Embracing Failure to Succeed!?!?!?!

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

There are many adagios about innovation and success being predicated on failure and mistakes. Some of history’s most accomplished individuals say it is so.

Thomas Edison once proclaimed, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that do not work”

Now that’s dedication!

This witty remark is from Woody Allen, “If you’re not failing, you’re not trying anything.”

How’s that for reframing failure.

And Beverly Sills gave this retort, “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.”

So in other words, fear not and go forth! Failure isn’t a bad thing; it’s a reality of a life fully lived. Don’t let the potential for failure hold you back from creating your dream.

Sometimes, what we intellectually know and what we deep down believe are two different things. I recently realized that while I understood the importance of failing forward towards success I didn’t want to believe that I might actually fail. “Oh no the horror of failing!”

I dream big, but I don’t always step forward into acting on those dreams. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take risks. But setting my sights on a big dream and putting myself out there to potentially fail publicly feels rather daunting (and humiliating). I realize now my predominant thought process went like this, “I’m willing to make mistakes as long as people know I don’t make epic failures.”

How did I come to realize this rather disturbing limiting belief? Well, you know how they say to not take anything personally (and by they I mean Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements). It’s a good rule of thumb because most people’s actions, comments, etc. are not a reflection of you, but are a result of their own insecurities…

One day in the not so distant past I caught myself being pretty critical of others. Not just any people, I was being harshly critical of some entrepreneurs that I know who had dreamed big, got a few years into their journey and failed. As I reflected on my judgmental thoughts (yes, I admit I can be judgmental, but I strive to not be), I realized that I wasn’t just criticizing an element of their business, I was questioning their effort in general; why did they even bother! That’s a rather blasphemous thought for me to have given the values I hold near and dear.

Sure, there might have been problems with their business model, or ways that they led their organization asunder. But I truthfully don’t know that much about their situations to be so discerning. What I do know is that these people had the courage to show up and a willingness to be vulnerable that I’m aspiring to. And that’s the thing about vulnerability, people (the one’s whose respect is worth having) don’t judge you so harshly for “epic failures.” In fact, there’s a lot of respect to be gained from putting yourself out there, taking a risk and going for it. And while my own insecurities caused me to interpret someone’s failure negatively other’s saw character, creativity and strength.

That is how I learned that I needed to shift my perceptions, because acting on big dreams means putting yourself out there without any certainty of the outcomes. I’m embracing failure to succeed so that I may go forth into the unknown world of possibility.

We all have different fears or limiting beliefs that hold us back. I don’t know the obstacles that you need to overcome. But I will encourage you to take some time to develop awareness of how your own fear of failure manifests. Start by reflecting on the moments you find yourself being critical of the “failures” of others. What did they do? Why is their failure such a bad thing? And how does your critique reflect on your own actions or lack there of?

Celebrating 1 Year of Blogging – Lessons and Reflections

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

A year ago I launched my website and Blog, Life Lessons with Rose. It was an exciting next step for me, one (of many) that proved my business was a reality; I existed in the digital world!

Blogging has been quite an experience. I learned that I actually love to write. This coming from the girl that had anxiety around writing for years, throughout college and graduate school. The anxiety all started when my 9th grade English teacher publicly criticized my writing in-front of the entire class. I was mortified and, ironically, wrote in my journal how my dream of being a writer died that day.

I considered starting a blog over six years ago. It took me five years to confront the tension and fear surrounding my own writing so that I felt capable of blogging. Sure I might never write like Barbara Kingsolver or Chiam Potok (two of my all-time favorite authors during my formative teenage years) but I have my own unique voice and off-the-wall commentary to share. Conquer anxiety around writing, check.

That’s not to say I don’t get nervous every time I post a blog, I do. What I’ve found is that while the ideas, and words may flow easily from my mind through my fingers, latent fears still hold me back. I’ve skipped posting a new blog on busy weeks not because I didn’t have anything written but because I didn’t have the confidence to share it with you. It’s tough putting yourself out there for the world to judge and critique, but it’s necessary. Learning to separate my self-image from my writing is a continual process.

As I work on my blog I’m often reminded of how one of my strengths quickly turns into a weakness; I’m a big picture thinker. I not only see how things are interconnected, I’m not satisfied until I explore every facet, nock and cranny that bears some sort of relevance to the topic at hand. In short, I dream big, have a hard time staying focussed and don’t always get to “my point.”

I still have a copy of this memorable term paper!

While blogging over the last year I’ve had many flashbacks to a college experience. My Professor encouragingly said about a term paper I was working on, “Ariana, you’re ideas are cutting edge, but you have about 9 thesis statements here. Pick one and focus on it.”

I heard her advice, and I tried to follow it….but I couldn’t ignore my innate curiosity to understand everything that impacted Shamanism in Nepal. I ended up with a 19 page (double spaced) term paper that cited 21 different sources (that’s an average of 1.1 bibliographic sources per page, only slightly absurd). But I swear, it was all relevant!

I feel that my blog is much like that term paper. Largely inspired by a desire to make sense of my own experiences and curiosity about the world. Loosely focussed on the intersection of personal mastery and business. Drawing on a selection of the diverse books and articles I’ve read. Also similar to my school days, I’m consistently quirky with an unpredictability that drives even me a little nutty sometimes.

But alas, despite all the ups and downs it’s been a worthwhile journey that I want to celebrate. Over the last year I have posted a total of 79 blogs (this is my 80th). My most popular blog was “Admirables: Dani Grant” My most frequently used tags are: Personal Mastery, and Business (hey maybe I’m more focussed than I give myself credit!). And my most commented on post was “From Participant to Presenter – Reflections From TEDx FoCo ‘The Art of Inspiration.’”

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank those that have read my online ranting. There are 66 people currently subscribed to my blog. And while I don’t think I have anything particularly new or original to say, my hope is that I provide a spark of inspiration and a pinch of perspective that encourages forward progress on your own journey.

Customer Feedback, Do You Really Want it?

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

Photo by Shinealight from flickr

There are certain things you hear in business that start to sound very cliché. You know you’ve heard one when you respond by rolling your eyes and making a soft sigh of disappointment. A cliché that causes such a reaction for me is when someone says “If we don’t get your feedback, we don’t know how we can improve” after I’ve shared a poor customer experience with the business.

No SH*T! You don’t know what you don’t know – none of us do. But as your customer, that’s not my problem, is it. We’re all responsible for figuring out that which we don’t know that we will benefit from knowing….Furthermore, if you’re not getting the feedback you need to improve your business that’s your fault not your customers. Either you’re not asking for the feedback, or you’re not creating a culture for open sharing (maybe it is both).

Just simply saying, we appreciate your feedback is not good enough. You actually have to ask pointed questions, demonstrate a respectful responsiveness to their suggestions, and own up to your mistakes. And remember, just because you seek feedback doesn’t mean you have to act on everyone’s ideas. As a business owner you are responsible for making critical decisions about what’s important and what isn’t. At the very least you can make informed decisions here by gaining the perpective of your customer.

There are many reasons we’ll avoid feedback. Sometimes we’ll dismiss another’s idea because we think we know best. Other times we’ll get annoyed when we keep receiving the same recommendations time and time again but because of resource constraints their “great idea” isn’t plausible. Whatever the caveat may be, you can’t take it out on your customers. This is a great opportunity to use some of those communication skills we’ve been developing.

Show you’re listening to what they’re saying by repeating what you hear back to them in your own words. Demonstrate you respect their opinion and feelings by conveying what you will or will not do about it and why (show up and be real. In other words, be vulnerable). It might take a few minutes longer to provide such an explanation but people will appreciate it much more than being ignored or receiving a curt response, “Well, thanks but that’s just not possible.” Obviously, as a consumer I get emotional about this topic.

But, I’ve been on the other side of this fence as well. I am the service provider that relies on the feedback and insight of my clients. In fact, just the other day I found out that my online reservation system for EntrepreNerds wasn’t working (DUH, that explains a lot)! But I didn’t realize the problem until someone told me (thank you Roger) and I know a handful of people experienced it before but didn’t say a thing. I could get annoyed that no one told me sooner, or I could accept responsibility for not seeking the feedback earlier. I could have simply said, “Hey you mentioned that you wanted to come to the workshop in March but I don’t see your RSVP online, is there anything I can do to help get you registered?”

If you truly do care about creating opportunities for your customers to share their feedback, than you have to seek it out. And you have to do it regularly, and in a variety of ways. I practice 4 easy ways of asking for feedback that I highly recommend.

Surveys – Create a short survey online and distribute it via email campaigns, social media, etc. There are many free or low-cost resources like Survey Monkey or Google Forms. I like to ask survey questions in a few different formats, on a lycra scale, multiple choice and open ended. I will send out surveys to EntrepreNerds participants after a session to get their feedback and will do a general survey of the entire group at least once a year. Sometimes it helps to offer an incentive, like being entered into a drawing for taking a survey.
In Conversation – Mention in meetings, presentations, phone calls or networking socials that you’d like to hear ideas or suggestions should people have any. And when they do offer feedback, listen deeply and respond respectfully. I will call clients to chat with them about their experiences and ask for any feedback or suggestions directly. Just today I spoke with two EntrepreNerds participants on the phone about their thoughts and recommendations. It was helpful for me and it showed them that I care.
Email Correspondences – When signing off on email correspondences, be it to an individual or to a group, let people know that you’re available should they have any questions or concerns to discuss. If you think you’re too important or too busy to make yourself available to such impromptu conversations you’re entirely missing the point. I do this in almost all my email correspondences to make sure people know that I’m ready to help should they need to air any grievances or ideas.
Social Media – This is a newer form of customer engagement that is still evolving today and it is powerful. Use your business social media accounts to ask questions, post polls, and encourage engagement from your clients. Should someone share critical feedback on social media respond in a timely and respectful fashion, don’t ignore it or make a threat (I know of instances where companies have made threats and accusations when a customer made a critical post on facebook…talk about a negative multiplier effect!).

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that I’m perfect, I still have room for improvement here. But in case I haven’t made myself clear, I’ll take your two cents anytime, your feedback is always welcome here

5 Steps to Building Win-Win Community Partnerships

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

Everyone has at least one hot-button issue. A boss from an old job of mine used to say, “Everything’s sales!” Not surprisingly, I was in a sales position at the time. His was a philosophy I didn’t much care for as it felt kind of… shallow.

When I think of Community I think of the Farmers Market as a great visual!

On the other-hand, one of my personal hot-button issues is community. For me everything in business and life personally, is about building, nurturing and sustaining community. Simply put, I dork out over community. To be fair, I think that working within (and creating) communities is an integral piece to business and personal success these days. I believe people and organizations that can effectively and respectfully leverage community partnerships are at an advantage!

I’ve been building win-win community partnerships for the last 5+ years; it is one of my favorite things. I love meeting others, exploring opportunities for collaboration and executing on a mutually beneficial arrangement. It should come as no surprise that when I started EntrepreNerds earlier this year, I immediately began collaborating with complimentary businesses. The results of which produced outcomes I never expected, nor would I have achieved them on my own!

While everyone’s experiences are usually a little different, there are a few general rules you should follow. I’d like to share the five steps I’ve learned to form win-win community partnerships.

Think Vertically – Brainstorm a list of products or services that directly or indirectly support what you’re doing. For example when starting a business book club, an independently owned book store makes for a good partner.
Who Do You Already Know – Look over your existing contacts and connect with people in positions that compliment your own efforts. Working with your existing contacts usually means you have already established trust as well, that’s an added bonus. For example, I’ve been working with Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins for years prior to starting EntrepreNerds. In fact, in 2008 I told Susie, the owner, that I thought someone should start a business book club…..
What Do you Have to Offer – It’s easy sometimes to think about the things you can get out of working with others (truly it is, we don’t have to act like we’re totally self-less to be good collaborators). But going to the table with “What’s in it for me” isn’t exactly a win-win proposition. Think about it from their perspective, what genuinely helps them out. Consider the unique value and experterience (yeah, I like that word a lot now, experience + expertise = experterience) that you enjoy bringing to the table. Make it meaningful and manageable.
Set Clear, Mutually Agreed Upon Expectations– I’ve seen many-a-projects go astray when expectations aren’t determined together, and from the beginning. If tis is poorly executed, the trust may begin to disintegrate. Determining who is responsible, and what their responsible for helps to ensure that all bases are covered without stepping on other’s toes as well.
Keep the Conversation Going – Open communication is key. Most partnerships are formed in a dynamic world that’s ever-evolving. As things change, you each grow. Therefore, you must discuss the ways your working relationship will evolve as well. This might mean a change in responsibilities, a shift in the value exchanged, or that you’re going entirely in different directions!

Like mostly everything else in business, managing community partnerships is a continuous process. One that requires on-going effort: to evaluate, strategize and act.

Not All Businesses are Bad, Nor All Nonprofits are Inherently Good: 3 Steps to Let Go of Limiting Beliefs

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

A while back a colleague said to me that they only worked with nonprofits and government agencies because they just wanted to help organizations that supported the greater good and not companies trying to make a profit. Clearly this has stuck with me. What I found interesting is that this individual runs a business…..

Photo by Gabus

Beyond that, I heard a basic underlying assumption that I think is antiquated and definitely not always true: all nonprofits are good and all businesses are bad! In theory, this assumption makes sense (kinda). But the reality is that there are nonprofits that are run poorly or operate without integrity in the name of the greater good. In addition, there are now more and more businesses that are committed to benefiting society as well as making a profit.

I recently read The Honest Truth About Dishonesty by Dan Ariely (a great book I highly recommend) and I was intrigued to learn that one of the most compelling reasons people will lie or cheat is for altruism. Apparently, doing something for others gives people this perception that it is ok to bend the rules or flat out break them. Dan Ariely even made a note in his book that while he has not done any research on behavioral economics in the nonprofit sector the correlation there cannot be ignored.

Support Local Business

Please note, I don’t mean to make a blanket judgement about nonprofits. Obviously a commitment to altruism doesn’t equal a lack of integrity. But this is a concern that needs to be more openly addressed and discussed. Instead of making a blanket judgement about an organization’s intent as benevolent or malevolent based on their tax ID status, we need to look at additional indicators for assessing their “goodness.” And we need to let go of limiting beliefs like these that inhibit innovation and ultimately stifle forward progress.

The first step in letting go of these kinds of limiting beliefs is (well kinda like the 12 steps to sobriety) recognizing there’s a problem. The problem being that we possess these “rules” of life which we live by that are in-and-of-themselves limiting beliefs. All business is bad and all nonprofits are good is just one example of a limiting belief. Other examples include: failure is bad, mistakes are unacceptable, or we must never portray our vulnerability.

The second step is to engage in reflection. As Petter Senge says, reflections is the art of “slowing down our thinking process to become more aware” of how our limiting beliefs are formed. This kind of self-reflection may occur in conversation with others, through journaling, or meditation. If this kind of practice is challenging for you, a coach, mentor or teacher can provide invaluable guidance and insight along the way.

The third step is to develop a habit of inquisition by asking probing questions and searching out new information. Remember those times when you (or someone else) got in trouble for questioning authority? Well, don’t let that stop you from challenging others because that in-and-of-itself is also antiquated thinking. As a leader, you not only have to challenge assumptions, you also must deftly address difficult questions.

By following these three (seemingly simple yet difficult in practice) steps we can avoid limiting beliefs or assumptions that ineffectively characterize the world around us and therefore squander our potential to create positive, meaningful change.

5 Reasons Why Not Knowing How to Do Something Should Never Stop You From Doing It

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

Have you ever uttered these words, “I can’t do that, I don’t know how to!”

Photo by Bruce Turner

I’m pretty sure we all have had that sentiment at one point or another. Maybe you want to sew some curtains for your home, but than you think, “I don’t know how to sew, I can’t do that.” Similar situations can happen to us professionally as well as personally.

The pervasive feeling here is that you have to learn how to do something before you can actually do it. A lot of this is predicated on fear, “What if I mess up” or a lack of confidence, “I just don’t know what I’m doing.” That’s that sound of you holding yourself back! So stop it, What’s the worst thing that could happen anyway?

Here’s a newsflash for you, most of us don’t know what we’re doing and we make it up as we go along! This is especially true when innovation occurs. Do you think Thomas Edison knew what he was doing when he invented electricity. Or that Robert Cailliau and Tim Berners-Lee knew what they were doing when they invented the internet, of course not!

They figured it out as they went by: 1) envisioning the outcome they sought to create, 2) drawing on the knowledge they possessed, 3) experimenting with trial and error and 4) improving along the way until they arrived. If they can do it, so can you. So, if you think you can’t do it because you don’t know how to, I’m here to tell you to go ahead and try for these five simple reasons:

Experience is life’s best teacher - You’ve likely heard of the school of hard knocks! Yeah, that’s what happens when you learn from your experiences. You know those times you read about something, then follow what it says only to realize, “This isn’t going quite like I expected!” If you want to learn how to do something, then do it.
Build your confidence – Reflecting on the challenges you have overcome and your accomplishments helps to build your confidence. And the only way to build your confidence is to have the courage to go for it. Do it now and you will believe you can do anything later.
Master the creative process – The four steps I outlined above are a simplistic overview of the Creative Process, which goes beyond artistic pursuits. It is a process of bringing a vision to fruition, turning an idea into reality. Once you learn that you can learn to do whatever you put your mind to.
Opportunities for improvement and innovation – By teaching yourself as you go, you’re not limited by pre-determined perceptions of the right way to do something or hamstrung by beliefs that another thing is impossible. Your mind is open to new and innovative solutions that may not have been tried before.
Avoid learning bad habits - Sometimes when we follow someone else’s definition of the right way to do something, we learn the wrong way and consequently form bad habits. When you learn something by doing it you develop and keen ability to evaluate and improve as you go rather then blindly doing as you were taught.

Surprise, You’re the Problem! Organizational Leadership Lessons from the “Flight of the Buffalo”

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

Photo by Autumm

This is one of my favorite passages from the Tao Te Ching: “Knowing others is intelligence; Knowing yourself is true wisdom.” Of course people often mistake awareness of their likes and foibles as self-knowledge. But as the Tao Te Ching goes on to say, “Mastering others is power; Mastering yourself is true strength.” True self-awareness is the ability to recognize and change your habits, and practices to align with your greater purpose and values in life.

Most everyone has had an experience working for a company that continually tries to address shortcomings by changing little things. When I did sales for a small business that had issues with high employee turnover they tried changing their hiring process, their training process, their bonus structure, etc. all to no avail. That’s because the problem wasn’t with the process, the problem was with the bosses and they’re style of organizational leadership.

There’s a great quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that captures the essence of this common problem, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” Part of our natural learning process is to mimic the behavior of those around us. And there’s nothing more demoralizing than a leader whose actions contradict their words, yet that is such a common problem in many organizations.

True self-knowledge is the ability to recognize the discrepancy between what you say and what you do so that you may actively work towards repairing the discord. No one is perfect, but we all have the potential to learn, grow, change and better ourselves. In fact actively learning is imperative to successfully leading a team towards achieving greatness and creating the change you seek.

While the book, Flight of the Buffalo: Soaring to Excellence Learning to Let Employees Lead, was published over 15 years ago, the leadership lessons are very relevant still today. Both of the authors struggled to see continued success until they realized that they were the root cause of the problems in their business! Belasco and Stayer reflect, “Most of my efforts in the early years were consumed with changing ‘them’ (employees and customers). I only came to realize later that ‘they’ behaved the way ‘they’ did because I behaved the way I did. If I wanted ‘them’ to change their behavior, I had to change mine first.”

So before you try to address a problem by blaming others or changing protocol or implementing a new process or trying a new incentive structure, take a step back and ask, “am I the one that needs to change?” That’s not an easy question to answer and admitting your own culpability in the situation may not come easily to you (especially if you’re uncomfortable being vulnerable). But you’ll have to push yourself beyond your comfort zone because that’s where true learning happens!

Are you leading your team in the right direction? We will be reviewing Flight of the Buffalo at the August 16th EntrepreNerds discussion and professional development workshop. Signup today to join us and we’ll provide the tools and learning environment to help you move from knowledge to action!

Confronting our Freedom: Privacy in the 21st Century

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

We just celebrated 4th of July, Independence Day! The sacred, all American holiday where we celebrate our God given right, freedom. Freedom of governance of life, and our personal liberty. One of our most cherished freedoms, our right to privacy, resides on an ever-changing playing field.

Sometimes I think we cling to the myth of total privacy in a hyper-connected, global society. It is not that we don’t enjoy any privacy. We do. And I for one, truly being a pretty private person (seriously, I’m a juxtaposition upon juxtaposition), totally get it. With the innovations that have come as a result of the world wide web, information flow cannot be so controlled like it was in the past.

But, what we once guarded to keep private in organizations and personally is now out in the open. Whether you like it or not, the reality is here. And you have a few options. Either act like it’s still 1979 and try to keep everything under lock and key. Or demonstrate that you believe so much in your ability to walk the talk by embracing transparency.

Jay Coen Gilbert Presenting on July 3

One of the things I loved about the presentation from Jay at B Lab was the report card he shared of a member business. Right there, on their sleeves was the performance of the company including a rating for their Governance Practices, Worker Relations, Community Support, and Environmental Policies.

The kicker is that, most of these companies, according to the standards of our educational system, are not “passing” class. And that’s fine, in fact that’s understandable. The shifts that need to occur overall are systematic and fairly significant. Such change takes time as well as a dedication to a process of continual improvement. After all, we’re not expecting perfection, we are looking for a demonstrated commitment to the journey.

By embracing transparency, these businesses are accepting their imperfection and showing some vulnerability. And for various reasons, they’re stronger as a result. These companies are saying, “Hey we’re really dedicated to doing our best and being the best for the world. So much so that we’ll share our progress to let others verify our practices. And we’ll let you see our report card.”

That’s not to say that companies should play the game with all their cards facing out. Or communicate with reckless abandon. But to be held accountable by being transparent about their business practices is the only way we can create and uphold new standards for socially responsible enterprises.

Seth Godin – If He Builds it They Will Come

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

A few weeks ago Seth Godin announced a KickStarter project that was quite successful in a matter of hours! He has since raised well over a quarter-a-million dollars for his new book, The iCarus Deception. The real kicker, his goal was only $40,000 ca-ching. (BTW Seth, what are you planning on doing with the overage from your goal? I’m thinking a philanthropic contribution, maybe books for underprivileged kids, or the Stop Stealing Dreams Foundation, just a thought……)

If I was more savy I'd photoshop Seth Godin's head on Kevin Costner

Godin created the KickStarter project as an experiment. He wanted to demonstrate a new method of publishing and marketing where you engage your audience, test interest and proceed with the big launch (or not) accordingly. He did it to prove a point to his publishers and boy did he ever; he built the project, “they” came and he succeeded in exceeding his goal. It kind of feels like a true Field of Dreams moment!

Allow me to recap the premise of the movie. This crazy Iowa farmer (played by Kevin Costner) starts cutting down his crops to build a baseball diamond. He keeps hearing a voice that whispers, “If you build it, he will come.”

So the guy continues down this insane path, all-the-while he’s jeopardizing his family’s livelihood. The weird thing is, he’s not even sure why he was doing this but he just has this strong compulsion to persevere and the hopes of an allusive vision coming to him from some mysterious voice.

Low and behold (spoiler alert), he completes the field and all these old school players making right on their shattered dreams appear…. There’s Shoeless Joe Jackson, Archie Graham……And people drive from all over to pay to see it because it reminds them of their youth. Oh, and he amends the tattered relationship with his father (no one ever seems to remember that part of the story though)!

The movie has sensationalized this notion that if you follow a dream, even a crazy one, and build something, the people will follow. By build something I mean a business of sorts. And by people I mean customers that quite literally just appear, which will of course make you rich. But were not in Hollywood and building a baseball field (or website, storefront, KickStarter project, etc) isn’t enough in-and-of-itself. What you build has to be deeper then that, more meaningful than bricks and mortar (physical or digital).

If you want to build something “they” will come to, then you have a lot of work to do. You have to create a movement of sorts, around an inspiring vision. You know, you have to lead the effort and market that Purple Cow! I think it is safe to say that Seth Godin is a modern thought leader. By my own observations, he’s followed these six steps for building his Field of Dreams.

Inspire a shared vision (Kouzes and Posner) – You need to have a vision the your working to create for making the world better. I don’t actually know Seth Godin’s a vision for what he seeks to create in the world. But this is a vision I feel he has conveyed: Innovators in business that build relationships, are dedicated to learning, make creative use of technology and adept to change succeed.
Challenge the process (Kouzes and Posner) – Well, if we’re going to be innovative that means we have to question the status quo and find new, better ways of doing things. You know, to boldly do something no man has done before!
Build your tribe – The reality is, some people will love what you’re putting forth and other’s will think it is hogwash (forget about them). Connect with the people that get it, and want to be a part of your movement. Have a system to communicate with them. Provide value. Appeal equally to their emotions and their intellect.
Demonstrate credibility, and expertise – This is a continual process of striving for improvement, delivering on your promises, walking the talk and practicing what you preach. It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, but you have to admit fault and maybe even be vulnerable.
Engage your tribe – Create timely calls to action. Give them something to do to contribute to your movement while giving them latitude to choose how to get involved. Ask for the sell!
Keep at it!

Success in Business is All About Asking the Right Questions

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Ariana Friedlander by Ariana Friedlander

Photo by Valerie Everett

Good questions are a powerful tool. And when you’re in a position of leadership, it is especially important to ask the right questions! Organizational leaders have a huge responsibility to provide a shared vision for success that they influence their team towards attaining. Peter Drucker’s Book, The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About your Organization guides leaders through the process of asking the right questions to succeed.

As Francis Hesselbein observes in the Forward, “Simple questions can be profound and answering them requires us to make stark and honest – and sometimes painful – self-assessments.” The more direct yet open a question you ask, the more useful the answer will be. As long as it is a sincere answer.

Employee Engagement
Ultimately, Drucker’s recommending “a method for assessing what you are doing, why you are doing it, and what you must do to improve your organization’s performance.” The entire process, from introspection and self-assessment to improvement and actualization, should be continuous and integrated throughout your organization.

To lead a successful organization it is best to engage your team in this process. After all, Peter Drucker’s philosophy was developed around the belief that an organization’s employees are their most valuable asset. He showed us that effective management of employees directly contributes to the ultimate success of any organization.

Engaging your team in the process builds buy-in and helps to ensure a shared understanding of your direction and priorities. In addition, your team possesses valuable knowledge that helps to inform your answers and strengthens your organization as a whole. In order to glean the most out of this process, remember that you need to provide honest answers. That means you must embrace vulnerability with your team, which is a challenge for some bosses.

The Questions
As any good interviewer knows, one question often begets other questions. That is much the way Drucker’s book is organized. The “Five Most Important Questions” each represent an ultimate question that is answered by asking several other corollary questions. So before you rush off to contemplate Drucker’s “Five Most Important Questions” remember that the answers may lie deeper than the initial question allows you to dig!

What is our Mission?
Who is our customer?
What does the customer value?
What are our results?
What is our plan?

We will be discussingThe Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About your Organization at the June 7th EntrepreNerds meeting. For more information or to sign up visit us online www.Meetup.com/EntrepreNerds

Nurturing Sustainable Business Growth

Tag Archives: vulnerability