This is not an ad. It is a note to say thank you to both 1-800-Contacts, the business, and to Jennifer, the service representative, in particular. And the thank you is specifically an appreciation of their individual and business Advantage-Making culture and skill.
I was calling to re-order my contacts. A small chore, but I had been putting it off. Getting put on hold, fumbling for eye Doc information is not my idea of something I look forward to, so I procrastinate.
One of the easiest ways to spot advantage-making is how the front line service people interact with their customers. Most of us have encountered doing business with people who are overworked, tired, frustrated, under 'attack' like at the airline counter. This seldom ends well.
Advantage-making goes beyond just finding a nice person - that is always a good start. And Jennifer certainly is that. When I recently re-ordered my contacts I was reminded and really appreciated what it was like to be in good hands. People who are solving your problems rather than putting up road blocks and obstacles, and when its done well it almost seems invisible.
That is exactly the service and solution that Jennifer from 1-800-Contacts provided for me. And the kicker is i ordered a years supply instead of the usual month or two supply. So they benefitted by helping me. And it wasn't just the price, which added to my appreciation. This wasn't life changing, but it was life enhancing. It really was the oft used phrase but seldom believed, 'it's a pleasure doing business with you."
The owners, leaders and company obviously gave her ways to solve problems in advance, anticipating people's concerns and providing a solution that I would want without adding to my burden. If you want to know how to set up a customer facing business that keeps customers coming back for more, and ordering higher amounts then i would suggest you check out 1-800-Contacts.
And again, thank you Jennifer.
Part of what drove me to write The Advantage-Makers is what I perceived as unnecessary waste of effort and opportunity. Many people put themselves at a disadvantage, and they do so unwittingly.
You can be a leader, a mom, a dad, a brother or sister, a fireman or police officer, whatever your career or family roles there are advantages and disadvantages that will come your way.
When you meet an obstacle, whether expected or unexpected, how do you respond?
When you meet an opportunity, whether expected or unexpected, how do you respond?
While true disadvantage exists, and some people have it easier than others from the start, the annals of history are replete with the lives of those who were at a disadvantage in which the odds were against them and they won anyway. The reverse is also true. People who had all the advantages blew it.
Many people don't realize that their relationship with obstacles determines the outcomes, the experiences they have in life. We all encounter obstacles and we are often called upon to do more with less.
Likewise, many people don't realize their relationship with opportunity determines the outcomes, the experiences they have in life. We all have opportunity knocking on the door, but how do we answer?
No one I know wittingly puts themselves at a disadvantage. They do so unwittingly.
The first step then is to recognize or spot the action that puts you at a disadvantage.
That's what the Five Shifts of Advantage-Makers is all about.
You can perceive the pain, but can you perceive the solution.
Shift the odds in your favor. Change the lenses you are looking through.
Shift the question and you will perceive answers you didn't know existed.
Shift time and you will find leverage where none existed before.
Shift interactions and people will do unexpected good things.
Shift perceptions and you will influence people rather than be controlled by them.
Shift structures and you will set yourself up to succeed.
Today, simply practice shifting the question.
You can do so by having the following question as the background for your events:
What are the opportunities here for someone, perhaps even me?
You might be surprised to realize that obstacles and opportunities are often in close.
So instead of putting yourself at a disadvantage, place yourself at an advantage.
Some advantages are created organically, while others are by design.
Organic solutions are created in the natural course of events - think cup to hold water, and answer the question: i need something that will ...., what could do it?
Design solutions are by intent and strategic - think smart phones, bluetooth or apps for the mac, and answer the question, i want to create ...., what will make that work?
Both organic and design solutions work as advantage making approaches. Organic solutions can be spotted but must wait for a situation to emerge. Design solutions can be found as well with a proactive opportunity spotting approach.
A Start-Up business may begin with a design solution and then while it is developed and developing organic solutions can be found by the team.
The critical point is spotting the opportunity whether it emerges or is by design.
Alexander Fleming was doing an experiment in his lab and when he returned from a short vacation he found
a mold formed on his petri dish 'ruining' his experiment. But instead of tossing it out, he shifted from this is a
problem to this is a solution to killing the bacteria.
Fleming said, "When i woke up just after dawn on September 28th, 1938, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic, or bacteria killer." But that is what he did in discovering penicillin.
Would you have had the opportunity spotting mindset that Fleming had?
Are you tossing out a solution that could revolutionize your work or at least make a difference?
"If you are not creating advantages you will probably lose to someone who is"
The entire effort of your leadership ought to be targeted at creating advantages.
Advantage-Making Leaders create advantages that:
1) encourage
followers,
2) influence
outcomes,
3) create
forward movement, and
4) increases
opportunity
When your boss, colleagues and people who report to you think of you what is the first thing they think?
In the back of their mind, do they feel you encourage people, influence perception so people say yes to your request, make things happen that otherwise couldn't happen, spot opportunity and are ready willing and able to take advantage of situations?
Advantage-making leaders create victory in spite of their circumstances.
Obstacles are not stopping points, but triggers for using your ability to create unexpected solutions.
A Silicon Valley tech V.P. was working on an initiative that required cross functional commitment and engagement. He found that his peers refused to move forward whenever an obstacle arose. They just stopped, even as their stopping was making it more difficult to meet the deadline. And they didn't call, they just kept finding more questions. Details, in this case, were not going to make a difference.
When there are obstacles to you stop and wait, do you complain for more than a few minutes, do you ask more and more questions when the answers won't really make a substantial difference, or do you, as this V.P. said, 'Refuse to Lose'?
He was not saying there is no failure, he was saying there is always something to learn and move forward, to at least take engage.
Advantage-Makers are often thought of as high risk takers, but they are really doing their best to actively penetrate to the heart of problem and more importantly, to the heart of the solution, that often appears like a big risk to those who decide based upon probability rather than possibility.
While some obstacles actually are mountains, most are just pebbles that someone has thrown at you when you know how to play the game of advantage-making.
Questions:
What advantages does you leadership really provide?
I'd love to hear
The recovery required both structural and perception changes.
A number of structural changes have been designed and implemented.
And these forces will continue to work in the midst of uncertainty
But what can you do?
This is tough but the question now for the economy, and your personal economy
is what energy do you associate with?
With the winners or the losers.
Winners resonate a can do mentality, they are proactive. They don't deny reality but they don't play to the naysayers.
Who do you want to do business with? The naysayers or the resilient who perceive the opportunity that others don't see?
It's time for each of us to influence the perception that we can do and will do.
Perception drives behavior and controversy gets headlines.
We are beyond predominantly structural problems.
I do believe we must keep the stimulus flowing.
Best remedy for you individually is find ways that are working for you.
Small, medium or large.
Don't buy the naysayers
Shift the game. Your personal energy is what people first notice.
Shift the question with potential customers. Instead of what can you do for me, ask What can I do for you now?
I can attest to the reality that shifting your energy shifts the interactions fundamentally, and our ability to perceive opportunity
Lebron signs with the Miami Heat to win a championship, taking less money.
What stood out the most was his comment,
In this league, you become a superstar individually,
You become a champion as a team -
I know the history of the game.
Are you trying to be a superstar or a champion?
Happy Independence Day -
It's 1776 and the colonists are pondering the concept.
What a brave group of people to shift from subjects to citizens as Thomas Jefferson penned in the Declaration of Independence.
America was born out of a fundamental shift from monarchy to democracy.
The Founders and their family, friends and colonial colleagues were all part of a great shift.
While not accepted without a war for our independence, the mothers and fathers of our Independence
moved us from disadvantage to advantage. They prepared a platform for all future movements toward
freedom of thought and action.
We thank them and all who contributed to and continue to support the fundamental shift.
The real fireworks was in the consciousness of the leaders who took a stand in the face of the forces against progress and humanity's good will.
As we continue our journey, more and different shifts retain and expand our freedom of, by and for consciousness
This is real growth.
It's 2010 and America is appreciating the great shift
Shifting is America's birthright.
Each day the choice is ours. Advantage or Disadvantage.
Sometimes we are more fortunate and things go our way, as if the stars are aligned.
Other times we have to make it happen.
All you have to do to confirm this is watch the World Cup or Olympics
They prepare and are ready. But folks can get bad breaks not of their doing,
or good breaks that they capitalize on.
When you get bad breaks what do you do?
While complaining is normal, the important point is how quickly do you shift?
Are you prepared to shift?
You don't have to know what the answer is to know that its time to shift.
The first step is to recognize it is time to shift. Too many people take too long on this step.
To accelerate your performance, to get better results now, shift sooner.
You can look for solutions by sorting through the five shifts that create Advantage.
Shift the Question, instead of accepting the Givens. This will construct options
Shift Time, instead of being stuck. This will overcome the boundaries.
Shift Interactions, instead of doing more of the same. This will change the game.
Shift Perceptions, instead of a loser mindset. This will influence outcomes.
Shift Structures, instead of being controlled. This will shape new behavior.
We sometimes don't realize that if we are complaining we are not shifting fast enough to what will work.
Shift faster!
During President Obama's State of the Union (SOTU), I suggest you pay attention with a different lens. Evaluate his message through the vantage point of an Advantage-Maker. This is not a political partisan rating but an independent view of the state of his advantage-making. Rate President Obama's Shift IQ.
Advantage-Makers are strategic shifters. They interact with the world differently. In the face of constraints they consistently create superior outcomes. Their task is to shift the odds in our favor. This capacity to strategically shift is the hallmark of Advantage-Makers and advantage-making. To deal with constraints advantage-makers have high Shift IQ's (SQ).
Advantage-Makers are strategic shifters. They interact with the world differently. In the face of constraints they consistently create superior outcomes. Their task is to shift the odds in our favor. This capacity to strategically shift is the hallmark of Advantage-Makers and advantage-making. To deal with constraints advantage-makers have high Shift IQ's (SQ).
This ability to shift is what amounts to a secret or hidden code of advantage-making, and is made from 5 dimensions. These dimensions are the levers to shift the odds in our favor.
Shift IQ (SQ)
As you listen to the Presidents speech, start with the constraints: the hand he was dealt with the Great Recession and the International crisis and Wars. Rate him along these five dimensions:
1) Shifting Questions - does he accept the givens or question the givens? Does he see what others don't see? Shifting options provide us with options often overlooked rather than just following the known procedures. Does Obama illustrate what we tend to miss or overlook and suggest practical solutions? Does he frame the argument differently from the same old same old to make us feel once again, Yes We Can and Yes We Will?
2) Shifting Time - does he establish the right time frame for urgency and patience? Shifting time create possibilities where most people only repeat what they've done in the past. Does he make the case how past decisions have limited our options? Does he ask us for patience on ridding ourselves of the old systems that have failed us while he urges us to take specific action now to make a better today and tomorrow? Does he show us how to make the most of the forces at play? There is no time like to present to create the future.
3) Shifting Interaction - does he change the game we are playing. Both over the past year and his interactions with the Republicans. Is he demonstrating his ability to rapidly adapt to the political and economic forces at play? Shifting interactions changes the game. Does Obama shift from an attempt at a bipartisan approach to one that demonstrates there is a new game in town that will make a difference in the midst of the worst recession America has ever experienced? Does some of what he suggests question convention, proposing a different game, that is neither right or left? Does he stand tall and demonstrate command presence in the face of his enemies?
4) Shifting Perception - Does he influence us that we are going in the right direction with the proper course corrections that are involved in any change effort? Shifting perception influences outcomes. Does he admit mistakes and learn from it and engage us to learn? How do we feel about ourselves, our futures in the presence of our chosen President after his first year in office? Does he inspire our behavior to achieve the agenda for America's recovery?
5) Shifting Structure - Structure shapes behavior. Is the President establishing a winning game, is he positioning us to win? Have we fallen prey to a failing structure in Congress and what does the President have to say about it? Does he make the hard decision? Has the President set the stage for a structural solution that will gain momentum and move us forward? Do you hear how we will advance rather than go back to old ways that haven't and don't work?
We need Advantage-Makers in the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives to shift the economic and political playing field. It is their job to get it right. We looked to them, with our input as a democracy to do the right thing.
Listen for the Shift IQ of our President in his State of the Union and rate
On a scale of 1-----10 how effective at shifting the question
On a scale of 1-----10 how effective at shifting time
On a scale of 1-----10 how effective at shifting interactions
On a scale of 1-----10 how effective at shifting perceptions
On a scale of 1-----10 how effective at shifting structures
Advantage-makers use the 5 strategic shifts as levers to achieve higher results. Difficulties become easier, complex things become simpler, things that seem too slow get done quicker, and we can enjoy the fruits of our labor - we have more fun doing it.
The state of Obama's ability to shift America
The State of the Union will be revealed. The state of Obama's ability to shift America will also be on the line. In past blogs I have indicated that Obama is an Advantage-Maker. From my studies we can see that Advantage-makers are not perfect. They make mistakes, but they learn faster, use failure as feedback to course correct, make new connections, and get more out of the information and experiences they engage in. We want America and our President to succeed. We will be at a great disadvantage if he and we don't create superior outcomes in the face of the constraints we face. Just as I believe we are stronger today than we were one year ago, it will take President Obama's advantage-making skills and together we will make our nation better and stronger.
What are the daily influences on our lives?
The three main influences are a) people in power, b) persuasive communicators and c) structural forces at play.
Let's identify the three:
People in power is pretty clear - those in authority in both private and public arena. CEO's and executives, President Obama and Congress, and non-profit leaders.
Persuasive communicators - can be the same as people in power but can also be those without any formal power at all. Persuasion is a great equalizer to power.
However, structural forces at play - the hidden drivers of behavior, like a riverbed shaping the direction of the river's movement, can shift the outcome whether you are in power or are a master of persuasion.
Take for example, the recent Olympics decision, involving Chicago vs. Rio de Janeiro's bid to hold the 2016 Olympic Games.
Rio won. Part of RIO's presentation was to vividly and persuasively paint the picture that South America contrasted with other parts of the world because they were one of a few continents that hadn't hosted an Olympics. The Rio presenters repeatedly pointed out on a map all the places that had hosted the Games and how South America was not represented at all. A compelling persuasive presentation. Rio had a persuasive message, and structural forces at play (most countries wanted the continent that hadn't had the Olympic Games) in its favor. Neither country had any actual decision power.
President Obama went to Copenhagen to make the final appeal. His position, a strong economic bid and persuasive abilities could not overcome the structural forces at play - specifically, South America has never had an Olympics, 90% of the Olympic voters are from outside the U.S.A., and Africa has never had an Olympics either. The tendency for action within the International Olympic Committee was clearly leaning for the continent that hadn't had an Olympics and RIO was perfectly situated, and I venture a guess that the African nations wanted to see a continent that hadn't hosted the Olympics as well. Strategically they would be the natural next place and likely voted accordingly.
The Chicago bid had a strong economic package and venue, and persuasive abilities of the Chicago committee which included Oprah Winfrey and high profile Chicago executives. Unfortunately, this was not equal to the the structural forces that were against them - they were going upstream in effect, and they had no decision power - most of the voters were from outside the USA. They had one of the three influence factors on their side.
President Obama took a chance, the country leaders of the other four finalists appeared at the Olympic committee vote. He would have been blamed by the political opposition if he hadn't gone, and we have the unprecedented demonstration by conservatives cheering when the USA lost the bid. They were actually rooting for America to lose! The neoconservative groups were shown cheering upon hearing that Chicago loss. The Olympics are a source of pride, and never before have we seen a political group actually root against America.
In terms of power, persuasion and structural forces at play I think the conservative strategy will backfire during the next election cycle. This will be a revealing and vivid image Democrats will use showing Republicans rooting against America. You just have to wonder what conservatives would have said if liberals had booed America in the same way.
Pay attention to the three daily influences and begin to arrange them to support your best efforts. If you have all three you increase your chances of success dramatically, but you can win with two of the three, as long as influence can align with the structural forces at play.
Let's root for America and Congratulations to Rio!
