August 24th, 2010

Swimming Against the Tide

by Jerry Baker

From time to time, all of us may feel like we are moving upstream against a current of resistance, or at the very least, indifference.

We have a direction or end result in mind, yet others don’t agree or don’t want to move in that direction. Perhaps they simply would rather not change what they have been doing.

Swimming against the current can be tiring. Sometimes it may not seem worth it. With all that is going and all the demands for our time and energy, it may seem easier to stop resisting and “go with the flow.” This is not the best approach!

Leadership is all about doing things right and doing the right thing. We have to keep going – there can be no compromise. If we really believe in the direction we have envisioned, then we need to learn to change the tide.

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August 9th, 2010

Inside/Outside Insight

by Jerry Baker

When leading a team of any size, sharing our passion for our vision and strategic direction is vital. A leader must get everyone engaged and focused on achieving the team’s goals and taking the necessary actions to realize them.

At the same time, we cannot afford to believe we know all the answers. We must not become insulated from new thinking or ideas about how to improve.

Fresh insights can come from a variety of sources, both inside and outside our team. We must be willing to listen and apply what we learn.

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July 26th, 2010

Hiring for a Culture of Performance

by Jerry Baker

It seems intuitive and also smart that we should hire the best possible people for every position in our company or on our team. But in reality, this happens less often than we may care to believe.

The hiring process is critically important, and it needs to be well executed. If you are truly looking to hire the best talent, then you will be competing against other companies. Putting your best foot forward may make all the difference.

So, if it’s so important, what keeps us from hiring the best people?

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July 12th, 2010

Making it Through Tough Times

by Jerry Baker

If you are in business, then it’s a guarantee that you will encounter difficulties or tough times. Stuff happens that is unplanned and unexpected. Some challenges are big. Some start out small, and quickly escalate. Some challenges can be of our own making, and some may be the result of external changes.

In many ways, success in business is about learning to manage through the difficult times.

When tough times come along, we need to focus our energy on what we can directly impact, and learn to cope with the obstacles we can’t change. Many of our challenges relate to managing people. We must direct and lead our teams to overcome the obstacles we face.

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June 28th, 2010

Strategy Takes Courage

by Jerry Baker

Every investment, hiring decision, and project should support your overall strategy. Remember that every business and every leader will face obstacles. Your preparation and conviction are what make the difference.

At the same time, if the market environment or customer requirements dramatically change, your strategy needs to be reevaluated. These new factors may even prompt an adjustment to your strategy.

It takes courage to stay the course. It also takes courage to make critical changes. An effective leader can discern which kind of courage is required.

Confidence in Your Strategy

Strategies should not be obligatory exercises created only to collect dust on the shelf until the next annual meeting. Strategies are meant to be used every day.

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June 14th, 2010

Serve Customers Well, or You Won’t Serve Them Long

by Jerry Baker

Customers have more and more choices in today’s market. Serving them well must be a primary business focus if you are to stay competitive. Their expectations must be understood if they are to be met. Consistently exceeding expectation is even better.

Use every means possible to track and measure customer satisfaction. Improve practices to make it easier to delight and retain customers. Use recognition and reward to maintain the service level customers demand.

Take care of your customer, so you’ll get a chance to take care of them again in the future.

Service Matters

You may be as appalled as I am by the lack of quality service everywhere you turn. In a way, we have become so desensitized by poor service and bad attitudes that we are startled when we receive even moderately good service.

This is a great reason to strive for excellent service: it will startle our customers, and keep them coming back for more.

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June 1st, 2010

Operate with Urgency

by Jerry Baker

It is a mistake to put off for tomorrow what can get done – or at least get started – today. We’ve all heard this saying before, but it still holds true. This logic applies to the myriad of daily tasks, large and small, that need to be accomplished to realize our goals.

We all need more intentional urgency. Complacency and indecision are killers for any organization. We need to determine what needs to be done, and by when. Then we need to get busy accomplishing each task.

Never confuse activity for accomplishment. Stay on track, and focused on the actions you’ve committed to. Hold others accountable to get things done on time. Urgency matters!

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May 24th, 2010

Changes Can Ruin Efficiency

by Jerry Baker

When unexpected events occur, organizations often respond by hastily putting new procedures into place. These changes may be logical in the short term, but ultimately these added steps can slow down the overall process. They may get in the way of serving customers, impact productivity, and hinder financial performance.

This is especially problematic when processes are not frequently evaluated, streamlined, or even eliminated. Unchecked processes bloat virtually every organization.

Spring cleaning applies to businesses, too!

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May 17th, 2010

Think Big, Execute Small

by Jerry Baker

It’s important to dream big, to create a vision that causes you to reach for something greater. But once that vision is cast, you need to take action if you’re ever going to see it fulfilled.

Too often, big picture thinking and strategies are translated into projects that become too cumbersome and complicated to ever be completed. Actions may be vague and undeliverable, or timeframes may be ill-defined.

When tackling large projects, break them down into manageable pieces, with a clear plan for accountability and measuring results. Think in 100 day or quarterly timeframes, and stay focused on getting these actions done on time. You’ll find that more gets accomplished at less cost.

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May 10th, 2010

Take Action

by Jerry Baker

Most business environments are challenging. Whether you are working in an expanding or contracting market, there will always be critical decisions that need to be made. How you respond can be a competitive advantage, or a stumbling block. A leader’s indecisiveness can paralyze an organization.

Establish the expectation that all issues, challenges, and opportunities will be clearly thought out, using all available information, and that your decisions will then be made quickly.

Take action. Then, if you are proven to be wrong, admit it, adjust, and move on.

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