help others. This is true every day, of course. But the holidays create sadness and even misery for some. The contrast of the life someone wants with the losses they experience is rarely more vivid. Whatever people are missing most seems magnified this month.

As I wrote this, I couldn’t help but feel I was writing it as much for me as any of you who are reading it. Odds are it’s not the first time you’ve heard any of these ideas. But simple ideas are not often easy to put in practice. Even when we know they make sense. I’ve violated every one of these principles. Sometimes all in the same holiday season. So, I know how important they are. I hope you can take something from this newsletter that will help you to do one thing differently, even in just one moment, that will make your December a little bit better.

Thank you for being here each month as I share insights, ideas, and reflections. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season.

November 2024: Do You Have A Referral Strategy?

Sun, 03 Nov 2024 22:30:05 GMT

November 2024

Individual Leadership: Inclusion as a Leadership Skill

We hear a lot about inclusion as an important area of leadership competence. However, the concept of inclusion is often clouded in vagueness or considered politically charged, which unfortunately can hinder leaders in building high-performing teams. From a purely behavioral perspective, the ability to leverage the individual talents of each member of your team and incorporate points of view from those who may be more hesitant to contribute is a powerful skill. Here are five behaviors and actionable strategies for becoming an inclusive leader and making the most of the diverse strengths within your organization:

· Encourage and model candor

· Invite dissenting opinions

· Demonstrate understanding by clarifying and confirming

· Focus on common ground with shared objectives and goals

· Bring your empathy

For more, you can watch my LinkedIn Live event that focused in depth on these skills: The Pragmatics of Inclusive Leadership

Organizational Leadership: Do You Have a Referral Strategy?

Nothing builds new business faster or more reliably than referrals. Opportunities advance faster, have healthier margins and less contentious negotiations, and frequently result in more satisfied clients. The halo effect of a peer-to-peer referral makes everything in closing business easier. But I’ve observed that in most organizations, referrals are left to chance or hope. Every leader would likely agree that they are great for the business. Very few leaders have a strategy to pursue and manage referrals proactively.

I spoke with Inc.’s editor-in-chief, Mike Hoffman about this topic last month for his article, Don’t Overlook This Sales-Growth Superpower.

And if you want more on this topic, my HBR article, What an Effective Client-Referral Strategy Looks Like , details a process and approach to drive referrals in your organization.

As you look for strategies to help your business grow in 2025, referrals may be your most under-leveraged opportunity.

New Podcast: Top CEOs Use This Growth Strategy

Last month I was a guest on the Inside Personal Growth with Greg Voisen podcast, where we discussed how CEOs and other executives can develop and deploy their sales organization more strategically to drive growth.

Here is a link to listen wherever you get your podcasts, or you can watch it on YouTube .

Greg also produced a short (6 minute) video summary of some of the key concepts in the book.

LinkedIn Live: Leading Growth With Strategic Referrals

October 2024: Don't Forget Your Hidden Leaders

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 22:08:51 GMT

October 2024

Individual Leadership: Don’t Forget Your Hidden Leaders

When you decouple the idea of leadership from position or title, you’ll see leaders emerge at all levels of your organization. This is the premise of my book The Hidden Leader . The ideas in it are as relevant as they were nearly a decade ago when the book was first published. Organizations need leaders at all levels to deliver for customers and drive results.

Leadership is about behavior, not where someone sits on the org chart. Look for those who:

· Focus on results (instead of blindly following process)

· Understand and act on your customer’s intent or purpose (not just stated needs)

· Develop relationships across the organization (not just in their corner of the business.)

Find and develop these leaders. Encourage and cultivate these behaviors in everyone in your company, and you’ll be on your way to, as the subtitle of my book suggests, “discovering and developing greatness in your organization.”

Organizational Leadership: Creating High Standards

One of the most powerful things you will do as leader for your team and organization is to establish high standards. This is not merely about setting goals or creating metrics, which most companies have plenty of. It is about raising people’s expectations. When expectations are low, people easily brush off poor performance as normal. Instead, establish a baseline expectation of quality work and striving for improvement, where poor performance is an anomaly. This kind of cultural shift requires leaders to have a vision for what good and even great looks like and to consistently share these expectations. It’s up to you to inspire people to join you in the pursuit of excellence. Where are you going to raise the standards in your organization?

Perspective: Subjectivity

To cultivate real empathy, you must respect someone else’s subjective experience. In other words, your co-worker, your neighbor, the person working out next to you at the gym, all experience the world differently based on their upbringing, their individual experiences, their education, and their personal challenges. Often our first response is to judge harshly, especially if their subjective experience ignites our own defenses or triggers a negative response.

There is a principle that crisis line call center workers embrace. It’s that whatever someone perceives as a crisis, is a crisis for them. And that’s what matters. When we don’t respect the subjective experience of others, emotionally charged conversations can easily overheat or get ugly. From politics to social media, from work to home - if you pay attention, you’ll see this everywhere. We could all benefit from showing greater respect for others subjective experience.

Replay: Cultivating Executive Presence

The last LinkedIn Live on Executive Presence was well received. You can find the replay here!

LinkedIn Live: The Pragmatics of Inclusive Leadership

We hear a lot about Inclusion as an important area of leadership competence. But too much of it is either vague or politicized. Neither of which helps leaders take the actions they need to create high performing teams.

Join me to find out specific behaviors and approaches to be an inclusive leader and harness the strengths of everyone in your organization.. Tuesday, October 15th at 10am EST.

Correction: Client Podcast on Candor

Last month I shared a client’s internal podcast on the topic of candor. While I had permission to share a link to that conversation, I mistakenly provided a link that gave access to their entire library of internal podcasts. Not my best work. Thank goodness for forgiveness and quickly correcting errors. Those who asked received corrected links to an mp4 file produced only for the conversation between me and Alan Crawford, the President of L3Harris Commercial Aviation.

If you missed it, it’s a great discussion about building a culture where people are comfortable sharing their perspectives and understand the importance and value of disagreement, different opinions and talking about the real issues a team faces.

You can find it here .

9.12.24- Edinger's Insights: Getting The Information You Need

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 21:59:02 GMT

September 2024

Individual Leadership: Getting The Information You Need

Leaders forget how difficult it can be for people to openly share their perspectives, opinions and observations. Especially when they believe others will react negatively. Yet it’s these dissenting opinions and unpopular viewpoints that help leaders make sound decisions, allocate resources, and take action. Being open to hearing hard truths will help you to make better choices, avoid wasting time and resources, and address problems and unintended consequences.

It's not easy to create a culture where open discussion can happen regularly. But it’s absolutely possible when you prioritize candor. With individuals, teams, and your entire organization.

That’s what is happening at L3Harris Commercial Aviation . I had the opportunity to join the company’s president, Alan Crawford, on their podcast, Unusual Attitudes for a discussion on using candor to drive results in your business. Special thanks to Alan for allowing me to share this episode, which is typically for internal use only, with my newsletter subscribers.

Organizational Leadership: Human Resources Leadership

One of my first bosses, Chris Abramson, the most visionary Human Resources executive I’ve ever met, shared this article with me, So, Human Resources Is Making You Miserable? An obvious headline, but it’s the subtitle that captures the big idea. “Get in line behind the H.R. managers themselves, who say that since the pandemic, the job has become an exasperating ordeal. ‘People hate us,’ one said.”

When Chris and I spoke, we agreed that a big part of the problem, as the article highlights, is people view HR as separate from the business. And HR does nothing to help itself with titles like “HR Business Partner.” No other function, even in shared services organizations, positions itself this way.

If HR leaders are going to drive change, build culture, and develop employees, they need to understand and be fully integrated in the business. Driving results that matter to executives and the Board. If they don’t, they will forever be viewed as administrators. And based on the comments in the article, that’s happening in far too many organizations.

As Chris used to say, Human Resource Management is the responsibility of line leaders and general managers. HR is there to help them do it well. Not do it for them.

Perspective: Ease

We could all use a little more ease in life. That doesn’t mean going slower, doing less, or reprioritizing. Though all those things may also be useful. Ease refers to how we approach what is right in front of us. Is it with a sense of smooth focus, engagement, and attention? Or is it with tension, rigidity, and trying to control the uncontrollable (like other people or the outcome of situations). Greater ease is not to be confused with giving up or being passive. Quite the opposite. It’s about being more strategic, participating with greater intention and navigating challenges more effectively.

LinkedIn Live: Cultivating Executive Presence

After a summer of reruns, I’m back. (Do you remember when TV used to have reruns before the Fall lineup of shows?),

If there is one topic I consistently hear that separates senior leaders from managers, it's executive presence. But what is it? Join me to find out what it is and how to develop this critical area of leadership competence. Tuesday, September 17th at 10am EST.

08.08.24 - Edinger's Insights: Being Discerning About Feedback

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:41:15 GMT

August 2024

It took me almost as long to finish developing the keynote speech for The Growth Leader as it did to write the book! It's harder than it sounds to select the highlights of 200 pages of content and craft it in to a 45-50 minute speech. But it's done and has been well received by audiences this summer at CEO conferences, leadership events, and sales meetings. The content and messages from the book can be tailored to your audience. If you want to drive a message about growth to your teams contact me.

Individual Leadership: Be Discerning About Feedback

I’m a big believer that feedback is a valuable part of the performance improvement equation. I’ve written a lot about this topic and how to use it to develop leadership skills .

The existence of feedback does not necessarily validate it as the best course of action. In fact, there are times when acting on feedback may not align with your goals or best interests. Especially when it comes from an individual or a team with a different agenda, biases, or conflicting priorities.

To determine whether to act on feedback, consider:

--What is the context?

--How might this impact results?

--Is it specific and behavioral or personal?

--What conditions may be influencing the feedback?

--Does it conflict with other feedback I’ve received?

After careful consideration, making sure you truly understand the feedback you’ve been given, you’ll be ready to determine the best course of action going forward.

Organizational Leadership: Define Your Values Pragmatically

As I met with a C-suite leader, the topic of company values came up. I asked what the company values were. He was able to recite 4 out 5 values. Which is pretty good for dentists recommending Trident gum, but lousy for a senior leader who is supposed to be modeling these values. It was a vivid reminder that values can be powerful in guiding behavior at all levels of a business, or they can be utterly useless. Most companies are somewhere in between.

If you want your company values to become more than numb artwork on an office wall, do the following:

 Define your values in behavioral terms.

This means creating clear, specific statements about expected behaviors, not grandiose declarations. Come up with a handful of actions that characterize each of your values and get your leaders modeling these behaviors for everyone to see.

If culture is about the beliefs that shape behavior, then making your values pragmatic and easily identifiable is the key to wide-spread understanding and adoption. Few things will have a stronger impact on your company culture than a deep commitment by leaders to actively demonstrating company values.

Perspective: Turn FOMO Into JOMO

It’s been over a decade since the term JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) was introduced as an antidote to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out.) It is still far less known. JOMO is about being present and choosing to focus on what’s best for your big-picture well-being, rather than meeting never-ending social expectations or social media pressures.

Embracing JOMO can be challenging because it requires us to say no to things that are desirable. Or at least seem desirable. I often find it very difficult to say no to things that are interesting, important, or enjoyable. But saying “no” frees us up for the joy of what we can say “yes” to.

It’s a simple idea, but very challenging to do. It requires you to be intentional about your choices and consistently reflect on why you are making them, putting your most important priorities front and center. That’s what turns FOMO into JOMO.

LinkedIn Live: Cultivating Executive Presence

07.11.24 - Edinger's Insights: Thinking Aloud

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 18:06:06 GMT

July 2024

New Podcast: The Dov Baron Show

I’m excited to share this two-part podcast interview on The Dov Baron Show. Dov is a powerhouse interviewer with a deep understanding of leadership strategies. From the description: “Every episode offers a tantalizing taste of the delicious thoughts and wisdom of global leaders, Deep Thinkers, entertainers, and a spectrum of the most captivating minds—from astronauts soaring the cosmos to philosophers plumbing the soul's depths.

What podcast do the top Fortune 500 executives listen to? This one!”

Dov writes and speaks about our emotional source code, so he’s big on origin stories and we dig in to mine. As the show notes describe, “Scott is a renowned expert whose life story is as inspiring as his professional insights. His journey is nothing short of remarkable, having transformed from a high school near-dropout to a respected author whose voice has graced the pages of the Harvard Business Review over forty times.

Part 1 opens with a clip highlighting how leaders unwittingly drive counterproductive behaviors in their sales organization. You can listen using these links or whatever app you use for podcasts:

Part 1: Rethinking Growth Leadership

Part 2: Why It Must Be Value Before Transaction!

I hope you enjoy the interview and content. Please review and add your comments on whatever platform you use for your podcasts.

Individual Leadership: Thinking Aloud

There are plenty of good times to think aloud. When presenting a clear and succinct version of your idea or thought is not a requirement. From personal conversations where your thoughts or feelings are valuable on their own, to meetings designed specifically for creating, brainstorming, and problem solving, where incomplete thoughts or wandering ideas are part of the process of communication.

But in most meetings, especially if there are more than a few of people, your colleagues do not want to hear you think aloud. They don’t want to hear tangential ideas, or the story you were just reminded of that isn’t quite relevant. In business meetings you will be rewarded for clarity, succinctness, and directness in your communication. Doing that well, usually requires a moment of thinking to answer the question: “What is the point I need to make?” The crisper the answer to that question, the more powerful your point will be.

Organizational Leadership: Strategy Succeeds Or Fails In Every Sales Call

Is your company selling what you want, to whom you want, how you want? Or are you selling whatever you can, to whomever you can, however you can. This is the essence of Growth Leadership. Your strategy succeeds or fails in every sales call.

Executives don’t pay enough attention to this and it’s one of the reasons growth stalls. To make this concept pragmatic and usable every day, consider the core elements of strategy and how they show up in every meeting:

Objectives: Will this opportunity produce the results we need? Sufficient revenue? Acceptable margin? Scale? Likelihood of customer loyalty?

Competitive Advantage: Are discussions centered on the client’s issues and needs that lead to our greatest value and differentiation. Or is it a pitch/presentation of whatever is most comfortable and familiar?

Target Market: Is this the right kind of customer organization? Are we engaged with the right level who can authorize purchase of our solutions? Or meeting with whoever is willing?

CX/Sales Experience: Are we creating value? Using expertise and insight to help the client think differently about problems, opportunities, and solutions? Or are we mostly communicating features and functionality?

Your sales organization will drive the execution you need when you provide them the leadership they need.

Perspective: That's Not How You Debate

A quick perspective on the recent Presidential debate in the United States. And an excuse to share a favorite moment from the classic movie Old School .

Without any partisan politics, I can offer you with conviction that both candidates were awful. I’m not talking about them as Presidential choices, but as debaters. In college I won two bronze medals at the speech and debate national championships, I know what a good debate looks like.

Good debate highlights the best points from each side’s position, arguments, or contentions. It supports them with data, facts, and relevant information. A good debater will emphasize the strengths of their points, while providing evidence that weakens the effectiveness of the opposing point. It’s interesting. Thought provoking. And helps you understand both sides of an issue better.

We did not get that. Instead, we got a steady stream of poorly supported claims, declarations of personal capability, and the expected, albeit disappointing, ad hominem attacks. Including a sidebar argument about who is better at golf.

If you feel that your candidate won or lost, it isn’t likely because of the debate. We hardly got to see one.

LinkedIn Live: What leadership topics do you want to discuss?

I’ll be back after Labor Day with a new line up of livestream events. Are there any topics you’d like me to address on LinkedIn Live? Please let me know by clicking here or replying to this email. Part of the value of the livestream format is that, unlike just reading an article or watching a video, we have the chance to engage and consider how the ideas apply to your unique circumstances. What topics do you want to cover?

06.13.24 - Edinger's Insights: Leading Strategy Execution

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 18:05:39 GMT

June 2024

New Article in Leader to Leader: Leading Strategy Execution

When it comes to leading strategy execution, executives typically make one of two mistakes: their approach is too high level or they get stuck in the weeds. Either way, the result is often the same. They fail to provide necessary leadership to the teams and individuals who implement the strategy. To fix this, leaders must strike the right balance of defining the work to be done and providing guidance and boundaries for how it will be done. Done well, leaders remain involved at the strategic level while establishing clear performance expectations, not micromanaging or getting lost in the details.

For more on how executives can effectively lead results instead of leading activity, check out my in-depth article in the award-winning journal, Leader to Leader . The article shares a framework from The Growth Leader that will help you lead the execution of strategy at all levels of your organization.

Organizational Leadership: Getting Your Teams Back To The Office

Nine out of ten companies are instituting a “return to office” policy, according to Forbes . One hundred percent of the leaders I talk with wrestle with how to do this effectively. After all, “A luxury, once enjoyed, becomes a necessity” (C. Northcote Parkinson). There are undeniable personal conveniences of working at home, and it works particularly well for certain jobs. Years before the pandemic, I wrote for HBR about how remote employees were actually more engaged than their on-site colleagues in some cases.

Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM, wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal that Remote Work Is A Leadership Killer. Executives ought to examine this idea, because leadership is not digital. It is personal. It’s about inspiring and motivating others with vision, strategy, and energy. It’s about developing talent, problem solving, and collaborating. Be flexible with remote work where it makes sense but be honest with yourself about the impact and cost to your business.

If you are serious about building a successful organization and a high-performance culture, people (especially leaders) need to show up and work together IRL.

Perspective: Encouraging Others

At least half a dozen times, I considered quitting while writing The Growth Leader . There were a few voices that were especially valuable to me during those discouraging times. One was Bob Dutkowsky, who sadly and unexpectedly passed away a few weeks ago. Bob was the former CEO of TD Synnex, Chairman of the Board of US Foods, and served as the Board Chair for two other Fortune 500 companies during an extraordinary career. When I considered throwing in the towel, he encouraged me to keep going. Sharing his belief and perspective that I was on to important ideas about leading growth that too many CEOs and executives miss. That enabled me to borrow his confidence when mine was waning.

You never know how important your encouragement will be. Best to share it liberally. But if you want it to be valuable, it takes more than platitudes like “Keep going” or “You’re doing great.” Be willing to engage deeply, to help someone improve and make the shifts they need to, so they can reach the proverbial next level. Bob Dutkowsky did that for me. It made a huge difference, and I will always be grateful to him.

LinkedIn Live: What leadership topics do you want to discuss?

I’ll be back in late August with a new line up of livestream events. Are there any topics you’d like me to address on LinkedIn Live? Please let me know by clicking here or replying to this email. Part of the value of the livestream format is that, unlike just reading an article or watching a video, we have the chance to engage and consider how the ideas apply to your unique circumstances. What topics do you want to cover?

05.09.24 - Edinger's Insights: The Power of Role Models

Fri, 03 May 2024 18:04:51 GMT

May 2024

Individual Leadership: The Power of Role Models

We learn best by watching others, noticing what they do, how they behave, and what resonates with us. As well as what doesn't. The most effective leaders are role models who inspire and motivate others to high performance through their positive example.

While being a role model is one of your most important responsibilities as a leader, it won’t show up on your to do list. Remember that people are looking to you for cues about how they should behave. People are watching:

· How you treat people

· How you make decisions

· How you communicate

· How you respond to pressure

· How you demonstrate values

· How you challenge

· How you collaborate

You don’t need to be perfect in these areas. But take a moment to consider: what standard are you setting for those in your organization? What do you want to be the role model for?

Organization Leadership: Client Results or Scope and Costs?

Are your teams focused more on achieving your client’s objectives or managing scope and costs? Both are important but consider how your prospects or clients experience this.

I’ve hired several firms to do research, build websites, and help with Marketing and PR. My interactions could be mapped on a continuum with companies focused on cost/scope on one side and client results on the other.

Scope/Cost ---------------------------------Client Results

My conversations with teams on the left were more about what was “in scope” or “out of scope.” My conversations with teams on the right focused on desired results and how they were going to deliver those results. Take a guess at which companies I would gladly hire again and refer to others? If you frequently spend more time talking about scope, process, and billable hours than you do discussing quality of output, results, and outcomes, you are likely creating a client relationship that is transactional instead of a partnership with long-term value.

Perspective: Finding Common Ground

During my first stint in management, I used to argue with our CFO. A lot. It was endlessly frustrating for our CEO because our antagonistic relationship stymied collaboration. Everything became a fight: revenue recognition, commissions, territory design, expense reimbursement.

Then one day, I commented on a photo of two dogs, which sat on his desk. He shared that they were German short haired pointers, which got us talking about our love of dogs. After 20 minutes of conversation, he said to me: “I’ll have to change my thinking about you. You must be a lot nicer than I’ve thought if you love dogs that much.” We both laughed.

It was the first time that we had enjoyed a conversation. Afterward, we still fell on different sides of all the same issues, but the tone and tenor of our discussions became totally different. We had found common ground, which paved the way for productive collaboration and teamwork without being so heated.

When collaboration is difficult, where can you look to find common ground? Even a little bit goes a long way.

The Sales Experience Is Your Hidden Advantage

Innovative products, and great services, and unique capabilities are necessary if you want to compete. But they aren’t sufficient to sustain differentiation and growth. So, where else can you turn to create more value for customers? We hear a lot about the Customer Experience (CX). But on the customer journey, the sales experience is the first mile. And if it’s not compelling or valuable, prospects will get off at exit 1, and go have customer experience with someone else. Please join me on LinkedIn Live, May 21st at 10am ET, to discuss how you can leverage the power of the sales experience as a hidden advantage.

04.11.24 - Edinger's Insights: Don’t Mistake Being Smart For Good Leadership

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:03:45 GMT

April 2024

New Article in Investors Business Daily

I started reading Investors Business Daily for my business news in the mid 90s. It was one of the papers that arrived in stacks for partners and staff in my early days at PwC. I was always drawn to the Leaders and Success page, finding it filled with practical advice and ideas. So, I was thrilled when The Growth Leader and a handful of quotations from my interview with IBD was featured in those pages.

This quotation from the article is about the lack of alignment between the executive suite and the sales organization:

"Nearly always missing in a company's strategy is the connection to sales and this essential question: How does our sales experience create value?" he said. "The answer to that question has to be as much a part of your strategy as what you offer and who your ideal client profile is."

Of course, you can only make so many points in a short exchange of ideas, and the article leaned further into what sales professionals need to do differently. Instead of what leaders need to do to create a widespread change in their sales organization.

But that is always the challenge when discussing performance as it relates to sales. The fact of the matter is that it is a leadership issue. Not a sales issue.

You can read the entire article here: Improve Sales Pitches By Not Trying So Hard .

Individual Leadership: Don’t Mistake Being Smart For Good Leadership

I’ve worked with some exceptionally good leaders in my career. Even some great ones. I’ve also worked with plenty who weren’t as great as they could be. One common characteristic among this group is that they are all very smart. They possess strong financial acumen or operational or technical expertise. In truth, they are frequently the smartest people in the room. But strength in analytical thinking and financial or operational decision making is only part of being an excellent leader.

Great leaders understand how to move people to action, getting better performance from individuals and teams than they would have produced otherwise.

The solution is not to stop using your expertise, but rather adding a dimension to your leadership focus. To drive performance improvement for your team, ask yourself: “What kind of leadership does my organization need from me today? What will help them perform at a higher level, and produce stronger results?” If you are honest with yourself, you likely already know the answer.

Organization Leadership: Alignment Is About Conversation - Not Presentation

The idea of alignment began as a useful concept for leaders to get their teams in sync. Like other good ideas, the term is overused and routinely misapplied in organizations.

Driving alignment is a process of creating a shared understanding and clarity about direction, issues, opportunities, plans, and actions. Often, we focus on slide decks and presentations to create alignment. But the real value comes from the conversation. Not the presentation.

To drive alignment on any topic, discuss these questions as a group:

· Do we share the same understanding of this issue? (Have everyone state their understanding and listen for similarities and disparities.)

· How can we address our differences in understanding?

· What is our definition of success?

· How will we work together to support our shared vision of success?

LinkedIn Live: How Sales Stigma Is Limiting Your Company Growth

Please join me on for an important discussion on April 23, 2024 at 10am ET. If your business relies on sales professionals to interact with customers, then your growth is inextricably linked with your sales organization. But for many executives, the role of sales is surrounded by stigma and outdated views. That stigma influences dozens of decisions and choices made by leaders throughout the organization about the sales function. This drives a culture where the sales organization produces a valuable source of competitive advantage, or merely a series of transactions.

In Memoriam: Luke

Last month our dog Luke passed away suddenly at the age of 9. Which is not especially old for a West Highland Terrier. If you’ve ever loved an animal you know that they transcend pet status to become family members. Then you also know the grief and pain of this kind of loss. Now, I can only say I loved him. So much.

03.14.24 - Edinger's Insights: Use Recognition to Drive Change

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 18:02:54 GMT

March 2024

Individual Leadership: Email Won’t Inspire People

Recognition is an underrated tool to drive performance. The ROI for leaders is exceptional because learning to use recognition strategically costs you nothing.

Frankly, most leaders are not good at offering meaningful recognition. I had this cartoon drawn years ago to illustrate what I see as a major miss.

Recognition can be used very effectively to create change, replicate success, and establish new behaviors across your organization. Here’s how:

1. Spot the win. Acknowledge the specific behavior you observed, and the more details you include, the better.

2. Link the act to the impact. Did it resolve a problem? Streamline a process? Hit the KPI? Make the connection from behavior to outcome.

3. Make it personal. Express excitement, enthusiasm, gratitude, or satisfaction. Let them know what they did matters to you.

4. Ask for an encore. It’s not just about praise. Get them (and others) to do it again. This is how behaviors to take hold and spread throughout an organization.

When success happens, offer recognition, not as just a pat on the back but as a catalyst for the changes you want to see.

Organization Leadership: Goals Won’t Get You There

Most of you likely rolled out new goals for the year. If you haven’t made observable progress on your 2024 goals, you’d better start doing something different now. Goals alone won’t deliver improved results. New strategies, actions and behaviors do.

As a leader, most of your energy and focus should be on creating clearer strategies, defining better actions, and coaching more effective behaviors. That’s what delivers stronger results.

Lead people with clarity and improve their ability to execute on what you need from them, and you’ll increase the likelihood of achieving those 2024 goals.

Perspective: Camera On or Don't Join

Video conferencing overload. Zoom fatigue. Virtual Burnout. Many of us are feeling “over” the video conference format. I was an early adopter of videoconferencing, and I wrote about it for HBR in this article from 2018. (If only I had considered my management advice as investment advice, my timing would have been excellent!)

I don’t think the issues people have with videoconferencing are actually about the format itself. My sense is that it has more to do with a struggle to pay attention and not multi-task. When the camera is off, we all know we’re getting partial attention at best. It encourages passive listening and engaging in other tasks. If you want to have meaningful discussions via videoconference, require the camera to be on.

LinkedIn Live

Please join me for my next LinkedIn. The topic will be Using Recognition to Create Change . If you enjoyed the article on this topic, please join me for a detailed conversation about how to strategically use recognition to drive results. I’ll dig further into the pragmatics of this idea and work with real time examples during this LinkedIn Livestream event. Contact me here to let me know what questions you have in advance.

02.08.24 - Edinger's Insights: Emails Won't Inspire People

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 18:02:24 GMT

February 2024

February already? It feels like the year just started!

If you are traveling and pass by an airport bookstore, you may see The Growth Leader on display. It's featured as a bestseller from LAX to LGA to ORD and everywhere in between. You travelers will understand the codes above. If you happen to see it, please take a picture and post it on LinkedIn and "tag" me in the photo.

Individual Leadership: Email Won’t Inspire People

Communicating powerfully is a vital skill for leaders. Unfortunately, too much communication is done via email. Make a conscious effort to spend less time on email if you want to inspire and motivate your team. Few people have been inspired by an email, although a note of recognition may be the exception. But when you’re offering praise for a job well done, wouldn’t a quick phone call or in-person comment mean so much more? Email is efficient for coordination, file sharing, a quick idea. But it’s terrible for any kind of discussion, strategic decisions, improving performance, or creative efforts. When composing an email, ask yourself: is this the right medium for this message? Make a concerted effort to use it less!

Organization Leadership: Living Organizational Values

Are your corporate values merely art that hangs on the walls? Or does your team use your values to consistently guide their behaviors? Values can be a great tool for leaders to instill decisions, actions, and conduct in an organization. They establish “how we do things around here.” Be proactive about defining the behaviors that reflect acting in accord with those values. Most organizational values stop short of this. Get prescriptive about your values. Ask these questions in a small group:

- What behaviors or actions of employees demonstrate this value?

- How can you tell? What does it look like? Where is it most important?

Write down the answers. Discuss this with me mbers of your team. Beliefs shape behaviors. This is how you shape your culture.

Perspective: Simplicity Versus Complexity

Complexity causes of a lot of failures in business. You see it when systems are overengineered to the point that they lose practical utility, or when processes have so many activities that the workflow creates logjams that hinder effectiveness. Problem solving can incorporate too many approaches and initiatives which dilute, rather than amplify the effort. Complexity increases costs, decreases efficiency and reduces productivity.

Complexity is easy. It happens naturally as we examine all the possibilities and pursue every option. Simplicity is hard. You must be willing to, as the saying goes, “kill your darlings.” In writing, this means deleting scenes, characters, or side plo ts that aren’t serving the story. In business, it requires strategic thinking and the self-control to eliminate unnecessary complexity. As a leader, one of the most valuable things you can do for your teams is to simplify what seems complex and create clarity where there is complication.

FREE ACCESS for Edinger's Insight's Subscribers: Sales Strategies for and Economic Downturn

Just over a year ago, there was a nearly 100% consensus amongst leading economists that we would see a recession in 2023. Thankfully, they were wrong. As an aside, are economists ever penalized for being wrong? Or are they like meteorologists in this way?

Anyway, in December of 2022, I worked with LinkedIn Learning to produce a course to prepare business leaders for tough times – Sales Strategies for an Economic Downturn. We even fast tracked the production so it could be released in April of 2023. Just in time for the economy to be holding steady. But the strategies in this course are just as useful during average economic conditions as they are during challenging times. The title may not be as attractive, but the strategies as good as ever.

So, as a special opportunity for subscriber's, I've unlocked the course so you can take it for free. Use this link to access the course. Once you access it, you'll have 24 hours to complete the 12 videos - a total of 30 minutes.

Analysts, investment firms, and economists are all over the map in their predictions for 2024.So, whatever this year holds, be ready. If you are looking for a quick set of ideas to boost profitable revenue, look no further.

LinkedIn Live

Please join me for my next LinkedIn. The topic will be Creating a High-Performance Culture. I'll be sharing an approach to building a culture that is results focussed and supports your growth objectives.I hope you can join me! Contact me here to let me know what questions you have in advance.

01.11.24 - Edinger's Insights: Problems Without Solutions

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 17:59:05 GMT

January 2024

The new year is off to a fast start. Many of us feel shot out of a canon like a circus performer as January kicks us back into high gear. (The real action is at the 1:25 mark if you want to fast forward.) Let’s hope for a softer landing in February.

As for 2023, thanks again to all of you who helped make The Growth Leader a Wall Street Journal and a USA Today bestseller. If you haven’t posted an Amazon or Goodreads review, you can add one by clicking here or here . A great way to start 2024!

Individual Leadership: Problems Without Solutions

It’s common to hear leaders tell their teams not to bring them problems without solutions. The intent is correct as leaders want to encourage proactive behavior and ownership. But in practice, this often shuts down individuals who don’t have a solution or have a solution they know you may not like. It also shuts down opportunities for you to work through thorny issues with your team, particularly where solutions require greater creativity or cross functional collaboration. Instead of insisting on a solution, get your people to focus on defining problems clearly and completely before they bring them to you. Problem solving efforts often fail because problem statements are poorly constructed. That makes good solutions hard to come by. I stand by the expression: “A problem well-stated is half-solved."

Organization Leadership: Rules for the Matrix

Tis the season for re-orgs. Greater complexity and specialization make the matrix organizational structure more appealing than others today. It provides a hybrid approach, combining the benefits of deep functional expertise with accountability for results of the business unit. If you want to make the matrix structure work for you, here are two simple (but often difficult to follow) rules.

1. No dotted line relationships. If an employee reports to one leader and has a dotted line report to another, this only demonstrates who loses when there is a conflict or difference of opinion. Use two direct lines to illustrate that it is the job of the leaders to collaborate and prioritize.

2. No silos for the matrix. The matrix or dual reporting relationship starts and stops at the senior leadership level. All reporting relationships below senior leadership are singular. This prevents many of the typical struggles in cross-functional efforts.

There is no perfect organization structure. They all have advantages and disadvantages. But if you want to run your business efficiently and effectively with a matrix, this is how you avoid unnecessary drama.

If a picture is worth more than 183 words (this section), here is an illustration of both ideas. Credit to Herman Vantrappen author of The Organization Design Guide for providing me with a version that works for us color blind folks.

New Podcasts

I’ve been a guest on a number of podcasts in support of The Growth Leader launch. Here is one that I think you will especially enjoy. Whitney Johnson, co-founder of Disruption Advisors, is a longtime colleague, mentor, and friend of mine. Since Whitney’s podcast centers on personal disruption, we went deep into some personal stories that I haven’t shared often. Which made this interview quite different than any other I've done. Whitney is a gifted interviewer and I hope you enjoy it.

You can listen on the Disruption Advisors website , on Spotify , or wherever else you get your podcasts! I’m currently updating the media page on my website where I’ll be sharing more of these podcast appearances soon.

Perspective: January

For most of my life, I’ve been a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I relish the clean slate of a fresh year, the possibility to change and improve, the opportunity for life to be even better in whatever ways I choose. January has always felt like a natural catalyst for improvement as the page turns from one year to the next. But the past few years, I’ve felt rather exhausted by resolutions. I remain a huge believer in personal and professional growth, and I’m certainly not against setting goals. But I’ve decided to take January to think more deeply about my resolutions for 2024. Call it the contemplation stage of change. I think it’s worth spending a little time to consider what my focus needs to be before I commit to too many resolutions that will likely be abandoned by spring. In the meantime, I’m not doing a Dry January, but I may, as my wife suggests, try a “Damp January.” Baby steps, right?

LinkedIn Live

Please join me for the first LinkedIn Live of the Year. The topic will be Leading Your Business to Growth in 2024 and will highlight a few of the concepts from The Growth Leader . I hope you can join me! And I’m keen to hear what topics you consider most useful and valuable. Contact me here to let me know.

12.14.23 - Edinger's Insights: Holiday Edition - Ideas and Principles For a Strong 2024

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 19:56:17 GMT

December 2023

Holiday Edition

December is typically the most hectic month of the year. Finishing the business year strong, while finalizing planning for next year converges with the holidays to create an overstuffed schedule that can run you ragged.

The remedy for this is recognizing that you simply cannot do everything, even if you feel you must. Some to-do’s inevitably have a December 31st deadline and can’t be pushed off to January. (Including your New Year’s Eve plans). To save your sanity, try taking an honest look at what absolutely has to get done and who you have to see this month, and relocate everything else to the New Year.

Full disclosure: I wrote this for myself as much as you!

Principles for a Strong 2024

As you think about the year to come, here are a few practical ideas:

PACE: Try not to sprint out of the gates in January. I’m not suggesting a sloth-like start, but I regularly witness leaders exhausting themselves and their teams by mid-February by trying to accomplish the entire year’s objectives during the first quarter. We routinely overestimate what is possible in a month or quarter, but underestimate what is possible in a year (or a few years).

FOCUS: Take stock of your priorities and whittle them down to the essentials. My scientific approach for most individuals and teams is to have around 5 priorities, plus or minus 2. Fewer than 3 and you risk being myopic. More than 7, and you are spread too thin in terms of resources and time, advancing many objectives by inches instead of a few critical priorities by miles.

DEVELOPMENT: Create a plan for your own development. What will you do to raise the bar or reach that proverbial next level as an executive? How will you invest in your professional and personal growth? Nothing pays a higher dividend than you getting better at what you do.

CONNECTION: Your team will be inspired by you based on their emotional connection with you . Your ability to use emotions – your enthusiasm, your encouragement and development of talent in others, your concern and even anger (used sparingly when appropriate) will draw people to you. We aren’t robots. People are emotional beings and few things matter more than connection as a leader.

Thank You for Your Support

Thank you again for your support in 2023! It was a memorable year, as The Growth Leader was published and became a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestseller . If you haven’t downloaded the complementary companion workbook, you can find it here .

LinkedIn Live

I'm a guest for a number of podcasts and livestream events over the coming months and will be sharing the recordings on LinkedIn as well as future newsletters. Between the podcasts and the holidays on the horizon, I decided to skip the November and December LinkedIn Live. I will return on January 16th with new topics, new content, and a new year ahead. As always, if there are topics you'd like me to cover in the livestream format, I welcome your suggestions and feedback. Stay tuned!

11.8.23 - Edinger's Insights: The Growth Leader is a WSJ and USA Today National Bestseller

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 19:55:54 GMT

November 2023

The Growth Leader is a Bestseller!

The Growth Leader debuted as #4 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list (business category) and made the USA Today National bestseller coming in at #13 overall. It was also an Amazon Best Seller in the categories of Management Science, Strategy & Competition, and Business Planning & Forecasting.

Thanks to each of you who have helped to make this book a success. Every idea, every insight, every story in the book came from my research and work with clients and colleagues - many of whom are subscribers to this newsletter.

Thanks also for the great reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. They go a long way in establishing a book's early credibility. And if you haven't yet posted one, there is no time like the present.

In this newsletter, I'm sharing links for a number of articles that have been published over the last month in support of The Growth Leader . I'm thrilled with the coverage and placements the book has received and figured this would be more than enough new articles for the month!

Fast Company: 5 questions leaders should ask their teams to prepare for 2024

Chief Executive: The Hidden Differentiator In Sales

CEO WORLD: Close The Gap Between C-Suite and Sales

Forbes: Leading Your Business From Surviving To Thriving

Kiplinger: New Book Shares the Recipe for Making Sa lespe ople Successful

LinkedIn Live

10.12.23 - Edinger's Insights: Quick Chapter Summary for The Growth Leader

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 19:55:29 GMT

October 2023

The Growth Leader is Finally Here

After years of this book only existing in my head, here it finally is in my hands. I'm so proud of the finished result, that I can't wait to share it with you all. Be sure to get your own copy when it publishes Oct. 24th this month!

If you haven’t joined The Growth Leader launch team, I hope you will. Details here .

As a special article feature this month, I’m sharing a summary of each chapter in 100 words or less, so you can benefit from the essential ideas contained in The Growth Leader .

Chapter Summaries for The Growth Leader (In Less Than 100 words!)

Foreword by Frank V. Cespedes:

" The Growth Leader is a book for managers, not pundits or 'strategy priests' with abstract theories about competition. Edinger provides diagnostics that the C-Suite can use to monitor and be involved in a productive way with customers and prospects.”

Frank V. Cespedes, Harvard Business School Professor and author of Aligning Strategy and Sales

A Note to CEOs: Don’t Delegate This Book

This is a leadership book about business growth. When executives get business books, they pass them along to their sales team if the book even mentions sales. But that’s a mistake. Because if your business relies on a sales team to interact with customers, then profitable growth lies at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and sales. Growth is a leadership issue. Not a sales issue.

Introduction: The Butterfly Effect

To understand why your results aren’t what you want them to be, look upstream from your customers and those in your organization who are closest to them (often the sales team). Or look in the mirror for that matter. Odds are you are getting exactly what you are managing and leading toward. The initial inputs (direction) from executives have an outsized effect, just like the flapping of a butterfly’s wing in Brazil that causes a tornado in Texas. Only you have the power to address this.

Chapter 1: The Hidden Differentiator

Leaders do everything they can to innovate and build products, solutions, and capabilities that differentiate them in the market. Few leaders consider the sales experience as a point of differentiation. But research indicates that as much as 25-53% of customer decision criteria is based on interactions with your company during the sales process. When you are competitive in all other factors, the sales experience can tip the scales in your favor. The sales experience is the first mile of the Customer Experience (CX) highway. If it isn’t valuable, they’ll get off at exit 1 and have a CX elsewhere.

Chapter 2: The Executive’s Relationship with Sales

86% of Executives do little to align sales with strategy. 28% are totally hands off and disconnected. Only 14% are strategically engaged with their sales organization. This lack of alignment is a huge risk. Sales stigma – a persistent set of incorrect beliefs and misunderstandings about sales - influences a wide range of decisions, choices, and actions that create barriers to growth. It’s time to address this by making sales central to your strategy. As one executive in the research shared with me: “When the CEO values sales, everyone will.”

Chapter 3: Where Strategy Goes to Die

The sales organization executes your strategy in every interaction with a prospect or customer, hundreds, even thousands of times each day. In each instance, your strategy succeeds or dies on the vine. You can influence the outcome by ensuring that your sales team is prepared to deliver on your strategy. Edwards Lifesciences provides a great case study of a sales organization creating value and executing the company strategy. My first sales role with a company providing CRM systems in Silicon Valley in the mid 90s provides a painful bad example.

Chapter 4: The Five Flag Start

Here’s the strategy framework. The first three flags are about objectives,i.e. your competitive advantages, which I call the Power Play, and your target markets and ideal customers. These are common elements in most strategy models, but the common error is a lack of clarity. You must get precise. The fourth flag identifies the sales experience as a key ingredient to strategy, something that is rarely considered. The fifth flag creates your bridge from strategy to execution, another scarcity in strategy models.

Chapter 5: Right by Three

Right Mindset. Right People. Right seats at the table. The right mindset deals with beliefs that shape behavior and is also a straightforward way to define culture. The right people highlight that there are definitive leadership competencies that separate growth leaders from those who aren’t. The right seats at the table illustrates the reality that too often, your sales leadership isn’t involved in key strategic conversations. You need all three if you are going to be a Growth Leader. Everyone knows to get the “right people on the bus.” (Jim Collins) Get pragmatic about it using Right by Three.

Chapter 6: The Three Cs of Communicating and Inspiring

If you want to lead growth, you better be an excellent communicator and be able to inspire and motivate others. Combining research from my book The Inspiring Leader and dusting off my rhetoric degree to channel Aristotle, I share the three C’s. Ethos is Credibility. Logos is Clarity. Pathos is Connection. But the kicker here is that connection may be the most powerful of all because logic makes us think, but emotion makes us act. As a Growth Leader, you want to move others to action and there are many approaches that can work for you.

Chapter 7: Magnets and Milestones

It’s all about execution here. In particular, leading for results and avoiding getting sucked into the vortex of managing tasks. Since Peter Drucker introduced management by objectives in 1954, we’ve had an unquenchable thirst for models and tools to help us manage. But most today are incredibly overengineered and unnecessarily complex. I share a metaphorical model called “magnets and milestones” to simplify the process for executives and cut through the noise.

Chapter 8: Points of IF

There are predictable failure points in every business. Most business failure points, when thoughtfully addressed, can be turned into successes. Because they can lead either to failure or to success, I call these Points of IF. The” IF” stands for “Impact or Failure.” In this chapter I share a diagnostic tool to help you identify some of the most frequent Points of IF. We end with a short client example and a reminder that growth requires equal parts clear strategy, inspiring leadership, and aligned sales.

Acknowledgments:

Let the credits roll. This book took me close to five years to complete from the initial research. It went through three full re-writes because I struggled mightily to integrate all the ideas in a way I was happy with. Thanks to all the people who helped me make this book a reality.

LinkedIn Live

I'm skipping my LinkedIn Live this month (just a few things going on with this book launch!) I'll be back in November and will be sharing some new podcasts and live events that are coming soon. Stay tuned!

09.14.23 - Edinger's Insights: Choosing What NOT to Do

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 19:55:11 GMT

September 2023

Launch Team for The Growth Leader

Thanks to those of you who have joined the Launch Team for The Growth Leader ! If you aren’t familiar with the Launch Team, here’s where you can find

out more . It would mean a lot to me for you to join as the early reviews for a

book create important momentum and social proof for a big impact. I’ll keep those emails separate from the regular newsletter, so let’s get to our regularly scheduled programming.

Individual Leadership: Choosing What NOT to Do

We all have stretches where we feel overloaded. I’ve been in one for much of 2023. And for many of you, there isn’t one culprit, but a combination of factors, including work commitments, family responsibilities, self-care, social obligations and more. Even if you enjoy living a full and busy life, every now and then we all experience this.

Michael Porter observed that, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” While he meant it in the context of business decisions and tradeoffs organizations must make, it’s equally valuable in evaluating your own priorities.

Take stock of what you have going on and make some decisions about what you are not going to do. Or at least not going to do right now, or next week, or next month. Be realistic because, something’s gotta give. Get strategic and decide in advance before your circumstances decide it for you.

Organization Leadership: Magnets and Milestones

Are you creating a results focused culture or one that is task-focused? Results focused conversations tend to focus on clarifying what needs to be done and discussing where help is needed to make progress toward the results. Task focused conversations dig in to reporting what has already been done and reviewing how assignments are being completed.

In The Growth Leader , I introduce a model called magnets and milestones to help leaders drive execution and results.

Magnets are organizational and departmental strategic initiatives that define the work that must be done to achieve each goal.
Milestones measure the progress of that work toward the goal.

Using Magnets and Milestones helps leaders avoid getting stuck in the quick-sand of complex project management.

For more on this topic, check out my LinkedIn Live event from last month here . Fast forward to the 4-minute mark to skip the wait for the broadcast to start.

To go deeper into these activities, and others like them, pre-order a copy of The Growth Leader .

Perspective: When Things Look Easier Than They Are

I recently finished recording the audiobook of The Growth Leader , and I had no idea how difficult it would be.

This was my professional voice-acting debut, and it was challenging, to say the least. Looking back at the experience, I can’t help but laugh at how it all went down. Here’s the short take:

February 2023:

When asked by the audiobook producer if they should hire a voice actor:

“No, I’m interested in reading the audiobook. I’d rather do it than have a professional voice actor do it. If you think my voice is good enough, I’d love to read it.”

[Producer agrees and I feel super cool. Like an actor who does their own stunts in a movie.]

Recording Day 1, 9:00am:

[Feeling a little nervous as we get started. We test a few lines.]

Producer: “Ok, this time I want you to put some inflection and emphasis into it.”

Me: “I was putting inflection and emphasis into it.”

45 minutes later:

[Thoughts to self]: That sure seemed like a long time for a couple of pages. Where are my lozenges. And some tea. And water! What have I gotten myself into.

1 hour later:

[To producer and audio engineer apologetically]:

“Sorry we keep having to do the retakes, fellas.”

[To myself]: My throat is suddenly really bothering me. Why is this so hard to read? Why did I write it like that? Couldn’t that sentence have been shorter? People have to breathe when reading. Is that really the correct pronunciation of “minutiae”? Is it too late for me to make changes to the book?”

Noon:

[Thoughts to self]: Is it too late to hire a professional voice actor? I’m barely done with chapter one and this book is nearly 200 pages long!

3:00 pm:

[Thoughts to self]: Ok, I’m getting the hang of this. The playbacks sounded pretty good to me, once the breaths, mistakes, throat clearing, and profanity from stumbling over my own writing were edited out.

Days 2 & 3:

Repeat. Reach exhaustion. Realize my overconfidence might have ended my voice-over career, and possibly my career as an author, and vow to never do this to myself or a potential listener again. Go home and contemplate a career as a professional house sitter.

One Week Later:

Fearing the worst, I talk to the audiobook producers who believe they have spun gold out of my ramblings. No retakes needed! I listen to an early take and actually believe them. Forgetting this painful process completely, I’m now on cloud nine and quite proud of what we’ve produced together.

[To my wife and daughters, as I discuss my career options as a recording artist, while their eyes roll to the back of their head]: “I don’t think I want to do any more books though. My real interest is in animated films.” I’m sure I’ll be hearing from Pixar or Disney about voice acting in their next movie!

Anyway, now you know that the real brilliance happens in the sound booth of Brilliance Publishing! Thanks to Starr Michaelson and Jonathan Pennock. And most of all, thank goodness for exceptional direction and production engineering from Ryan Neuschafer and Dan Mockensturm. If you enjoy The Growth Leader in audio format, it’s because they did such an amazing job.

Here are some behind the scenes photos from our recording days. You can view some YouTube shorts her e and here

LinkedIn Live

Join me on September 19th at 10am Eastern Time to discuss Why Your Team Isn’t Listening To You. I'll be sharing the most common reasons that teams do not do what their leaders expect of them, and how you can address them.

08.10.23 - Edinger's Insights: New Videos and Focused Communication

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 19:54:46 GMT

August 2023

New Videos for The Growth Leader

A few months ago I filmed a few short videos about my upcoming book, The Growth Leader . Here’s a behind the scenes shot:

Now I’m ready to share the first of these videos with you all, where I directly address the CEOs and executives I wrote the book for. If you’ve already read the beginning of my book here , you’ll recognize where I’m coming from. But it’s so important to me that business leaders don’t delegate (and in some cases abdicate) the critical work of growing their organization to the sales team that I have to say it again:

This is the single most common mistake I see over and over at otherwise very smart and strong companies. 86% of CEOs do nothing to align sales with strategy, siloing sales and disconnecting themselves from the heart of their business. Be in the other 14% and you’ll be a Growth Leader instead.

I'll be sharing more soon. Stay tuned. So, if this video piques your interest enough to pre-order it, you can do so at your favorite book retailer .

If you’re interested in buying multiple books for your team or company, reach out and let’s talk about what extras we can add t o that bulk order. I have some special offers in the works.

Individual Leadership: Focused Communication

When you are leading, it’s up to you to control the conversation. You’re in meetings every day where discussions stray from the primary subject or objective. Each time someone pipes up with information or perspectives that are not directly related to the topic at hand, time slips away. When someone asks a sideline question or adds tangential information, you go further off track. Each response builds on the next, diverting critical attention from the topic at hand. Before you know it, you’ve veered completely off the road. Repeat this experience in every meeting and you’ll be completely drained of your two most precious resources: time and focus. It’s up to leaders to keep conversations organized. When someone adds content that clearly isn’t on topic, you can say, “Let’s keep track of that point and address it as soon as we handle [insert your primary focus.]” After a while, your team will catch on and meet your expectation to stay on track.

Organization Leadership: Expanding Margins

The problem with cost cutting efforts to produce a short-term improvement in profit is that they work. In the short run. It’s like fast food for the P&L: it gets you some sustenance, but it isn’t necessarily good for you. And if you eat a lot of it your health will suffer. I’m an advocate for being smart about your cost structure, but if you need to expand margins, look further upstream to the point of sale.

The best way to improve operating margins is starting with a stronger gross margin. Consider your sales force as your greatest asset in driving these results. When salespeople provide more value through insight, expertise, and an ability to help customers achieve their objectives, you’ll differentiate your business, win more, and earn a greater premium.

In Real Estate investing, “you make your money when you buy.” Success is largely determined by acquiring the property at a favorable price. For business leaders, “you make your money when you sell” by ensuring you sell at the right margins. It’s a lot healthier than constantly trying to cut costs.

Perspective: The Best Tool for Thinking

Disciplined thinking is hard. I frequently remind clients that one of the best tools for thinking is a pen and paper. Keyboard and screen work well too. I like both for different things. The English writer E.M. Forster said, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?”

Taking time to write your thoughts gives you a chance to see where the holes in your strategies are, the conflicting positions, the under-developed ideas. It gives you an opportunity to experiment with your thoughts and organize them more clearly, more succinctly, more powerfully. Need to create a compelling strategy? Resolve a challenging situation? Make an important decision? Take time to engage in disciplined thinking through writing, with whichever tools serve you best.

LinkedIn Live

Join me on August 22nd at 10am Eastern Time to discuss Leading for Results vs. Managing Tasks. I'll be sharing an approach to avoid micromanaging your teams while staying informed and driving progress.

07.13.23 - Edinger's Insights: A Sneak Peek for Subscribers!

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 19:54:23 GMT

July 2023

A Sneak Peek for Subscribers!

Last week, I got the Advance Review Copies for The Growth Leader: Strategies to Drive the Top and Bottom Lines. As a subscriber to this newsletter, you’re getting a sneak preview of the foreword by Frank V. Cespedes, Harvard Business School Professor and Author of Aligning Strategy and Sales , along with my introduction and the first half of chapter one. You can access this by clicking here.

I hope you find it valuable and that it whets your appetite for the entire book!

The Growth Leader took over four years to get across the finish line. I have early notes on my ideas for the book that go back over a decade. At one point, after eviscerating the manuscript, my editor said to me, “Scott, you know what you want to say. Just say it.” He encouraged me to rewrite the book with that in mind—and in just over 90 days, the book was done. I suppose sometimes it takes years to write a book that quickly.

There are a lot of lessons to be mined in that experience. I’ll share some in future newsletters. But this month, the main event is your chance to download this preview of The Growth Leader . And of course, I’d be thrilled to hear what you think. Please share any feedback—including disagreement—if you have it. It’s all valuable to me. I hope to hear from you!

If this preview gets you excited enough to pre-order it, you can do so at your favorite book retailer .

If you’re interested in buying multiple books for your team or company, reach out and let’s talk about what extras we can add to that bulk order.

I’ll be back with another LinkedIn Live on August 15 and will announce the topic in the August newsletter.

LinkedIn Live Question for Subscribers

What topics would you be interested in covering in future LinkedIn Live events? Please reply to this newsletter with your suggestions, or you can email me directly here . I’ll prioritize the suggestions from newsletter subscribers.

06.08.23 - Edinger's Insights: Individual Leadership: Start with the Point

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 19:54:03 GMT

June 2023

Last month, I announced that my new book The Growth Leader: Strategies to Drive the Top and Bottom Lines will be published by Fast Company Press on October 24.

In case you missed it, you can read about that here .

Individual Leadership: Start with the Point

My favorite line from the show 30 Rock is when Alec Baldwin, as network vice president, says to Tina Fey, the head writer, “Don’t worry about getting to your point, I’m going to live forever.” How often do you feel this way as you listen to others share their thoughts, ideas, and updates?

When I work with leaders and teams on executive communication skills, I always suggest beginning with the point. It’s tempting to share background and context first, then draw toward a conclusion. But that takes too long. When presenting lots of information, the key takeaway is often lost. Instead, start with the point and make it perfectly clear. Then share other relevant information, and your point won’t get lost in the shuffle.

Organization Leadership: Choosing What Not To Do

When I see companies falling short of their highest value goals, it’s frequently because they’ve taken on too much. They’ve diluted their focus and spread themselves thin taking on too many priorities. It can happen quickly with overly ambitious plans, or over years of making every good idea into a project that sucks time, energy, and resources. The result is that they advance dozens of objectives by inches instead of the critical few by miles.

Harvard professor and strategy guru Michael Port er said, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” If you want to achieve the results that matter most to your organization’s health, you’ll have to concentrate your focus. What can you choose not to do to ensure your business thrives?

World Leadership: Tipping Point

We are seeing gratuity requests show up more often, and not just in the traditional places like food service or personal care. They show up where minimal or even no interaction occurs, like self-check-out kiosks. The amounts are increasing, as well. 20% has been a standard tip for good service in a restaurant, but is the service comparable at self-check-out kiosks, at a convenience store, or fast food at a stadium? This is not a commentary on whether people deserve to earn more money or whether you should be generous with tipping; the question is: how do your customers feel about it?

Rachel Wolfe at the Wall Street Journal wrote a great series on the rise of tipping, with the most recent article here . My personal favorite was Tipping at Self-Checkout Has Customers Crying ‘Emotional Blackmail’ . Clearly there are many people noticing this trend, with strong feelings about it. Wolfe writes, “A range of business owners adding the option for gratuity to transactions say these nontraditional tips help them stay afloat in a competitive job market.”

This is a complex and multi-la yered topic. And if your business is using or considering using tips to increase employee compensation or attract talent, you shouldn’t neglect how it may impact customers.

Perspective: Prepare To Be OOO

I’ve known plenty of executives who took vacations and weren’t missed at work. Mostly because they didn’t really go away. They may have been out of the office but very present on email, calls, and videoconferences. That’s no way to take a vacation.

I’ve joked that I’d never go to market as a consultant who helps leaders manage vacations. But through my own experience and working with dozens of senior leaders wrestling with issues around vacations, I’ve gained some pragmatic perspective and written a few articles for HBR on the topic. Take a quick read before you head out on yours this summer. I plan to re-read these and take some of my own advice.

Read This Before You Head Out on Vacation

Don't Obsess Over Getting Everything Done Before a Vacation

The Professional's Guide to a Stress-Free Vacation

Latest LinkedIn Live: Q&A on Sales Strategies for an Economic Downturn

05.11.23 - Edinger's Insights: New Book, New Look

Wed, 03 May 2023 19:53:44 GMT

May 2023

New Book, New Look

The Growth Leader shows ways to improve and add value to the customer experience through aligning strategy between leadership and sales. I’ve used the occasion of publishing this new book to improve the visitor’s experience at ScottEdinger.com , modernizing my website along with a new look and feel to my brand.

This redesign is to provide a better experience for you while still hosting the valuable resources, articles, and videos I’ve been sharing for more than a decade. I hope you’ll take a moment to visit and let me know what you think. And if you already like what you see, please understand that I’m just getting started.

2023 will be a big year, and I’m so excited for what’s ahead. Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

Individual Leadership: The Importance of the Right Level of Detail

Executives lose people when talking at too high a level, when the message isn’t specific enough. The same is true when you are in the weeds and include too much detail. Delivering the right level of detail for your audience is a critical factor in your communication success.

Start by presenting the main idea—the one thing you want the person or group to understand. Then decide how and when to make connections to the bigger strategy, or to more granular and pragmatic details. And remember to connect the dots in between.

As an editor once shared with me: “You can’t share every facet of your ideas in chapter one. You need to let it unfold.”

Organization Leadership: Predictable Failures in Strategy Execution

Even successful companies have moments where they stumble. These moments of failure typically arrive as a surprise, but they are actually predictable, using what engineers call “predictive failure analysis.” I dig into this topic in my forthcoming book, but until that's released, scan your business for some of most common failures in the execution of your strategy:

People don’t know what the strategy is
People do not understand their role in its execution
People don’t have the skills to execute effectively
The organization doesn’t have the capabilities to execute
People are not accountable for their role in strategy execution
Systems or processes don’t support the strategy

When you can predict a failure, you can prevent it. As an exec utive, identify potential weaknesses and address concerns before the failure occurs.

Perspective: No One is Right 100% of the Time

Nobody is right all the time. But in the moment, don’t you always feel like you are correct in your view, your thinking, or your idea? It can be difficult to question your own thinking, but there is immense value in considering the perspective of others. The more you disagree, the more useful this exercise may be. A few years ago, I stumbled on this notion:

Think of an idea you very strongly disagree with. What’s a perspective that idea holds that you must admit has a point?

You can apply this practice to an issue in your business, a personal relationship, or even politics or religion (for the daring among you). It’s a reminder to hold your convictions lightly and to recognize the merit in other views. Understanding others’ perspectives is truly a superpower.

Join Me for My Next LinkedIn Live!

04.13.23 - Edinger's Insights: Announcing my New LinkedIn Learning Course

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 19:53:24 GMT

April 2023

Announcing my New LinkedIn Learning Course

We’ve finished the first quarter of the year and whether the U.S. and other countries are technically in a recession or not, many organizations are feeling the effects of economic headwinds.

So, I’m pleased to announce my new course with LinkedIn Learning:

Sales Strategies for an Economic Downturn.

While an economic downturn may lead your clients to think twice about their finances, it also presents an opportunity for you to gain market share and launch new products and services. Through this course, you'll:

Learn how to align your business goals with your sales strategy
Find out how and why to leverage expertise to get involved early in the sales process
Explore ways to use sales insights and embrace your role as a sales coach
Consider how to differentiate your customer’s sales experience with value and provide feedback
Discover three key indicators that your team should focus on
Learn how to identify hidden needs, use sa les calls to create a new solution for your customer, and develop a referral process to fill the pipeline with your ideal prospects

Join my LinkedIn Live Q&A!

In coordination with my new LinkedIn Learning course, I'm hosting a Q&A on strategies for an economic downturn. Join me on Tuesday, April 18, at 10 AM Eastern to ask any questions you have and engage in what is sure to be a productive conversation.

Be sure to follow me on LinkedIn to learn more about other upcoming Live events.

Individual Leadership: Focused Attention is Your Difference-Maker

Perpetual business has many of us scrambling through days full of multi-tasking and giving continuous partial attention to many things at once. Unfortunately, this unfocused approach doesn’t allow you to create strategies, solve complex problems, coach and develop talent, or do anything else requiring deep expertise.

Psychologist Gloria Mark writes in her book, Attention Span , that you likely only have a couple of 90-minute to two-hour windows of “p eak” attention in any given day. Knowing this, it’s critical to become more intentional and stop squandering peak time in routine meetings or emailing. Consider what requires your best performance: it’s these minutes and hours that make the difference in your results. Schedule accordingly.

Organization Leadership: Don't Tolerate Poor Performance for Too Long

I’ve worked alongside many executives who made the hard decision to fire a senior team member. I never heard anyone say, “I should have given them more time.” I regularly see executives put up with incompetence and missed expectations for too long, usually because they hope the individual will turn things around. By failing to correct the behavior, you create two other problems:

Their performance reflects poorly on you. Other team members begin to wonder how you could not be aware of how this person is impacting the team’s performance. They begin to question your judgment and competence.
Giving incompetence and mediocrity a pass is demotivating to others (especially high performers). When other team members see that poor performance is tolerated, it dampens their drive to go the extra mile.

This doesn’t mean you ought t o immediately dismiss every employee who is not meeting expectations—but I bet you know exactly who I’m talking about in your organization.

World Leadership: Personality Tests or Judgment

Since the pandemic, there has been an increase in the use of personality testing for hiring and promotions. I used to work in the business of psychometric assessments and employee surveys. While I don’t dismiss the data in these instruments, it’s important to know they are not a substitute for human judgment. They may provide data points to be used in a discussion, or a hypothesis to be tested in your observations, but they aren’t a proxy for making decisions and evaluating talent.

This is doubly true when using these assessments to evaluate current employees, where there is substantial performance and observational data available to you; however, for too many leaders and HR departments, these assessment results are treated as if they arrived carved on stone tablets.

Don’t forget that leaders are paid for their judgment and ability to assess talent and performance, something not even the most scientific of tests can reveal with accuracy.

Discover Key Ways to Motivate Your Sales Team During a Recession

Take a look at some of the key points from my latest LinkedIn Live session on motivating your sales team during a recession, then check out the full video here

03.09.23 - Edinger's Insights: New Course on LinkedIn Learning: Sales Strategies for a Downturn

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 19:53:01 GMT

March 2023

New Course on LinkedIn Learning: Sales Strategies for a Downturn

I first talked with the producers at LinkedIn Learning about this course back in November in response to my Harvard Business Review article on a similar topic.

The course will feature approaches and strategies for C-Suite executives, sales leaders, and sales professionals to not only survive but also thrive during a recession. We just shot the video for the course a few days ago, and it's on a fast track for production, so it’ll be available in a month or so.

Follow me on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on the release.

Individual Leadership: Stop Overusing Corporate Speak and Jargon

When you speak using a lot of jargon or corporate speak—employing terms and phrases that obfuscate meaning—the reaction is usually negative. It can range from misunderstanding your meaning, boredom, or distraction, all the way to a breakdown of trust and not believing what you are saying.

Using specialized language when it’s appropriate and commonly understood by the audience is fine. But an overuse of jargon and corporate speak typically reflects one of two things: the leader lacks depth of understanding, let alone mastery, of the content or subject matter, or the leader is evading or concealing something by being purposefully vague. Either way, it’s not a good look.

Consider where you can trim your use of imprecise language and where you need to be more straightforward in presenting your message. And if you want a humorous take on some of the buzzwords we use that grate on others, this new research shines a light on the most annoying.

Organizational Leadership: Leadership Problem or Structural Problem?

When working with clients to put a new structure in place, I often have to remind them that there is no ideal organizational model. In every model, you’ll deal with issues around chain of command, functional teams, centralization, and span of control. Some structures may better support your strategy than others, but most of the problems leaders seek to address with a new structure aren’t entirely (or even at all) structural. Often, the issues are leadership problems in disguise.

Address issues that masquerade as structural problems with these leadership approaches:

Clarity of objectives: No structure works well when divergent or conflicting objectives begin to emerge, but dual or dotted line reporting and shared services are effective when pursuing shared objectives and congruent goals.
Accountability: When issues or problems get caught between multiple silos or teams, accountability can bridge the gap.
Collaboration: Cooperation, teamwork, an d good conflict resolution can address just about any structural issue that arises.

Perspective: Patience with the Process

During the past couple of months, I have written or re-written 45,000 of the approximately 60,000 words in my forthcoming book, The Growth Leader: Strategies to Drive the Top and Bottom Lines (Fast Company Press). You’ll hear plenty more about the book soon, but I share this detail to illustrate that sometimes it can take quite a while, even years, to be ready to do what you need to do.

I went throu gh three complete re-writes and made a lot of errors in the process. But it took all of that for me to get to where I could write 75% of the content in a couple of months and be content with it. In hindsight, I’d do many things differently, but I’ll file those lessons away for another time. I think we all have experiences like this in our lives. It helps to remind ourselves that in every moment, we have a chance to learn, to adjust, and ultimately to keep moving in the right direction, even if we drift off course for a time.

Upcoming LinkedIn Live: Motivating Your Sales Organization Through a Downturn

Join me on Tuesday, March 21, at 10 AM Eastern to discuss how to increase employee engagement during a downturn.

02.09.23 - Edinger's Insights: Assertiveness as a Magnifier of Your Leadership Strengths

Fri, 03 Feb 2023 19:52:24 GMT

February 2023

Individual Leadership: Assertiveness as a Magnifier of Your Leadership Strengths

Assertiveness may be your most useful skill as a magnifier of your leadership strengths. We positively recognize assertiveness when leaders are proactive and driving for results. But it also gets a bad rap when it engenders negative behaviors, like being pushy and annoying. That’s not really assertiveness. That’s being pushy. Or annoying. But as a complementary leadership skill, assertiveness can be a non-obvious way to amplify many leadership characteristics:

Integrity – assertiveness enables leaders to speak up when something conflicts with values
Communication – assertiveness adds power and conviction to messages
Collaboration and Inclusion – assertiveness makes room for dissenting opinions and different views
Leading Change – assertiveness supports pushing back, and dealing with pushback

For more on developing the skill of asserting yourself, here’s an article I wrote for Harvard Business Review.

Organizational Leadership: Metric Mania

The adage known as Goodhart’s Law says, "When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” Every business has a handful of metrics that determine the success and health of an organization. But I’ve noticed an increase in performance measures for individuals and teams that become an end unto themselves. Too often the metrics become a substitute for strategy, instead of milestones that help to make course corrections, allocate resources, and support decision making. This is especially true when the metrics are used to evaluate employees or determine promotions and compensation. Instead, use metrics to help guide your team and advance your most important goals. But don’t allow them to overtake your focus.

Leadership in the World: The State of Customer "Service"

J ames Joyce wrote “that many a true word hath been spoke in jest.” So, when I saw this recent Saturday Night Live sketch roasting the Southwest Airlines holiday debacle, I laughed. But I also recognized the broader truth regarding the service many companies provide. The sketch hits Southwest hard, but the issues surfaced are true in many companies:

Poor systems and infrastructure
Shifting burdens to the customer under the guise of “self-service”
Poor staffing and staff development
Abdicating responsibility for quality or effectiveness after the customer has paid

If your business relies on serving customers, especially in the B2C arena, take note: it’s only so long that you’ll be tolerated. This is not about customer service. These are leadership issues about decision making, strategic perspective, and the future value of your business. And outdated systems, byzantine processes, and poor performing staff are leadership choices.

Perspective: Feeling Less Busy

The start of a new year always feels busy, and this year was no exception. The usual volume of work coupled with finishing a new book (more on that soon), has left me feeling that there is just too much on my plate. We can only increase our productivity somewhat with time management, meditation, rest, or time off. Sometimes the answer is that you must do less . What can you delegate? What can be deferred? And most important of all – what can you decide you aren’t going to do? In evaluating all three strategies, I’ve found in nearly every instance that the “less is more” principle is a winner.

Upcoming LinkedIn Live: How To Increase Employee Engagement During a Downturn

Join me on Tuesday, February 21, at 10 am Eastern to discuss how to increase employee engagement during a downturn.

LinkedIn Live Recap: The Leadership Resolutions That Work Best

If you missed my last LinkedIn Live, watch the quick recap below on the leadership resolutions that work best.

01.12.23 - Edinger's Insights: This Will Make the Biggest Difference in Your Leadership in 2023

Tue, 03 Jan 2023 20:12:07 GMT

January 2023

Individual Leadership: This Will Make the Biggest Difference in Your Leadership in 2023

At the beginning of your workday, consider this question: What do people need from me as a leader? We all have to-do lists filled with meetings, emails and stuff we need to get done. But adding this question to your task list can inform how you approach all your priorities. How will you inspire others during meetings? What is the connection to strategy your team needs from you? Who needs direction, coaching, and development? You will still get all the same things done, but you may approach these tasks quite differently by adding the filter of “how am I going to show up as a leader today?” Viewing your work through the lens of leadership will help your team produce the results you want.

For more resolutions on being a better leader in the new year, check out my article The Leadership Resolutions That Work Best .

Organizational Leadership: Get Serious About Your Customers

The G.O.A.T. of management consultants, Peter Drucker famously stated that "The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer. " Yet I’m frequently astonished at how much activity, attention, and money is devoted to organizational efforts that have little to no impact on customers (or whatever you call those who pay you). Think of all the “work” being done in your organization that is low value or valueless to those who are the source of your revenue. This includes projects and initiatives that take time and resources but don’t produce business results that matter. As a leader, get rigorous about priorities in two areas: 1) ensure that the right customers select you and 2) ensure the right customers stay with you. If your focus strays outside of those two categories, consider it a distraction.

Leadership in the World: Optimism or Pessimism in Financial Markets

As we look to 2023, many are predicting a recession on the horizon. The Institute for Supply Management service sector index fell from 56.5% to 49.6% in December , its first negative reading since early in the pandemic. (Numbers less than 50% are an indication that the economy is contracting.) On the other hand, it may be that the worst of inflation is over, the Federal Reserve may begin to pare the funds rate, and equities are undervalued, says the Wharton professor emeritus of finance Jeremy Siegel .

What trends do you see in your industry sector or the markets you compete in? Ultimately you must make strategic choices about how you will grow your business whether there are headwinds or tailwinds. As I wrote in an article for HBR recently, we’re all familiar with the aphorism “A rising tide lifts all boats.” But just because the economy slows down doesn’t mean your business has to do the same. Plenty of organizations increase revenue, expand margins, and launch new products successfully in challenging economic times.

If you’d like to read more on the strategies I suggest in that article, you can find them here .

Perspective: Fresh Starts

I’ve always found January to be exciting: it’s full of possibilities for the new year. I take this fresh start seriously, and I have experimented with different approaches to resolutions, such as focusing on goals in different categories (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual); tactics like “Keep doing, Stop doing, and Start doing”; conducting an annual review to select what was best and worst about the prior year; and other techniques. My resolutions have all worked and failed to varying degrees.

But for the past few years, I’ve s tarted a little slower and used January to think about what I really want to change or improve. Then I select just one or two things to work on, starting in February, so I can build some momentum. The reason most resolutions fail is trying to do too much and all at once. Instead, consider taking a slower approach. I often tell clients that they overestimate what they can accomplish in the next quarter or two, but underestimate what is possible in a year or 18 months. You may find that by springtime, you’ve started to make real progress by focusing on fewer goals.

Upcoming LinkedIn Live: The Leadership Resolutions That Work Best

Join me on Tuesday, January 24, at 10 am Eastern to discuss the most powerful leadership magnifiers I’ve seen, both in research and practice.

12.08.22 - Edinger's Insights: Happy Holidays

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 20:22:09 GMT

December 2022

Wishing you happy holidays.

I’ll return to the usual format in January. Until then, here are some ways to consider increasing your enjoyment of the holidays. Mirroring an article I wrote earlier this year about meetings, it’s addition by subtraction .

December carries a lot of extras. Extra social activity, extra calories, extra alcohol, extra family time. Even when we like all the extras, it can be too much at times. In November, I almost always overestimate what I can do and who I can catch up with. And by now, you’ve already begun to feel the negative impact of some of those extras. But there is still time to cut back on the extras, keeping in mind they are not as enjoyable when you’ve run yourself ragged.

Here are a few ways to consider getting more out of the holidays with less:

Skip a social commitment. Or two or three. Don’t be afraid to miss a party you feel obligated to attend. Cancel something if it feels like too much of a commitment or you are just stretched too thin. Make it up to those who are important to you by getting together in late January or February. Grant yourself a little bit of extra space. Over-programming takes a toll.

Skip 24 hours of being connected. Take a digital break from your phone. Our use of the smartphone has so many advantages, but we are addicted to scrolling. Looking at a screen becomes a default action when there is a free moment. Instead, look around. Wonder about something. Allow yourself to feel bored for more than 15 seconds. Give your mind a break. If you’re feeling bold, try this for 48 hours.

Skip giving a gift. Instead of having to worry about what to buy someone, consider donating to a charity in their name. If you are reading this newsletter, odds are that person doesn’t need it.

Skip the mindless eating. I like to indulge during the holidays as much as anyone, but it’s easy to lose track and not realize when you’ve had way too much. From special lunches to parties to holiday feasts, the opportunities to eat mindlessly are endless. Instead, eat everything you like, but pay special attention to the amount you consume and the feeling of being overly full. Apply this principle to alcohol, and you’ll likely feel a lot better, too.
Skip the New Year’s resolutions. Use January to think seriously about one or two things you can make a concerted effort to change and put some thoughtful plans in place by February. As much as I love the idea that January 1 ^st will bring change, we all know most resolutions are in the tank by Spring. Or earlier.

Skip an argument. Notice the use of the singular “argument” here. When you are on the brink of an argument—or being pulled into one—catch yourself and drop it. Odds are you’ll have the same argument another time, but as a gift to yourself, be willing to drop the rope in the tug-of-war. Doing this well doesn’t mean substituting pouting, brooding, reacting, or avoiding. It means truly letting go and being willing to move ahead by being open and even warm. As I mentioned, once will be enough to make a difference for you and others.

Skip work. For some of you, this will be hard outside of a legal or religious holiday, especially as many of you try to wrap things up for year end. But take at least a few days off for yourself and/or your family. U.S. employees left an average of 9.5 vacation days unused by the end of 2021. If you have family time, or just some time to yourself, resist the inexorable draw of checking emails or staying abreast on work-related matters.

Skip a rock or shell across a pond, lake, or the ocean. See what I did there. ☺ Ok, this is my way of saying to get outside. I know it’s easy for me to say while living in Florida, but find a way to spend some time outside. Play catch with your kid (or your furry friend). Go for a walk. Be intentional about taking six deep breaths of fresh air, doing a slow count to five on the inhale and exhale. Try not to think of anything else but those six breaths. It will feel good, I promise. And it just may shift your perspective.

Have a Happy New Year. Stay tuned for some exciting new developments in 2023!

11.10.22 - Edinger's Insights: Get the Information You Need to Lead

Thu, 03 Nov 2022 20:21:45 GMT

November 2022

I ndividual Leadership: Get the Information You Need to Lead

One of the challenges you face as a leader is getting unfiltered perspectives about your organization from those you lead. Just consider how you talk with your boss, whether they are the board chair, a CEO, or even a division leader. Do you share your completely honest take on issues, missed opportunities, and what you truly think about how the business is being led? Consider that, and remember it is harder to be direct the further down the org chart someone sits. If you want to know what is really happening throughout the business and what people really think, you’ll need to work hard to earn that honesty.

Ask for candid and frank opinions – likely more than once.
Promise amnesty. Make it safe for people to share.
Recognize and thank people for sharing difficult messages, even if you don’t like what you hear.

It starts with really wanting to know what’s real or true, not just what sounds good.

Organizational Leadership: My Latest Article for Harvard Business Review: Adapting Your Sales Approach in a Downturn

There has been plenty of debate over whether the U.S. economy is in a recession. Regardless of the technical definitions and economic perspectives , many organizations see challenging headwinds on the horizon. Even if companies aren’t feeling the economic pinch yet, they will be more skittish when it comes to spending when news cycles predict doom and gloom.

As customers become more reticent to buy, your sales approach must change. Right now is the time to get your sales organization ready to compete. This may be a chance to gain market share on a competitor or expand your current business with new offerings.

Here are three ways to shift your thinking about your sales strategies, especially in a down economy.

Involve executives earlier in the sales process.
Break out of price-driven sales cycles.
Refocus sales managers on planning, not selling.

Read the full article on the Harvard Business Review website.

Dealing with the Downturn – Cutting Costs Versus Investing in Growth

Yesterday I was a panelist for this important discussion about how organizations can prepare for strong economic headwinds in the global economy. Next month I’ll be able to share a replay of the session, or if you want to see it sooner, I’ll be sharing it on LinkedIn during the next couple of weeks. Be sure to follow me on LinkedIn t o make sure you don’t miss it.

Reflection: The Best Tools for Thinking

When you need to think, a pen and paper are among the best tools for the job. A blank screen and keyboard work too. Perhaps you think most purposefully while on a long walk, during a drive, or even when you are in the shower. However, few things drive clarity like looking at your thoughts on paper or the screen.

Need to develop an idea, clarify a point of view, frame an issue, or outline the details of a problem? Taking time to write your thoughts allows you to see where your thoughts are disjointed. It magnifies where you are unclear, where your ideas need refinement, where you need to rethink your strategy, or even show you how to look to the horizon and consider what you want to change within your organization. Carve out a little time for structured thinking and write about it. See how it goes.

Further Reflection: Happy Thanksgiving to You and Yours

We are at the start of the holiday season, and Thanksgiving is upon us here in the USA. So, I’ll take a moment here to say thank you for reading, commenting, liking, and supporting my work when you read this newsletter. I even appreciate the disagreement and differing opinions when you are willing to share them with me!

There is a lot of talk about the value of gratitude. We hear so much about this that it’s easy to get numb to people talking about it, especially when we encounter difficulty. I encourage you to take a moment sometime this week to think about all that you are thankful for.

Upcoming LinkedIn Live: How to Adapt Your Sales Approach in a Downturn

Join me on Thursday, November 17, at 12 pm Eastern to discuss how to adapt your sales approach in a downturn. We’re experimenting with d ifferent times for the livestream to see what this audience prefers. Do you have a preference? Please let me know.

LinkedIn Live Recap: Why Your CRM Isn't Working and What Leaders Can Do About It

Click here to watch my latest Linkedin Live Recap on why your CRM isn't working and what leaders can do about it.

10.13.22 - Edinger's Insights: Do You Need to Be More Strategic?

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 20:21:18 GMT

October 2022

Individual Leadership: Do You Need to Be More Strategic?

The worst of the professional insults these days is to say someone is not strategic. Sometimes, it's coupled with comments about being “too tactical” or “not being creative enough.” But it always foreshadows turbulence for a once-promising career.

Leaders at all levels must continue to develop a strategic perspective, as it is among the most prized skills for promotions and advancement. Do these things daily:

Focus on framing problems, not solving them. When leaders get precise about defining the problem to be solved, teams can provide better solutions.
Consider the “what” before the “how.” Diving into the “how” inevitably takes you into the weeds. Stay attentive to the “what” in the form of objectives, goals, milestones of progress, and so forth.
Avoid “corporate speak.” When I hear it, I know a leader is not dialed in on strategy or they are equivocating. Use plain and descriptive language, and you’ll be heard more clearly, perceived as more interesting, and become more trusted.

Organizational Leadership: Help Your Team Communicate More Effectively

Your team members ramble. They take tangents. They add details that are often irrelevant and distract from the main point. Sometimes, they talk for so long you get lost in what they are saying and may even tune them out.

You can prevent it though. And lead more effective communication within your team with standards and practices for how you share information.

Instead of diving into content, consider asking people to start with a focused sentence or two. Here are some examples:

What decision needs to be made by you or others?
What challenge or problem do you want help thinking through?
What roadblocks require collaboration from others?
What resources are needed to advance your project and accelerate progress?
What opportunity do we need to capitalize on?

Avoid all the context and background first. It can be filled in as the discussion unfolds and will have far more relevance than a long introduction. Start with the point and priority of focus.

Leadership in the World: Evaluating Your International Plans

If you are considering licensing deals, manufacturing goods, or expanding and distributing products globally, Russia and China undoubtedly factor into the equation. This article in The Hill , Putin and Xi: Look to Beijing for the real reason behind the Ukraine invasion , illustrates the overlapping strategic interests of these two countries, as well as their complementary business needs. We have entered a new phase in the age of global power competition. You might not have direct business interests in China, but the world's biggest companies do, and the second and third-order effects will be felt by all businesses from reduced access enforced by the Chinese or forced withdrawal by Western governments. These are important factors to consider as you evaluate global plans.

As an aside: one of the authors of the article is Marc Ross, a colleague and friend who also publishes a fantastic daily newsletter curating world, economic, and cultural news called The Brigadoon Daily. You can find it here .

LinkedIn Live: Why Your CRM Isn't Working and What Leaders Can Do About It

Join me on Tuesday, October 18, at 10 am Eastern to discuss how executives can get the most out of their CRM and leverage technology to drive top and bottom line growth.

In the meantime, click here to watch my latest Linkedin Live Recap on how executives can lead powerful meetings, both in-person and virtually.

Perspective: The Power of Fall

In addition to being the favorite season for many of us, fall may be the most productive stretch of the year. There are around 90 days between Labor Day and Thanksgiving in the U.S. The end of the year is in sight, and there is still time to make course corrections. It’s a chance to sprint and finish the year strong, while simultaneously considering what will be different in the year ahead. There may be disappointments to face, such as “we aren’t going to be able to hit our objectives for the year,” or adjustments to make that help you get the best possible results. Or, there may be opportunities to build on, “we are ahead of schedule, which allows us to invest or push further than we initially thought.” Regardless of where you are, the momentum will build and push you strong into next year.

Now is a great time to figure out how you want to finish this calendar year. Then, get clear on what you want to be different next year. Put your plans for both into place now.

And, about fall as the “favorite season,” it must be because of football, right?

09.08.22 - Edinger's Insights: What do people need from you as a leader today?

Sat, 03 Sep 2022 20:20:26 GMT

September 2022

Individual Leadership: What do people need from you as a leader today?

Most leaders come to work thinking about everything they need to do that day. The best leaders think about what others need from them to reach higher levels of performance. A few months ago, I worked with an executive team to explore this very question. Here are some things you are likely to hear your colleagues need from you:

Clarify high-level thoughts and make them pragmatic and actionable
Prioritize and focus - and work with me to do the same
Listen to what I have to say so we can make strategic decisions together
Inspire me, or at least don’t be uninspiring (overly critical, disengaged, etc.)
Define clear expectations of performance and be precise about the work to be done

Consider where you need to clarify, prioritize, listen, inspire, and define. It will help you answer the question of how to provide strong leadership today.

Organizational Leadership: How Executives Lead Powerful Meetings - In Person And Virtually

Last month I shared three approaches to making your meetings more effective. Turns out it’s a popular topic, as I heard from several current and past clients wanting more help with this.

Most of you face a conundrum when it comes to meetings. It’s become cliché that most people say they hate meetings. It’s also the widely accepted default for doing just about anything, especially with our newfound habit of videoconferencing. Executives are in meetings on average for around 23 hours a week. Based on the responses to my last newsletter, that estimate is very conservative.

But we’ve known about this and have seen ideas from clear agendas, sharing pre-read materials, to standing up instead of sitting, and so forth. Yet leaders continue to face the same issues. If you want great meetings, it requires something more. I’ve expanded on the three strategies I shared last month in this Forbes article .

Leadership in the World: Quiet Quitting; A Distinction Without Much Difference

I’ve seen at least a dozen articles in major publications in the last month about Quiet Quitting. It’s such a popular topic that my mom, who is retired, texted me that she had heard of this and thought it might make for an interesting article.

It’s easy to attribute Quiet Quitting as a new trend due to the pandemic or other economic factors. But the truth of the matter is that Quiet Quitting has been around for a long time. We’ve simply created a new term for colleagues that are not engaged. A distinction without a difference.

The economic environment and current attitudes toward work are unquestionable influences here. But most people are still not able to quit their jobs outright. So, the way to address Quiet Quitting is not a new mystery to be solved. You know the answers. Most of them relate to the leadership you provide and how you keep your colleagues engaged.

LinkedIn Live: How Executives Lead Powerful Meetings - In Person and Virtually

Join me on Tuesday, September 20, at a new time of 3pm Eastern to discuss how executives can lead powerful meetings, in person and virtually.

In the meantime, click here to watch my latest Linkedin Live Recap on how motivating people starts with building emotional connections.

Perspective: Making Others Feel Heard

By now, you’ve mastered the art of active listening. Most of us listen to comprehend details, facts, and so forth. It’s a key to gaining a clear understanding when we are exchanging information and making decisions.

But there is another equally important element of listening that allows someone to feel heard beyond simply understanding what’s being said. It requires you to reflect on your understanding and acknowledge their perspective. What’s more, you’ve got to do it without judgment, even if you disagree. It’s exponentially more powerful if you can do this empathetically.

The easy answers are all used up at your level, especially when you are dealing with emotionally charged topics. Listen well by making sure others feel heard as much as you do on your understanding of the details.

Suggested Reading: Getting Along by Amy Gallo

My colleague and friend Amy Gallo is releasing her new book, Getting Along , on September 13. I think of this book as a modern How to Win Friends and Influence People. But better. The ideas are more sophisticated and nuanced, and they’re supported by research and practical application. Even a savvy leader will find a few new approaches to fostering collaborative relationships and working with more challenging people.

08.11.22 - Edinger's Insights: How Leaders Use Emotion to Drive High Performance

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:19:52 GMT

August 2022

Individual Leadership: How Leaders Use Emotion to Drive High Performance

Aristotle pointed out thousands of years ago that emotion was a key driver in moving others to action. As the maxim suggests, logic makes us think, but emotion makes us act. So, if you want to get your people aligned, focused on the top priorities, and working the way you want them to, you need to understand how to effectively use emotions to work to your advantage. When I speak about this topic, I go out of my way to point out that I’m not talking about excessive displays of emotion, oversharing of personal information, or getting into therapy sessions with colleagues. Rather, it’s about connecting with our teams, our peers, and our bosses as humans with emotions, not task-focused automatons.

My latest article for HBR, Motivating People Starts with Building Emotional Connections , was among the most popular last month. It outlines some strategies for how leaders can better connect with their teams.

And if you liked that one, here is another article I wrote on a similar topic a few years ago.

Organizational Leadership: Addition By Subtraction

Meetings take up a big chunk of your day. I’ll save the “spend less time in meetings” content for another day. But if you are going to have the meeting, I typically counsel clients on three ways to improve meetings. It’s addition by subtraction.

Reduce the number of people . If someone isn’t there to participate by adding a valuable perspective or playing a key role in collaboration, they probably don’t need to attend. Too many people are present because we don’t want to upset them by not including them, or because we simply want them informed. There are other ways to do both. More people in meetings rarely makes them better.
Reduce the number of topics . As topics increase, meaningful discussions and decisions decrease. A meeting isn’t required to deal with every topic. But if the content does require a meeting, at least give sufficient time to consider it fully and determine clear next actions or decisions to move the topic forward. Otherwise, why cover it?
Reduce unproductive conversations . We’ve all seen conversations that ramble on, miss the point, take wasteful tangents, and cover areas of extraneous detail or low relevance. Pay close attention to what’s being discussed, and don’t be afraid to keep people on point by redirecting focus. Identify repetitions and digressions and place them in the “parking lot” before they’ve stolen 15 minutes or more. This is a major part of leading a meeting effectively. Not all interruptions are rude. Interruptions can be professional, polite, and provide a moment to refocus.

Leadership in the World: Inflation and Recession

I see writers and news anchors discussing whether recession technically means two consecutive quarters of economic decline as measured by the GDP. And plenty of others discussing whether inflation is bad.

But it’s impossible to deny these are the two biggest economic factors facing your business in the second half of 2022. Regardless of definitions or pundit opinions, here is where you ought to be focused as your costs increase and demands for your goods decrease.

Expand margins by creating more value. Identify opportunities to do more for customers. From the sales process to your offerings, ask yourself where you can provide greater support, more insight, a better experience, or something different than the competition.
Reduce waste. Massive amounts of time, money, effort and energy are wasted every day on things that don’t matter. This is not about simple cost-cutting. It requires you to be clear on where resources are being spent without a good return. That’s what enables you to invest where you need to.
Invest in sales strategy and process to acquire more of your ideal clients. Few problems can’t be solved with more of the right kind of revenue.

Reflections: Knowing versus Doing

There is a chasm between understanding what to do and being able to do it. The only way to make it across that chasm is practice.

Stumbling on the directions for walking a tightrope made me realize this in a poignant way.

Find a horizontal cable that can support your weight.
Stand on one end.
Step forward by placing one foot directly in front of the other.
Repeat.
Don’t fall.

Easy to understand, right? It kind of makes the point with humor. Knowing something and being able to do it are worlds apart. And the only way to do it. Practice.

We also know that it’s not practice that makes perfect (or even good). It’s practicing with someone who has enough expertise to help us identify what works and what doesn’t, no matter what we are trying to improve on.

Just because you know what to do doesn’t mean you are good at it. Where are you trying to improve? Can you find someone who knows how to walk that tightrope to help you practice?

LinkedIn Live: Motivating People Starts with Building Emotional Connections

Join me on Tuesday, August 17, at 10am Eastern to discuss how motivating people starts with building emotional connections.

07.14.22 - Edinger's Insights: Are You Focused on Developing Talent?

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 20:19:31 GMT

July 2022

Individual Leadership: Are You Focused on Developing Talent?

I’ve asked thousands of people to tell me about the best leaders they’ve worked with. One of the most common responses is that they helped me grow as a professional. While there isn’t likely anything revelatory about that response, it’s astonishing to me that leaders aren’t prioritizing it more. Especially in an environment where employee retention and engagement are such a major issue.

So how do you develop talent and help others grow?

Be clear on what success looks like, and offer precise examples.
Give them your focused attention.
Observe and provide specific feedback.
Provide continued opportunities for practice in safe environments.

Most of all – dedicate specific time for coaching and improving performance. It doesn’t take hours at a time. Some of the best coaching occurs in 5-10 minute conversations. Don’t let it fall to the background while you are doing other work. It will make a difference. You may even inspire someone!

Organizational Leadership: Dust Off Your Company Values and Put Them To Use

Values define who you are as a company. From the environment you have, the way people interact, and how they approach their work.

But I regularly encounter company leaders that can’t even recall all their values, much less describe how they show up in action. If the leaders can’t do it, then the odds of those values guiding anyone’s behavior are slim to none.

So, dust off those values and make them useful with the following steps.

Revisit the values. Do they convey what you want them to? If not, update them.
Define the corresponding behaviors for each value. For example, what does it mean to be “authentic?” If you can’t make it behavioral, you won’t see it.
Communicate about values in routine interactions. Opportunities to reinforce are everywhere.
Model the values yourself. You need to be an exemplar of the company values to bring them out in others.
Hold people accountable. When someone gets good results but behaves contrary to the values, you need to address it. People won’t believe what’s on posters or mouse pads if you don’t.

Put in the work to operationalize your company values and you will see the impact it has on culture.

Leadership in the World: Customer Experience is Getting Worse

Customer experience is getting worse - that’s straight from this Wall Street Journal article and truer things haven’t been said about business in 2022. There are undeniable economic realities like the availability of materials, the cost of labor, and so forth. But there are always market forces that challenge businesses to deliver value for customers.

We are dealing more than ever with egregiously long hold times, poor performers who aren’t knowledgeable about or able to provide a needed service, systems that don’t work well enough to support customer service, and a lack of follow up on issues. These aren’t new economic issues - these are leadership issues. None of these customer experience problems are new. They are just worse. And at some point, leaders need to take responsibility and make changes to their business. If they don’t, when their dissatisfied customers have a legitimate option to move their business, they will. “We’re no worse than anybody else” is a poor strategy.

On a similar note, you may enjoy my recent article for Forbes, How Leaders Fight Skimpflation .

Reflections: Expressing How You Really Think and Feel

I read that “disappointment that is not expressed calcifies into resentment.” That’s from Emily Anhalt, a clinical psychologist. We all need to take care of relationships by communicating and working through frustrations as they happen.

The fact of the matter is that when there are issues that need to be addressed – personally or professionally, they don’t get better without talking about them. They just fester. And sometimes it’s challenging to talk about them, either because we fear consequences or that others won’t be receptive to us. But there may be few things more important.

I find it useful to think about connecting integrity to expressing our thoughts or feelings. From an interpersonal perspective, integrity has much to do with your thoughts and feelings matching your actions and words. And when we are off kilter in this area, it feels awful (I’ve been there and you have too). You can disagree without being disagreeable and as the old saying goes, you can say what you mean, without being mean. But it’s candor that creates real conversations. Otherwise, you aren’t taking care of the relationships in your life, and you just aren’t being you.

Solution Sales - New Translations

The Solution Sales course I created with LinkedIn is now available in Dutch and Italian. Add that to German, French, Chinese, Portuguese, and Japanese, and this course content is available to speakers of 8 different languages! Very cool.

Over 400,000 people have enrolled in the program, and it's got a 4.8 out of 5 star rating, and (I can’t believe I’m measuring this but,) around 14,000 likes.

From new reps who need to understand the fundamentals to senior sellers who are honing their craft, the program has been extremely well received. Check out the Solution Sales Course on LinkedIn!

LinkedIn Live: How Leaders Drive Strategy Execution

Join me on Tuesday, July 19 at 10am Eastern to discuss how leaders drive strategy execution.

06.09.22 - Edinger's Insights: The Superpower of Focused Attention

Fri, 03 Jun 2022 20:18:57 GMT

June 2022

Individual Leadership: The Superpower of Focused Attention

We know multitasking is an ineffective use of time. And still, we persist. Many people even believe they are good at it despite overwhelming evidence no one is. The Wall Street Journal recently published yet another article about How to Overcome Multitasking Madness . Some day, we will get the message.

What you need to know is that the superpower that multitasking drastically reduces is your focused attention. It’s arguably the most valuable tool you have as a leader. Dedicating your undivided attention to developing, creating, thinking and innovating, or to fully engaging in a meeting or conversation, makes you infinitely more effective.

Here are some of my tricks that prevent me from multitasking on anything where my attention and effectiveness is critical:

I follow a rule that there is no multitasking during any client meeting, call, or Zoom. None. Never.
I block time on my calendar (30-45 minute chunks) dedicated to specific tasks or parts of larger projects.
I leave white space of 15-30 minutes between most meetings to handle follow up, email and “stuff.”

I’m not perfect with these and you don’t need to be either. But they help a lot. Any step in the right direction makes a meaningful difference.

Organizational Leadership: How Leaders Fight Skimpflation

I first heard about Skimpflation a few months ago, a term coined by NPR’s Planet Money for rising costs coupled with lower quality - a negative whipsaw for consumers.

I see Skimpflation as a leadership issue masquerading as an economic issue. There is little any individual leader can do about the devaluing of currency, inflation, or recession looming on the horizon . But Skimpflation is driven by how leaders respond to market conditions. Where some place the blame on conditions, others recognize the things that can be changed and succeed in the same market.

In my latest article for Forbes, How Leaders Fight Skimpflation , I offer three ways that leaders can fight Skimpflation.

Be careful but not myopic about your costs.
Get strategic about where you can provide more value.
Establish a mindset of high standards with your people.

Don’t take the challenging economic environment as a free pass to not be an effective leader. Accept the reality of the situation and focus on the changes you can implement.

Leadership in the World: Don't Overplan

In April, Elon Musk bought Twitter in a $44 billion deal. There are countless articles that bring up the impulsive nature of this move, such as this one: “ ‘I Don’t Really Have a Business Plan’: How Elon Musk Wings It. ” But I’m almost certain that Elon Musk didn’t make a split second decision to buy Twitter.

We see companies create extensive business and operating plans with granular detail. And history shows us they are rarely accurate. Too overdone to be useful. What is really needed from leaders is thinking through a simple framework with clear parameters that guide the decisions for the business. From there, their team can dive into the details.

While Elon Musk might not have a fully developed business plan, I don’t think for a minute that he acted on impulse either. It took some time and thought to develop a strategy (even if simple) for where he would like to see Twitter go before he bought the company.

Reflections: Willingness Doesn't Have to Mean Compliance

A few years ago I started reading about the concept of willingness. At first, I hated it. It felt weak and compliant. But as I read more about it, I realized I misunderstood the meaning of the word.

Willingness is the quality or state of being prepared to do something . It is a recognition of what you can control and what you can’t, and then having the presence of mind to act in ways that best serve you.

You will undoubtedly find yourself in seemingly intolerable situations, such as receiving absurdly poor service, unfair treatment, or many of life’s challenges. But willingness doesn’t equate to passiveness. Instead, it can mean that you are ready for the situations that arise, can accept their reality, and then choose the most effective path forward. This is so much harder than it sounds. And most of the poor behavior we witness at work and life around us is a result of people being unwilling to do just that.

On a related note, if you’d like to read more about acceptance, take a look at my Harvard Business Review article Good Leaders Know You Can’t Fight Reality .

LinkedIn Live: How Leaders Fight Skimpflation

Join me on Tuesday, June 21 at 10am Eastern to discuss how leaders fight skimpflation. This is a change from the original topic, how leaders drive strategy execution - stay tuned for this discussion in July!

05.12.22 - Edinger's Insights: Listening is Not a Spectator Sport

Tue, 03 May 2022 20:18:21 GMT

May 2022

Individual Leadership: Listening is Not a Spectator Sport

Listening isn’t a passive activity. You’ve heard about active listening a gazillion times, but I still see leaders at all levels do a poor job of it.

Here are five things you can do that will reduce misunderstandings, improve clarity, and help you make better decisions. Those are the good things that happen when you listen better.

Pay closer attention – are you listening to understand or thinking of your response?
Withhold judgment – stop evaluating and focus on comprehending the message.
Clarify – engage in the conversation and clear up confusion or reduce misunderstandings.
Confirm – make sure you got it right by restating what you heard - we frequently miss things because we filter information.
Reflect – acknowledge the perspective or point of view of the other.

You’ll have your chance to share your points of view and disagreements as well. But if you do this first, I promise you’ll be viewed as a more effective leader.

Organizational Leadership: Resisting the Draw to Action

Most leaders I work with have a strong bias to action. It comes from a focus on getting things done and achieving results. But we frequently conflate action with progress and get drawn into the details of activity. However, you don’t just want to do something, you want to do the right things to produce strategic and impactful results.

Leaders are best when they focus on managing results versus managing tasks. You do this with a rigor in defining the work to be done, and precisely outlining the milestones of progress. This is what enables you to get out of the proverbial weeds and guide the execution of your strategy. I call this approach magnets and milestones:

Clarify the objectives or initiatives to complete. This is your magnet drawing everyone unequivocally to the same destination.
Define what success looks like along the way. These are the milestones that tell you you’re on the right track (or off).

Then let your people and their teams do their part.

Leadership in the World: Recruitment

With job openings reaching the highest levels on record in April, recruitment is among the top priorities of employers. Recruiters and HR teams post jobs and reach out to prospective candidates, but it doesn’t always work. And if I’m being honest, it’s a mediocre approach.

HR and recruiters can provide useful support, but If you want to fill openings (and subsequently retain great talent), get leadership involved. Leaders can use their network to spread the word of openings and reach out directly to potential candidates, immediately increasing buy-in. Additionally, it is critical that leadership plays an active role in bringing in top notch talent because the people that make up an organization are what drives success. Bobby Bowden, the legendary football Head Coach at Florida State University, once said, “He who gets the best players usually wins.”

It's true. When you have talented people, everything else gets easier. So, carve out the time needed for leaders to be active in recruitment and get the best players for your team.

Reflections

A friend introduced me to the Japanese term Mingei . It’s a philosophy which recognizes that ordinary objects can have both function and beauty. The idea has its roots in crafts and folk art like cups, bowls, or pots – things that are necessary, but also beautiful. It reminded me of the way Steve Jobs used to talk about the aesthetics of technology.

Without getting too philosophical, I’ve been thinking about how interactions between people, in particular among leaders, could be both functional and beautiful. Whether it be a collaboration, a coaching conversation, a problem solving meeting, even a sales call. All of these could be beautiful.

What elements would have to be present to be both functional and beautiful? I suspect it has something to do with the attitude we bring, the knowledge we possess, and how skillful we are all coming together at once for a burst of excellence or even effectiveness. In the same way an athlete, an artist, or a performer brings their talents for a great performance. Even a beautiful one.

LinkedIn Live: How Leaders Drive Strategy Execution

Join me on Tuesday, June 21 at 10am Eastern as we discuss how leaders drive strategy execution.

04.21.22 - Edinger's Insights: Newsletter Feedback

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 20:17:33 GMT

April 2022

We’re back with an updated format and a monthly cadence. You’ll be able to count on its arrival early in the morning on the second Thursday of the month starting in May. I hope you like it.

Newsletter Feedback

I asked for your feedback and appreciated all the comments I received about what you liked and found useful. Please continue to let me know what you’d like more (or less) of, and other suggestions in form or content.

One client said, “You don’t want to go Monty Python on this.” Perplexed, I asked what he meant. He was referring to the catchphrase from Monty Python “And Now for Something Completely Different.” He suggested there was a lot to keep doing. Focused articles with clear points. Pragmatic approaches to improving results. Ideas to help us grow and be more effective leaders. Others encouraged me to include more topical content as I did at the start of the pandemic. Content with immediate relevance to current news and circumstances.

I also heard that we are inundated with too much content. Our email inboxes are flooded with information daily. It is my intent to help cut through the noise and make this newsletter valuable to you.

Here goes:

Individual Leadership: Anger for Leaders

Anger has a place in leadership. In business it provides valuable energy in discussing concerns, fears, and conveying urgency. The problem is that it is often misused and loses its effectiveness.

Expressing anger by yelling or raising your voice, cutting people off, and speaking aggressively, is likely to be met with strong defensiveness or a shut down from others. For leaders, the most effective way to express anger is by rationally expressing the real concern behind the anger.

While an extreme example, wouldn’t Will Smith have been more effective had he expressed his anger differently in the moment? Think of how the situation might be interpreted and remembered had he taken his time at the microphone to share the negative impact the joke had on his family. Instead, all we’ll remember is his aggression and the slap .

Organizational Leadership: A Culture Where Innovation Thrives

Innovation requires much more than simply making investments in R&D or product development. Innovation comes from new ways of thinking. While they don’t grab headlines, many innovations are small things that improve the way you work or how clients interact with your business. Maybe it’s a new approach to eliminate blind transfers in a call center, or small process improvements that simplify a system or increase manufacturing yield.

It's a mindset that goes beyond problem solving and focuses on raising the bar. But it doesn’t happen unless leaders are committed to creating an environment where innovative thinking and approaches are displayed everywhere.

This idea is detailed further in my article Don’t Innovate. Create a Culture of Innovation , but here are three ideas to get you started.

High standards : Create expectations that raising the bar is part of the job.
Safe to fail : If it’s in the service of a good outcome, go easy on failure. Innovation will not flourish if people fear consequences of mistakes.
Receptive to new ideas : Even if you don’t like them at first, what matters is creative thinking about key issues.

Leadership in the World: Unions and Leadership

Twenty Starbucks stores have unionized with around 220 seeking elections. This is undoubtedly one of the symptoms that prompted Howard Schultz’s return. Whether you’re politically for or against unions, it’s clear that avoiding them is about leadership. In the early research for The Inspiring Leader , we analyzed business outcomes connected with excellent leadership. One of those outcomes was “likelihood of avoiding unionization.” In the research, leaders rated as most inspiring were also assessed to have the lowest risk for unionizing among their teams. Effective, even inspiring leadership is the critical ingredient in creating the kind of culture and environment that makes a union unnecessary. When employees trust you, and believe they are treated fairly, unions are unlikely to form. We’ll see if Schultz can rebuild the trust that is obviously broken. But given that it’s the second time he’s come out of retirement to handle a crisis (he did so in 2008 when the company was struggling financially), the bigger issue is how he’ll prioritize developing, coaching, and promoting leaders that can handle these issues.

Reflections

This month, I’ll use this section to articulate the ideas behind the new format and how I’m thinking about it. As I mentioned earlier, I welcome your feedback and ideas you’d like me to write about. This is what you can expect with the new format, which will include up to 5 sections:

Section 1: Individual Leadership

Leadership starts with you. I will provide ideas, suggestions, and insights that focus on tangible steps you can take to enhance your leadership capabilities as an individual.

Topics will include:

● Executive communication

● Personal development

● Leadership development

Section 2: Organizational Leadership

Focused on driving change within your organization? Strong organizational leadership requires strategy, innovation, communication, and intentional culture creation. Use this section to grow your organizational leadership toolbox.

Topics will include on:

● Organizational communication

● Revenue growth

● Innovation

● Driving execution

● Sales

● Strategy

● Culture

Section 3: Leadership in the World

Leadership is not a position, but a way of being. We see leadership at play every day in our neighborhoods, cities, nations, and globally. There are immeasurable things to be learned about leadership through what’s happening around us.

Section 4: Reflections

I take my personal growth and finding ways to live a good life seriously. The newsletter is a place for me to share my reflections and observations on a more personal level.

Section 5: LinkedIn Live

I will continue to let you know about upcoming LinkedIn Live events so you can be sure to join.

LinkedIn Live: Creating a Culture of Innovation

We are experimenting with a new time to accommodate folks. Join me on Tuesday, May 10th at 3pm Eastern as we discuss Creating a Culture of Innovation.

03.24.22 - Edingers Insights:Upcoming Changes

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 20:17:10 GMT

March 24, 2022

Upcoming Changes

Starting next month, I am going to change the frequency and format of my newsletter. In April 2020, shortly after the pandemic began, I increased the frequency of Edinger’s Insights to weekly. The pace of change and the dramatic impact on leaders, their businesses, and their personal lives required increased communication and value. Overall, the shift was well received and not a week goes by without a number of you commenting on what you liked or disagreed with - I valued both equally.

I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts on a variety of topics each week, but I intend to dive deeper into the topics I write about. If you have suggestions, please reply to this message with them. I welcome your feedback. Moving ahead, the newsletter will offer a more comprehensive look into one topic each month. I’ll still include space for additional thoughts or ideas to share that don’t require fuller exploration.

A new format will give me the opportunity to share with you more focused insights, tips, and strategies. And of course, I’d hate for either of us to get bored with this.

Stay tuned for this to start in April.

Remember, you can still browse the entire archive on my website . Each newsletter highlighted by the title of the lead article. About 10 years worth of them!

Vacation Reflections

There is no market for a consultant about “how to take a vacation” and I would starve if that were my focus. But in every client engagement, the topic comes up as executives take a break. I’ve written plenty about this and you can see my HBR articles below.

I was just on spring vacation with my family and have a few more thoughts to share. Unlike the holiday break at the end of the year, which is frequently overrun with additional activities and responsibilities, spring break tends to have a more relaxed pace. Here are some reflections that may resonate or be of use to you.

Balancing the preference for active and passive is different for all of us, but the key to an enjoyable vacation. Like many of you, I am not great at being “chill.” I absolutely love having the space to do nothing. To sit at the beach or the pool, or to just look at the mountains. But if I have too much of that, I begin to feel restless. Finding the right equilibrium of “chill” and “go-see-do” is one of the overlooked considerations of pleasurable time away from work.
I once heard that family vacations are more about family dynamics than they are vacations. I can’t recall the quotation exactly so I couldn’t provide attribution, but I find this to be very true. You frequently spend more time together on a vacation than any other time. The vacation is like the background to what's happening between everyone in the same way a TV show about characters in a hospital or law firm isn’t really about surgeries or court cases.
On vacations with our children. This was the last spring break we will have with my older daughter before she leaves for college. While we talked about her joining us for future vacations, I realized that her schedule, her preferences, and her interests will now determine if she comes with us. This was an emotional topic for me.
We all need to get away. The pandemic shrunk the environment most of us live in over the last couple of years. A new setting, regardless of where it is, provides you with a different view. And maybe a new perspective.

Here are more of my thoughts on how to get the most out of your vacation time and return re-energized in these Harvard Business Review articles:

Don’t Obsess Over Getting Everything Done Before a Vacation

Read This Before You Head Out on Vacation

The Professional’s Guide to a Stress-Free Vacation .

03.10.22 - Edinger's Insights: Check the Facts

Thu, 10 Mar 2022 20:16:33 GMT

March 10, 2022

Check the Facts

I was working with the CEO of a diagnostics company who had been hearing very negative feedback about a senior leader in their lab. Quite a few direct reports were upset with this person, so the CEO assumed they were the cause of the problem. Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that this leader oversaw putting some new lab standards in place. And while the new operating standards were important for the lab, they made some people’s jobs harder. As a result, blame was being unfairly placed on the person responsible for implementing the change. These situations occur regularly for leaders.

The lesson? Always check the facts. In this case, just because the feedback was given, doesn’t mean that it is correct. This is not to dismiss the feedback or deny how real the experience of the people on the team was. They were very unhappy with the situation. Rather, it makes sense to look a little deeper. In this case the problem had very little to do with the leader in question. The real problem had everything to do with challenges on the team and the fact that everyone had grown comfortable with mediocre performance. As for the leader, she could have certainly used a little more interpersonal skill in dealing with the team (couldn’t we all?). But she was not the real problem for the business.

As a leader, you are constantly pulled into challenging situations and forced to rely on information from those around you. It’s easy to let your initial thoughts or interpretations take hold. Be prepared to regularly ask yourself these questions:

What is the event prompting my response?
Is that absolutely true?
What interpretations, thoughts, and assumptions am I making?
Does my response and its intensity fit the actual facts?

It’s sometimes useful to take time to write answers to these questions when you feel hooked by an issue.

Making time to gather additional perspectives and check the facts is critical for leaders. And frequently, it opens the door to a more productive approach to a challenging situation.

Keeping the Focus on Your Target Market

Many companies pursue a lot of business outside of the target market. It’s an unfortunate reality, and if you want to execute a growth strategy, it’s something that needs to be immediately addressed by leadership.

To ensure that your company is properly focused on your target market and pursuit of your ideal client profile, I suggest the following:

Clearly define your target market and discuss it with all levels of your sales leadership team.
Require that anyone pursuing clients outside of the target market provides a rationale and obtains approval from management. Especially if resources are being used in the sales effort.
Keep your CRM clear of companies that lie outside of your target market, or give them an appropriate designation, so there isn’t confusion regarding who you want to be actively pursuing.

A laser focus on your target market will help align the actions of the sales team with your company’s strategy - a critical component to successful execution. Read more about this in my Harvard Business Review article, How to Get Your Salespeople to Execute Your Strategy .

Current Read

I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review called Leaders Don’t Have to Choose Between Compassion and Performance . A few things stood out to me.

Being compassionate has everything to do with understanding the reality of the circumstances.
Driving for results and being compassionate are not at odds with each other. Leaders can and should be able to do both.
Compassion has as much to do with tone and the way we interact with others as the decisions that we make.

Read more about how to manage the demands of both compassion and performance in a sustainable way here .

LinkedIn Live

Join me on Friday, March 11 at 12pm Eastern. My friend Lisa Earle McLeod will be hosting a LinkedIn Live where we will be discussing the intersection of leadership and revenue. You can read a few more details about the event, Leadership vs. Revenue: Harnessing the Power of Graceful Growth here .

03.03.22 - Edinger's Insights: Successfully Disagreeing With The Boss

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:16:13 GMT

March 3, 2022

Successfully Disagreeing with The Boss

Leaders frequently say they don’t want “yes men”, or perhaps more properly said today “yes people.” Regardless of the pronoun, you know the idea. Not wanting leaders who just say yes or do what you say without sharing dissenting opinions or opposition to your ideas.

While it's often said, I think most leaders aren’t being truthful when they say they don’t want yes people. At least not being truthful based on the frequency of negative reactions I see to resistance, disagreement, and difference of opinion. From what I can tell, most leaders really do want yes people. It makes life easier. Things roll faster. And if you have a gazillion priorities to address who wouldn’t prefer a simpler, more accommodating approach in those we work with. This is true of all of us to a degree.

So how do you deal with your boss, whether they are a VP or Chair of the Board, when you don’t agree with their perspective or direction?

One of my rules of communication (someday I’ll publish them) is that you can disagree, without being disagreeable. Try this approach:

Request a short time to discuss the circumstance. This gives you the chance to have dedicated time from 10 minutes or longer to address a single topic. Always easier to keep the focus narrow.
Reassure the boss that when the conversation is done, you will support whatever direction they choose, policy they want to implement, approach they want you take. This takes the pressure off them worrying that they must figure out how to get you to do what they want while you are talking. Consider reading that last sentence one more time as it may be the most important here. Doing this creates receptivity to your idea.
Remind them that this is what they ask for. You may say, “I know you don’t want blind agreement or yes people” or “I don’t feel I’d be doing my job if I didn’t point out _________ .”
Share your perspective succinctly. Make your point clearly and crisply then stop.
Check in. You can ask “what do you think of my take on this?” or something like that.
Recap your willingness to support and align with the bosses direction, regardless of whether your input changed their mind.

The last step is critical here. And maybe the hardest. But your goal is to be heard, and share your opinion, direction, or take on a situation. Doing so persuasively is all you can do. You can’t control how they respond. But taking this approach gives you your best chance to be heard by a leader that really may prefer not to hear (despite saying they don’t want yes people.)

Your Sales Organization Doesn’t Need Direction to Sell More

Telling your sales team you want them to sell more is like telling the accounting staff to produce better financials. It’s their job and they know that. Yet, I’ve observed many leaders providing pretty much this guidance. That sums up much of the motivational feedback for too many leaders.

But there is another, better option. Leaders can instead take a more strategic angle to influence improvements by:

1) Focusing on developing talent by strategizing on opportunities, observing sales calls, and debriefing after a meeting to provide feedback.

2) Investing in practice time to improve skills. Don’t make them practice new skills on new opportunities.

3) Providing input on how to bring value into sales interactions in a way that’s connected to strategy.

Sales teams need strategic direction and guidance on execution. They need to be given opportunities and space to be creative and strategic. But they don’t need to be told to sell.

You can find more insights into how to be the leader your sales team needs in my Harvard Business Review articles 3 Ways to Motivate Your Sales Team - Without Stressing Them Out and Sales Teams Need More (And Better) Coaching .

Current Read

I may run the risk of having a mindfulness section for the newsletter if I continue to talk about it. But I’m watching it’s importance in my life and how mindfulness – or perhaps more accurately, lacking mindfulness – pulls me out of high performance in every area from family time, to work, and even my alone time.

This Science News article discusses How Mindfulness-Based Training Can Give Athletes a Mental Edge that allows them to better focus during periods of high stress and improve their overall mental health. Read more about the benefits of mindfulness and how you might apply them here .

Quotable

LinkedIn Live

Join me on Tuesday, March 8th at 10 am Eastern for another live session. We will be discussing how to successfully disagree with the boss.

02.24.22 - Edinger's Insights: The Real Path to Developing Talent

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 20:15:47 GMT

February 24, 2022

The Real Path to Developing Talent

Developing talent may be one of the most important jobs of a leader. Unfortunately, a meaningful investment in coaching and time dedicated to staff development is typically not made until the other work is done. It’s left for last (or close) and often given short shrift.

Excellent leaders focus on improving their people and helping them to perform at a higher level. Not just inspecting performance. Here are some differences between inspecting and improving the performance of your people.

Inspection Focus

Reviewing the results of things that have already occurred (e.g. financials, KPIs, etc.)
Focusing on activity measures.
Telling someone you need better results.
Requesting information or compiling data to prepare for meetings that are coming up.

Improvement Focus

Providing a model or example of what “good” looks like.
Giving them a chance to practice a new skill in a safe environment.
Observing and providing precise and specific feedback about what went well and what to do differently.
Encourage them to integrate the feedback into their work and practice again.

Rinse and repeat. No one develops expertise doing something once. Whether it is running a play in football, playing a piece of music on an instrument, delivering a big presentation, or executing a great consultative sales process. It takes a lot of practice and many iterations to get to high performance.

Read more about coaching and developing talent in my Harvard Business Review article Sales Teams Need More (And Better) Coaching .

Stealthy Change

We’ve all been a part of change initiatives. Whether it was related to culture, strategy, or something else, it likely began with a massive kick off event.

I’ve watched companies spend so much time, energy, and resources prepping for a launch, that they are exhausted as the real work begins. There are big announcements, beautiful decks, launch parties. But then… little happens.

There are times when a big splash is a needed part of change. But after the dust settles, what matters most are the stealthy and consistent actions of leaders. Let’s say you want to change the culture of your company. Once you set the vision, you must infuse the desired change into every conversation. Of course, you can’t just be a broken record. It’s a strategic effort to find elements of your culture that connect to the work that is right in front of you. For example, you can identify and discuss an aspect of the culture and talk about why it’s important and how it applies to the topics being addressed right now. It’s not just repeating the same stuff over and over – you make it relevant and real in each situation. You must walk the walk.

Grand launch efforts, while often nice, won’t make change happen. Through stealthy, consistent, and simple actions, leaders can successfully create transformation in their companies.

A Call Would Be Better

I just finished a phone call with someone I was about to email. Prior to calling I spent at least 10-12 minutes crafting a detailed reply to their email (does this sound familiar to you?) The topic had some sensitivity - it was about a disagreement on a fee. Careful to strike the right tone. Trying to succinctly express my point of view. Re-writing parts to strike the right balance of firm and flexible. It was hard to do. And then I realized, email is the wrong medium for this.

I put the email in my drafts box, thankful that the writing helped me clarify my perspective. Then I called. Soon we were able to connect for a five minute conversation and easily discussed and resolved the issue.

Next time you are drafting an email that feels difficult to write, ask yourself if another form of communication (e.g. in person, phone, zoom) would be better. Often it is.

Current Read

A Psychology Today article from earlier this year discussed the importance of risk-taking for creativity. Risk is essential for transformation and growth. Yet, the mantra “playing it safe” is often practiced and touted. If you always play it safe, you won’t make the forecasted mistakes. While that feels predictable and secure, it stifles innovation.

Companies that instill the need to play it safe within their employees miss out on amazing innovations that new ideas and risk-taking can deliver. People need the freedom to take creative risks. The worst outcome? They make a mistake, learn from it, and use it to advance their next idea. Read more about Why Taking Risks is Critical for Creativity .

Quotable

As I reflect on this idea, I think it is vital for leaders to remember this. But perhaps most important to remember if you are a parent!

02.17.22 - Edinger's Insights: Smart Growth

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 20:15:13 GMT

February 17, 2022

Smart Growth

Executives are responsible for guiding their organizations through growth. This is hard work and requires changing the mindset, behaviors, and actions of a team.

As I discuss in my recent Forbes article , Whitney Johnson’s S Curve of Learning can help leaders to navigate the challenges of growth. I’ve known Whitney for years and her latest book, Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company , outlines a useful roadmap and provides a common language.

The S Curve of Learning is defined by the three phases outlined below. Each phase is defined by what it feels like to be at that phase of growth and the key opportunities at each stage.

Phase I Launch Point : At the start of the curve, growth is slow and feels overwhelming.

Stage 1 Explorer: Time to explore possibilities and define the path forward
Stage 2 Collector : Time to gather input, feedback, and data

Phase II Sweet Spot : In the middle of the curve, momentum is building and growth feels fast.

Stage 3 Accelerator: Time to shift from creating to scaling and replicating success
Stage 4 Metamorph: Time to make way for the desired change to become the norm

Phase III Mastery : At the top of the curve, there is sustained high performance and the feeling of growth begins to slow.

Stage 5 Anchor: Time to see the desired change ingrained in your organization
Stage 6 Mountaineer: Time to enjoy the success and look for the next challenge

The better a leader understands the stages of growth, the more effectively they are able to guide their teams through change. The S Curve of Learning is a tool that allows you to do this successfully.

Getting the Best Out of Your Top Sales People

When it comes to driving performance in sales, it’s almost pavlovian how executives immediately look to compensation. Some even say sales professionals are coin-operated. While that is a commonly held belief, it’s based in part on a model of sales effectiveness that no longer works. In my experience, sales professionals are no more coin operated than finance professionals, marketers, or executives in the C-suite.

Of course compensation is important to all professionals. But in research by my friend and colleague at Korn Ferry, Joe Dimisa, it was fifth on the list of what star sales reps seek. Fifth .

Here are four things on the list that are more important than compensation:

Let your sales reps sell without being hindered. (Remove barriers)
Provide greater work-life balance and sense of well-being. (Increase flexibility)
Give them job security and a sense of future opportunities. (Develop their talent and skills)
Get them excited to work for a company with brand recognition and a strong reputation. (Inspire them and strategically guide them)

As I’m fond of saying about compensation, it won’t make your people better. Compensation applied effectively can help drive focus and may increase effort. But it won’t make people better at what they do. Only leadership that prioritizes developing talent can do that. Don’t jump to compensation and forget to prioritize these important drivers. By giving your sales people the right kind of leadership, you’ll get the best from them.

Everyone Hates Your Long Emails

By now you’ve heard Mark Twain’s famous quotation “I apologize for such a long letter - I didn't have time to write a short one.”

The essence here applies to email by orders of magnitude. Especially since many emails (maybe most?) are read on a phone. The best executives are succinct and focused in their communication.

I have more planned for you on this topic, but for now try this:

Keep it to 100-125 words (you will be astonished at how challenging that can be).
Include white space in between ideas.
Make one point at a time.

Easier written here than done.

Current Read

Having “no regrets” is a way of life for many. This philosophy allows people to stay present and not think about the potential consequences of their actions.

But this mentality is missing an important element of regret… that it’s a healthy and important component of the human experience. Used correctly, regret can provide clarity and give you (or others) information to make better decisions in the future. A 2021 Bentley University study found that when executives harnessed feelings of regret to their advantage, it gave them greater clarity while tackling challenges their business was facing.

Daniel Pink’s article in the Wall Street Journal, ‘No Regrets’ Is No Way to Live , examines regret and provides steps to take advantage of regret that we could all apply.

Quotable

02.10.22 - Edinger's Insights: C-Suite and the Health of the Revenue Stream

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 20:14:43 GMT

February 10, 2022

C-Suite and the Health of the Revenue Stream

I’ve been pointing out that the C-Suite connection with the sales function is often broken. So, I was thrilled to find some quantitative research that supports what I’ve been observing empirically for years. This Harvard Business Review article by Neil Capon and Christoph Senn, When CEOs Make Sales Calls illustrates the idea well. While the study is about sales calls and executives, it reveals something bigger. It highlights how the C-Suite is (or isn’t) engaged with the sales organization.

The study articulates five categories into which executive’s behavior with the sales organization falls:

Hands-off: 28% do not play any role with the sales organization or customers.
Loose cannon: 21% have ad-hoc involvement with visits to customers without coordination or strategic involvement.
Social visitor: 19% foster personal relationships with customers instead of discussing business.
Dealmaker: 18% focus on revenue and business instead of building relationships.
Growth champion: 14% develop a strategic customer relationship that focuses on both relationship and revenue building. This leads to the highest returns in revenue and profit.

To stay close to the health of the company revenue stream, it’s essential that the leaders on the executive team are growth champions. The 86% of executives that limit themselves to social interactions, ad hoc engagement, or being totally hands off would be well served to think about this. And to consider how they can develop more strategic engagement with sales and connections with vital customers and the realities of the market.

Mindfulness as a Leader

I debated even using the word mindfulness here because it’s so overused. It also connotes ideas that are a bit too trendy or woo woo. I don’t have a better term though, so I’m going with it.

Ironically, mindfulness doesn’t mean making the mind more full or adding more to an already full mind. It refers to the process of keeping the mind open and flexible so there is plenty of room for the present. To create an environment in which nothing else is going on but what’s right in front of you.

We all intend to be present in our conversations with others, both in our personal lives and at work. Certain conversations capture our attention. Our minds are engaged, and we can easily focus. In other situations, our minds wander, we get lost in thought, and before we know it, we miss something.

How can you bring yourself quickly back to the present? By doing some kind of practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness is defined as “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” You don’t have to go to India to study with a guru to do it. Sometimes taking 30-60 seconds to pay attention to your breathing, or a quick walk while you focus on every step, can snap you back to the moment.

The importance of mindfulness for a leader is undeniable because it is a key element of your focused attention. The ability to listen to and be present for your team, or to fully engage rather than providing partial attention is what fuels your effectiveness. When you are continually lost in thought, others will notice. Probably not all the time. But enough to make a difference.

Find a way to clear and focus your mind to be a more attentive leader. Whether it's through meditation, walking, or another method, it's an important part of your health and in turn, the health of your team.

Current Read

As a dog lover I really enjoyed this National Geographic article about dog geniuses. While I found it fascinating, it reminded me that it’s not the intelligence of a dog that makes them special. My two West Highland Terriers, Jack and Luke, are clearly intelligent, but they aren’t the next canine Einstein or Mozart. What’s most wonderful about dogs is how loyal, kind, loving, fun, and nonjudgmental they can be. As an aside, I believe that is what is ultimately what matters for people too.

Want more dog content? Read a fun piece about the talents of dogs in Some Dogs Are Geniuses - Just Like Humans .

Quotable

02.03.22 - Edinger's Insights: Do You Have Too Many Direct Reports?

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 20:14:20 GMT

February 3, 2022

Do You Have Too Many Direct Reports?

Most leaders can at some point relate to the issue of having too many direct reports. As organization structures grow and change, it’s a common struggle for most every leader I’ve worked with. Especially as you advance and take on bigger and bigger roles. The fact of the matter is that you can only provide clear and effective one-on-one leadership to a handful of people. Beyond 7-8 direct reports, it becomes difficult to give the attention and development they need and want.

Eventually, you’ll need to reduce the number of people who report directly to you. I often hear leaders in this situation express concern that the shift will result in someone being angry or disappointed. While that is usually true, it doesn’t mean that the change isn’t necessary. The more important question is how will you handle it? Here are a few thoughts to guide you.

Acknowledge their disappointment. When faced with a change, people’s first reaction is to ask “how will this impact me?” Try to understand what is at the core of their reaction and acknowledge the real disappointment that comes with this change.
Discuss the rationale. Explain the strategic rationale behind the change. Be very clear that it was operational and not personal. Make sure to tell them well in advance so they have time to process the change and can take the steps needed to transition to a new structure.
Work to continue the personal connection. They may be disappointed that they will no longer have a direct reporting relationship with you. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a strong connection. This is especially valuable with leaders whose support and alignment you still need. Make a commitment to be proactive in staying in contact for at least a year. Continue to have routine conversations and open dialogue. It may not be the same cadence of involvement as before, but the connection will remain intact.

Don’t avoid reducing the number of direct reports you have for fear of disappointing your team. Acknowledge when you are spread too thin to be an effective leader and then be intentional about how you make the change.

LinkedIn Live

Join me on Tuesday, February 8th at 3pm Eastern. We will be discussing how to get the best out of your sales organization .

01.27.22 - Edinger's Insights: The Three Silver Bullets That Often Miss Their Mark

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 20:13:52 GMT

January 27, 2022

The Three Silver Bullets That Often Miss Their Mark

I was interviewed at the Highspot Spark conference in November in a session titled Excellence at Scale: How Revenue Organizations Translate Strategy to Execution. One of the topics we covered was three silver bullets that often miss their mark.

When executives want to increase revenue, there are three common strategies used to improve the performance of sales teams: training, compensation, and recruitment. While there’s nothing wrong with these tactics, the issue lies in how they are implemented.

Typically, they aren’t used as part of a cohesive strategy to create a great sales experience and sell differently. They are done in staccato fashion, and often delegated to HR or middle management with expectations that they will immediately solve the problem at hand.

Here are a few reasons why your silver bullets aren’t hitting their mark, and how to redirect them.

Training: Executives spend a lot of money on training. When their sales people don’t leave a training completely transformed, they wonder what happened or worse, why didn’t it work? But developing talent cannot be an event-oriented practice.
It takes time and sustained effort in coaching to see tangible improvements.

Compensation: When executives want to improve performance on the sales team, they often incentivize them with a revamped compensation package. But this doesn’t enhance their skill sets.
Compensation can be an important driver to get your sales team to put in more effort or focus. But it won’t make them better at their job.

Recruitment: Executives might expect to bring together an entire cadre of new sales people at once. What they often find is that it’s rare to bring on a large team of super sales people at the same time.
Finding and developing a sales team that you can send out into the marketplace with confidence doesn’t happen overnight. Be willing to bring people on at different skill levels and provide them with the resources they need to become high performers.

With a cohesive strategy and an understanding of the effort and time needed, these approaches, despite not being silver bullets, can have a strong impact. It’s all in how you do it and who leads the effort.

You can watch the entire Highspot Spark Conference interview here .

Stop Presenting Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets and slides filled with numbers are not effective visual aids in a presentation. The audience immediately turns their attention to the slide to digest the information and look for what they find interesting. Most importantly, that means they stop listening to what you are saying. But I’m consistently surprised at how many people present an entire excel file from a projector or during a Zoom/other videoconference. Doing so never fails to derail a presentation.

To keep the focus on you and your message, follow these presentation principles:

Reduce the amount of data or content on your slides. Keep with one or two big ideas per slide that you build from in your comments. People can only absorb so much at one time.
If you have a spreadsheet, consider highlights on 2 or 3 key areas and fading the rest to background. Or better, consider a slide with just the 2 or 3 key pieces of data.
Don’t read from your slides. Your audience can read. You are there to add content, perspective, insight, and expertise.
Maintain control of the conversation by keeping the focus on what you are saying about the data, not the raw data itself.
Take the slides down. Once you present the data, bring the focus back to you by blacking out the screen or stopping your share.

Don’t overwhelm your audience with information. Only present the pieces of data that are critical to the current conversation. The rest can be sent as a follow-up to fill in gaps or answer any lingering questions.

Apologies

Harriet Lerner, author of the book Why Won’t You Apologize once said that kids tell her that their “I’m sorry” will invariably be followed by sermonizing or “add-ons” that make them want to get away as quickly as possible. If you want to teach your child to apologize, learn to say, “Thank you for the apology.” STOP THERE.

As I read this, I couldn’t help but think how applicable it is for us as adults too. This is not to say that an “I’m sorry” should foreclose any further conversation about the issue if it’s warranted. But recognizing when it’s time to stop the expression of the grievance and accept an apology is an important part of embracing any attempts at repair being made.

Current Read

Writing is a key communication skill. Yet, most leaders are mediocre at succinctly and clearly expressing their ideas. Just read the many email exchanges you receive in a day! Kip Tindell, former CEO of The Container Store, said “One of our foundation principles is that leadership and communication are the same thing. Communication is leadership.” I completely agree with him.

I recently read an article that discussed the importance of written communication for leaders and showcased two common mistakes. The first mistake is when people write in a drastically different way than they naturally speak and the second is failing to provide enough context on a topic or insight. Basically… they overcomplicate things.

Read about how to keep your writing simple in the Strategy+Business article Leaders Need to Be Good Writers Too .

Quotable

01.20.22 - Edinger's Insights: Why Most Feedback Doesn’t Work

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 20:13:28 GMT

January 20, 2022

Why Most Feedback Doesn’t Work

When people receive feedback, it is often too vague to be actionable. I’ve had executives tell me that they got feedback that they need to “communicate better,” or “find more creative solutions” and so forth, without much else to go on. How can such broad statements provide direction for improvement? These comments are open to a myriad of interpretations, leading many to miss the mark.

The same rings true with positive feedback. Telling someone they did a great job or their work on a presentation was terrific might make them feel good, but it doesn’t identify what exactly they did well. This is especially important if you want to reinforce behaviors (so they can keep doing that).

To increase your effectiveness and the likelihood that people will listen to you, focus on precision. Meaningful feedback is usually behavioral and specific.

Here’s an example:

Weak feedback - You need to be a more effective communicator.

Better options

You should introduce the two main ideas upfront before getting into the details.
You need to invite others to provide their opinions and avoid cutting people off when they are talking.
Your emails ought to be more concise by requesting the action first and keeping them to 100-125 words when possible.
You need to avoid too much jargon when explaining our value to prospects and instead use plain language.

You can see that each of the statements touch on a different aspect of communication. Without clarifying which one(s) the individual needs to work on, how can they take action? It is your responsibility as a leader to provide them with the appropriate level of detailed feedback, and improvement will happen accordingly.

What About Your Executive Team Sales Kickoff

This time of year is busy with SKOs. That’s Sales Kickoffs for those of you who don’t know (I didn’t know this acronym until a couple of years ago and I’ve led many of these meetings). It’s great to get the Sales Organization pointed in the right direction, but what about the Executive Team?

As I discuss in my recent Harvard Business Review article, Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions? , the success of your sales team has more to do with leadership than sales. And most Executive Teams are too disconnected from the Sales Organization to strategically influence the company’s revenue stream.

Interestingly, I’ve heard from numerous people who read the article, loved it, and then wanted to talk about sales training. So often, it is our instinct to turn to sales training as the solution. While there is a place for sales training, the point I want to drive home is that revenue growth and consultative selling success are, at the root, a leadership issue. So the question to consider is what are you doing for your executives?

If you want your sales team to sell solutions, ask yourself the following:

How do we as executives shift to create an environment that supports the sales team in selling solutions?
Are we doing anything to change our management practices?
Are we aligning the sales function to our strategy?

Resist the urge to see sales training as the best and immediate solution. Look first to address the root cause - leadership.

Read more about this here in the article Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions?

How Long Do You Say Happy New Year?

It’s past mid-January and I still hear people saying Happy New Year. So, I hesitate to write this at the risk of sounding like Andy Rooney or worse, because I always appreciate a kind greeting. And every year I have this entertaining conversation with a couple of colleagues about how long we say this. Would you ever wish someone a Happy Valentine’s Day in early March? What about Happy Thanksgiving in Mid-December? Happy 4 ^th of July on any other day but the 4 ^th of July?

Some say “I say it the first time I see or talk with someone (email too) after New Years.” But what if that’s not until January 25 ^th ? Or sometime in February or March? I have no problem with extending the joyful afterglow of the holiday, but find myself curious about what is the right amount of time to say Happy New Year!?

Current Read

Confidence is a skill you can learn and improve… it’s not innate.

I recently came across this concept in a Forbes article and was struck by how much it resonated with me. Understanding this idea empowers you to attend to your confidence like any other skill, instead of assuming it cannot be developed or improved.

The article suggests that confidence is not a constant, our feeling of confidence can ebb and flow. Furthermore, we can be confident and nervous or afraid simultaneously. Confidence is about acknowledging your fears and concerns and deciding to take action anyway.

Read more fallacies about confidence in the article 5 Myths About Confidence That Are Making You More Insecure .

Quotable

01.13.22 - Edinger's Insights: Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions

Thu, 13 Jan 2022 20:12:53 GMT

January 13, 2022

Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions?

We are decades into the shift to a consultative or solution sales approach. Yet, many sales teams still struggle to move beyond simply pitching their products or services. I hear about this struggle from executives all the time and wrote about it in my recent Harvard Business Review article Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions? , which hit this week's hotlist on HBR.

Selling solutions first requires that you create value for the customer by helping them to think differently or more broadly about issues or opportunities. With a new perspective comes an opportunity to provide solutions that will deliver better outcomes and results.

Why is it so challenging for sales organizations to shift to selling solutions?

It is far more difficult to do well than most realize. It takes considerable effort and commitment to move beyond pitching and closing toward successfully executing a strategic sales process.
It is not central to business strategy and doesn’t get proper focus. How you sell can be as differentiating as what you sell. Ask yourself, how will our sales experience create value?
Sales management and leadership practices don’t support the consultative sale. Metrics, coaching, and strategy need to be conducive to a solution selling process.

The blame doesn’t belong solely to the sales team for a lack of consultative selling. It is the responsibility of leadership to guide the transition to selling solutions. Sales can’t do it by themselves. If you can address the three challenges listed above, you will shift towards a high-performing solution sales organization.

Read more about this here in the article Is Your Sales Team Struggling to Sell Solutions?

You can also check out my LinkedIn Live recording from earlier this week for more on this topic HERE .

The Value of Speech

One of the most important things I learned in college was the value of speech. During my time on the college speech team, I watched students win championships with topics I found incredibly dull.

But the topic itself was never the reason anyone would win. Instead, it was their perspective on the topic, how they expressed the ideas, and strong delivery that made them compelling. I won bronze medals at the National Championships with speeches about the societal value of public restrooms and martial arts training. Whether the intent is to entertain, inform, or persuade, how we form ideas and convey them makes all the difference in how the audience receives them.

Being thoughtful about what you are going to communicate and how you will do it gives you the power to:

Compel others to action
Bring out the best in people
Provoke or stimulate different thinking
Generate excitement

Don’t wait to invest in your ability to communicate powerfully and broadly. Be disciplined and strive to get better. The need for improvement is never done.

Email Sense

Stop forwarding emails without a clear explanation of why you are re-routing that email to a new recipient. People receive far too many emails as it is. So, making your contact figure out why you are forwarding it in the first place is inefficient at best, and annoying or frustrating at worst.

I worked with someone years ago that would forward emails and add something like “Thoughts?” or “Your take?” This is just a little bit better as your intention is clear, but it’s lazy. It shifts the responsibility to the receiver to provide a more detailed reply when perhaps you need to think something through before asking.

Instead, provide the reason you are sharing. If it’s purely informational, say so with an FYI, so the recipient doesn’t feel they need to act or respond. If you want them to consider something, state your preference and request that. If you genuinely just want thoughts, perhaps you can share your own ideas and invite them to build on them. Otherwise, it seems like you are simply trying to shift your work to someone else.

Current Read

I’ve gone back and forth on New Year’s resolutions. Some years I have a single resolution that drives my focus. Other years I have resolutions broken out by categories. Still other years I’ve tried the “keep doing, stop doing, start doing” approach. Any approach can work if you are committed to the resolution.

In a recent Harvard Business review article , Elizabeth Grace Saunders discusses how resolutions can feel pointless because they are often set and then forgotten. Yet, this does not mean they are unattainable or cannot positively change your life. Saunders mentions tips to help increase the odds of a successful resolution such as picking one or two specific actions, getting support, and tracking your progress. Read more tips in the article Should You Even Bother with New Year’s Resolutions This Year?

Quotable

01.06.22 - Edinger's Insights: Stop Blaming the Pandemic

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 20:12:18 GMT

January 6, 2022

Stop Blaming the Pandemic

The pandemic has undoubtedly disrupted how businesses operate, and that certainly requires some grace from customers.

But plenty of the issues we face as customers today are not because of the pandemic. A few may be exacerbated by it, but most are due to poor decisions, leadership weakness, and short-sighted management. Here are some challenges I’ve seen leaders blame on the pandemic, many of which existed long before COVID.

Long (more than 20-30 minutes) sometimes absurdly long (over an hour) hold times
Customer support that doesn’t provide competent service because of poor training and lack of knowledge
Dropped calls with no call back
Inadequate systems that are too slow, or have frequent problems
Blind transfers to the wrong department requiring customers to explain their issue multiple times before reaching someone who might be able to help
Automated assistants that only respond to pre-programmed options (and don’t cover a full range of issues that customers call about)
Automated phone trees that are endless loops with little hope of reaching a person who is responsible for helping
The ability to process payments coming in quickly, but somehow slow in distributing reimbursements

Too many leaders are aware of customer’s dissatisfaction but don’t prioritize them. I’ve often heard “that’s just the way it is in our industry.” Or “that’s just to be expected with this kind of business.” It is until it isn’t. And when the market makes up its mind that it won’t tolerate your deficiencies because another better option exists, it happens fast. At that point, it’s too late to act.

Stop blaming the pandemic and take responsibility for what you can control. We can’t predict external factors, but leaders have great authority to create strong and responsive organizations.

I originally wrote this article in early December after being furious with a few businesses. But clearly I’m not the only one who is thinking this .

Successful Selling is About Leadership

The days of pitch and close as the primary sales skills are gone. So what does work? Leadership. I’ve observed over 1,500 sales calls and spoke with many customers following those interactions. The best sellers exhibit more leadership behavior than what would be labeled as traditional sales behavior.

To develop a great sales team, focus on leadership skills. It makes sense - a key characteristic of leadership is being able to motivate people to move or change something. Best-selling author Dan Pink said, “Selling is moving others to action.”

When I co-authored the Inspiring Leader , it was clear to me that the behaviors that leaders use to motivate their organizations are similar, if not the same, to those the best sellers use to bring value to clients and move them to action.

To improve your sellers performance, focus on developing their ability to build emotional connections, drive for results, communicate powerfully, foster innovation, and listen so that they can collaborate. This will make them inspiring leaders that can move others to action.

You can read more about this topic in two articles I wrote for Harvard Business Review, “ Get Over Your Fear of Sales ” and “ Would Customers Pay For Your Sales Calls ,” and another I was interviewed for, “ How to Improve Your Sales Skills, Even if You’re Not a Salesperson .”

LinkedIn Live

Join me on Tuesday, January 11th at 10 am Eastern for another live session. Your sales team may be struggling to sell solutions and the leadership team might be at the root of the problem. We will identify the three main issues executives fail to address in building a high-performance sales organization. Hint – it has nothing to do with sales training, compensation, or recruiting…

Quotable

Current Read

I’m not writing much about resolutions this year, but if you are considering your resolutions, thinking a little bit about the quality of your sleep may be among the most valuable things you can address. It’s as critical to your health as nutrition and exercise, but often not attended to. Here are 10 Reasons Why Good Sleep is Important .

12.30.21 - Edinger's Insights: Be Present As You Ring In The New Year

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 20:53:45 GMT

December 30, 2021

Be Present As You Ring In The New Year

Most of what you read in the next few days or even weeks will be about one of two things: reflecting on 2021 or preparing for 2022. As the year ends, both of these practices are very important. I also write about reflection and preparation.

But my advice to you is to put these aside for New Year’s weekend. Take a few days to focus on one thing: being present. We spend so much of our time looking back or anticipating the future and while there is a time and place for this, we often forget the importance of being in the moment.

I hope that you can remove all, or at least most of the clutter, distractions, and thoughts, and take time to enjoy your friends and family and whatever you are doing. I have struggled with this and work on it a lot, so I’m aware of how valuable it can be.

In my final newsletter of 2021, I want to leave you with two quotations about this topic from Sam Harris:

“ There is nothing passive about mindfulness. One might even say that it expresses a specific kind of passion—a passion for discerning what is subjectively real in every moment. It is a mode of cognition that is, above all, undistracted, accepting, and (ultimately) nonconceptual. Being mindful is not a matter of thinking more clearly about experience; it is the act of experiencing more clearly, including the arising of thoughts themselves. Mindfulness is a vivid awareness of whatever is appearing in one’s mind or body—thoughts, sensations, moods—without grasping at the pleasant or recoiling from the unpleasant. ”

“How we pay attention to the present moment determines the character of our experience and the quality of our lives.”

12.23.21 - Edinger's Insights: Can You Take Time for Yourself This Holiday Season?

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 20:53:29 GMT

December 23, 2021

First, thank you for being a subscriber to this newsletter. I do my best to provide good ideas and useful perspectives for you and hope you continue to find it a valuable few minutes to read. Just a quick perspective on the holidays this week.

Can You Take Time for Yourself This Holiday Season?

I hope this stretch of the holiday season between today and the start of the New Year is good for you. We celebrate Chanukah and Christmas in our home, and since the festival of lights started right after Thanksgiving this year, I feel like it’s been an especially hectic time. It’s inevitable that we end up busier than usual during the holidays. There is just more to do. Coupled with the additional year end or month end crunch of business activities, we add traveling, shopping, parties, decorating, and extra time with friends and family. The way we celebrate can be great, but it’s also exhausting at times.

Celebration and tradition requires some effort. To avoid becoming so overwhelmed and tired that you are unable to enjoy the moments, you also need to put effort into taking care of yourself. Here are a few things you should think about doing this holiday season:

Spend time meditating
Get a massage
Accept imperfection (one burnt side dish won’t ruin someone’s holiday)
Unplug from technology (try at least 48 hours if you can)
Treat yourself - don’t feel guilty about spending money on you!
Prioritize sleep
Ask for help – you don’t have to prepare everything
Go on a walk by yourself
Learn to say “no”
Time a moment to be grateful for what you have
Set appropriate expectations
Allow yourself to lose track of time

So take time for you this season. Incorporating these behaviors into your holiday will allow you to refill your cup and more fully enjoy time with others.

It’s Okay to Not be Okay

Also, while the holidays often provide joy and reason for celebration, many of us also experience moments of sadness or grief this time of year. Take this as your permission or reminder to let that be okay too.

Maybe it’s the first holiday without a loved one who has passed. Or the tenth. Or twentieth.
Maybe this time of the year reminds you of difficult times in your past.
Maybe you are contemplating your mortality and thinking there may not be many left. Or maybe you know this is your last or your last with someone you love.
Maybe you have some trauma in your childhood that echoes during the holidays.
Maybe financial hardships feel particularly poignant this time of year.

And so many other reasons why you may feel the holidays tinged or completely clouded with emotions other than peace and joy. It’s important to honor the difficult, sad, or even angry feelings we have during the holidays. Give them some acceptance, some space, some time to be felt. Those feelings are messages about something important to you.

And hopefully, once given their proper space and respect, you can also make room for some more pleasant emotions.

I hope you have at least a few moments of peace and joy through the next couple of weeks.

12.16.21 - Edinger's Insights: Magnets and Milestones

Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:53:12 GMT

December 16, 2021

Magnets and Milestones

To execute on company strategy successfully, leaders need to focus on managing results instead of managing tasks. Yet, many leaders get stuck discussing, measuring, and listening to reports on activities. This absence of results focus is a major factor in strategy execution failures.

I discuss how leaders can drive the execution and implementation of strategy by focusing on magnets and milestones in my recent Forbes article “ Are Workstreams Driving Your Strategy .”

Magnets . You must be clear about defining the work you need your team to do. This can be done by creating magnets that, if clear and complete, can guide and pull your team in the right direction. If the team doesn’t have a precise understanding of what they are working towards, it will be very challenging for them to successfully execute on the company strategy. I know you’ve seen work grind to a halt when people aren’t clear about the work to be done.

Milestones . While magnets are there to pull your team in the right direction, milestones are set in place to ensure you are on the right track throughout the process. These milestones are what leaders need to focus on - are we hitting the right markers to achieve our results versus just completing the daily tasks that might get us to our end goal. Ideally, milestones will help you know quickly if you are on track or off track, that way you can adjust accordingly.

Clearly defining the magnets and milestones is essential to informing your team members “what” to do. Once these are defined, let them figure out the “how.” This structure allows you to focus on the progress towards results and your team to focus on innovative ways to reach each milestone.

Read more about magnets and milestones in my article “ Are Workstreams Driving Your Strategy .”

HighSpot

I was recently interviewed on the HighSpot podcast by Andy Champion, we talked about how to lead teams that consistently excel. It was a fun experience, you can check out the full interview here .

I also wrote an article for HighSpot on the three sales performance stumbles you should avoid. You can check it out here .

What to Gift Your Team This Year

It’s always a good idea to show your team that you are grateful for the work they do. The holiday season is an especially good time to do so. Thanking people individually for their effort and being specific about the contribution you see them making is a great place to start and everyone can do this. If you are giving gifts, be thoughtful about them. The right gesture can demonstrate your appreciation, motivate them to stay engaged, and encourage them to develop additional skills.

Here are a few gift ideas for your team this year:

The time and encouragement to unplug… completely
An extra day off to spend with their family and friends or to simply relax
A professional development course, or training program of their choosing for 2022
A monetary bonus or gift card for something they like (e.g. coffee, chocolate, little indulgences – it doesn’t need to be a lot)
Instead of, or in addition to, an office party, consider paying for a dinner out (or in) to spend with their spouse

Recognition, appreciation, and reward are useful year round. But around the holidays, you don’t want to miss an opportunity to acknowledge your team. It is the little things that make people want to give you the extra effort when they come back refreshed and ready to get to work in 2022.

And if you want some other ideas for gifts this year, take a look at this New York Times article, The 32 Best Gifts for Coworkers .

What are The Little Things You Do?

I arrived at my dentist for my scheduled appointment last Monday. Martine, the hygienist said to me, “Ok, Scott. We are overdue for x-rays. If you don’t complain about it you’ll get AC/DC for the entire cleaning.” We both laughed. She knows me pretty well – that I hate the x-rays, but do like hard rock and heavy metal. So, she met me in advance with something she knew would put me in a good mood.

It was a nice reminder of the small things that we can do for clients (or anyone?) that make for a good experience. Think about what you can do for your clients.

I didn’t think having a good dental experience was even possible before I went to Pearl Dental Center and met Dr. Downie. But it is!

Current Read

We’re Doing Downtime Wrong

We all need downtime. We aren’t machines. And when we treat ourselves as if we are, we burn out. We need time that is dedicated to no particular focus or goal. This will give us the space needed for our minds to wander, and to stumble on creative solutions and innovative ideas. I used to try to squeeze every bit of productivity out of the day, but have learned overtime that having downtime and white space is vital to doing any kind of strategic work.

Next time you find yourself with an unexpected break, your phone dies or plans get canceled, take the opportunity to harness the power of downtime. Read more about how downtime can help you be more creative and productive in the Neuroleadership article We’re Doing Downtime Wrong .

Quotable

Often attributed to Lao Tzu (but this has been disputed)

12.09.21 - Edinger's Insights: What About Culture

Thu, 09 Dec 2021 20:52:56 GMT

December 9, 2021

What About Culture

Culture can be an amorphous term. I think about culture as the beliefs that shape behavior . This is true in any country, company, organization, or family. Most of the time, how someone acts reflects their belief about what action is appropriate. So the way individuals or groups behave is a reflection of their mindset.

If you want to work on culture in your company, you need to focus on the following:

Values - You probably have values that are completely underused. Dust them off and make sure they are still relevant to your company today. Explain what they mean in detail (instead of just compiling some terms with taglines).
Beliefs - Define the beliefs that reflect each of the values. Determine what beliefs get in the way of the kinds of behaviors you want to see. If being customer centric is a value, write out what beliefs come with it. Maybe it's the belief that the customer has a valuable perspective and that what they are trying to accomplish is important.
Behaviors - Decide what the values and beliefs look like behaviorally. If you value respect for each person on your team, you might consider the policy of returning emails and calls within 24 hours (unless there’s an emergency) as an action that backs up the value. Or create the expectation that critique must be focused on a situation, behavior, or issue, not an individual.

To develop and maintain a healthy company culture, start by defining your values and determine the attached beliefs and actions.

Inoculate Your Team From The Great Resignation

Most leaders have been treading water for the last 18+ months to keep things going. But as the pandemic evolves into an endemic, it’s time to start thinking about how to engage your team in a more meaningful way. The alternative? Risk losing them to the Great Resignation.

While most of what is written on this topic focuses on those who are leaving, I suggest you pay close attention to those who are staying!

There are a few critical factors that contribute to retention:

Give your team the autonomy needed to influence the outcome of their work. Let them determine how they are going to achieve the objectives you define.
Inspire them to consistently grow as professionals and create opportunities for them to do so. When people see leaders investing in their growth, they are willing to tolerate a lot.
Make sure they understand and believe in the vision and strategy of the company. If they see the role they play in the bigger picture, they will feel a more meaningful connection to the work.

There are no substitutes for these things. And while they may not protect you from losing everyone, they will increase your chance of keeping most people you really need.

Read more about how to keep remote workers (and really, any workers) engaged in my Harvard Business Review article “ Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged .”

Unexpected Innovation

How did it take me over 50 years to learn this is the best way to eat a cupcake. Perfect proportion of cake and icing in each bite. My ten year old daughter did this when we had cupcakes. My 17 year old daughter suggested this was old news. How am I the last to know?

Current Read

Jack the Giant Killer

Wherever you land on the political spectrum, you’ve likely had an opinion about Twitter and/or Jack Dorsey. The role that Twitter plays in the flow of information around the world is undeniable. But whatever you think, I’ll bet this article by Mike Solana will at least cause you to pause and reconsider your position on the platform and its leadership. It’s thoughtful and well written.

Quotable

“There is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists”

--- Forest Ranger at Yosemite National Park on why it is hard to design the perfect garbage bin to keep bears from breaking in to it.

12.02.21 - Edinger's Insights: The Sales Experience as a Strategic Imperative

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 20:52:30 GMT

December 2, 2021

The Sales Experience as a Strategic Imperative

I’ve been working with a client that has done impressive work on the customer experience. But not much on the sales experience. As they considered their growth strategy, we worked together on both the customer and sales experience. This is an important shift for the business as their go to market strategy includes differentiation and value both in WHAT they provide (products and services) and HOW they provide it (sales and customer experience.)

The sales experience rarely gets attention while time and resources are poured into the customer experience. But if the sales experience isn’t a good one, prospects won’t become customers, rendering the customer experience useless. As I said in this Harvard Business Review whitepaper , “The sales experience is the first mile of the CX highway. If it’s a bad experience, customers get off at exit 1, and there is no CX, or even revenues.”

Without both components working in tandem, your growth strategy won’t be successful.

Depending on the research study, somewhere between 25%-53% of a customer’s decision criteria is based on the sales experience. Even if the data are at the low end of those figures, each sales call plays a major role in your strategy’s success. Here are a few tips to help you bolster the sales experience:

Provide valuable insights. You will have more engaged dialogue if you are listening and responding to customers with a new perspective and applying your expertise to their circumstances. 1000 times more useful than a sales pitch.
Help with problem-solving. If you can aid a customer in seeing how they can solve a problem in an entirely new way, you are improving the odds that they will find value in what you are selling.
Help with innovation. Solving problems is great. But raising the bar may be even better. Helping customers identify and capitalize on opportunities is a powerful way to create value for them during the sales experience.

Take the time to map out the sales experience you want to (and need to) provide. You will start to see more wins in sales calls and overall growth.

Why You Need to Find Your Flow

I read Dr. Laurie Santos’ newsletter, The Science of Wellbeing , which focused on Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work on happiness. Csikszentmihalyi noted that there are things that happen in life that are out of our control but have an impact on us. But there are also things we can implement to improve our happiness, regardless of external events. And finding your flow was one of them.

When people are in flow state, they lose their normal awareness of stressors, pressure, and mental clutter. Flow state brings with it pleasure and feelings of accomplishment. It even makes time pass differently - making hours feel like minutes. This state of mind can be found in many ways depending on the person, from writing or composing to running or woodworking.

So how can you be intentional about finding your flow? Identify the activities that fully immerse you and find time to incorporate those throughout your day. If you can make the activities that naturally absorb you a central part of your life, you will reap the benefits of more focused work and more happiness.

Stop Inundating Your Customers

Were there any cyber-Monday sales, or text or email notifications about Cyber Monday deals? I couldn’t tell.

Also, I’m worried that my car warranty may be expiring, and I don’t know who on earth I could get in touch with about this. If only someone would contact me about it.

Don’t inundate your customers (or potential customers) constantly. Find the balance - if they get too much information… they stop hearing you.

Current Read

Is it Imposter Syndrome, or Does Your Company Suck?

There’s a lot of content that focuses on how to overcome imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome causes people to doubt themselves even if they are very successful, leading to anxiety and a concern that others will discover they are a fraud.

In addition to the need for individual resources, there is a less-discussed, but also important, contributor to imposter syndrome. An article in Lifehacker asks what role the workplace environment plays in breeding feelings of imposter syndrome, and if focusing on the individual (rather than the environment) is making matters worse. Read more about the environmental factors that can lead to imposter syndrome in the article “ Is it Imposter Syndrome, or Does Your Company Suck? ”

Quotable

11.25.21 - Edinger's Insights: Thanksgiving

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 20:52:13 GMT

November 25, 2021

Thanksgiving

Since the newsletter goes out early Thursday mornings, I didn’t think you’d want business articles in your email on Thanksgiving. So, today I’ll give you a few ideas to ensure you have a great Thanksgiving.

Idea for avoiding arguments. Don’t worry about changing anyone’s mind. Listen to their perspectives. Respect their point of view. Appreciate their ideas and the reasons why they have them. Feel free to ask that they do the same. Essentially, don’t try to convince someone to see or believe something differently. Something beautiful happens with mutuality and recognition of each other. And if they don’t engage the way you want to, you can move on to the pumpkin pie.

Idea for creating closer, more meaningful conversations. It’s easy to stick to the surface stuff – the food, the football game, and the weather. But whether you are celebrating with people you’ve known your entire life or someone you are meeting for the first time, you have an opportunity to build a deeper connection. If you are intentional about this, you may find the time spent together to be far more valuable and enjoyable, as this research suggests.

Dr. Laurie Santos , Professor of Psychology at Yale University, commented on that study and offered us a few thought starters. Each question may be appropriate in a different situation, and the specific questions really aren’t the point. It’s about making the effort to get to know someone and being open to sharing yourself.

For what in your life do you feel most grateful?
If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about your future, or anything else, what would you want to know?
What’s the most important thing I should know about you?
If you could undo one mistake you have made in your life, what would it be and why would you undo it?

Nick Epley, Professor of Behavior Science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, summed up the opportunity to build deeper connections well when he said, “When you are connected to somebody else, it’s because you know them. And what is it to know somebody? It means you know what is on their mind. And the closest you get to somebody’s mind is through the words that they share with you.”

Idea for not overstuffing yourself. You know all of this already, so I’m just reminding you. Of course, if you enjoy the feeling of being stuffed as part of your thanksgiving ritual, go for thirds. Your weight or waistline at the end of the year is not going to be impacted by an all-out crazy day of eating. It’s the other 364 days that will.

But if you find the feeling to be uncomfortable, here are some tips to avoid getting overstuffed:

Drink plenty of water before and during your meal. This will make you less hungry when you sit down to eat. Wine and other alcohol will have the opposite effect.
Stop when you feel full and don’t eat the seconds just because they taste good. Remind yourself you can get leftovers later.
Get up from the table for those meaningful conversations and don’t linger, as you’ll be tempted to eat more.

I am likely to ignore at least two of these ideas, but then I can only blame myself if I’m uncomfortably stuffed.

Idea for something other than football to watch. I don’t really know why anyone would watch something other than football on Thanksgiving. But if for some strange reason they did, I’ll suggest the now popular My Octopus Teacher . When I watched it with my family last year around this time, it hadn’t yet won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was far less heralded, so, this may be old news for you. But this is a big hit for all ages. It is a visually breathtaking film, with beautiful music, and a story about connections, loss, and meaning in life. Perfect for Thanksgiving.

Idea for a call to make. What friend would love to hear from you? Maybe you’ve talked recently or maybe it’s been a while. But is there a better day to take a few minutes to call a friend and let them know that their friendship is among the things you are most thankful for? You may be waiting, as I am often guilty of doing, for the right time when you have an hour set aside for a proper catch up only to find that it keeps getting postponed. And you may be really busy with cooking, family, and entertaining today. But could you take 10 minutes to say hi, let them know you are thinking about them, and save the more in-depth catch up for another day in December or even after the new year? This applies all weekend. You have four days.

11.18.21 - Edinger's Insights: One Percent a Day

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 20:51:53 GMT

November 18, 2021

One Percent a Day

When it comes to achieving major objectives, I see leaders consistently make this mistake. They massively overestimate what can be done in the short term and wildly underestimate what can be done in the long term. This creates a whipsaw effect. In the short term, unrealistic expectations thwart progress and crush morale. At the same time, the planning, effort, resources, and energy that could have been applied to a more sustained approach are at least partially lost, and the results don’t materialize.

How can you shift your thinking around short-term goals and see greater long-term improvements? I’d suggest that it’s by thinking about driving results and progress by 1% a day . This approach is called the aggregation of marginal gains – a strategy that says tiny improvements applied consistently in many areas can produce big results. A mentor previously shared this with me, but the concept was popularized by the director of British Cycling, Sir Dave Brailsford. He theorized that if you took all aspects of cycling and worked to improve each by 1%, your overall performance would significantly improve. Think of it like compound interest - 1% a day adds up. It worked for his cycling team as they went from perennial mediocrity to Olympic Gold medals and Tour de France victories.

Need to improve your offerings to clients? Want to create new capabilities for your business? Trying to develop your team or yourself? Consider the small, incremental gains that you can make daily, even weekly.

Executives create vision and set long-term goals. So, if you inspire each team member to take an element of the work to be done and improve by 1% a day, the cumulative benefits can be huge for your business and results.

High Standards Drive Results

Being results driven is one of the most valuable assets of a leader. It’s what allows you to push through plateaus, level up, and achieve the most ambitious goals. But too often, leaders make the mistake of driving results by just pushing their team harder or demanding that results improve. It’s more nuanced than that. You must simultaneously elevate expectations and provide the necessary support and direct communication to your team.

Raise the expectations set for team members . Paint a vivid picture of what high performance might look like and help them see why it is important, how it matters to the organization, and why it should matter to them. Clearly explain the milestones that they need to hit to take their work to the next level. Make sure there is a complete understanding of what is expected, how they will get there, and that they will be held accountable.

Improve how you support and communicate expectations . Some companies have high standards and expectations stated in posters and PowerPoints but stop there. They miss the mark by not intentionally integrating communication of expectations and the necessary support into their work. Being direct is critical when communicating expectations (this doesn’t equate to being mean). Speak to your team members with professionalism, care, and understanding. Then, provide them the support they need to succeed so you aren’t setting them up to fail.

Elevating team performance is about fostering motivation and clear expectations at each level of the organization.

Current Read

The Tyranny of Positivity: A Harvard Psychologist Details Our Unhealthy Obsession with Happiness

As leaders, it’s important to be real and authentic with our teams. Being overly positive can be just as unhelpful as being too negative. Of course, there is a balance that needs to occur between acknowledging real issues and not completely demoralizing your team. But a fake smile and overly positive attitude should not be the goal.

Yet, our society has a strong tendency to push positivity into all aspects of our lives. No matter what is going on that might make us feel sad, frustrated, or angry, there is an underlying pressure to just “be happy”. But this prevents you from embracing reality and accepting all ranges of emotions you may feel. Susan David, a psychologist and author of the book “ Emotional Agility ,” recently wrote about the tyranny of positivity in an article in Neuropysch .

She discusses the importance of people developing the skills needed to manage their emotions when challenging times arise (instead of covering them with happiness) to make room for authentic expression and strengthened resilience. Leaders need to be real, and acknowledging the tyranny of positivity frees us to consider how to effectively integrate authentic emotions into our lives and work.

Quotable

11.11.21 - Edinger's Insights: The Strategy and Execution Gap

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 20:51:31 GMT

November 11, 2021

The Strategy and Execution Gap

While discussing a recent setback with an executive over breakfast, he shared that there was a great strategy in place, but the team blew the execution. I paused and asked, “May I challenge that idea?” He agreed and we had a productive conversation about how good strategy and execution are inextricably linked.

Roger Martin, the former Dean of the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, evaluated the idea of a brilliant strategy that is poorly executed in his HBR article, The Execution Trap . He said “If a strategy produces poor results, how can we argue that it is brilliant?” The example of a phenomenal Broadway play that closes after one week or the brilliant political campaign that results in the other candidate winning underscores the point. Can we really claim that it was brilliant if it ended so quickly?

Good strategy considers execution by definition.

So how do you drive execution? My approach to this is straightforward. By definition, most elements of a strategy are aspirational. Because strategy is future oriented, there are components that aren’t grounded in data or proven experience - they can almost feel fictional. To be successful, your strategy must include what you will do to execute and achieve the objectives you set. One key to successful execution is creating capabilities to perform better in the market.

I suggest answering three questions to drive execution:

What must we improve upon that’s not currently good enough? Identify areas of weakness that will hinder you from successfully executing your strategy and determine opportunities to improve.
What needs to be built that we don’t have? Consider where you have gaps that need to be filled.
What needs to be acquired that we don’t have? It’s not always necessary to build internal capacity, consider where you may augment what you already have with external resources.

A good strategy includes well-defined answers to each of these in order to achieve the desired results.

Revamp How You Create

We’ve all been a part of those two or three day sessions or retreats that bring people together to formulate strategies, brainstorm, problem solve, and make decisions.

But how many times did you review the output captured on flip charts or the notes from the meeting and wonder, “What did we mean by this?” or worse, “What the hell were we talking about?” and “What do we do with this now?”

Prior to the pandemic, the offsite retreat was a common feature of the work environment. The shift to remote work and limiting in-person gatherings has helped us rethink this, and I have come to realize that these working sessions are far less useful than many believe.

Co-creation with five or more people is misery (and I’ve participated with many more). There are too many opinions in the room to thoughtfully create something, have meaningful discussion, or efficiently make a decision. The reality is, there doesn’t need to be consensus at every point in the process.

To be clear, convening groups of leaders for these purposes is still vital. There are just ways we can be more efficient and effective.

Rather than bring a large group together to create a strategy or new initiative, I suggest developing a strawman with one or two key stakeholders first. This allows you to capture an initial draft that can be brought to the larger group for reactions and feedback. Taking this approach gives the group a starting point to further refine the idea and move toward a decision rapidly.

What's more, no one has the ability to sustain intense focus for a multi-day meeting. Use hybrid work to your advantage and create space for short bursts of creativity and then bring the team together for the kind of work that can only be done in person. Use your in person meetings to test and refine the concept, discuss implementation, and develop alignment toward a common vision and goals.

Do You Listen to Understand?

I’ve noticed that some people listen to others like they are an attorney in a courtroom. They scrutinize every word in search of something to dissect or interpret differently. I see this play out with everyone from executives discussing strategies to my friends debating whether Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T .

In the latter case, the goal is in fact to prove the other person wrong. But unless you are in court or a politician, in most other situations, the objective should be to understand similarities and differences in how you see the issue or situation. This approach is a great way to form stronger connections with those we work with. Only once you have listened to gain mutual understanding are you free to disagree.

Current Read

Veterans Day 2021: Learn The History and Meaning Behind Veterans Day

Veterans Day is observed in the United States on November 11th. It’s a day to honor all veterans, living or deceased, who served in the US military (compared to Memorial day, which honors veterans who have died). Originally named Armistice Day, Veterans Day was enacted to commemorate the end of World War I on November 11, 1918 at 11:00am.

There are many ways you can show veterans your appreciation and support on November 11, or any day of the year. Reach out to a veteran you know to thank them and learn more about their experience, drive a disabled vet to their doctor appointments, or make a charitable donation to help wounded veterans. Read more about the history of Veterans Day and what you can do in support of veterans on November 11th here .

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11.04.21 - Edinger's Insights: Are You Focused on the Right Customers?

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 20:51:13 GMT

November 4, 2021

Are You Focused on the Right Customers?

A couple of years ago, I met with a COO of a 40 billion dollar company who was extremely frustrated with the revenue forecast for the year ahead. Many of the companies in their pipeline didn’t fit the right profile for their strategy. In his mind, it was clear that they shouldn’t be working with them. And yet, the sales team was allocating considerable time, energy, and resources to bringing these companies in as clients.

The disconnect between the company strategy and what the sales team is doing on a day-to-day basis is common. It’s a misalignment that derails companies from achieving their growth objectives.

As an executive, you might find yourself concerned with the type of new business coming in. Or aghast at how much money is spent pursuing customers outside of the desired profile. If so, you need to ask yourself and your team, is our sales team directed by our company’s strategy? Have we been rigorous about defining our ideal client profile? What must be done to ensure we stay focused on our target markets?

Once these questions are answered, it comes down to execution to ensure the pursuit of the right customers. Successful execution of your strategy is as much about what you shouldn’t do as what you should do. In most cases, it’s as simple as pursuing business that fits the bill, and letting go of that which doesn’t.

Read more about how to get your sales team to execute your strategy in my Harvard Business Review article here .

Should You Be a Leader?

I have worked with many leaders who wanted to be in a senior manager or executive position. They got it, and then realized they didn’t actually like the job. What they liked was the idea of having a title or role, not the actual responsibilities that came with it.

Here are three things every person should have in their toolkit before accepting a leadership role.

A vision and strategy. A leader needs to have a vision, a sense of what’s important, and a strategy to make it happen. Very little leadership is needed to maintain the status quo.
A desire to lead and inspire. If you don’t enjoy managing and developing people, you don’t belong in a leadership role. You need to have the ability to inspire and motivate those on your team.
A sense of credibility. You need to be trusted, believable, and confident to lead effectively. Every action and conversation builds or diminishes credibility.

Think about the responsibilities you want to have and how it matches up with what is required. If those align, it might be time to level up.

LinkedIn Live

My latest HBR article, Good Leaders Know You Can’t Fight Reality hit #1 on the most popular list. With the popularity of the article, we will be diving into it on Tuesday, November 9 ^th for another LinkedIn Live. Join me at 10am Eastern.

HighSpot Spark Conference

I was honored to speak amongst a great group of speakers yesterday including Trevor Noah, Host of The Daily Show, Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services, Bradford Jordan, Sr. Manager, Global Sales & Success Enablement of Slack, Amy Borsetti, Senior Director of LinkedIn, Paul Hamilton VP, Worldwide GTM Enablement of DocuSign, and so many other talented people at the Spark annual conference. The topic of my session was Excellence at Scale: How the Best Revenue Organizations Translate Strategy to Consistent Execution.

Some important topics I cover are:

Debunking Myths in Improving Sales Performance
Creating a High-Performance Culture
The Right Metrics to Drive Revenue Growth

The session was recorded so I'll be sharing additional content from this conference in future newsletters.

Current Read:

The Forgotten Dimension of Diversity

I talked with Columbia professor Paul Ingram about a year and a half ago, just as he was writing this article for Harvard Business Review. A mutual friend and colleague connected us, thinking my background living on public assistance may provide a valuable perspective.

I was impressed with Paul’s research, which highlighted that income and social class have a greater impact than race or gender on whether someone reaches the manager level in a company. This is true globally, not just in the United States, and yet very few people are paying attention to it. From my perspective, it is critical for companies to recognize this, as it gets to the heart of the issue of equity in the workplace. As the article states, “Any hopes we might have of addressing racial inequity in the workplace require a clear-eyed analysis of its root causes—and these are increasingly connected to social class.”

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10.28.21 - Edinger's Insights: Making Emotional Connections in a Virtual World

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 20:50:56 GMT

October 28,2021

Making Emotional Connections in a Virtual World

Inspiring leaders build authentic emotional connections. It is the most powerful skill when it comes to inspiring and motivating others . The higher up you go in an organization, the more important those connections become.

Years ago, I wrote an article for HBR called Three Ways Leaders Make Emotional Connections . This isn’t about oversharing or big displays of emotion. Rather, it’s about how we connect as people – not task focused robots. While the underlying approaches for creating emotional connections still stand, our world has changed. We have shifted from predominantly in-person office settings to a more virtual or hybrid environment. This shift requires greater intentionality around how we foster our professional relationships.

Consider these three ways to make emotional connections in our virtual world.

Give people your undivided attention. Without as many in-person opportunities, you might find that you are no longer having one-on-one conversations with your team. Take the time outside of group meetings to speak to people individually, making sure to give them your focused time and energy.
Be aware that emotions are contagious. Leaders have a strong emotional wake. Regardless of what the emotion is, your attitude has a ripple effect throughout the organization. Even online, people rely on your facial expressions and tone to understand where you are coming from. When you are energized and excited, show that excitement during meetings. When you are stressed or angry, be mindful of your impact on others, and take a break from video when necessary.
Develop your sense of extraversion. You may feel like your life is a constant stream of video calls, but don’t let Zoom fatigue stop you from reaching out to people in your network outside of your team. If you are trying to be a more inspiring leader, it’s critical.

Don’t underestimate the power of the emotional connection. Being attentive to this will help you lead a more connected team and create greater trust and enhanced performance.

Effective Decision Making Includes Communication

What’s the most common mistake leaders make when communicating decisions? Not doing it. As the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw famously said, “The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

One common reason for this is a concern for how people will react. To avoid that potential discomfort, I’ve seen leaders simply avoid communicating decisions. That leaves people in the dark or they find out in unintentional (and sometimes unproductive) ways.

As a leader, you can’t fear the possible consequences of being truthful. Sure, sometimes confidentiality comes into play. But there’s often a way to let your team know what may be in store without sharing beyond what’s appropriate. For example, your business may field inquiries each year from prospective acquirers. There is no need to disclose the full details of each offer as they arrive, but you could share that you routinely receive offers and at some point, acquisition may become a reality. This appropriate disclosure can help prime your team for what may come and save them from feelings of complete shock in the future.

When it does come time to share a decision, be thoughtful about how it is communicated. Include the what and the why of the decision. This will give people the framework needed to put the decision in context. Give them an idea of what to expect going forward and provide them some guidance in how it may impact their role.

Current Read

Here we go with the whole Daylight Savings thing again. As Discover magazine points out, it’s a ritual despised by many of us. We all have our reasons, and despite appreciating some of what’s associated (like the change of seasons) I’d skip the time change if given the choice. What surprised me in reading this article was the impact it has on animals - particularly those that intersect with human activity patterns.

How do you feel about Daylight Savings?

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10.21.21 - Edinger's Insights: The Importance of Accepting Reality

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 20:50:32 GMT

October 21, 2021

The Importance of Accepting Reality

In last week’s newsletter I referenced my recent HBR article, Good Leaders Know You Can’t Fight Reality , and shared the important role that acceptance has played in my life and work. The article generated a good deal of thoughtful conversation, and I received some interesting emails with a wide range of perspectives.

One person wrote, “This is so right and so needed in the workplace. Also, do you have hidden cameras filming our executives?”

Another wrote, “This article is patently wrongheaded! You will fail in your efforts to discourage innovation.”

I recalled for a moment the idea that you can’t please everyone (nor is it my job when writing to do so.) So, while I thanked both of them for reading, it struck me that those who had a very negative reaction to the article shared a common misunderstanding about the main idea.

Let me be clear - accepting reality is not the same as apathy, approval, or passively accepting whatever comes your way as a leader. My viewpoint of accepting reality refers to the art of accepting what we cannot change and responding accordingly.

Accepting reality is a valuable leadership skill because it allows you a choice. Rather than being stuck fighting or getting angry, you can choose the most effective path forward based on the facts and circumstances as they are. Not as you wish they were, or believe they should be, but as they are. I bet you’ve seen leaders who fail to make progress because of their inability to accept and work within the context they find themselves.

There are three kinds of acceptance that are useful for leaders:

Accepting results . Until you can fully accept a setback or failed strategy, you probably aren’t going to move on or support anyone else in doing so. Accepting results doesn’t mean you are comfortable with them. It means you can clearly see the reality of what occurred and will make the changes that are necessary to prevent the failure from happening again.
Accepting circumstances. There will always be things that come up that are out of your control. The pandemic is an example of a situation in which it’s critical to accept the circumstances at hand. Acceptance allows you to switch your energy and thinking from “I don’t want this to be happening” to “How can we work with and adjust for what is happening?”
Accepting your failings and those of others. Everyone is going to make mistakes. When you can accept your own failings, you give yourself the space to pursue growth. The same is needed for those around you.

Acceptance isn’t a passive behavior. It’s an intentional tool that gives you the opportunity to acknowledge reality and use it to your advantage. It frees you from useless cycles of frustration and avoidance, and helps you achieve better results. You can read the full article here: Good Leaders Know You Can’t Fight Reality .

When to be Opportunistic

A clear go-to-market strategy requires that you define your ideal client profile and stick to it. The old adage of strategy being as much about what not to do as it is about what to do comes to mind. But there are times when it’s appropriate, and even advantageous, to stray from the ideal opportunity, right?! Right.

So, when should you be opportunistic? I suggest there are two primary conditions that must be true.

The business is easy to acquire. If the opportunity is coming at you with little to no cost of sale or energy on your part. The negotiation and planning should be a breeze, with minimal investment of selling resources.
The business is easy to execute. If the opportunity is in alignment with your expertise and doesn’t require much in terms of additional resources. In other words, the work should be easy to accomplish. Your team will already be set up and ready to get the work done efficiently.

The problem that companies face is calling business opportunistic when these conditions are not in place. When that happens, you are simply spending time, effort, energy, and resources on ill-fitting opportunities. Call it what it is and say no, freeing yourself up to pursue opportunities that align with your strategy.

Always invest in and prioritize your clients who are a strategic fit. Then, if other opportunities arise that do not create a capacity issue for the work with your strategically aligned clients, investigate further. If there is time left over and you don’t need to make a huge investment in acquiring and executing the work, go for it!

Current Read

We are gearing up for Halloween, and while my youngest daughter has selected my costume for the last few years, I know some of you are probably still scrambling for a costume. If you need an idea, check out this article that highlights the most popular costumes in each state!

We live on a tree lined street in an old neighborhood near downtown. It’s one of those neighborhoods where everyone goes trick-or-treating, and as a result my family is way into Halloween. Based on what’s popular on this map, I expect that we will see a lot of Harley Quinn, rabbits (really, rabbits?!), and Squid Game (I had to do some Googling to see what a Squid Game costume would entail).

Remember, we’re never too old or too busy to have a little fun.

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10.14.21 - Edinger's Insights: Good Leaders Know You Can't Fight Reality

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 20:50:10 GMT

October 14, 2021

Good Leaders Know You Can’t Fight Reality

Something very cool happened for me this week. An article I wrote, on a topic I care deeply about, struck a chord with people around the world.

My latest article for Harvard Business Review was #1 on the most popular list and among the most read this week. While I’m personally proud of the article’s success, it’s also an indication of the relevance of the topic.

The article is important to me, and the concept has been a long time in the making.

For years I’ve struggled with the idea of acceptance, particularly about things which seem unacceptable. Without going too deep into my personal history, I’ll just share that my early life circumstances were extremely traumatic, even considered unacceptable. In therapy, I stumbled upon this idea of Radical Acceptance . I don’t particularly like the term (think Zen), but it resonated with me, even though it is extremely difficult.

Over time, I began to notice how important acceptance is for strong leadership. Specifically, at the root of many bad leadership decisions is an unwillingness to accept reality. As a result, I’ve seen a spectrum of poor behavior by leaders - aggression, avoidance, tantrums, yelling, and shutting people out. All these situations are easily traced to a leader who couldn’t accept the situation, an outcome, or people as they are.

It’s easy to confuse this idea of acceptance with what it is not. It unequivocally does not mean that one must accept everything as is and that change is not possible. It isn’t blind approval, and it doesn’t mean being resistant to change. It simply recognizes that fighting with or rejecting reality won’t change it. That just squanders time, effort, energy and focus that can be harnessed for leading productive change. In the article, I quote Carl Jung “We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses.”

In the article there was no room, nor was it the appropriate forum, to share context or personal background. But in this newsletter, I wanted to take a moment to share that context with you, I hope you find it to be valuable.

Read the full article here: Good Leaders Know You Can’t Fight Reality .

Recapturing the Meaning of Strategy

I was in a working session where someone quipped “What is our strategy for getting lunch today?” At that moment, I thought the term had reached a new low. It got me thinking about the meaning (or lack of meaning) of the word “strategy.” In business we have overused the word and diluted its meaning so much it’s nearly lost its meaning entirely.

But it's important, because if you don’t know what it is, then how can you make it useful for your business? I like this succinct definition of strategy from the book Top Management Strategy by Tregoe and Zimmerman; “The framework which guides those choices that determine the nature and direction of an organization. “

So, a good strategy must address the critical questions that guide the choices you make, which ultimately determine the direction of your business. There are five questions that, if answered thoughtfully, will amplify your ability to develop and execute your strategy.

How do you define success?
What is your power play (your advantage or competitive differentiation)?
Who will value your power play?
How does your sales experience create exceptional value?
Where must we improve, build, or acquire?

My forthcoming book, The Butterfly Effect, dives into these five questions and provides a framework for how to be more intentional about the strategy that guides your business. Stay tuned for its release in 2022!

LinkedIn Live

We encountered some technical difficulties on Tuesday and had to cancel the livestream. I now have a new camera and lighting ready to go which will make for an even better livestream event. Join me on Tuesday, October 19th where we will be discussing how to accelerate sales transformation by focusing on the long game.

Current Read:

How to Be Mindful While Reading

Do you find yourself randomly cramming in bits of time to read throughout the day? It’s an easy habit to get into. I recently came upon this article about how to be more mindful when reading. The author gave some valuable tips for mindful reading, such as scheduling a time for focused reading, picking something that will engage you, and reading in print instead of online. These tactics can transform your reading time from skimming and multi-tasking to more intention and presence. Learn more about mindful reading here .

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10.07.21 - Edinger's Insights: Plan For Great Communication

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 20:49:42 GMT

October 7, 2021

Plan For Great Communication

Only the gifted few can walk into a meeting, presentation, or conversation, wing it, and communicate powerfully and prolifically.

I work with several leaders who are considered gifted in this way by their colleagues. But the truth is, they don’t wing it. They can expand upon their ideas naturally while speaking, but they have often thought out what they want to convey.

People expect to hear refined thoughts from executives, and if you aren’t prepared, having clarified your message, your words won’t have the impact you wish. It just isn’t effective to bounce from meeting to meeting without some time to think and prepare.

Here are some tips for getting your key ideas ready for your next meeting:

Carve out time. Take even 10 minutes before a meeting to ask yourself, “What do I want to communicate most in this meeting?” This will prime you for the discussion and allow you to formulate your thoughts.
Don’t think out loud. This results in a lot of words without a lot of meaning. Most business meetings are not an opportunity to think out loud, they are the time to succinctly articulate your points.
Drive precision. Refine the ideas you need to convey in the meeting. While many leaders address the necessary points in meetings, they are often buried in context, detail, considerations, and different opinions. As an executive, it’s not good enough to hope everyone gets what you mean. You must be deliberate.

Consider what captures the essence of an idea before explaining it to others. This will improve your ability to speak to your opinions, intentions, and ideas. And doing this consistently requires some preparation and practice – if you really want to be good at it.

Energy Is Your Greatest Resource

There’s a finite amount of time in one day. We work tirelessly to plan and squeeze more into those 24 hours, but we can’t create more time. What we can do is control how we use the hours that we have.

It all comes down to giving your energy as much attention (or more) as your time. In order to be more productive during working hours, we need to consistently maintain our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. While you certainly know the basics, it’s important to continually check in and see where you can improve. Ask yourself:

Are you eating well?
Are you staying physically active?
Are you avoiding relying on sugar and caffeine for energy?
Are you well-rested?
Are you focused during work hours and unplugged when the work day is done?
Are you finding activities that sharpen your intellect?
Are you fully engaged when interacting with colleagues at work?
Are you doing the things that bring you joy outside of work?

Succeeding in each of these is not always easy or doable. But the effort you put toward tending your physical energy and state of mind will pay off with increased clarity, focus, and productivity.

Cult Mentality

I recently listened to a podcast that compared current day politics to cults. The case was made that people on both sides of the political spectrum exhibit behaviors and attitudes that could be considered “cult-like”. So, I did some digging to find the characteristics of cults and wanted to share a few with you that I thought widely applicable.

Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.
The leadership dictates sometimes in great detail how members should think, act, and feel.
The group has a polarized us versus them mentality, which causes conflict with the wider society.
The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify means that members would have considered unethical before joining the group.
Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only with other group members.

While I don’t think modern day political parties behave completely like cults (though they have their moments), it was a good reminder to take a step back and consider the mentality of the groups around you.

Linkedin Live

Join me on Tuesday, October 12th for another live session where we will be discussing how to accelerate sales transformation by focusing on the long game.

Currently Reading:

How to Host a Truly Productive Brainstorming Session

In the first article of my newsletter, I mentioned the importance of preparing your ideas before discussing them. But being thoughtful about how to approach conversation isn’t only critical for presentations and meetings. It’s also the key to a successful brainstorming session. Brainstorming sessions are the perfect time to think out loud and build off of one another’s ideas. They are great tools for business leaders to increase innovative thinking. Sadly, they are often a waste of time because they are not planned out. This article gives you four tips to have more productive brainstorming sessions that generate creativity and allow all team members to contribute in a meaningful way.

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09.30.21 - Edinger's Insights: Why it’s Important to Focus on the Long Game

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 20:49:18 GMT

September 30, 2021

Why It’s Important To Focus On The Long Game

A common dilemma faced by leaders is how to effectively manage both the current health of the organization and consider what lies ahead. As a leader, you are responsible for ensuring a dual focus on short- and long-term successes, but you must provide the corresponding strategic guidance to your team.

My friend and colleague, Dorie Clark, a top business thinker and Duke University professor, recently wrote a book called The Long Game: How to be a long-term thinker in a short-term world . Her book provides a framework and principles to see the big picture and understand how small changes can have a massive impact in the long run. Here are three principles from her book that you can start using immediately to drive growth and change in your organization.

Create white space to develop strategic business. Make sure your team has sufficient space to shift toward higher value solutions.
Focus where it counts with the right metrics. It’s important to identify the indicators that are most likely to produce the results you are looking for, alongside the traditional monthly or quarterly metrics.
Keep the faith by building capability. Prioritize developing talent on your team and make management responsible for improving the capability of each team member.

In a recent conversation with Dorie, she emphasized that it’s tempting for leaders to direct their teams towards short-term successes, but it takes courage to take the time that’s necessary to truly understand what’s needed and bring long-term value. Read Dorie’s book and my recent Forbes article, Accelerate Sales Transformation By Focusing On The Long Game , to find out more about how driving towards long-term success can help provide the leadership that your team needs to execute your strategy.

Prouty Project: Jammin’ Sessions

I’m excited to be a guest for The Prouty Project’s monthly speaker series, Jammin’. I met Jeff Prouty in 1993 when he inspired me to go into consulting and helped me get my first job at PwC. He has been a mentor, colleague, and friend as we’ve stayed in touch over the years and I’m looking forward to sharing some of the ideas and concepts in my (almost finished) forthcoming book The Butterfly Effect: How Great Leaders Drive and Sustain Revenue Growth (Fast Company 2022.)

Minding The Bigger Picture of Communication

Communication is rarely about an exchange of information only. There’s usually more being communicated. Regardless of the content or detail of whatever is being communicated, the process of communication often about much more. It may be about collaboration, trust, credibility, confidence, the relationship, or plenty else. So, it’s important to pay attention to what’s really happening in a conversation beyond the obvious dialogue, otherwise you might miss the underlying (and probably the most important) takeaway.

Here are a few things to consider when looking at the process of communication instead of the content.

Every word you speak will not be retained by the other party so consider what you need them to remember.
The words heard by others will not be heard in isolation. Most of the time, people have some other thoughts about the topic, a different agenda, or emotional investment in what is being discussed.
Your dialogue may send others on a new train of thought or trigger an emotional reaction.
The tone and tenor of the conversation can give insight into whether dialogue is more collaborative or combative.

Understanding the process of what is occurring during a conversation will help you formulate a more complete picture of what is really going on. Don’t neglect it by solely focusing on the details of what is being exchanged.

Current Read

Want to Listen Better? Turn Down Your Thoughts And Tune In To Others

Don’t we all think of ourselves as good listeners? I mean, who among us hasn’t had at least a few active listening classes and gotten feedback about doing it better? But trust me – you could be better at this critical skill. I’ll bet heavily that if I asked people close to you at work or at home they would say so. Well, for those of us who still struggle at times, here is a great read that gives some pragmatic tips that include managing our own sometimes intrusive thoughts.

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09.23.21 - Edinger's Insights: A Culture of Coaching

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:49:00 GMT

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A Culture of Coaching

Coaching is often touted as a key element to success within an organization. But the actual occurrence of coaching, let alone the existence of a true coaching culture, is rare.

Several years ago I did some research with the sales organization in a Fortune 500 telecom company. The results, published in HBR, were fascinating. Overall, leaders rated the quality of their coaching relatively high and noted that they spent a significant amount of time coaching their subordinates. In contrast, their subordinates rated the quality of their leaders’ coaching much lower and indicated that they received little to no coaching. Interestingly, the more senior a leader was, the lower the rating they received from their subordinates.

It was clear from the interviews I conducted following the survey that asking for information, requesting updates, and managing activity is not coaching.

There is a common assumption that senior leaders provide more and better coaching. But the more seniority a leader has, the less likely that they feel like they need to teach their direct reports. In fact, those senior leaders are probably asking their direct reports for help or information more often than the direct reports are asking of their boss.

Often, the higher you go in a company, the more diluted the coaching gets. To improve the capability of your sales organization, you need to be intentional about devoting time to developing talent and capability. In my Harvard Business Review article, Sales Teams Need More (and Better) Coaching , I outline three suggestions for creating a culture of coaching at all levels of your organization.

Establish uniform expectations around what good coaching looks like.
Highlight the exemplars and use them to spread your best practices.
Provide rewards to those who engage in coaching and consequences for those who opt out.

In order to build engagement, develop talent, and ultimately save time in the long run, ensure coaching is a critical component of your company’s strategy.

Stop Being So Nice, It’s Disrespectful

To develop your team, you must deliver feedback. It helps each person understand their strengths, uncover blind spots, and identify areas to improve.

But feedback is often so polite or carefully given, that it gets diluted. I suspect you have received feedback that was so overly softened that the real message couldn’t get through. In many cases, the delivery of watered-down feedback comes from a place of fear.

The fear of being direct . Giving feedback might seem uncomfortable or awkward, but it doesn’t have to be. Be concise and thoughtful with your words. Remember, you can say what you mean without being mean.
The fear that the other person can’t handle it . Don’t assume others are too fragile to deal with your feedback. Respect the strength of others as professionals and trust their ability to handle what you tell them.
The fear that you can’t handle their response . If you’ve provided someone with clear, professional feedback and they don’t like it, that’s on them. You are not responsible if they react poorly.

None of this is to make the case for “brutal” honesty, where the focus is more on the brutality. And it’s not an excuse to be insensitive or careless about how others may feel. As a leader, providing feedback requires authenticity, and at some point, it’s rude to be overly nice in delivery. Be direct and genuine. Don’t dull your message so much that it’s lost entirely.

Read more about feedback in my Harvard Business Review article, “ Encourage Your Employees to Give You Critical Feedback. ”

Intent versus Effect

We all want to be judged by our intentions, not our behaviors. And yet, we tend to judge others by their behaviors, not their intentions. What is the culprit behind the gap between what we say to others and what they perceive? It’s often a combination of our filters, biases, and preconceived notions. To minimize the chasm between intent and impact, take a moment to slow down, check for understanding, and put your assumptions of another person’s intent aside. This is easier said than done, especially if the topics at hand are charged. But your ability to discern the real intent of someone’s words or actions can drastically change the tone of conflicts or difficult situations.

Current Read:

For this week's current read, I wanted to let you know about a great new book that’s just been released this week. It’s by Dorie Clark and is called The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World . I first connected with Dorie 8 years ago because we were both writing for Harvard Business Review. We’ve stayed in touch as colleagues and friends since, and I’ve worked with her in developing some of my own strategies. I find her work on personal branding and strategy to be rich with practical content. A rarity among business writers!

After 18 months of the pandemic, it’s time to shift back into long-term thinking, and this book is perfect - it helps you apply the principles of strategic thinking to your life and career. Dorie wrote a piece for the Harvard Business Review magazine this month based on the book, and you can pick up a copy of The Long Game right here . I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did!

PS - Dorie has a thought-provoking Long Game strategic thinking self-assessment. You can download it for free here: https://dorieclark.com/thelonggame

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09.16.21 - Edinger's Insights: Executive Communication and Sports Journalism

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 20:48:44 GMT

September 16, 2021

Executive Communication and Sports Journalism

We’ve all been in meetings where someone is talking with no clear direction, an inappropriate level of detail, and a lack of flavor. We as listeners must spend a lot of energy trying to understand and track the multiple points and different directions the speaker is sharing. But with excellent leaders, you don’t have to work so hard to listen.

One strategy I share with leaders in my work as an executive advisor is to take a journalistic approach. Specifically, sports journalism. Before you worry that the sports approach may not be intellectual enough for you here (I thought about that too,) I would argue that sports journalists may be doing some of the best journalism today. They do a great job highlighting the key elements of competition without losing the point with too much or too little detail.

They tend to follow these guidelines that are applicable for all executives.

Provide a clear main idea. There is no mystery in a sports headline. It gets right to the point and the content that follows supports that point entirely. Locals win… Thrilling Overtime… Blowout Loss for Packers. Make your main idea stand out.
Incorporate the right level of detail. Sports journalists don’t get pulled into the weeds of describing every single play. Instead, they capture the essence of the game by focusing on the most impactful ones. You don’t need to describe every detail to get your point across. Organize your thoughts and hit on the necessary highlights.
Make it interesting. Captivating, inspiring, and exciting are all terms that could describe a sports journalists’ description of at least a portion of any event. I’ve written about this before, but there are two cardinal sins when communicating: being inaccurate and being boring. You will be forgiven for inaccuracy if you don’t intentionally mislead, but you won’t be forgiven for being boring. Connect with your audience using descriptive language. Identify the nugget that is worth digging into because it represents something others may not catch.

The next time you speak up in a meeting or address your team, think about how you can up your communications game by adopting some principles from sports journalism.

How You Can Get Ready to Fail

Failure is unavoidable. And the irony is that many of the failures I’ve witnessed – including my own - have been a result of playing it safe and trying to avoid failure. To succeed, we must be willing to try things that are new and possibly uncomfortable.

So, instead of looking for ways to avoid or bypass failure, find ways to prepare for it.

Recognize that you can give your best effort and still not succeed. Effort is not always the cause of an outcome. This is an unfortunate reality, but the sooner we accept it, the easier it will be to respond to failure.
Give yourself some time to pout. This is a go to strategy for me. Failure may be inevitable, but it still sucks. I’ve recognized that giving myself permission to be upset allows me to experience my disappointment and anger and then be rid of it much quicker than if I try to avoid it.
Be kind to yourself when you do fail. Running yourself through the wringer every time failure happens isn’t going to give you the space to reflect on the situation and move on.
Focus on something new. There’s no better way to move forward from failure than to dive into the next challenge.

Read more about ways that leaders effectively cope with failure in my Harvard Business Review article, Get Ready to Fail .

Go to Bed

Some of the most important factors in being an effective leader are your energy and focused attention. To be at your best, you must sleep. I notice a dip in my work productivity and ability to communicate if I don’t get enough quality rest. So, unless you are one of the rare people who honestly feel great on 5-6 hours of sleep per night, you likely need 7-8 (I aim for 8.) It’s difficult to be clear and succinct and convey what you really mean when your brain is foggy. The best leaders are purposeful, emotionally connected, and inspiring. None of those things come easy when you haven’t gotten enough sleep even if you can slog through emails and meetings for hours. And no amount of coffee makes up for it.

Currently Reading:

HBR - “Collaboration Overload is Sinking Productivity”

Collaborative work – time spent on video calls, emails, and instant messages – has risen sharply over the last decade, now consuming over 85% of people’s work weeks. The pandemic influenced this trend yet again, with voice and video calls doubling and IM traffic increasing by 65%. These demands can be invisible, but they hurt companies ability to be agile and can have significant negative effects on individuals as well, such as burnout and decreased physical and emotional well-being.

Read this article to consider what companies can do to equip their employees to work more efficiently in this context, resulting in greater productivity, retention, and employee well-being.

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09.09.21 - Edinger's Insights: How Creative is Your Problem Solving?

Thu, 09 Sep 2021 20:48:28 GMT

September 9, 2021

How Creative is Your Problem Solving?

People are inherently drawn to solving problems, yet some are much better at it than others. Successful problem solving is about an individual or team’s ability to incorporate creativity and innovation into their approach.

The Marshmallow Challenge (it’s worth watching if you haven’t seen it,) is a great example of the chasm between great and mediocre problem solvers. This simple exercise tasks teams of four with the creation of a freestanding structure using spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow.

What is most interesting is that kindergarteners are among those with the most success, and some of the tallest and most interesting structures. The reason being that kindergarteners approach problems without many self-imposed constraints and a willingness to try a lot of different things.

What I found most amusing was that the lowest performers in the challenge are MBA students, and senior executives don’t do well either. Both groups focus too much time on planning and finding the one perfect solution.

To create a culture where you team approaches problems with the creativity of a kindergartener, think about these tips:

Establish an environment where people know that failure is a necessary and accepted part of innovation.
Don’t spend too much time planning and talking about what could be done. Get out of the conceptual thinking and dive in.
Encourage rapid prototypes and iterative cycles of learning. You’ll get a lot of immediate feedback if you try a multitude of approaches quickly.
Create an award or process for acknowledging the best ideas that didn’t work. By rewarding the thinking and effort, you will encourage the behavior.

Almost a decade ago I wrote that leading innovation has far less to do with the leader having innovative ideas; it has everything to do with how that leader creates a culture where innovation and creativity thrive. This still rings true today. Read more about creating a culture of innovation in my Forbes article “ Don’t Innovate. Create a Culture of Innovation .”

Don’t Make These Apology Mistakes

None of us are perfect, and knowing how to apologize authentically is a critical piece of developing healthy professional relationships. A good apology allows people to move forward from mistakes or difficulties. I bet you’ve seen many occasions when people hang on to old issues and it negatively impacts future performance.

That’s because, too often, apologies aren’t effective. They lack substance, are overdone, and end up causing more harm than good. One of the reasons a good apology is so rare is that it requires the person who is apologizing to let go of explaining themselves. There is ample reason to share your perspective, but it’s about timing.

Business leaders frequently fill their apologies with explanations and reasons behind their actions. What’s missing is the actual apology. And without an apology, the people who need to won’t be able to move forward. This can wreak havoc on workplace culture and productivity.

So how can you effectively apologize when you’ve messed up? Dr. Harriet Lerner wrote a book called “ Why Won’t You Apologize? ” in which she discusses nine essential ingredients of a true apology. Here are a few to consider:

Don’t include the word “but”
Don’t overdo it
Don’t get caught up in who is more to blame or who started it
Don’t ask the hurt party to do anything, not even to forgive

Leaders need to harness the power of apologies as a tool to open the communication channels with their team, build trust and cultivate stronger relationships.

Fresh Starts

I celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, this week. Shana Tovah to you and yours, which is Hebrew for “a good New Year!”

I’ve always appreciated the value of a fresh start. So, even if you don’t celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the opportunities for a fresh start are everywhere. There are the big ones, like the secular New Year, birthdays, or the beginning of a school year or new job. There are also so many smaller opportunities for a fresh start: the beginning of a quarter, month, or week.

But maybe the most important fresh start of all is the beginning of each day. No matter how big or how small, the thing to remember about every fresh start is that the only thing you can change is yourself. You have control over how you approach situations and how you manage your emotions. You decide how you spend your time and focus your attention. And with that, you have the opportunity to bring about change and improvements in every area of your life with the beginning of each new day.

LinkedIn Live

Join me on Tuesday, September 14th at 10 am Eastern as we discuss secrets of executive communication.

09.02.21 - Edinger's Insights: Sifting Through the Jargon – And Making it Work for You!

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 20:48:07 GMT

September 2, 2021

Sifting Through the Jargon – And Making it Work for You!

The terms mission, vision, values, strategy, and tactics are commonly used in business. They can be very useful. But too often they are overused and misused. A mentor and former boss of mine, Neil Rackham, once said, “If words could sue for defamation, strategy would be making its lawyers rich!” Let’s face it, these terms have a lot of different meanings to people and often devolve in to vague corporate-speak.

But, when used correctly, they have real power and provide a strong rudder for directing people and driving your business. It’s important to be proficient in these high-minded management terms so that you can understand their meaning and use them to effectively guide your organization.

I’ve taught a course for University of North Carolina – Keenan Flagler School of Business on this very topic. My intent was to decode the management lexicon and make it pragmatic for everyday use with clear and straightforward terms. Here is a journalistic approach to understanding the top five:

Mission – Why we exist

Vision – Where we are going

Values – Who we are

Strategy – What we are doing

Execution and Tactics - How we are going to do it

Don’t allow the jargon to make words lose meaning. Use these terms to create clarity, direction, and definition for the work to be done.

The Science of Happier Spending

A few years ago, I hosted a call for a group of clients on the science of happier spending with Michael Norton, co-author of Happy Money . If you are a reader of this newsletter, odds are you aren’t living paycheck to paycheck. So, our conversation centered around the idea that our level of happiness depends more on how we spend our money, not on how much money we have .

Here were the big takeaways:

Buy experiences, not things . Material goods give us instantaneous, but fleeting, joy. Look to experiences for lasting enjoyment, laughter, and memories.
Keep some things as treats . For example, don’t get that ice cream sundae every day. Add some space between your indulgences and the appreciation will be greater when you do treat yourself.
Buy yourself time. Whether it’s paying someone else to clean your house or weed your garden, the time you recoup to spend on the experiences you enjoy will be well worth it.
Pay ahead of time. Booking your next trip or massage in advance will allow you to relish the anticipation and not think about money during the experience.
Invest in others. Research tells us that spending money on other people brings us greater happiness than spending it on ourselves.

During the call I asked Michael, “what idea that you liked didn’t make it into the book?” As a writer I know sometimes good concepts don’t fit within the structure or you just can’t make them work. He said he cut a chapter initially titled The Curse of Counting, which was essentially about thinking numerically, “Am I better off than I was?” or “better off than others?” There is nothing inherently wrong with these questions for thinking about progress, it just isn’t likely to have a positive impact on your wellbeing.

Take some time to think about how you are spending your money. You’ll discover that real wealth can be found in the time and experiences you are able to generate with the resources you already have.

Acknowledgement

Want to rapidly improve your ability to communicate? Start acknowledging what others say before you respond. This is especially true if the conversation is tense because people can quickly start talking past one another. When acknowledgement is low in a conversation, it results in incorrect assumptions about what the other person means, failure to register the importance of a point, and an incomplete understanding of critical information. Next time, take a moment to clarify a point and check your understanding of the other person’s intent. You will save a lot of time and wasted energy from misunderstandings and missed connections.

Currently Reading

To Grow A Successful Business, CEOs Need To Shrink Their Egos - And Empower Staff

A valuable lesson in business (and life) is learning to overcome your ego. It’s tempting to grasp for control over every aspect of a growing business and not trust others to get the job done. But doing so will inhibit your ability to lead effectively. As Marshall Goldsmith said, “what got you here won’t get you there.”

There are a few things you can do to orient yourself toward leading the company instead of getting stuck in the minutia. Don’t fear relinquishing control. Develop and direct the leaders around you to accomplish the objectives and trust them to do it. You may have to give up some of the things you enjoy, but this is a requirement of any leader. And always use feedback to build a culture of success. Check out this article to learn more about how to let go in order to cultivate the space and mindset needed to grow your business and your leadership capabilities.

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08.26.21 - Edinger's Insights: Thinking About Leadership Vertically And Horizontally

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 20:47:49 GMT

August 26, 2021

Thinking About Leadership Vertically And Horizontally

Most leaders climb the corporate ladder by leading vertically. They focus on their direct reports and team (downwards) and working productively with their boss and senior leaders (upwards). This vertical focus on leadership frequently enables an effective climb. But many leaders stall out around the senior level and can’t transition to the executive level.

What stops them from reaching the top? Often, the very thing that made them successful to this point: working too much vertically and not enough horizontally. Horizontal leadership is about collaborating with peers and those outside of one’s reporting hierarchy. It’s the cross-functional leadership that breaks down silos and gets to the heart of organizational issues.

This approach to leadership, with a balance of effectiveness on both vertical and horizontal, is a primary difference between senior managers and true executives.

Years ago I worked with AT&T at a time when they were integrating four companies to create one Fortune 20 giant. The CEO, Randall Stephenson, kicked off our leadership session with the top 50 executives in the company. He suggested that the new entity could absolutely deliver on the investment thesis shared with Wall Street. But then admonished the group, saying the problem was that considerable profit was being missed because “dollars are falling through the cracks between the silos we’ve created.” Working horizontally was the solution.

To think more horizontally as a leader:

Identify ways resolve issues with other senior leaders,
Make the time to facilitate collaboration between teams,
Drive alignment by focusing on common objectives

Be the one to toss the ladder sideways and bridge the gap between the silos. Its the sign of a real executive. And both you and the company will level up.

Is Your Advertising And Marketing Spend A Good ROI Or A Waste?

Companies focus incredible amounts of money on developing leads through advertising and marketing under the assumption that leads will deliver buyers. All the Sales organization must do is close the deal, right?

Unfortunately, it rarely happens that way. Too often leads are far from ready buyers or even bona fide prospects. As a result, Marketing complains that Sales can’t close the leads and the Sales team counters that the Marketing team doesn’t understand the difference between a click and real lead. I hear this all the time.

If you have not invested in getting your sales team ready to guide those leads with a compelling sales experience, you are likely burning money.

Before investing in advertising and marketing to channel leads to your sales organization, ask yourself the following questions:

Do we understand what makes a lead worth pursuing?
Do we have an approach to separate the “wheat from the chaff” and concentrate our efforts?
Do we have a plan for delivering value in the sales experience?
Does the sales organization, from top to bottom, understand their role in delivering that value?

Read more about how to design and deliver a better sales experience in my recent Forbes article - Building a High-Performance Solution Sales Organization .

Dealing With Anger

We all get angry. And it’s easy to blame others for our anger. It lets us off the hook for our behavior. But no matter how justified we may feel in blaming others, we are responsible for our emotions and our actions. We can’t control the feelings that arise, but we can control how we respond to them. Next time you feel anger setting in, get curious instead of reactive. It may help to give yourself some space from the situation. But take time to think about and attend to what is really causing the anger. It’s not always as straightforward as it seems. Then figure out the best way for you to respond and determine an approach that will help you get to the root of the problem. Ultimately, you are responsible.

Current Read

Stop Networking, Start Connecting

Are you struggling to reconnect with your colleagues in person or meet new people? The pandemic sent many of us into a more isolated workplace, removing our traditional ability to connect. But as this slowly starts to change, we need to consider how to find and develop connections again.

Susan McPherson, a communications consultant, discusses her “gather, ask, do” method for building connections in the HBR IdeaCast Episode “Stop Networking, Start Connecting.” The framework can help you naturally build deep connections throughout your professional career that are beneficial to both parties. Listen to the podcast to learn more about this method and how to switch from transactional-style networking to building meaningful connections.

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08.19.21 - Edinger's Insights: Putting Your Knowledge To Work

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 20:47:34 GMT

August 19, 2021

Putting Your Knowledge To Work

To establish yourself as an executive, you’ve likely mastered a technical or professional skill. It may be finance, supply chain, sales, data analytics, or any number of other disciplines. But as a leader, technical expertise alone will only get you so far. If you want to take your effectiveness to the next level, you’ll need to expand how you make it valuable and who finds your mastery useful.

The key to unlocking the value of your knowledge lies in how you communicate your expertise, use it, and apply it to other situations. So, what are the secret ingredients for leveraging your specific areas of expertise and experience?

Communicate and translate the utility of your expertise to others. Use pragmatic and clear language to help those outside your specialty understand what you have to offer. Make it accessible. I often say to clients, “explain that to me like we are friends from high school, and I don’t know much about your business.”
Use your expertise to develop talent. Nothing creates loyalty and engagement like helping someone improve their skills and grow. Investing your time and energy in helping others learn and advance makes you even more valuable.
Bring your expertise into scenarios where people need it. Where would your organization benefit from cross functional collaboration? Use your knowledge to build the bridge between functions. Perhaps your understanding of finance enables the sales organization to do a better job with pricing. Or your experience in operations can surface issues others are unable to see.

Senior leaders need to know how to leverage their unique experience in every situation, not just in environments specific to their capabilities. How you use that expertise in a variety of contexts to help your company grow is a key to effective leadership. Prioritizing this in your own development will absolutely elevate your leadership presence.

The Sales Evolution Can’t Happen Fast Enough

A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal published an article about sales jobs, The Pay Is High and Jobs Are Plentiful, but Few Want to Go Into Sales . It reminded me of the importance of changing the nature of the profession. More importantly, it highlighted the need to change the perception of what it takes to be successful in sales.

The stereotype of salespeople being pushy and focused on personal compensation by selling people things they don’t want, don’t need, and can’t afford is a result of a long legacy of poor sales behavior. But the profession has evolved significantly. It’s been over 40 years since the introduction of consultative selling and a focus on solutions to customer issues.

But the sales function is proof that old habits die hard. Don’t let these misunderstandings about what it takes to be successful in sales hurt your business. They have a cascade of implications for you as a leader in your company; everything from the profile of people you recruit, the way you invest in their development, the management practices and measures you use to guide and lead, and even how you compensate. Our thinking about sales informs the systems and practices in companies that either reinforce stereotypically bad behavior or foster more productive contemporary behavior.

Today effective selling is about value, insight, and expertise. It’s about helping customers see things differently. Changing the nature and perception of sales will be a major factor in the health of your revenue stream. I think you’ll want to be on the modern side of that equation.

Do you want to help update your company’s view of the sales function? Read Get Over Your Fear of Sales for more on this issue.

Lost In Thoughts

Frequently I find myself lost in thought. It’s ok if I’m intentionally thinking through a problem or refining an idea, but most of the time it's counterproductive and I’ve simply been distracted. I’m certainly not “in the moment” as they say. I’ve missed parts of conversations, movies, audiobooks, and more as my mind wandered – usually to something frustrating or upsetting. I’ve heard it referred to as getting hooked by a thought and getting carried away by it. We all deal with this to some degree, and I’m beginning to learn that practicing mindfulness through meditation is at least part of the solution.

I don’t love that term, mindfulness, as it seems to have grafted on to everything and to be frank, it sounds a bit woo-woo for my taste. That said, the practice of mindfulness meditation has helped me recognize how wild and out of control the nature of the mind (or my mind) can be. That awareness, as I’m starting to understand, is the first step in coming back to the present moment.

I’ll write more on this in the months ahead, but for now, if you want to try a good mindfulness meditation app, I suggest “Waking Up” by Sam Harris. He combines neuroscience and pragmatism in a way I’ve found to be useful. The introductory course is 28 days and very well done. There are a handful of promotional offers available if you search “Waking up free trial” you’ll easily find them.

Current Read

Will Your Company Lose People To ‘The Great Resignation?’ The Secret To Retaining Top Talent

In March 2021, the “quit rate” in the labor market was 2.4%, the highest for that month in twenty years. In April, it increased to 2.7%.

The “great resignation” as it has been termed, is one of the many surprises brought on by the pandemic. Why are people leaving their jobs in record numbers? For some, it is an unwillingness to give up the flexibility gained through working from home. For others, the pandemic prompted them to rethink their relationship with their jobs. As noted in the article, a growing number of workers are concluding that life is too short to waste on an unfulfilling job that takes a toll on their health and well-being.

The pandemic gave employees an opportunity to understand the true nature of their companies, and people are acting on what they learned. How can companies double down on investing in employees, resulting in employee satisfaction and retention? Check out this week’s read .

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08.12.21 - Edinger's Insights: Feedback About Feedback!

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 20:44:19 GMT

August 12, 2021

Feedback About Feedback!

My latest HBR article, Encourage Your Employees to Give You Critical Feedback , has been among my most popular. In fact I’ve gotten a lot of feedback on it - with many of the comments on HBR’s LinkedIn channel highlighting that this may be one of the most important skills for leaders. It’s certainly one of the most desirable skills people look for in their managers.

We all know that feedback is an important tool in improving performance. But it's clear based on the responses that most managers need to do a better job of properly seeking and responding to critical feedback. Earlier this week I did a LinkedIn Live session on this topic – if you want some additional perspective you can watch here .

Are Emails And Meetings Hurting Your Productivity?

What takes up all of your time during the work day? If you’re like many leaders, probably meetings, video calls, and endless emails. You must ask, are those things really helping you get the job done or are they getting in the way? Most would say at least some if not a lot of the latter.

So why do you continue to set more meetings and send more emails?

It’s a habit.

When we have problems to address or issues to resolve, we call more meetings. We send more emails. And sometimes they do help, though often the problem persists or takes another form. More communication is not always the answer, despite the well-worn aphorism to “over communicate.” Rather, more precise communication is the answer.

Before sending or scheduling, see if you can get to the root cause of the heavy email traffic and overscheduled calendars. Ask yourself the following questions:

Are we pursuing unclear objectives or goals?
Do different teams have conflicting priorities and objectives?
Are we trying to solve problems without identifying the causes?
Is information being shared (especially dense, overly detailed information) that would be better for another forum?
Is there a lack of agreement among leaders on what is urgent or important? Has everything become urgent and important?
Are the reward and feedback systems aligned with company values and strategy? Are we encouraging and discouraging the appropriate behaviors?

The fact of the matter is that email and meetings are simply mediums. You will find them much more effective when there is clarity about why they are being used.

Slow down. Avoid scheduling meetings and sending emails for the sake of it. Be more intentional about what you are trying to accomplish. Spend time defining the problems before you try to solve them. Without this kind of focus, meetings and emails will devolve to habits rather than intentional and strategic tools.

To learn more about how to be strategic with meetings and increase productivity, you may find these articles of value. Of course, I can’t resist pointing out that I wrote them a year ahead of the pandemic! If only I had applied my leadership advice to investments in Zoom!

Why Companies Still Struggle To Sell Solutions (Despite the fact that it’s been talked about for over 40 years!)

The shift from selling products to selling solutions is a familiar strategy for companies. It allows them to provide a comprehensive solution to their customers by bundling products and services, resulting in more sales. But the execution of this transition can be very challenging for the sales team. They must adapt from selling simple options to diving into the rough waters of selling better (but more complicated) solutions.

After decades of witnessing companies struggle with implementing this type of approach, I wrote an article for Forbes called Why Companies Struggle to Sell Solutions . There are three critical factors that contribute to companies failing to succeed when shifting to a consultative sales approach:

The sales organization is not connected to the go-to-market strategy. The sales team needs to fully understand the company strategy and the role they play. Alignment between the strategy and the sales process and experience that is implemented is imperative.
Management practices don’t support the solution sales process. Moving to selling more complex solutions will require adjustments in how the sales team is managed. Determine the appropriate metrics, milestones, hiring practices, and professional development for the team.
Consultative selling is much harder than anyone thinks. The degree of difficulty is taken for granted. Selling sophisticated solutions requires a great deal of skill. It is not an easy career. And it’s definitely not something anyone could do. Leaders need to build the capacity of their sales team.

Remember, shifting from selling products to selling solutions won’t work if efforts are sporadic and siloed. When implementing these strategies, be consistent and tackle it collaboratively.

Current Read

“Our Brains Make Us Way Too Optimistic About Meeting Deadlines. Here’s How to Work Around That.”

I often tell clients that we massively overestimate what is possible in the next quarter but frequently underestimate what is possible a year from now.

It’s true - when it comes to creating timelines and budgets or meeting deadlines, people are often far too optimistic. Most of the time a task or project takes far more time and money than originally anticipated. Why? Blame it on a concept known as planning fallacy, which causes you to fixate on the most optimistic of options for a future task, and convince yourself that it is a realistic plan. How can you avoid falling into this trap of optimism? Check out this week’s current read .

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08.05.21 - Edinger's Insights: Encourage Your Employees to Give You Critical Feedback

Thu, 05 Aug 2021 20:43:58 GMT

August 5, 2021

Encourage Your Employees to Give You Critical Feedback: What I’d Add to Making Yourself Indispensable

It’s been 10 years since I co-authored the HBR article “Making Yourself Indispensable.” At the time, the editors at HBR promoted it as a “classic in the making.” It’s been reprinted several times, most recently in the Spring special edition. As I reread it, I identified a few things I wanted to add. So, I wrote another article, which was originally titled “What I’d Add to Making Yourself Indispensable” but was published last week as Encourage Your Employees to Give You Critical Feedback .

The article focuses on the use of the informal 360 as a means of getting meaningful feedback and the value it brings to leadership relationships. While 360-degree surveys can be useful, I’ve heard from hundreds of leaders that the quantitative scores meant little to them and the reports lack depth and specificity in comments. In contrast, getting feedback informally and directly can be extremely valuable. But it’s difficult. I’ve seen leaders do it well and also make some critical errors.

There are two key things leaders must remember to get the most out of an informal 360. First, you will need to put forth a great deal of effort in order to get others to tell you the truth about your leadership. Sharing candid feedback doesn’t come easily for people, so be prepared to really work for it. Second, focus on building mutual trust during informal feedback conversations. This will shift how people perceive feedback and discuss performance, and over time, improve work relationships.

Read the full article here to learn more about how you can use the informal 360 to gather candid feedback from colleagues and make yourself indispensable.

Interested in learning more about getting feedback at work? You may find these articles of value:

You Are Not the Best Judge of You

Learn to Solicit Feedback...from Your Kids

Why Tinkering with Your Comp Plan Doesn’t Get You Better Results

I frequently hear about the disappointment executives feel about the results from their sales team.

It’s almost Pavlovian that one of the first areas that gets adjusted as a means to drive change is the compensation plan. It’s common because of an often-faulty assumption that simply motivating sales people with money will improve their performance. I worked at a company where the CEO was constantly redesigning the comp plan. It rarely had a lasting impact. Here is why:

Money can increase effort and redirect focus, but it won’t make people better at their work.

What if someone offered me a million dollars, and all I had to do in return was dunk a basketball six months from now? I would be excited and even motivated to practice every day and give a lot of effort. But it’s very unlikely that in six months I could do the dunk. At that point, it may even feel demoralizing because regardless of the incentive, I still don’t have the skill required to get the job done.

And this is the linchpin for why comp plan adjustments are good for driving additional focus and effort, but don’t often produce significant change. Because compensation can’t:

Ensure that people on your team are in the right roles.
Direct or lead people to do the right things.
Develop and enhance your team’s skills.
Evaluate your team with the right metrics.

Only the hard work of leadership – establishing high standards and working diligently toward their achievement can create the results you want. Don’t look to the comp plan as a silver bullet to motivate and drive success. Of course it is an influencing factor, but only that. Find a solution that works on building a high-performance team and putting people in the right positions. This will give you the results you are looking for.

Are you looking at building a high-performance team? Read Building a High-Performance Solution Sales Organization .

A Thought About Persuasion

People are more likely to believe what they think than what you say. This is another one of Edinger’s Laws of Communication, which I’ll someday publish in full. This one is valuable because it’s a reminder that if you want to influence someone else, then you’d be well served to first listen to them fully. That includes listening to what you may think are incomplete, illogical, and ill-founded ideas, without shutting them down. It may be frustrating to do this, but if the principle holds, and it usually does, then knowledge is power. It's doubly powerful if you can express your understanding of someone else’s perspective more succinctly and clearly than they can themselves. Once you’ve done that, you have an opportunity to share your perspectives and likely a more productive conversation.

LinkedIn Live

Join me on Tuesday, August 10th at 10 am Eastern as we discuss encouraging your employees to give you critical feedback.

Currently Reading: How to Say No to Grabbing Coffee

Just because you c an socialize or take on another commitment doesn’t mean you should . Each time you receive an invite, you have numerous competing priorities: what you actually want, how you want the person to feel, and how you feel about the person. When you get an invitation, it can be tempting to automatically say yes, without considering your priorities. One way to ensure alignment between your values and the way you spend your time is to solidify your values before the request lands in your inbox. What is important to you this week, this quarter, and beyond?

The pandemic has given us an opportunity to step back and think critically about how to spend our time. If a request comes that isn’t in alignment with your priorities, it’s okay to say no. Saying no to one thing gives you the space to say yes to something else.

To read more about managing your social calendar and saying no to “grabbing coffee,” check out this week’s read .

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07.29.21 - Edinger's Insights: Have You Retooled Your Sales Strategy Since the Pandemic?

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 20:43:24 GMT

July 29, 2021

If You Haven’t Retooled Your Sales Strategy Since the Pandemic, You’re Going to Regret It

We all know that the pandemic dramatically changed the way people and businesses operate. As things go back to a version of ‘business as usual’, there may be the urge to revert to how things used to be. Don’t fall into that trap of thinking. Some things got easier during the pandemic (yes, they absolutely did!) And of course, some things got harder. This is a time to both respond to and capitalize on what has changed. It’s a good time to retool your strategy if you haven’t already.

I referenced some of the ways you could adapt your sales strategy to meet the needs of the time in my Harvard Business Review Article: 4 Ways to Reconfigure Your Sales Strategy During the Pandemic . I discussed these concepts during a speech at a virtual conference last week and it's obvious that these strategies may be even more relevant as we emerge from the pandemic.

Put sales at the center of your strategy.
Leverage sales to discover and meet the new needs of your customers.
Constantly be working to improve the sales experience.
Still be considering how to bring the physical environment into virtual sales with the new popularity of a hybrid working model.

The pandemic has left very few stones unturned when it comes to changing the way things operate. Make sure that your sales strategy is keeping pace with the changes.

And if this is an important topic for you, here are some other articles I’ve written that may be valuable for you:

Are You Paying Attention to the Right Sales Metrics?

How to Get Your Salespeople to Execute Your Strategy

How Do You Rate on the BS Scale?

How many times have you heard someone say “That’s bullshit” at work?

A lot I bet.

This phrase might sound like someone venting their frustrations, but could it also be a red flag that merits more attention? The researchers who came up with the Organizational Bullshit Perception Scale (OBPS) think so. There is now an official scale for BS in the workplace. I think it’s about time.

Most organizations have at least a few leaders who rate very high on the OBPS. From what I see, it’s not so much that they are intentionally misleading. Rather, in an effort to avoid disappointing people or control how others react, they fail to develop real candor. They allow bullshit to infiltrate and breed within their organization. And worse, they spread BS themselves.

If you recognize your high placement on the OBPS, what can you do as a leader to lower your rating on this scale?

Be direct. Remember that you can be direct while also being empathetic and kind.
Don’t equivocate. When there are multiple factors in a decision, address them separately and specifically. Acknowledge what you don’t know.
Don’t use corporate speak. Ambiguous language, jargon, and terms with multiple meanings are frequently used to avoid telling the entire truth. People numb out.
Don’t lie. Not falsifying is obvious to most. It gets more nuanced when it comes to what you don’t share, which is concealing and a form of lying. You can absolutely keep confidential information and not mislead others.
Treat people like they are intelligent. Know your audience and speak at their level. Don’t patronize or obfuscate your message.

Remember, people have a sense for leaders who are not genuine. And if you suspect that another leader rates high on the OBPS, perhaps you can forward them this newsletter as something interesting to read!

Too Much Certainty

One of the logic flaws I see in the news is being too certain about conclusions. The truth is often not black or white. Rather, life provides a messy and frequently conflicting set of circumstances to sort out. Journalists do not seem to embrace this idea as they used to by sharing multiple perspectives and allowing readers to draw their own conclusions from the fact patterns. Instead, what we seem to get from both sides of the political spectrum are stories that stoke outrage because that’s what drives the clicks. To be informed, of course you need to pay attention. But when you do, ask yourself, what isn’t being presented here? What’s being presented as an axiom or the only conclusion and what else may be true?

And if you doubt this, then find a newspaper article about a topic that you are an expert in that has been written by a reporter. It could be about finance, psychology, or whatever topic about which you have deep knowledge. I think you’ll see what I mean.

Current Read

How to Think Outside Your Brain

The amount of mental work each person is expected to do daily, whether in class or on the job, has increased significantly over the last century. The quantity and complexity of mental work expected of students and professionals is at an all-time high, and we’ve responded by expecting ourselves to be mentally productive for every minute of the day. This is nearly impossible, and often leads to a brain overload for most people.

How can you alter the way you approach your thinking to avoid this? This week’s read provides you with four sources you can utilize to augment your brain.

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07.22.21 - Edinger's Insights: Leadership is Rarely Built on Grand Gestures

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 20:42:01 GMT

July 22, 2021

Building a High-Performance Solution Sales Organization

My latest article for Forbes, published this week, is “ Building a High-Performance Solution Sales Organization ,” It’s focused on how you, as a leader, can transform your sales organization.

I hear the same things today from C-Suite executives that I heard 10 (even 20) years ago: they want their sales team to be better at selling solutions from a consultative approach.

Why has this challenge persisted for decades? The shift from taking a transactional approach to selling to approaching sales from a consultative angle is hard. Much harder than most executives realize. It is not a shift that just happens with a few training sessions for the sales team. Sales Organization leaders have been trying to address a difficult subject with simple and streamlined solutions, which is exactly the wrong way to do it. As I point out in the article, an unrealistic expectation of scope is the most common culprit of failure.

I outlined three key steps that you need to take to truly transform your Sales Organization. And none of them are about doing more and more sales training! Here they are:

Connect the Sales Organization with your strategy.
Rethink Sales Management practices and metrics.
Create a culture of coaching.

This is where executives can focus their energy in driving sales results. To read more about building a high-performance solution sales organization and the three key steps to doing so, check out my new article on Forbes .

Leadership is Rarely Built on Grand Gestures

When creating development plans, leaders frequently build extensive blueprints, filled with aspirational actions. What I’ve observed is that they are often filled with many things to be done occasionally. A monthly offsite. A weekly 1:1. A quarterly recognition program. While these intermittent actions may have some benefits, the most rapid and meaningful shifts come from making a few small changes each and every day. Not weekly, not monthly.

I heard about the “do small things often” approach from the renowned psychologist and researcher, Dr. John Gottman . Gottman said, “Successful long-term relationships are created through small words, small gestures, and small acts.” From what I see with clients, the same is true in leadership.

Do you want to be a more strategic leader? Take 3-5 minutes before each meeting to determine how the discussion will relate to company strategy and consider how you’ll make those connections during the meeting. Want to be communicate more powerfully? Pick the two most important meetings you have each day work on how you can clarify your message, or use more descriptive language, or create a greater connection with others in the meeting. Whatever your leadership goal, it’s not about having a long list of things you do once in a while. Rather, it’s about picking one or two, small things and being relentlessly focused on doing it every day. Over time, this changes the texture of the way others experience you and how you engage.

Leadership isn’t worsened by sporadic major events or the occasional “halftime speech” for the team. But those aren’t the common moments where people see what you are made of. How your leadership capabilities grow and show up depends on your consistent daily actions and behaviors.

Be intentional about the small things to be the leader you want to be.

May I Challenge That?

One of my leadership principles is that you can disagree without being disagreeable. We are all in circumstances where we have a differing point of view and need to express it. The key is to find a way to do so that is respectful and preserves relationships. A few years ago, I was in a meeting where I saw a colleague do this brilliantly, with a simple question. He asked, “May I challenge that?” as a reply to an idea he believed was counterproductive. It was a rhetorical question in some ways, because in a business meeting who wants to say “No, you can’t” to that one! And it worked as he then was able to state his perspective effectively and succinctly. I can’t stress the value of this skill enough!

LinkedIn Live

I am excited be a guest on Lisa McLeod's next LinkedIn Live on Friday, July 23rd at 1pm Eastern. We will be discussing how to drive revenue and do work that makes you proud.

Current Read

48 Athletes to Watch at the Tokyo Olympics

After being delayed for a year, it’s hard to believe the Summer Olympics are just around the corner! Even though there won’t be fans in the audience (a fitting reflection of the last year and a half of pandemic changes), it will still be exciting to be able to watch sports that are not typically televised. I will certainly tune in to a few of the more popular sports - some of my favorites are gymnastics and swimming. Watching Olympic swimming gives me my once every four-year motivation to get back in the pool for my exercise. This year I am also looking forward to watching some less-common sports. In my house we will be keeping an eye on sailing because my daughter is also a sailor and knows one of the US sailing team members.

This week's read features some of the best and most inspiring athletes to look out for at the Olympics. Whether you are watching gymnastics, track and field, or even climbing, there is certainly an outstanding athlete who will capture your attention.

Quotable

07.15.21 - Edinger's Insights: Characteristics of Leaders I've Seen Fired

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 20:41:41 GMT

July 15, 2021

Characteristics of Leaders I've Seen Fired

I’m proud to say many leaders I work with get promoted, many going on to become SVPs, EVPs and C-suite executives. In contrast, I’ve also had a front row seat in observing the behaviors of less successful leaders, including those who eventually get fired. I’ve noticed several common downfalls of unsuccessful leaders:

Lack of Strategic Perspective – For a leader, receiving the feedback that they are too tactical or aren’t strategic is about the worst insult they could get. A lack of strategic perspective can be a death knell for a leadership career.

Lousy Interpersonal Skills – These leaders are sometimes safe as long as they produce results. However, when results tank, a lack of interpersonal skills, coupled with the inability to inspire, can be like water that finds the cracks in the dam. It makes everything they do look much worse.

Over Reliance on Interpersonal Skills – The flip side of having no interpersonal skills can also be a problem. Interpersonal skills are valuable, but if they are not combined with other critical competencies, that leader is little more than a nice person. As an aside, I’ve seen an overreliance on interpersonal skills propel people to mid- or even senior-level management positions, but rarely to an executive level.

Weak Results Orientation – Leaders must produce results, and that’s all there is to it. There is no one right way to achieve results, but it must be a driving factor of a leader’s work. Leaders who fail to produce results won’t stick around very long.
Lack of Change Leadership or Innovation – Leadership isn’t about maintaining the status quo. Great leaders drive improvement, increase performance, and raise the bar for the entire organization. Leaders who operate within their comfort zone, even if they do so effectively, eventually find themselves in danger.

As a leader, it’s just as important to identify and understand the traits that undermine effective leadership as it is to recognize the characteristics of a successful leader. Taking time to self-reflect and address any of the red flags outlined here could be the difference between the life and death of an executive leadership career.

Balancing Pressure and Encouragement as a Sales Leader

When it comes to sales, it is a common notion that if you make your sales quota, you did a good job. And if you miss your sales quota, you did a bad job. The pressure that comes with the expectation of meeting a sales quota can be useful. But overdone it becomes uniquely counterproductive.

As a leader, it is your responsibility to balance the need to motivate your team with being attentive to amplifying the pressure. Excessive pressure can mask talent, lead to poor decision making, and often causes people to choke. The Yerkes-Dodson Law (see bell curve below) illustrates that stress certainly helps us to get stuff done, but only to a point. Too little stress can lead to a lack of motivation, however too much stress can impair performance. That graphic comes straight from my article on this topic: 3 Ways to Motivate Your Sales Team - Without Stressing Them Out .

Instead of over using pressure and demand to motivate your sales team, inspire and motivate them to high performance in other ways. Encourage them to focus on creating value for customers in the sales experience, work with them to create a better sales process, or even develop their talent and skills with coaching to improve performance.

Focus your efforts as a leader on making your team better at their jobs rather than making them fear the idea of losing it.

Current Read

Why Do I Procrastinate? The Unhappy Achievers Struggle to Survive

Have you ever found yourself procrastinating your work, but immensely caring about the quality and the outcome at the same time? Procrastination isn’t always a result of being lazy, sometimes it is the opposite - you care too much. Unhappy achievers often find themselves in this detrimental cycle of procrastinating and feeling lazy because of it.

This week’s read dives into the dilemma of unhappy achievers, and offers some solutions to what you can do if you find yourself fitting into this category.

Quotable

07.08.21 - Edinger's Insights: Are You Paying Attention to the Right Metrics?

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 20:39:46 GMT

July 8, 2021

Are you Paying Attention to the Right Metrics?

My new article for HBR, just published yesterday, Are You Paying Attention to the Right Sales Metrics ? , is focused on how CEOs and other senior leaders can better understand the health of their company’s revenue stream. Most leaders have a cursory understanding at best, and it’s not too difficult to develop a richer and more meaningful approach.

The article begins with an important realization. “When I discuss sales organization metrics with CEOs, two things regularly come up. First, I’m surprised at how narrow the metrics are that they are measuring. Second, CEOs are surprised at how little they actually know about what’s happening in their revenue pipeline."

Executives are responsible for the future value of any business. So, having a useful dashboard of leading indicators that are predictive of the overall health of the revenue stream is a valuable asset. Rather than “measuring to prove” with the typical data found in forecasts, take a rigorous, in-depth look at what could be improved within your sales process. There are likely specific measures of progress that are particularly meaningful to your business, where a healthy revenue stream can be shored up with the right interventions at the right time.

Read the article here .

Want to dig deeper? Join me on Tuesday, July 13th for a LinkedIn Live to discuss how you as a leader can take a pragmatic and data driven approach to understanding the health of your revenue stream.

How are You Getting (or Bringing) Your Team Back Together?

As companies consider how to bring people back together in the post-Pandemic era, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. When it comes to getting people together for team meetings, the right model will depend on your company, industry, geography, mindset, and the objectives. As a leader, you will need to experiment with your team to figure out what model works best in any given situation. Because your team is made up of a variety of personalities, work styles, and interpersonal dynamics, you may need to try out a few different meeting models to identify what is most effective.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself before choosing a meeting model:

What format will be most pragmatic for your team? Where is your team located? Decide whether virtual meetings, in-person meetings, or a hybrid model best fits your priorities and the needs of your team. We all learned a lot can be accomplished over videoconference. We also learned that videoconferencing has limits and isn’t optimal for everything.
What logistics must be considered for your team? Consider the number of people, the frequency and duration of team meetings, the structure of the discussion, and other elements that go into effective planning. This is a good chance to re-evaluate who must be involved in which meetings. As the number of participants increases, interaction and collaboration decreases.
What is the purpose, or desired outcome, of the meeting? Consider whether the purpose of the meeting is to share information and provide updates or formulate strategy. Determine the scope and impact you want to have. The purpose of the meeting should drive the structure.

Different teams work better in different settings. If your current meeting model is not producing the outcomes you want, it’s time to try something new.

Beware of the Correlation vs. Causation Trap

Many people confuse correlation (things happening together or in a sequence) for causation (that one thing causes the other to happen.) Frequently, correlation is coincidental, or it may be attributable to a common cause. I notice this a lot – from claims about supplements to identifying problems in companies, to reporting on politics and world news. As it relates to the latter, I believe that, at least in part, the effort is intentional to conflate correlation and causation. It makes blaming a group or individual a lot easier.

It is important to be aware of this concept. If you pay attention to this, you will notice people focus a considerable amount of unproductive energy and effort on attacking ideas they believe are causal when they may not be. You rarely see others take a step back to consider the idea that things can be multiply determined, or how our biases may affect the causal conclusions that are drawn. Take this as a reminder to consider all factors of a situation before attributing causation to things that may simply be correlated. It will help you to maintain a logical perspective when others don’t.

Current Read

Why Now Is The Perfect Time For A Post-Pandemic Career Check-In (forbes.com)

Half of 2021 has come and gone. Milestones like this are often opportunities for us to reflect on our careers, where we have been and where we want to go. But this year, for many people, the pandemic threw a wrench into that process. In many cases, COVID actually accelerated our desire to assess our careers.

The article cites Prudential’s latest Pulse of the American Worker survey , saying that half of all workers feel that the pandemic has made them reevaluate their career goals. The survey also suggests that most people believe the pandemic has given them more control over the direction of their careers. With post-pandemic life upon us, it’s a great time to do a career check in. The article gives three tips for how to evaluate your current state and identify what’s next.

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07.01.21 - Edinger's Insights: Unlocking the Potential of Hidden Leaders

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 20:34:21 GMT

July 1, 2021

Recognizing the Merits of the Hidden Leader in Your Organization

The success of your organization is reliant, in large part, on the people you choose to cultivate.

In my book, “ The Hidden Leader ,” I explore the differences between traditional corporate leadership, often defined by position or title, and the less traditional path of finding and nurturing the hidden leaders in your organization. When you decouple leadership from an individual’s position or rank in the business, a great many leaders emerge.

Hidden leaders exist at all levels of a company. They are defined not by their role, but by their integrity, performance, and most of all, how they influence others to get results. Don’t make the mistake of undervaluing these individuals. In many cases, hidden leaders are the backbone of your organizational structure. They are the ones who know how to get things done. They are the individuals who others look to for reactions and guidance. They are the ones who care deeply about the mission of your organization. Pay attention to these individuals. Find them. Recognize them. Cultivate them.

How do you spot the hidden leaders in your organization? Here are a few characteristics to look for:

They lead through relationships. Since they do not rely on authority or formal power to influence others, they develop excellent relationships. They possess a combination of effective interpersonal skills and a sense of curiosity that enables them to work across functions and leverage relationships to get results. Because they genuinely value others, they are often considered a go-to person on their team.

They demonstrate integrity in what they do and what they say. They do what they say they will do. Not just sometimes, nearly all the time (they are human too.) This is part of what allows others to trust them. They are also willing to share their point of view and perspective, even when it's unpopular, when it is in the service of helping the business. While they will toe the company line when decisions are made, they are not yes people. The best leaders know how valuable their opinions are.

They are customer-purposed. This is more than a distinction meaning customer focused. These are the people who go beyond being able to empathize with the needs and desires of the customer. They put themselves in the customer’s shoes and have a depth of understanding that enables them to identify issues the customer can’t see and recognize ways to help. Hidden leaders look beyond the surface and recognize potential everywhere. They understand what customers are ultimately trying to accomplish and are relentless about helping them get there.

When you look beyond a person’s title or role within your organization and observe his or her characteristics and behaviors, you will see great leaders emerge. Defining leadership based on behaviors will help you cultivate an organization with more than enough capable leaders to achieve your goals.

If you are interested in more on this topic, check out my HBR article that was the genesis for the book.

Why Aren’t People Doing What You Want Them to Do?

It’s a sad reality that frequently plays out across all levels of an organization: senior leaders and managers shake their heads in frustration because their team is not doing what they need to be doing. Meanwhile, competent employees leave their roles with unmet potential because they are fed up with being either micromanaged or under supported.

Do you ever find yourself with direct reports not doing what you expected them to be doing? Perhaps they are simply unable or unwilling to do what you expect. If that is the case, you ought to be having employment conversations, not a performance conversation. But it might not be about their ability or willingness. Perhaps it would help you to look in the mirror.

As a leader, are you establishing a clear understanding of the objectives to be accomplished by your team? Do you have an approach that allows you to be involved in what those objectives are without micromanaging how they go about achieving them? Have you created clear measures of progress that provide guidance without hand holding?

Often, we think that because we said it, referred to it, or sent it in an email (once), people will understand what you want them to do. From what I’ve seen, unmet expectations are rarely about someone not trying to do a good job or even intentionally missing the mark. Most people show up to work with the desire to do their best each day. More often, it’s about being unclear about the expectations, fully understanding what ‘good’ looks like in their performance, or not being prepared or skillful enough to do the job well. In all three cases, leaders share a responsibility in the result.

Leaders need to stop assuming their people don’t need guidance and do a better job of defining the work that needs to be done.

Here are a few key points to keep in mind as you communicate your expectations with your team:

Share a clear goal or objective. Make sure your people understand where you are now (point A) and where you need to be (point B). Focus on the results. What outcome do you expect? What does success look like? Many leaders leave these expectations vague. Keep your objectives clear, focused, and simple.

Decide how you will measure success. Determine the metrics you will use to measure success. What are the milestones that will reflect progress towards the objectives? Are there metrics that will portend success? What indicators will let us know we are off course?

Report progress. Beyond metrics, seek to have meaningful conversations with your team about what is working, what isn’t, and what resources are needed to complete the task at hand. This is your chance to be involved in ‘what’ is happening without micromanaging ‘how’ your people do everything.

Communicating clear goals, deciding how you will measure success, and checking in with your team along the way will help you achieve the kind of success that gets the job done right—and helps your team reach their individual and collective potential.

Going ‘Back to Normal’ is What You Make of it

Barring some unforeseen shift with Coronavirus variants, it’s pretty easy to see that in the US, we are in the post-pandemic stage. With vaccinations widely available and COVID-19 cases declining across the country, many people are experiencing (some for months,) a return to the ‘normal’ they have only dreamed about since early 2020. Certainly, the world will never be exactly as we knew it before the pandemic. And while some changes are outside of our control as individuals, to a large degree I see this new normal as whatever you want it to be in your life. For example, if I’m not sacrificing client value, I’ve been able to re-evaluate the way I do business and how much travel I’m willing to do with videoconferencing often a suitable alternative. Business leaders can decide what their hybrid work environment will look like, and how they will collaborate with teams in different locations --now with the freedom to make up a new set of norms and standards. Some of you may be itching to get back to your pre-pandemic social activities, but if you found that you enjoyed the relative peace and quiet, there is no need to refill your calendar. Personally, I’ve shed some social activities that felt more like obligation than pleasure. This is a rare opportunity to take what you learned from the pandemic and incorporate those habits into your new normal. Resist the desire to go back to the way it used to be just because you can.

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06.24.21 - Edinger's Insights: The Downside of Assessments

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 20:34:02 GMT

June 24, 2021

Are Assessments Misguiding Your Decision-Making?

A client of mine was in the running for a C-suite position for the company at which he spent the last decade of his career as an EVP. As part of the vetting process, this individual was required to undergo a number of assessments to help leadership ascertain whether or not he was the best candidate for the job. Sounds like a good idea, right? Maybe, except the company already had significant data on this employee’s performance based on his actual work history. I see this happen a lot. Companies, typically misled by the Human Resources department, focus on the results of assessments versus the results of a leader’s actual performance.

Nearly 60% of large companies in this country use various assessments as part of the interview process. I spent five years of my career in the assessment business and have written a lot about them for HBR and other publications. While most (though not all) assessments are terrible, the real problem lies in how they are used. The lack of scientific backing of the assessment, the misinterpretation of the results, and the fact that we often have better data are all reasons I encourage clients to eschew assessments except in rare cases.

I’ve observed that assessments are most often used as a CYA move, as if an assessment will protect you from making a bad hire or promoting the wrong person. Especially for internal candidates, there is just no replacement for relying on the experience of working with someone and the results they achieve to make a hiring decision. In the case of hiring executives, not every function of a candidate’s current job is going to translate into the responsibilities needed to fill the C-Suite position, but there are no doubt going to be similar traits. In the end, no behavioral assessment is going to tell you more than what you know from working with someone and what you can learn from a candidate’s supervisors and peers.

Sales Problems Masquerading as Cost Problems

For many, when the topic of expanding margins is discussed, it’s a simple knee-jerk response of, “How can we cut expenses?” Instant gratification is the main reason for this line of thinking. Attractive and somewhat falsely alluring, cutting costs delivers immediate results. Cut an expense today and often the results start to show in a month or two if not sooner, which makes everyone feel so good. But is it the right move to make?

What many organizations don’t realize is that most expense problems are sales problems in disguise. A while ago I shared my thoughts on what’s known in business as the Cut and Shrink Death Spiral . Here are a few points to remember when you think you have a cost problem:

The best way to maximize your bottom line is to make sure you have a strong top line. This may seem like the most basic of financial topics, but you would be surprised how many leaders forget this.
Cutting costs is attractive because it produces immediate results, but cost-cutting alone is not going to facilitate growth. You can cut unnecessary costs, but you can’t cut your way to growth.
Revenue stream health and expansion of margins take time. It’s important to fight the ‘I want it now’ urges hammered into our heads through today’s world. If you have a 3–6-month sales cycle and the changes you need to make are successful and occur instantly, you’ll still have to wait 3-6 months to see the first sign of results. I believe this has more to do with understanding business and common sense than patience, but patience will help. Fighting reality never works.

If you’ve been too focused on cutting costs, consider the other side of the equation. To be clear, I am a cost-optimization advocate. Make your business as lean as you possibly can. But you can only cut a cost once and then its’ gone, and you need to turn your attention to the revenue generating side of the equation. Make sure your sales organization is pursuing your ideal client profile and delivering a well-designed sales experience. Next time you go to increase your bottom line, consider the idea that you likely have a sales problem—not an expense problem—on your hands.

Vacation Plans

I’m writing this newsletter just hours before I’m scheduled to leave for vacation. In addition to completing the newsletter, I find myself looking at all the other things I have on my list to finish. But as I think about all that is left undone on my to-do list including completing part of strategy for a client project, calling a prospective client, finishing an article I owe to my editor, and a pile of files that need to be organized, I realize they all have something significant in common. They have all needed my attention for at least a week, and in some cases more than a month. Nothing on this list that I am frantically working through is urgent, yet I feel compelled to complete them before I leave the office for vacation with my family. While I’m sure there are some interesting psychological principles that would explain this, I’ve found it’s a universal feeling. That even those things that you could have or should have done weeks, or dare I say months ago, will nag at you to handle them before you take your vacation.

But, despite my current behavior, you don’t have to get it all done. You really don’t. It’s taken me a long time to learn this. And I’ve had many conversations with clients about the very same topic. There is always work to be done, tasks and people waiting on you, and things you need to handle. Take care of the truly urgent, and trust that it’ll all be there - no worse off - for you when you get back.

If you want to read more on this, check out my HBR article Don’t Obsess Over Getting Everything Done Before a Vacation .

Now, I really do need to get my desk clean. Never mind that it hasn’t been completely clean for weeks. I simply can’t leave before I do that!

Current Read:

“Figure Out the Right Hybrid Work Strategy for Your Company”

As the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end and businesses begin to return to normal, it is up to business leaders to decide what their company’s new normal will be in regard to the working environment. Many people have become accustomed to the option to work from home while others feel that doing so over the long-term will destroy company culture. This article explores the challenges that business leaders are facing, or will face, when determining the best path to pursue in a post-pandemic world. The author examines the three key things at play when considering a hybrid-work model: productivity, staffing, and culture, and provides tangible steps for how to navigate these conversations.

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06.17.21 - Edinger's Insights: Communicate What People Really Want to Know

Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:33:39 GMT

June 17, 2021

People Don’t Really Want Storytelling in Business

If the story of Star Wars were to be told in business, it would begin like this, “Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father! Let me show you how we get there.”

Let me explain. A client of mine recently received feedback that they need to be a better storyteller. In my opinion, this feedback is terribly mislabeled. As a general rule, storytelling doesn’t have much use in business. Good stories are defined by suspense, surprise rabbit holes, and unexpected twists. That may be entertaining, but in business – people don’t want to be surprised, led astray, or feel like they are waiting too long for key information. They want you to get to the point.

People frequently say they appreciate when leaders are good storytellers. What they really mean is they want to be engaged, interested, and maybe even entertained a little by what you’re saying. They also want you to get to the point. To be clear. To avoid the circuitous route, and extraneous details that often seem more like rambling than presenting a powerful story.

So, to adapt the merits of storytelling to the business world, be upfront about your conclusion instead of taking your listeners on an entertaining journey that leaves them trying to figure out what your point is. I’ve watched (and I bet you have too) so many presenters go on and on with context, and caveats, and background, and people in the audience are practically begging them for the point. Alternatively, begin with the end. Once you set the stage with the key takeaways, then fill in additional relevant data, add the contextual detail, and share the potential consequences slowly through the course of your conversation or presentation.

In cinema, we like to wonder where the narrative is taking us. We enjoy watching the story of Luke Skywalker unfold and revel in the shock and surprise of his father’s identity. But in business, you do not have the luxury of keeping the attention of your audience for hours at a time while they wait for the big reveal. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Your “story” begins with the big reveal. That is what pulls them in and gets their attention so you can share all the relevant details. This way, you are still telling a story, just in a more upfront and efficient manner that caters better to business.

Don’t Let Your Progress Be Derailed by Too Much Inspection

It is a classic case of “too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing.”

I work with a manufacturing company that is tracking a lot of sales metrics. In fact, the company is swimming in KPIs, scorecards, and every imaginable reporting statistic. What’s happening is an overabundance of reporting that is actually slowing down performance. It’s kind of like stopping to check the levels of gas in your tank and your MPG every 15 miles. I’ve observed plenty of leaders who establish a cadence of management “check-ups” that occur at intervals where very little changes between one meeting to the next.

Here’s the thing: sales leaders, sales managers, and sales staff live and breathe numbers. Did you make your numbers? Will you fall short? How much do you think you can sell next quarter? And on and on. As a result, a remarkable amount of time and energy is spent on gathering, inspecting, and reporting numbers that are, quite frankly, out of the control of any sales leader.

During my days as an executive vice president for sales, I spent countless hours reviewing, examining, and analyzing the sales forecast for my company. I required the managers who reported to me to do the same. And that’s what they asked their reps to do, too. We weren’t alone. Instead of focusing on the sales metrics that leaders should be tracking , we found ourselves encumbered by spending 80 percent of our time on reporting sales data and business results that were either out of our control or had already occurred.

The reality is, so much preparation goes into all of the reporting, and it’s largely invisible work that executives don’t even know occurs. If you are doing evaluation or reporting on a weekly basis, you are very likely going to slow down your progress and frustrate your people. Remember, you can’t do it all, and do it all well. Too much inspection is not a good thing, especially if it’s holding you back from focusing on the metrics that you can actually influence.

Current Read:

“Beer Mode and Coffee Mode”

All work is not created equal. In this article, the author suggests that there are two ways to approach work, open mode and closed mode. Open mode is geared towards innovation and creativity and closed mode is driven by focus and productivity. He refers to these two approaches as beer mode and coffee mode. While traditional productivity advice tends to focus on coffee mode (tune out distractions, focus on your to-do list), it doesn’t give space to appreciate the value of beer mode and the role it plays in fostering innovation. Read more to explore the merits of both modes and understand the benefits of implementing both of them into the way you approach your work.

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06.10.21 - Edinger's Insights: Do Your Company’s Sales Calls Reflect Your Strategy?

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:33:14 GMT

June 10, 2021

Do Your Company’s Sales Calls Reflect Your Strategy?

When talking to a Fortune 25 company EVP about a new market segment expansion, he became irate with the kind of companies the sales team had been pursuing. “I have no idea why we’re calling on many of these companies,” he emphasized. Despite the go-to-market strategy, significant time, energy and money was being wasted on businesses which didn’t fit the outlined goals.

Senior executives build strategies for growth, but it’s easy to forget about those strategic targets during an individual sales call. Every sales call represents the one moment where the core elements of a strategy are executed in real time. For many organizations, it happens hundreds, even thousands of times each day. This can become either a massive accumulation of wins, or death by a thousand cuts for the business.

Consider the basic elements of most strategy frameworks, typically centered on the following areas of focus:

Objectives : The overarching goals the organization intends to achieve with the strategy. Make certain your sales team aligns its quotas comparatively to your objectives. Revenue targets need to be achieved, but not at the sacrifice of the targeted margin. Possibly, you’ve invested millions into an integrated offering only to have the seller stick with your company’s traditional offerings that felt more comfortable.

Market : The primary base of potential customers to be pursued and won are defined in your “Ideal Customer Profile.” Sales professionals frequently call on whoever they can get a meeting with to demonstrate activity, which can hinder your growth strategy. Make certain your sellers have the necessary skill or expertise to earn meetings with higher-level decision-makers who can authorize the kind of solutions your company is offering.

Competitive Advantage : The reason (or reasons) that customers will ultimately choose to work with you instead of competing options. No matter your competitive advantage (product superiority, price, uniqueness, etc.), it’s vital your sellers clearly understand the decision-maker’s priorities and relate how the desired business outcomes will be achieved with your company’s latest offerings. This can include product superiority or functionality, price, ability to integrate, and unique or valuable processes or capabilities. All are examples of areas where companies invest to build an advantage.

You can see how these factors fit together to determine the success or failure of the company strategy in each sales call. Meeting with a C-suite leader who is the decision-maker at a large OEM is great, but if the seller can only deliver a capabilities presentation and fails to engage in any depth of conversation about the business outcomes being pursued, the sales call devolves to a simple pitch and close event. When you recognize that sales is about the alignment of a clear strategy and execution, executives can shift their attention further upstream where strategy is formulated and execution plans are built. Done well, every sales call should reflect the successful implementation of the company strategy. And making that happen is up to the executives in the C-suite.

Want to learn more? Click here to read the full article.

Setting Realistic Expectations: Often There Are No Shortcuts to Doing Things Well

There is this idea perpetuated by Internet culture that difficult things can be accomplished easily with minimal time and effort on our part. We see it in the endless flurry of programs touting “six-minute abs” and “3x your financial portfolio in three months,” which make difficult things seem too easy. The truth is, often there are no shortcuts to doing things well, and we need to acknowledge how hard something is going to be from the beginning.

Jeff Bezos is no stranger to the concept of communicating the challenge of accomplishing difficult things. He shared his thoughts on this subject in his 2018 Letter to Shareholders :

“A close friend recently decided to learn to do a perfect free-standing handstand. No leaning against a wall. Not for just a few seconds. Instagram good. She decided to start her journey by taking a handstand workshop at her yoga studio. She then practiced for a while but wasn’t getting the results she wanted. So, she hired a handstand coach. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, but evidently this is an actual thing that exists. In the very first lesson, the coach gave her some wonderful advice. ‘Most people,’ he said, ‘think that if they work hard, they should be able to master a handstand in about two weeks. The reality is that it takes about six months of daily practice. If you think you should be able to do it in two weeks, you’re just going to end up quitting.’ Unrealistic beliefs on scope—often hidden and undiscussed—kill high standards. To achieve high standards yourself or as part of a team, you need to form and proactively communicate realistic beliefs about how hard something is going to be—something this coach understood really well.”

We can apply the same concept when company executives set out to design and deliver a sales experience. Frequently, senior leaders underestimate the time and effort that goes into the essential components of a company’s sales experience: strategy, process, training, management systems, coaching, and support. Just like a handstand that looks easy but is actually very difficult to master, developing a winning sales experience is hard and often takes a lot of time and effort.

The reality is difficult things are just that—difficult. The more you set realistic expectations from the outset and communicate those expectations to your team, the more likely you are to achieve success as an organization.

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06.03.21 - Edinger's Insights: Improving Customer Experience through Sales Revenue Leadership

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 20:32:58 GMT

June 3, 2021

An Interview With HBR - Improving Customer Experience Through Sales Revenue Leadership

Customer experience has become such a popular topic that, not only are there dozens of conferences devoted to it, it even has its own designation, “CX.”

I was interviewed by HBR Analytic Services for their latest white paper about the customer experience, “ Improving Customer Experience through Sales Revenue Leadership .” I’ve written widely about the importance of the sales experience, and this quotation from the white paper perfectly sums up my perspective:

“The sales experience is the first mile of the CX highway. If it’s a bad experience, customers get off at exit 1, and there is no CX, or even revenues...”

As the focus on CX strengthens in companies, I find that it is typically limited to what happens after the customer has purchased the product. Rarely do I see the sales experience itself talked about as a critical driver of CX, which I believe is a missed opportunity. Traditionally, revenue leaders focus on end-result metrics such as sales numbers for the month, quarter, or year. This emphasis on end-result metrics tends to drive salespeople to focus on transactions, which usually results in a subpar CX. Sales revenue leaders are on the front line of CX and often best able to bring the voice of the customer to the rest of the organization. Recognizing the importance of early customer interactions and designing new metrics that capture them are essential to capture the full CX.

The following section of the white paper quotes my research and perspective on why excluding revenue leaders from CX strategic planning is a mistake:

The C-suite needs to include revenue leaders and data from the sales process in its discussions about CX, says Edinger, but that doesn’t always happen: “A lot of executives’ background is in finance or operations. There is also a widespread bias that strategic work like finance, supply chain management, product development is more sophisticated and that the sales force are charismatic folks who operate separately.

But that type of thinking is a mistake reflecting a lack of contemporary understanding of what is required to provide an outstanding CX today.”

The consequences of failing to incorporate revenue leaders into a company’s strategic planning are significant. I worked with one company that invested over $100 million in new technologies. The company’s revenue leaders, however, were left out of conversations about new initiatives. As a result, when revenue leaders met with clients, they continued to push older products. Ultimately, the company’s attempt to move its strategy forward was stymied, and it wasted millions of dollars.

Executives from various parts of the company should not wait until the end of the sales process to engage the sales revenue team. If executives work together early on, they have an opportunity to broaden a project’s scope and strengthen the outcomes. For example, a technologist could work with the sales team to help a customer solve a problem in an entirely new way that goes beyond a single product or service. When sales leaders provide clients with valuable insights that help them think differently—even if it means acknowledging the company’s product or service may not be a perfect fit in the short term—it is often a better long-term strategy for winning business and providing an excellent CX throughout.

Want to learn more? Click here to read the full white paper.

Currently Thinking About… Are You Hiding Behind Email?

How many emails did you read today? How many did you send? Of those, what percentage would you say were productive, or even inspiring?

Email is a way to effectively communicate updates, but it is not a strategy for working through complex issues or motivating your team. And yet, it has become our primary source of communication in the workplace, regardless of the task at hand.

We use email in ways that were never intended. In Cal Newport’s article exploring the evolution of email, he outlines the story of IBM deploying an internal email system in the 1980s. They used current employee communication to estimate how many messages would be sent. Within a week, the system was overwhelmed. Instead of directly transferring their current communication to a more convenient platform, employees started communicating far more frequently. Newport notes that the story underscores a common misconception about email - it is not a passive tool used to make our actual work easier. Instead, it has completely changed the very way we do our work.

But email is not often the right tool for the job we are asking it to do. This disconnect has resulted in us handling a wide range of communication issues all in the same manner. My take is that leaders often hide behind email, and it’s making us undisciplined. By sending an email, you can check something off your list, or you don’t have to face a difficult conversation. But the reality is, the problem is not solved, and the conversation has not been addressed. Email has also allowed us to become undisciplined in our time management - you don’t need to be thoughtful about how you plan your workday or think in advance about what you need from whom, you can just send emails whenever something comes to mind.

So, if you want to receive less email (and who doesn’t?), stop before you write your next email and ask yourself, “Is this the most productive way to handle this matter?” Then, take action accordingly.

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Please join me on Tuesday, June 8th at 10 am Eastern for another LinkedIn Live. I will be discussing solution selling and the perfect headstands.

05.27.21 - Edinger's Insights: Reframe Your Thinking About Sales

Thu, 27 May 2021 20:32:41 GMT

May 27, 2021

Reframe Your Thinking About Sales

When you hear the word ‘salesperson’, what comes to mind? As a leader, your answer to this question has an important influence on the kind of sales experience your business provides.

There is a high likelihood that you envisioned an extroverted personality who wins people over with their charisma alone. They may be pushy, always trying to meet a quota. Do they resemble the proverbial used car salesman?

If this is what you thought of, you aren’t alone. Working with clients over the years I have been struck by how even professionals who have dedicated their careers to sales are afraid of sales, or at least fearful of the label. Why?

For decades, there has been a persistent definition of sales and a total misunderstanding of the role of a sales professional. Many people equate sales with making people buy things they don’t need and can’t afford. That perception likely stems from the turn of the 20th century, when hucksters and peddlers were among the few sales jobs on the U.S. census.

Today there are over 28 census codes that reference professional sales specifically, many of which require tremendous expertise. For example, in the medical device industry, there are instances in which a doctor will consult a sales person about the proper insertion of their device during surgery. Let that sink in - a sales person advising a doctor in a surgical theater. That is a critically important role, not an instance of pushing unnecessary goods on an unassuming customer.

Misconceptions and preconceived notions about sales can bleed into a company culture and hinder them from meeting the performance metrics they desire. Sales is the engine powering the entire business, and should be recognized as such. Three shifts in culture will help unlock the potential of your sales organization:

Every employee is selling in some capacity, even if they don’t think they are. Your ability to create value is inextricably linked with your ability to sell, no matter what position you’re in. At the end of the day, sales is a leadership job.
The process of selling is a key part of creating value for a customer. The best salespeople do not “pitch”, and they don’t try to “close”. Instead, they engage in a dialogue about what a client is trying to accomplish, and then apply the solutions offered through their products or services to the client’s needs.
When you believe people will benefit from your products and services, sales is about helping others. Sales is the avenue through which the value of your product and service is demonstrated to your customers. It is how you show how you can solve a problem, increase their efficiency, or improve their quality of life.

Sales is at the heart of every commercial enterprise. Sales is the revenue-generating engine of the business and salespeople are taking the lead. Now that is something to be proud of.

To dive deeper into reframing your thinking about sales, read the full article that was published in the Harvard Business Review here .

Language Of Leadership

Communication is a leader’s most powerful tool.

It is through language that you express vision, give feedback, convey strategy and establish expectations. The most effective leaders have a masterful grasp of language and use it to effectively guide their teams.

I have previously written about the modernization of Aristotle’s three critical components of communication: ethos, logos, and pathos . Once you understand the tools at your disposal, what about the execution of these components?

Great leaders have a remarkable handle on how to use language to guide, redirect, and inspire their teams. The language of leadership is precise, thoughtful, and dynamic. Consider the following questions when sharpening your leadership language:

Are you engaging and interesting? I’ve often said there are two cardinal sins in communication, but you can be forgiven for one. The sins are being inaccurate and being boring. But as long as you don’t intentionally mislead, you’ll be forgiven for inaccuracy. People never forgive boring, and you’ll be punished with neglect. To motivate people, you must captivate them.
Are you clear and specific? You can have the most compelling vision in history, but if you can’t provide clear and articulate direction to your team, you aren’t going to achieve it. Additionally, as a coach, you must be specific and precise in how you provide feedback.

A leader who communicates powerfully is able to balance clarity and interest, specificity and engagement. If you are too precise without being inspiring, people won’t want to follow you. If you are inspiring but vague, no one will know how to follow you.

Insights

About a year ago I learned about and became fascinated with something called Hanlon’s Razor. It’s a principle or rule of thumb that says, "never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

I have found this incredibly useful at times as a way of remembering that sometimes people or groups make decisions that we disagree with, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are evil. Sometimes they are just, as the Razor states, stupid. And don’t we see plenty of stupidity? Now, the reason it can be helpful is that how we respond to stupidity versus how we respond to maliciously evil people are very different. Taking a moment to consider which is which can determine the outcome of the response.

Current Read

It seems to be getting increasingly difficult to access unbiased news and fact-based journalism. Our media sources, from print to digital, masquerade as objective but in reality, they rarely are. This article, How To Avoid Critical Thinking Errors Caused by Media Headlines , does a nice job articulating the flawed assertions found in many headlines. From overgeneralizing to suggesting single factors are responsible for outcomes when the data indicates that there are multiple factors, it’s tough to get the whole story. Many readers draw conclusions from headlines alone, which is problematic both because of the amount of information that can be shared in such few characters and because headlines are often designed to attract clicks (read: they are intentionally provocative). Since it’s unlikely media will change anytime soon, this article can give you the tools you need to be a discerning consumer of headlines and media.

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05.20.21 - Edinger's Insights: You Are Not The Best Judge Of You

Thu, 20 May 2021 20:32:17 GMT

May 20, 2021

You Are Not The Best Judge Of You

You are the only one always with you, so you should be the best judge of yourself. Right? Not so fast.

As a leader, the impact you have on others can be a more important datapoint than objective data on your ability to complete any given task. In my prior research projects analyzing the 360-degree feedback from tens of thousands of leaders, we discovered that when you ask someone to rate their supervisor on something like listening, what we learn is whether or not they think that person is listening to them. That’s certainly not objective data, but it doesn’t have to be. If I think my boss is not listening to me, that certainly plays into how effective she is as a leader, no matter how subjective my judgment is.

It’s not just a gap — but something closer to a canyon — between people’s perceptions of themselves and how other people see them. The research suggests that you are a notoriously bad predictor of your own leadership abilities because it is so difficult to consistently know what impact you are having on others. In that regard, other people are experts at knowing how they feel about your effect on them.

You need to listen to other people and take their feedback seriously, but you don’t need to hang on every word. Feedback is the result of that individual’s experience of you, and while their subjective opinion is valid, it may not be the complete picture. And don’t forget that there are times when you receive feedback that is more about the self-interest of others than genuine interest in your performance. So, you shouldn’t put too much stock in outliers, but as themes bubble up, you better pay attention. Synthesize what’s valuable by asking the following questions:

What have you heard before?
What is showing up as a theme?
What is helpful in explaining why something hasn’t been working for you?
What do you want to offer as a leader?

People will give you feedback based on their perspective and preferences, and it’s up to you to decide if you agree. For example, if someone tells you that you have unrealistic expectations, it’s your choice whether or not that’s something you want to change about your leadership style. You don’t have to take it all to heart, but you need to know what’s out there.

Before You Leave For Vacation

My hunch is there isn’t much of a market for consultants who help people take more effective vacations. I’d struggle if that were my focus. While it’s not a specialty of my work with clients, time off or balancing home commitments with work is a frequent topic of conversation. It is something with which so many leaders struggle and I’ve written a few articles for HBR on this very topic.

So, here we are at the precipice of summer vacation season. To maximize the time away and minimize the burnout before and after, consider the following approaches:

(Almost) clear the decks. At least a week before you ever leave, take steps to prepare for your absence so you really can be away while you’re gone. Make sure that all your projects are either paused or can move forward without you. Get a handle on your email and voice-mail inboxes. I don’t mean everything has to be done (that never happens, and an expectation that it will may result in pre-vacation burnout ).
Unplug mostly. You run a hundred miles a minute during the workweek, and a full stop on vacation can be jarring and uncomfortable. I’ve worked with many people who fail to close the laptop on vacation, and the result is missed memories and a return to the office as tired as they left. While I don’t think you need to forbid contact with work, I do believe you must establish clear ground rules about when and how you will engage in it. When you’re engaged in work you really aren’t on vacation, you are at work. There’s no right way to do this, but here’s my rule of thumb: During a one week vacation, take at least 72 consecutive hours with no work, no email, and if you dare, no screens. Then only spend 30 to 60 minutes a day quickly checking in on urgent issues.
You aren’t that important. To be able to truly go on vacation you need to be convinced that the world can go on without you. This is not to say you don’t make a difference, or even that you won’t be missed. But most likely, any negative impact will be modest and quickly resolved upon your return. For many of us, our work is such a vital part of our lives that we have a distorted view of our own importance. Odds are, your team and your clients will be completely fine if you’re out for a week or two.

Beware The Logical Fallacy Of Ad Hominem Behavior

In college I learned a lot about logical fallacies thanks to a great deal of study in rhetoric. It helps me today to point out the problems in the way people discuss problems. The fallacy of ad hominem behavior is about attacking your opponent's character or personal characteristics as a way to undermine their argument. The attacks aren’t about the position that’s taken or an argument’s logic. It’s about something else from a past transgression to someone's immutable characteristics. Even if the attacks are true, they don’t necessarily mean someone is wrong or that their argument ought to be discredited.

When you watch or read the news, notice just how often this logical fallacy is invoked, and what a lousy excuse it is for good analytical thinking.

Current Read: Resist Old Routines When Returning To The Office

There is great relief in the return to some semblance of normalcy, but organizations should resist the desire to return entirely to their pre-pandemic ways and embrace the opportunity to permanently integrate positive practices they adopted during the pandemic. In this article, the authors present a four-step framework to help leaders identify and incorporate the changes that have been successful in the past year.

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Please join me on Tuesday, May 25 ^th at 10 am Eastern for another LinkedIn Live. I will be discussing the one skill all leaders should work on.

05.13.21 - Edinger's Insights: The Real Path To Developing Expert Levels Of Performance

Thu, 13 May 2021 20:31:40 GMT

May 13, 2021

The Real Path To Developing Expert Levels Of Performance

You’ve probably heard of the “10,000-hour rule.” Popularized by author and psychologist Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers , he claimed an individual can develop mastery of a complex skill with 10,000 hours of practice. I understand how this rule has anchored itself in our business lexicon – it sure is appealing to think that gaining an upper hand in a skill is as straightforward as dedicating 10,000 hours.

But the truth is, it’s not quite so easy. A few years ago, I had lunch with Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, a professor of psychology at my alma mater Florida State University. Dr. Ericsson’s original research about developing expert levels of performance are actually the basis for Gladwell’s claim. He took a particular dissatisfaction with the oversimplification of the popularized finding.

Dr. Ericsson recounted for me where the conclusion fell short. He pointed out that, even within the experiments from his research that Gladwell cited, the conclusions were too broad and even a tad misleading. That is, Gladwell overlooked an important detail: mastery isn’t achieved based on the number of hours – 10,000 was an average. Some took more, some took less Rather, Ericsson specified the critical factor was deliberate practice. But of course, as he said, “The Very Large Amount of Deliberate Practice Rule” Isn’t quite as sexy as the “10,000 Hour Rule.”

Dr. Ericsson went on to share with me with his criteria for Deliberate Practice for those who really want to develop mastery in most any field:

There must be a predetermined model – clarity about what excellent or good looks like - designed with intention and structure.
There must be deliberate practice and an effort to match the skill or behavior to the model.
There must be and a mechanism for feedback, both for corrections and reinforcing what is done well.
Repeat.

This is true for developing expert levels of performance in everything from playing the violin, selling consultatively, developing software code, or being a leader. The model is simple – but his point serves as a valuable reality check. Time is only part of the story – how you practice is what makes the difference. It’s not uncommon for change or growth to take time, but if you want to accelerate progress, remember that intentionality and focus are the key. Try using Ericsson’s model as a general framework for checking in on long-term development goals. It’s very possible that you’ll succeed in less than10,000 hours if you are deliberate in your practice.

Rethink Your Sales Experience

As the economy begins to bounce back, now is the time to learn from what went right and wrong over the last year. I was recently interviewed by the Small Business Expo for an article titled “5 ways to boost revenue back up after a pandemic.” I’ve summarized three of the key takeaways below. To read the full article, click here .

Rethink your sales experience. Small businesses should rethink how they sell their products to potential customers. You must go beyond just providing information about your products and giving a presentation about their capabilities. The proverbial ‘talking brochure’ adds little value. Instead, it is critically important to focus on insight, expertise and helping clients to see their issues differently.
Focus on early stage sales efforts. A sole focus on late-stage revenue results in missed opportunities during the early stages of the sales process. It is in the beginning phases where you have the greatest potential for strengthening the business and minimizing the effects of a recession. Early-stage efforts include account strategy, allocating resources, and building client relationships.
Reevaluate your client profile. It’s tempting to go after any business you can get when you are trying to boost revenue. Instead, focus your limited resources on your ideal client profile and respectfully walk away from business that you know isn’t going to be good.

Return To (Your Version) Of Normal

For my family, last Wednesday marked the beginning of the end of the pandemic. We are two weeks post-vaccination and can start reintroducing pieces of our lives that have been put on hold for the last 14 months.

It won’t be exactly the same, but it sure is getting closer. What does this look like in my house? Last year we canceled a trip to Disney World for my daughter’s birthday. This year, as newly minted Harry Potter fanatics/Potterheads (thank you, quarantine), we are headed to Universal Studios to Harry Potter’s Wizarding World to celebrate her birthday. Yes, I am willing to wear a mask in Florida in May in order to do this.

At a more mundane, but equally exciting level, my favorite restaurant doesn’t have outdoor seating, and I can’t wait to go out to dinner and order vichyssoise again.

As vaccines become readily available and the country begins to open, what are you most looking forward to?

Current Read:

As we enter a new stage of normalcy after a period that has been redefined due to the pandemic, using customer journeys to guide product development and customer experience will be more important than ever to business performance. This article outlines three critical factors that will determine whether your post-pandemic customer journeys will help amplify or impede business growth. First, be customer-centric, not company-centric. Second, create flexible journeys based on need-points, not touchpoints. Third, measure and optimize customer journeys and experiences.

Designing Customer Journeys for the Post-Pandemic World (hbr.org)

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05.06.21 - Edinger's Insights: Don't Confuse Helpful Leadership With Doing The Work

Thu, 06 May 2021 20:31:20 GMT

May 6, 2021

Don’t Confuse Helpful Leadership With Doing The Work

One of the reasons leaders struggle with time and priority management is that they are too entangled in helping their teams solve problems. This isn’t necessarily the result of poor delegation. Frequently it’s an issue of leaders offering support and becoming too much of a safety net. Sometimes it helps leaders feel good about their contributions and being that much more valuable. Other times it’s a strong desire to influence how a particular issue is handled. When it happens a lot it can be a slippery slope. Before you know it, you are getting sucked into more issues than you’d like, your teams aren’t handling what they should be on their own, and the leader has become the bottleneck in the process. I know you’ve seen this happen.

Being a resource and an advisor to your team is extremely important. But if your team members have an overreliance on you, as their manager, to answer their questions and move projects across the finish line, you may have a problem. Here’s how you can focus your leadership to productively address the issue and create a high-performance team:

Work with your teams on defining what success looks like for any given initiative or project. A primary responsibility of leaders is to define the work to be done.
Give plenty of flexibility in “how” they address problems or issues, while you stay focused on “what” they need to accomplish.
Define the boundaries or parameters for them to operate within (especially non-negotiables and financial considerations). Structure is critical.
Pay close attention to resource constraints and their implications. Make sure you understand how they affect a team’s ability to produce. Reality always wins so your expectations can’t blind you.
Coach your leaders on the behaviors you want to see more of or less of. Reminder: coaching is a collaborative effort aimed at improving someone’s ability to perform, and rarely includes lecturing, directing, or insisting.

Years ago, an article on this topic titled with the clever phrase: “ who’s got the monkey ?” The gist is that, in an effort to be helpful, leaders can instead subliminally permit their team members to transfer the ownership and responsibility of a current project back upon the boss. It’s a negative double-whammy because it adds work to your plate, removes work from the team, and creates a bottleneck.

If this sounds familiar, don’t worry but don’t wait either. Use some discipline and structure with the approaches above to get back to the modus operandi where your team is less reliant on you to actually do their work.

How Selling Got Easier During The Pandemic

Yes, I said how selling got easier. Meaning, there are ways that the pandemic made selling easier. This does not discount the many ways the pandemic made selling harder, but you don’t need me to tell you that. I was interviewed recently for an article on this very topic for a magazine called remote report , a new publication for “news and insights on the business of remote work.” (I am now sure there is a magazine for everything.)

If I were to sum up my view about what has gotten potentially easier in sales due to the pandemic, I’d use this word: Access:

Access to subject matter experts. Bringing in experts to help in early-stage diagnostic conversations, share insights and expertise on how other companies address similar issues, offer technical considerations that clients may not have anticipated on their own, and provide advice on product improvements, and more, has never been easier (or cheaper).

Access to decision-makers. Thanks to video conferencing, it’s easier to get the right client representatives (those who have the appropriate authority and role) in the (virtual) room. Regardless of the prospect’s ultimate decision, working with the decision-maker is more time effective and sets both parties up for success.

Access to seller-side executives. The age-old technique of “bringing in the big guns” is still effective for demonstrating commitment to the deal. During the pandemic, executives have had more time to connect with prospective clients and participate in pitches.

Here are some of my quotations from the article, which you can find in its entirety here :

“’The pandemic is really the water that found the cracks in the dam,’ [Edinger] said. Before the pandemic, ‘companies could get by with great products and services alone. It’s not enough anymore.’ He believes the sales experience must be primary in a company’s thinking, and that it can be beneficial to both the client and the seller, helping to shape customer expectations and create opportunities for the seller.”

“Businesses are not seizing the opportunity the pandemic presents if they are simply making more calls or doing more Zoom meetings than before, [Edinger] adds. Instead, it is an opportunity to ‘rethink [the sales experience] from the initial contact to contract. Where’s the value, where’s the insight … and how do we use our resources … to help the customer see things they hadn’t seen?’ Edinger noted.”

Current Read:

Leaders have been through the ringer in the last 14 months. Some have fared better than others, but anyone who says managing a team through the pandemic wasn’t hard - is lying. Now, with sights set on a brighter horizon, I am recommending this article that articulates the challenges in front of leaders in the late stage of the pandemic and beyond. I appreciated the use of the term “paradoxical challenges” – there’s no sugarcoating that what’s ahead will also be uniquely hard for leaders, but in ways we are more equipped than ever before to manage.

6 Leadership Paradoxes for the Post-Pandemic Era (hbr.org)

Quotable:

Next Steps:

Please join me on Tuesday, May 11 ^th at 10 am Eastern for another LinkedIn Live. I will be discussing the one skill all leaders should work on.

04.29.21 - Edinger's Insights: Success Will Come From Selling Differently

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 20:30:43 GMT

April 29, 2021

Success Will Come From Selling Differently, Not From Selling Different Things

The sales profession has changed drastically in the last 40 years, especially with the emergence of the now-common practice of solution selling. This approach, which arose out of the sentiment that selling a product for the sake of selling a product can be fairly surface level for both the seller and the buyer, is anchored in the delivery of value. Those who have mastered this approach know that diagnosing a prospect’s needs or challenges and delivering specific improvements is a rewarding feeling for both parties.

But while solution selling has been around since the 1980s, sales organizations still have a lot of work to do in adapting their sales approaches to fully leverage the strategy. I find that, almost across the board, sales organizations are still pitching products with all emphasis on the product’s capabilities and functionalities. But the focus should shift from simply communicating the merit of the products and services to the sales organization being an essential part of the solution to the client’s problem. In many instances, the prospective client may not even know they have a problem or opportunity, let alone how it impacts outcomes, how urgent or important it is, and how to remedy it. That makes you and your sales organization an important resource — one that can help a prospect both understand and react to their situation.

To fully leverage the value of solution selling, sales organizations must read between the lines and find out where the opportunities are. And if they can articulate it, demonstrate how it affects the client’s bottom line, and solve it with their product, the sales organization delivers value for both companies. And in turn, this can foster a positive feedback loop, in which by meeting and exceeding the customer’s expectations, you’ve also unlocked the potential for future business or referrals to other potential clients.

In my most recent article for Forbes and their Future of Work Series, I write more about the future of the practice of solution selling. With the availability of information and reviews at customer fingertips, I suggest that success down the road has a lot to do with how businesses sell, and less to do with what they sell. Sales organizations that can make this adjustment to their approach are better positioned to win business, and in an ever more competitive world, this difference could be key.

Languishing

With the one-year mark of the pandemic firmly in the rearview mirror, you may be among the portion of people who, despite relief and normalcy on the horizon, are struggling to feel hopeful. I’ve seen clients, colleagues, friends, and, at times, myself, struggling to concentrate, and feeling unexcitable or even aimless at times. These sentiments can be hard to articulate and describe (the term “Meh” comes to mind), but renowned organizational psychologist Adam Grant’s most recent article does the best job of it I’ve seen yet. He ties these feelings to a previously underutilized psychology term: languishing. This describes a state that is distinctly different from depression, but is also certainly not buoyant or even good enough.

Grant himself states that there is still much to learn about the state of languishing – the absence of well-being. I think about it like the movie Sideways – a lack of forward movement or momentum. The self-care options you have for unlanguishing (I checked, this is a real word,) aren’t different from the ones that existed before the pandemic: rest, nutrition, exercise. But I’d suggest that taking them more seriously is most certainly the foundation for at least giving yourself a chance to get back on track.

Beyond health and self-care, Grant’s encouragement for those who feel in this state are to focus on some non-work activities that enable you to get absorbed and feel in the zone. It can also be helpful to focus on small goals to set progress in motion. Essentially, its finding anything that you can do to help you reclaim your energy, or even a spark of passion for something. In my experience, this may take a while, but you need to keep trying. And part of the languishing itself is not wanting to keep trying. So that’s part of the action.

If languishing is something you or others around you are experiencing, you’re not alone. Maybe even having the vocabulary to describe what you, your team, or your family may be feeling will help to shift some focus back towards the positivity on the horizon.

You can read Grant’s article here: Feeling Blah During the Pandemic? It's Called Languishing - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Current Read:

Yes, experts will lie to you sometimes.

This article caught my attention because I’m routinely skeptical of what I read and hear from any single news source. I may have good reason for the skepticism because experts – in nearly every field from public health officials to economists – don’t always tell the truth. Its not that they are maliciously dishonest. Quite the contrary. Most of the time they are trying to protect us. The technical term might be the “Noble Lie.” Noah Smith, a Bloomberg opinion columnist (who has one of my favorite blog names “Noahpinion”) points out in this column that experts tend to do this out of concern for our ability to use the information in the way they believe we should. Understanding this can help us make better sense of all we see and hear.

Full article here: Yes, experts will lie to you sometimes (Noahpinion.com)

Quotable:

This week’s quotation is longer than usual. It’s actually the last part of Tyler Perry’s speech at the Academy Awards as he accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. I didn’t watch it live but heard an excerpt afterwards and then read the speech in its entirety here . Its beautiful. The real sentiments of a leader who understands the power of bringing polarized people together.

"My mother taught me to refuse hate. She taught me to refuse blanket judgment, and in this time, and with all of the Internet and social media and algorithms and everything that wants us to think a certain way, the 24-hour news cycle, it is my hope that all of us, we teach our kids and I want to remember, just refuse hate. Don’t hate anybody. I refuse to hate someone because they are Mexican or because they are Black or White or LGBTQ. I refuse to hate someone because they are a police officer. I refuse to hate someone because they are Asian.

"I would hope that we would refuse hate and I want to take this Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and dedicate it to anyone who wants to stand in the middle, no matter what’s around the wall. Stand in the middle ’cause that’s where healing happens. That’s where conversation happens. That’s where change happens. It happens in the middle. So anyone who wants to meet me in the middle, to refuse hate, to refuse blanket judgment, and to help lift someone’s feet off the ground, this one is for you too." - Tyler Perry

Next Steps:

I was recently interviewed for article about the advantages of remote sales for B2B sales teams. It was a great conversation, and we discussed the importance of the sales experience. We also discussed how the pandemic is really the water that found cracks in the dam and how before the pandemic, companies could get by with great products and services alone. However, that is not enough anymore. If you’d like to read the full article you can check it out here .

04.22.21 - Edinger's Insights: To Increase Employee Engagement, Be A More Engaged Leader

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 20:30:25 GMT

April 22, 2021

To Increase Employee Engagement, Be A More Engaged Leader

I’ve seen considerable energy, time, and money thrown at programs of all kinds designed to increase employee engagement. But if you want to increase the engagement of your team to ensure you get their most valuable effort, look directly in the mirror at where you should focus your efforts.

In my research and study of over 250,000 360-degree surveys, it was always clear that the most influential factor on a person’s level of commitment and engagement was their direct manager. If you are reading this newsletter, this probably doesn’t surprise you. But this fact does leave many leaders wondering how they can engage with their teams in a more impactful way. So, I’ll sum it up in two words: Emotional Connection.

I want to be very clear here. I am not talking about being excessively vulnerable, oversharing one’s personal experiences, or developing friendships instead of appropriate professional working relationships. I’m talking about relating to others as human beings. And humans are emotional creatures. Not droids. Not task focused automatons. But people.

So it’s no surprise that one-dimensional directives, assignments, and meetings are often – well, uninspiring. In fact, when I co-authored my first book, The Inspiring Leader , the ability to use emotions or make emotional connections was the highest-rated leadership behavior among the most inspiring leaders in the world. Leaders can make emotional connections by:

Expressing concern about issues or people. Demonstrating with words and actions the degree to which you care about what is happening with someone or something.
Displaying enthusiasm or excitement for what is possible, for a job well done, for the direction you want to take the team or organization.
Sharing dissatisfaction or anger, which can draw attention to issues requiring focus. This strategy is to be utilized with caution, however, because it becomes less and less powerful with every use. This is most powerful when it is rare.
Taking interest in the progress and development of others, and investing your time and energy in helping them to grow.
Inviting the perspectives of others and listening to their point of view. Bonus points if you focus on understanding their ideas fully before offering your opinion.

These are just a handful of ways that you can engage members of your own team and others across the business. If you want to inspire and motivate others to the highest levels of performance, dedicate some energy toward doing this well. And if you want to read more on the topic, here is an article I wrote a number of years ago for HBR:

Three Ways Leaders Make Emotional Connections

The Value Of Succinctness

When I coach leaders to communicate more powerfully, I often work with them to be more succinct. After all, people can only absorb so much content at one time. But being succinct doesn’t just mean being brief. It means being able to express your points, your vision, your strategy, or whatever you are articulating in a way that will move others to action.

Being succinct requires leaders to think about how they express their ideas in a way that really resonates with their audience. Here are a few questions to ask yourself about the clarity of your executive communication:

Is this simple? Avoid equivocation, jargon and corporate speak.
How is this useful? Make sure that you are pragmatic.
Can I make this more inspiring? See emotional connection ideas above.
What do I want people to remember? Consider the essence of what people should take away.
Have I been thoughtful? Think about unintended consequences or key points that may be missing.

Succinctness isn’t just about brevity of the message. It’s about your ability to convey what is most important in a powerful way. And yes, it helps if it doesn’t take a long time for you to say it!!

On The Oscars

I love getting good feedback about my work. And who wouldn’t enjoy that positive feedback with millions of people watching, which is of course part of the popularity of the Academy Awards. But it seems to me that Hollywood gets a bit too self-congratulatory with the sheer volume of awards and awards shows these days. So much so that I tend to tune them out.

But do you know who isn’t tuning out positive feedback and recognition? Every single person that reports to you. And the people that report to them. Odds are, they are working as hard as they ever have to produce the desired or even better than expected results. Maybe this awards season can prompt you to do a little more for them. Recognize a great effort by a team member. Reward an achievement with something meaningful. You may even consider your own (smaller scale) awards show. I haven’t talked with anyone lately ever who feels that their boss has gone overboard on appreciation.

Current Read:

Unanswered emails used to be an etiquette faux pas, but with the overreliance on email these days, it seems to be an everyday thing. You know the feeling of sending an important email, then anxiously awaiting a response for days on end. It can be so frustrating! In a world with seemingly endless emails, I revisited this Harvard Business Review piece that features guidance as relevant as ever about sending follow up emails that will get the job done:

How to Follow Up With Someone Who's Not Getting Back to You

Quotable:

04.15.21 - Edinger's Insights: What are your clients saying about your Sales Experience?

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 20:30:03 GMT

April 15, 2021

What Are Your Clients Saying About Your Sales Experience?

A lot of businesses I’ve worked with make a critical mistake: as soon as clients have signed a contract they are handed off to an implementation, account manager, or most popular today, client success manager. When that happens, sales teams stop caring. Bluntly, this is a huge, missed opportunity. In fact, in my opinion, that’s when relationship-building should kick in to high gear. When it comes to winning repeat business, Gartner determined that about half of the decision is based on the sales experience . That’s double the impact of winning new business which is found to be at 25% of the decision.

Feedback, good or critical, is priceless. But waiting for your net promoter surveys or client satisfaction results, is too late. Leaders would be well served to focus on ensuring that relationships are still built with clients after they’ve signed on the dotted line. When it comes to the possibility of expanding and deepening the relationship, nothing is more important. They also have the potential to connect you with other clients, inside or outside their organization (like I wrote about in my article about Referrals a few weeks ago). Clients can provide valuable insight into the Sales and Customer experience. They are financially invested in your success and, if asked correctly, they should be willing to share ideas and pain points from their time in your pipeline.

As you think about your Sales Organization’s feedback process (or lack thereof) for existing clients, consider the following questions:

What questions are you asking your clients? Go beyond the generic “how have things been, how are things going.” Be specific. Ask about how well you delivered on your promises. What expectations are met or not? How well did you match to their decision criteria? What do they regret or see in hindsight that you can help with now? You’re aiming for the sweet spot between too much and too little: too many questions and they’ll lost interest but too few questions (or too broad) and the feedback may be empty and worthless.
Are you creating space for them to provide their honest, candid opinions? Some clients may want to fill out an anonymous survey, while others may want to speak candidly with the person who they worked most closely with through the sales process. Regardless, make sure there is space for the client to provide the kind of feedback that can be put into practice and deliver value for your future prospective clients.
Are you asking the right players? Sometimes, the person who served as the point of contact may not be the right person to ask. Their teams or sometimes their supervisor may have had more interface with the process – it’s their feedback you really want.
How frequently are you asking? You need not ask every prospective client who was in your pipeline at some point, but you also shouldn’t ask only those that are converted to clients. Hearing from those who ultimately didn’t buy can be just as insightful as feedback from those that did.

Once the deal is sealed, it’s easy to move on to the next target. But businesses who seize the opportunity to solicit feedback are more likely to build better customer relationships and provide a better, more attractive experience for prospective clients. Consider it an investment in your process – my bet is that it will prove to be worthwhile.

Is Your Listening Hurting Your Productivity?

A few weeks ago I spoke at a virtual conference for the Minnesota Society of CPAs about increasing productivity. I discussed how leadership skills – not time management systems – were part of the key to their ability to accomplish more. I certainly didn’t insult them or suggest them to be slackers. But I did highlight how I’ve observed many leaders undermine their own effectiveness by not really working hard when they need to. Point #1 on the day was to Listen Like A Leader.

Here’s what I’m talking about. You have undoubtedly been in meetings, videoconferences, and calls where people are talking in unproductive ways. Tackling too many topics at once, taking multiple tangents of other topics, providing more extraneous information than is needed, or rehashing previously made points. In the spirit of politeness and inclusivity (both admirable), leaders get lazy by simply allowing someone to talk for as long as they need to. Meanwhile, you are likely getting lost in thought, your emails, or something else. None of that is polite or inclusive to all participants, it isn’t good meeting management, and it doesn’t demonstrate strong leadership.

So, as a leader, you can work harder to be more engaged in what others are sharing, and you can do so politely while ensuring everyone is heard. It requires attentiveness and doing these three things:

Clarifying: Staying involved and ensuring the points being made are clear to everyone. You can say, “I’m hearing 3 different points from you, they are [repeat them]…is that right?” When people are thinking out loud, you as the leader can help reign in and focus the ideas.
Confirming: Your ability to align your team is always front and center for leaders. Confirming your understanding and ensuring there is a shared understanding of what's been presented, has great value.
Acknowledging: Making sure people are heard and understood, even when they are going off topic can help you get refocused. “I get that this is important, and appreciate you raising the topic. I’d prefer we stick with our original agenda today and find another time to revisit this idea.”

These skills require both directness and subtlety. Interrupting and doing too much will create an atmosphere of controlling leadership, which is universally hated. But the other end of the spectrum leads to lengthy and counterproductive meetings. So, as a leader, focus intently on what's being said. Forget about what you think for now, and drive a focus on understanding and creating a shared understanding. It’s much more difficult and requires considerably more attention than just letting people talk ad infinitum. But isn’t that part of what you are there for?

Current Read:

We have a lot to learn from leaders who start and scale their businesses. I enjoyed this interview with Mailchimp Co-Founder and CEO Ben Chestnut, and thought his 12 nuggets of leadership wisdom were particularly important to remember as we enter into a busy spring and summer season. With more change on the horizon, give this piece a read and reflect on how these pieces of advice might apply to your role and leadership:

12 Leadership Lessons from Mailchimp Co-Founder and CEO Ben Chestnut (entrepreneur.com)

Quotable:

04.08.21 - Edinger's Insights: Efficiency Versus Effectiveness

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 20:29:23 GMT

April 8, 2021

Efficiency Versus Effectiveness

When I consult with executives on the health of their company’s revenue stream, I’ll frequently ask them about what they measure. The answers range from little beyond the current quarter revenue forecast, to lengthy lists of sales team productivity metrics including the number of calls, the number of RFPs, number of contracts signed, and so forth.

What’s frequently missing is the more qualitative or impact-focused measures of success. Frankly, 50 customer calls means nothing if those calls don’t advance opportunities in the pipeline from one stage to the next. Lots of activity doesn’t really mean much if there aren’t meaningful metrics about the results of those activities. It’s far more useful in understanding performance to measure the progress or the output instead of the input.

I consistently see this tug of war between measuring efficiency and effectiveness for nearly every business area, from sales to operations to customer service. Regardless of the functional area being evaluated, most metrics are focused on the efficiency side of the coin – how much or how many – and neglect the equally valuable measures of effectiveness – how well or how successful. That’s not to say that efficiency isn’t important. In fact, efficiency and effectiveness are inextricably linked. But measuring effectiveness can highlight areas that help drive strategic focus.

We tend to measure everything in business, but metrics have a way of diluting our judgement. An over-reliance on efficiency measures leaves you missing out on strategic insights gained from qualitative measures. Every metric or KPI on a dashboard reflects what leaders have deemed important enough to measure. So, they are inevitably judgments as much as they are metrics. Are you evaluating your business on both efficiency and effectiveness?

Put Pen To Paper

In my opinion there are no greater tools for thinking than a blank sheet of paper and pen. You can substitute a blank screen and keyboard, which I do plenty of as well. But there is something very powerful about the physical act of writing and seeing your thoughts on paper. It allows you to see where your thoughts or ideas are in conflict. Where you don’t make sense. Where you are unclear or equivocal. And once you can literally see the thoughts in imperfect and incomplete form, you can work on fixing those problems.

Need to build or refine a strategy? Write.

Need to think through a problem? Write.

Need to clarify your thinking? Write.

Need to process some negative thoughts or feelings? Write.

Need to more powerfully communicate a message? Write

I could go on. The key to making it work for you is to make sure that you know that nobody else is going to see what you write. The writing is for you. This can help you avoid the major issue preventing writing to occur – self-editing. Just know that you can throw it away or shred it when you are done. It’s never wasted time.

Current Read:

Feedback is a critical part of any work environment, but as I’ve written about before, it can be tough to deliver effective feedback while balancing your desire to be liked by your employees. I appreciated this perspective about one leader who made the leap to giving direct, honest feedback, and how it helped his business, its employees and its clients:

This CEO Changed His Feedback Style--and His Company's Revenue Grew Almost 1,500 Percent | Inc.com

Quotable:

Next Steps:

I was excited about this one and got ahead of myself on the date. Please join me on Tuesday, April 13 ^th at 10 am Eastern for another LinkedIn Live. I will be discussing my recent HBR article, what an effective client-referral strategy looks like. If you missed the article, you can see it here .

04.01.21 - Edinger's Insights: Are You Bringing Out Their Best Or Causing Them To Choke?

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 20:29:01 GMT

April 1, 2021

Are You Bringing Out Their Best Or Causing Them To Choke?

I get to see many executives in action with their teams, more on Zoom these days than in person, but still a lot of interaction. If I were to point to one of the most common areas of misstep among leaders striving to lead their team to high performance, it would be that leaders can overutilize the pressure-driven or “push” leadership styles. When I discuss the importance of inspiring and motivating others (including in my book The Inspiring Leader), I highlight that inspiring behaviors tend to come in two flavors – push and pull.

With “push” approaches to leadership, managers are consciously or subconsciously applying pressure, creating urgency, driving for results, and directing improvement and change. As we know, this style has utility, but when overdone or without proper counterbalancing, it creates a problematic culture, with excess intensity or even fear.

The real issue with an overreliance on “push” leadership strategies is there is typically a lack of “pull” leadership. The “pull” leadership style is where team members are brought along by leaders from their position at the helm. Managers are intentionally encouraging and developing talent to improve results, sharing expertise on problem solving, providing direction on objectives while giving their team the space to work. With pull leadership, team goals are clearly connected to vision and strategy and there is great alignment on priorities. You can see why it’s problematic when this kind of behavior is missing.

The grand majority of leaders I talk with suggest they do a lot of “pull” leadership, with only some “push.”

But nearly all direct reports I speak with suggest their boss leads with more “push” than “pull.”

The problem isn’t always that leaders drive a lot. It’s that they don’t “pull” or inspire enough. And I certainly don’t coach executives to never push. In fact, it’s a well-studied relationship (the Yerkes-Dodson Law) that certain levels of stress are actually necessary to achieve optimal performance, and I published an article in HBR ( which you can read here ) that outlines three ways managers can strike that delicate balance. I’m simply arguing that the real power comes when you add the “pull.”

Some of you may disagree with this line of thinking. You could argue that it takes too much time and too many resources to commit to the inspirational or motivational leadership style. I won’t argue. It comes down to how important you think great leadership is.

Leadership Reflections After One Year Of A Pandemic – What will stick?

We’re officially beyond the one-year mark in this pandemic, a bizarre milestone both frustrating and sad. But when I talk with leaders candidly, it’s clear that there are some very good things to come out of the pandemic too. As I reflect on the last 12 months, I can’t help but see the permanent (and positive) effect the pandemic has had on leaders. Here are a few:

Refocusing on the essential work to be done in your business. I’ve seen a laser focus on what is critical to bring value to customers and (thankfully) many of the low value or even value-less projects fade away.
Connecting with people as people instead of task-focused robots. I’ve seen real empathy as leaders recognized and were willing to account for the struggles employees faced in their personal lives.
Increased creativity by embracing the constraints of the pandemic. Disruptive innovation and personal disruption (thanks Whitney Johnson ) teach us to find new ways to get things done. Sometimes better than before, sometimes worse but still done.
Recognizing the value of in person time. I’ve seen that we place higher value on the importance of being in person for some kinds of work, and recognition that it doesn’t have to be all the time.
Importance of time to disconnect. With more of a blend than ever of work into everything else in life, I’ve seen leaders be more intentional about creating time away – even if less frequent. I’ve observed time off to be more unplugged.

With light at the end of the tunnel seeming to approach, I hope these stick. I hope that we, as leaders, remember how these shifts helped our teams to pivot and adapt to a generation-defining pandemic.

What is your biggest leadership takeaway one year into the pandemic? How do you plan to make it stick? Let me know and I’ll share a few responses in an upcoming newsletter.

Current Read:

The internet has seemed captivated by the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for eight days. With the Ever Given’s dislodging earlier this week, the global shipping route is back up and running. This article looks at the accident through the lens of leadership, crisis management and learning from failure, angles frequently underrepresented when screw ups like this happen. The article poses valuable reflection questions for leaders in managing crisis – something we’re all more familiar with these days. I never thought I’d see so much coverage about one ship, so if you’re not burned out on the topic, give it a read and consider how your business can be prepared for crisis.

How To Recover From Suez Canal Debacle And Prevent Another Supply Chain Crisis (forbes.com)

Quotable:

In the spirit of March Madness (which, as a Florida State alum became March Sadness in the Sweet 16 Round):

Next Steps:

Join me on Tuesday, April 6 ^th at 10am Eastern for another LinkedIn Live. I will be discussing my recent HBR article, what an effective client- referral strategy looks like. If you missed the article, you can see it here .

03.25.21 - Edinger's Insights: Advice

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 20:28:34 GMT

March 25, 2021

Advice:

Last week I highlighted advice I’d gotten from my first boss. I got some great responses on advice you’ve received as well, so I’m compiling a greatest hit list. So please reply and let me know: what’s the best advice you’ve gotten from a boss? Look for the list in an upcoming newsletter. And for those who missed it, I’m including the article again at the very end of this newsletter.

New article for Harvard Business Review:

What An Effective Client-Referral Strategy Looks Like

"My best clients have always come from my best clients.” That’s one of my favorite things to say to current clients when I’m reaching out to them for referrals. Why? Because it’s true. My current clients know what I can do and how I’ve helped them, and they have the inside knowledge needed to explain to their peers why my services might be a good fit.

Most company leaders would say this is true of their business too. But few firms have a strategy or process for developing referral business. Too often it’s just something they hope will happen.

At the core, regardless of company size or industry, referrals give you a higher likelihood of winning prospective business, because the opportunities at the top of your funnel are already pre-screened and have a head start with the recommendation of a trusted peer.

In the article (which you can read here ) I outline how business referrals can fuel considerable growth and success for organizations of any size:

Make referral business a central part of your go-to-market strategy. It’s critically important to success that soliciting referrals be pillar of your sales strategy. If it’s not, the potential revenue stream will be forgotten or neglected.
Manage and track the acquisition of referrals as a process. Delineate exactly how you expect your team to address business referrals as they work with clients. This is a multi-step process and requires some attention paid to how you expect these interactions to occur and with what clients.
Focus sales talent on execution of the process. With the right processes in place, it is important to keep your team accountable. Even though the results aren’t immediately measurable, your team will see the return in the long run. Establish metrics and remember to provide coaching to improve the effectiveness of making the request and managing the process.

Building referral business is rigorous but it almost guarantees good connections with strong opportunity for conversion. Don’t let the chance to harness promising leads slip through your fingers. Read the full article to learn more about my recommendations for building an effective strategy.

New article for Forbes : The Future of Sales Leadership

Just as there is a frequently discussed difference between management and leadership, there is an important distinction between managing a sales team and building or leading a strong Sales Organization. In my article last week for Forbes, The Future of Sales Leadership , I explore the key strengths that will be required for Sales Organization leadership, and how these key skills make a difference on outcomes. At the core is the ability to integrate sales and strategy, a topic I’ve written about as fundamental to revenue growth.

You can find the article here , and I hope you will consider these points as you approach your next sales leadership promotion or hiring opportunity. Especially in these volatile and unpredictable times, investing in sound, trusted and strategic leadership is a wise move for any company.

Current Read:

I found this Forbes article to offer an interesting perspective of how leadership and technology are going to influence the success of companies moving into the future. The article is a bit heady and futuristic, but it does articulate an important point that I’ve written about before: “…technology choices leaders make today will have a far-reaching impact on their prospects tomorrow.”

Business Leaders Must Be The New Futurists (forbes. com)

Give Advice And A Funny Story

What's the best advice you’ve gotten from a boss? This may not have been the best advice I ever received, but it is certainly up there:

My first boss gave me this advice over lunch on my last day of work. I had just finished a year at a not-for-profit organization right after college and was heading off to my first corporate job to work for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in San Francisco. Because I had no real business experience other than my role in our small organization and a Communication Studies and Rhetoric degree, he shared this sage advice: “Scott, you probably ought to get yourself a subscription to Harvard Business Review . Read it cover to cover, even though you probably won’t understand it all. And get it delivered to your apartment, not the office, or you’ll look like an arrogant [expletive]!” Ken was direct! I didn’t take offense to the comment about not understanding because I figured he was right.

I looked up to Ken, so I listened and my first issue of HBR was waiting at my new apartment when I arrived in San Francisco. He was also right (as he often is) about not understanding everything (or a lot for that matter). I recall struggling through John Kotter’s 1995 article Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail as I rode the 30X bus from my apartment to the office on Market Street. But read I did, and coupled with the work experience, I started observing some of the ideas I’d read about show up in real time. As I understood more, I began to really appreciate the value of deeply exploring ideas for business, and how those ideas could be applied to improve performance. I’ve been reading it since.

Now the funny part.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s been almost 10 years since I co-authored that first HBR article and I’ve written a bunch since. So, when it was first published, I sent a copy to Ken, with a note that read like this: “Ken, here is a copy of HBR with my recent article. You may enjoy reading it cover to cover, even though you may not understand it all. I’ve sent it to your home so your colleagues at the office don’t think you’re an arrogant [expletive]!” We had a good laugh about that.

And yes, I have a great relationship with Ken to this day and we still talk regularly.

So, what's the best advice you’ve gotten from a boss? Let me know! In a few weeks I’ll compile a greatest hits list.

Quotable:

03.18.21 - Edinger's Insights: Revisiting Making Yourself Indispensable

Thu, 18 Mar 2021 20:28:08 GMT

March 18, 2021

Revisiting Making Yourself Indispensable

It has been nearly 10 years since my first article was published in Harvard Business Review . The article – titled Making Yourself Indispensable and co-written with Jack Zenger and Joe Folkman – was described in the HBR editor’s newsletter as a “classic in the making.” I’ll humbly say that it seems they were right, as it has been reprinted multiple times including this month’s appearance on the cover of the special issue for Spring 2021.

What makes the article compelling? You can read it here and decide for yourself, but my take is it’s because of the unique approach to how leadership strengths are built in a way that differs from remediating leadership weaknesses. There are useful examples of this throughout the article.

As I reread the article this week, I found myself wanting to add material (a project for another day), specifically regarding the importance of getting direct feedback about the impact of one’s leadership. This is so much more valuable and so much more difficult than it seems.

The article provides a model for getting real time feedback by opening up lines of communication and using feedback to inform growth. But I don’t think we could have overstated just how challenging that can be to do effectively. So, I’m working on a follow up that includes the importance of leaders being willing to gracefully accept feedback they don’t like – even going as far as granting amnesty to encourage that feedback. I’ve observed over the years that as leaders advance in the hierarchy, it is increasingly more risky and difficult for their direct reports and others to provide honest and candid perspective.

A safe feedback environment also provides leaders the opportunity to be more direct in the feedback that they provide, so it’s a complete win-win when a leader does this well. The model doesn’t provide the anonymity of a survey, but surveys have their drawbacks too - most notably, the inability to get the full context and specificity that facilitates meaningful change.

Nothing beats the value of candid conversation. My inaugural HBR article guides leaders in doing just that. If this piques your interest, give it a read . Or, there is also a video that I produced with HBR that outlines the process.

Give Advice And A Funny Story

What's the best advice you’ve gotten from a boss? This may not have been the best advice I ever received, but it is certainly up there:

Now the funny part.

And yes, I have a great relationship with Ken to this day and we still talk regularly.

So, what's the best advice you’ve gotten from a boss? Let me know! In a few weeks I’ll compile a greatest hits list.

Current Read:

After reflecting on the impact of HBR on my young career, it felt only appropriate to draw from HBR for today’s current read. And in the spirit of mentors investing in young employees with potential, I pass along this article about when managers should take a chance in hiring candidates who may seem imperfect but promising:

When to Take a Chance on an Imperfect Job Candidate (hbr.org)

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03.11.21 - Edinger's Insights: Are You Still Multi-Tasking? Some Pragmatics On Stopping

Thu, 11 Mar 2021 20:27:24 GMT

March 11, 2021

Are You Still Multitasking? Some Pragmatics On Stopping

Here’s the bottom line about multitasking: just don’t do it - especially while working on something important. By now you know this, but I’d be willing to bet that you still multitask even though you know something or someone deserves your undivided attention. And sadly, we accept the multi-tasking of others, even when it wastes both our time and theirs.

The pandemic has exacerbated the urge to multitask as people have learned how to do so subtly (or not so subtly), even during a videoconference. Plenty of research has pointed to the negative effects of multitasking, and recommended we avoid it as much as possible. When compared to being focused, giving partial attention makes us feel muddled, putting a strain on our memory skills, attention to detail, and creativity, which can have detrimental consequences in any job.

Surely you can think of a time in recent memory when you let your mind wander during a less-than-thrilling Zoom meeting, only to find yourself responding to emails instead of listening attentively. It’s a bit like eating junk food for your overall effectiveness as a leader. But, by definition, this multitasking means we gave partial attention and only get partial benefit from participating in either task. Here are a few simple but powerful ideas for resisting the urge to multitask so you can preserve your mental energy for productivity:

Keep only one window open at a time on your computer and resist the urge to toggle between work and paying your bills, finalizing your grocery list, or shopping online. Especially with gray boundaries between work and life, it’s important to be fully focused in the moment on whichever aspect of your life that needs your attention.
If you fail at the above approach (like I did) with a single window open at a time, at least go to full screen mode with what you are working on and commit to one activity at a time.
Don’t hesitate to turn off notifications of your many devices (iPad, smart watch, cell phone, etc.). Notifications are literally designed to capture your attention and prevent you from giving undivided focus to the task at hand.
If you have one, consider unplugging your second monitor, especially during video meetings. The mere availability of another screen may actually encourage you to multitask.
Set aside time for important tasks, or projects that need deep focus or creativity. Be intentional about this time: block it on your calendar for a window when the potential distractions around you (kids, pets, life) are minimized. Cal Newport calls this “Deep Work” in one of my favorite books of the last few years.

These suggestions may be a little bit of common sense. But common sense is rarely common practice and this can be really rewarding. Hopefully, you’ll find that you feel more articulate and creative with your thoughts, prepared and informed, and more energized at the end of your work day.

A Simple Reminder On Profitability

There are few reasons more powerful to own a stock than a company’s net income. Especially over time.

One thing I see executives forget (usually temporarily) in their efforts to boost net income is that the greatest predictor of profit over time is quality revenue.

You can only eliminate a job once. You can only cut a cost to a specific level one time. You can only reduce expenses so many times. If you have to keep going back to this cost-reduction approach for profitability, you are doing something wrong.

The quick-fix may seem satisfying because eliminating an expense today shows up in next month’s financials. But as a CFO I worked with a few years ago is fond of saying, “You can’t cut your way to growth.” The crash diet may lower the number on the scale for a bit, but it’s certainly not the path to health and strength.

As a leader, keep in mind that the easiest way for you to drive profit is to have a enough of the right kind of revenue to start with. Make sure you’re investing in the execution of a go-to-market strategy and the sales structure to drive it, and your cost-cutting efforts become a helluva lot easier.

Current Read:

This Wall Street Journal article summarizes the common faux pas companies make when racing to offer customers and employees the technology leadership perceives as necessary for the company to climb to the top of their market. I’ve written before about common missteps businesses take in this very digital age, always prompting leaders to understand how technology enables execution on firm strategy. This quotation at the end of the article sums it up nicely: “Companies need to ensure that they understand what their own concrete business goals are before moving forward with any software implementation,” says Sprinklr chief operating officer Vivek Kundra. “They should work with the vendor to understand how the technology will support their business goals.” Give it a read:

The Many Ways Companies Waste Money With Technology Spending - WSJ

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Next Steps:

In the latest Harvard Business Review’s magazine special issue, they focus on how to build career resilience. Alongside some really great articles my past article, Making Yourself Indispensable is featured. You can get your copy HERE .

03.04.21 - Edinger's Insights: The Most Common Reason Teams Suck At Selling Solutions

Thu, 04 Mar 2021 20:27:06 GMT

March 4, 2021

The Most Common Reason Teams Suck At Selling Solutions

It’s simple: if you want your sales organization to sell solutions, they have to be engaged with leaders who can buy solutions.

In a project last year, I analyzed a client’s sales forecasts. After talking with a few members of the sales team, it was easy to diagnose at least one major reason for their underperformance. I suggested that 40% of the deals in their pipeline never made it to a proposal because they were not talking with a legitimate buyer. Regardless of how well the company fit the client profile, they were not in discussions with the leaders who had the financial authority to make a decision about purchasing their products and services.

The client went back and did some further investigating on my observation. They came back to me saying they thought it was more like 60% of their pipeline fallout that could be attributed to this single reason.

This is a very common problem, and the unfortunate reality is that companies can spend millions, or maybe even tens of millions of dollars in time, effort, energy, and travel costs (when they do travel, of course) pursuing business with client contacts who are unqualified to say, “Yes. I can buy from you.”

Your team may be stuck, or worse, comfortable, calling people who can’t authorize a purchase. These contacts are the purchasing contacts, supply chain team, mid-level engineering, and other functions that may or may not have influence. Or they can execute a small order, but never authorize the full-scale solution you could provide with great value.

If you want your sales organization to execute strategy by selling solutions, you will need to make a practice of helping them find the leaders who can buy your solutions. As executives, that means making it clear about who those targets are, ensuring your team fully understands the value to clients in terms of business outcomes, and providing coaching for your team. Focusing sales efforts to high-level executives may feel uncomfortable and there is no question about the degree of difficulty. But the return on that hard work will be obvious when your team starts to understand that sales efforts directed at people who can’t ultimately buy are often futile.

I address this topic further in my LinkedIn Learning Solutions Sales , which is free for your team with LinkedIn Premium or a 30-day Premium trial.

Change Isn't Luck

I’ve written a lot about innovation because creating appropriate space in your company for innovation can catalyze growth and affect business outcomes. An exemplary case study of innovation driving change on a large scale is happening right before our eyes with Moderna – the (previously) small, biotechnology startup that has been at the forefront of Covid-19 vaccination research and production.

From the outset, Moderna’s Co-Founder and Chairman Noubar Afeyan built the company with a focus on proactive thinking and cultivating promising ideas. Thinking ahead is sewn into the organization’s DNA, and allowed them to innovate at rapid pace as Covid-19 halted the globe this past year.

Forbes recently published an article about Afeyan and his impact-inspired drive for innovation. In this article, Afeyan poignantly said, “If you want to dedicate your life to innovating and impacting society through start-ups, tell yourself that it’s not a lottery.” This is a refreshing reminder for each of us: change doesn’t happen by luck – it has to be nurtured. Whether the objective is achieving bold, new goals or getting back to status quo, Afeyan’s perspective would suggest that you first make sure your work environment is a place where innovation can flourish.

Here’s a link to the Forbes article:

Moderna Cofounder Noubar Afeyan On Innovating To Drive Real Change (forbes.com)

Current Read:

How to Follow Up With Someone Who's Not Getting Back to You

Quotable:

Next Steps:

Join me on Tuesday, March 9 ^th at 10 am Eastern for another LinkedIn Live as we discuss leaderships issues that masquerade as communication issues.

02.25.21 - Edinger's Insights: Real Leadership Issues Masquerading as Communication Issues

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 20:26:27 GMT

February 25, 2021

Real Leadership Issues Masquerading As Communication Issues

Last week I wrote about the communication challenges leaders face and noted that a significant portion of my work with executives boils down to communication. Communicating powerfully is, after all, a core element of leadership effectiveness. But it is also important to recognize that leadership will face many issues that are disguised as communication shortcomings. In fact, if there were an all-business prize for “biggest scapegoat,” communication would take the cake.

Communication is always at the top of the list of areas for improvement on 360-degree reviews and organizational surveys. But often, miscommunication is just a symptom of a different issue. So, before you start setting up a new newsletter, scheduling more town halls, or online forums, consider if communication is truly the root cause.

Here are a few common miscommunication issues and the alternate explanations that actually require management attention:

Of course, executive communication skills are the glue that holds team effectiveness together. But no amount of excellent communication skills can substitute for rolling up one’s sleeves as a leader and doing the work to address them. So before diving in and treating the symptom, it is important to consider the possibility of a different root issue.

Planning For The Unpredictable

Last week’s winter storms affected nearly everyone in the U.S., with Texas in particular grinding to a halt as officials worked frantically to restore power outages and replenish essential supplies. Though many are critical of the state’s preparedness and response, the weather event is also unprecedented: it was the worst winter storm the state had seen in more than 100 years, leaving more than 4 million without power and resulting in dozens of deaths. This left me thinking about how “unprecedented” seems to be a theme lately…

Leaders across industries have learned a lot about managing unexpected challenges. Business leaders have learned immensely about the resiliency of our teams, our businesses, and our customers in the midst of unpredictability. But these lessons are only valuable if they inform action. If nothing else, the pandemic and last week’s snowstorm (among many other examples) should incentivize you to consider unpredictability when forecasting and planning for your company’s future.

I encourage you to spend some time thinking about how you and your business can prepare for the unexpected. That way, you won’t be as caught off guard when the next “unprecedented” situation presents itself, and can outperform your competitors by adapting quickly.

Here’s a resource from McKinsey + Company regarding risk management and how companies can better position themselves in uncertain times:

Dynamic risk management for uncertain times | McKinsey

Current Read:

Delta Airlines has set the standard for safety and customer service as the pandemic put a stranglehold on the airline industry’s revenue streams. In an email to customers on February 10, CEO Ed Bastian shared sentiments of hope and optimism while also doubling down on the airline’s commitment to safety. I thought this inc.com article highlighted key lessons from the email and the airline’s communication strategy that all business leaders can learn from in 2021:

Delta's CEO Sent an Email to Customers and It's the Perfect Message for 2021 | Inc.com

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02.18.21 - Edinger's Insights: Coaching your leadership team to be more effective communicators

Thu, 18 Feb 2021 20:26:06 GMT

February 18, 2021

Coaching Your Leadership Team To Be More Effective Communicators

A client wrote to me after reading one of my newsletter articles about executive communication. He lamented that no matter how smart and professional his leadership team was, their communication abilities weren’t advanced enough and too often lacked emotional depth and substance. My client was only somewhat comforted when I shared that about two-thirds of my work ends up with a focus on either strategy or communication, and often, a blend of the two.

Of course, the best communication strategies for your team depend on the context of your work. For managers, communicating effectively with team members who have different working styles, motivations and preferences can feel like an impossible battle (especially when you’re pressed for time). But in general, I think powerful executive communication requires consideration of three distinct perspectives.

In past articles for Forbes (which you can read here ) and Harvard Business Review (read here ), I’ve offered Aristotle’s logos, ethos, and pathos as a framework for powerful executive communication. As leaders, you can use it to coach your team on communicating in a well-rounded way. I share this not to inflict my rhetoric degree on any of you, but rather, when you modernize the ideas, it provides a very straightforward approach to refining any message and its delivery.

Logos – Logos is about clarity. Team members motivated by reason and logic need their supervisors to communicate in a way that features facts, data and evidence. Leaders can incorporate this perspective into their communication by demonstrating practicality, outlining clear arguments, using unequivocal language, and prompting decision and action.
Ethos – Ethos is about credibility. Fundamentally, leaders should conduct and communicate about day-to-day work in a way that makes connections to the team’s values, vision, and objectives. Using strong rationale, strategic perspective, and providing evidence for a point of view is the key here. No one expects leaders to be right all the time. But leaders can provide visibility to their thinking about issues, and to their rationale for decisions.
Pathos – Pathos is about connection. Most decisions have an emotional pull to them. We don’t work with droids and purely task-focused automatons. We work with people. Managers should be mindful of how team members will perceive decisions, and should anticipate their reactions, concerns and hesitations. By acknowledging other perspectives or providing opportunities for team members to share feedback, leaders can cater to team members who are more motivated by their emotions. When done well, this perspective also establishes trust and relatability.

Your leadership team may be really skilled in communicating from one of these perspectives. But no matter how smart or professional they are, neglecting the other two perspectives may be ostracizing members of their teams and hindering performance outcomes. With a more well-rounded approach, their communication can make a dramatic difference in team effectiveness.

What Habits Are You Setting?

We’re six weeks in to 2021 and if you haven’t yet, now is probably a good time to make sure you are following good habits as you set the tone for the rest of the year. Most of us are working from home at least part of the time where these habits might be easy to let slip. Especially as the boundaries between “work” and “life” are increasingly blurred. One habit that I’ve heard countless people attest to during the pandemic is taking walks during the day. It sounds so simple, but there’s actually a lot of great research that reinforces the benefits of building time for leisurely walks into your day.

From my conversations with folks who are die-hard walk-takers, walking is a great way to step away from the screen for even just a few minutes, especially during the pandemic when we’re more frequently sitting in front of the computer. So if you need a boost of energy or a mental break throughout the day, I encourage you to give it a try. Whether it’s with your kids, your spouse, your dog, or simply a walk with your thoughts, you may find that it’s a valuable addition to your day that you can build into your routine for the rest of the year. If you need convincing, skim this article from the Harvard Business Review about the many ways walking can be a productive and beneficial:

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Walk (hbr.org)

Current Read:

In this Harvard Business Review article, Jessica Kennedy poses a really interesting research question: does getting promoted alter your moral compass? Turns out, at least from Kennedy’s research, it does: rank can lead ethical leaders to make unethical choices. Give it a read to better understand the connection, but also learn about how business leaders can mitigate this effect:

Does Getting Promoted Alter Your Moral Compass? (hbr.org)

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02.11.21 - Edinger's Insights: Why Bezos' Departure Should Resonate With You

Thu, 11 Feb 2021 20:24:56 GMT

February 11, 2021

Why Bezos' Departure Should Resonate With You

Last week, Jeff Bezos announced he would step down from his post as Amazon CEO and take on a new role as executive chairman of the board, tapping current head of Amazon Web Services Andy Jassy to lead the e-commerce giant as CEO.

Bezos announcement came as a surprise to me. He’s built Amazon from a small startup to one of the most influential companies in the world by harnessing innovative sales strategies and technology (think Amazon Prime, Alexa, Kindle e-readers, cloud services, etc.). In fact, in the same email announcing his departure, Bezos also announced Amazon surpassed the $100 billion quarter for the first time, with revenues totaling $126 billion in quarter 4 of 2020. At first, I found it odd that he’s choosing to leave amidst Amazon’s continued success.

But after thinking about this for a few days, I think there’s a valuable leadership lesson here that we all can learn from. Though it seems counterintuitive for him to leave when the company is doing so well, Bezos’ transition actually comes at a good time. Bezos has long been heralded for his intentionality and deliberate efforts to build a trustworthy and capable team around him. Not only is his senior management team talented and intelligent, they share in Bezos’ vision and his tenacity. They are empowered to make Amazon a better company. So much so that Bezos is clearly aware that the team is not only capable of leading the company forward but may even benefit from him getting out of their way. So that’s exactly what he did.

For leaders, this is a powerful but difficult moment, and for some I’ve observed, even painful: recognizing that your team is capable of leading the charge and could maybe do so even better than you. But if Jeff Bezos can have this awareness and execute a leadership transition accordingly, we can each strive to do so as well.

Too many leaders stay in a position longer than they should. There are myriad reasons for this, from comfort to convenience. But in nearly every case of overstayed leadership, there are hidden negative implications for both the individual and the company. Valuable people leave because they weren’t challenged with new roles or responsibilities. Mediocre people stay because they feel safe with the status quo. Innovation can slow, a new opportunity may be overlooked, and a work environment, while ok, remains just ok.

In his email announcement to Amazon employees, Bezos wrote, “If you get it right, a few years after a surprising invention, the new thing has become normal. People yawn. And that yawn is the greatest compliment an inventor can receive." Think about your role as a leader. Has it gotten a little stale? If so, what must happen to reinvigorate your job? Can you get energized about that (without external factors you don’t control like your title and compensation changing)? If not, it may be time to think about your next adventure, like Jeff Bezos.

Super Bowl Champs And A Thought About Winning Cultures

Trigger warning. If you dislike Tom Brady (as so many who aren’t Tampa Bay or New England fans do), this article contains references to him being extremely successful…. But if you are a leader, regardless of your opinion of Brady, you may find value in his example of leadership and how he influences team culture.

I went to the Super Bowl this past Sunday. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for decades. With Tampa as the host and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers playing, I decided to get a ticket and go. Most everyone knows that Tom Brady, the quarterback for the Bucs, has been widely considered to be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time for the readers who may not have heard this). But his contribution to Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl win may have had more to do with his influence on the Buccaneers culture than his excellent play at the QB position.

Culture is about the beliefs that shape behavior. It’s that simple. People tend to behave in ways that we think are appropriate for the circumstances. At least the vast majority of the time. Brady influenced the belief system in Tampa Bay from the moment he arrived: beliefs about what good preparation looked like, what effort was and wasn’t acceptable, the importance of film study, nutrition, and so many other things. Brady raised the standards, increased the expectations, and brought a new mindset to the team. A mindset that because of his leadership, players paid close attention to.

When people start believing in a practice or a standard, behavior follows. And so it did for the Buccaneers. Most players agree that everything started to change with Brady’s leadership: changes in how they practiced, changes in the standards they held each other to. And ultimately, changes in the number of wins the team had - including a big one this past Sunday.

So, you as a leader may be trying to get your team to do things differently. If you are, start with the beliefs. What do they believe and how does it enable the current behaviors (that you want to change)? What beliefs are missing that would propel wholly different behaviors? Start with the beliefs that shape people’s behaviors. That is what culture is all about.

Current Read:

Challenging our own ideas is a critical strategy for bringing the best options to the table. In this article, Lindsay Blakely highlights a few takeaways from a new book, Think Again, written by Wharton School professor and renowned organizational psychologist Adam Grant. Too many leaders are locked in to their ideas and approaches and need to remember the value of holding convictions lightly. The article outlines why leaders should learn to second-guess themselves as a way of making their ideas stronger, anticipating the countermoves of their competition, and developing habits of innovation and iteration in the workplace:

How the Best Leaders Rethink and Unlearn What They Know | Inc.com

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02.04.21 - Edinger's Insights: The Sales Weakness That is Actually a Strength

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 20:24:19 GMT

February 4, 2021

The Sales Weakness That Is Actually A Strength

I was interviewing for my first sales job and sitting across from the Vice President of Sales. I’d been through a few rounds of interviews and completed the last step in the hiring process – an assessment. I felt confident – it had all gone well. So, I was in the middle of thinking that I’d be getting an offer when the sales executive said to me, "You know, Scott, everything in our sales aptitude test is telling me that you are not going to make it in sales."

He goes on to say that the assessment indicated I wouldn’t be a good closer, "that you'll focus too much on the client relationship …. and won't press hard enough for the business. Everyone here thought you’d be good, but I just can't hire you." He said I had “high closing reluctance”… it felt like the professional equivalent of a bad medical diagnosis. At the time, I was devastated.

What I know now is that his data was absolutely right. But his conclusion was misguided and wrong.

The notion of applying pressure in order to get someone to make a buying decision and closing hard was completely unappealing to me. I wanted to do work that was about helping clients meet their objectives, solve problems, and reach their goals.

Four years later, I finished as the #2 sales professional worldwide at the Fortune 500 company that decided to take a chance on someone with “high closing reluctance.” I’ve since been a Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President of Sales for a couple of different companies, each time leading teams that achieved record revenues and profits. Yes, closing deals was important, but my teams did that by developing business relationships based on value .

Even though that sales executive couldn’t look past the results of their assessment, my commitment to relationships made all the difference in my career in sales. Today, relationships are built on your ability to add value, provide expertise and insight, and help your customers achieve their objectives. That’s how your sales team can become a competitive advantage for your company.

I’ve been highlighting this story in Zoom Keynotes to kick off the year for Sales teams, and I’d love to connect with you about addressing your sales team. If you want to read more about the topic, these two articles Would Customers Pay for your Sales Calls? And Get Over Your Fear of Sales present relevant research.

I hope you can join me on Tuesday, February 9 ^th at 10am Eastern as I dig into this more on my next LinkedIn Live.

01.28.21 - Edinger's Insights: Disagreeing with the Boss

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 20:23:58 GMT

January 28, 2021

Disagreeing with the Boss

Most leaders say they don’t want “Yes-men” and “Yes-women.” But from what I can tell from senior executives’ irritation when their people give them a hard time, I’m not so sure they wouldn’t rather have the “Yes-people” variety. Consider times when someone on your team strongly opposed your point of view on a big issue - it can be quite challenging to manage this situation effectively. So, when I’m advising leaders on how to share their dissenting points of view with the Board or with the CEO, the main principle I suggest is that you can disagree without being disagreeable.

There is plenty of literature detailing why it is our natural human reaction to be nervous and avoid these hard conversations (like this article or this research ), but knowing these reactions are normal probably doesn’t change the dread you may feel leading up to airing a disagreement with your supervisor. However, even though you can’t control the reactions of your manager, if you lead the conversation strategically, the business and your team will be better off.

Next time you find yourself needing to disagree with the boss or any leader who outranks you in the company hierarchy, spend a few concentrated minutes thinking about the merits of your point as well as the one with which you disagree. If you decide to pursue the discussion, consider these five principles:

Reassure the boss that they are the boss. I suggest saying something like “When we are done with this conversation, I’ll actively support whatever direction you choose.” This can put your boss at ease and prepare them to listen, knowing they don’t have to think about how to convince you to do what they ask. It increases your chances of being heard.
Establish the common ground. Whether this is calling up the team’s objective, the company’s mission, or a specific team goal, anchor the conversation in your intent to pursue the best outcomes.
Validate the original point you disagree with. Articulately restating their position and it’s supporting case demonstrates your understanding of their perspective. It’s powerful when someone feels you can articulate their points as well as they do. Leave out any opinions or judgments of the point – try to remain fact-based and objective.
Offer your perspective and rationale. Deliver it as your opinion and provide your supporting arguments (again, based in fact not subjectivity). Do it succinctly with a clear what and why.
Invite the conversation. Ask for your boss’s take and even critique of your suggestion. The key here is to be accepting of their feedback and ultimately, their decision whether or not to go with (or even further consider) your idea.

Once you’ve considered the perspective of your boss and done all you can to be true to your point of view, then you’ve done your part and can feel good about it. These kinds of constructive conversations are crucial if a team is going to fully utilize its talent. But they can go awry if either party is overly concerned about their ego (baked into their idea) and isn’t interested in hearing the other perspectives.

If nothing else, consider the flipside perspective of this scenario: as leaders, evaluate whether your leadership style allows for your direct reports to have these kinds of conversations with you. And when one of your team members approaches you with a differing point of view, be open and hear them out! It might have taken them a lot of courage to broach the conversation.

After all, you don’t just want “Yes-men” and “Yes-women,” do you?

Use Email for Coordination, not Conversation

I continue to be surprised about how frequently poor communication takes place over email. When I talk with executives and other consultants about this, it becomes clear to me that while email has the allure of convenience, it’s lousy for most anything complex or deep. I’ve also observed that it has become an easy way to avoid more difficult conversations.

This week I advised a client that her mantra ought to be to “use email for coordination, not conversation.” My reason was that email seemed to be her default mode of communication with people, and in most cases, it seemed to be insufficient at conveying her intentions and ideas without becoming an essay no one wants to read. I’ve also worked with leaders who spend an inordinate amount of time drafting emails, doing all they can to strike the right tone, explain each of their points sufficiently, and simultaneously be sensitive to not upsetting anyone who is reading (even when there was something to be upset about).

The pandemic pushed us more toward videoconferencing for meetings, but email traffic increased as well. The thing is, unless your message is easy to communicate, email is an astonishingly poor medium. So, use it for what it’s good for: simple topics, sharing reference material, and coordinating time for the real discussions that make your business run.

Current Read:

I’ve been less interested lately in any partisan political views, but very interested in the way people are expressing them. What is ok to say, what isn’t, and the lack of openness to listening to arguments on either side of the Red/Blue spectrum may be a bigger concern than any policy issue that exists. Bari Weiss’s article The Great Unraveling effectively describes the challenge we all face with the current media sources. As an aside, her resignation article from The NY Times struck me as one of the best (maybe only?) pieces of real journalism of 2020.

Quotable:

01.21.21 - Edinger's Insights: Do You Know Your One Big Thing?

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 20:23:34 GMT

January 21, 2021

Do You Know Your One Big Thing?

Since I’m in the middle of writing a book, I’ve spent a lot of time recently thinking about the main idea and the impact that idea can have. I was having a hard time zeroing in on a single overarching message. There are so many things I’m passionate about, especially in business: strategy, leadership, revenue growth, sales, and so on. I hadn’t realized how hard it is to boil this down to ONE big thing.

As it turns out, this is a common struggle leaders face. I have learned more about it by reading The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. Though the title is simple, the insights are deep: the potential of your efforts is determined by how narrow your focus is. At any given time, there is only one thing that you should focus on doing: your “one thing” is what moves you closest or fastest toward your goal - “What’s the ONE thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?” The authors argue that this narrow focus enables you to be more productive, effective, and successful, for goals in both your personal and professional life and in the short-term as well as the long-term.

As leaders, we all have room to learn from this powerful conclusion. In the short term, the sooner you can identify your “one thing,” the earlier you’ll be able to unlock a more productive mindset, and achieve better personal and professional outcomes. Inevitably, there will always be work undone at the end of the day, quarter, year – identifying your “one thing” will inform how you prioritize and provide clarity on the best way forward.

In the long-term, reconnecting your goals to a more focused purpose can improve outcomes. Extraordinary results are rarely accidents - they come from choices we make and actions we take. When your purpose and actions are in sync, you move more quickly towards your goals. In turn, achieving your goals more quickly leads to better outcomes.

I encourage you to reflect on your “one thing.” Remember that purpose doesn’t always have to be something concrete and definitive. Purpose can change over time and lead you to pursue a variety of goals. What really motivates you day after day? Think about what drives you, how your it shows up in your day-to-day life, and start the New Year with a refreshed focus on your “one thing.”

How to Connect Meaningfully Online:

Even before the pandemic, there had been a shift toward remote work, and I wrote about the value of using videoconferencing in this HBR article (if only I had the foresight to invest in Zoom!). While I don’t think video can completely replace face-to-face interactions over time, it is a great alternative and can be very effective. And there’s a good chance that even with widely available vaccines, people will continue to work remotely for at least part of the time in the next year. So we all might as well get used to using it!

Video conferencing can be just as warm and engaging as an in-person meeting, but you need to know these three tips to make each remote interaction meaningful:

Don’t be all business. One of the best parts about being in the office is the opportunity to have hallway or “water cooler” conversations and build connections with your coworkers. In a remote setting, this can be recreated if you are intentional and make time in every meeting to have a personal conversation. I’ve seen icebreakers, trivia questions, and reflection prompts all used effectively. I’ve also seen leaders host virtual coffee meetings and happy hours, setting a casual, professionally social tone for the interaction. You’ll find that, over time, these small inquiries can help create bonds with and among your team members.
Be present and eliminate distractions. One of the hardest parts of remote work is setting effective boundaries. When it comes to being in virtual meetings, the draw to multitask can inhibit engagement by all parties. Silence your cell phone, turn off email notifications – just as you would if you were meeting in person. This intentionality means you’ll be more likely to pick up on emotional cues, ask better questions and stay in the moment – each of which will help the interaction be more meaningful.
Be extra considerate of your presentation. When you are joining meetings from your home, it’s easy to let your presentation be more casual. Be aware of your posture, language and energy. Joining a meeting from the couch probably won’t send the same message as would your workspace. By and large, you should present yourself as you would in the office (save any dress code changes that have taken effect). Doing so will establish professionalism and indicate your interest in your meeting participants.

Whether you’re meeting with clients, business partners, or your team, remember these three tips to ensure every interaction fosters connection. Meaningful interactions result in more cohesive teams and stronger relationships.

Current Read:

In your day to day, you likely use at least a handful of software products that make your job easier and business stronger. But technology is innovating at unprecedented rates – and frankly, it’s hard to keep up with which products are setting the industry standard. As someone who’s been along for the ride, I found this brief Forbes interview with Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson to be an interesting perspective on the power of software and technological transformation:

Twilio CEO Interview: The Superpower Of Digital Transformation (f orbes.com)

Quotable:

01.14.21 - Edinger's Insights: Winning with Client Relationships

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 20:23:16 GMT

January 14, 2021

Winning with Client Relationships

Early in my career I was in the CRM business - before it was called Customer Relationship Management. Then it was called TES for Technology Enabled Selling, followed by SFA for Sales Force Automation. My observation and work with clients in implementing these systems to drive revenue growth is that along the way with the acronym changes, the real purpose and value of the systems lost their way as well.

I was interviewed by Harvard Business Review for their new research paper Winning with Client Relationships (which you can read HERE ). The paper, sponsored by Salesforce, digs into how CRM systems can be used to harness top- and bottom-line growth. Here are a few of my contributions excerpted from the research paper:

Regarding filling the sales funnel:

“For Scott Edinger, founder of Edinger Consulting, this process [of filling the sales funnel] begins with identifying the right targets. This task is crucial to the acquisition or expansion of business. ‘Consultants need to ask critical strategic questions around which clients they are going to target in the marketplace and whether they have a pursuit plan for each of them,’ he says. Furthermore, for Edinger, the strength of any following engagement begins in this sales process.”

Regarding the significance of the sales experience and strategy:

“’The sales process and the sales experience that you design and deliver has to be a compelling one; you need to identify who is making the decision, who is influencing the decision, and then guide the interaction to the next stage of uncovering and developing needs, objectives, and opportunities,’ he says. ‘If consultants don’t pay attention—and devote resources—to the early stages of the sales process, then opportunities fall out of the pipeline.’

Additionally, Edinger believes that firms may experience roadblocks in executing their strategy, precisely because the early part of the sales process is not viewed as a strategic exercise. ‘If your firm has invested tens of millions of dollars in new capabilities and new offerings and you’re struggling to get traction on them, don’t look at the late stages of relationship management. That’s not where it happens. That lack of strategy happens early.’”

Regarding Driving Impact:

“Firms can continue to drive impact by focusing on the underlying relationships with their clients, and by tailoring their CRM systems to give visibility to these relationships, and better understand and support them. For Edinger, this has to be tied back to sales and to investing in the client relationship—before it has even begun. ‘Most corporate strategies for growth succeed or fail in every sales call. If you don’t get the first stage right, no relationship can grow from this. CRM is a valuable tool for driving strategy execution in every single interaction.’”

If you have further interest in this topic, you may find an article I wrote in 2018 (which can be read HERE ) to be of value as you consider how to leverage your technology investments in sales.

Beware of Claims That Something is Not Rocket Science

Every now and then, I’ll hear an executive say, “It’s not rocket science!” when discussing a problem in their business. The problem they’re referring to may be related to strategy, revenue growth, or a challenging operational issue, and while these topics are certainly not rocket science, the implication of this response is that the problem shouldn’t be difficult to resolve. That assumption often turns out to be false.

Reducing complexity is terrific, but I’ve seen leaders go too far and cross the line from simplifying a strategy or an approach to being simplistic. When that happens, you eliminate the subtlety and nuance which is frequently what’s required to achieve the desired results. It’s akin to saying that making money in the stock market isn’t rocket science, just buy low and sell high. And I think most of you know how tough that can be.

A problem being simple to understand does not mean it’s easy to solve. So, if something truly doesn’t appear difficult, it’s important for leaders to understand why their team or organization are struggling with a problem.

Current Read:

Speaking of sales processes and structures, IBM recently outlined their endeavor to simplify the way its customers interact with its sales teams, driven by a strategic plan to grow revenue. The article highlights how the simplification intends to better serve the organization’s customers, and is an example of how the high-level strategy of sales processes can be used to improve sales results:

IBM Simplifies Structure of Sales Team - WSJ

Final Thought: When Do You Stop Saying Happy New Year?

I had a conversation with a client a few years ago that I think about every January. He told me that someone had wished him “Happy New Year!” in late January – which struck him as odd. In recounting this to me, he said, “What other holiday do you acknowledge weeks or, in this case, nearly a month after? Do you ever hear anyone wish you a Happy 4 ^th of July after the fact? Valentine’s Day? Memorial Day?” I laughed - he made a good point. So when should you stop? When I ask, some people will say they think a “Happy New Year” is only reasonable the first week of the year. Someone else said they think it’s fine, so long as it’s the first time I’m talking with you. When I replied, “What if it’s the first time we talk and its mid-February?”, they amended their answer to the first time we talk within the month of January. Another client told me they think a good rule is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (which is January 18 ^th this year) which has the added benefit of being the first federal holiday since the new year began. What's your approach? Are you still starting emails and conversations with Happy New Year this week?

Forgive me if this sounds a bit Andy Rooney-ish or more modern, Seinfeld-esque. I’ve been thinking about this odd cultural norm for years!

Quotable:

With all of the claims being made in the political arena on both sides of the spectrum, I thought about this quotation which I keep close to my desk.

01.07.21 - Edinger's Insights: Pandemic Proof Your Sales Organization For 2021

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 20:22:58 GMT

January 7, 2021

Pandemic Proof Your Sales Organization For 2021

It’s the first week of the year and our attention shifts from the holidays to starting strong in a new business cycle. To maintain and grow businesses and revenue in 2021, leaders must continue navigating uncertain waters while aligning their go to market strategy with their sales organization. Leaders who can successfully strike the balance of the needs of their teams, clients, and bottom line are better prepared to differentiate their business from its competitors now and in the post-pandemic world. And if your business relies on direct sales, the key to doing so will be continued focus on how your sales strategies can adapt to and leverage the conditions brought about by the pandemic.

I wrote an article on this topic for Forbes last week (which can be found here ). As you begin the new year, I hope you’ll read it and consider my suggestions for Pandemic Proofing your Sales Organization.

Goals for 2021:

With 2020 squarely behind us, the beginning of a global vaccine campaign is allowing us to look out to 2021 with some positivity. The start of a new year is a good time to look at your personal and professional goals and build short term and year-long plans for accomplishing them. Some of you may have read my New Year’s Eve newsletter with perspectives on setting goals and resolutions. So, you know I’ve thought a lot about this topic. Here are three considerations for you as you develop goals for the still unpredictable year ahead.

Be deliberate about which goals to pursue. There is an old Chinese proverb that if you chase two monkeys both will escape. I’ve heard it with Rabbits too. Identify a variety of goals for yourself and your business in both the near-term and long-term. Then, consider how the pandemic context impacts each of them. Some goals may be better to reserve for later years, while others are more impactful to set now.
Focus on the client . 2020 frequently and necessarily turned leadership’s attention inward as organizations grappled with shifting their workforce to a remote-work structure. I’ve observed that this spotlight on internal operations often resulted in less focus on clients. In setting goals for the new year, think about the disruptions your clients faced in their business and in their industry. Can you anticipate what your clients will need in with more change on the horizon? Any objectives you pursue ought to have a clear line of sight to client impact.
Prepare for change. So much changed this year and we should anticipate more change in 2021. How did your business and team manage it? What changes will you keep and which do you want to leave behind? What did you learn about yourself as a leader managing change?

As we begin 2021 with cautious optimism, don’t let the uncertainty deter you from goalsetting – instead, lean in. Goals push us to do better and provide direction and focus – exactly what we all need this year more than ever.

Current Read:

For many, the new year has brought about new (or, in some cases, leftover) resolutions. With the volatility and chaos of 2020, I predict that many of us have doubled down on personal growth and career development next year. I thought this article was a succinct and valuable guide for how we can support our professional growth in 2021 – enjoy.

How to advance your career when you're working at home - CNN

Quotable

Next Steps:

Please forward this to anyone who might find it interesting. Join me on Tuesday, January 12 ^th at 10 am Eastern for another LinkedIn Live as we discuss how to prepare your growth strategy for 2021.

12.31.20 - Edinger's Insights: Happy New Year

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 18:59:39 GMT

December 31, 2020

Happy New Year

This week I’ll simply offer a thought and some perspective on heading into a new year.

For most of my life I’ve been a big fan of January 1 ^st (aside from some of the hangover’s I’ve had from New Year’s Eve - though I can honestly say most were worth it). Something about a fresh start, that tabula rasa feeling that you get to determine a new trajectory for the year ahead. A chance for things to be different; a break away from a particularly difficult year, or a sense that we’ll achieve more of what we desire in life during the year ahead. A chance to raise standards, improve our lives in ways that are important to us, and continue to look for how we can live life to the fullest.

Some years I’ve broken down resolutions in categories - Keep doing, Stop doing, and Start doing. Other years I’ve established clear objectives for Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Spiritual aims. I’ve had years that I created one super important resolution to push for throughout the year, and other years I had a list that would leave you wondering when I’d sleep (of course, getting better/more sleep was on that list too).

Every year I’ve been better off for having set resolutions, even if some of the goals didn’t make it to Valentine’s Day. It seems to me that the real point in all of it is to have some vision about what you want and what’s important to you. You may surprise yourself with the depth of your answers if you explore this seriously.

2020 presented us with a lot of new challenges and stressors. 2021 will do the same. So, if you want 2021 to be different in whatever ways are important to you, the only truly effective strategy is for you to be different. For you to make the changes in yourself that would make different outcomes possible. That’s no guarantee, by the way, that the results will be different. But it does guarantee you’ll have a chance. And that is what the magic of a new year holds. A chance for things to be different. For us to be different in ways that matter for each of us. In ways that give us a chance to achieve new goals, to experience the richness life has to offer, and to move forward.

I’ll continue to write about how you as leaders can be more strategic, inspire and motivate others, and drive results. But for this newsletter, I’ll leave it in the realm of vision for the year ahead. Thousands of years ago Socrates suggested, "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." So, the big question of 2021 is what are you going to build?

Leadership Resolutions

If you liked my perspective on the New Year but want to get to work thinking about your professional or leadership goals for 2021, you may find this article useful. It’s in the category of an oldy but a goody – I wrote it for HBR back in 2012. The Leadership Resolutions That Work gives some examples on complementary strengths and how you can improve your effectiveness as a leader by developing together. Kind of like how you’d work biceps and triceps at the gym as complementary muscle groups. It’s a short article, and if you want the full summary of the research you can find it here .

Quotable:

12.24.20 - Edinger's Insights: Happy Holidays

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 18:59:00 GMT

December 24, 2020

Happy Holidays

Whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, or simply some time off at the end of a wild year (my family is celebrating all 3), my wish for each of you is for you to have some time to do whatever makes you feel good. This week and next have a tendency to be both slower and faster. Slower in that many business schedules are limited, even though there is work that needs to be completed to close out the year. And faster in that the activity schedule with family and friends often hits full, exhausting speed (though we’ll see how the pandemic affects that dynamic for each of us).

So whatever you need – be it time with family, time alone, being in nature, savoring your favorite holiday food, cheering for your team, reading a good book, watching a movie you always enjoy, getting restful sleep – I hope that you have your fair portion of it in the week(s) ahead.

The Most Important Leadership Job - Parent.

One of the editors I work with at HBR contacted me earlier this year about applying some of the principles of 360 degree leadership feedback to parenting. That article was just published in Harvard Business Review’s Managing Your Career (Working Parents Edition.) The print version has a bit more color on the feedback experiment I did with my own kids but there is a short version of the article available here, Learn to Solicit Feedback…From Your Kids .

When it comes to leadership, I’ve always said that if you want to know how to lead, ask those who are led. For those of you with children, if you want to know how you can be a better parent, ask your kids.

If You Are Looking For Something To Watch During The Holidays…

I’ll suggest My Octopus Teacher , available on Netflix. It was recommended to me by a good friend and I knew it was a winner when my wife, 9- and 16-year-old kids and I watched the hour and a half long film and no one reached for a phone or device to look for something else. It’s a documentary, so some may think it’s boring based on that alone, but we watched it Thanksgiving weekend and found it mesmerizing. For me, it was a combination of visual, audio, and emotional beauty. If you watch it or have already have, I’m curious what you think of it. Let me know.

Quotable:

12.17.20 - Edinger's Insights: Showing Up Isn't Enough

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 18:58:46 GMT

December 17, 2020

Showing Up Isn't Enough:

One of my favorite articles, written by my friend and influential thought leader Whitney Johnson, is about showing up. Her 2013 HBR article “Always, Always, Always Show Up”, is one that I reread routinely. In fact, I read it again this week and decided to write about the concept. She makes a persuasive, compelling point that leaders need to not only show up, but to show up with conviction. And that outcomes can change when leaders are all-in.

As the article highlights, “According to Keith Simonton, professor of psychology at UC Davis, the odds of a scientist writing a groundbreaking paper (defined as the number of citations in other works) is directly correlated to the number of papers that the scientist has written — not to how smart the scientist is.” So, 80% of success is basically about buckling down and doing the work. But what about the other 20%?

This remaining piece can be attributed to how leaders show up – how they invest, prepare, and lead the task at hand. These characteristics can truly be the difference-makers. I think we’ve all had times where we physically showed up for an effort of some kind, but were only partially invested for whatever reason. Maybe the outcome was disappointing, or you left feeling like you didn’t perform your best.

Showing up at your best - preparing, being undistracted, believing in the goals - gives you and your team the best chance to be successful. You can read Johnson’s article to hear how this point has influenced her. For me, it has caused me to always ask myself when taking on a project with a client or in my personal life, “Am I showing up?”, and perhaps even more importantly, followed by, “Am I bringing everything I’ve got to this situation, being fully present, and showing my passion?”

It’s the remaining 20% about how you show up, fully, with all you’ve got to give - that’s what really makes a difference.

At the beginning of your next challenge or assignment, ask yourself, “How did I show up? Am I fully present? Can others see that I am bought in?” You’ll be surprised at how awareness in these areas can have a powerful effect on outcomes.

Reporting Up:

For many businesses, the end of the quarter aligning with the end of the year means big presentations and deliverables. Though these presentations are probably virtual this year, that doesn’t make them any less important. In fact, in the absence of many of the nonverbal cues in-person presentations allow for, you may feel even more pressure and anxiety about communicating clearly and effectively.

If you find yourself preparing for a presentation to executives, review these three fundamental guidelines to make sure you meet and exceed expectations:

Point first, context second. When I work with executives in these situations, we focus on starting with the key points and filling in context later. There is a myth in business that people need to be good story tellers to present well. But stories lead to a conclusion with many twists and turns and people hate that in business. Get to the end first by using the shortest distance between your points. A straight line.
Anticipate their questions, concerns and takeaways. It’s one thing to present what you think is important, but directly addressing other’s interests demonstrates intentionality and foresight. You may even have a slide with some “Key Questions” to illustrate this. Not only does it impress your audience, it also reduces interruptions and time necessary for Q&A.
Strike the right balance with details. It is easy to overwhelm the executive team with details they don’t need to know. Be sure to maximize their attention while you have it by highlighting with both language and tone what is most relevant for the discussion. Include just the details that are essential to understand your point and leave out the rest.

In a virtual formal, end-of-year presentations to your boss or other executives pose additional challenges. Don’t let them catch you off guard. These may seem basic, but putting additional emphasis on these three practices as you prepare will leave you better positioned to impress.

Current Read:

Research has shown that Millennials and Generation Z’s are “afraid” of phone calls, particularly sales calls (though I find that age isn’t much of a factor in this widespread fear.) In this pandemic year, businesses have relied on phone technology more than in recent history. I enjoyed this article about the resurgence and benefits of telephone communication, and the implications on sales and business in the next few years:

The Resurrection of the Office Phone Call - WSJ

Quotable:

12.10.20 - Edinger's Insights: Aha! Moments

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 18:58:33 GMT

December 10, 2020

Aha! Moments:

When something clicks, you just know it. It feels right. I like to call these ‘Aha!’ moments. When I coach leaders, I’m always looking for that moment when an idea or concept clicks with them. When I see that they just realized something new, or discovered something important – about themselves or their organization. Those Aha! moments are when real change can start happening.

Those Aha realizations go on to change behavior and then become habits. Significant change happens when leaders try a new approach to a situation that they wouldn’t have done before and have success doing so. Once that starts to occur, momentum can create a virtuous cycle of change.

Sometimes, these moments just happen. Most times, though, these breakthroughs come when leaders approach the problem from a new perspective or consider new factors: we notice connections we hadn’t noticed before. That’s what makes these moments so powerful for individuals and organizations – they’re not obvious.

As leaders, we can help our teams spark new ideas and arrive at new realizations if we create space for open and collaborative conversation. Challenge your team to simplify the problem. Sometimes, employees can overcomplicate the task at hand which makes the solution harder for them to find. Or, ask them to visualize. Writing down thoughts or mapping how ideas are related can help employees connect the dots they otherwise would not have seen.

When trying to solve a problem or find a connection, it’s also common for breakthroughs to come after a brainstorming conversation, when your employee has taken time to digest, process, and iterate on their ideas. If you can give it time, they may just have an epiphany while driving, working out, or taking a shower.

Regardless of when these moments occur, leaders can generate more Aha! moments by helping their teams see the problem at hand from different perspectives. A moment of clarity, a brand-new idea, or a sudden realization can drive growth and transformation.

Don't Spoil Your Vacation Getting Ready for Vacation:

Like millions of people, I am preparing for time off around the holidays. But if you’re like me, the week before vacation entails late nights and early mornings working through your seemingly endless to-do list. Not only is your plate full with your normal workload, you may also be trying to get ahead to make your eventual return less painful.

I’ve written a lot about this over the years, and while I’d never go to market as a leadership vacation expert (it doesn’t seem to pay), I see the effects in every client engagement I’ve had.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the hurdles between you and your vacation, take a few moments to step back. Evaluate the urgency you feel around projects and deadlines - you may find that urgency isn’t necessary, and the consequences for moving deadlines are actually really low. Trust in your leadership and the ability of your team to carry on without you - even if something goes wrong, the world will keep spinning while you are off the clock. Decide if you’re going to allow yourself to check emails while you’re away – some find this actually makes leaving for vacation and returning to work much easier.

Taking time off is all about recharging so you can be your best self when you return to the office. So, if you find yourself stressed out getting ready for vacation, remember: the first step to maximizing your time off is ensuring you have the energy to enjoy it. Exhausting yourself the week before your vacation means you’ll spend your time off recovering instead of recharging.

If you’d like to read more specifics about this, my HBR articles on the topic are here:

Read This Before You Head Out on Vacation

Don’t Obsess Over Getting Everything Done Before a Vacation

And an interview including my ideas here:

The Professional’s Guide to a Stress-Free Vacation

Current Read:

In the weeks since Tony Hsieh, former CEO of Zappos, passed away, he has been remembered as many things: brilliant, quiet, inspirational, innovative. This article remembers him as an entrepreneur we all could learn from: he built business around human happiness, and believed that “living a life of passion and purpose and ensuring that you also define and follow core values for your business” were the keys to a fulfilled life. Enjoy.

Quotable:

12.03.20 - Edinger's Insights: How Do You Motivate?

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 18:58:17 GMT

December 3, 2020

How Do You Motivate?

One of the important things I learned when researching my first book The Inspiring Leader is that many leaders lack the ability to really inspire and motivate others. I’d even say we learned as much about what not to do and what backfires in addition to what works. No matter how long you’ve been a manager, knowing how to motivate each person on a team is challenging and even frustrating. Many companies try to implement unruly performance management and incentive structures. But, team motivation usually boils down to skilled leadership with strategies and tactics that are unique to members of your team. Here are the 3 tips for being more effective and motivating as a leader.

Help your employees find meaning. Help them to see how their work contributes to the broader picture. When people leave for the day feeling good about what they did, they are more motivated and committed. Through your own actions, set the standard for how your team can bring this sense of value to their work.
Demonstrate appreciation. When you praise an employee in front of others, you reinforce desired behavior and performance. It also encourages others to do the same to earn their shot at better results or recognition. Share why their contributions matter. Being controlling, negative, or inspiring fear of failure is not a sustainable (or healthy) way to inspire a team.
Invite open discussion – especially dissenting opinions. The success of your team is highly dependent on a strong two-way street of trust and communication between your team members and yourself. Build trust by encouraging disagreement with you, asking for opinions on what you may be missing, and then carefully listening and reflecting on what you are told. Sometimes the most important information and ideas come from those who see things differently from us. Be open to input and feedback and then be ready to put it into action. If team members don’t trust you, they may feel expendable and less motivated.

Being a leader comes with a lot of responsibility and it’s easy for us to think about motivating employees as something extra and even taking us away from all we need to get done. But don’t let this essential task get lost in the shuffle. Motivated and inspired teams are critical to success, and the effort is well worth the investment.

Year End Reviews:

We are coming up on performance review season - typically occurring at the end of the calendar year or the start of a new one. This year, they may look a little different. In the era of pandemic-induced remote work, how do you review someone who can’t do their job the way they’re accustomed to doing it? Here are a few trends:

This HBR article says that many companies have ditched their annual performance reviews for the year, and are instead utilizing more frequent feedback touch points (like monthly or quarterly check-ins). I’ve observed that the more-frequent touch points are actually more effective because feedback is delivered in a timelier fashion.
XpertHR predicts many companies will not evaluate employees on performance indicators hindered by the pandemic like revenue generation or sales closed. Instead, companies will evaluate employees on indicators less impacted by the pandemic, like lead generation or client continuity.
The Society for Human Resource Management details in this article how companies can focus on internal employee performance and evaluate skills including flexibility, creativity or change management. External factors like the economy can’t be controlled, but internal factors such as how individuals and teams work together can be.

At the end of the day, evaluations are intended to measure achievements toward goals and help employees grow. In such a disruptive year, consider if your performance evaluation process needs to be adjusted.

Current Read:

With 2021 on the horizon, I thought this article was a refreshing, big-picture perspective on maintaining a growth mindset following a turbulent year.

Quotable:

Next Steps:

Please forward this to anyone who might find it interesting. Join me on Tuesday, December 8 ^th at 10 am ET for another LinkedIn Live as we discuss getting strategic about referrals.

11.26.20 - Edinger's Insights: Happy Thanksgiving

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 18:58:01 GMT

November 26, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving!

I deliberated whether or not I’d send my regularly scheduled weekly newsletter during Thanksgiving week. But, especially this year, I think it is important to connect in moments of gratitude whenever possible. Against a backdrop of a tumultuous 2020, I know that each of us can find something we are thankful for. So, I write this week to wish each of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. I am thankful that you are reading my newsletter. It allows me a moment each week to share my thinking and try to bring value through insights and ideas that can help you and your company succeed. Have a great holiday weekend!

Best Leadership Conversation of 2020:

Last week I spoke with a 4th grade class (by Zoom) about leadership. I’ve done it a number of times with my daughters’ classes as part of the Great American Teach In - where parents of students come to class to speak about their work. It’s always a humbling experience as my career looks intensely boring compared to the firefighters, doctors, restauranteurs, and other professions that are both cooler and require just one understandable word to know what they do for a living.

This year, rather than spend most of the time talking about the job of a consultant or author we had a discussion about leadership. To my delight - I wasn’t sure what to expect with 9-year-olds on Zoom - we had an amazing discussion.

I was impressed by how much these 4th graders intuitively know about leadership. When I asked them “What are the characteristics of a leader and how do leaders behave?”, the answers I got were about being brave, showing kindness, standing up for what you believe, and standing up for others when they are being bullied. We concluded with this critical lesson: the only way someone knows you are a leader is by how you treat them.

In my book The Hidden Leader, I focused on the importance of decoupling the idea of leadership from position and title in a company. Sure, a person’s job title communicates responsibility, but real leadership is demonstrated in the way people behave. It was refreshing to talk about this fundamental concept, let alone with 4th graders. With a new year on the horizon, we all stand to benefit from what these bright 9-year-olds understand: true leadership is easier said than done, but boils down to how we treat others.

Help To Find Your Seat:

I saw this a few years ago and added it to my calendar to look at the day before Thanksgiving every year. Just a classic use of stereotypical humor that works. Of course, this year looks different so I’m waiting for a Zoom seating chart graphic.

Quotable:

Two for Thanksgiving. One for reflection, the other for humor.

11.19.20 - Edinger's Insights: Inspiring Leadership for Revenue Growth

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 18:56:34 GMT

November 19, 2020

Inspiring Leadership for Revenue Growth:

Leaders don’t drive revenue growth simply by sending their teams to sales training and directing them to sell more. Though it is surprising to me how many executives still believe that works despite the poor results. Growth-minded leadership is much more strategic. It begins with how leaders think about and communicate a go-to-market strategy, and how they drive the execution so that the strategy is reflected in every sales interaction. Each year, create time and structure for these three activities to ensure your efforts are driving revenue:

Set the strategy. Your Sales Organization focus should be clear about the ideal client profile, who they will actively pursue, and the value you create for them. This leaves room to be opportunistic about business when it makes sense because you’ve established clear boundaries with which to make worthy exceptions.
Establish clear team expectations, culture, and processes . If your team is aligned in these three areas, their work will be more streamlined and focused. Like a well-oiled machine, smooth operations unlock the value the team can bring to their clients and your company.
Develop talent to improve performance. Leaders are responsible for coaching their team. A common excuse is “I don’t have the time!” when coaching is shown to be a direct driver of results. Your strategy is only as effective as the professionals on the ground, so delegate the handling of day-to-day fires so you can take the time to invest in the development of your team.

Sure, sales training and techniques can be helpful but nothing guides the actions of a team like a leader with a strong vision and strategy. Make sure your Sales Organization knows what it is and how they execute on it with every sales call. Focus on these three critical actions to motivate your team and drive the revenue growth you are after.

What is Your Appreciation Plan?

This year’s holiday season is going to look a little different. Traditionally an unabashedly celebratory time, after a volatile 2020 and with many companies facing budget reductions, it may not be feasible to shell out the traditional holiday bonus…or do lavish events(?). As we approach the holidays, leaders should be thinking of ways to appreciate their employees and their resilience, as well as motivate their employees going in to the new year.

Consider these three questions as you finalize your employee appreciation plans:

What message does this send to our employees and to our customers? If it doesn’t imply that you see your employees as long-term investments, think more about what is possible.
Is it thoughtful and practical? With many employees working from home, it may make sense to focus on health, wellness, and home conveniences.
Does it make our employees feel more connected to the company? With 2021 right around the corner, giving employees a motivation boost can help your business start the new year on the right foot. This could be as simple as personalized notes of gratitude or allowing employees to vote on where the company should direct a charitable contribution.

Even though budgets are tight, there is still an opportunity to express gratitude and reinforce your company’s values. And it will go a long way in connecting with your remote employees, signaling that you care, and starting the new year with motivated employees.

Current Read:

If 2020 has taught us anything, we’ve learned to be flexible and adaptable. With more uncertainty looming in 2021, this article poses a refreshing challenge to leaders - to lean in to the ambiguity with confidence.

Quotable:

11.12.20 - Edinger's Insights: Are Sales Stereotypes Negatively Impacting your Business?

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 18:55:45 GMT

November 12, 2020

Are Sales Stereotypes Negatively Impacting Your Business?

Despite your sales organization being a critical part of your company’s success, the sales profession carries with it a negative stereotype. This stereotype accrued over a long history of pushy behavior, talking too much, and being more concerned with making a sale than prioritizing the customer. But the profession has evolved drastically from its old-school reputation of pushing people to buy things they don’t want, don’t need, and can’t afford.

As a leader, it’s important for you to be aware of and address the bias that is referred to in studies as sales stigma. Yes, it’s a real thing. And it can negatively impact your business:

Negative stereotypes (even from top management) inform many decisions about recruiting and the kind of person who will succeed in sales. Being articulate and extroverted is no longer enough. With customers more accessible than ever thanks to the internet, there is heightened competition for their business. Salespeople now need to be able to think strategically, build trust, and use insight and expertise to bring value to clients.
Sales stigma inhibits teamwork and collaboration. Within an organization, salespeople can be perceived by their coworkers as hungry, aggressive, lone wolves that prioritize their commission before everything else. It may be that systems and internal practices tolerate and even reward this behavior. Leaders need to demonstrate that the sales department is valued for its revenue generation but also for its professionalism and team mentality.
Outdated misconceptions of sales stop you from considering the sales experience as a source of value and differentiation. Of course, this is a significant part of the decision process in B2B environments. The stereotypical sales mindset of “pitch” and “close” is too narrow and keeps you from capitalizing on real value that helps you win business. When done well, sales shows clients how your business can uniquely address their needs.

So why does it matter?

Mitigating these misconceptions within your organization starts with leadership. Addressing them is key to ensuring your business maintains a healthy reputation with clients, preserves a strong team culture, and leverages the value creation of your sales team.

If you are interested in more on this topic, I encourage you to read my HBR article: Get Over Your Fear of Sales

Election Coverage:

Most of us are exhausted from this election cycle, albeit for different reasons. I’m going to highlight one thing here that impressed me on Tuesday of last week through the weekend. As I changed channels back and forth to see how different networks were covering the returns, I settled on CNN (as I did in 2016) because of John King, Chief National Correspondent and the primary speaker for most of the eve.

Regardless of your political perspective, his reporting was refreshing in that he was reporting the news, not making the news. Of course, his opinions weren’t absent from the broadcast, but they didn’t need to be. Because he allowed the news to take center stage as he clicked on states and counties and effectively articulated the circumstances, the historical perspectives, and current results. If you tuned in, you saw someone with deep expertise and understanding of every major precinct reporting results. I found this to be a great example of quality journalism and effective reporting of the news.

Current Read:

On the heels of the American presidential election and the announcement of a promising results from a leading COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the new year is within sight. As your business begins to think about 2021, I suggest this Forbes article “Beyond Covid-19: Three Mindshift Strategies To Chart A Clear Path Forward.”

Ludema and Johnson outline three high-level strategies for leaders in preparing their businesses for the still uncertain future. But 2021 can be less chaotic by leveraging what we’ve learned through the pandemic thus far and planning for the inevitable “complexities” ahead.

Quotable:

In light of the election season drawing to a close, perhaps we can all remember this:

Next Steps:

My latest article, on HBR’s Strategy and Execution list, is 4 Ways to Reconfigure Your Sales Strategy During the Pandemic where I discuss the importance of systematically updating your sales organization if you rely on direct sales to drive revenue.

11.05.20 - Edinger's Insights: Diverse Thinkers Are Important to an effective workplace

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 18:55:32 GMT

November 5, 2020

Diverse Thinkers Are Important To An Effective Workplace

Diversity in the workplace is much more complex than your workforce representing a mix of genders, ages, abilities, and ethnicities. While teams certainly should strive for demographic and socioeconomic variety, these qualities frequently serve as proxies (or worse, boxes to check) for diversity of thought and skillsets that is so critical to success. The challenge lies in cultivating this deep-level of diversity because it’s hard to see.

Despite flaws and criticism, personality assessments like Myers-Briggs, DISC, and various others are often the go-to tools for companies profiling employees for diversity of thought. In my experience, these instruments merely categorize people based on their self-identified workplace behaviors. More often than not they end up labeling people with weakness or strength instead of helping us to see how people with different strengths can work better together.

But having diverse talent is only the first step. Regardless of the demographic makeup of your team, you can do much more as a leader to harness this diversity of thought. In fact, I’d suggest that your team has more wide-ranging perspectives and ideas than are being expressed. Here are a few workplace cultural guideposts:

Leaders must demonstrate openness to new or half-baked ideas, challenges of status quo, and new approaches to solving problems.
Invite dissenting opinions forward. Embrace disagreement and lack of alignment to help you see issues you hadn’t considered. Encourage the sharing of opportunities you are missing and the unintended consequences of decisions.
Recognize good failures. When people get poor results but did the right things, make it safe to learn when we apply the right principles.

Voicing diverse thoughts through open dialogue and critique will generate more conflict and require more hands-on management. But that’s ok - the resulting innovation and cohesion is why diversity is so valuable in the first place. If your team can crack how to leverage diversity of thought while balancing the associated productive conflict, you will be better positioned to compete, perform and innovate.

Social Media Use:

This weekend I watched The Social Dilemma, the most recent in a line of documentaries shining light on the impacts of social media on society. Like most others who have watched it, my reactions ranged from mild worry to severe concern as I watched industry pioneers themselves confess to and substantiate the problematic motives in question.

Though these experts stand by their claim of the industry’s original pure intentions, I found this quotation particularly telling: “There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users’: illegal drugs and software.”

The list of concerns associated with social media include the industry’s data mining, manipulating users to increase revenue, and driving polarization. It touches on the way social media plays a role in hot topic issues including mental health, addiction, racism, and freedom of speech. And it also demonstrates how far the industry has come from how the industry was originally advertised: a place for connection.

I don’t disagree that social media can be a tool for good – the industry can be a hub for innovation, connection, and learning. The bottom line is that social media is impacting society, our behaviors and beliefs, and consumerism in unprecedented (and negative) ways. This film is a call to action to challenge our sources, connect with each other authentically, and be more aware of our screen time.

Giving Together:

It’s the season of giving, and it can also be the season of building an engaged workplace by focusing together on meeting a community need.

All around your workplace are areas that need your help: a homeless community that could use warm weather gear, a school that is low on supplies, or a community agency that needs volunteers.

Why not challenge the people in your company to nominate a group you can join together to serve between now and the end of the year? Team members can write a paragraph about an area of need and a way to band together to fill it, and you can hold a company-wide vote to choose.

Maybe you can enjoy a day of making and distributing sack lunches for the hungry, or of cleaning up a vacant lot. Even a canned food drive can help build esprit de corps when we’ve all had a hand in choosing where and how to give.

Current Read:

The real value of diversity of thinking is that being exposed to lots of ideas helps the best ones come to the fore. In that spirit, I offer this May 2019 Forbes article, “ Why We Need to Stop Talking About Diversity of Thought ,” by Rebekah Bastian.

Bastian points out that some managers think they can focus on diversity of thinking and completely bypass the necessity of a rich cultural mix in the workplace. I don’t necessarily agree with her assertion that diversity of thought takes the place of inclusion of a variety of ethnicities, genders, ages, and beyond, she is offering an important caution sign to the arguments I offer above.

Quotable:

Next Steps:

Join me on Tuesday, November 10 ^th at 10 am ET for another LinkedIn Live as we discuss strategies to inspire and motivate your sales organization (that aren't about compensation.)

I’ll be drawing on my research about leading high performance sales organizations and my HBR article 3 Ways To Motivate Your Sales Team - Without Stressing Them Out

10.29.20 - Edinger's Insights: Understand your Strategy

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 18:54:42 GMT

October 29, 2020

Your Team Doesn't Understand Your Strategy As Well As You Think:

One of the most common areas of feedback I hear from senior managers about the executive team is a lack of strategic clarity. You may feel like this doesn’t apply to you, but if you are open to a bit of self-reflection here, I’d suggest it very well may. Even in companies that have rigor around goal setting, operating plans, and metrics, in private conversations, many a leader has shared with me that they don’t see a clear or well-defined strategy for the growth of a division, a business unit, or an entire company.

Plenty has been written about strategy, and still, David Collis and Michael Rukstad wrote in Harvard Business Review about the “dirty little secret” that most executives cannot articulate their strategy. And as they pointed out, “If they can’t, neither can anyone else.” So, can you explain your growth strategy succinctly and clearly so that everyone on your team can understand it and knows their part in making it a reality?

A well-defined growth strategy answers a handful of critical questions and forms a framework that guides the decisions at every level of the business. In my new book, The Butterfly Effect: How Great Leaders Drive and Sustain Revenue Growth , I share a strategy framework called the “5 Big Things.” Here they are:

What defines success? — What are your primary measures?
What is our “Power Play”? — Why are you the best choice for customers?
Who will value our “Power Play”? — What customers will you most likely succeed with?
How does our sales experience create value? — What is compelling about the way in which we engage?
What must we improve, build, or acquire? — What strengths do we need to invest in if we are to get or stay ahead of the curve?

There is a tremendous amount of depth within each of these questions. Doing the hard work to express your growth strategy without corporate speak and with clarity and focus is one of the most important jobs you have as an executive.

There Are No News Stories About the Planes That Landed:

The title says it all here. Our media and news sources do not cover much in terms of the good happening. Keep this in mind as you watch, scroll and click.

Putting Your Best Face Forward:

I recently discovered the Twitter account of the Room Rater, with the handle @ratemyskyperoom? It’s a humorous site that offers critiques of the home office settings of those authors and pundits who appear on TV news programs.

Though the site is mostly for laughs, there are some good observations in the mix that we can all learn from as we spend our days on videoconference. Of course, we’d all like to show up as our best selves — at least for our upper third.

Some suggestions I’ve gleaned from the site:

Have a plant. It’s good to have a little life in the background, provided it’s healthy. Hide droopy plants that suggest you’re not a good caretaker.
Try some art. I’d suggest something attractive and not provocative or polarizing. A little color can add interest for viewers.
Books are a good choice, provided you actually have a collection you can be proud of. Check the titles before you go live. The Secret of the Old Clock , featuring teen sleuth Nancy Drew, is unlikely to impress the board of directors. (I’ll try to come up with a different book title)
Family photos offer a point of connection and make you look approachable.
Don’t brag. A bowling trophy can add some charm, but don’t line up dozens of your awards.
Be careful about kids and pets. In general, they’re best on the other side of a closed door.
Wear something businesslike, even if casual, and simple. A solid color is best.
Try to put yourself at the center of an interesting, but not distracting, composition. Make sure you’re well lit. Audio and visual quality are the most important considerations, but do be sure to assess your setting before going live.
Avoid artificial backgrounds. In April and May of this year it was fun to see people at the beach or in front of the Eiffel Tower. Now it mostly looks silly. If you must add it for a moment as a conversation pieces but then get back to reality.

Have you learned other tips or found likes/dislikes? Let me know what they are and I’ll see about compiling a second list of best practices in a few weeks.

Current Read:

I recently stumbled across an interesting article in that its subject was supporting remote workers — but it was written in 2019. Part of why so many companies transitioned so quickly to remote work is that we were already transitioning to flexible worklives before the pandemic hit!

“How to Create Belonging for Remote Workers” by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West-Duffy, published by MITSloan Management Review on Feb. 8, 2019, offers practical steps managers and colleagues can take to make their remote employees feel ingrained in the company culture. The authors even provide a chart called “Liz’s Hierarchy of Remote Work Needs,” based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At the base of the pyramid lies physiological needs for Maslow — and coffee for the authors. At the top of the pyramid, where Maslow has self-actualization, these authors place “Putting phone on airplane mode.”

Read the article for tips on establishing “virtual watercoolers” for your home workers.

And if you like these, my articles on leading from home and why remote workers are more engaged may be of interest too…

Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged

How Leaders Can Increase Engagement While People Are Working From Home

Quotable:

10.22.20 - Edinger's Insights: Are You Building A Pandemic-Proof Sales Organization

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 18:54:25 GMT

October 22, 2020

Are You Building A Pandemic-Proof Sales Organization?

Harvard Business Review just published my latest article, 4 Ways to Reconfigure Your Sales Strategy During the Pandemic . It’s become vividly clear that if you want to sustain growth, your business has to reconsider how your sales organization executes your strategy. In the article, I highlight four important considerations for senior leaders who are responsible for the future value of the organization.

1. Put sales at the center of your strategy.

2. Leverage sales to discover and meet new customer needs.

3. Improve the sales experience.

4. Don’t forget to leverage the physical environment while social distancing.

You can read more about each of these with examples here.

Leadership, Debate, and Communicating Like An Executive:

With one more Presidential Debate to endure, I’m compelled to comment on what we’ve seen from the leading candidates. My view here is not a political one, though.

In addition to the leadership lens I observe these debates through, I attended college on a forensics scholarship, which was for debate and public speaking. I competed at the national championships and won two bronze awards for different categories of public speaking. What else would I do while pursuing a degree in rhetoric?

The sad truth of the matter is that none of the four candidates for president or vice president would have made it out of the first round in intercollegiate competition. Each of them failed miserably in applying even the most basic principles of debate and public speaking. There were ample grounds for any of them to have been disqualified before the first round was over. Here are five debate principles you can apply to help you become a far more effective leader.

Topicality. The ability to stay on point is critical if you want to be heard. We’ve all talked with people who take multiple tangents in even short conversations. I had a client last year who described someone on her team as a “bumblebee” while pointing to the rapid and varied flight pattern of a bee in the air as we discussed this person’s lack of effectiveness in staying on point. While the politicians seemed to make an art form of avoiding the topic, you can’t afford to do this as a leader if you want to be taken seriously. Sustaining focus on an issue while being able to explore its many facets is a critical skill.
Flow and time. “Take your time making your point; I intend to live forever.” That’s my favorite Alec Baldwin line from 30 Rock , as Tina Fey is explaining something to him in great detail. Debates, meetings, videoconferences, and phone calls all have time limits. It’s up to you as a leader to use that time well, and a big part of that is structuring your message carefully and being both clear and succinct. None of the candidates exhibited even a shred of competence in their ability to convey a clear thought within the allotted time. We all have limited attention, and clarity and succinctness are vital skills for a leader.
Evidence. Claims and ideas require supporting arguments. Bold statements make for entertaining headlines, but as a leader you must have strong rationales. This has nothing to do with an insistence on being right. Instead, you want to convey the logic of your position, the way you’ve thought through an issue, and the data you believe reinforces your ideas. In the debates, evidence seems to be an afterthought instead of taking center stage.
Speaker points. In competition debate, it’s recognized that the medium or the delivery is a critical part of the message. If it weren’t, we would just read the transcript. Part of advancing to the next round is dependent on how well your message is received by the audience, including the judges. How ideas are delivered, and the way concepts are articulated, has a significant persuasive impact on your effectiveness as a leader. The ability to share ideas, opinions, and opposing thoughts with courtesy, impact, and even wit is an important part of being compelling.
Ad hominem. The term, which you’ve probably heard, is Latin for “to the person,” and it refers to personal attacks versus attacks on arguments. This is grounds for disqualification. I don’t think you need anything more from me on this one.

LinkedIn Live:

Join me for my next LinkedIn Live session on Four ways to reconfigure your sales strategy during the pandemic.

Current Read:

“Don’t take it personally.” That’s something we hear and sometimes even say in business, but it’s an idea that bears some scrutiny. With the amount of time we spend in the workplace and the amount of personal investment we have in a company’s outcomes, why wouldn’t we take what happens at work personally?

In his Harvard Business Review article “‘Don’t Take It Personally’ Is Terrible Work Advice,” Duncan Coombe calls this standard platitude an absurd one, writing, “I should accept the idea that the bulk of my life from twentysomething to sixtysomething is somehow not personal?” Instead, he points out the benefits of making “our work, leadership, and followership” personal (while still maintaining boundaries), and he notes that taking work personally keeps us both engaged and ethical. Sometimes it’s good to break down and rethink conventional wisdom.

Quotable:

10.15.20 - Edinger's Insights: Use Your Sales Organization to Create Market Differentiation

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 18:54:10 GMT

October 15, 2o2o

Use Your Sales Organization to Create Market Differentiation:

Odds are that you have an excellent product or service to provide clients.

That’s not enough, though. Competitors are tirelessly working to improve upon their offerings. They’ve seen what you have, and perhaps they’ve imitated it — and now they’re at work on making their products and services either better or less expensive.

The goal posts are constantly moving in business, and this happens in every industry. No matter how much you innovate, someone else is right behind you. You can’t control the competition. There is something you do have control over that can help you win more than your fair share of business, though: your sales organization.

Differentiation by performance of products and services gets more difficult every day, and many customers will use the similarity in offerings to negotiate lower prices. The sales experience, however, is the one differentiator that top executives can totally influence and control. Don’t delegate this to the sales organization to design and deliver a compelling sales experience on their own. This is a strategic effort driven by the senior leaders of a business. Done well, the sales experience will go beyond just serving as a process for distribution. It will become a point of differentiation.

When executive leadership engages closely with the sales organization to drive revenue growth and achieve customer satisfaction and loyalty, you can create a distinctive differentiation that no competitor can imitate. Differentiation that leverages your expertise, insight, and experience in a way that customers will value. A strategically focused sales organization that is capable of helping customers think through their challenges, consider options they’d never thought of before, or develop a new perspective on difficult problems become the valued partner that your customers would be loath to give up. In fact, the sales experience you create, becomes part of the value you provide and, in many cases, the reason customers choose you over competing alternatives.

For many companies, the sales force merely provides distribution. But, if you are strategic and use the sales process to create value for customers, your sales force can provide a much stronger advantage in the form of differentiation.

From your customers’ perspective, your sales reps are the most critical part of their experience of your company, from walking the first mile with them to the closing. This is true today, and it will be truer tomorrow.

The Facts DO Care About Your Feelings:

If you pride yourself on understanding the facts about issues, you’d do well to consider how those facts come to you. The principle of Audience Capture is driving journalism to exclude important information on just about any story. Audience Capture is news marketing speak for saying what your audience wants to hear. It’s important that we all understand this because your political views (and thus, where you choose to get your news) will unquestionably influence the facts you receive. Stories in the news are told in a way to satisfy very specific audiences and support well-defined narratives. That makes it very difficult to get news that addresses important topics and invites intelligent conversation on all sides of an issue. That’s not good for any of us, regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum.

If you are interested in this topic and how it affects every piece of news put in front of us, I suggest reading Bari Weiss’ very public resignation letter from the New York Times this summer.

Two Cardinal Sins of Communication:

I have believed for a long time that there are two Cardinal Sins when it comes to communication but, one of them you can be forgiven for. The sins are being inaccurate and being boring. As long as you aren’t intentionally misleading people or doing it frequently, people will often forgive you for being factually incorrect. But they never forgive you for being boring. The consequence for boring others is that your ideas won’t receive the attention they deserve, and you won’t have the impact you could have. Whether you are sharing your vision and strategy, framing issues, or presenting a course of action, keep in mind that you have to engage your listeners. You don’t have to entertain them, but you do have to earn their attention. Keep that in mind when you communicate in one on one, with groups, or with large audiences.

Current Read:

Like hemlines or the width of your lapel, trends come and go and then tend to round back again. This is a good time to revisit that blast from the past, Management by Walking Around, or MBWA. It’s a strategy by which managers get up from their desks and take an unannounced stroll to observe and connect with employees. But is this management practice even possible in an environment where many workplaces are partly or even fully digital? An article in Forbes — “Is ‘Management by Walking Around’ Still Possible Everything Is Digital and Remote?” — says yes. Managers can “walk around” Zoom sessions, virtual workshops, and Skype-based trainings, and they should, because our team members need to see us. This article suggests that managers should use MBWA to raise their digital game, be creative in serving customers virtually, and empower employees to innovate and co-create.

Quotable:

10.08.20 - Edinger's Insights: How to Keep (and Grow with) Your Customers

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 18:53:55 GMT

October 8, 2020

How to Keep (and Grow with) Your Customers:

Studies show that the buyer experience has a profound effect on keeping the customers you have, particular in business-to-business sales.

That’s right. You can offer an impeccable product or service, but more than any other factor, the interactions your customers experience with your sales force help to cement their relationship with your company.

A survey of B2B customers by Gartner (then CEB) some years back revealed that it was the buyer’s experience with the sales representative that accounted for 53% of customer loyalty — more than the brand, the delivery and the product itself combined.

The B2B buyers in the survey relied on their sales representatives to give them perspective on their markets. They also depended on them for myriad other needs:

To help them navigate alternatives. An educated salesperson knows your products or services inside and out — and your sales force can help customers to find the best options within your company’s offerings so that they aren’t tempted to stray.
To educate them about potential land mines. Your sales team knows the dangers on the horizon within the industry, and they can assist buyers in preparing for what’s to come.
To provide support throughout the buyer’s organization. It’s not uncommon for a savvy salesperson to have multiple connections within a buyer’s company, or to offer assistance at many different levels, thus further cementing a strong relationship.
To make it easy to buy from them. Your sales team is your company’s front door — open, approachable, and knowledgeable. They are a trusted presence as buyers explore the range of solutions your company provides.

When today’s B2B customers agree to meet with one of your sales reps, they are looking for a long-term partner and trusted adviser to help them solve problems and succeed in their responsibilities. But how much have you thought about the sales experience that your organization delivers? Have you put strategic effort in to making that experience compelling?

Election Talk:

At the risk of being caught in the crossfire, I’d like to share a thought about the upcoming Presidential election, now a month away. Despite the zeal you may have for the candidate or party of your choice (or perhaps more likely, about how terrible the opposition is) consider this: those voting for the opposite side may not be trying to destroy America. They may have different views about what’s best for the country, but that doesn’t mean they are evil. Most people are getting and sharing headlines in their own echo chambers, which unfortunately doesn’t value understanding the perspective of the other side. While there are definitely extremes on each side of our political spectrum, the majority of Americans are reasonable people who want the best for our country. During this time of high political division, avoid getting sucked into the devolving argument that the other party is purely malicious. They may just think differently than you. In fact, now is a good time, if possible, to have calm constructive conversations about the many things we all do agree upon.

No One Was Ever Inspired by Email:

A client recently reminded me of this comment from my speech to her company last year. “No one was ever inspired by an email.” My speech was on the topic of Inspiring Leadership, and having analyzed 360 degree feedback on over 25,000 leaders while researching my book, I never once heard that a leader “sent great emails” or anything like it. I’m sharing this because email tends to be a default way to communicate in many companies and its use has increased throughout the pandemic. Yet, most people complain that it is overused. While it can be useful for sharing quick information, it’s a lousy tool to foster collaboration, communicate important messages, or do anything that improves performance. If you want to inspire, to move others to action, call someone, get on a videoconference, or meet safely in person. Whatever you do, next time you are reflexively sending/responding to emails, ask yourself – is email the best medium for this message?

LinkedIn Live:

Join me for my next LinkedIn Live session on Formulating a Winning Growth Strategy. I’ll be revealing my 5 Big Things Framework from my upcoming book, The Butterfly Effect.

Current Read:

Employee happiness is always a worthwhile goal as the cost of replacing a valued contributor can be steep. In her 15Five blog post, “How Leadership Can Reap Big Rewards By Creating A ‘Self-Care Culture,’” Elisa Silverman offers ideas for how to go beyond time off, or so-called “mental health days,” for workplace stress reduction. She reports that fostering a work culture of self-care can mean happier people and higher employee engagement. Check out this article for good ideas on caring for your employees by encouraging them to care for themselves. And while you are at it, perhaps a good chance for you to consider what you are doing to care for yourself!

Quotable:

10.01.20 - Edinger's Insights: Leaders Listen

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 18:53:28 GMT

October 1, 2020

Leaders Listen:

As executives, we tend to do a lot of talking. But the wisest executives focus most of their communication energies on the other end of the stick: They don’t just talk; they listen. The best listen very attentively — not just for what's being said, but how it’s said, and even what’s not being said. Listening well may seem like the oldest piece of advice in the management book, but it continues to ring true: Plenty of leaders do a poor job of listening.

But strong leaders listen, and they listen well.

For most executives, time is in short supply and we feel we just aren’t able to have lengthy conversations with all our team members. Fair enough. But there is a solution: Make the most of the opportunities you do have by listening strategically. The idea of active listening has been around for decades, but it’s very difficult to do with a lot on your mind because it requires deep concentration. And let’s face it, it’s easy to get lazy and let someone talk on and on without clarifying an idea because our mind is wandering, too. But that provides little value either way. With focus and concentration, a three-minute conversation can yield stronger connection than an hour of partial attention while multitasking. It can be tremendously worthwhile to take a few moments to really connect with the people around us.

How do you maximize your ability to listen? Here are my go-to strategies:

Make a personal connection . People aren’t task-focused robots. Having some kind of human connection is important. Doing so regularly is also what allows you to get right to business when you only have a few minutes.
Stop what you’re doing. Show people in your organization that you value them by conversing them and them alone. Active listening does not allow for multitasking.
Make eye contact. When you look at someone’s face while you talk to them, you see beyond the words to the emotion and deeper understanding. That’s why I’ve always preferred videoconferencing, even before the pandemic!
Clarify and confirm. It may sound odd, but you can use your verbal skills to help you listen. Sometimes people take tangents, speak in unclear or equivocal terms, or cover many topics at once. Get involved in the conversation by asking clarifying questions to help you understand or confirm what you are being told.
Consider the tone and tenor. As important as understanding the content or ideas is understanding the underlying messages that are conveyed with emotions. Make sure you stay attuned to these, as they’ll give you clues about what is really important.
Wait them out. Silence can feel uncomfortable, but when we can withstand a long pause to allow someone to formulate a complete thought, the conversation can reach new depths, which can be very rewarding. A pleasant, non-judgmental look goes a long way toward making a pause more bearable. And you may find that you learn even more with what is said after you pause!

Chances are the people in your organization have good ideas for streamlining a portion of your operation, or for eliminating wasted time or material, or for efficiencies of many other kinds. A few minutes spent on listening can be money in the bank.

It seems so obvious, doesn’t it? Listen with focused attention. Note the subtleties and nuances in a conversation. Yet so few leaders do it consistently well. Use these approaches each day, multiple times each day, and unlock an important key to inspiring and motivating others to high performance.

Current Read:

A whopping 52 percent of voluntarily departing employees say that their company could have done something to keep them — and that hurts, to the tune of $1 trillion per year. That’s what Shane McFeely and Ben Wigert say in their Gallup Workplace article of March 13, 2019: “This Fixable Problem Costs U.S. Businesses $1 Trillion.” The authors report that the cost of replacing an individual employee can run from one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary. Of course, when people leave a business voluntarily, who leaves — top performers or weak ones? It’s usually top or at least good performers, which makes the loss especially difficult. For some employees, their departures were for reasons as simple as not being consulted about their level of job satisfaction or their future with the organization. Something to think about ….

You can read the article here .

Quotable:

09.24.20 - Edinger's Insights: Avoiding the Cut and Shrink Death Spiral

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 18:53:13 GMT

September 24, 2020

Avoiding the Cut and Shrink Death Spiral:

That term, the cut and shrink death spiral, was shared with me by the CFO of a Fortune 500 company. She and I were discussing the difficulties that lie ahead following an RIF. RIF, or Reduction in Force, of course, is corporate slang for cutting jobs or downsizing. Her point was unequivocal: the company couldn’t make a habit of cutting costs each quarter and expect to restore the growth that had made the stock price rise in prior years.

So, how do you avoid the cut and shrink death spiral? Here are three points to consider:

Measure twice, cut once. The old saying has relevance to business. You should only cut a job or an expense line once. If you keep trimming the same line item, you are doing something wrong. Be rigorous in determining what expenses are necessary to run your business then move on to the other side of the equation.
Address the cause, not the symptoms. Companies often wrestle with low margins or less than acceptable net income because there isn’t enough profitable revenue. If you’ve done your job well in point #1, then not generating enough net income or cash is due to your ability to acquire customers that are willing to pay your prices. Focus on the right side of the problem.
Invest your resources in attracting and retaining the right customers. When revenue is down, it’s tempting to take any business you can. But poor prospects rarely become good clients. Get your sales organization centered on your ideal client profile and make sure you are designing and delivering a compelling sales experience.

The best predictor of strong net income for a company is the strength of the revenue stream. When times are tough, double down on fortifying that strength to avoid the cut and shrink death spiral.

Working Hard Versus Working Long:

You are busy. As a subscriber to this newsletter, I suspect, very busy. But one thing I’ve noticed about many leaders I work with is that they confuse working long with working hard. But do long hours always create the best results? Consider the distinction of focused attention versus time. When your attention is focused, for even 3-4 hours, you can often get more, and better work, done that 8-10 hours of partial attention (e.g. mixing email, calls, meetings, texts, etc.) Some of the most productive leaders I know do not work excessively long hours. But during the time they do work, they sustain focus on their top priorities. They understand the power of advancing 2-3 priorities by miles instead of a dozen by inches. Take a look at how you structure your workday and consider whether you are working long or working hard. There will always be unending tasks on your to-do list - make sure your day revolves around getting the most important work completed.

I’ll be talking more about how leaders can increase productivity next week during my LinkedIn Live session. Join me on September 29 ^th at 10:00 am Eastern

Changes in How I'm Working with Clients:

What objectives are you trying to achieve? I know that building growth strategies, improving sales effectiveness and developing leadership capability doesn’t stop in times of crisis. I’ve been committed to getting creative when it comes to interacting with my clients since the start of the pandemic. Most projects, even team facilitations have shifted quite easily to video conference. I’ve had some meetings outside, and I may even facilitate a client session at the beach, like that College Professor who once let you have class outside on a nice Spring day.

So, don’t let the pandemic get in the way of improving your business. Are you working on your growth plans for the year ahead? Driving alignment of your leadership team on strategy or execution? Looking for ways to inspire and motivate teams to high performance through challenging times? I am happy to meet with you in whatever forum you and your team feel comfortable. Click the button below to schedule some time with me.

Current Read:

Be mindful, be selfless, be compassionate. This article discusses The Dalai Lama’s observations on leadership and describes how a focus on material development and financial gain has led us to neglect our basic human need for kindness and care. These days, I think we could all use a reminder that inspiring leaders care about humanity as well as profit and sales performance.

Thanks to those that responded to last week’s Question to Ponder, “What are you doing to keep your sanity throughout the second half of a crazy 2020?” Here are some of my favorite responses:

Meditating twice a day
Commitment to avoiding sugar 6 days a week
Climb 14ers in Colorado (For those who don’t know what this means a 14er is a mountain that reaches 14,000 feet in elevation. I had to Google it when I first saw the term.)
Attend an occasional funeral to “keep it all in perspective.”
Write in my journal most days
Take long walks with my dog
Exercise first thing every day
Make sure I get 7.5 hours of sleep daily

And my personal favorite: Chicken wings and college football!!!

It’s worth noting about most of these involve a daily practice of attending to physical health and/or making space for reflection. Things all of us can do, even if you aren’t climbing mountains!

Question to Ponder:

What is your daily practice? And if you don’t have one, what could you start doing?

Quotable:

09.17.20 - Edinger's Insights: Are You the Coach You Think You Are?

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 18:52:56 GMT

September 17, 2020

Are You the Coach You Think You Are:

Good coaching is critical to scalable success, but are we any good at it? In a study I completed for a Fortune 500 sales organization, I discovered an interesting disconnect. Leaders scored themselves high on their coaching efforts - around the 80th percentile. In contrast, direct reports claimed they received little coaching and rated their managers low - around the 38th percentile. In short, most of what leaders think they are doing to coach and develop talent, isn’t coaching at all. As a leader, how can you create a culture of coaching in your sales organization? Here are a few approaches that work.

Establish consistent expectations. From the CEO to the frontline sales manager, there must be a shared definition of good coaching. Effective coaching includes a focus on observation, productive feedback, strategy development, and ample opportunities for practice. Setting expectations for coaching must come from leadership - it is a strategic imperative that executive committee leaders must drive. A coaching culture is more than a phrase from HR, and it must be connected to a broader corporate objective, such as a growth strategy to increase revenue.

Highlight the exemplars and use them to spread your best practices. Everyone knows who the top sellers are in a sales organization, but do those individuals always exhibit the behaviors you want to promote? Sometimes top producers are not the best role models. Look for sellers who do the work in a way you would like to replicate and use them as an example for the rest of the sales organization. Remember, when you look for role models, it’s not only about results, it’s about best practices.

Reward those who engage in coaching. Coaching should not be seen as optional or just for when you have time. It is essential. By rewarding those who consistently coach and do it well, you make it known that coaching is a priority and a requirement of the job. For those who do not coach you may want to put them in a role where they don’t need to help develop others.

Sounds like a lot of work? It can be, but coaching shouldn’t take a lot of extra time if you consider the activities in which sales leaders are currently engaged. Take an honest look at the volume of effort that is devoted to sales reporting and scrutinizing results versus the time spent actively engaging in improving results. Create a robust coaching culture and your leaders will spend more energy on improving results. You may even find it takes less time to reach better results.

For more on this topic, I encourage you to read my HBR article Sales Teams Need More (and Better) Coaching .

Performance Management and Directness:

You’d think these two things would naturally go together. But in my observation, they rarely do. In fact, I’d suggest that the lack of direct feedback turns elaborate performance management systems into a low value HR or administrative process that has little impact on developing a leader’s talent. Instead of precision and directness, performance appraisals are filled with broad and ambiguous – and often unhelpful - feedback. For example, instead of providing general feedback, such as “you need to improve your communication skills.” give them specifics, such as: “your communication is unclear because you provide too much tactical detail” or “you tend to answer a question by adding in extra topics and often lose the point.” If you want to bring the value back to the performance review process, get honest and direct with people about the issues that are getting in their way, so they can improve.

Current Read:

This article addresses change management – always a relevant topic. But isn’t all management change management? The article discusses how companies need to describe work by where they are going to go in the next month, quarter or year.

Question to Ponder:

What are you doing to keep your sanity throughout the second half of a crazy 2020?

If you are willing to, send me your answers. I’m planning on compiling an anonymous list to share with subscribers.

Quotable:

09.10.20 - Edinger's Insights: The Missing Link

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 18:52:39 GMT

September 10, 2020

The Missing Link:

Does your sales organization effectively execute your strategy? Ideally, strategic goals set by executives funnel down to the sales team in clear and intentional ways. Sales should reinforce the strategic objectives by delivering the right product to the right customer.

In reality, the execution of the strategy by the sales organization is often an afterthought. This is a key topic in my forthcoming book with Fast Company Press, The Butterfly Effect: How Great Leaders Drive and Sustain Revenue Growth. Corporate strategies tend to focus on things like markets, products and services and capabilities, all of which are very important, but what’s often left out is the conduit to the market: the sales function. I call this disconnect the missing link. In my experience, sales and revenue challenges are much more a result of leadership decisions than sales performance.

Successful executives must make sure strategic objectives can be delivered through sales.

Every sales call represents the execution of your strategy. The sales function is responsible for most interactions with customers, and customers are responsible for most, if not all, of your revenue. As such, sales is the most important part of a company’s execution of strategy in the marketplace. The corporate strategy should guide the work of the sales team, informing everything from the companies they call on, to the customers they target, to the issues they discuss to create demand, and to the insights they provide about a product.
According to McKinsey and Company, when B2B buyers were asked what influences their decision to purchase a product, 25% cited the sales experience. And yet, many corporate strategies overlook the sales experience and jump straight to the customer experience. Customer experience is certainly important, but without a strong sales experience, there is no customer experience. Think about the sales experience as part of the overall strategy and ask yourself, how can we design and deliver it in a compelling way that moves others to action?
Strategy is all about differentiation and advantage. To capitalize on strategy, the sales organization must understand the strategy, and they often don’t. A few years ago, I asked 70 CEOs on a scale of 1-10 how well they think their sales organization understands the strategy. Their answer? 5.4 out of 10. When I asked several hundred sales professionals the same question, the response was 2.9 out of 10. Neither of those numbers suggest the sales organization is positioned to drive and execute your strategy. To put them in the driver's seat, translate the strategy so that it pragmatically guides your sales organization. Make clear your strategic objectives and articulate your power play - those one or two reasons that really set your organization apart from competitors.
Lead the sales organization as if it is the “strategy execution engine”, because it is. How? Manage the early stage of a pipeline as much as the closing stage. Help your team create a compelling sales experience through thoughtful design. Ensure sellers are surfacing issues and circumstances that are relevant and important to a buyer, rather than pitching. Create an experience that allows a customer to refine their vision and understanding of the outcomes they are trying to achieve. This approach will enable your sales organization to sell the customer the product that they need and that you have invested millions in developing. Remember, the success of strategy depends on the effectiveness of your sales organization!

To dig deeper into the missing link, watch the replay of my live cast here . Next week on Tuesday, September 15 ^th I will be hosting a live cast on communicating like a senior leader. I hope you can join, and I encourage you to bring some hard-hitting questions.

Clear & Concise:

Over the years I continue to see similar patterns among executives. They deliver a message to their team and believe everyone understands it. Here’s the thing, many walk away from a meeting or call either partially unclear or completely confused. If you want people to understand and absorb what you are saying, make it easy. Leaders need to be specific while also being succinct in communication.

Brevity is important as people can only digest a small amount of information at once. Be concise and establish a direction, then define the work to be done. Being able to effectively convey your strategy, resolve complex issues, and execute plans relies on your ability to be both succinct and clear.

When a message lacks precision and is surrounded by too much detail it can cause teams to scratch their heads and be confused. The onus is on you as a leader every time you engage, whether that is in person, videoconference, on the phone, or by email, to be “on message.” Ask yourself what message do I want this person or group to take away from my communication? You may find it helpful to take a couple minutes before meetings and calls to think about the focus of your communication and how much detail is required to get your point across. And remember:

Be succinct – clear and brief
Establish a direction
Define the work to be done

Taking the time to prepare will aide in eliminating confusion. That’s a keystone habit of the best leaders.

Current Read:

The Smartphone may be destroying an entire generation. But it may not be the generation you think. It seems that adults, especially those with children at home may struggle the most. Of course, technology has its advantages and drawbacks - this article provides some depth and insight as to what the real problems are and what we can do about it. What was most interesting to me was the research on parenting with a competing activity that was conducted before smartphones were invented. This article made me look in the mirror at my own smartphone use at home – an area I’ve become more and more aware of in recent months.

Quotable:

09.03.20 - Edinger's Insights: Improving Revenue- the Right Way

Thu, 03 Sep 2020 18:52:20 GMT

September 3, 2020

Improving Revenue - The Right Way:

As we continue to grapple with the impact of COVID-19 on business, many leaders are met with declining sales and revenue. Survival requires swift, focused and effective action from the executive suite. The reality is, when faced with declining or static revenue, leaders often focus on the wrong problems, try quick fixes that don’t work, or address the symptoms, not the root cause.

Here are three common revenue-fixing missteps and suggestions for what to do instead:

Cost Reduction. Cutting costs will slow the bleeding temporarily but you can’t cut your way to growth. Unless your cost structure was out of hand or your business model is now radically changed, it’s not a long-term solution. Remember, you can only eliminate a job or line item once. To see long-term relief, build a strategy for how you’ll provide greater value to your ideal client profile and invest in the capabilities that will drive your growth.

Discounting. I get it, you just want to make some sales and see the product go out the door. There is a time and place for reductions, but it often backfires. Sales people seem more desperate and it can actually reduce the perception of your value and competitive strength. What’s more, some customers may resent having previously paid more. Instead, get your sales organization focused on the issues that cause customers to buy from you and the outcomes your value provides.

Turning up the heat too high. Some stress is necessary for peak performance and a specific short-term goal can be aided by turning up the heat. But too much pressure leads to poor decision making and burnout. When too much pressure and unhealthy urgency become part of a culture, performance will ultimately decline. Your team will begin to see any sale as a good sale and begin to rely on discounts and aggressive sales tactics that could risk damaging client relationships. Create healthy tension and motivation by developing your team’s talent and working closely to ensure they are executing your strategy.

If you are serious about restoring growth to your business, eschew the shortcuts that can undermine long term change. Focus instead on your strategy, your capabilities, and the development of your sales organization. For more on this topic, check out my article on motivating your sales team.

A Culture of Innovation:

Leadership can look a lot like firefighting: as fires pop up, you react and put out the fire. But, the most effective leaders and organizations act less like firefighters and more like fire inspectors. They focus less on problems that already exist and more on proactively removing barriers and finding solutions for the organization. It’s a preventive versus contingent approach. How? It’s about creating a culture of innovation. Here’s the catch, a culture of innovation is very different from a leader who has innovative ideas. Innovative ideas fight fires, a culture of innovation prevents them. Here are three strategies to develop a culture of innovation.

Focus on outcomes. Have you ever heard the phrase, “it’s about the journey, not the destination”? Not in this case. Leaders who foster a culture of innovation paint a clear picture of the desired outcome of a given scenario and put very little energy into dictating how to get there. Create a common vision and metrics, hold your team accountable for achieving that vision, and get out of the way.
Be fearless. The leaders I’ve worked with who have created a culture of innovation aren’t rebels, but they aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. They aren’t intimidated by hierarchy and are willing to address difficult issues, even if it means challenging people higher up the management chain. They separate people from issues and can disagree without being disagreeable. These leaders create space for their team to disagree with one another and they expect people to challenge their ideas as well. The best ideas are often born from healthy dialogue, difficult questions, and a willingness to take the best from every perspective. A culture of innovation integrates critical thinking and inquiry into everyday life at the company.
Make it difficult. Have you ever watched a toddler on the cusp of walking? They are so creative with how they move from one place to another. In contrast, there is nothing innovative about how a 10-year-old moves from the kitchen to the living room. An easy task requires no innovation. Leaders of innovative teams set goals that are hard to achieve, and their teams believe in the power of achieving the stretch goals. This fundamentally improves the culture of an organization.

Instead of fighting fires as they pop up, invest in the development of a culture of innovation so you can prevent problems and proactively move your organization to the next level.

Want more on this topic? I wrote an article published in Forbes in 2012, and the five strategies for creating a culture of innovation still hold true today.

Current Read:

Do you manage your to-do list or does it manage you? This article gives tips on how to prioritize and conquer your list using a simple two by two matrix - the same way Dwight D. Eisenhower did.

Question to Ponder:

How do you manage your to-do list…and is it working?

Quotable:

08.27.20 - Edinger's Insights: Proactive Leadership

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 18:52:06 GMT

August 27, 2020

LinkedIn Live Announcement:

Join me on Tuesday, September 1 ^st at 10 am Eastern as we discuss how to get your sales organization to execute your strategy.

Proactive Leadership:

To look back on the first eight months of 2020 is to see one of the most uncertain and unexpected years in history. While the initial survival phase of the pandemic may have passed, we have to adjust our leadership to the long-term changes COVID will bring to business. Strong and proactive leadership is more important than ever.

Reactive leadership is a typical default for many because uncertainty makes it challenging to assert a direction. But if your days consist largely of meetings that were put on your calendar by others, and you fill in the cracks of your schedule responding to email (again – sent by others,) then you have to ask yourself, “who is driving your priorities?” Are you mostly reactive or proactive?

To guide a team through turbulent waters and identify opportunities for growth and innovation, leaders must be proactive.

1) Assess data, and do it quickly. When there is an abundance of information in a rapidly changing context, it’s easy to get stuck in analysis. Double down on your ability to recognize patterns, synthesize, and utilize information to steer your decisions. There will always be more analysis, another cut of the data, an additional study or survey. Make sure to balance the value of your effort by considering how you’ll use the information to drive decisions about organization and strategy moving forward. Arming yourself with accurate and current information is the equivalent to having an updated map when navigating new territory. Just do it efficiently.

2) Stay close to the pulse of your people. In a crisis or period of change, the first question in many people’s mind is “how does this affect me?” As a proactive leader, you’ll go out of your way to understand and acknowledge the concerns of your team, and work to bring a sense of calm and confidence, even in the face of uncertainty. You must rely on these emotional connections to effectively lead people through change. Create space for open dialogue - invite stakeholders to express their thoughts and perspectives. Remember, we aren’t task driven automatons so, it’s immensely important to listen attentively to others during times like these. Doing so will enable you to increase engagement on your team and throughout your organization.

3) Access the expertise of others . A leader should never expect to have all the answers, especially in a time of such uncertainty. You should be very clear about your objectives, but you can leverage the collective experience of your team to determine how to achieve them. Be intentional about reaching out to them as individuals and creating forums as a group to problem solve and innovate. Your team’s expertise is a resource you can proactively draw on, using their perspectives, skills, and ideas to determine solutions you may not have anticipated. Seek the expertise of external stakeholders, reach out to colleagues in the industry or SMEs, and gather feedback from internal and external stakeholders about how to improve everything from products and services to processes.

Of course, no leader I’ve met is 100% proactive. There are appropriate levels of reactivity built in to any job. The real question for you to ask yourself is “are you doing the necessary amount of proactive work to advance your objectives?” If not, you may find yourself feeling like you’re on a hamster wheel with a lot of movement but not enough progress.

Can You be a More Charismatic Leader:

When you think of leaders who inspire you, what leadership traits come to mind? For many people, charisma is at the top of the list. In fact, when I was analyzing 360 degree survey data on over 25,000 leaders for my first book The Inspiring Leader the term “charismatic” was frequent among top performers. Of course, telling someone to be more charismatic is about as helpful as saying “be more inspiring!” How does one become more charismatic as a leader? From my experience observing and coaching hundreds of leaders and analyzing data on thousands more, I have identified several qualities that contribute to charismatic leadership.

Focus on others. The best leaders understand that leadership effectiveness is contextual, what works for one group won’t work for the next. Effective and charismatic leaders are able to understand others and approach the situation in a way that is relatable for the audience. Maya Angelou famously said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Charismatic people have a way of making people feel like they are the most important person in the room, even if they only have a brief encounter.

Communication that draws people in. I’ve always said there are two cardinal sins in communication, but people will generally forgive you for one. They are 1) being inaccurate and 2) being boring. As long as it’s not habitual or intentionally misleading, you’ll often be forgiven for some inaccuracy, but people will never forgive you for being boring. The punishment for being boring is that people won’t freely lend you their attention. Charismatic or inspiring leaders are especially skilled and expressive in their verbal communication. They may have interesting examples or metaphors that are illustrative of a key idea. They use stories to instantiate important points. They use concrete examples and share their feelings, and they build connections with the audience through words. Doing this well requires you to be thoughtful and intentional in how you communicate. Only the gifted few can wing it. Most of the leaders I’ve seen excel in this area put in the work to be great.

Empathy. A third critically important ingredient is genuine concern for others. Charismatic leaders care and people can tell. It’s what Aristotle called ethos, as it relates to your disposition or character. Leaders who are charismatic show interest in their employees, they encourage them and are supportive. The most charismatic leaders make a genuine emotional connection by using words and actions to demonstrate they are listening, they understand and have your best interest at heart. Few things are more inspiring than a leader who cares deeply.

The word charisma comes from the word Greek c haris , meaning gift or grace. But it’s not so much a grace we’re born with as a skill that can be cultivated and, ultimately, a gift to be shared with others. If you found this useful, you may want to read my Harvard Business Review article on this topic titled Learn to Be Charismatic .

Current Read:

This article highlights strategies to increase idea generation and creativity - but maybe not in the ways you’d typically think. In a study of entrepreneurs, the researchers analyzed the impact of taking time to recover on the study participant’s creativity. They found that physiological and mental recovery significantly boosts an individual’s ability to generate ideas. The study looks at two specific elements of recovery: sleep and work-related problem solving after work (have you ever had a breakthrough on a problem during a bike ride?). After you read this article, you’ll want to prioritize a good night sleep and some time away from the computer.

Quotable:

08.20.20 - Edinger's Insights: Fostering Alignment

Thu, 20 Aug 2020 18:51:51 GMT

August 20, 2020

Fostering Alignment

Alignment is about creating a shared understanding. You may be working to align your team on a strategy, identifying critical issues, the responses, or initiatives, and of course, the plans to address them. Among a team of leaders, there ought to be room for different opinions and perspectives, as long as they get discussed. Ultimately you can drive clear alignment or shared understanding about what actions you are going to take. Alignment doesn’t have to be a unanimous agreement (and rarely is.) What matters is that when you move forward, everyone is willing to do their part when it’s time to implement.

When there is wobbly alignment, sometimes there are genuine misunderstandings or an incomplete picture. Other times, there are differing or conflicting opinions and it’s up to you as a leader to root that out.

Sharing information and perspectives is some of the best team building you can do! Here are four things to keep in mind to help drive alignment:

Invite dissenting opinions and make it safe to disagree.

Ask everyone to restate the topic (e.g. strategy, initiative, issue) in their own words. The way they express the idea will reveal subtleties in seeing things differently or big things. Then it’s a chance to discuss them. Don’t just open to a group discussion, make sure you hear from everyone.

When working with challenging situations, work as a group or ask everyone to state a problem or an issue in a single sentence. Or two. No run on, long winded answers. That’s going to help you with clarity. One of my favorite quotations is that “A problem well-defined is partially-solved"

Talk frankly – I often ask clients to explain a complex topic like you are speaking with a friend from high school who doesn’t work in your company. Avoid corporate speak. Plain language reveals misunderstandings. Jargon and complexity obfuscates meaning.

Remember, checking in with everyone on the team galvanizes understanding as a group!

To dive further into alignment, I encourage you watch the playback of my LinkedIn Live session on Leading Alignment With Your Team here . My next live will be on September 1 ^st . I'd like to hear from you on topics of interest within leadership, growth strategy, and sales organization effectiveness for future lives.

Throwback Thursday

Since this newsletter is released on Thursday, in the spirit of TBT…here is one of my earliest articles for Harvard Business Review. The article focused on extraordinary leadership and what it takes to develop profound leadership strengths. All leaders should be aware of and aim to improve their weaknesses, but our research suggests that even a few areas of strength will separate the extraordinary leaders from their average counterparts. Creating a profound leadership strength takes a more thoughtful approach than improving a known weakness. Consider the following three principles as you work to develop strengths.

1. The development of strengths requires a different approach . In our research, we found that leadership competencies tend to cluster together in predictable patterns. For example, leaders with exceptional integrity tend to also be decisive, assertive and optimistic. While the mastery of one skill may not inherently make you better at another, it can act as a magnifier of other leadership traits, a concept known as the interaction effect. Think of it like cross-training for an athlete. A runner can improve their running speed by doing other, complimentary activities such as lifting weights, doing yoga, or cycling. To improve your leadership strengths, focus on the development of strongly correlated companion skills and behaviors.

2. Following your interests leads to better outcomes . If you don’t enjoy doing something, it’s unlikely you will develop a mastery of that activity. It is a drag to put considerable time and effort into something just to go from below average to average. So while it’s important to bolster your weaknesses in those areas critical to your job, accept that not everything will be a strength. Instead of investing time in improving every weakness, consider building a team that compliments your strengths and shores up your weaknesses. Then the team as a whole can find energy and see real progress.

3. There is no such thing as too much of a good thing, but be aware. Have you worked with a leader who is too strategic or overly effective? I doubt it. Leveraging strengths is the path to success. That said, there are times when a leaders’ strength can show up as one-dimensional. For example, they may push so hard for a specific result that they fail to see the impact it has on others. Utilize your strengths but pay attention to the related leadership characteristics that are also needed to allow you and your organization to thrive.

The bottom line? To be an extraordinary leader, focus on your strengths. If you want to read the full article you can check it out here .

Current Read:

I’ve been curious about what’s going is going on with the US Postal Service and the upcoming election. Having voted by mail for at least the last 6 years, I wanted to sift through the incredibly partisan rhetoric on both sides of this issue to see what was really happening here. This article provides as cogent a perspective as I’ve seen, though nothing is without its political biases. It’s a long read at about 20 minutes but worth it if you want to know the facts. If not, the title does a good job of netting out the message: Stop Panicking about the Post Office; But Do Fund Them ASAP.

Quotable:

08.13.20 - Edinger's Insights: Making Olive Oil and Leading Your Team

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 18:51:35 GMT

August 13, 2020

Making Olive Oil and Leading Your Team

I was in Italy a few years ago and while visiting some vineyards in Barolo, we stopped to tour an olive orchard and an old school olive oil production facility. The proprietor was very proud of the fact that he was using the same equipment that his family had been using for over 100 years, and turning out some of the finest olive oil in Northern Italy. He said that one of the keys to creating delicious olive oil was to make sure you leave plenty behind. That is, don’t squeeze it all out of the olives.

It turns out that the pressure applied to the olives will determine how good the oil is. Too little pressure and there won’t be sufficient flavor. Too much pressure and the olive oil starts to get bitter. Classic goldilocks approach.

In my experience, managing your teams and the pressure you apply to them is very much the same. Too little pressure or energy, and you get lackluster performance or teams that don’t care about achieving high standards. Too much pressure or stress, and you actually make people worse at their jobs because they start to lose confidence or “choke” under pressure.

Of course, you as a leader have a lot of control over this since you can either decrease the pressure or magnify it for your team. To drive high performance, make sure that you:

Be aware of the pressure levels on your team. (I’ve observed that too many leaders don’t pay attention to this.)
Understand the optimal range of stress required to achieve great results – it’s called “Eustress” and is most associated “with in the zone” performance.
Look for signs of not enough stress like complacency and too much stress, or “distress” that cause mistakes and poor performance.

If you are interested in more about this idea and how it applies to leading a sales organization, you may appreciate my HBR article : 3 Ways To Motivate Your Sales Team - Without Stressing Them Out

Leverage the Physical World - Building Meaningful Connections

This concept came up briefly last week, and I want to spend a bit more time on how to build meaningful connections in a virtual world. While client meetings are not the same, there are some elements of our ‘old ways’ we can incorporate into a virtual strategy to forge strong bonds with clients. As you prepare for your next client meeting, keep three things in mind.

Meeting materials . Even before COVID, the trend was to do away with printed meeting documents and emphasize digital materials. But here’s the reality: many of us print everything out anyway, especially when required to toggle between a zoom screen and materials. While being mindful of the environmental impact of too much paper, consider taking a blended approach as you prepare for your next meeting. Use the pre-meeting mailer as an opportunity to provide structure for the conversation, and something to guide the client through the meeting. The digital world can be disorienting and it’s easy to lose track of materials and the flow of the conversation. To help keep people grounded, send a printed agenda and a simple PowerPoint with space to take notes. People retain more information when they write things down, and by providing a structured space to do so, you increase the likelihood your client will take advantage of it. If you require more material one suggestion would be to put it in a folder in the order in which you will discuss it or even color code it. Your pre-meeting mailing just might be the structure that allows for a smooth effective meeting.

Swag and surprises. People always love swag or unexpected gifts, and the appreciation is even greater when working from home. As long as you’re paying for postage, you might as well include something fun in the package. Whether it is a branded pen, USB, or a coffee gift card, the gesture will not go unnoticed, and it will go a long way in building a meaningful relationship with the customer.

Remember the little things. The absence of face-to-face communication shouldn’t impact your ability to connect with clients on what matters to them. Now more than ever, pay attention to small details, make note of personal things they say and follow up when appropriate. Reach out on birthdays, ask about a family camping trip, or share an article that might be relevant to them. This doesn’t need to be a significant time commitment, even a quick text can suffice. Consistent, thoughtful communication keeps you top of mind and reminds your clients that you are a resource for them.

You don’t have to do all of these to create meaningful connections with your clients, even just one can help foster the relationship.

Current Read:

The topic of how much money is enough is always interesting. In my experience, the answer is based more on our emotional needs than the practical needs of our existence. This article does a nice job of highlighting that real wealth isn’t about income, status and what others think of you. Instead, real wealth is found in the control you have over your time.

Question to Ponder:

What are you doing to go the extra mile for clients and letting them know you are still a resource for them?

Quotable:

08.06.20 - Edinger's Insights: Your Virtual Sales Strategy

Thu, 06 Aug 2020 18:49:14 GMT

August 6, 2020

Your Virtual Sales Strategy

Like many of you, this is the longest I’ve gone without boarding a plane since I can remember. In response to this prolonged travel slow-down, last week on LinkedIn Live we focused on your ‘ground’ game. By ground game, I mean your virtual sales strategy. Below are the five principles we discussed to ensure a sound virtual sales strategy:

There is a difference between in-person and virtual engagement . A successful virtual strategy does more than simply move an in-person approach to a virtual format. People are easily fatigued on video and finding ways to engage them throughout the interaction is paramount.
It is about the conversation, not the presentation. In a virtual world, your ability to engage people in a discussion becomes more difficult, and more important. A surefire way to lose people’s attention? Share your screen and read your slides. One of my clients with young children recently said to me, “I read to my children every night, and then I come to work and people read to me all day long.” Present your slide to succinctly share data, then take the slide down and engage in a dialogue about what you just presented.
Sustain the focus on creating value. Remember, clients have access to information through a myriad of channels such as brochures, websites, and videos. Be intentional with the time you have and use it to provide insight, expertise, and perspective they can’t get anywhere else. The interaction in itself must create value.
It’s easier than ever to access value-added resources in your company. Before virtual was the norm, bringing additional resources into the sales process was expensive. Today, you have much easier access to people. Consider how a subject-matter expert may enhance your conversation by bringing additional insight and value. Don’t lose sight of the new resources you have at your fingertips (literally).
Don’t forget to leverage the physical world. Sure, you may not be able to meet for coffee, but you can still buy someone a cup of coffee (or a whole week’s worth!) if you send a package of gourmet coffee directly to their house. As our time at home drags on, surprises from the physical world become that much more meaningful. Next time you schedule a meeting around the lunch hour, consider sending lunch to the person’s home, to arrive at the time of your meeting. Who says we can’t break bread virtually?

Want to go deeper? Click here to see the recording of the discussion. One of the advantages of LinkedIn Live is the conversation we create together. Principles and tips are only useful when applied effectively, and I would love to talk to you about how about how you can apply these tips to your specific context. Join me next week on August 11 ^th at 10 am Eastern for another live!

Land and Expand, but First You Have to Fly

When you watch planes move across the sky it looks effortless, seamless and powerful. A few weeks ago, I was talking to a flight instructor, and as I listened to him, I was struck by the technical complexity of flying. As a bystander, flying may look simple, but there is so much more to it than meets the eye.

There are some parallels between flying a plane and leading your sales organization. Effective leaders make it look effortless, despite how much they are navigating, tweaking the ‘flight path’, and guiding the team behind the scenes. As you and your team prepare to “take off,” make sure you have prepared in a way that will ensure a smooth and effortless journey.

Create a solid flight plan. You can’t fly a plane to a specific airport without a flight plan, and you can’t lead your team to revenue growth without a strategy. Never underestimate the power of planning: invest time in evaluating your competitors, understanding your clients, and mapping out the environmental factors that may impact your journey. Be crystal clear on where you’re trying to go, and how to design and deliver a compelling sales experience that creates value. The more you do on the front end, the smoother the flight will be .

Know your plane and your crew. A flight plan takes into account the external factors and the path you need to take to reach your destination. Perhaps even more important is a deep understanding of your plane (business model) and your crew (sales organization). Take time to understand the strengths of each to effectively leverage the whole.

Practice. Practice. Practice. Did you know that in addition to training, you need about 250 flight hours to be a commercial pilot? Sure, pilots have people’s lives in their hands so it makes sense they need to be experts, but is leadership really all that different? It may not be a matter of life or death, but great leadership and great sales strategy takes time and practice, so don’t practice on your best prospects and customers. Be willing to put in the work, and be willing to be the “instructor” who helps your team get their flight hours in as they’re learning to fly the plane.

Finally, don’t forget to create that runway. A mile of road will take you one mile, a mile of runway will take you anywhere.

Current Read:

We all know the value a board of directors brings to a corporation, but have you ever considered how a board of directors may benefit your family? This article touches on why a classic element of the corporate structure can help manage the small and large challenges that arise in your life as a working parent.

Question to Ponder:

How can you leverage the physical world to add value in our new remote world of meetings?

Quotable:

07.30.20 - Edinger's Insights: Dealing with Setbacks

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 18:49:01 GMT

July 30, 2020

Dealing with Setbacks

Setbacks have been top of mind lately, as I’m currently experiencing a setback in my recovery from shoulder surgery. Each of us face challenges and roadblocks, professionally and personally, and so much of how we come out of it depends on how we choose to respond. I must admit, I don’t always handle setbacks well, but I have tried to learn from my mistakes. Through experience, I have identified some effective ways to manage the disappointment and adversity that comes with a setback. My most recent difficulty has given me the space to reflect back on those strategies and consider how I might apply them to my current situation. Of course, keep in mind that following the suggestions outlined below is easier said than done, so give yourself a break if you find yourself struggling with a setback. That is in fact the very definition of the word.

Acknowledge the reality of your situation . This can be difficult, and it can feel like giving up. It is giving up, but not in the way you might think. It’s about giving up on a perception of the situation that is no longer feasible and accepting the actual options available to you. When my doctor told me another surgery was required to clean out the infection that had developed, my first reaction was denial and defensiveness. I met his analysis with “no way” , “what are the other options” and “I can’t have another surgery.” It wasn’t until I accepted the fact that the infection wasn’t going away on its own that we could have a productive discussion about next steps and solutions. I had to surrender my belief in a different reality in order to begin to shift my current situation.
Put things in perspective. Once I was able to take a step back, I moved from seeing this as a worst-case scenario to feeling gratitude that there was a path forward. Yes, it was concerning, but also very treatable. It would delay my recovery, but I’d still recover. It would be painful, but I’ve experienced worse. It would be a major inconvenience, but I’ve managed inconveniences before. I’d still be able to spend time with my family, work, and enjoy many of my favorite things (like good BBQ in the backyard)!
Take it one step at a time. I will be the first to admit that I didn’t follow my own advice as quickly as I could have. As the infusion specialist explained the steps required to self-administer intravenous antibiotics, I found myself completely overwhelmed. Upon reflection, I realize that my reaction was a direct result of my failure to give myself the space to acknowledge the reality of my situation and put things in perspective. In times of stress, we often move quickly and jump into action without taking the time to come to terms with the situation. In these moments, action is unfocused, frenetic, and even desperate. Next time you find yourself faced with a setback, take a moment to breathe, reflect, and plan. You may find that it’s less daunting than you originally thought.

If you want to dig deeper on this topic, check out Get Ready To Fail , the HBR article I wrote a few years back about managing failure. This is in no way intended to suggest all challenges can be overcome using these strategies. If you are dealing with a major loss or obstacle, get support from friends, family, or a professional. Throughout my life, there have been situations during which I’ve needed all three.

The Butterfly Effect Series:

Have you ever walked out of a meeting and said, “great, I think we’re aligned!”? Alignment is one of the most common goals of meetings - to get the team or a group of leaders on the same page. In this edition of the Butterfly Effect, I talk about alignment, specifically the idea that alignment is about conversation not presentation .

LinkedIn Learning Solution Course:

With over 65,000 participants, my Solution Sales course on LinkedIn has just been translated into French. Translations in German, Spanish, Japanese, Brazilian, Portuguese and Mandarin are in the works now as well. The course content is a great fit for organizations with a sales strategy to deliver stronger value in the sales process and create greater demand for their offerings.

Current Read:

Health care providers in the U.S. have had to make major changes since the start of the pandemic. I found this article to be an interesting read as it outlines seven lessons that one health organization has gleaned so far.

Question to Ponder:

How successful are your remote meetings? Take some time consider how they are working.

Here are some tips to help with the flow of meeting remotely:

Ask yourself if you have the right people on for the topic at hand.
Silent participation of many, for the sake of inclusion, isn’t always valuable.
Email is perfectly reasonable as a mechanism for updates, while meeting time should help generate ideas, solve problems, and refine the understanding of issues.
Take some time to think about who attends, what the agenda should be, and who should lead each section.

What have you found that works for your team?

Quotable:

07.23.20 - Edinger's Insights: Parents as Leaders

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 18:47:57 GMT

July 23, 2020

Parents as Leaders

My latest article for Harvard Business Review focused on soliciting and using feedback effectively. In a fun twist, this was written for use at home, in particular with children. The complete version (which has colorful examples from my family) will be printed later this year as part of HBR’s Working Parents Series. In advance of that, here is a link to the digital version to provide a little bit of support in perhaps the most important leadership role you have – as a parent. I received many comments since it was published last week and I’d love to hear your experiences as you try this at home. And by all means, do try this at home!

Learn to Solicit Feedback…from Your Kids

Of course, getting good feedback from colleagues is especially valuable for leaders who want to continue to have a greater impact. While 360 degree surveys are useful, I’ve observed that some of the best and most pragmatic feedback comes from candid conversations. It also provides a chance to discuss the feedback productively which static comments and numeric rankings in a standard 360 lack. If you’d like to try that informal approach, here is a link to the video I did for Harvard Business Review video on that very topic. Conduct an Informal 360

Be More Inspiring

Does anyone not want to be a more inspiring leader? A few years ago I wrote an article on how to become more inspiring in as little as ten minutes a day. A client brought this article to my attention recently and shared that she found it helpful during these often-uninspiring times.

Inspiring leadership is not all about emotionally evocative speeches and grand gestures. A simple shift in the way you approach your work can inspire and instill greater confidence in your team. If you need an inspiration reboot with your team, consider these tips:

Model the way. Too often leaders talk the talk but fail to walk the walk. There is nothing more inspiring than a leader modeling the behaviors they expect from their team. Behaviors tend to proliferate, so embody the traits you want to flourish in your organization.

Connect on a human level. When you build relationships with individuals, you begin to understand their perspectives and priorities. Not only are people inspired by leaders who care, you will gain a greater understanding of what motivates each person on your team.

Prioritize innovation . Create an environment where it is safe to express new ideas and thinking outside the box is encouraged. This will help facilitate creative ways to approach problems.

Send fewer emails. I’ve said many times that “no one was ever inspired from an email.” Yes, email is an important and effective form of communication, but phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and videoconferences enhance connection with your team and create space for dialogue. These modes of communication allow for faster problem solving, greater collaboration and more effective consensus building.
Invest in others. People develop deep loyalty and respect for leaders who invest in them as individuals and professionals. Take time to mentor and guide team members, and make your commitment to their growth clear. For busy leaders, more one-on-one meetings can seem impossible - but meaningful investment goes beyond individual mentorship. Create opportunities for people to engage in professional development activities or hold monthly small group leadership discussions over lunch. Supporting one’s development improves their skillset, enhances engagement and performance and inspires them to grow. It’s a win-win!

Select one or two things and commit to a few actions per day. Before long, you will have developed a new, more inspiring approach to leadership and management – in as little as ten minutes a day.

You can read the full article here: Be More Inspiring In Just Ten Minutes Per Day

LinkedIn Live:

On my last LinkedIn Live I was joined by Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of The Forever Transaction and a leading expert on strategic subscription pricing and membership models. We talked about aligning your sales organization with recurring revenue strategies. The initial sale is only the beginning, and the ‘landing and expanding’ is equally important. In other words, once someone subscribes, how do you ensure they stick around? We also talked about the transition to a recurring revenue platform and some of the challenges and opportunities you may face. One of my favorite parts of LinkedIn Live is the thoughtful questions listeners ask, and this discussion was no exception. I will be live again on July 28 ^th and would love to hear what you would like me to cover, click the button and let me know.

Current Read :

After months of remote work, most of us can expertly navigate Zoom. As the months go on, we are faced with the challenge of conducting a greater variety of meetings on various virtual platforms. Early in the pandemic, many of us put our collaborative brainstorming meetings on pause and only focused on critical tactical meetings. We cannot ignore the need for collaboration forever, and we know virtual is here to stay (for a while). How equipped are you to facilitate a successful remote brainstorming session? This article outlines several approaches to help you solve complex problems remotely.

Question to Ponder:

What topics would you like to hear about in the newsletter? What challenges are you facing in your business that you would like me to address? I’d love to hear from you, so click the button and let me know your thoughts.

Quotable:

07.16.20 - Edinger's Insights: Ripple Effects

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 18:46:42 GMT

July 16, 2020

Ripple Effects:

I’ve written plenty about the butterfly effect, the idea that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil has a ripple effect that could cause the formation of a tornado in Texas. It struck me the other day that in a similar way, the ripple effects of Coronavirus have drastically altered the way we do business. While it’s still too early to know what or where the metaphorical tornado will be (remember, in the context of the butterfly effect, the longer-term outcome is not always destructive), here are some important ripples thus far. Are you going to be prepared to capitalize on these trends?

Virtual Selling – Sales professionals who traditionally spend months on the road are now seamlessly connecting with customers via phone and video conference and are able to touch more people in one day than ever before. I’ve heard a lot about Zoom fatigue lately, but let us not forget about the deep exhaustion that came with endless nights on the road. In-person meetings will certainly make a comeback someday, but the virtual sales meeting is also here to stay.

Digital Resources – People are spending more time on their devices to keep up with work and the news, and a recent article by McKinsey they identified a spike in consumers use of social media and apps to make purchases. The app-based consumer experience is more self-service and less self-directed, and consumers are responding positively. Digital-enabled sales have doubled since the beginning of the pandemic.

So, what is the implication of these two shifts in your business? What are you doing to design and deliver a compelling sales experience that can leverage your insights and expertise in a virtual forum? You have an opportunity to do so much more than simply transition meetings to video conference with the ease of accessing SME’s and orchestrating resources for clients. How are you enabling clients to take a more hands on approach to projects or to access your capabilities as you work with them? Are you working on leveraging the upside? What ripple will you create?

Slow(er) Season:

You’ve heard the phrase “lazy days of summer”, but it’s been a long time since there was really a slow season for most businesses. We are more 24/7/365 than ever. That said, between the summer months where there is typically a little bit of a slower pace (at least for part of the time) and reality sets in that sellers are still not traveling, you may find yourself with some extra time and there are areas where valuable actions can be taken. Take advantage of the slower pace and encourage your team to spend time on professional education, strategy, and growth. The fall busy season is just around the corner, so consider the following ideas to invest in your team while you have the time:

Review client portfolios and build strategies . Encourage team members to take a step back and assess their territory or book of business. Are there clients they can strengthen the relationships with now that will pay off down the road? Is there a clear strategy in place for the priority clients and top accounts to pursue?

Update databases. An updated and organized contact management system should not be underestimated. Summer is a great time to review information and update tags. Through the process you may discover potential connections that will foster new relationships or strengthen relationships within your pipeline.

With even a little bit of effort focussed on these activities, you can help your sales organization set up for success in the second half of the year.

Current Read:

Is your kitchen table and home office one in the same? Is your phone or laptop the first thing you reach for in the morning? Working from home has its advantages, but it also blurs the boundary between home and work, between being ‘on’ and checking out. Technology was already wreaking havoc on our boundaries, and remote work has only intensified the blurriness. This article explores four strategies to cope with the intensity of an ‘always on’ culture.

Creating time and space to switch off
Be aware of information overload
Create boundaries
Find a work/life balance that suits you

Question to Ponder:

What small changes can you make to help you create boundaries that enhance both your work and your personal life?

Quotable:

07.09.20 - Edinger's Insights: Buzzwords Vital to Your Company

Thu, 09 Jul 2020 18:46:27 GMT

July 9, 2020

LinkedIn Live:

This week I had a great conversation with a good friend and colleague, Robbie Kellman Baxter, on her LinkedIn Live . In fact, we had so many ideas that weren’t covered, we’re going to do it again! Join me and Robbie on my next LinkedIn Live on Tuesday, July 14 ^th at 10 am ET , at which time we will discuss strategies for aligning your sales organization with new approaches and models for driving revenue and profitability. Some of these ideas were highlighted in my latest HBR article, How to Convince Your Sales Team to Adopt a Subscription Model . Robbie is the author of The Forever Transaction , and has tremendous insights on building subscription models for all industries.

Buzzwords Vital to Your Company:

The risk with buzzwords is that while we think we know what they mean, there are often multiple or worse, conflicting definitions for them. I was in a meeting a few years ago when the term “platform” was used 5 or 6 different ways. It wasn’t until I made this observation that the clients in the meeting agreed that there was far too much ambiguity in the way they were using the term.

Two vital words to consider in business that are too often undefined are Vision and Strategy. Both terms are used enough to be considered buzzwords, but they have great power when people and teams share the same understanding of what they are. They are two of the most essential elements of long-term business success. Here are a couple of straightforward definitions.

“Vision” – Where your business is heading. A picture of the exact future you wish your business to attain.
“Strategy” – What your business will do in order to realize that vision. Any clear strategy includes your primary objectives, advantages or differentiation, and an ideal client profile.

As aside, strategy will always deal with the “What.” What is the objective, what is the problem to be addressed, what is the project that needs to be completed? Tactics or execution will always address the “How” of things to be done. As leaders keep your focus on the What and Where, and let your teams identify the best of “How” to do things.

So, how do you effectively, weave these two together?

Three key things to keep in mind:

Focus on goal congruency. Most companies are pursuing at least a few objectives that aren’t well aligned with the company strategy. That’s a waste of time, money, and organizational energy. Whether you are an entrepreneur or the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company, you must keep your eye on the company’s vision, as well as executing the necessary strategic steps to achieve it. As with any great achievement, realizing a company’s vision will not happen all at once. Remember, the world’s most impressive cathedrals were built one stone at a time; the trick is to know when and where to lay each stone. As you look at your proverbial cathedral, develop a roadmap or building plan made up of strategic and achievable goals that you know you can complete with efficacy. Each goal should lead you to another, and another, as you work toward your vision with confidence, clarity and consistency.
Invest in the right tools and talent. Have you ever chosen the wrong utensil for a dish? No matter how brilliantly designed the utensil is, it’s amazing how much less efficient it is to eat salad with a spoon. The right tools for the job are paramount. Perhaps even more critical than the tools, is the right talent - the best human capital for the task at hand. A great leader has the ability to identify, recruit and retain the best talent for a specific job. Strategy and actionable goals are only as effective as the team and tools responsible for executing them.
Measure successes, adjust weaknesses. Your strategy is a working document, not an artifact of last year’s planning sessions. Life is unpredictable (if we hadn’t embraced that fact before, 2020 has certainly pushed us to do so). Therefore, even the best approach needs to be revisited and tweaked along the way. Too often, leaders set their vision and put a strategy in place and go on autopilot, failing to account for changing internal and external forces or looking for opportunities to grow as a team. At each project mile marker do a quick assessment. What worked? What didn’t? What do you need to change moving forward? Take time to celebrate the small wins and learn from the times you fell short.

Are there buzzwords you use in your company that have multiple meanings? Put in the effort to clarify what they are and align your teams with understanding. The primary weakness in execution is undoubtedly a lack of clarity and the misunderstandings that always accompany it.

Question to Ponder:

Is there something out of your comfort zone that you’ve always wanted to try? A new hobby or skill to develop? It’s officially summer and we are still spending a lot of time at home, which means it’s a great time to learn something new. What’s on your list?

Quotable:

07.02.20 - Edinger's Insights: Strategic Leadership on LinkedIn Live

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 18:46:03 GMT

July 2, 2020

Strategic Leadership on LinkedIn Live:

Last week we had a great conversation about how to be a more strategic leader. Strategic leadership is characterized by vision and direction. Vision doesn’t require grand vision statements, though. Having clear vision about an initiative, a project, or even a meeting is often the clarity about what success looks like and sharing that with others. And vision won’t likely be implemented without direction: leaders need to be able to define what needs to be done and the outcomes of those actions. It’s about the ability to communicate powerfully and succinctly and focusing more on the “what” and less on the “how.”

How can you develop a stronger strategic perspective?

With customers, focus on the value you are creating and determine where there is more. What are some problems that haven’t been identified that you can reveal? Are there opportunities you can help them capitalize on? Can you share solutions to problems that the client hasn’t yet thought of?

Choose innovation and look for ways to raise the bar on performance versus just solving problems, which just restores performance. Work with your team to analyze challenges and define the most important problems to solve.
Make a little time to be more strategic because it doesn’t just happen. You must plan time to be strategic. It doesn’t need to be huge chunks of time; it could be 5-10 minutes of critical thinking about a project or a meeting, or maybe even 45 minutes to an hour to prepare some thoughts on a major issue. Regardless of the duration, you need brain space and white space on your calendar.

To dig deeper into strategic leadership, watch the replay on LinkedIn here .

Join me on Wednesday, July 8 ^th at 12pm ET/ 9am PT as I join my good friend and colleague Robbie Kellman Baxter on her LinkedIn Live.

Robbie, an expert on subscription business models was featured in my HBR article last week How to Convince Your Sales Team to Adopt a Subscription Model . The article highlights the importance of aligning your Sales Organization with any subscription model or recurring revenue transformation efforts. Robbie has some great insights and I look forward to discussing them with her next week! It’s sure to be a lively conversation and I encourage you to join us!

Times London:

I was recently interviewed by Morag Cuddeford-Jones from the Times London about sales in an economic downturn. We discussed why sometimes less is more, especially in a downturn. Every day we face the challenge of making the numbers happen, and not just any numbers. We are in relentless pursuit of numbers that make business profitable as well as retaining customers. This urgency drives us to make quick decisions against our better judgement as opposed to capitalizing on the right opportunities at the right time. I speak from experience: I have sold through two recessions and know that it’s easy to fall into the trap of chasing bad business when times are tough. When monitoring sales activity, you should focus less on the quantity and more on the quality. To read the full article you can find it here , it starts on page 18.

The Value of Fresh Eyes in Your Business:

If you know a college graduate, you know the challenge these young workers are facing as they enter the job market in an economic downturn. Securing employment in these times is even harder with no work experience. While there is a plethora of candidates out there, employers should not underestimate the value of a fresh perspective and a youthful eye, especially as we watch the world rapidly evolve. Recent college graduates will need training and mentorship, but they just might bring the valuable energy and perspective needed right now. If you have positions to be filled, here are some reasons to consider a recent graduate.

Malleable. With a lack of work experience comes an opportunity to build good work habits. In some ways, recent grads are a blank slate. You can coach them to be top performers, not spend your time undoing bad work habits.

Fresh Perspective. Business as usual is no longer a reality and identifying opportunities for innovation can be difficult for those currently in the industry. Let’s face it, we can get stuck in a rut with how we do business, and learning new technologies and trends can be daunting. Fresh eyes quickly identify areas of opportunity, and a digital native can be an invaluable asset if your business must expand or transition into the virtual world.

Curious and Quick Learners. Quick caveat here... as is true with any candidate, how recent college graduates show up in the workplace largely depends on the individual, and I encourage you to thoroughly vet all candidates. That said, many recent graduates are coachable, resourceful, and eager to learn. They will be curious about everything. They will want to know why and how things are run at the company and how your competitors’ approach similar challenges. An energetic and curious employee goes a long way in the development of a culture of learning and critical thinking that will benefit your entire team.

As we face so many unknowns, now may be the perfect time to invest in the fresh perspective, energy, and curiosity of a recent college graduate.

Current Read :

As someone with a bachelor's degree in Rhetoric and Communication, I was immediately drawn to this article . It discusses the five rhetorical devices using data, evidence, and facts that will help take your next speech or presentation to the next level. If you like that article you may also enjoy this article I wrote for HBR years ago, Three Elements of Great Communication, According to Aristotle .

Question to Ponder:

When you think of summer days, what do you think of?

For those of you in the USA, is there a specific 4th of July tradition that stands out? What about the 4 ^th ignites a childlike spirit in you or makes your kids light up?

Quotable:

06.25.20 - Edinger's Insights: Aligning Your Sales Organization

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 18:45:00 GMT

June 25, 2020

Aligning Your Sales Organization:

If there is a lesson in the current unpredictable economic environment, it’s the importance of recurring revenue streams for businesses of all kinds. Having a subscription product or service that customers will reload, renew, or reorder repeatedly can smooth intermittent cash flow and keep a business alive. The Subscription Economy Index, Covid-19 Edition indicates that nearly 90% of subscription businesses are flat or growing membership during this time. My latest HBR article explains how you as a leader can get your sales organization onboard with creating a successful XaaS model.

Even if you’re not driving a subscription or XaaS model strategy, these approaches will help you get your Sales Organization aligned on the strategy you are implementing. Any new sales strategy requires not just selling different things, but selling differently. Here are some common issues:

The sales organization lacks confidence in the new solution. To get your sales team onboard with new recurring revenue models, leaders need to be curious and listen non-defensively. If your salespeople aren’t selling the new XaaS products, try to understand why.
The sales organization doesn’t fully understand the go-to-market strategy for the new offerings. Communicate with your sales organization about their changing role in the execution of your strategy. Provide ongoing development experiences supported by management in the field.
The sales organization is concerned that the strategy shift is the wrong direction for the company. Author Geoffery Moore references the financial concept of the J-Curve to illustrate how investing heavily in a new strategy can take time to yield results. A big risk is bailing out too soon on a strategy that takes time to implement and losing out on both the investment and any substantive future return.

As a leader, you need to convey both your commitment to this new direction as well as your willingness to ride out the J-Curve. Show sales that they’re not alone, and that businesses in nearly every industry are moving in the same direction.

Building a relationship with an enterprise customer requires engagement across nearly every functional area. It can’t be accomplished by a single “Lone Ranger” sales rep, no matter how good they are. Getting your sales team on board early in the process is critical to the success of any recurring revenue transformation.

You can read the full article here: How to Convince Your Sales Team to Adopt a Subscription Model .

Special thanks to my friend and colleague Robbie Kellman Baxter, author of The Forever Transaction for her insights and expertise on this topic.

Increase Engagement While Leading from Home:

In my latest Forbes article, I explore how to increase engagement while leading from home during a pandemic. Several years ago, I worked with an investment firm and measured the levels of engagement and work satisfaction of employees in the office versus those who worked from home. The results showed that team members who worked from home were actually more engaged and committed than their counterparts in the office, they even rated leaders higher.

While the research we did was not during a pandemic, we found answers that can help leaders today improve behaviors that will move the needle on employee engagement.

Be intentional and precise in your communication.
Take advantage of different mediums and technology for different messages.
Make an extra effort to connect on a personal level.

Leaders who can communicate effectively and efficiently, and who are compassionate and concerned about their employees’ well being are going to get better performance from people working from home. Especially those who are juggling additional items such as childcare, school, sharing spaces with a spouse or roommate, or who may be overwhelmed by the stress of today’s reality. If your goal is to motivate and retain employees, take a good look at how you are leading from home.

Check out the full article here: How Leaders Can Increase Engagement While People Are Working From Home

Question to Ponder:

What needs to be simplified in your life or business?

We are nearing the mid-point of a chaotic year. It’s a good time to examine what has gotten unnecessarily complicated or complex for you and/or your colleagues? It’s important to keep in mind the difference between simplified and simplistic. Simplified enables clarity and execution, while simplistic just overstates the ease of something. So ask yourself: what needs to be simplified?

Quotable:

06.18.20 - Edinger's Insights: Succinctness in Conversations

Thu, 18 Jun 2020 18:44:28 GMT

June 18, 2020

LinkedIn Live:

During our last Live session, we scratched the surface of the butterfly effect and how the smallest moves initiated by leadership at the top creates the trajectory for the entire sales organization. To avoid negative outcomes, it is important to create checks and balances to make sure you are on the right path. There are three areas CEO’s should be clear on to harness the butterfly effect: vision, mission, and strategy. We experienced some technical difficulties during the live where it abruptly ended and while some were able to rejoin many could not. We were able to save the footage we have and create some highlights from the live. Click the highlights below to watch it.

Next week on Tuesday, June 23 ^rd we will be talking about how to become a more strategic leader, don’t forget to add it to your calendar. Should be a lively conversation, I look forward to seeing you then!

Butterfly Effect Video Series:

I had to take a short break from creating these videos as my shoulder surgery has made everything more challenging. Filming starts again this week and I’d like to hear from you on topics of interest. Click the button below to let me know what topics you’d like quick and pragmatic guidance about.

Current Read :

2020 has been a turbulent year to say the least. With everything going on I thought this article was a nice reprieve and a chance to focus on something a little lighter. Happiness! This article outlines seven habits that the happiest people practice. What can you add to your repertoire?

Question to Ponder:

Can we disagree on a topic or an idea and still maintain civility and common goals?

I think there is too much discord in the news for it to be truly informational. I recall that in the not too distant past the ideas of one group could be considered and discussed without turning the opposition in to an enemy that must be destroyed. Are you able to understand ideas that are different from your own, without vilifying those with a different perspective?

Quotable:

06.11.20 - Edinger's Insights: Find Your Flaws

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 18:43:30 GMT

June 11, 2020

Find Your Flaws:

Admittedly, between COVID-19 and surgery recovery, I’ve exhausted my Netflix library. In search of levity and nostalgia, I recently revisited one of my favorite shows of all time: Seinfeld. One episode in particular reminded me of an article I wrote years ago about how to approach your fatal flaws as George Costanza, my favorite character, did. Fellow fans out there may recall that in a moment of great self-awareness, George decided to do exactly the opposite of what he would normally do, and he experienced remarkable results. That article and examples focused on individual leadership characteristics, but the concept is relevant for companies as well. Now more than ever, organizations are being forced to face their flaws (or new flaws that have emerged based on our new context) and find ways to change. Things that worked in the past or were easily overlooked are now threatening companies’ ability to succeed. It’s time to take an honest assessment of your organization and identify and address any potential flaws. Thomas Jefferson said, If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done. The rules are changing, and traditional tactics may no longer be as effective. As you evaluate your business, you have to take a dispassionate view of what your real flaws are. This is difficult for executives who don’t especially want to hear bad news. But it’s necessary in order to make sure you address those flaws and create enduring success.

For those interested in my original article The George Costanza Approach to Fixing Fatal Flaws you can find it here .

Buyer Behavior:

There is no doubt, that in this current environment, buyer behavior has changed. The question is, has it changed permanently? It’s a difficult question to answer, we don’t know what the world will look like next week, much less in the next one to five to ten years. This makes your job complicated- constant change and ambiguity do not create the ideal environment to plan for the future of your sales organization. So, what can you do? Focus on two things: connection and adaptation.

Connection: Our social patterns have been disrupted and that disruption is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. So, it’s time to consider the ways your organization connects with current and potential customers. Can you use virtual meeting platforms to cultivate and maintain relationships? How can you leverage the power of snail mail?

I’ve found it interesting how people have changed their communication patterns during quarantine and how even introverts are learning to embrace the social aspects of phone and video chats. This article shares how “the pandemic…means that we all have something in common to talk about, which is leading to reconnections.”

How can you thoughtfully evolve your communication to meet the needs of your clients? Start simple - ask clients what works for them. It may sound deceptively easy, but asking for feedback from customers will get you the best data out there, and just may lead to some beneficial reconnections.

Adapting: Like it or not, it’s time to adapt. People’s circumstances, habits, and priorities have changed, and successful sales organizations will adapt to this new environment. It’s more than a mindset shift, successful adaptation will require new skill sets, new technologies, and new processes. As a leader, it is important that you consider how to reallocate resources to develop your capacity to adapt. Before you settle on an approach, do your research. What are others in the industry doing? What do consumer trends tell you?

Current Read :

At a time when job security is uncertain, it is critical to demonstrate the value you bring to your company. This article explores five ways to do just that.

1. Do your work, and do it well.

2. Advocate for yourself. People don’t see you on a daily basis, and they may not see the work you are doing. Be willing to share your accomplishments with others.

3. Step up your game. It is in your best interest to make your bosses’ life noticeably easier. Complete your work early, proactively take tasks off of their plate and show up to meetings prepared and ready to contribute.

4. Be a team player. Work hard to elevate your entire team and manage differences without the involvement of a supervisor.

5. Reflect positivity. This season has been challenging and people need someone to bring positivity to the workplace. Work hard to bring light, levity and joy to those around you.

Question to Ponder:

Who can you/should you be more compassionate with?

The last few months have been challenging for many reasons. I don’t know about you but I’ve not always been at my best. When we are worn out, stressed, it’s often easier to vent or express our frustrations with others than it is to be empathetic. So consider who in your life – both at work and at home – deserves just a little more compassion from you.

Quotable:

06.04.20 - Edinger's Insights: The Customer Experience Highway

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 18:43:16 GMT

June 4, 2020

LinkedIn Live Rescheduled:

We decided to postpone going live on June 2 ^nd to stand in solidarity with our Black communities. We will be going live this coming Tuesday instead, June 9 ^th at 10 am Eastern . Please add it to your calendar and join me as we discuss how to harness the butterfly effect for organizational success.

The Customer Experience Highway:

We consistently hear about the importance of the customer experience. You understand the value, but how do you evaluate and improve the customer experience you provide? And where does the customer experience begin?

Too often, the focus is on the experience after the sales process, usually starting around implementation. Don’t get me wrong, implementation is crucial, and so is the customer service your organization continues to provide your customer. But the customer experience begins with the sales relationship. In many ways this is the most important part of the journey on the highway to the overall customer satisfaction. If you don’t create a compelling and valuable sales experience you run the risk of them getting off at the first exit, in which case you won’t have a customer at all.

There are three questions I ask myself and my teams to assess our customer’s sales experience. I suggest you and your team spend time reflecting on, discussing, and writing down your answers to these important questions.

Who is our target customer and what do they care about? The experience a customer is seeking is dependent on what interests them and what they value. Be thoughtful about the profile of your customers and their priorities. This will help to build your relationship and create trust that your organization understands their needs.

What are other organizations in the industry doing? Understanding the competitive landscape is an important part of knowing trends, what customers expect, and what you can do to set your organization apart. Do you know what customers who don’t buy from you like about the competition?

What is your competitive advantage? Once you have an understanding of the industry, take time to evaluate what sets you apart from your peers. Truly unique competitive advantage is wonderful if you really have it. But it's rare. Aim for what makes you exceptional. In the sales experience, your advantage ought to be about the expertise and experience your sellers can rely on to create insights with customers.

With this in mind, you can design and deliver a valuable sales experience which will foster an outstanding customer experience. Remember you aren’t just selling you are creating lasting relationships with your customers.

For more on creating a powerful sales experience, you may find my article Would Customers Pay for Your Sales Calls? especially relevant.

Recovery from Shoulder Surgery:

For the past 10 days I’ve been recovering from shoulder surgery. On the front end I was even looking forward to a few days off, but in hindsight, recovery and rest are not synonymous! Sleeping upright is a skill I learned through many years of travel, but I can’t say it’s comfortable; and while I thought I was tired of Zoom calls, the energy and time it takes me to type an email with one hand has ignited my love of the video meeting. I expect to start to see small improvements in my shoulder every day. When my recovery is complete, I expect to be even stronger and have a new normal to my daily rhythms. In many ways, I see parallels between my shoulder recovery and what businesses are going through right now. The healing process is awkward, frustrating, and exhausting. It requires us to learn new ways of doing things, and even the smallest tasks can feel overwhelming. No matter how difficult it feels, we have to stick with it and be patient, and hope for a new normal that will be even better. What can you do today to help your business recover?

Current Read:

Our relationship with the food and beverage industry changed overnight when COVID-19 hit the United States. As most states begin to reopen, I often find myself wondering what elements of our daily life will be permanently altered. Will people go back to a physical office? Will crowded restaurants be appealing? How will this impact consumer behavior? This article examines and predicts some of the lasting behavioral changes that will affect not only the food industry, but the rest of the economy as well.

Question to Ponder:

What are you doing to design and deliver a compelling sales experience as a means to create a more valuable customer experience?

Quotable:

05.28.20 - Edinger's Insights: Grit

Thu, 28 May 2020 18:42:59 GMT

May 28, 2020

LinkedIn Live:

Thanks to those of you who tuned in on May 19 ^th , where we discussed how to be an inspiring leader. As I shared thoughts from my book, The Inspiring Leader, you all came up with some really great questions that got us all thinking of how important good leadership is during difficult times. If you missed it you can watch it here. You may be interested in some of the common failures of uninspiring leaders which can be found at the 06:59 mark or skip ahead to the pragmatics of how inspiring leaders behave.

Join me on June 2 to talk about content from my upcoming book, The Butterfly Effect. We will discuss how leaders can harness the butterfly effect for organizational success. While I wish I could sit down for coffee with each of you, LinkedIn Live provides us a platform to join together and discuss these important leadership issues.

Grit:

No one said it would be easy, they just said it would be worth it.

When you look at the greatest leaders throughout history, do you think they were born into a position of strength, influence, and respect? No. They experienced failures, setbacks, and roadblocks countless times. What makes leaders great is not an innate talent, but a relentless drive to improve and persevere. In other words, great leaders have grit. They aren’t defined by failures; they are defined by the lessons they learn from failure and how they move forward.

As we look toward the future and the COVID recovery process, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and discouraged by the economic outlook. The world as we know it has changed, and in the face of economic volatility and uncertainty, successful sales organizations will need to rebuild and redefine themselves. A great leader will look at these unprecedented times with determination and see them as a chance to build a stronger team and create innovative strategy.

What might grit look like in sales leaders over the next year? Gritty leaders will...

Be innovative during setbacks. Leaders with grit think outside the box and ask, “what can we do differently from our competitors now that things have changed?” Immerse yourself in market research, competitor analysis, and the new needs of prospective clients so you can identify creative and relevant ways to differentiate yourself and add value.
Be strategic about failures. Great leaders resist the urge to be reactive when things go wrong. McKinsey and Co. recently published an article examining the leadership traits that result in effectively navigating a crisis. The article articulates the importance of harnessing behaviors and mindsets that prevent a leader from overreacting to the events of yesterday and allows them to look clearly towards the future. They are thoughtful about long-term goals and constraints, and they invest time and energy into thinking about what a client may need in the future. Avoid knee jerk reactions to find quick fixes and build a strong, thoughtful plan that benefits both your organization and your clients over the long term.
Communicate honestly about roadblocks. Strong leaders communicate transparently about problems, and with confidence about the future, inspiring their team to share their vision. To successfully navigate a storm, everyone on the ship needs to know the extent of the storm, the destination, have access to the map, and believe that the journey is possible.

Remember, business and leadership in times of crisis is not glamorous or easy. You are the captain of a ship in a storm, and those who prevail will demonstrate courage, communication, grit, and creativity. Maybe there is something to the slogan keep calm and carry on.

Current Read :

I’ve written about life balance and work/life integration in this newsletter for years. It is not new news. We know it’s important to take care of ourselves, and yet so many of us continue to find ourselves consumed by work, leaving our personal lives neglected. This article is a poignant reminder of why an investment in who we are outside of work is critical to a quality life, and it offers concrete ideas on how you can begin to re-balance the scales and live a more balanced life.

Question to Ponder:

Have you found a new favorite pastime during quarantine that will you continue to enjoy as the world opens up?

As our daily lives have changed many of us are looking to new activities to entertain ourselves. For some it may be reading a new book series, taking up jogging, or planting a garden. Personally, I’ve enjoyed playing Rummikub with my family. I used to play this game as a kid with my grandmother for hours on end. I bought a set for us just as the shelter at home orders were starting in mid-March and it’s been a huge hit! We play several, often intensely competitive, games a day. We’ve also been able to finish teaching my youngest daughter to learn to ride her bike. Without the usual activities to take us away on the weekend, we made time for this and she quickly got off training wheels. We take frequent rides around the neighborhood and it’s been a great way for us to get outside.

Quotable:

05.21.20 - Edinger's Insights: Is Your Leadership Team Really Aligned?

Thu, 21 May 2020 18:42:42 GMT

May 21, 2020

Is Your Leadership Team Really Aligned?:

Too often, the absence of overt disagreement masquerades as alignment. Said differently- just because you don’t have public discrepancies or arguments about critical issues, doesn’t mean your team is aligned. Instead of working passively on aligning your team try this instead:

Ask everyone on the team to share their understanding (in writing or verbally) of the issue or strategy you wish to align on.

Listen carefully for the differences, omissions, or even subtle shifts. These are often where the “wobbly” alignment occurs.

Pinpoint the differences or even the different vantage points of each and discuss them.

Driving alignment doesn’t mean everyone has to agree. It does however mean that you have a shared understanding of the issues you are trying to resolve, strategies you are using, and approaches you are taking to improve the business.

The reason alignment is so important for your leadership team is because if they aren’t in sync, there is no way the people who need to implement strategy are either.

The Butterfly Effect: How Leaders Drive Results

This week I discuss inspiring leadership. It’s not about grand gestures or big motivational speeches, it’s about the small gestures that leaders do which has significant impact.

360 Degree Feedback - at Home:

One of the editors at Harvard Business Review asked me about my work on 360 degree feedback and whether an informal 360s process could be adapted to the family environment. So, I’m writing an article in a new HBR series for working parents. It will focus on how to apply feedback principles to the home environment to create structured conversations. Specifically, for parents to get feedback from their kids about their parenting and how they can do a better job for their children. I’ve always been clear with clients that my advice is for business and any application to the home is done at your own risk…I’m writing the article using my own children as the test case. Here are some of the lessons that you can apply to either work or home:

Its critical to create a safe environment for feedback. My kids were excited about the opportunity as you might imagine. I thought it was important to let them know that they could say whatever they want with no consequence. I see too many leaders miss on this idea and get only partial feedback or advice that’s too vanilla. If you want the real truth, it’s not enough to just ask for it. You’ve got to go out of your way to let them know how important it is for them to share their honest point of view and that you value their perspective. Let’s face it, it’s hard to tell the boss (or parent) bad news if you are worried about their reaction.

Don’t react negatively to negative feedback. After all, you asked for it didn’t you? You’ll almost always get positive feedback that you can use to reinforce your strengths, and if people are honest, you’ll get some negative feedback too. Many of you have worked with leaders who try to dissect every bit of negative feedback as a way to prove it isn’t accurate. If feedback is given to you, even if it doesn’t feel like it’s really you, trust the kernel of truth that’s there. Being gracious in the receipt of negative feedback isn’t easy, but it will demonstrate your strength and sincerity. And you just might learn something.
It’s all about how you use it. With feedback to provide guidance, you can determine what adjustments, shifts, or wholesale changes you want to make when working with others. Go back and thank people for their feedback, let them know what you heard, how you thought about it and what you are going to try to do as a result. Nobody is perfect and your commitment to adjusting your approach is a tangible signal to your team or kids that you value their input, recognize the impact you have on them, and are looking for ways to be even more effective.

I’ll share the new article on applying these concepts as a parent as soon as its released, so stay tuned!

Current Read :

Clutter. We all have it, and we would all be more effective if we had less of it. This article explains how your intranet can quickly become your junk drawer, but if you clean up the clutter and optimize it, your team will see the value and continue to use it.

Question to Ponder:

What clutter can you remove in order to make space for something more valuable?

I recently spent some time cleaning my office over the last few weeks, getting rid of some stuff that I’ve held on to for years – not because I valued it, but simply because I’ve had it for so long. Make room for something new, or perhaps even better, make room for some empty space!

Quotable:

05.14.20 - Edinger's Insights: Agility

Thu, 14 May 2020 18:42:17 GMT

May 14, 2020

My LinkedIn Live Debut:

I made my LinkedIn Live debut on May 5, thanks to all of you who tuned in. I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the participants as you asked questions and made comments. That gave me a chance to make my advice more pragmatic and relevant to you. As I mentioned toward the end, the magic of any ideas in a book or article is the way those ideas get applied to your business.

For those of you that weren’t able to view it live, you can watch the replay using this link . The focus last week was reflections and guidance on how to lead a Sales Organization when there aren’t as many sales to be made. If you are pressed for time, you can fast forward to 17:29 where I answer some important questions about how CEOs can drive a different strategic focus for sales.

Need some more inspiration? I will be live again on Tuesday, May 19 ^th at 10 am ET talking about what it takes to be an inspiring leader. If you don’t already, please follow me on LinkedIn so you are notified in the app when I go live. I hope you’ll join and be ready with some questions for me.

Agility:

I caught up with a friend last week who played soccer in college and has been very successful in business. We talked about the importance of agility in both arenas. While I’m not a huge fan of sports metaphors for business (because there are so many distinct differences) I landed on a key insight from our conversation - the importance of being agile. If you follow sports, you probably know that agility is an important tool in an athlete’s toolbox. While we talk less about agility in business, it is just as crucial for success in this arena, especially in uncertain times.

Leadership agility is crucial for: changing directions, stop and go moves, and defense.

Changing directions - an agile soccer player can anticipate and react to defenders and change directions on a dime. In business, external factors (like a global pandemic) require a quick strategic change in direction. Think nimble! We talk a lot about the importance of adding value to customers. If your customer’s priorities have changed, the way you can add value may have also changed.

Stop and go - If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s how quickly the world can come to a halt. At some point, the world will accelerate, and your business can’t be caught flat- footed. I’ve seen clients rapidly launch efforts in a new direction by focusing on a new market or take advantage of the downtime by accelerating development efforts with their teams. Some have swiftly made improvements in processes or systems. Agile soccer players are able to quickly accelerate without losing their balance, and as we begin to accelerate into the next phase of the post-pandemic world, your business must be agile enough not to stumble when pivoting in a new direction.
Defense - In soccer, a less agile defender will be easily beat by the offense. While in business we rarely, if ever, find ourselves in a head to head defensive battle, the metaphor resonates. If you aren’t quick to make the changes needed to meet the moment, you may find yourself falling behind your more agile competitors.

As we prepare for whatever comes next, the only certainty is that the world will be different. In order to succeed, it is important we are not caught on our heels. Stay on your toes, stay agile.

Current Read :

The statement , “I am a perfectionist” makes me think of that common interview question “what is your greatest weakness?” Because, while it has its downsides, telling a potential employer you are a perfectionist or the other total BS answer that “I work too hard,” casts a far more positive light on your liabilities than if you were to say you’re lazy or unorganized. There are numerous positive elements of perfectionism including: high-quality work products, attention to detail, and strong work ethic. But perfectionists can also be terribly frustrating to work with for missed deadlines, allowing perfection to get in the way of completing very good work, and of course, unrealistic expectations and standards.

This article caught my eye because it highlights one strength of perfectionism I hadn’t previously considered: creativity.

I found the argument fascinating and have outlined a few snippets below:

When perfectionists come across an idea or school of thought incongruent with theirs, they are often unable to ignore it. Perfectionists are more likely to work to reconcile the different ideas, resulting in a stronger argument.
Curiosity is linked to creativity, and perfectionism is linked to a desire to understand everything. Following this logic, the more you learn, the more creative you’ll be.

Moral of the story? Lean in to your (or your teammates’) perfectionist tendencies. Be relentlessly curious - your ideas will thank you.

Question to Ponder:

What will you do this summer? As the weather is getting warmer it’s hard not to think about that hoped-for summer vacation, and what it might look like. Since flying currently seems to be questionable (though it may not be in July), have you thought about going somewhere you can drive to? Are you thinking of a staycation? I find myself wondering what items I could purchase online to ensure some summer fun. Rumor has it, little drink umbrellas and kiddie pools will be in high demand this summer.

Quotable:

05.07.20 - Edinger's Insights: What Your Sales Team Can Do- When there isn't a sale to be made

Thu, 07 May 2020 18:42:03 GMT

May 7, 2020

What Your Sales Team Can Do-

When There isn't a Sale to be Made:

The COVID-19 environment has changed how daily business is being done and will continue to change how we approach business in the near future.

In my last article for HBR, I talked about the lessons I learned from the last two recessions as an EVP of Sales to offer guidance for how leaders can manage their sales organization. While there is some debate of whether or not this will be a full blown recession, (a recession is defined by two consecutive quarters of negative GDP/growth) it is hard to deny that we are in the throes of an economic crisis.

A crisis flips the sales landscape on its head. Whether because of uncertainty, purchasing authority being frozen or moved up the organizational chain, or business grinding to a halt, there are times when there is no sale to be made. In these circumstances, sales as usual is at best a waste of time, and at worst, entirely inappropriate.

In this time of economic chaos, I encourage you to consider how to pivot your sales approach in order to adapt and continue to provide value. Here are some tips:

Create value with insight, expertise, and experience. Especially in times of economic strife, you want clients and prospective clients to know your company is right for them and that you are best-in-class for what you do. When people are nervous, they gravitate towards those that demonstrate expertise. Leverage your own experiences to help ease the mind of your customer.
When possible, offer support and value at no cost. Someday, sooner or later, we will come out of this and growth will be restored. Providing value without monetary gain expresses an investment in your customer that allows you to build a relationship that goes beyond a simple transaction. Mark my words, when the world starts back up, that customer won’t forget you.
Develop a deeper understanding of your customer’s business. The more knowledge you have about their business, the better equipped you are to be creative and help them leverage their strengths and identify opportunities for growth.

The Butterfly Effect: How Leaders Drive Results

In this week's edition I discuss how to help direct your team's efforts and focus to emerge from COVID-19 stronger.

Current Read :

I recently came across an interesting article about blockchain technology. Over the past five years, enterprises globally have vetted blockchain but have been slow to adopt the technology, until COVID-19. Read the article to learn more about how the current crisis will help to propel this technology forward.

Question to Ponder:

What does the next six months hold for you? What seeds can you plant today? Remember, what you plant, you will harvest later.

Quotable:

04.30.20 - Edinger's Insights: Leadership in Challenging Times & Good Times - is often the same

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 18:48:13 GMT

April 30, 2020

04.23.20 - Edinger's Insights: Now is Good Time to Spring Clean (your strategy)

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 18:41:40 GMT

April 23, 2020

Strategy Advice:

Now is a Good Time to Spring Clean (Your Strategy)

Imagine a house built in the 1970s, with an addition from the early ‘80s, a new garage built in the ‘90s, and finally an extension from the early 2000s. Houses with a variety of additions and changes from different periods can often lack cohesion and ultimately lose their functionality. Corporate strategies aren’t all that different. They tend to expand over time, and the end result is a cobbled together approach with a wide range of goals at different levels of the organization. Strategies are often the byproduct of different leadership visions and various special projects and initiatives that blend together in one messy strategy drawer. Just like many people take time each spring to organize the junk drawers and dust the base boards, I'm a believer in regularly revisiting strategies to ensure they stay relevant and fresh. Don’t let the current chaos of the world trick you into thinking you can’t spring clean your strategy. Now is actually a great time. Consider the following opportunities for refresh:

Clarify your ideal customer profiles and target markets, and the reason they do business with you. Would everyone in your company describe it the same way?
Focus on two or three projects or efforts that will get you through the next 90-120 days. That gives you enough runway to survive the COVID-19 shutdowns (based on what many projections indicate) and emerge with strength.
Cut, or at least press pause on initiatives that don’t directly benefit customers. Clients must value and be willing to pay for anything you are doing.

David Collis and Michael Rukstad wrote over a decade ago that “Most executives cannot articulate their strategy in a simple statement.” Spring Clean your strategy to make sure you can!

New Video Series- Video #2:

The Butterfly Effect: How Leaders Drive Results

I hope that you enjoyed the first installment of my new video series last week. This week I’ve provided tips on how to engage your team when we are all working from home.

What's Good About Today:

There sure are a lot of things to grumble about these days, and believe me, I do my fair share. But as the weeks go on, I’ve found myself enjoying little elements of the stay-at-home, semi-quarantine life. I think it’s important to acknowledge what’s working. You never know, when the storm passes, we may find ways to incorporate the good things into our ‘new’ normal. A few things I’ve come to appreciate in this temporary, not ideal, normal:

Control over time - I have more control over what I do and don’t attend. I get to skip some things that I didn’t feel like doing or going to in the first place, but would have before this new normal.
Excuse to recluse – I like my alone time! I will pick a quiet night at home over an evening out on most days, and the temporary pause in social obligations and public gatherings has allowed me to fully embrace my homebody tendencies. I’m catching up on the entire Star Wars: Clone Wars series and like many of you, brushing up on my cooking skills.
No traveling, even to local meetings - I’ve enjoyed not having to “be” anywhere except in front of my computer for a meeting. It’s been startling to realize how much time I spend in transit between places in my non-COVID life.
Hello, five o’clock shadow! - I love not having to shave as much. It turns out Zoom is forgiving and I can totally get away with missing a day, even when I’m “with” clients!
ZZZZ’s - I’ve been getting an extra hour of sleep each night and it is fantastic. I’ve prioritized sleep for my health, immunity, and mood… and it’s at least helped with health. Mood? Ask my 16-year-old daughter.

Speaking of my 16-year-old daughter, she doesn’t miss school one bit. She sleeps a few hours later than usual, gets her school work done in 3-4 focused hours with the company of our dogs, then has a few hours to chill before we meet up for dinner and family time. She misses her friends and activities, but her attitude has helped me see that this hasn’t been all bad for us.

There are small things about our changed daily lives that may feel like a relief, if not even a little good. I can’t help but feel that there is something about the way we spend time together, trying to be more present, considering what’s meaningful, to take away from all of this. It’s worth asking ourselves, ‘what is good about today?’ each and every day we go through this. In candor, I’ve wondered if we’ll even miss some of these times when this moment has passed.

Showing Solidarity:

Italians sang off their balconies, and Spaniards banged pots and pans together. As these evening quarantine traditions made their way across the pond, we have seen the addition of cowbells, cheering, and even howling. Cities and towns across the US have taken to hooting, hollering, and howling to express gratitude for frontline workers and connect with neighbors during this time of isolation.

Don’t underestimate the impact small signs of solidarity can have on people. Even the smallest actions by leaders can change the tone and tenor throughout your organization. When leaders encourage appreciation and connection in their organization, they make an impact on all results from innovation to revenue growth. Everyone likes to feel appreciated up and down the ladder.

And finally, we should all be inspired by teachers . Talk about small actions making a big impact!

Current Read:

Harvard Business Review just published this article that discusses AI and how you should go right to scaling instead of waiting for proof of concept. While this may be new territory for many there is still time to lay the groundwork and get ahead.

Quotable:

04.16.20 - Edinger's Insights: Video Series Debut

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 18:41:22 GMT

April 16, 2020

My new article in Harvard Business Review:

Check out my new article in HBR, published April 14. It highlights the challenges of leading revenue growth with the backdrop of a Global Pandemic and economic crisis. Many leaders will feel a sense of fear and dread – yet powerful emotions often lead to poor decisions and practices when it comes to leadership of the sales organization. What works in times of economic expansion isn’t what is needed in a challenging economic environment. It’s not about doing more – it’s about doing things differently.

New Video Series:

The Butterfly Effect: How Leaders Drive Results

This is the first installment of my new video series. The title, The Butterfly Effect , refers to the scientific principle that small inputs multiplied throughout a complex system, such as an organization, create major changes. The series will focus on small pragmatic actions that leaders can take to drive growth, fuel innovation, expand margins, and see improved results throughout your business.

Someday I’ll share how long it took to produce this 2-minute video!

Questions to Consider:

In last week’s newsletter, I wrote about how to avoid miscommunications when working remotely. Harvard Business Review recently published this article about how to keep teams motivated while working remotely. The article has great advice for how to incorporate new rhythms into your team’s work, beginning with five questions to ask during a Monday morning meeting.

What impact did we have last week and what did we learn?
What commitments do we have this week? Who is on point for each?
How can we help each other with this week’s commitments?
What are the areas where we should experiment to improve performance this week?
What experiments will we run, and who is on point for each?

Some Humor :

Here is an amusing poem I found over the weekend. It’s written using a collection of – as the title suggests – First lines of emails I’ve received while quarantining. It seems nearly impossible to send an email to someone without an acknowledgement of the current state of life in the COVID-19 world. Or to close an email with some kind of “stay healthy” comment. That may have largely stopped for people you are routinely in contact with, but it seems especially true for anyone who isn’t part of your everyday communications.

04.09.20 - Edinger's Insights: Revenue Growth in a Bear Market

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 18:41:08 GMT

April 9, 2020

Revenue Growth in a Bear Market:

What does it take to survive, and even prosper, in a bear market? There are lessons to be learned from those who were successful in 2001 and the Great Recession of 2008. During that time, I observed many strategies that worked and plenty that didn’t. Bottom line? Think less about the circumstances and more about how you’ll respond. Below are three critical strategies to align your sales organization with your company growth objectives:

Relationships before revenue. Now is the time to over invest in creating valuable experiences for your current customers, but don’t stop there. Think about past clients and those who you want to work with in the future. Invest in those relationships by providing insight, expertise, and value today - regardless of the real time financial return. All recessions end. Relationships cultivated today will translate to big wins for the future health of your company.
Value to Cost Ratio. Does the value you provide exceed the cost of doing business with you? Are you capitalizing on opportunities to surprise and delight when times are dark and scary? Not only should you provide as much value as possible to current customers, you should also use this time to invest some energy in those back-burner ideas that, with a little TLC, could really take off. What can you do to come out of this time of uncertainty stronger than before?
Improve skills. It’s not just professional sports teams and Olympic athletes that are sidelined - in a bear market many businesses have fewer opportunities for sales. The silver lining is the additional time to improve the fundamental skills of your team. Consider this the ‘off-season’ and take time to provide intentional coaching for your team. Nothing has a greater impact on performance than coaching, and most professionals indicate they get little coaching or real development from their managers. In the hustle of a bustling sales climate, coaching can get pushed down the to-do list. Here is your chance to come out of the tunnel with a stronger team than ever.

Productivity: How to Minimize Miscommunication in a Virtual World

Misunderstandings are common in the best of times. Add stress, chaos, virtual meetings, misunderstandings multiply, sometimes exponentially. As lucky as we are to have video conference technology (at least we have a fighting chance of understanding body language), there are still nuances and nonverbal cues getting lost. With technology issues and the presence of dogs and children, we add ample opportunity for distraction and in turn, miscommunication.

Do your part to prevent misunderstandings, which often start small but can create outsized challenges with these tactics:

Say it in a sentence. Or two. The power of succinct language cannot be overstated. It’s easy to get lost in deep explanations and detail during business conversations. Chances are high that someone’s attention may wander to the chat box, the cell phone, or the screaming two-year old. Sum it up. Make your points unequivocally clear and concise.
Ask clarifying questions. Make sure you genuinely understand what others are saying. People talk past one another all the time (let’s face it, most people are not good at point #1), and we often let it go, knowing we will have a chance to circle back later. When someone shares a thought or idea, clarify and confirm your understanding by asking a question or repeat what you heard “what I heard you say was…”
Confirm understanding or acceptance. After you’ve shared information, check in with the listener. Ask questions such as, “did I explain that clearly enough?” or “what do you think of the option I suggested?” Invite their perspective to ensure they walk away with the message you intended. If their response indicates otherwise, you’ll be glad you confirmed.

Inspiring Loyalty with Levity

One of my favorite restaurants here in Tampa is Forbici Modern Italian . Along with carry out orders, they are handing out rolls of toilet paper. Branded no less!

The ability to find some lightness — while doing something for customers that demonstrates you are going the extra mile is powerful. What can you do creatively during this time for your customers?

SPECIAL OFFER : I am pleased to offer one case of paper towels for all new consulting engagements.

*That’s a joke. I can’t even get a single roll of paper towels these days.

Current Read :

The Forever Transaction: How to Build a Subscription Model So Compelling, Your Customers Will Never Want to Leave

Written by my colleague and friend Robbie Kellman Baxter, The Forever Transaction is one of the best books I’ve read on thoughtfully creating recurring revenue streams. I’ve worked with Robbie for years and she’s the expert on the subscription model business! This book takes a practical look at how organizations can launch, scale and lead subscription-based businesses. Robbie interviewed industry leaders and spent years researching in order to write this book, and she gets into the nitty gritty of what works. The book covers everything you need to build durable, long-term relationships with every customer, and leverage them for ultimate business success―today, tomorrow, and forever.

Question to Consider:

As our routines shift and we spend more time at home it is easy to be sedentary. How are you taking care of you mind and body? It is important to engage and prioritize staying active regardless of the activity. This will not only help clear your mind, be more creative, but may even help you sleep. Whether it is taking a walk, doing an at home workout or even playing a game with your kids. Don’t forget to prioritize yourself!

Next Steps:

Please share this newsletter with your peers and team.

We are all trying new ways to adapt and change in life and in business. This means some things may not work or you may even fail. Failure shouldn’t be looked at as a negative but rather as an opportunity to shift gears and move forward. Here is a classic published in Harvard Business Review on relevant tips, Get Ready to Fail .

Great Tweet:

04.02.20 - Edinger's Insights: Productivity, News, etc. COVID-19

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 18:40:51 GMT

April 2, 2020

Revenue Growth when in Crisis:

What works in times of economic expansion is different than what is needed in a challenging economic environment. Since somewhere between one-fourth and one-half of sales professionals in American companies have never had to sell during an economic downturn, few companies can lean on their sales team’s experience to get them through. It’s not about doing more – it’s about doing things differently.

Resist the urge to increase your sales call activity - it only dilutes pursuit of top opportunities
Eliminate low value reporting requirements
Focus on the early stages of the pipeline rather than obsessing over late stage negotiations

These key steps will help you better navigate uncertain times with your clients.

Productivity during COVID-19:

When it's time for a virtual meeting, go with video. Videoconferencing is more engaging that just a conference call. If you can’t see the people you are talking to then people get distracted and you spend a great deal of time refocusing, clarifying, and reviewing topics that were already covered.

I’ve collected and reviewed data showing that remote workers can be more engaged. Absence makes people try harder to connect, and leaders of virtual teams become proficient at multiple forms of communication. They also maximize the time they do have with their teams. Here are links to full articles I’ve written on both of these topics.

Harvard Business Review:

Stop Scheduling Conference Calls and Finally Commit to Videoconferencing

Harvard Business Review:

Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged

Question to Ponder :

Where are you getting your information?

It’s easy to get too much news about COVID-19. One of the things I do to stay updated on the current situation is subscribe to this once daily email from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the Center for Health Security. It provides unbiased facts and relative perspectives that keep me informed but avoids the craziness of non-stop coverage. Here is a link to the daily update.

An extra minute for context:

It's hard to get news that doesn’t have a political or sensationalist slant to it. Media outlets benefit from headlines that make you tune in or click. I have some first hand experience with this sort of thing. In the Fall of 2009 I was working with one of the large cable networks in their local affiliate office in Tampa. I asked the GM of the station why there was excitement in the staff meeting about a storm brewing in the Atlantic. His response was illuminating to me. He said: "We're coming off a year with a Presidential election and the Super Bowl in town. These storms can give us the ratings boost we need to make our budget so, we need to make sure people tune in.”

And they did! Despite 2009 being among the least deadly hurricane seasons , ratings from weather related coverage was at an all time high at the station. The more dramatic the coverage, the better the ratings.

None of this is to be cavalier about the gravity of the current moment. Rather, be careful what news you take in, and aim for factual information.

Next Step:

Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think may be interested. And if you are looking to quickly enhance your skills, the course I developed with LinkedIn will help you refine your influence and persuasion abilities. Check out the course below.

Great Tweet:

Hometown Shot:

03.02.20 - Edinger's Insights: What CEOs Should Focus on in Revenue Forecasts

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 18:40:36 GMT

March 2, 2020

What CEOs Should Focus on in Revenue Forecasts

When CEOs and Senior Executives look at revenue forecasts, they tend to be myopically focused on the current quarter or month. Neglecting early pipeline stages and progressions in sales cycles can put the long-term health of the company’s revenue stream at risk. To drive strategic growth through your sales organization, pay attention to these three areas:

Focus on new opportunities entering the pipeline. If there are many new opportunities in the pipeline, identify the causes and reinvest in what’s working. If the number of new opportunities is low, invite conversations with marketing and sales to discover causes and problem solve.
Provide resources and support to accelerate advancing opportunities. Look closely at trends in the center of your revenue forecast and adjust your go-to-market strategy accordingly. Add SME support if opportunities are sluggish at the proposing solutions stage or increase executive support to help create access to higher-level decision makers.
Cut your losses with stalled opportunities. Don’t allow your sales team to spend time and resources where they aren’t engaged with a bona fide decision maker or they don’t have a strategy to move the opportunity forward. Eliminating mid-to-late stage opportunities that show no milestones of progress ensures that your long-term revenue forecast is accurate.

Taking time each month to understand the complete pipeline picture and realign the sales team’s efforts drives execution of the company strategy and will support the continual growth that shareholders expect.

My full article for Forbes on this topic appeared last week and you can find it here .

Two other articles that you may find useful on similar topics are:

Harvard Business Review:

"How to Get Your Sales People to Execute Your Strategy"

Chief Executive:

"How to Use Your Sales Team Most Effectively to Drive Organic Growth"

A Slice of Life Balance

When I used to do triathlons, the transition from swim to bike and then from bike to run (T1 and T2 as they were called) were referred to as the 4th event. Because your effectiveness in moving from one event to the next had a definite impact on your preparedness and ultimately your overall time. The same could be said of the transitions we make throughout our working day. Instead of breathlessly rushing from meeting to call to meeting to webinar, I suggest taking a few minutes in between calendar items to properly transition. Dare I suggest 5 minutes? Some of you reading this might consider that wasted time, but hear me out. Use that 5 minutes to do these three things: 1) Note items for follow up from the last meeting. 2) Gather any materials you need to be prepared for the next meeting. 3) Take a few deep breaths and think about how you need to show up for the next meeting. Your chances of winning at work will increase when you slow down and transition more effectively.

SPECIAL NOTE

Next month (or May at the latest), I’m going to be changing the format of this newsletter. I’m still brainstorming, so I’d like to hear from you if there are topics that you’d like me to address or if you have ideas to share about other newsletters you value. Please reply to me directly from this email with your comments.

02.03.20 Edinger's Insights: Copy of Two Hallmarks of Executive Level Communication

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 18:40:12 GMT

February 3, 2020

Two Hallmarks of Executive Level Communication

Many leaders could do a better job of communicating. I find there are two key differentiators in the communication of leaders who excel at getting results:

1. Craft clear problem statements . Too often, problem statements lack the specificity needed to unearth the best answers. Consider the problem statement: “We have a communication problem.” That could mean anything from “Our execution plan is not clear” to concerns that employees aren’t getting the message that the refrigerator will be cleaned out on Thursday. An unambiguous statement such as, “We have a problem communicating with customers about changes in scope,” enables a more focused discussion where genuine solutions can emerge.

2. Define the work to be done . When leaders are disappointed about what their team is doing versus what they want them to do, it’s often because they have not sufficiently defined the work to be done. Last year I worked with a sales organization that had undertaken a major initiative around sales coaching. But its execution was haphazard at best and some managers hardly did any coaching. True change happened when the EVP explicitly stated her objective “Provide consistent coaching to our sales team to sell solutions,” and her performance expectations: 1. Daily call planning for key account meetings and 2. Weekly sales strategy sessions focused on advancing pipeline opportunities. Clearly outlining her expectations made all the difference

Consider investing time each day, to decide what needs to be conveyed in your next meeting, prepare for a call, or work on a presentation.

For more on this topic, see my latest article on this topic for Forbes.

Are you pushing past the point of diminishing returns with your sales organization? I got a great response last month when I suggested that it happens a lot and provided some alternative approaches to just dialing up the pressure. You can see that here in my Harvard Business Review article titled 3 Ways To Motivate Your Sales Team - Without Stressing Them Out , which was one of HBR’s “most read.”

A Slice of Life Balance

There is an old saying that laughter is the best medicine. Even if it’s not, having a good laugh certainly can’t hurt. As serious as our lives are at times, try looking for something that tickles your funny bone. Call a friend who you often laugh with, watch a funny movie, go to a comedy club, or look for laugh-out-loud videos on the web. Just once in the next week or so, set aside some time for lightness and humor and see how it improves your day.

SPECIAL NOTE

In the next month or two, I’m going to be changing the format of this newsletter. I’d like to hear from you if there are topics that you’d like me to address or if you have ideas to share about other newsletters you value. Please reply to me directly from this email with your comments.

01.02.20 - Edinger's Insights: Transformation In 2020 Succeeds One Customer At A Time

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 18:39:44 GMT

January 2, 2020

Transformation In 2020 Succeeds One Customer At A Time

Perhaps all of the 2020 Vision and Strategic Plans that I’ve been seeing in development for the past 5 years will be coming to fruition exactly as planned this year, and perhaps not. But if you want to fundamentally transform your business or are already in the process, this article may be useful to you. The full version for Forbes is available is available here.

“Transformation” may be the most overused term in business today, but a majority of so-called transformative initiatives are actually subtle changes or simply cost reductions masquerading as revolution.

A true transformation effort can occur when customers buy something that is fundamentally different or of greater value from what has been sold before and pay more for it, or when customers buy the same things, but with easier acquisition efficiency, at lower costs. In both cases, the customer experience must change significantly to be considered “transformative.”

An example of a profitable business transformation occurred at a company called Vology (formerly Network Liquidators). Until 2010, Network Liquidators sold refurbished IT equipment to brokers and resellers. Tightening margins and market shifts made it clear to CEO Barry Shevlin and the leadership team that the company needed to move in a completely different direction if they wanted to thrive. Network Liquidators went from a discounted product approach, competing largely on price, to become Vology, a company providing managed IT services focused on all facets of customer technology needs, from data centers to security and support. The result has been an increase in revenues generated from services growing from 0% to an expected 50% in 2020, with EBITDA margins doubling in the same time period. That is truly transformative!

Executives who truly want to transform their business should adhere to the three principles I outline in the complete version of this article published by Forbes .

Last month I was the Keynote Speaker at the HSMAI (Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International) Chief Sales Officer Forum.

The topic of the speech was from one of my Harvard Business Review articles that is especially relevant for companies that want to increase margins and value – Would Customers Pay For Your Sales Calls?

Here are some video clips from the same speech at a different client event. It makes a great sales meeting message, so if you are planning a kickoff or mid-year event, consider this speech and let me know if you’d like to discuss tailoring the ideas to your audience.

A Slice of Life Balance

With the inevitable self-improvement resolutions that come with the New Year, how about adding just one that is solely for your enjoyment of life? Something simple, such as playing music in the background while working or during meals, scheduling a regular massage, driving with the convertible top down, or just slowly sipping your morning coffee or tea instead of guzzling it in a rush. Can you guess mine? Whatever you choose, make it about the simple pleasure of enjoying something. And don’t kill the joy by making it goal focused, or yet one more thing you have to do

12.02.19 - Edinger's Insights: Why Companies Struggle To Sell Solutions

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 19:08:08 GMT

December 2, 2019

Why Companies Struggle To Sell Solutions

A shift from selling products to selling solutions is a common strategy for companies looking to boost their bottom line, but what many leaders overlook is the impact this change in their business model will have on the sales organization. Sales professionals are no longer simply pitching products and services, but rather selling real (and more complicated) solutions.

In my experience, there are three critical factors that contribute to the frequent failure of these transformative efforts:

1. The sales organization is not connected to the go-to-market strategy. Selling solutions doesn’t simply require the company to sell different things – it requires the sales team to sell differently. Having a great suite of products or services is necessary, but the sales process must also provide value to the customer. Your sales team has to share insights that help customers see problems they hadn’t recognized, opportunities they hadn’t considered, and solutions they hadn’t anticipated, while executing the go-to-market strategy in every sales call.

2. Management practices don’t support the solution sales process. A sales team moving from high volume transactions to more sophisticated solutions needs to be managed with a different set of metrics, milestones and hiring practices, along with an increased focus on professional development and coaching. Value-focused metrics help sales leadership shift from from inspecting sales performance (which does little to boost results), to actually improving sales performance.

3. Consultative selling is much harder than anyone thinks, and the degree of difficulty is taken for granted . Most people underestimate the complexity and sophistication involved in selling solutions today, which requires both strong business acumen and a mastery of sophisticated communication techniques. Too many organizations under-invest in building solution sales capability, which requires a strategic and sustained leadership effort.

For more detail on these three factors, check out my latest Forbes article here.

Here is my latest for Harvard Business Review, "3 Ways to Motivate Your Sales Team Without Stressing Them Out” . If you are looking for ways to maximize sales performance, and avoid the common trap that derails sales teams, you may find this article valuable.

A Slice of Life Balance

With the holidays upon us, it’s time to make plans – and not the kind that involve parties, menus and gift lists. Now is the time to decide what you plan to do to relax, rest and replenish during the time you have off. Schedule a massage, a relaxing outing with a good friend, or just some down-time for relaxation (or maybe even a nap!) As you consider your holiday calendar, think about saying “no” to a few invitations. Too often, the holidays are exhausting and stressful and we return to work with less energy than we had before our time off. This year, give yourself the best present of all – permission to take a portion of the time to rest and restore your energy for the new year ahead.

11.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: How Great Leaders Drive and Sustain Revenue Growth

Sun, 03 Nov 2019 19:07:49 GMT

November 1, 2019

The Butterfly Effect: How Great Leaders Drive and Sustain Revenue Growth

This is the working title of my next book. I’m excited to announce that it will be published by Fast Company Press in late 2020 (in time for the perfect Christmas or Hanukkah gift!).

Here is a short segment from the book that explains the title:

MIT professor and meteorologist, Edward Lorenz, coined the term the ‘butterfly effect’ in his paper: “Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas?" He was the first to recognize the concept of chaos theory when he realized that within the apparent randomness of complex systems, such as weather, there are small differences in the initial inputs of dynamic systems that trigger large unexpected differences later on. The flapping wings represent a small change in the initial condition of the system that compounds dramatically, causing a chain of events leading to large-scale phenomena.

In business, the butterfly effect originates with executives and senior leaders and exponentially multiplies through management. The actions of those leaders – the initial inputs of the dynamic system of a company – unsuspectingly become a gale force wind at the front lines. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of revenue performance, where there is a frequent disconnect between growth strategies that are formulated in the executive suite and the execution of those strategies by the sales force. This disconnect creates not only a loss of revenue, but a flawed execution of organizational strategy, limiting growth and achievement.

Everything from subtle misunderstandings about contemporary sales process and revenue forecasting, faulty assumptions about what makes sellers effective and compensation, has a compounding effect. The actions of leaders cascade through the complex system of a company, creating unintended consequences that can either drive or hinder revenue growth. The Butterfly Effect reveals that revenue shortfalls are leadership issues, not sales issues. It’s vital for leaders who are responsible for the future value of the business to learn how they can use this principle to create a wave of positive change and growth.

A Slice of Life Balance

Feeling sluggish or bored? Add a little (more) music. Music has the power to help us connect to our emotions, which can enrich our experiences. We know it can give us a boost of energy while exercising, but even mundane things like administrative work, running an errand, or cleaning the kitchen can be energizing with the right music. You may enjoy listening to podcasts and audiobooks, as I do, but try taking some time to tune in to music to see what it evokes for you.

For an added bonus, instead of simply playing music while you do something else, turn on some of your favorites and just relax and listen, allowing the music to take center stage. You may find just listening as difficult as trying to meditate if you have trouble sitting still, but try it and see what the chords, notes, lyrics, or melodies do for you.

10.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: Three Paths to Increase Revenue and Margins

Thu, 03 Oct 2019 19:07:33 GMT

October 1, 2019

Three Paths to Increase Revenue and Margins

If you lead an organization or a business unit, odds are you have at least one objective related to growing your top line or improving the bottom line. Ultimately, organic growth will only come in three ways:

Acquisition

To acquire valuable, long-term growth clients, ensure that all client pursuit activity is centered on companies that fit your ideal client profile and the level of decision maker you need to buy your products and services.

Expansion

To grow your business with existing clients, focus on opportunities where you can provide solutions based on the client’s needs and future plans. It’s easy for sales teams to fall back on capabilities presentations and assume they already understand a client’s needs, rather than engaging deeply to root out opportunities and create value as they did to first win the business.

Retention

To retain your current clients, focus on consistently delivering at a high level and look for ways to increase value. If you value your existing customers and want to keep their business, retention should be thought of as an area for potential growth. It’s often overlooked by executives, who forget the importance of treating existing customers as well as new customers.

Each function of the organization that regularly interacts with customers is responsible for executing your growth strategy in the field. If they are not crystal clear about the strategy for each category of customer, they put your overall growth strategy at risk, because revenue and net income increase based on successful execution of strategy, not board room declarations.

For more detail on these three strategies, you can find it in my latest Forbes article here .

Client Congratulations

Bendcare shot up the Inc. 500 rankings to become the #30th fastest growing privately held company in the USA.

I’ve been proud to work with CEO Andrew Ripps and the leadership team to formulate growth strategies and execution plans to enable this growth. In addition, we worked together to create a framework to build a culture of high performance to galvanize the efforts of every employee in the business toward their goals.

Andrew was kind enough to say this in a recent interview: “The work we did with Scott was critical in forming the foundation for our successful growth. From culture and values as a scaling strategy, he helped me, and my team get clear about how we were going to successfully compete. We rolled up our sleeves together and worked on building frameworks for execution and developing an approach to creating and living a culture that drives individual accountability. His insights and experience were invaluable to me in leading, aligning and prioritizing the game changing concepts of navigating a high-performance team through growth”.

Bendcare, LLC provides specialty support care center services, technology platforms and software, traditional and educational programming for physicians and patients and purchasing power to shrink the supply chain and offer high quality medical supplements.

A Slice of Life Balance

Try to add a little more kindness to your interactions with others. It’s easy (and I observe all too common) to be curt or brusque when dealing with others. It’s easier still to justify it by saying you are being direct or that you are busy. But it takes no extra time to have a kinder tone and tenor to an interaction. Even when you're frustrated or disappointed about something. The manner you engage with others says more about your character than anything else.

09.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: When Corporate Speak Kills Strategy

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 19:07:15 GMT

September 1, 2019

When Corporate Speak Kills Strategy

I’m stunned by how few executives can succinctly and powerfully express the growth strategy for their business. After all, it may be the most important part of their job. Instead, I hear an extraordinary amount of “corporate speak,” which includes the use of buzzwords, jargon, and unclear meanings. When leaders rely on corporate speak in strategy directives, a message that should be easily understood at all levels of the company becomes obscured and unnecessarily complicated. In many cases, leaders are never asked “what does that really mean?” because they outrank their audience. Employees and direct reports are afraid to ask for clarity, thinking they should understand it or at least pretend to, so they won’t be perceived as being difficult or dumb.

In my work with leaders, I frequently ask about their strategy and give them the challenge to “explain it to me like I’m your friend from high school who didn’t go to college and doesn’t work here.” (No disrespect to those who didn’t go to college and are plenty smart.) This test forces leaders to use direct language that doesn’t rely on the vague buzzwords and turns-of-phrase that lazily populate corporate communications. If leaders struggle to clearly articulate their strategy message, then that strategy has little chance of success.

I see this happening across various industries, from healthcare to financial services. It’s often an indicator that an executive has a faulty or underdeveloped understanding of their own strategy. Those who understand their work deeply and have a clear vision and strategy for how they want to go about making change can express their point directly and simply.

I wrote about this idea in greater detail for Forbes a few days ago. The article includes three principles you can apply in clarifying your strategic intent, and you can read the entire article here .

A Slice of Life Balance

At the start of my career, I learned the value of a short, handwritten note on stationary for a follow up or thank you. Email and text messaging have almost entirely replaced written cards as the medium. But with the high volume of email and text traffic we all receive, if you want your next “thank you” or follow up to stand out, go old school. Write a note. With a pen, on nice paper. Add a stamp. Send it through the mail.

08.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: On Performance Issues - Look Upward To Find The Cause Of The Problem

Sat, 03 Aug 2019 19:07:00 GMT

August 1, 2019

On Performance Issues - Look Upward To Find The Cause Of The Problem

Most people show up to work each day and make a legitimate effort to do their jobs well.

Plenty strive do an excellent job. And sure, there are some who really don’t seem to care. But the vast majority of professionals want to succeed and are doing all they can to achieve that success.

If business performance at your company isn’t what you want it to be and your people aren’t behaving the way you want them to, look at leaders a level or two up from your “problem children” within the organizational hierarchy. This is where you’ll likely discover the causal factors of their underwhelming performance.

Performance challenges are usually related to one of the following scenarios. And if you are leading a team, you have an outsized impact in controlling or addressing these factors:

Competing priorities or too many priorities diffuse efforts (e.g. advancing a dozen priorities by inches instead of 2-3 priorities by miles.)
Expectations are disconnected from your team’s reality (e.g. you want an increased result despite not investing in capabilities or providing resources to achieve that result.)
Lack of clarity on expectations regarding successful outcomes and processes to achieve the results you want.
Saying one thing and doing another, such as presenting a vision for the future but consistently making contradictory decisions that distract from achieving that vision.

Now comes the tough part: for many of you reading this, you’ll be looking at your own row or position on the Org Chart. It’s important to keep in mind that examining leadership decisions for upstream issues doesn’t mean you’re not going to hold underperforming employees accountable for their shortcomings. The idea is to look for potential cause, not to cast blame. Leaders must examine their own choices first, then coach and mentor underperforming employees to drive positive change. Addressing these factors at the leadership level has a dramatic impact in every organization I’ve worked with.

Are you launching a new product or service offering? Perhaps you need to reinvigorate your existing portfolio of services to more effectively acquire new clients or expand your work with existing ones? You may find my latest article for Forbes, How To Ensure The Success Of Your New Products and Services, to be useful.

Last year I worked with Thyssenkrupp Elevator to launch a new product for the Mid-Rise market (buildings with 5-12 storys). In the first year since this new elevator was introduced, it’s gone from zero to nearly 30% of the company’s sales and pushed the total revenue of the division to $1B. Thyssenkrupp achieved this great success by applying several principles I mention in the article and by being very strategic about the launch. You can hear Pete Nelson, Vice President of New Installations, talk about it on my site here .

A Slice of Life Balance

For most of us, it’s difficult to sit still. With so many tasks to complete, so much information to absorb, so many people counting on us, it’s hard to justify taking time to pause. But if you routinely feel overloaded or feel you are running at a breathless pace to get it all done, that may be exactly what you need. You can meditate, talk a slow walk, or simply sit and monitor your breathing while you let your mind wander with no agenda. Try 5-10 minutes of “pause” at least once or twice throughout your day. Do it consistently and you’ll have more energy, more clarity about priorities and feel - at least a little - less stressed

07.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: Getting Honest Feedback Is Hard When You’re the Boss

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 19:06:38 GMT

July 1, 2019

Getting Honest Feedback Is Hard When You’re the Boss

One of the toughest challenges facing executives is getting candid and unfiltered feedback. I’m not talking about the usual gripes every boss hears. Some of the most valuable perspectives for executives include opinions and points of view contrary to what they may think they want to hear. This applies to everything from making big decisions, evaluating the clarity of their strategy, the strength of their teams, and other critical issues facing the business.

Years ago, I spent an afternoon with several members of the senior team of a company where the CEO had spent millions of dollars on a project. To a person, each of the senior managers I spoke with believed from the beginning that the project was destined to fail. I had to ask: why they didn’t speak up and voice their concerns? In short, they believed that the CEO’s reaction to their honesty would have been much like the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland: “Off with their heads!”

If you’re going to lead effectively, you need to understand the perspective of those you lead about what’s happening in the field, what the real forecast looks like, or the challenges people have in executing your strategy. If you want that level of candor, you’ll need to go out of your way to get it.

Start by inviting dissenting opinions and making it safe for people to give you their real opinions. Specifically, ask people what they think isn’t working or where they see issues or potential problems that you may be missing. Emphasize that you value critical feedback and thank them for their willingness to share unpopular news with you. You may have to make multiple requests, especially if you’ve got a reputation for not reacting well or even punishing the messenger bringing bad news. Welcoming opposing viewpoints doesn’t mean you need to agree with everything you hear or accommodate every suggestion. But it will help you identify blind spots and ultimately give you a much stronger understanding of what’s happening in your business.

A Slice of Life Balance

It’s almost Independence Day here in the United States, where 80% of this newsletter’s readers reside. The traditional celebrations will include barbecues and fireworks, and time spent at pools and beaches. This 4th of July, take a moment to reflect on the freedom and opportunity we have here and how fortunate we are to have it. And from a pragmatic perspective, enjoy watching someone else set off fireworks. Doing them yourself is overrated. Your eyes will not be able to tell the difference and your fingers will thank you someday.

06.03.19 - Edinger's Insights: The Leadership Your Team Needs

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 19:06:20 GMT

June 3, 2019

The Leadership Your Team Needs

If you want to know how to be a more effective leader, ask those who are being led. That was the idea behind the research in my first Harvard Business Review article, Making Yourself Indispensable. Whether you are bringing a newly formed team together, reorganizing an existing team, or starting a new fiscal year with your current team, focus your leadership on these actions to have the greatest impact on the results you produce.

Drive alignment on a clear strategy. When I coach executive teams, I’ll ask each leader to write down the strategy for the business. When we share what everyone has written, there are often major discrepancies and omissions from one version to the next. If those who are leading the business don’t share the same understanding of the company’s strategy, odds are no one else does. That’s going to make execution across the enterprise a huge challenge.

Establish the most useful metrics for execution. Create 5 or 6 critical measures of progress that let you know if the business is on track to achieve its strategic goals. The best metrics are leading indicators that illustrate whether you’re on track to achieve important objectives. Increased revenue or net income is usually the ultimate goal and of course should be measured. But are you clear about the predictive milestones that portend the longer term results you need? Creating and focusing teams on those leading indicators is a powerful driver of success.

Improve team effectiveness. Leveraging the unique strengths of those on your team is the pivotal role of an executive. Especially if achieving strategic goals requires cross-functional collaboration. Identify areas where you need collaboration and engage your team to work together on shared objectives. That’s the key difference between a team of individual contributors and a team of leaders.

Inspire and motivate others to high levels of performance. For many leaders, their default setting is pushing their teams hard to drive for results. It’s a useful characteristic and it works. Cracking the whip is more powerful when combined with equal amounts of inspiring behaviors that engage and energize your team. Inspired colleagues will run through a brick wall for their leaders while those who are simply pushed hard will not. Use a combination of both approaches to get the most from your people.

When senior executives put a focused and intentional effort on leading these four priorities results follow.

Million Dollar Round Table Podcast

Recently Million Dollar Round Table published the audio of my speech at their annual conference as a podcast episode. The speech was based on my Harvard Business Review article, Would Customers Pay For Your Sales Calls? and identifies approaches your organization can take to create value for customers. You can listen to the episode here for free.

A Slice of Life Balance

Wealth has more to do with time than money. If you’re reading this newsletter, you’ve probably got your essential life needs met. Once you’ve achieved a comfortable lifestyle level, real wealth is in having time and the freedom to choose how you spend it.

“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”

— Henry David Thoreau

05.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: Alignment is about the conversation not the presentation

Fri, 03 May 2019 19:06:02 GMT

May 1, 2019

Alignment Is About The Conversation Not The Presentation

We often talk about the need to “get aligned” on our company strategy, our goals, execution plans, decisions to be made, and so forth. It’s a common objective of leadership meetings. There are two principles that can help leaders avoid predictable pitfalls associated with the drive toward alignment of their teams:

1. Alignment is about the conversation, not the presentation. Too often leaders are overly focused on presentations and slides. When alignment is done well, your slides are artifacts of a rich conversation leading to the development of a shared understanding about your strategy or the issues. That’s not to minimize the importance of expressing your strategy powerfully in your presentation slides. But the questions you invite and the conversations you facilitate are the tools for creating alignment. Not the slides. Presentations don’t align teams – conversations do.

2. Alignment is an ongoing process. A few years ago, a frustrated client spoke to me about a lack of understanding of the business’s strategy among his teams. ‘We went over all of it at our retreat at the start of the year.’ It was only mid-summer, but the wide variance of how the strategy was being applied and executed throughout his company was striking. Don’t underestimate the amount of drift that can occur after meetings, especially if there is any room for interpretation within your strategy. This is why carefully crafting your strategy using precise and specific language is so important. Keeping your teams aligned isn’t a “one-and-done”, etc.

Apply these two principles to keep alignment on your strategy among your leaders at the forefront. Every conversation provides you with a chance to further align individuals and teams, and to illustrate how parts of your strategy apply to the current issues you’re discussing.

A Slice of Life Balance

A client told me last week that if he didn’t multi-task, he couldn’t get enough work done. This is a fallacy many of us buy into. When you peruse emails while on the phone, you often miss important cues to participate, make a decision, or redirect. This allows the other parties on the line to talk endlessly, meander through multiple topics, go off on tangents and waste precious time. Instead, participate more actively on calls. You can kindly but firmly keep the conversation on track, focusing only on the primary matters at hand. If you want to have more time in your schedule, don’t pay partial attention for a 30-minute call. Give 100 percent of your focused attention for a 15 minutes call, and you’ll get an extra 15 minutes in your day. Apply that math to nearly any meeting where people are on their computers and phones during conversations, and your productive time will increase considerably.

04.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: The Value of Leading Indicators to Drive Revenue Growth

Wed, 03 Apr 2019 19:05:45 GMT

April 1, 2019

The Value of Leading Indicators to Drive Revenue Growth

Leading Indicators that reflect progress toward producing revenue have huge value. But maybe not for the reasons you think. It’s common for a business to have a dashboard full of KPIs, metrics or other measurements of progress. These gauges are reviewed monthly. Or weekly. And in some cases, daily.

I’ve reviewed plenty of corporate scorecards and management systems filled with data.

There is often a great deal of effort invested in producing that data and presenting it in an aesthetically pleasing way. Unfortunately, leaders often focus too much on reviewing the data, setting it aside until it’s time to review the data again. Usually within a terribly short interval. But the value isn’t in tracking the metrics.

The real value in these metrics are the discussions they drive, the decisions you make, and the actions you take from the discussions. It’s about understanding what data is important and which measurements you should really be paying attention to. With leading indicators for revenue, it will take some work to understand which factors portend successful outcomes. When I engage with clients to create their own dashboards, we always spend time digging deep to figure out which measures have the greatest meaning or likelihood of predicting success. I highlight this idea in an article I wrote for Harvard Business Review several years ago titled The Most Challenging Leadership Job. There is a section specifically about leading indicators that are predictive of successful growth.

Effective leaders can use metrics to create buy in and traction among their team. When everyone understands why these barometers are important, people will be galvanized to perform the actions required to achieve the results. Try using the metrics you collect to go beyond simply inspecting numbers and reporting, and put them to work driving important conversations about strategy, resource allocation, making improvements, and so forth. Then you’ll be getting real value from your dashboard.

When it comes to doing the one thing that has the greatest impact on the effectiveness of their sales people, most companies perform dismally. That one thing? Coaching. Learn more in my latest article for Forbes, A Proven Approach to Increasing Profitable Revenue.

A Slice of Life Balance

I’m writing this newsletter just a day before leaving for a Spring Break vacation with my family. I always wrestle with what must be done before departing on a trip. Too often, it seems that things I’ve neglected for weeks (even months) surface as “must do’s.” It makes the days leading up to vacation, as well as the start of time off, stressful and exhausting. Of course, most things on your to-do list can wait another week or two with little real consequence. Taking time off won’t provide you with optimal R&R and you’re less likely to come back recharged if you roll in to your vacation on fumes. I had to remind myself of the advice I gave in the HBR article titled Don’t Obsess Over Getting Everything Done Before A Vacation. If this didn’t get to you before your spring vacation, I hope it helps you during summer travel season!

Charity and Service

As a subscriber of this newsletter, I’d bet that you support at least a few charitable organizations doing important work in the world. My daughter, Ava, is doing a project for her high school history class about women’s education around the world, and we have one for you to consider if you have space.

Malala Yousafzi became the youngest winner in the history of the Nobel Peace prize in December of 2014. The Pakistani activist for female education won the award two years after being shot in the head by Taliban enforcers as she spoke against rules that banned girls from attending school. You can read more about her story here if you have interest.

I’m proud of Ava, who writes in her fundraising link “Help give all girls the opportunity to learn and lead.” Please consider a small donation. A gift to Malala Fund supports girls’ secondary education projects around the world.

Here is a link to the campaign started by my daughter.

03.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: Your Customer Experience begins with Sales

Sun, 03 Mar 2019 19:05:30 GMT

March 1, 2019

Your Customer Experience Begins with Sales

Last week I spoke with the team at SAP Insider about the importance of the customer experience and the article with my interview can be found here . Many companies focus a great deal of time and careful attention on crafting their “customer experience,” yet I’m consistently surprised at how rarely sales is considered as part of that experience. The fact is, if the sales experience is bad, there isn’t likely to be a customer experience. If you are serious about creating a powerful customer experience (or “CX” as it’s often referred to), you need to be diligent about how it starts.

That means designing the sales experience as thoughtfully as you do the rest of the customer experience. What value that you expect to create for prospects and customers? How will they experience their first interactions with your team? Will they be able to easily understand the problems or needs you may help them solve? How will potential customers benefit from the expertise resident in your sales team? How will your sales team differentiate your company from competitors and demonstrate your firm’s superior qualities to become a trusted partner?

Ensuring you have a clearly defined approach for a valuable sales experience and making sure your people have the skills to deliver that experience are game-changing when it comes to profitable growth. Nothing will have a greater impact on the future value of your business. Setting the tone for your CX starts with sales.

You may find my interview in "A Customer-First” World, don’t Let Sales Get Lost in the Shuffle” , with SAP insider to be useful. I spoke with the Customer Experience Management team about the characteristics of a successful CRM implementation. You may find this article valuable.

A Slice of Life Balance

Stress is really a veneer for fear. It’s seems stronger to admit to being stressed than afraid of something. But when you feel stressed, what you’re actually experiencing is fear. Fear that something will or won’t happen, or perhaps that nothing will happen. There are plenty of good ways to counteract stress, from exercise to rest, but one of the most powerful is to ask yourself what you are really afraid of. Dig deep, find the source of that stress, and work on the roots. If you can name the fear, you’re more likely to conquer it.

02.01.19 - Edinger's Insights: Are You Solving The Right Revenue Problems?

Sun, 03 Feb 2019 19:05:10 GMT

February 1, 2019

Are You Solving The Right Revenue Problems?

A tremendous amount of time, effort, money, and organizational energy goes in to solving problems within your business. Too often the wrong problems get all the attention. Or worse, solutions aren’t focused on the underlying problem at all; rather, efforts are aimed only at the symptoms caused by a bigger issue. Some common issues when trying to address static or declining revenue are:

Cutting too deep to reduce costs. This may address the issue for a quarter or two which is a fine temporary fix. But unless you figure out the underlying revenue problem and address it, you’ll be trying to cut costs again soon. Don't fall into a cut and shrink death spiral; remember, you can only cut a cost or a job once.
Discounting. Reducing your prices to win business may help at the end of month or quarter, and it may be necessary on occasion. But unless you figure out how to create more value for clients, constant discounts will erode your margins and reduce your competitive position to low-cost supplier.
Turning up the heat on Sales. Applying intense pressure on your sales team to perform can be extremely useful in the short term to meet a specific objective. But unless you develop your team's capability and grow their talent, continued pressure will only create burnout and weaken company performance. I’ve observed instances where it was “the most important month/quarter” for so long it became a joke and performance declined.

Addressing the symptoms of your problem by cutting a few costs, providing discounts to win business, or simply pushing pushing your team harder may seem like an easy fix. The symptoms may disappear temporarily, however the real problem will remain (and often gets worse).

The actions you can take to truly address the problem are not easy and require focus and discipline to execute. They also require leaders who will understand and commit to the time horizon required to build strength in their business. Ultimately, solving those problems creates value that is exponentially more powerful than simply improving your bottom line for a month or a quarter. Put your focus on identifying and solving the right issues that will fuel your growth.

Last month my Harvard Business Review article about how to get the strongest performance and ROI from your CRM technology was among the most read on HBR.org . The focus of the article is using your CRM system to improve sales performance, not just simply inspect sales performance. If you are trying to increase revenue and use your technology to enable growth, you may find this article valuable.

A Slice of Life Balance

Down time isn't a luxury - it's a vital tool for success. If you're reading this newsletter, it's likely that you're highly driven and probably guilty of trying to do too much. You aren't a machine, and you don't need to be in order to excel in your profession and have a fulfilling life.

Consider down time - or what I like to think of as "recovery time" - as fuel that rejuvenates you and enables you to consistently perform at a high level. This includes proper rest, time to let your mind wander, and activities that aren't goal focused. The top performers in nearly every field prioritize this.

01.02.19 - Edinger's Insights: Three Approaches To Expand Margins In 2019

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 19:04:22 GMT

January 1, 2019

Three Approaches to Expand Margins in 2019

Will you lead your company to profitable growth this year? Here are three approaches to consider in 2019:

1. Frontload the value your customers experience. Conventional wisdom is that customers receive the benefits and value of your work after they sign on the dotted line. Give it to them early by providing significant value during the sales experience, offering insights and expertise instead of just selling a commodity. To escape from price-only focused sales, get your teams to execute your strategy, and you will create valued partnerships that endure.

2. Cut hard BUT carefully. Most leaders understand the necessity of optimizing the cost structure and attacking costs that don’t bring value to your customers. Thoughtful cost reduction is the key so follow the old adage to “measure twice and cut once.” If you cut too much, there is high risk your company will be starved for the resources that create value and help you earn a premium with customers. The only source of operating income is revenue , so don’t do this blithely.

3. Go all in on one investment to help you compete and win. Focus your resources to build a capability you need or fix a significant problem that’s preventing you from earning more business. Put all of your strategic time (time that you aren’t managing the daily operational priorities of your business) into this effort to the exclusion of all others. You’ll massively increase your odds of successfully executing, and it’s far better to advance your top priority by miles than to advance a lot of small projects by inches.

Each of these approaches are useful on their own. But employing all three creates a multiplying effect that results in 1+1+1 equaling much more than 3. I’ve seen successful companies effectively apply these three strategies in tandem to grow their business, provide greater value to customers and earn a premium in the process.

My latest article in Harvard Business Review addresses how to get the strongest ROI from your investments in CRM technology. If you are looking to implement a CRM this year or improve the return you are getting, you may find this valuable.

A Slice of Life Balance

You probably received holiday cards from friends you haven’t spoken with in some time. Maybe even years. Before you throw them all away, choose one and give that friend a call. You needn’t have a long catch up, but a short call to let them know that you’ve missed them, that they are important to you, or that their card brought back good memories will make you both feel good. Even if you’ve thrown all the cards away, just choose one friend you would like to reconnect with in the New Year. Enjoying strong friendships is energizing and good friends provide a healthy escape when work gets overwhelming.

12.03.18 - Edinger's Insights: Does Your Leadership Team Understand Your Growth Strategy?

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 19:15:25 GMT

December 3, 2018

Does Your Leadership Team Understand Your Growth Strategy?

I’m often surprised at how few leadership teams are aligned on a growth strategy for their business. It’s common to have wide agreement on the financial objectives for the business over the next few years, and it’s usually assumed that the leadership team is all on the same page regarding a strategy to achieve growth. But I frequently meet executives who have little more than a vague understanding of the guiding strategy and associated priorities that will enable their business to grow. That makes it hard to execute on long-term strategy, beyond day-to-day operational issues.

Here are some questions you might ask yourself to determine how well your team understands your growth strategy:

Can everyone on your team express your priority objective for the next 2-3 years?

Can everyone on your team succinctly highlight the primary advantages or differentiators expected to help you win in your chosen markets?

Can everyone on your team articulate the strategic initiatives meant to build, improve, or buy the capabilities that will help you compete more effectively?

Can everyone on your team detail his or her functional contribution to the strategic initiatives?

Look for precise and pragmatic answers to these critical questions, not the kind of corporate-speak bullet points that populate PowerPoint templates. As you honestly evaluate your team’s knowledge and understanding of your growth strategy, it will quickly become clear where you need to focus your efforts.

A well-articulated and understood growth strategy can function as the decision making and operating template for management levels of your business. If you’d like to read more about clarifying and communicating your strategy, you may find my article The 3 C’s of Implementing Strategy , useful.

A Slice of Life Balance

Begin 2019 feeling energized instead of exhausted. Joyful as the holidays can be, they are also a time of increased personal, professional, and social commitments, to-do lists, and obligations. It’s easy to feel inundated (even with mostly positive things). During the first week of January, I often hear people say how worn out they are from all the festivities. That’s a tough way to start a new year.

Instead of returning to work tired and depleted, plan ahead to carve out some space for yourself. Treat yourself to a massage or a movie, or simply take time by yourself to chill – anything that doesn’t feel commitment oriented. Give yourself the gift of downtime and you’ll likely enjoy the holidays more and be ready to start the new year strong.

11.01.18 - Edinger's Insights: When Leaders Create Drag On Their Business

Sat, 03 Nov 2018 19:13:48 GMT

November 1, 2018

When Leaders Create Drag On Their Business

It’s bad enough when a leader isn’t substantially improving the performance of their people and teams. But what about leaders who are actually having a negative effect on their company’s performance? In an article I co-authored, How Extraordinary Leaders Double Profits , our research revealed that the top 10% of the Fortune 500 leaders we surveyed were bringing in more than double the net income created by the remaining 90%. The real shocker was that the bottom 10% in this group of leaders were actually losing money for their business--to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. How does that happen?

Often the culprit is the daily drip, drip, drip of operating income loss, fueled by seemingly mundane leadership decisions. These include:

- Unclear or poorly defined strategies that cause confusion and lower productivity

- Highly political environments where managing optics, heavy-handed bureaucracy, bottlenecks or the need to “cover your ass” impedes progress on important goals

- Intense managerial pressure to increase revenue, “sell more,” and “be better,” combined with lack of coaching in how to achieve improved results leads to mediocre performance and disengaged employees

-A myopic focus on short-term operational metrics stifles innovation and growth

Many of these problems stem from leaders who are pushing their employees too hard, being spread too thin, and ignoring how their messages are received. Too often, they don’t realize their behavior has a decidedly counterproductive impact.

As a leader, you have a responsibility to improve the performance of your team. If that isn’t happening, you’ve become very expensive overhead. Focus your efforts on aligning your teams with your strategic objectives, improving their capabilities to carry them out, and providing inspiration. For more on this idea, check out my latest article for Forbes, The Myth of Leaders Driving For Results.

A Slice of Life Balance

When you look at your calendar, is there any white space, or are you scheduled every hour of your day? It may seem counterintuitive, but protecting some “white space” during your day is critical for optimal productivity. Cramming in another meeting on your calendar may make you appear more productive, but it exacts a cost in terms of the caliber of your ideas.

French composer Claude DeBussy said, “The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between them.” You need moments throughout your day to allow creative, strategic, and even innovative ideas to bloom. It doesn’t take a set amount of time to have a new idea or come up with an innovative solution to a problem. But when you free up some mental shelf space, you’ll find that answers and ideas emerge organically.

“I look forward to Scott’s newsletter every month. When I was the commander of a 1400-person battalion in Korea, his words were always right what I needed at the moment. They are as applicable as ever today.”

Aimee DeJarnette

Colonel, U.S. Army

10.01.18 - Edinger's Insights: Beware of Corporate Vanity

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 19:13:06 GMT

October 1, 2018

Beware of Corporate Vanity

Feeling pride in your business is powerful. It drives engagement, enthusiasm, and quality output from teams. These are excellent ingredients for a strong culture that brings out the best in everyone. But if leaders aren’t careful, that pride can mutate into what I sometimes refer to as “Corporate Vanity,” which may stifle success.

“We’ve been in business for over 100 years and always figure out how to come out on top.”

“We are the disruptors in the industry”

“We have the best team/products/services, in the business”

In many ways, these statements are affirmations of what’s great about a company. Being confident in the future, expressing optimism, and planning for success is incredibly valuable. But when healthy expressions of pride in your accomplishments aren’t tempered with appropriate doses of reflection about what might be inaccurate about such statements, it causes problems. Then past performance doesn’t automatically become future performance and the self-proclaimed disrupters get disrupted.

Addressing the issue doesn’t require humility, though a dose of that won’t hurt you. Preventing corporate vanity from negatively impacting your business requires leaders to do two things:

Question your assumptions about your competitor’s strengths. I’ve seen leaders with a healthy respect for what the competition does well, and leaders who dismiss the competition as inferior, despite losing ground to them. Even if you think a competitor’s business practice or approach is poor, there may be something important to learn from the success they are having with customers who could have been yours.

Fight Confirmation Bias. We all have biases. The key is ensuring that those biases don’t cause you to miss or ignore evidence that suggests you may be wrong. It becomes a big problem for leaders when they are defensive about having their positions questioned. Pay close attention when others present an opposing point of view and instead of trying to combat the idea, examine it for why it may be right.

I’ll reiterate that enthusiasm and pride in a company can drive productivity, innovation, and many salutary benefits. As a leader, it’s your job to foster and promote the discussions that support corporate pride and prevent it from becoming corporate vanity.

Here is the article I wrote for Forbes last month about accelerating the revenue trajectory for your business: The Linchpin For A Winning Growth Strategy

A Slice of Life Balance

Everyone has heard of FOMO, Fear of Missing Out, and we all experience it to a degree. A couple of months ago, I read a New York Times article about a positive reframe of the idea termed, JOMO. JOMO is the Joy of Missing Out, and means being comfortable in opting out, disconnecting, and saying No when we need to. It focuses on setting boundaries and allowing our needs dictate how we use technology instead of technology ruling us. We’ve all felt driven to do work or engage in social activity because of the fear of missing an opportunity, the consequence of not being involved, or what others may think. That often leads to being distracted from what really brings us fulfillment or even joy.

Aimee DeJarnette

Colonel, U.S. Army

09.04.18 - Edinger's Insights: Inspecting Performance Versus Improving Performance

Mon, 03 Sep 2018 19:12:50 GMT

September 4, 2018

Inspecting Performance Versus Improving Performance

Many leaders claim they are good developers of talent. It’s kind of like the 70 to 80 percent of the population who believe they are above-average drivers. A lot really aren’t.

I find this misperception among leaders in all functions, but it’s particularly prevalent in sales organizations. In a study I conducted a few years back, leaders at all levels rated themselves high on both coaching ability and frequency of their coaching. It was fascinating to see that direct reports at all levels rated their leaders quite low (%) on both ability and frequency of coaching. When I dug in further, I discovered the reason for this massive disparity. It had everything to do with how coaching was defined.

Direct reports on the front lines or anywhere in management do not experience these things as coaching:

Reviewing every line of their forecast and getting updates on the details.
Inquiring (often repeatedly) why the numbers aren’t higher or insisting that they increase them.
Requesting information to share with the next level up.
Asking "How can I help you?"

These can be useful management activities – to a degree. When this is the only interaction a sales person, manager, director, or VP has with the boss, it feels an inspection of the results, not coaching.

Done well, coaching drives improved performance. Not just better bottom line results, but the development of talent and capability on your team that ultimately produces results, as I wrote in this HBR article .

Coaches in every sport use data as the underpinning of their game plan, but simply reviewing data isn’t enough. Great coaches develop strategies, help their players improve specific behaviors or approaches, and focus on getting the best performance out of their team.

Whether you are a senior leader training your managers to coach the front lines, or a manager working to develop the skills of your sellers, true coaching is not about scrutinizing outcomes or demanding better results. It’s working together on improvements in performance that will drive growth.

Last month I spoke at a new product launch for ThyssenKrupp elevator. If you are launching or will be launching new services, products, or bundled offerings at some point, you may find value in this article titled Why Your Product Launch Is Likely To Fail (And How To Prevent It) I wrote for Salesforce.com.

A Slice of Life Balance

When we say, “I’m stressed” what we really mean is “I’m afraid”. The latter is not as cool to say, but it’s where stress comes from – fear. We fear a negative outcome, or looking bad, or perhaps we fear failure. So when you feel stress over work, ask yourself “What am I afraid will/won’t happen?” It’s harder than it sounds, and you may have to dig deep for the answers. But evaluating and acknowledging your fears can help disarm some of the negative impacts of stress. Frequently, whatever it is that we fear will happen is worse in our minds than in reality.

Aimee DeJarnette

Colonel, U.S. Army

08.01.18 - Edinger's Insights: For Alignment Don’t Confuse “Consensus” With “Unanimous”

Fri, 03 Aug 2018 19:12:25 GMT

August 1, 2018

For Alignment Don’t Confuse “Consensus” With “Unanimous”

I see leaders waste a lot of time, energy, and effort in business trying to create harmonious decisions that everyone on the team agrees with. I’m not suggesting an autocratic approach as the alternative, but too often, leaders mistakenly push for a unanimous decision rather than a consensus decision. Consensus reflects a judgment or agreement by a majority of those involved. Unanimous decisions require everyone to agree.

When it comes to aligning a leadership team, getting a unanimous decision may drag out decisions until they don’t matter any more, or result in a non-decision. Either way, good ideas languish and the winner is the status quo.

So avoid the trap of trying to make everyone happy about decisions. Instead, drive alignment with consensus on the problem that needs to be solved or issue to be addressed. As Charles Kettering once said, “a problem well-stated is half-solved.”

Leaders frequently spend too little time defining the issue and too much time arguing over alternatives. Instead, put your effort in to making sure your team shares the same understanding and definition of the problem to be solved or the issue to be dealt with. It will be more productive and lay the foundation for stronger alignment.

Once you’ve reached common ground on the issues, of course there will be multiple ways to address them. There can certainly be more than one reasonable solution. But now when it comes to making a decision, it’s much easier to achieve consensus, even if there isn’t unanimous agreement that the best choice was made. You just need to make sure that most agree and the rest can live with it and move forward.

Bonus Feature

My latest article for Harvard Business Review shows how leveraging videoconferencing can be your secret weapon for productivity and increased effectiveness.

Last week I spoke at at Avnet Integrated's annual conference in Miami Beach. Leaders from around the world kicked off their fiscal year by focussing on how the sales team executes the strategy for the business and creates value on sales calls.

A Slice of Life Balance

Breathing fresh air is underrated and underutilized, both as a form of immediate stress relief and in its ability to promote clear thinking. When you feel stress, anger, or fear start to build, step outside for a moment. Breathe in to a count of 3, hold for a count of 2, and exhale slowly to a count of 6. Try that for a minute and see if your perspective shifts. If it helps, try using this technique 2-3 times a day. Two to three minutes of mindful breathing can make a major difference for both your health and your mental state.

Aimee DeJarnette

Colonel, U.S. Army

07.02.18 - Edinger's Insights: Stop Checking The Gas Tank Every 15 Miles

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 19:12:09 GMT

July 2, 2018

Stop Checking The Gas Tank Every 15 Miles

Dashboards, metrics, and KPI’s are incredibly valuable tools for managing your business. But there can be too much of a good thing. It’s possible for leaders to spend more time collecting, reviewing, and adjusting data on spreadsheets than taking action to improve and grow their business. There is a diminishing return to this kind of obsessive analysis. It’s akin to stopping to check the gas tank every 15 miles.

Imagine you’re on a cross-country road trip, trying to cover a lot of distance in a day. Everyone knows that continually stopping will only slow you down, making it difficult to reach your desired destination. The same is true when leaders are overly focused on performance metrics. Gathering all the necessary data is incredibly time consuming and often counterproductive to achieving bigger goals.

The high volume and frequency of updates on performance metrics is in large part about creating a sense of control. We gain confidence about our understanding of what’s going on, but it rarely improves performance.

Psychologist Paul Slovic illustrated this in a study evaluating the effect of information on decision making. He gathered eight professional horse racing handicappers to see what effect data had on how well they predicted the winners. His test subjects were all seasoned pros who made a healthy living solely on gambling skill. Each of them would predict the winners of 40 races in 4 consecutive rounds. In the first round, each gambler could receive any 5 pieces of information they wanted on each horse. One gambler might want to know a jockey’s years of experience as one of his top variables, while another might want to know the fastest top speed recorded for each horse. After picking 5 pieces of data, each handicapper would then submit two things: their race predictions and their level of confidence in those predictions. In round one, the group was only 17% accurate on predictions and 19% confident.

In each progressive round of the study, the handicappers could increase the amount of information they received for in-depth analysis. In round two, they picked 10 pieces of information. Round 3, 20 pieces. Round 4, 40.

But the added information and increased efforts in analysis produced no better result. Their accuracy remained the same throughout the study, at around 17%. Their confidence levels, however, increased significantly with more information and nearly doubled, hitting 34% by the final round. The additional data made them more sure of themselves, but no more effective.

We’ve all seen leaders who focus on inspection and don’t dedicate enough effort to improvement. Don’t be that leader.

A Slice of Life Balance

Take advantage of the chance to spend some time outdoors this summer. Most of us spend a lot of time inside buildings, looking at screens of one kind or another. But being outside, whether at the ocean, a lake, mountains, or even the green space of a city park, gives us the opportunity to take in fresh air and gain some perspective. There are hundreds of studies on how getting outside helps us with everything from improving immune function, boosting creativity, reducing the likelihood of depression, and even this one suggesting improved memory and cognitive function. However you choose to do it, spend some time outside.

Aimee DeJarnette

Colonel, U.S. Army

06.01.18 - Edinger's Insights: Innovate Your Way To Increasing Revenue

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 19:11:55 GMT

June 1, 2018

Innovate Your Way To Increasing Revenue

Innovation is critical to so many growth strategies, but you don’t hear about it a lot when it comes to sales. If you are looking for top line revenue strategies, applying some innovation to your sales function can fuel your growth. Here are three areas you can look at differently to foster innovation for your sales organization.

1. Innovate with metrics. The easy thing about measuring sales is the clarity of focus that comes with revenue and margin targets. They are the scoreboards. But when you collect and evaluate success in these areas you’re looking backward instead of forward. Apply some creative energy to determine the measures that are predictive of success and portend good results on the horizon. They may be subtle and they won’t likely exist on a report from finance. For example, the number of active sales cycles where there is an executive level relationship. Or opportunities advancing from early to middle pipeline stages. I’ve written more about the topic of metrics in this article for Harvard Business Review.

2. Innovate with time. Selling is both a strategic and interactive skill set. So when your sales team isn’t developing strategies and executing them with customers, you’re probably wasting a lot of money. Take a granular look at the tasks you expect your sales team to perform. Most organizations are surprised when they see the amount of time professional sellers spend not selling. Innovation includes elimination in this case. Ask yourself what tasks your sales team shouldn’t be doing.

3. Innovate with talent. Many of the best sellers I’ve observed tell me, “I’m not really good at selling.” I’ve heard it so often that when someone I’ve just met says it, I assume they are actually very good at selling. The old – yet curiously persistent – profile of a good seller being someone extroverted and heavily motivated by money is patently untrue in today’s sales environment. Take a fresh view of what your clients expect and want in sales professionals. You can read more on that idea in another of my articles here .

Remember, innovation doesn’t just apply to creating breakthrough products. Some of the best innovations create incremental performance improvements that add up. It’s called the aggregation of marginal gains , and most leaders would be thrilled to have 30-40 incremental improvements multiplied over the course of an entire sales team any day.

A Slice of Life Balance

It’s the time of year for commencement ceremonies at schools and universities. Most commencement speeches are dull and offer similar kinds of advice. But here is a gem I’d suggest watching or listening to. It’s by Pulitzer Prize finalist David Foster Wallace who poignantly expresses just how unaware so many of us can be. You can find it here .

He starts with this parable:

“There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning, boys. How’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’”

He then goes on to share:

“The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. ...The fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance.”

It’s an excellent lesson about how we can make meaning of the world around us. And the power that comes from understanding the depth behind that which seems obvious.

Aimee DeJarnette

Colonel, U.S. Army

05.01.18 - Edinger's Insights: Where Profit Margins Are Hiding From You

Thu, 03 May 2018 19:11:37 GMT

May 1, 2018

Where Profit Margins Are Hiding From You

At least a few times a year, I’ll be reviewing a forecast with a leader and hear this pained expression: “Why are we wasting our time with these kinds of opportunities?” Most companies have a few clients who don’t fit their stated strategic profile. But if your sales team is pursuing business from many clients who seem like a waste of time, it’s a problem. It’s a problem that could be costing you at least a few points of profit margin. These costs are hiding in plain sight, in an unexpected place: on sales calls.

But your sales team can’t solve this problem on their own. They need executive leadership to drive the solution. Here’s a couple of ways you can do that:

Don’t focus solely on numbers. Focus on the right numbers. If you are concerned with strategic growth, be clear about the kind of business the sales organization should and should NOT pursue. Too often, the pressure to make this month’s or quarter’s forecast “no matter what” overrides smart decision making. That’s how you end up with unprofitable clients.
Limit business activity that is focused on a mirage. Don’t permit continued pursuit efforts if the prospect is not the person making the decision. The amount of time and money wasted pursuing prospects who can only say “no” to you and don’t have the authority to say “yes” to a contract is eye-popping. This is often the profile of opportunities that continually languish in the pipeline.

I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t be opportunistic about acquiring new business. Take all of it that you can. As long as it requires little to no sales effort and it’s easy to implement, go for it. But there’s a whipsaw effect on your profits when you focus active pursuit efforts on clients outside your sweet spot in the market. The result is significant dollars spent on business development, unspectacular results to show for it, and maybe worst of all, the opportunity cost of effort, time, and money that didn’t go toward your target market.

This isn’t money slipping through the cracks. These are considerable dollars and future value falling through big holes. As an executive, you provide the leadership that enables the sales function to execute your strategy and plug those holes.

For additional insight on this topic click here to read my latest Forbes article Profit Margins Are Hiding In Your Sales Calls.

A Slice of Life Balance

Make Your Workspace a Place You’d Like to Spend Time

We spend a lot of time working. And many of you reading this travel for work as well. So when you are in your office, do you like being there? Are you comfortable? Do your furnishings, decor and the art on your walls make you happy? If not, do something about that. There is extensive research connecting an uplifting work environment to productivity, engagement, and even health. If you are going to spend any significant time at your office, make it a place that brings out your best.

“I look forward to Scott’s newsletter every month. As the commander of a 1400-person battalion in Korea, his words are always right what I need at the moment.”

Colonel Aimee DeJarnette

U.S. Army

04.02.18 - Edinger's Insights: Creating Scale In Revenue Growth

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 19:11:21 GMT

April 2, 2018

Creating Scale To Increase Revenue

Increasing revenue requires leaders to focus on scale and scaling a business for growth. That is, adding resources across the business at the same rate that revenue is added. The idea of scalability is a hot issue in business and I hear about it a lot. Except where scalability is needed most: the sales organization. Scale on the revenue generating side of a business is typically limited to analyzing the number of people selling, cost per sale, and other data related to efficiency. That’s an okay start, but the following ideas will increase your likelihood of success:

1. Define the role of sales in the customer experience. If the sales function is involved in the majority of the interactions before someone becomes a customer, those interactions must bring exceptional value. If not, someone may not ever have the experience of being your customer. Ensuring that your sales experience is as explicit as every other component you focus on will help you to replicate and scale successful sales interactions

2. Focus on the process of selling. You can scale a process when you decode what works best for your business, and listen to those who have bought from you as well as those who have not. Trends emerge and you can isolate what your sales team is doing to influence business in your favor. It doesn’t require a lot of research to make your sales process a pragmatic and useful tool that guides the sales activities for your entire team.

3. Use coaching to strategically scale behaviors. Everyone knows behavior change is tough. So start small. There are probably 3-4 very specific behaviors that have an outsized impact on your customer’s experience through the sales cycle. These behaviors may include your sales team’s ability to demonstrate an understanding of customer issues, or to help a client see a problem they hadn’t considered. Sending people to training is rarely successful in changing behavior. But routine coaching and practicing interactive skills enables marginal improvements every few days that can add up quickly.

Unless you are a purely e-commerce business or the low-cost supplier in your industry, your company’s path to growth is at least partially, if not entirely dependent on people from your company interacting with prospective clients. So scaling the success of your sales organization is a must.

I’ve written a couple of new articles in the last week that provide additional insight to the idea of scaling revenue growth. Here they are:

Three Ways To Increase Revenue By Focusing Externally, Not Internally - Forbes

How Leaders Drive Revenue with Sales Coaching - American City Business Journals

Website Updates

I've updated my website to add resources and make it easier to access new content about leading revenue growth.

The website address will change to www.EdingerConsulting.com and my email address will change to Scott@EdingerConsulting.com .

A Slice of Life Balance

Happy Money

Last week I spoke with Dr. Michael Norton, the co-author of a great book titled Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending . And while we know money won’t buy happiness, I once heard someone say, “It can rent a lot, though!” And that’s true—but only if you spend it on the right things. According to Dr. Norton, it’s not the usual things we think of (e.g. houses, cars, more stuff.)

My favorite idea from Dr. Norton’s research is the notion of using money to buy time. We often spring for the extra expense of a better travel itinerary or the cost of eliminating a chore we dislike. But if you are reading this newsletter, you probably have more discretionary income than discretionary time. Think about where you could spend a little extra to add time for things that are important to you, whether that’s a hobby, time with family, or simply some additional time to rest. To me, that’s money happily spent.

03.01.18 - Edinger's Insights: There Are No Customers At Headquarters

Sat, 03 Mar 2018 19:10:33 GMT

March 1, 2018

There Are No Customers At Headquarters

I’ve never walked out of an internally focused meeting that increased revenue. Yet most executives spend an astonishingly high percentage of their time on issues that are largely driven by internal needs. That’s dangerous. And it’s a leading indicator of revenue struggles. It brings to mind the saying, “There are no customers at headquarters.” Leaders must be intentional about helping the company succeed where it matters most: in the marketplace with clients.

Last month a client told me that he got “sucked in to meetings and fighting fires” all day and felt like he got nothing done. I could see he accomplished many things, but few that would have an impact on making the business more competitive. If you frequently find a large percentage of your time consumed by internal issues, you need to refocus your energy on activities that contribute to profitable revenue growth.

You do that by refocusing your attention. Remember, revenue comes from the outside, from customers buying your products and services. Not from implementing new systems, changing business processes, or other activities designed to increase operational efficiency – these internally focused activities are often time sucks that can destroy profit margins. Shift at least half of your focus outside of internal matters and channel your efforts into activities that drive revenue growth.

As management expert Peter Drucker once said, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” Even operational matters should have some impact on the company ability to attract and retain clients. As a leader, you are responsible for the future value of the company, not just today’s value. Create greater value by looking outside and to the horizon, versus the internal focus that masquerades as productivity.

The Hidden Leader in Chinese

I'm excited to announce that my book The Hidden Leader is now available in Chinese. Special thanks to my publisher AMACOM !

Limited Time Offer on LinkedIn Learning

I teamed up with LinkedIn Learning to create a video course on solution selling that outlines these approaches in great detail. For a limited time, the entire course is available with a free trial or a LinkedIn Premium membership.

A Slice of Life Balance

Reduce your stress by arriving early. For meetings, doctor appointments, social engagements, you name it. Sure, there are times that outside factors will make you late. Those ought to be exceptions that prove the rule. You can read something on your phone or tablet to use the time productively while you wait. We create a lot of stress for ourselves by habitually and unnecessarily cutting our timing too close.

02.01.18 - Edinger's Insights: The Growth Strategy That No Competitor Can Copy

Sat, 03 Feb 2018 19:10:20 GMT

February 1, 2018

The Growth Strategy That No Competitor Can Copy

You already understand the pace at which products and services are copied by your competition. Buyers in the B2B environment can commoditize almost anything. It took only 3 years for a product hailed as one of the greatest innovations ever, the iPhone, to go from being completely unique with only one service provider option (AT&T) to having more than two dozen similarly functioning smartphones with service available from four major telecom carriers.

The customer experience is harder to copy, though many companies are also trying to add value in this arena. Ultimately, it’s the sales experience that provides a tremendous opportunity for differentiation and client value.

Sales is a vital component of the customer experience that is often neglected. Too often, executives think of sales as “just” the distribution engine for the business. The sales team is directed to go get new clients and extract more business from existing clients. But to do that well, and not sacrifice margin in a price war, the sales organization needs to move from “just” distribution, to becoming part of the differentiation. When your sales team can differentiate in the way they sell, not just what they sell, you’ll have a growth strategy that no competitor can copy.

You won’t make that happen with a few days of sales training. It’s a fundamental strategy for your business that impacts metrics, recruiting, sales team deployment, and of course, leadership provided by executives in the C-suite. You can’t just ask the VP of Sales to lead a major shift in the business. (More on that in this article I wrote for HBR a few years ago. ) Instead, focus part of your business strategy on differentiating and creating value in the sales process. That will create a unique prospect/client experience, that influences at least 25% of the buying decision according to McKinsey & Co. (and I think that number is massively understated.)

In order to deliver a sales experience that grows your bottom line, your team will have to make considerable changes in what it means to sell solutions today. If you're interested in learning more about what that means, read on.

New Partnership

I teamed up with LinkedIn Learning to create a video course on solution selling that outlines these approaches in great detail. It launched about a week ago and has been received quite well. The first two videos are free for a short time thanks to the sponsorship and support of LinkedIn Learning. Click the videos below to watch. You can read also my recent article on the future of solution selling here.

Client Congratulations

Jake Orville founded the Cleveland HeartLab as a spinoff of the Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland HeartLab has developed unique biomarker technology and tests designed to identify and reduce cardiovascular risk. This is a breakthrough innovation since 50% of people that have a heart attack or stroke have normal cholesterol—yet cholesterol is still the most commonly used test to access cardiovascular disease.

Over the years Jake and I have worked together on several engagements to lead the growth of the business. In December he completed the sale of the company to Fortune 500 company Quest Diagnostics for $94 million in cash. You can read more about it here .

And here is a video with Jake sharing a little bit about our work together.

The key reason Jake solidified a deal with Quest Diagnostics was to ensure that a solution to healthcare’s biggest problem, cardiovascular disease, would be accessible everywhere. With Quest’s scale and distribution, that will now be a reality. Big congratulations to Jake and the Cleveland HeartLab team.

A Slice of Life Balance

We don’t talk a lot about compassion in the world of business. And I don’t mean compassion for the homeless, or for children in peril, that anyone with a heart experiences. I also don’t mean civility (though plenty of leaders could start there), or sympathy or being soft and fuzzy. The kind of compassion I’m referring to is empathy that enables you as a leader to understand a different perspective, sense the motivations of others, and provide better guidance and direction.

Showing compassion of this sort isn’t just a nice thing to do. It will make you more effective as a leader. In research for my first book, The Inspiring Leader, we found data on compassionate behaviors strongly correlated with metrics such as higher levels of commitment from direct reports, decreased turnover, and even increased net income. Where could you be more compassionate? Small actions can make a big difference for the productivity and cohesiveness of your team.

01.08.18 - Edinger's Insights: The Real Reason Your Business Isn't Selling Solutions?

Wed, 03 Jan 2018 19:10:02 GMT

January 8, 2018

The Real Reason Your Business Isn't Selling Solutions?

Every business claims to sell a solution of some kind today. Many of those claims are grandiose. In fact, what many call "selling a solution" to a client is little more than fancy language. I worked with an industrial parts supplier (think nuts and bolts) that called their products "fastening solutions." Now in the most basic sense, if a solution is an answer to a problem, and the problem is that a customer needs to connect two pieces of metal, I guess nuts and bolts are technically a solution. But that's hardly how I would define the solution sale.

The idea of solution selling has been around for decades. And it's evolved, become more complex, more nuanced, and of course more difficult - just like every other function in business. Unfortunately, the pragmatics of solution selling have not evolved much further than sales techniques that are taught in training programs.

If you want your organization to be capable of selling solutions-the kind of solutions that make clients say: "We hadn't thought about doing it that way," "I didn't know you could do that for us," or "That's something we ought to consider changing," then it takes more than formulaic sales techniques and instructing the team to go sell solutions. That requires you as the leader of the business to prioritize selling solutions as a fundamental strategy for growth . Practically speaking, this means dedicating resources to develop the capability, committing finances to support the effort , measuring the leading indicators that reflect success , and rigorously managing and coaching your sales talent.

Do those things well and getting your sales team to execute on the behaviors of selling solutions will succeed. This approach can be very useful when part of an integrated strategy to create value for clients. If you are interested in a new way to support the use of solution selling skills in your company, check out the next section. If not, I'm afraid the research is overwhelming clear that sales training events alone have a low probability of producing results.

Special Announcement

LinkedIn and I have teamed up to create a brand new Solution Selling video course, specifically designed to help your sales team understand and apply the behaviors required to sell solutions to your clients. It will be available starting January 16th and I'll have links for you to preview videos in next month's newsletter.

VARIDESK Drawing Winners

My clients Dan Flaherty, Founder, and Jason McCann, CEO, of VARIDESK won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Emerging category. You can watch Jason's acceptance speech at the event here to learn more about VARIDESK and the great things this company is doing.

They offered to give five VARIDESK sit/stand adjustable desks to subscribers of this newsletter. The response was great and I did a quick video of the drawing that you can watch below.

Congratulations to the winners!

1. Bryan Price, Allscripts

2. Ali Ishaq, Jabil

3. David Schaffer, Raymond James

4. Andrew Deutscher, The Energy Project

5. Jason Metzger, Pure Insurance

A Slice of Life Balance

Take some time throughout your day to stand while you work. It can be during a phone call (I tend to walk around my office when I'm on a call), or while reading something, or even try a sit/stand desk if you choose. I know, that last bit may seem like a plug for my client VARIDESK since they made a great offer to readers of this newsletter, but the idea of standing while working is not new to me.

I've been a fan of the standing desk long before it was cool. Since 1997 to be exact, and I've been using one since. I was first turned on to the idea by another colleague who insisted it was his key to having energy throughout the day to complete tasks, make calls, etc. So I tried it. And loved it. It has made a huge difference in my work life.

You may remember hearing about a Mayo Clinic study from a couple of years ago that gave rise to the phrase "sitting is the new smoking." Whether you take it that far or not, it wouldn't hurt to get out of your chair a little more, right? It may help with your energy ebb and flow, it may help you to address back issues, and there is even research suggesting that others may hear a more powerful voice on the other end of the phone when you are standing. And with all those New Year's resolutions to be more active, lose weight, get healthier, etc., this may be an easy way to get started.

2017 December: Pitfalls Undermining Your Revenue Growth

Sun, 03 Dec 2017 17:08:40 GMT

December 2017

Pitfalls undermining your revenue growth

You will face plenty of hurdles when trying to grow the top line of your business. From rising customer expectations to competitive threats, many obstacles to revenue growth are out of your control completely.

In my experience, the most hazardous problems are those that are self-inflicted. They occur when leaders take counterproductive actions in an effort to produce results. For example: a company has a goal to improve customer satisfaction or net promoter scores, and an executive places limits on call times, in an effort toward efficiency. Bang! You've just shot yourself in the foot.

It's not insidious or intentional. It stems from unintended and unforeseen consequences of leadership decisions. Here are three I see most often:

Increasing revenue by declaration. Occasionally I'll see an executive speak about revenue growth as an imperative for the business. Sometimes a leader will go so far as to demand growth, even budgeting increases into the top line. But when those demands aren't backed up with a refined strategy, new offerings, or providing additional resources in marketing or sales, I wonder how revenue growth can possibly happen. Just telling people they need to produce more rarely works, even if they have excess capacity. Leaders have to be clear about what actually will drive the growth.

Changing sales compensation to improve performance. This is a perennial favorite. It's driven by an outdated notion that quality sales professionals are "coin-operated." Research shows that sales professionals are driven by autonomy and purpose as well as money. We've all encountered Bankers, Lawyers, Accountants, and leaders in other functions that are driven equally by financial gain. Compensation may get you additional effort (if the amount of compensation is significant), or it may provide a change in focus. But it won't make people better at their jobs.

Measuring the wrong data. Most corporate dashboards are judgments masquerading as data. Not that the reporting is inaccurate. Leaders make determinations about what data is predictive of results. Plenty of times the measures that portend success (like new client opportunity movement in the pipeline) get missed in favor of easier-to-report financial and efficiency metrics. Both types of data are important to know, but understanding which helps you manage the business better is critical, especially when it comes to growing revenue.

In medicine, sometimes the cure can cause more problems than the disease. Literally meaning "physician-induced," the term "iatrogenic" describes diseases inadvertently resulting from medical treatments or procedures. As an executive, you are responsible for the future value of your business. Make sure you aren't causing the kinds of problems you are paid to solve.

Client Congratulations

Last week, my clients Dan Flaherty, Founder, and Jason McCann, CEO, of VARIDESK won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Emerging category.

VARIDESK provides spectacular work place products that are leading the active-office revolution. I've had the chance to work with them over the last year and their business continues to thrive.

Now, here's the cool part. As a subscriber of this newsletter, you have a chance to get a VARIDESK sit/stand adjustable desk at no cost to you. Jason has agreed to send a VARIDESK to 5 subscribers of Edinger's Monthly Insights.

Just reply to this e-mail with "Yes, I'd like a VARIDESK!" and you'll be entered to win.

I'll put all the names in hat and draw out the winners. I'll do it on a video for those who want to see the drama of it all!

You can watch Jason's acceptance speech at the event here to learn more about VARIDESK and the great things this company is doing.

And of course, if your business has won a major award, let me know. I'd be pleased to recognize you in this newsletter.

A Slice of Life Balance

You can count on December to bring ample opportunities for both joy and exhaustion. You'll have many chances to spend time with friends, family, and colleagues to celebrate. Just remember there isn't much enjoyment in battling hangovers, eating to excess, and feeling rundown. We've all experienced having too much of a good thing.

So by all means, eat, drink, and be merry! But mix in healthy levels of self-care. It's easy to neglect those things that routinely help you feel good in favor of celebrating. But it doesn't have to be either/or. Take a walk outside after dinner, instead of immediately sitting down to watch TV for hours. Don't skip exercise in favor of frenetic holiday shopping. Build rest and relaxation time in to your schedule by not over programming every December minute. You'll need to be intentional about these things because it's easy to get swept away in holiday cheer. Take a little time in advance to consider how you will take care of your health and energy this December.

2017 November: How Executives Can Lead Top Line Growth

Fri, 03 Nov 2017 17:08:20 GMT

November 2017

How Executives Can Lead Top Line Growth

The surest path to increasing net income is to start with more revenue. That seems obvious. And while it may be common sense, it's anything but common practice. When executives are tasked with increasing profits, their response is almost Pavlovian: they try to reduce costs. And there's nothing wrong with trimming some fat. The real issue is the failure to put at least an equal amount of rigor toward leading revenue growth.

Remember the old saying: what's the best way to make a small fortune? Start with a large one. Applying that to top line growth, what's the best way to increase your net profit? Start with a larger gross profit. And once you've already reduced expenses, that can only happen with more revenue.

To drive a serious focus on increasing revenue, try this:

Get out of the echo chamber. It's hard for leaders to get really good insights about why clients don't buy from them. When executives visit prospects or clients, it is typically late in the sales cycle or with established clients. These aren't "value-less" meetings, but leaders would learn a lot more by talking to the indifferent prospects. That will give you a clear sense of what you and your sales team are really up against in the marketplace.
Take time to understand the sales forecast. Recognize that unlike most other measurement systems in your company, the forecast doesn't operate in a linear fashion. Some sales cycles move fast. Some slow. Some evaporate. So work with your sales organization to understand the factors that contribute to the velocity of your pipeline. Just looking at the numbers and asking for the "commit" number for each month or quarter will not help you figure out the revenue stream.
Prioritize "getting better" as a growth strategy. It's always surprising to me how few executives talk about improving sales capability to achieve higher levels of performance with clients. Especially for their customer-facing people who play a critical role in influencing customer buying decisions. The best way get better? Consistent effective coaching. My Harvard Business Review article Sales Teams Need More (and better) Coaching, explains this in detail.

If you are an executive with responsibility for the long-term value of a business, you have to demonstrate growth or at least have a clear trajectory. Expense reductions unquestionably hit the bottom line faster, which is great. But if you want to create real value, shift your focus to increasing the number at the top of your financials.

Coming Soon

I spent last week in Santa Barbara, CA filming a new program for LinkedIn. The course title is Solution Selling. It's a series of 21 videos, each breaking down a part of the solution sales process. The expected release date is January 2018 and there will be some sample videos to share soon.

A Slice of Life Balance

If you think the year has gone by fast so far, trust me - the next 60 days will go by in a flash. November and December are consumed with a sprint to finish the year strong, planning for 2018, and the holidays, all mixed together. If you have ever felt like "the holidays snuck up on you" and that you had to scramble to get gifts for family and friends, here's a plan for you.

In the next 3 days, take a moment to write down everyone you want to buy gifts for during Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, etc. Decide what you are going to get them, and then buy the gifts. Life will be a rush of things-to-do during mid- to late December. Plan and shop now, and you'll be able to relax a little (and actually enjoy!) the holidays.

2017 October: Sales Transformation Happens One Customer at a Time

Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:08:03 GMT

October 2017

Sales Transformation Happens One Customer at a Time

At first, I really liked the catchphrase "sales transformation." Transformation evokes images of a massive shift or something entirely different. The concept that businesses can transform themselves and become a dramatically different kind of organization is powerful. That a sales organization should play a vital role in that transformation by leading the shift in how clients buy and what they buy is something I advocate for. But unfortunately, most transformation efforts are anything but. I've see a lot of these well-meaning efforts quickly devolve from a sales revolution into modest changes so subtle they can hardly be noticed (especially on anyone's bottom line), or cosmetic changes with no real impact.

I recently had the chance to sit in on a review of a major transformation effort. It was articulated as hundreds of "workstreams," individual projects that were designed to create an essential shift for the business. I'm a believer that aggregated marginal gains can yield strong results. But after digging into the day-to-day outcomes of these projects, it was clear that this "transformation" was an overly complicated project focused on cost reductions. Few if any of the workstreams would make a substantive impact on the value being provided for clients or the company being able to earn a premium for that value. Hardly transformative.

Sales transformation happens one client at a time. When your client buys something from you that is fundamentally different than what you have sold to them before. When you sell to them in an entirely distinctive way and are able to bring value and earn a new premium for the work you do. When your client says, this is unequivocally different than what we've gotten before. That is a sales transformation.

Succeeding with a true sales transformation requires 3 things:

1. A new understanding of how sales creates value for customers.

2. An updated approach to the sales process and client relationship.

3. A fundamentally different way of managing and leading the sales organization.

Your efforts don't need to be entirely transformational all at once. I've seen progressively small changes in these three areas make considerable differences over time. These are not the kind of changes that happen on spreadsheets though. These changes require leadership from executives like you to communicate a vision for the sales organization, and create pragmatic strategies for implementing new approaches.

Below are links to a few articles I've written for Harvard Business Review that go into some depth on these topics.

I've worked with a cartoonist to capture some of the humorous things I see in organizations. I'll share them every other month and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did creating them!

A Slice of Life Balance

I'd like to say thank you to many of you who sent kind messages of condolence about my mom passing away last month. I appreciated each of those notes, and every one of them was a reminder that compassion is one of the best qualities we can express as human beings. The genuine compassion we feel and display when someone suffers a terrible loss is an important part of our humanity. But we are capable of compassion in small ways too. And I think we'd all be better off if we mustered a bit more of it.

You don't hear a lot about compassion in the world of business-in fact, in our focused drive for results, compassion is often thrown under the bus. But I encourage you to think about it in your interactions with others. Compassion helps us to understand and connect with others. It helps us to appreciate different perspectives and recognize some of the intentions behind the behaviors of others. Adding a small dose of compassion to your leadership efforts can make all the difference in motivating individuals, uniting teams and collaborating across divisions. I promise you won't have any negative effects and the upside may be tremendous.

2017 September: You Can't Cut Your Way To Growth

Sun, 03 Sep 2017 17:07:46 GMT

September 2017

You Can't Cut Your Way To Growth

Just about every C-level leader talks about how they want to grow their business. But their actions often say something quite different. Frequently cost reduction takes center stage, while actual growth stagnates.

I'm a huge fan of not wasting money on things that don't add value in a business. And there is plenty of fat to trim if you look strategically. Unfortunately, I see a lot of cost cutting becoming an end in itself. I met with a leader last month who was spending over $3M in consulting fees this year on an effort to reduce costs. Cue the irony. Senior managers reporting to this leader expressed zero confidence that the savings goal will be achieved. That's a lot of money to spend on saving, don't you think?

The truth is, you can't cut your way to growth. You can eliminate a particular job only once. Cutting non-essential travel is a norm to establish one time. You can only save so much on office supplies and important resources before you erode the effectiveness of your people and your enterprise.

As a leader responsible for the future value of the business, your strategy ought to focus on increasing the top line. Looking at cost-cutting versus growth strategies in purely financial terms, consider the following:

Capital costs are around historic lows. So in terms of financing debt, cash is close to free. So the value of accelerating growth-even over just the next year-is greater than improving margins. Here's why. With low capital cost the time value of money is low as well. That means revenue growth has more value to your business in the next year and beyond, than the limited dollars you may save in the next quarter.

Investors do not reward top line stagnation. I'm impressed with what IBM is doing with Watson Analytics. But IBM's stock price over the last five years is proof that increasing margins by expense reduction is not enough to create value.

While it's an obvious truth, we tend to forget that the best way to increase the bottom line is to make the top line larger. That won't happen if you fail to invest in the resources that will enable your growth in favor of cutting costs.

A Slice of Life Balance

Parents. We love them. And at times they can be such a hassle. But if you have parents who are living, take a moment to let them know how much you love them. You've heard this advice before about all loved ones. We know that we should pay more attention to the people who mean so much. But often we need a reminder as we wrangle overscheduled calendars and the ambivalence that exists in many relationships with parents.

So here is my prompt for you: Tell them. In person. FaceTime. Phone. Text. Whatever. Tell them not only that you love them but what they mean to you, or some of the things you love and appreciate about them.

A couple of weeks ago my mom passed away. I was able to share with her how much I loved her before she died. But in all honesty, I wish I had expressed the depth of those feelings more often. Trust me on this one. Take a few minutes to tell your parents "I love you" in the next couple of days. I promise you won't regret it.

2017 August: Leaders, Step Away From the Spreadsheet!

Thu, 03 Aug 2017 17:07:23 GMT

August 2017

Leaders, Step Away From the Spreadsheet!

A senior leader in a Fortune 500 company told me last week that most of his day was spent "massaging the numbers" so that they would appear more favorable to the Board. I've observed leaders spending considerable time on that same set of activities, often described as "managing the numbers," which involves adjusting, shifting, and manipulating numbers on spreadsheets. The purpose is often to create an outcome that looks more favorable than the current state.

It happens with P&L's, sales forecasts, market data, expense budgets, R&D pipelines, and so forth. Managing numbers can create a false sense of productivity and even security. It's a way of feeling that you've got a handle on what is happening or what could happen.

While it's absolutely necessary to pay attention to the primary analytics used to manage your business, there is a big problem with the considerable efforts that are dedicated to looking at figures on a spreadsheet. The fact is, you can't really "manage" numbers. Try as you may, your efforts will only occur in digital or paper form.

But, you can manage people!

Rather than blame "poor execution," focus on three things you can do when formulating, presenting, and managing your strategy.

1. You can manage people in terms of what they are doing. Using your strategy as your guide, you can manage priorities, focus, and decisions.

2. You can apply coaching, guidance, and feedback, you can manage how well people perform critical functions.

3. You can spend time with individuals and groups in person. Use video conferencing or the phone when being in person won't work. (However, avoid conference calls with more than 4-5 people-you know they aren't effective and research indicates that 47% of people are going to the bathroom. If this doesn't deter you, I don't know what will.)

In fact, when you provide people with great leadership, they'll frequently outperform the numbers on your spreadsheets. If you want to check out my research on this from my first Harvard Business Review article, click here.

If you want to make a difference, become a real influence, and have a game-changing impact on the results, step away from the spreadsheet. As a leader, it's your job to produce results. Investing your time, efforts and resources in people, rather than "massaging numbers" will have the greatest impact on bottom-line outcomes.

I've worked with a cartoonist to capture some of the humorous things I see in organizations. I'll share them every other month and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did creating them!

A Slice of Life Balance

We all need some time for ourselves. But with our many obligations, commitments, and responsibilities, scheduling that time usually falls too low on the list of priorities. Exercise and self-care activities are the basic level, and some people need to start there. But the real benefits start to accrue when you allow for space to reflect on something that's happened or think ahead. Spend time writing notes in a journal or just sitting quietly and allowing your mind to wander. That won't happen with your smartphone nearby either. Silence is a powerful tool for problem solving, making connections, and even innovation. But if you want it to work for you, you'll need to carve out the time for it. Try dedicating 15 minutes for quiet reflection sometime over the next few days and see what comes to mind.

2017 July: Stop Blaming Failed Strategy on "Poor Execution"

Mon, 03 Jul 2017 17:06:46 GMT

July 2017

Stop Blaming Failed Strategy on "Poor Execution"

About a year ago the CFO of a company told me over breakfast that his company had an excellent strategy. He went on to share that the stalled results of the company were due to poor execution of that strategy. Curious about what that really meant, I probed for additional detail. The conversation was productive, but my conclusion was that this was an all-too-common "Executive Cop-Out."

It's convenient. It's easy. It's a widely accepted excuse. But blaming failure of strategy on poor execution demonstrates an essential gap in understanding: strategy and its execution are inextricably linked. A fundamental part of strategy development should be consideration of the primary issues that could cause the strategy to fail. For instance, if you are concerned about the capabilities of your people in certain positions or locations, then your strategy should necessarily include additional measures to increase those capabilities to ensure effective execution. If you haven't planned for these issues, then failure was baked into your strategy from the start.

Rather than blame "poor execution," focus on three things you can do when formulating, presenting, and managing your strategy.

1. Articulate your strategy in pragmatic terms. As I often say, explain it as if you are talking with a friend from high school. Strategy presentations often leave me feeling like I've just been handed the instructions for building an entertainment center from IKEA: the diagrams are hard to follow, and the words are all in a foreign language. If you can't tell me your strategy in a few simple sentences, there is little chance that others in your company will be able to grasp your strategy and execute it. Effective strategies include the scope of products and services, markets, and how you will win.

2. Establish the priorities that are fundamental to the achievement of your strategy. Define the capabilities and resources you need in order to implement that strategy and express them as projects you can complete. You'll have to make tough choices here because you can't do everything and advancing 3 priorities by miles is far better than advancing a dozen by inches.

3. Create a management framework that unequivocally defines the leading indicators of progress for your strategy. Some cars have a light that flashes on when the engine overheats, and some have a gauge that shows the temperature as it increases. Your strategy needs measurable milestones that portend success, not just a warning light when the engine has already boiled over. And I'm not talking about rear-view mirror financial results, which can only show you the past, not the future.

If a company strategy is not achieving the desired outcomes, you have to question the strategy itself, not only the execution. Parsing away execution alone as the causal factor may provide some comfort or defense for the creators of that strategy, but it won't work in solving the problem and restoring results. No strategy can be called "excellent" if it's not working.

A Slice of Life Balance

We are halfway through 2017 and in the heart of vacation season. Every year we say the year is flying by. That's because it is. So don't be surprised by that fact: take time to slow it down with your vacation.

You don't need me to extoll the benefits of taking time off work. There is plenty of research about this, including that people who take more vacation time tend to be rated higher in evaluations by their bosses and viewed as more productive by peers. But I do have some ideas on how you as a leader can prepare for and manage your vacation. I've written about this for Harvard Business Review and have been interviewed by HBR as well. Below are links to articles that I believe you'll find useful. I've worked with enough executives to know that time away from work is an important ingredient to high performance, so you might as well get good at it!

2017 June: The Overlooked Beginning of the Customer Experience

Sat, 03 Jun 2017 17:06:27 GMT

June 2017

The Overlooked Beginning of the Customer Experience

Customer experience is the hot topic in a lot of companies. It's not a new concept. But as an area of focus for improvement, it's picking up huge momentum and generating new terms like the "customer journey" and "customer lifecycle." Yet most of what I hear on this topic is about influencing the experience after someone has already become a customer. That ignores the critical first mile of the journey, which is the experience of becoming a customer. And if you don't do an exceptional job with that initial segment, there are probably many prospects missing out on the terrific customer experience you could provide.

The experience of becoming a customer is frequently overlooked, and it is rarely discussed within the sales function. As a leader, if you are serious about providing an excellent customer experience to match the quality of the products and services you offer, you must make sure it begins within your sales organization.

Imagine what potential new customers considering your business encounter:

Do they feel that your sellers understand their needs and goals, or do they feel unduly pressured by a seller trying to close because leaders are pushing for more revenue?
Do they gain insights about issues they face, opportunities they can capitalize on, or unintended consequences they can avoid from your sales professionals? Or must they sit through a capabilities pitch because that's what your marketing team is providing.
Does your sales team provide the opportunity to discuss their concerns productively and resolve them collaboratively? Or are your sellers trained to address customer concerns with cheesy objection handling tactics.
Does the initial sales contact reflect your brand and accelerate your value? Or is it a hurdle that potential clients need to endure to get to the good stuff?

If you are serious about improving your customer experience, you need to think critically and carefully about the journey from prospect to customer. For better or worse, your potential clients will project their experience forward. "If it is this good/bad now, imagine how good/bad it will be when they have my money?" The answer to this question will likely determine your success.

If you are interested in exploring this topic further, you may enjoy my HBR article from last month: Sales Reps Stop Asking Leading Questions.

I've worked with a cartoonist to capture some of the humorous things I see in organizations. I'll share them every other month and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did creating them!

A Slice of Life Balance

I used to do triathlons and the transition time between the swim, bike, and run is so important that it's often referred to as the "fourth event". We'd even practice the elements of the transition, from the well-organized set up of gear, a coasting dismount from the bike, even the most efficient way to change into running shoes. All to make sure that you were able to effectively wrap up the prior event and move on to the next as quickly and smoothly as possible, without forgetting anything or making a careless mistake because of haste.

I notice a lot of rushing from back to back-to-back meetings and conference calls. And at times I've been guilty of stacking too many commitments on top of one another. The result is a breathless hurry that reduces focus and effectiveness. Just like the transitions between events in a triathlon, you need to take a moment to prepare for the next thing if you want to achieve peak performance.

Try giving yourself a few minutes between commitments to process any follow up actions needed from your last meeting. Then take a moment to think about what you are doing next, what you will need, and what mindset will serve you best. Effective transitions can make the entire race much smoother and more enjoyable.

2017 May: Changing Sales Compensation Won't Fix Your Revenue Growth Problem

Wed, 03 May 2017 17:06:09 GMT

May 2017

I'll be leading a session sponsored by the Tampa Bay Business Journal and the Centre Club. If you're going to be in the area, I hope you can join me. Click here to register!

Changing Sales Compensation Won't Fix Your Revenue Growth Problem

There is no silver bullet when it comes to leading revenue growth. But if I were to nominate the idea "most likely to be considered a silver bullet" in this category, it would be change the sales compensation plan. It is a popular topic, immediately tangible, and can be tracked on a spreadsheet-what more could you ask for, right? Unfortunately, it doesn't work. Here's why changing the sales compensation plan is unlikely to yield great results for you:

Changing the compensation plan will not make your salespeople perform better.

It's popular to say that sales people are "coin operated", but they actually aren't driven by financial rewards any more than CEOs, CFOs, lawyers, or anyone else who prioritizes earning money in their career. Contemporary research indicates that financial remuneration is one of a handful of hygiene factors-issues that are most noticeable when they are absent or insufficient-that affect how we feel about our job. Compensation is an enabler more than a motivator.

It's possible that you might get greater commitment from your sales team by trotting out a new compensation plan. That could have an impact if your lack of growth is because they aren't working hard enough. Changing the compensation plan could also be an opportunity to shift focus. Which can certainly help you emphasize a specific product line, product and service combination, or re-allocate effort toward a certain type of customer.

But ultimately, simply changing how you compensate your sales team won't make people better at their jobs, and that's the underlying issue you are trying to address. The answers to fixing your revenue growth problem include:

Clarify your strategy and drill down on your ideal client profile. Then make sure your sales team knows how to execute on that strategy and prioritizes ideal clients, rather than believing any sale is a good sale.
Focus your sales team on bringing added value to your clients, beyond the sales transaction.
Provide consistent developmental coaching (and asking for numbers updates is not coaching).

These ideas may not seem as exciting or tangible as a shiny new compensation plan, but this is the roll-up-your-sleeves hard work of great leaders. Of course it's important to have a compensation plan that supports sales growth goals, and it ought to be very clear and straightforward. But compensation solutions don't fix capability issues. A compensation plan is no substitute for leadership.

In case you missed it last month, check out my latest whitepaper "Sales - Where Strategy Goes to Die."

I'll be speaking on this topic at Tech Data's upcoming TechSelect conference this week in Savanah.

A Slice of Life Balance

Everyone gets sick occasionally, even high performers. When you get hit with a nasty virus, allow yourself the recovery time needed to get better. Sometimes, illness is a not-so-subtle message that you are pushing yourself too hard or that something is amiss in your environment. Take heed. Don't go back to the same routine as soon as you feel marginally better. Consider possible causes, even if it's an obvious "bug that's been going around." Perhaps there are lifestyle issues (insufficient sleep, poor diet, non-stop stress, etc.) that made you more susceptible. A few small changes in your habits could increase your resistance the next time a bad bug comes to town.

(And yes, I was just sick. Miserably. I must have picked it up volunteering at my daughter's kindergarten class, which is a petri dish of germs. But I've volunteered before and left unscathed.)

2017 April: Sales Reps, Stop Asking Leading Questions

scott@scottedinger.com (Scott Edinger) — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 17:05:50 GMT

April 2017

Sales Reps, Stop Asking Leading Questions

My latest article for Harvard Business Review deals with some of the overlooked challenges and nuances of the solution sale. To maximize the strategic potency of consultative selling, we have to move beyond a simplistic view of what it means to sell solutions and examine how the most effective sales professionals execute on this strategy.

Read it here: Sales Reps, Stop Asking Leading Questions

Sales Transformation is Harder Than it Sounds

20 years ago, John Kotter wrote "Leading Change: why transformation efforts fail." At the time, it was hailed as the seminal work on business transformation. I recently re-read the article and noted many of the mistakes Kotter described still being made in companies today, despite the massive increase in literature and case studies around this topic. "Business transformation" has been a recurrent and much-discussed topic over the past two decades and it doesn't look to stop . Just as with weight loss, a clearly defined process for transformation doesn't produce equal results for every business.

In my experience, no business really transforms without a metamorphosis of sales. Because companies transform one new client at a time. Change happens with the acquisition of a new client or expansion of an existing one; it happens when you provide a product, service, or combination that clients have not bought before, and when you are paid a premium for new value offerings. This is "Transformation" with a capital T that shows up on your top line, your bottom line, and has the chance to impact the valuation of a company.

One predictable failure point happens when leaders don't create pragmatic strategies that a sales organization can execute on. Strategies lack practical application when they are either:

1) A financial goal masquerading as a strategy (growth targets do not provide strategic direction to lead business transformation);

2) Too amorphous or vague to be implemented in a meaningful way (no one outside of the board room truly understands how the strategy applies to daily decisions); or

3) Overly focused on internal work streams at the expense of creating growth and value in the marketplace (inward focus can improve efficiency but it is insufficient to achieve true business transformation).

Last month, I published my latest white paper, Sales - Where Strategy Goes to Die, which highlights ways to address common strategy failures in relationship to sales. You can read it here... and there is more coming on this topic.

Special Announcement

I'll be doing a Latin America speaking tour in the early fall. See this advertisement about The Hidden Leader in La República, The newspaper in Bogota, Columbia.

The events are being sponsored by getabstract, who produced a terrific 5 page summary of the book. (if you'd like a complimentary copy, reply to this message or send me an email asking for the summary and I'll send it to you.) Details on dates to come.

A Slice of Life Balance

In all the busyness and rush of life, try hitting the Pause button quarterly. Many leaders I've spoken with comment that the year started fast and is picking up speed ("can you believe its April already?") But you can slow it down a little, by giving yourself a few hours to take stock of how things went for you in the first quarter of 2017. These hours are not time to catch up on work. Rather, set aside this time to identify what's on track for you and what isn't. Some things are no doubt working well for you. Some of your "systems" (e.g. email, priority management, etc.) may need to be fine-tuned. Or maybe you need to re-evaluate how your health or diet routine is contributing to your energy levels or lack thereof. Perhaps a bit more connection to family or friends is missing. Some good categories to consider are: Health, Relationships, Finances, State of Mind, Personal Growth and Development. Chose categories to evaluate that are important to you, and don't wait until the year has flown by so quickly that you find yourself making New Year's Resolutions on these topics.

2017 March: Sales - Where Strategy Goes to Die

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 17:05:26 GMT

March 2017

Sales - Where Strategy Goes to Die

Corporate strategy, conceived in the boardroom, most often dies when handed over to a sales team on the front lines. What many executives don't understand is that sales is strategy, and most revenue shortfalls are failures of leadership and not of sales.In this month's newsletter I'm including a link to my latest white paper, Sales - Where Strategy Goes To Die in place of my typical monthly article.

Until recently, I've been guilty of separating strategy, leadership, and sales in my work with clients. In part, that's because a lot of organizations view each as a unique discipline. While they consist of different components in the equation to drive results, I've observed that they are inextricably linked in high performance organizations. I think you will see that too when you read, Sales - Where Strategy Goes To Die.

I've worked with a cartoonist to capture some of the humorous things I see in organizations. I'll share them every other month and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did creating them.

A Slice of Life Balance

Try a short walk-preferably outside-in the middle of your workday. Every one of us needs to add more movement in to our days. And it's a bonus if you can get outside (many of you work in offices without going outside at all during the day, so getting fresh air may feel like rarefied air.) Don't talk on the phone or read anything on a screen. Just walk--even its five or ten minutes. It's a pretty easy way to increase your energy and boost creative thinking and clearer thinking. I won't bore you with the science behind it, but if you are curious you'll find one such study from the Journal of Experimental Psychology here.

2017 February: No One Has Ever Been Inspired By An Email

Fri, 03 Feb 2017 17:04:58 GMT

February 2017

No One Has Ever Been Inspired By An Email

During the Q&A portion of a speech I delivered at a conference a few weeks ago, I had several people asking questions about email, including a manager who asked, "How can I motivate my team when we communicate mostly by email?" I shared my point of view with the audience: "I've never heard anyone say that they were inspired by an email."

The uncomfortable laughter said it all. On some level, we recognize that email isn't as effective as other ways of connecting with our colleagues, yet it is still our go-to for much of our communication these days: it's fast, you don't have to think too much about it, you can get a message out to many people simultaneously, you can compose an email any time of the day or night and get something off your mind and on to someone else's. And email is useful when you're communicating simple, straightforward things. But how many truly simple things are you and your team working on? Ask yourself that question and then consider the number of emails you send every day.

Managers who use email a lot may develop a false sense of efficiency, while sacrificing effectiveness. If you are working to get better results through a team, motivate people to go above and beyond for you, address thorny issues, develop an innovative product, influence a decision, formulate a clear strategy, or create something of value, odds are it won't happen on email. Executing on complex goals requires that we use all the interpersonal skills in our toolbox, especially verbal communication.

Pick up the phone, walk down the hall to see someone face to face, or use Skype, FaceTime, or another teleconferencing application, to talk with your team members, board members, or customers. You may find you actually save time by speaking to others on your team in small group or one-on-one settings. We tend to be serial multi-taskers, reading reports while listening in on a conference call, or covertly checking email while sitting in a large group meeting. But you can't multi-task when you're required to talk with someone and you're focusing all your attention on the topic to be dealt with. Taking 5 or 10 minutes to really hone in on a subject can prevent misunderstandings, enable smart and speedy decision making, and increase connections with colleagues and clients.

Email has plenty of good utility, and I'm not suggesting you live without it. Though Cal Newport, has an interesting take on this, which you can read here . Rather than relying on email as your default method of communication, why not try mixing it up with a variety of verbal options? You'll keep your team on their toes and who knows? You might even inspire someone.

A Slice of Life Balance

It amazes me how quick we are to sacrifice quality sleep in an effort to do more. It's completely counterintuitive - sleep has a dramatic influence on your performance, and there are thousands of studies proving that sleeping more can help you achieve everything from faster 100m sprints, preventing weight gain, problem solving, more accurate free-throws and innovation. Take a look at the science on this here and you'll see it is unequivocal.

You don't just need enough; you need the right kind of sleep. We experience two main sleep cycles every night: "slow wave sleep" and "REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep." Slow wave sleep is vital for the repair and renewal of your body, which is why top athletes aim for as much as 11-12 hours a night. REM sleep facilitates neural growth and cognitive development by organizing information and making connections between experiences.

8 hours a night (which we all know isn't easy to get on a busy schedule) is recommended for good reason. Try it for a while and see if you experience a difference in your performance.

2017 January: How Leaders Kill Innovation

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 17:04:32 GMT

January 2017

Happy New Year

I've worked with a cartoonist to capture some of the humorous things I see in organizations. I'll share them every other month and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did creating them.

Leading Revenue Growth

January has a way of making us all feel a little like Sisyphus. Starting over again at the bottom, ready to push the boulder up the hill all year until next January 1 st , when it begins all over again. For many of you leading companies or business units, that boulder is your revenue or operating profit target, and it's likely to be heavier than it was 12 months ago.

But it absolutely doesn't need to be more difficult, and with the right strategies you can accelerate growth with less brute force. Here are 3 ideas to help you create and sustain momentum.

1. Define your strategy (or translate it) so that your sales team can execute it everyday. Strategies never fail in the boardroom where they are formulated. If they fail, it's because the market doesn't respond the way you hoped it would. Every time someone from your company interacts with a client or prospect, your strategy succeeds or fails. Your advantages make a difference or fall flat. Or maybe they haven't made it in to the discussion at all. Strategy isn't for PowerPoint or Binders on shelves. Your strategy should be expressed as a daily operating plans as a way of thinking that guides the decisions and actions of your team. For more ideas on how to get your sales team to execute your strategy , read my HBR article by the same name.

2. Make improvement part of the job. If you and your teams are going to be more effective in 2017, you have to work smarter rather than harder. Sending everyone to

a training program for a day or two is unlikely to create long-term results. It is the primary responsibility of a leader to improve the capability of their teams and that happens the same way it does in the arts, sports, or even chess. By providing a role model of what excellent looks like, observing practice, providing skilled feedback to improve, and trying again. That sequence can take 5 minutes and it doesn't have to be an onerous exercise. If you want to focus on improving performance in this area, check out my HBR article titled: Sales Teams Need More (And Better) Coaching .

3. Measure the right things. Most companies have dozens of KPIs but only a few make a substantive difference. You can't manage numbers, but you can manage people and the actions they take. Doing so effectively requires some diligence in establishing leading indicators-metrics that are predictive of or portend success. Revenue and Profit are the ultimate outcomes, but measuring them weekly or daily is akin to checking the gas gauge every 5 miles. For a sense of how to establish the right metrics for your business, my article The Metrics Sales Leaders Should Be Tracking from HBR can help.

These are three powerful strategies to give you some extra power as you work to increase the velocity, and perhaps reduce the effort, of moving that boulder to the next plateau.

A Slice of Life Balance

Don't forget to take some time to reflect on the year that was before launching in to the year that will be. You don't need an agenda or a list of questions to answer, though if you have some that's fine too. If you allow yourself some time and a blank sheet of paper (the best tool for thinking), I think you'll find that a quiet hour of thinking back will help you tremendously in moving forward.